Tag Archives: Publication day

Review of Rachael Stewart’s The Billionaire Behind the Headlines.

Book Review, Publication Day Push, , , , , , , ,

Today, I am delighted to review Rachael Stewart’s novel, The Billionaire Behind the Headlines, and there is the chance to win a fabulous stack of books from the author!

About the book

In Rachael Stewart’s latest Harlequin Romance, the second in her Claiming the Ferrington Empire duet, an invitation to Paris with a billionaire is on the cards, but only if Bree is brave enough to take it…

Can a playboy billionaire……capture her heart?

Bree has escaped the big city to heal her heart in a village bakery. But when notorious billionaire Theo walks through the door, emotionally guarded Bree discovers it’s not just her toffee pudding that’s hot and sweet! The man behind the headlines is charming but intriguingly cynical about love. Accepting his invitation to Paris could be a mistake—or the best decision she’s ever made…

My review:

I haven’t read the first in the Ferrington Brothers duet but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this book. The characters were all likeable and I enjoyed watching Bree and Theo’s relationship develop. They each have issues relating to the past but it is clear from the start that they share chemistry.

This book had fewer physically intimate scenes than other Rachael Stewart books I have read, but the relationship and growing intimacy is still well drawn. Scenes between Bree and Theo as they unexpectedly spend time together looking after a young child were sweet. The couple’s shared baking scenes (Bree works in her family’s bakery) showed a more vulnerable side to Theo, especially as insight into his past is revealed. As well as this, there is a trip to Paris, a chase to the airport and a happy ever after – what’s not to like?

Purchase here.

Giveaway to Win An eBook collection of Rachael Stewart’s Mills & Boon True Love / Harlequin Romances (Open INT).

Prize Contains:

  • Tempted by the Tycoon’s Proposal
  • Surprise Reunion with His Cinderella
  • Beauty and the Reclusive Millionaire
  • Secrets Behind The Billionaire’s Return
  • The Billionaire Behind the Headlines

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the link below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Enter here.

About the author:

Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories for the readers of Harlequin Mills & Boon and Deep Desires Press, with tales varying from the heartwarmingly romantic to the wildly erotic.

She’s been writing since she could put pen to paper as the stacks of scrawled on A4 sheets in her loft will attest to, and the lovingly bound short stories that her father would run off at work and proudly share out with his colleagues. Thinking it was a pipe dream to be published one day, she pursued a sensible career in business but she was really play-acting, achieving the appropriate degree and spending many years in the corporate world where she never truly belonged. Always happiest when she was sat at her laptop in the quiet hours tapping out a story or two. And so here she is, a published author, her full-time pleasure, a dream come true.

A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and three children, and if she’s not glued to her laptop, she’s wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors seeking out inspiration.

Discover more about Rachael Stewart via her website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Many thanks to Rachael Stewart for the great read, and thanks to Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources and Mills & Boon, for the advanced read copy.

My reviews are added to Amazon UK and Goodreads. x

Review of Rachael Stewart’s latest novel, Getting Dirty!

Book Review, Publication Day Push, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today, I am delighted to join the publication day fun and share my review for Rachael Stewart’s Getting Dirty!

The Blurb:

Sometimes digging up the dirt

Means getting deliciously dirty…

I always work for the good guys. My job was simple: get the dirt on Coco Lauren, a princess of a socialite who talks—and plays—dirty. But I kissed her. I tasted her. Uncovered the tantalising woman beneath the polished façade. And she undid me in every way. Now I’m the bad guy. But how do I tell Coco the truth…when coming clean means losing her?

Genre: Erotic Romance
Published by: Mills & Boon Dare

My review:

Rachael Stewart delights with this entertaining, racy read. Not only are the intimate moments between Coco and Ash well portrayed, but there is a genuine attraction and warmth between them too. You want their relationship to work on more than the physical level, and through the time they share, you gain an understanding of how much they need each other.

The plot was interesting and enjoyable, and while I knew there was going to be a happy ending, I couldn’t help but wonder how it would play out.

The supporting characters were great, adding to and increasing our knowledge of the leads. And I have to mention the trip to the Highlands… I loved Ash’s relationship with his dad, and seeing him in this whole new setting – sigh!

Overall, this was a fabulous, sexy read, with a good pace, likeable characters and a story that holds you throughout. As always with a Rachael Stewart read, I look forward to the next.

Click to buy the book: Amazon

Giveaway to Win an e-copy of Getting Dirty by Rachael Stewart (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

ENTER HERE

About the author:

Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories for the readers of Harlequin Mills & Boon and Deep Desires Press, with tales varying from the heart-warmingly romantic to the wildly erotic.

Despite a degree in Business Studies and spending many years in the corporate world, the desire to become an author never waned and it’s now her full-time pleasure, a dream come true.

A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and three children, and if she’s not glued to her laptop, she’s wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors seeking out inspiration.

Discover more about Rachael Stewart via her website | Twitter | Facebook

Many thanks to Rachael Stewart for the great read, and thanks to Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources for enabling me to be part of the publication day push.

My reviews are added to Amazon UK and Goodreads. x

Publication day celebrations with Marie Laval!

Guest Post, One Day Blog Blitz, , , , , , ,

Today, I am excited to welcome Marie Laval on to my blog, as she celebrates the release of A Paris Fairy Tale.

Thank you so much, Carol, for welcoming me on your blog on the day my latest contemporary romance, A PARIS FAIRY TALE, is published by Choc Lit.

Here’s the blurb:

Is Paris the city of happily ever afters?
Workaholic art historian Aurora Black doesn’t have time for fairy tales or Prince Charmings, even in the most romantic city in the world. She has recently been hired by a Parisian auction house for a job that could make or break her career. Unfortunately, daredevil journalist Cédric Castel seems intent on disrupting Aurora’s routine.

As Aurora and Cédric embark on a journey across France, they get more than they bargained for as they find themselves battling rogue antiques dealers and personal demons, not to mention a growing attraction to each other.

But with the help of a fairy godmother or two, could they both find their happily ever afters?

And I am delighted to share an extract from the novel:

Aurora glanced up, and met the amber gaze of a tall, dark-haired man who stood in front of her, blocking her view of the rest of the room.

He had high, sharp cheekbones, his mouth was set in a cynical smile, but it was his eyes that held her attention. They were the most fascinating colour, warm brandy with flecks of green. Immediately, the names of pigments she would need to paint them flashed into her mind – Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber and Verona Gold Ochre, with a touch of Cobalt Green or Malachite.

‘Castel,’ Nenachko snarled.

The newcomer ignored him and looked at Aurora, holding her captive in his intense, mesmerising scrutiny. ‘I see Nenachko lost no time in securing your services, Mademoiselle Black. I guess he needs people like you to help him plunder the museums and art galleries of Europe.’

Aurora drew in a shocked breath and snapped out of her trance. Straightening her back to make her five foot two appear taller, she pushed her glasses up and gave him the frosty look that caused her colleagues to call her ‘Black Ice’ – those who liked her, that is.

‘It’s Doctor Black, actually,’ she corrected, ‘and I do not help anyone plunder museums, nor do I condone those who do it.’ Never mind the colour of his eyes. Who was this man and how did he dare question her integrity?

He arched his dark eyebrows as if he didn’t believe her and turned to Nenachko again. ‘I hope you’re enjoying the party. There must be plenty of rich people you can swindle here tonight.’

Nenachko’s face flushed harder. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Letting you know that I was back from my trip in the Mediterranean.’

The Russian’s blue eyes narrowed to slits. ‘Ah yes. I heard you were still on a crusade to rescue refugees. What a shame you didn’t drown… By the way, I didn’t see your name on the guest list.’

Castel shrugged. ‘That’s because it’s not.’

‘Then how did you get past security?’

‘I have my ways.’

It was like watching a verbal tennis match, Aurora thought as she glanced from one to the other. The Russian looked like a man it was dangerous to cross, but Castel, whoever he was, didn’t seem to care. Worse, he seemed to enjoy goading him into a dark rage.

A PARIS FAIRY TALE is released TODAY (July 23rd) and is available as an ebook and audiobook on Amazon and various other platforms.

Thank you so much for joining me on your special day, Marie, and for sharing this great extract!

About the author:

Originally from Lyon in France, Marie Laval now lives in Lancashire with her family. She works full-time as a modern languages teacher and in her spare time she loves writing romance and dreaming about romantic heroes.

She writes both historical and contemporary romance. Her historical romance The Lion’s Embrace won the Gold Medal at the Global Ebook Awards 2015 (category Historical Romance), and best-selling Little Pink Taxi was her debut romantic comedy novel with Choc Lit.

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors. Her native France, as well as her passion for history and research, very much influences her writing, and all her novels have what she likes to call ‘a French twist’!

You can find out more about Marie here:  Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest  – where you’ll discover the many beautiful photos of Paris and illuminated manuscripts which inspired the writing of A Paris Fairy Tale.

Here’s wishing Marie every success with A Paris Fairy Tale! I am looking forward to reading it soon. xx

 

 

*ONE WEEK TO GO* Maybe Baby, coming soon!

Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , , ,

I am super excited to say there is just one week to go until the release of my latest romantic comedy novel, Maybe Baby, in audio and as an ebook!

For delivery on April 2nd preorder your copy here.

In case you’ve missed me shouting about it, here’s the blurb:

Just when you thought you had it all worked out …

Lisa Blake is back with her first love, she’s reunited with her best friend Felicity, and even her pet sitting skills are improving – everybody knows you can’t believe all you read in the local Gazette, don’t they?

Felicity is on the cusp of achieving her perfect wife-mum-life balance; Her husband, Pete, is being wonderfully attentive, and her four children are getting older and wiser (sometimes too much wiser) by the day.

But when Lisa walks in on a half-naked woman in her boyfriend’s flat and Felicity is left reeling from a shocking discovery, it seems life is nothing but full of surprises. Can love, laughter, and learning to compromise, help them achieve their dreams?

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Published by: Ruby Fiction

Maybe Baby is available in audio and as a paperback, buying links: Amazon | Kobo | Ruby Fiction 

Maybe Baby is the second book in the Lisa Blake series. While the story follows on from The Purrfect Pet Sitter (Lisa Blake book #1), it can also be read as a standalone novel.

Early reviews for Maybe Baby

As book bloggers begin to return their verdict from advance copies, I am delighted to say I am doing my happy dance. Here are just some of the lovely things that have been said on Goodreads:

“Heartwarming and uplifting … a delightful and fun story anyone can enjoy!”

“The pages just flew by … and I really enjoyed all the characters both human and furry!” 

“Cute story of friendships and new beginnings.”

“The story is zany, with a little screwball comedy, and a quirky cast of characters.”

“An enjoyable, happy-ending story of friendship and love.” 

Thank you to all who have taken the time to leave a review so far. For further reviews, don’t miss my blog tour, via Rachel’s Random Resources, from 3rd to 12th April! I am excited and nervous as it draws near, wish me luck.

Thank you so much to everyone who has preordered Maybe Baby, your support is hugely appreciated and with not long to go, I hope you enjoy it! xx

Publication Celebrations for The Purrfect Pet Sitter

Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , , , ,

As I am sure you are aware (I’ve done a lot of shouting about it) The Purrfect Pet Sitter was released on April 24th and a wonderful week of celebrations ensued.

I am so grateful to everyone who helped to make the week special. Online, fellow writers were super supportive. My Ruby Fiction and Choc Lit family were great, and book bloggers were as fabulous as ever, as they shared early reviews and started giving my book mentions (there’s more to come on this when my book starts its official blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources on May 15th).

Early reviews

Early reviews are in and I am overwhelmed by the lovely things people are saying about The Purrfect Pet Sitter:

“Packed with fun, humour, twists and depth. What a read!” MiniMaxi

“All I can say is that this ticked every single box. Choc Lit’s Ruby is for stories which tap into the reader’s emotions and The Purrfect Pet Sitter certainly did that for me.” Jo Osborne

“The Purrfect Pet Sitter is a good story that I was really entertained by on a wet and windy bank holiday weekend. It took me on a lovely journey of personal growth and even features a couple of gorgeous men too.” Rachel Gilbey

And if you haven’t downloaded it yet, the good news is it is still only 99p across all ebook retailers! Click to buy.

Thoroughly spoilt

In the week since publication I have been thoroughly spoilt by my family and friends with lovely cards, flowers, meals out, cake and more cake!

And just as in The Purrfect Pet Sitter, here are a couple of pictures to prove children and animals bring their own special element of chaos to the proceedings!

Author of the Week
To celebrate publication week, my fabulous fellow Chindi Authors also made me their Author of the Week. I went on a tour of their blogs, chatting about all things related to The Purrfect Pet Sitter in a variety of guest posts and interviews. If you missed the posts you can catch up on my Chindi blog tour here:

A big thank you to all of the Chindi Authors who took part and allowed me to gatecrash their blogs! I really appreciate your support.

Thank you so much to everyone for making the publication of The Purrfect Pet Sitter so special, and if you have read it please leave a review on the site you purchased it from. Reviews, no matter what their length, make a huge difference to authors, and help them and their work get noticed.

Now to stop eating cake (sigh!) and to crack on with the next book! xx