Tag Archives: Romantic Comedy

Review of Marie Laval’s Little Pink Taxi

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Little Pink Taxi by Marie Laval

The Blurb

Take a ride with Love Taxis, the cab company with a Heart … 
Rosalie Heart is a well-known face in Irlwick – well, if you drive a bright pink taxi and your signature style is a pink anorak, you’re going to draw a bit of attention! But Rosalie’s company Love Taxis is more than just a gimmick – for many people in the remote Scottish village, it’s a lifeline.

Which is something that Marc Petersen will never understand. Marc’s ruthless approach to business doesn’t extend to pink taxi companies running at a loss. When he arrives in Irlwick to see to a new acquisition – Raventhorn, a rundown castle – it’s apparent he poses a threat to Rosalie’s entire existence; not just her business, but her childhood home too.

On the face of it Marc and Rosalie should loathe each other, but what they didn’t count on was somebody playing cupid …

Genre: RomCom / Contemporary
Publisher: Choc Lit

My review:
I thoroughly enjoyed Little Pink Taxi, with its great combination of interesting characters, drama, comedy, mystery and intrigue. Having bought the book because I liked the cover, I hadn’t expected the ghostly happenings but loved them and their pivotal role in the story. Rosalie and Marc are both very likeable characters with an intriguing backstory. I liked the way Marc’s character developed with a little help from Rosalie, the situations he found himself in and a few unexpected influences along the way. The Cairngorms of Scotland and the rundown Raventhorn castle made the perfect backdrop for the ghostly and romantic goings-on. Overall it was a fabulous read with a few twists and surprises along the way.

Click to buy the book.
Find Little Pink Taxi on the Choc Lit website.

About the author:

Originally from Lyon in France, Marie now lives in Lancashire with her family. She works full-time as a modern languages teacher, and in her spare times loves writing romance and dreaming about romantic heroes. She writes both historical and contemporary romance, and her historical romance The Lion’s Embrace won the Gold Medal at the Global eBook Awards 2015 (category Historical Romance). 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’!

Find Marie Laval on Twitter or follow her on her blog.

Thank you for the great read Marie.

My reviews are added to Amazon UK and Goodreads x

Happy publication day, Caroline James!

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I’d like to start this post by saying a very big congratulations to my fellow Ruby Fiction author, Caroline James, whose book The Best Boomerville Hotel is released today (13th March 2018)! I can’t wait to read Caroline’s book, which is already getting some great reviews, and I hope she has a day of celebrations planned. With a book described as a fabulously funny read – think The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel but in the Lake District – I’m sure it will be a great success. Discover more here.

Caroline’s novel is available for £1.99 across all ebook formats. If you don’t have an e-reader, there is no need to miss out. You can download the free Kindle or Kobo reading app on your phone or tablet and simply order the book via your chosen platform. How easy is that!

Also on this special day, I would like to say cheers to all of the authors who have signed with Ruby Fiction to date, Caroline James, Angela Barton, Hannah Pearl, Wendy Dranfield and me … we are off ladies, with an exciting year ahead, whoop whoop!

Mother’s Day

I hope you had a good Mother’s Day. I was very spoilt. Amongst my goodies were a Kindle voucher, a Costa voucher, a Cineworld voucher and cupcakes spelling out Mummy – I think my children have me worked out pretty well! As always, my favourite things were the gorgeous cards, messages and pictures my children and grandchildren made for me – such little treasures (the children and the gifts).

I recently connected with a group of new mums, when I asked for a little research help on my Facebook page. I was overwhelmed by offers and by the generosity with which everyone was willing to share their pregnancy and birth experiences with me. Responses to my questions came in through the night, as clearly the volunteers were awake with their little ones. The answers I received were great and inspired me to crack on with planning a novel I am really looking forward to writing. They also proved how diverse, difficult, happy and sometimes sad the path to motherhood can be. To all the mum’s out there you are amazing, and to all those who want nothing more than to be a mum, I truly hope you get your happy ending.

Out and about:

I will be at the Lyminster Primary School Craft Fair, in Littlehampton BN17 7JZ, Saturday 17th March, 11-2pm, selling my children’s book Finding a Friend and my contemporary romance novel, Crazy Over You. I will also be promoting The Purrfect Pet Sitter and my daughter is hoping to offer some crafty colouring fun for the little ones too.

It promises to be a lovely family event. There will be a range of local crafts on sale and entry is free. Come along and say hello.

Size doesn’t matter (any length review will do):

My current read is Lucy Diamond’s On a Beautiful Day. I am a big Lucy Diamond fan and have read all of her books. I enjoy her engaging style, down to earth characters and relatable storylines. I will add my review next time as I have just over a quarter of the book to go – but it is safe to say, I’m really enjoying it.

Cinema-wise, just lately I’ve seen:

LadyBird – A good story, very well acted and an interesting exploration of the mother-daughter relationship. Definitely worth a watch!

I-Tonya – Margot Robbie is great. I knew a little of the story but not the details. It really is a fascinating film, where you feel the plight of Tonya Harding who is gifted and talented with the odds of success strongly stacked against her.

Red Sparrow – Jennifer Lawrence is great in this spy thriller in which seduction and double-dealing are the predominant weapons of choice.

You Were Never Really Here – this was violent, dark and well paced to suit the mood of the film.

Thanks so much for reading my blog, don’t forget to raise a glass for Caroline today, and let me know what you’ve been reading and watching lately. x

The Purrfect Pet Sitter coming soon!

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If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you will have found it hard to miss the exciting news that my new book, The Purrfect Pet Sitter, published by Ruby Fiction, is now available for pre-order and is due for release on 24th April. You can find it on all ebook retailers. And if you don’t have a Kindle or e-reader, you don’t have to miss out. Simply, download the free Kindle app on to your phone or tablet and order via Amazon!

With the pre-order underway, I have been focusing on promotion. This weekend was spent finishing off my book trailer. This one is extra special as my dog Hubble has a starring role. See if you can spot him (or the back of him!).

I have also created some cards to give out at events which is purrfect timing. Along with fellow Chindi Authors, I will be at the UK Southern Book Show, at the Worthing Pavilion, on 4th March, 9-6pm. It is a new event and should be a real celebration of UK authors. If you are in the area, come along and say hello. It will make a great day out for book lovers of all ages.

Finally, for now – obviously promotion is an ongoing thing – I have been contacting local newspapers. The Purrfect Pet Sitter is set largely in and around Littlehampton, encompassing Arundel, Houghton Forest and parts of Rustington. So if you live in the local area, you are sure to recognise some of the places mentioned.

In other news, I recently celebrated being with my hubby for 27 years. The time has flown by, and despite the curve balls that have come our way (it’s been 27 years after all) we still love each other oooodles! Here’s a couple of photographs from back in the 90s, and a more recent one taken in France when I was researching The Purrfect Pet Sitter.

My Reading – Size Doesn’t Matter (even a short review will do):

The Yorkshire Pudding Club by Milly Johnson: I always enjoy Milly Johnson’s books and this story of three friends and their journey to motherhood did not disappoint. It was touching, witty and laugh out loud funny at times, but also had me crying on more than one occasion. The characters were likeable and I was willing each of them to find their happy ending. A great read.

Step Away From the Sofa by Ellie Kennedy: This is a great little book packed with advice about how to live life to the full by experiencing the world around you. With suggestions that are accessible to most, in one form or another (should you be brave enough to take them on), Ellie Kennedy encourages her readers not to waste a moment. The range of fun activities suggested, will have you wondering why sitting on the sofa in a TV coma ever seemed appealing. With so many diverse suggestions to occupy yourself, some of which are free and all of which have elements of fun, physical activity, social interaction and a sense of achievement, there really is something for everyone. Add to that it is a joy to read as the author’s love for life and the world around her shines through. Also, now I’ve read this, I have realised I was one of the five strangers this author suggests you chat to a day, back when I sat next to her in a café in 2015. We have shared many lovely chats since!

 Have a happy book week 2018 everyone!