Saturday 30 June 2018

A Summer Scandal
by
Kat French
BLOG TOUR

Guest Review
by
Julie Williams



I do love Kat French's books, so am delighted to be a part of the Blog Tour for A Summer Scandal. I have an extract and a review from Julie Williams has reviewed this one for you and I am hoping to get to read this one soon!

Review

An easy quick read that I devoured over the bank holiday in the sunshine!

Set on the South Coast of England Violet is thrown into turmoil when two events occur in her life simultaneously. First she discovers she is the benefactor of a seaside apartment and pier and secondly an unexpected marriage proposal. 

Knowing that she is not ready to settle down she decides to put some distance between herself and her family and boyfriend and move into the decadent apartment previously owned by her grandparents.

Violet unearths secrets through a diary and locals and finds her own life being mirrored with that of her Grandmother who died many years ago.

This is a story of romance, memories and hidden secrets. There are some colourful characters and of course true to Kat French’s writing a gorgeous sexy love interest. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel but missed the lack of humour I have come to expect from this author’s books.



Wednesday 27 June 2018

A Room At The Manor
by
Julie Shackman


GUEST PIECE


I am absolutely delighted to be promoting the debut novel A Room at The Manor by the lovely Julie Shackman.  Julie has very kindly written a guest piece especially for Boon's Bookcase and I really hope she has lots of success with this book as she is such a joy to know on social media. All the best Julie and I hope everyone goes out and buys a copy of A Room at The Manor!

Guest Piece by Julie Shackman




To the Manor, Vaughan! By Julie Shackman


When I was pulling together the character for my hero for A Room at the Manor, I quickly realised that Vaughan Carmichael would be a sculptor.
This moody, handsome, Christian Bale look-a-like, with artistic talent flowing through his fingertips, is proud of his heritage and firmly protective of Glenlovatt Manor, his family home.
From first imagining him with his unruly layers of dark, shoulder length hair and wolfish blue eyes, Vaughan is loyal, passionate and intelligent. But his ability to seduce any woman he pleases, is put to the test by the arrival of my protagonist, Lara McDonald.
This striking, determined young woman with the pre-Raphaelite red curls, explodes into his life and it was so enjoyable to witness Vaughan’s reactions.
I wanted to craft a hero who readers feel they could fall in love with – but also have a stern word to say to, to try and tame that stubborn streak of his.
Vaughan can create beauty and drama easily out of lumps of clay and marble – but many other elements of his life are not so effortless to control once Lara arrives.
Some of the book heroes who I have read about and loved in the past, such as Jack Wolfe, from Hazel Osmond’s “Who's Afraid of  Mr Wolfe?” are irresistible but flawed; alluring but infuriating.
And let’s face it – no-one is perfect. I’ve tried to make Vaughan a combination of all of these things, in the hope that readers fall under his magnetic spell.
I have to admit that I didn’t find it at all a hardship spending so much time with him….!
I hope you enjoy reading about Vaughan every bit as much as I did writing about him. 
 

A Room at the Manor is released in paperback and Kindle on 27 June. It is available in the UK online at this link https://www.bookdepository.com/Room-at-the-Manor-Julie-Shackman/9781760632861 
In Australia & New Zealand, it is also available on-line, as well as in all good bookshops.
















Blurb - A Room at the Manor - Julie Shackman
When her Maltese love affair turns sour, Lara McDonald returns to her quiet Scottish hometown of Fairview heartbroken, yet determined - instead of looking for another PR position, she decides to follow her dream of baking. She impulsively takes the first job offered and finds herself working for local dragon Kitty Walker in her tea room, True Brew.

Lara's life is full of surprises, however, not the least being an unlikely friendship forged with one of Kitty's elderly customers, the former laird Hugo Carmichael. The Carmichael family has lived at the beautiful Glenlovatt Manor for almost three hundred years and, although in need of renovation, Hugo, his son and grandson currently make it their home.

There's something about Lara that Hugo likes, and when Hugo suddenly passes away, Lara is stunned to discover she is mentioned in his will. But not everyone is happy with the old Laird's faith in Lara.

A story of love, family, hope and trust, A Room at the Manor will delight every reader keen to find their place in the world.








About the Author


Julie Shackman lives in Scotland and is married with two teenage sons.
Julie trained as a journalist and studied Communication & Media but has always wanted to be an author.
She also writes verses and captions for greetings card companies.
When not reading or writing, Julie is a keen walker and loves music.


https://www.facebook.com/julie.shackman

Sunday 17 June 2018

The Mum Who'd Had Enough
by
Fiona Gibson
Blog Tour







I love Fiona Gibson's books and so am delighted to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Mum Who'd Had Enough (what a fabulous title!). I have an extract for you today, so sit back with a cuppa (or something stronger if you prefer!) and enjoy.....


Extract
The trouble with being left a note like that is that you need time to figure out what the hell’s going on. Ideally, you also want access to the person who wrote it to see if they really meant it, or just lost their mind temporarily.
I mean, my record collection! Is it Springsteen that’s tipped her over the edge? One too many playings of Born to Run? I need to know as a matter of urgency, but it seems that Sinead’s phone is turned off.
The other trouble with this whole list business is that real life must continue, which means putting on a great show of everything being normal. It’s 7.46 on a bleary Thursday morning, and our son must still go to school, even if he does have a selfish incompetent father, and I need to go to work – plus, obviously, track down my wife.
While Flynn showers, I try to keep calm and not overreact, and only call her mobile eleven times.
Hi, you’ve reached Sinead. Please leave your number and I’ll call you right back … 
Such a warm, cheery voice, husky with a soft Yorkshire lilt; the voice of a woman who has always embraced life, who has reams of friends – from childhood and her art school days, and even more through being Flynn’s mum. Everyone knows her as being supremely capable, great fun, delightful company and, of course, a fantastic mother. We’d have had more babies – a whole gang – if we’d managed to conceive after having Flynn, but it only happened once. Sinead miscarried at ten weeks, when Flynn was three, and after that it just didn’t happen at all. We’re not really into ‘signs’, the two of us, but we consoled ourselves that this was probably nature’s way of urging us to count our blessings and focus fully on our son. So we didn’t go down the IVF route. Our friend Abby did, and she reckons the stress and disappointment killed off her marriage. Plus, with Flynn’s condition, Sinead and I spent enough time in clinics and hospitals as it was.
I hear Flynn emerging from the bathroom. Once he’s back in his room, I dive in, turn on the shower and take another look at the list, as apparently I hadn’t quite got to the end.

Saturday 16 June 2018

The Hidden Bones
by
Nicola Ford
BLOG TOUR




It's my turn today to host the Blog Tour for The Hidden Bones by Nicola Ford. This sounds a fabulous read, so another one that is going to be bumped up my TBR pile! Meanwhile, I have an extract for you which is in fact, Chapter Two and I have included a link for you to read the Prologue and Chapter One. Enjoy....


Extract - Chapter Two

‘Take a look!’ Muir stabbed his finger at the sheet of A4.
David glanced down at the paper lying on his head of department’s desk without speaking.
‘Well!’
‘Well what?’ To everyone except Muir himself and the vice-chancellor, the bald-headed Glaswegian was known as the Runt. He was renowned for both his complete disregard for anyone or anything other than his own future prospects and his apparent obliviousness to the universal detestation with which he was regarded by other members of the department. The VC had parachuted him into the chair of archaeology over the tops of the heads of several better qualified candidates – David included. But it wasn’t personal jealousy that was fuelling the Runt’s ire this morning. Today’s topic of conversation was David himself.
‘Don’t play games with me, Barbrook. You won’t like the consequences.’
‘Is that supposed to be a threat?’
‘I don’t need to make threats.’ He gesticulated at the sheet of paper that lay between them. ‘The figures speak for themselves.’
Muir seemed to have acquired his management style from old Jimmy Cagney films. It was all David could do to stifle his urge to laugh. Normally he wouldn’t even try, but something in the Runt’s demeanour this morning told him he’d be wise to suppress his natural inclinations. He picked up the paper and made a show of examining it. In reality, he was only too well aware of the contents of the departmental email. It demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had brought in significantly less research funding than any of his colleagues in the department.
‘Well! Don’t you have anything to say? You might be determined to spend your entire academic career in the gutter, but I’m damned if I’m going to let you drag the rest of us into it with you. I won’t have it.’ 
David replaced the email on the desk and settled himself into the sleek leather chair that Muir reserved for favoured guests. He could see that his choice of seat hadn’t improved the Scotsman’s humour. ‘Look, can we drop the amateur dramatics?’
‘How dare you—’
Before he could finish his sentence, David raised his hand. Starting from his chin and working its way upwards across his balding pate, Muir’s face flushed a vibrant shade of pink. For a moment, David thought the Scot was going to have some sort of seizure. ‘I could sit here and listen to you outlining my manifold failings, but frankly I’m tired of playing that scene. So why don’t I save us both the pain of enduring unnecessary time in one another’s presence. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my academic credentials; my submissions for the last research assessment exercise scored higher than anyone else in the department. I’m not some simple-minded dullard. I know the game has changed. Research scores are only a means to an end. We both know that the bottom line is cash.’
Muir made no effort to contain his sarcasm. ‘Well, glory be – he’s seen the light. Now what exactly do you propose to do about it?’
David was well aware that from the moment Muir had set foot in the department he’d viewed him as nothing more than an irritating tick whom he had every intention of crushing underfoot. But thus
far he’d failed to do so. And David had every intention of ensuring he remained firmly embedded under the Runt’s skin.
His adversary leant back in his chair, arms folded, drumming the fingers of his left hand against his right forearm, anticipating victory. It was clear from the Scot’s face that he had absolutely no idea what was coming.
‘I have British Heritage project funding to the tune of half a million pounds.’
‘Pull the other one, Barbrook. You haven’t managed to pull together a viable funding application in the whole of the three years I’ve been here.’
‘Well, I have now.’
‘And exactly what is this fictional funding for?’
‘To analyse and publish the Hungerbourne archive.’
Muir’s mouth broke into a self-congratulatory smile. His target was within range. ‘You’re a fantasist, Barbrook. The Hungerbourne archive went up in smoke – in much the same way that I intend to see that your academic career does, unless you can provide me with some genuine evidence that you’re pulling your weight in my department.’ 
David reached into the bag that he had placed by his chair. He extracted its contents and slapped them down on Muir’s desk. Before the Runt had a chance to respond, David turned the hardback notebook through one hundred and eighty degrees so that the Scot could read the fading black ink on its tattered cover.
Muir glanced down. There was no mistaking the words on its label, but they clearly weren’t what he was expecting. Hungerbourne Barrow Cemetery Excavation Diary 1973. G. Hart.
Muir opened the book and began leafing through it. He looked up, his eyes boring into David’s. ‘Where did you get this?’
‘Hungerbourne Manor – along with . . .’
‘Why didn’t I know about this?’
Muir knew full well what the answer was. David didn’t dignify it with a response. If he’d told the Runt that he’d found the Hungerbourne archive, he would have insisted he head up the project himself.
David picked up the notebook and, placing it carefully back in his bag, turned to leave.
As he opened the door, Muir said, ‘Make no mistake, Barbrook. One more fuck-up, just one, and it will be the last thing you do in this department.’
David closed the door behind him without a backward glance.



If you want to read the Prologue/Chapter One then click on the link below:-

Thursday 14 June 2018

Her Mother's Secret
by
Rosanna Ley
Blog Tour


Blurb
For many years Colette has avoided returning to her homeland - the magical island of Belle-ÃŽle-en-Mer in Southern Brittany - afraid to confront the painful memories she left behind. She is living on the Cornish coast when she hears about her mother Thea's failing health and realises that the time has come for her to go home. But can Colette ever forgive Thea for what she has done?
Despite Colette's wariness, romantic Belle-Île still fascinates her. She takes on the running of her mother's flower shop and makes friends with Élodie from the Old Lighthouse where Thea once worked as a nanny and with the enigmatic Étienne who shares Colette's mixed feelings about the island. As Thea opens up to her for the first time, Colette finds herself softening and being drawn back into the landscape of her past. But can Belle-Île also be a part of her future?
The ghosts of that past still linger. What happened all those years ago and how did it cause the rift between mother and daughter? It becomes clear that the beauty of Belle-ÃŽle hides a devastating family secret - one that Colette is determined to unravel at any cost.




It's my turn on the Blog Tour for Her Mother's Secret by Rosanna Ley. This is the first novel I have read by this author, but have interacted with her on Twitter and Facebook and she is lovely! She also lives in my favourite part of the world, Bridport in Dorset! I would like to say thank you to Anne Cater and Quercus books for sending me a copy of the book and you can find my review of this lovely book below.





Review
Colette has received a letter to say that her mother, Thea, has Leukaemia and that she must return home to the island of Belle-Île-en-Mer before it's too late. It isn't an easy decision for Colette to make as she and her mother have been estranged for many years and she has her fiancé Mark to think about. How will he react to her just upping sticks and returning home indefinitely to help her mother and to keep the little florist shop going that her mother built up from scratch?

Colette's mother Thea knows she doesn't have very long left and wants to make amends not only with Colette, but with Élodie and Jacques, the children she looked after until a bitter disagreement with their mother Mathilde and Thea is sent away disgraced and wondering what she is going to do with the rest of her life.

Meanwhile as Colette is returning to the island to see her mother, Etienne is also back on the island to finalise things following the death of his own mother. He too is finding it difficult being back and memories of his childhood almost prove too much for him. Will a chance meeting with Colette, who is going through similar feelings as him, be able to convince him to stay a while and see what Belle-ÃŽle-en-Mer can offer?

Obviously by the title of the book, you can imagine there are secrets and ghosts that Colette has to deal with when she returns to care for her mother, but I thought I had worked out what the "secret" was, but even I didn't seem that one coming!!

This is the first book I have read by Rosanna Ley, but with her exquisite detail, I will definitely be reading more from her. This is quite a long book, but justified in my opinion as the precision to detail is amazing and the amount of research it must have taken about the location, certainly shines out in this story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would certainly recommend this book. A great summer read!






Tuesday 5 June 2018


** COVER REVEAL **

The Shrouded Path
by
Sarah Ward




I am absolutely delighted to be able to show you the cover for the eagerly awaited next instalment of the DC Childs series, The Shrouded Path by the fabulous author Sarah Ward. Although this is about the one detective, I think that all of the books can be read as stand alones. I have loved all of these books, but by looking at this cover, I think this is going to be a corker!! You will have to wait until September for publication, but I just wanted to wet your appetite as to what to expect! I can't wait!

Saturday 2 June 2018

MAD
by
Chloe Esposito
BLOG TOUR



Today, it's my stop on the Blog Tour for MAD by Chloe Esposito and below I have an extract for you.


Extract

DISCLAIMER here’s something you should know before we go any further: my heart is in the wrong place. So is my stom- ach, my liver and my spleen. All my internal organs are


on the opposite side, in exactly the place where they shouldn’t be. I’m back to front: a freak of nature. Seven billion people on this planet have their hearts on the left. Mine’s on the right. You don’t think that’s a sign?
My sister’s heart is in the right place. Elizabeth is per- fect, through and through. I am a mirror image of my twin, her dark side, her shadow. She is right and I am wrong. She’s right-handed; I am left. In Italian, the word for ‘left’ is ‘sinistra’. I am the sinister sister. Beth is an angel and so what am I? Hold that thought . . .

The funny thing is that to look at us, you can’t tell the differ- ence. On the surface, we’re identical twins, but peel back the skin and you’ll get the shock of your life; watch in awe as my guts spill out all mixed up and topsy-turvy. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s not a pretty sight.

We’re monozygotic, if you want to know; Beth’s zygote split in two and I materialized. It happened at the very earliest stage of development, when her zygote was no more than a cluster of cells. Mum had been pregnant for just a few days and then – poof – out of nowhere, I show up, cuckoo-like. Beth had to share her nice, cosy amniotic bath and Mum’s home-cooked placenta.

It was pretty crowded in that uterus; there wasn’t a lot of room for the two of us and our umbilical cords. Beth’s got tan- gled around her neck and then knotted pretty badly. It was
touch and go for a while. I don’t know how that happened. It had nothing to do with me. 


Scientists think identical twins are completely random. We’re still a mystery; no one knows how or why I occurred. Some call it luck, coincidence or chance. But nature doesn’t like random. God doesn’t just play dice. I came here for a reason; I know I did. I just don’t know what that reason is yet. The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.