Cover Reveal

Summer At The Cornish Cafe

by

Phillipa Ashley

How cool is this cover..... I can imagine sitting reading this in the garden with a nice glass of something cold!!

Demi doesn’t expect her summer in Cornwall to hold anything out of the ordinary. As a waitress, working all hours to make ends meet, washing dishes and serving ice creams seems to be as exciting as the holiday season is about to get.

That’s until she meets Cal Penwith. An outsider, like herself, Cal is persuaded to let Demi help him renovate his holiday resort, Kilhallon Park. Set above an idyllic Cornish cove, the once popular destination for tourists has now gone to rack and ruin. During the course of the Cornish summer, Demi makes new friends – and foes – as she helps the dashing and often infuriating Cal in his quest. Working side by side, the pair grow close, but Cal has complications in his past which make Demi wonder if he could ever truly be interested in her.

Demi realises that she has finally found a place she can call home. But as the summer draws to a close, and Demi’s own reputation as an up and coming café owner starts to spread, she is faced with a tough decision . . .

A gorgeous story exploring new beginnings, new love and new opportunities, set against the stunning background of the Cornish coast. Phillipa Ashley has written a feisty, compelling heroine who leaps off the page and encourages you to live your summer to the full.

Recommended for readers who loved Summer at Shell Cottage, The Cornish House, Tremarnock and Poldark.

The Girl Who Walked in The Shadows

 (Book 3 of the George McKenzie series)

by

Marnie Riches

Also a Guest Post by the author on how George McKenzie has grown over the 3 books!

Blurb

The third edge-of-your-seat thriller in the Georgina MacKenzie series. Fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo won’t be able to put it down!

Europe is in the grip of an extreme Arctic blast and at the mercy of a killer, who leaves no trace. His weapons of choice are razor-sharp icicles. This is Jack Frost.

Now a fully qualified criminologist, Georgina McKenzie is called upon by the Dutch police to profile this cunning and brutal murderer. Are they looking for a hit man or a frenzied serial-killer? Could there be a link to a cold missing persons’ case that George had worked with Chief Inspector Paul van den Bergen – two abducted toddlers he could never quite give up on?

The hunt for Jack Frost sparks a dangerous, heart-rending journey through the toughest neighbourhoods in Europe, where refugees and Roma gypsies scratch a living on the edge of society. Walking into the dark, violent world of a trans-national trafficking ring, can George outrun death to shed light on two terrible mysteries?

Review

George is back with a bang! 

Having become a criminologist, George is keeping busy trying not to think of her on-off relationship with Chief Inspector Paul Van Den Bergen, when out of the blue she gets a text from him asking her to get to Amsterdam..........quickly!

Europe is in the grip of an extremely cold period and there is a killer on the loose nicknamed Jack Frost. It soon becomes apparent that they are dealing with something big when two small children disappear from their garden without trace. Are these connected? Child trafficking is big business in Europe, especially amongst the Roma people, so it is up to George and Paul to fish them out and to find little Lucy and Josh, before it's too late........

Meanwhile, George is having personal issues of her own, including her mother Letitia, who has plonked herself on her Auntie Sharon's sofa, with no intention of going anywhere, claiming she is dying! This book sees George a bit more exposed personally, as her family are put at risk and have to escape the country immediately as an old acquaintance rears his ugly head and threatens them all.

In this third book, I feel we see a softer side to George as she tries to protect her family, whilst trying to stay professional and keep her feelings for VDB under control. It doesn't always work, but George certainly gives it all she's got!

I do hope we hear more from George. I really feel we are getting to know the real person behind the "mask" and also I need to find out what happens between her and VDB! 

There were a lot of characters in this book, but with the crimes they were having to deal with, I felt it was necessary to the plot.

I really don't know how the author knows about all the places in Amsterdam and can only guess that a huge amount of research is involved, but I love reading about George's family in South East London, as that's where i'm from!!

Well done for yet another fabulous instalment in the George McKenzie series, here's to the next one!!

I just want to say a huge thank you to Marnie Riches who has mentioned me in the acknowledgements for this book. I am truly grateful and very humble, as it is an absolute pleasure to read these books and I really do look forward to the next one! 

How George has grown! 
Guest post from Marnie Riches

George McKenzie – From teen to crime-busting machine inside 12 months.

Over the course of the first three George McKenzie novels, young Georgina has had an awful lot of growing up to do. Why? Well, in The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, she crashed into readers’ lives as a feisty student, studying at Amsterdam University during an Erasmus year towards the end of her Cambridge University Human, Social & Political Science degree. I had written the book back in 2009 at a time when I was mainly penning middle grade and YA fiction. Although I was determined to write a classic Scandi- or Euro-noir crime thriller in the style of Jo Nesbo or Stieg Larsson, it had never occurred to me to make George any older than nineteen or twenty. I wanted to depict my heroine at that time in her life when everything was possible – no day job, no real routine, no husband, no parents, no backache or children to get up for in the morning. In truth, back in 2009, I was gunning for a character who would tip her hat to Lisbeth Salander. But then George McKenzie was born and she was no carbon copy of Salander. From day one, she took on a life very much of her own…

In The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die, I wanted to explore how young women can be exploited by older men in positions of power. George’s relationship with her hated tutor, Vim Fennemans illustrates this ruinous dynamic perfectly, as he continually seeks to threaten and undermine her. But a confident woman like George is always going to give good as she gets. At twenty, it makes sense that she should be scornful of authority, seeking to flout and subvert it at every turn. That’s what young people need to do to make their mark in the world of adults.

In the second book, The Girl Who Broke the Rules, George is four years older and wiser. Though the story is about the hunt for a brutal killer who is leaving a trail of eviscerated sex workers in Amsterdam’s red light district, much of the book focuses on George’s relationships with the older characters in her life – her Aunty Sharon, Van den Bergen, her supervisor, Sally Wright… Rather than kicking against their authority, she negotiates her relationships with them skilfully, proving her maturity. No longer an undergraduate but working towards her PhD, she is now conducting studies within high security prisons into sex offenders, holding her own with the dangerous and deadly Silas Holm. In her personal life, she must decide whether to keep on with her long-distance college romance or to cut her losses and be brave enough to start again with the man she really loves. In this second book, we see a more cynical George, worn down by work and money trouble. And yet, she is stronger than ever. Strong enough to fight for what she wants. Strong enough to mend fences a little with her mother whom she vowed never to see again.

It is in The Girl Who Walked in the Shadows, however, that George has undeniably changed from a girl into a grown woman. She now has a doctorate in criminology, and although it is still very early on in her career, she has all the responsibilities of a professional – financial worries, exacerbated by her having to live between Cambridge, London and Amsterdam; professional petty jealousies and competition amongst academics; love woes; family strife. Throw a little serial murder, a freak cold snap and two missing toddlers into the equation and you have a world that is instantly recognisable to most women and yet far, far removed from readers’ safe normality. It is not until this third book, where George has aged by some six years, that she has the wisdom and inner strength to live through the various trials and dangers that the story throws in her path. She is more able to control her temper. More willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. Tougher than ever mentally – enough to endure any challenge. In short, George has grown up. Though each book is a standalone story, it was inevitable that a series like this would feature a journey that our Girl must make from youth to womanhood.

Dear Dad

by 

Giselle Green

Guest Review by

Julie Williams

Thank you once again to the lovely Julie Williams for coming to my rescue and reviewing this book which is getting some rave reviews over on Twitter! We also met up with the lovely Giselle Green recently at the Bloggers/Authors event in London which was hosted by the equally lovely Kim Nash from Bookouture and Holly Martin. Giselle even gave us a bookmark/postcard with a chocolate bunny taped to the back. She certainly knows how to get in our good books!! Anyway here is the review from Julie.

Review

My review is going to start with a brief outline of the three main characters.

Nate – 27 year old War Correspondent currently suffering from panic attacks every time he attempts to leave his flat. This is due to Nate having witnessed his friend & colleague die doing a job they both loved. He is also coming to terms with the fact that his ex is to marry his best friend.

Jenna – Arrived back in the UK after fleeing Sicily after discovering her fiancé has been cheating on her.  Jenna is unsure which path in life to take as trust is a big issue now that she has been let down.

Adam – Sweet vulnerable 9year old child who lives alone with his ageing and often memory lapsed Nan. Adam has taken on the responsibility for her care, a situation which no one else is aware of. He is wise beyond his years and yearns for a relationship with his Father.

These characters are brought together when Adam is given the address of his Dad so he hand delivers a ‘Dear Dad’ letter to Nate, who responds in a remarkably caring way as although he is suffering with his own life crisis, the need to help this desperate boy takes priority.

Jenna has taken a temporary teaching post in Adam’s class and soon realises the needs of assisting both Adam and Nate despite being in a very fragile state herself.

The unintentional lie that Adam is not his child escalates and brings heartache for all three. You will have to read this emotional heart tugging book to find out if Adam's words “One day you will tell me that you are my Dad” are spoken.  I can say that I loved the characters and pleased that the delicate subjects of Post-traumatic Stress, memory loss and bullying were dealt with sensitively.

I was sent this book in return for an honest review and it has been a pleasure. Congratulations Giselle on a fabulous read and thank you Julie for allowing me to guest review once again on your blog.

Review of 

The Miner's Daughter

by 

Jennie Felton

When I first started my blog last year, I read Jennie Felton's first part of the Families of Fairley Terrace Saga "All the Dark Secrets". What a wonderful book it was and it wasn't until I finished the second part today that I read the reviews on the back of the book to see that I had been quoted in it!! 

I make no secret that I love a family saga and grew up reading the likes of Catherine Cookson, Harry Bowling, Lyn Andrews etc, so when I knew that this series was going to be along those lines, I knew I had to get myself a copy (by hook or by crook!).

Review

This second books starts with Annie who is now married to local preacher Algernon. Annie reached desperate times trying to bring up her two daughters Lucy and Kitty alone after the death of her first husband John in a mining accident. Algernon likes everyone to think he is a pillar of the community at the local church, but nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors.

Lucy is a sweet, kind, caring, but very headstrong girl, who has the singing voice of an angel and after meeting her father's sister Molly, who was once a singer in the music halls, hopes to follow in her footsteps and become a professional. Her step-father Algernon will not hear of it and puts paid to any dreams and plans she may have had by banning the family from having any contact with her Aunt Molly.

Lucy's sister Kitty is quite the opposite to Lucy. She is weak but always scheming against Lucy to get one up on her with Algernon. The author does a great job with Kitty's character, because as much as you want to dislike her, you hope that one day she will come good.....Maybe she will!!

Joe is the son of Algernon's first wife, who he takes in and looks after as he wants everyone to think what a kind person he is! Joe treats Lucy and Kitty as though they are the sisters he never had, until he reaches the age where he actually loves Lucy enough to want to marry her.

Lucy is so headstrong that she cannot see that her dreams will get her in to heaps of trouble, when she secretly goes to sing in a music hall and Algernon finds out. What happens next actually made me gasp in terror and it isn't pleasant reading, but I felt the author described it very sympathetically and even Lucy herself, says that in some ways Algernon's actions made her choose a path which would otherwise have eluded her. 

This is a powerful, heart wrenching story of a family ripped apart by grief and lies, but more importantly, a family that remain strong and loyal through some of the darkest of times.

A truly magnificent sequel to All the Dark Secrets, I do hope there is another one on the horizon! Thank you Jennie for such a wonderful read, you have done it again........

* * * * * 

The Way We Were 

by

Sinead Moriarty

I must confess that I haven't read any of Sinead Moriarty's books before, but I really love the sound of this one so am definitely going to put this on my TBR shelf!

I am very honoured that the author has given me a list of her top 5 books of all time and the reasons why she loved them. So here they are, Are any of your favourites amongst them?

Sinead Moriarty's Top 5 books of all time

Castles Burning: A Child's Life in War – Magda Denes

A memoir of a little Jewish girl who suffered through the second world war in Budapest. She is a wonderful, spiky, feisty character who helps her family survive.

Recounting her life through the war and the aftermath, Castles Burning shows us Magda’s powerful personality, her wonderful storytelling and her remarkable sense of humour which got her through some truly horrific times.

Four Letters of Love – Niall Williams

While reading this beautiful novel I wondered if Williams is more of a poet than novelist, some of the passages are so stunningly worded that I was blown away. It’s a short book but you can tell that every word has been painstakingly thought out.

Williams writes in a very lyrical and magical way about love. Williams suggests that love is a kind of mystical madness and he tells us that to love is to find your true self.

The Butcher Boy – Pat McCabe

I think Pat McCabe is an incredible writer. What he does with words is jaw dropping. This book is narrated by a boy Francie Brady, who describes his grim and dysfunctional childhood in rural Ireland during the early 1960's. The book is violent and at times surreal but very moving. It grabs you by the scruff of the neck and shakes you.  As Francie descend into madness the book rips your heart out but makes you laugh at the same time – incredible writing.

On Writing – Stephen King

A must read for everyone who wants to write or is interested in the art of writing. Stephen King was an English teacher before he became a writer and this book is my bible. I return to it again and again. The advice, tools and information King gives aspiring writer is immensely helpful and practical.

Little Women – Louisa May Alcott

My favourite childhood novel and the first one I read where there was a character that I desperately wanted to be. Jo March was my absolute heroine. I wanted to be her. I loved her courage, her determination, her kindness to her family and her love of books and writing. Although…I still think she should have ended up with Laurie!

When Alice’s husband Ben disappears suddenly, her world falls apart. They shared twenty years and two daughters and life without him is unimaginable. Having lost her parents while young, Alice understands her girls’ pain. At fifteen, Jools is at that awkward age and only Ben could get through to her. And eleven-year-old Holly looks for the answer to everything in books but this time she’s drawing a blank. Alice realizes that for their sakes she must summon up superhuman reserves of strength. Somehow all three of them come through the dark days. In time, it’s even possible for Alice to consider marrying again, with the girls’ blessing. So when Ben turns up after three years, her world is again turned upside-down. The girls assume that their family can go back to the way they were. Alice is not so sure. Once more Alice has to find the strength to be the mother her daughters need her to be. But this time what that means is far from clear...

About the Author

Growing up, Sinead Moriarty was inspired by watching her mother, an author of children’s books, writing at the kitchen table. Her childhood dream was to write a novel. It was at the age of thirty, while working as a journalist in London, that she began to write creatively in her spare time - after work, at lunch times ... and, truth be told, during work hours. Her first novel, The Baby Trail, a bitter-sweet story of a couple struggling to have a baby (inspired by her own early difficulties conceiving) was published in 2004 and has been translated into twenty languages. Sinéad Moriarty’s novels have sold over half a million copies in Ireland and the UK. She has won over readers and critics telling stories that are humane, moving and relevant to modern women. She lives in her Dublin with her husband and their three children.

Amazon Link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Way-We-Were-Sin%C3%A9ad-Moriarty/dp/0241970725/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458757643&sr=1-1&keywords=the+way+we+were+sinead+moriarty

Porn Money & Wannabe Mummy

by

Laura Barnard

Porn Money and Wannabe Mummy

Release date: 23rd March

What is it about turning thirty that sends rational women into a tailspin?

Suddenly going from having all the time in the world, to cringing at the ticking of her biological clock, Poppy is drowning under the strain of trying to get pregnant.

With a dad in the throes of a mid-life crisis, a crazy mother-in-law and time racing towards Lilly's wedding, will she be able to cope with it all...and give Ryan the baby they so desperately want?

Finally able to inherit her dad's porn money, Jazz can't wait to be rich! She can buy a house in Chelsea, go out partying with her old mates and start living how she deserves.

But with Ollie, Jemima and Meryl each clawing at their own little piece of her happiness, will she have to leave behind those closest to her in exchange for it?

The real question is, can Poppy and Jazz rescue their own lives before everything gets ruined, or will their own stubbornness destroy the lives they've created

Author info

Laura Barnard lives in Hertfordshire, UK and writes romantic comedy or 'chick lit' as its so often described. In her spare time she enjoys drinking her body weight in tea, indulging in cupcakes the size of her face and drooling over hunks like Jamie Dornan, Ryan Gosling and Leo Dicaprio.

She enjoys wearing yoga pants and reading fitness magazines while sitting on the sofa eating chocolate. She's a real fan of the power nap and of course READING!

She writes not to get rich or famous, but because she LOVES writing. Even if one person tells her they enjoyed her book it makes the midnight typing worth it!

http://www.facebook.com/laurabarnardbooks

https://twitter.com/BarnardLaura

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3490836.Laura_Barnard

Buy Links

UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01CO08HW6

US - http://amzn.com/B01CO08HW6

One Starry Night (book 4) by Tilly Tennant

Blog Tour

&

GIVEAWAY

They say the darkest hour is just before the dawn, and Hannah has never really understood the true meaning of that until now. With Gina’s husband misbehaving, bad news for Mitchell that only Hannah can break and Ross under attack, things seem to be falling apart around her, and how is she supposed to be the rock everyone else needs when she can’t even get her own life in order? It’s going to take a special kind of courage to see this dawn break, but when it does it might just be all the brighter for it. The trouble is, Hannah’s not sure she can be that strong…

Review

And so, we come to the final part in the Once Upon a Winter series and we see Ross recovering after being beaten up and he and Gina coming to a decision about their future.

I got to feel a lot of emotions in this final part. There is some sadness (but I won’t give anything away!) as well as humour and the serious side of relationships that are sealed once and for all.

I really enjoyed this 4 part series and  I loved all the characters, even if I couldn’t get used to Tom really being called Mitchell!

I went to a Blogger/Author meet up on Saturday and I was very lucky to actually meet up with the author and also JB Johnston and what thoroughly lovely people they are!! Tilly even managed to let me in to a few secrets about what's coming up, but my lips are sealed!!

Thank you to JB Johnston at Brook Cottage Books and Tilly Tennant for letting me review this lovely, heart warming series.

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