Left on the Shelf: April 2025

Tuesday, 8 April 2025

Dancing in the Moonlight by Lynne Shelby - #blogtour #bookspotlight

Today I am shining the book spotlight on this gorgeous looking book. Dancing in the Moonlight by Lynne Shelby looks like a delightful read.

The Blurb

When dancer Nell Avery auditions for Speakeasy, a new West End musical, she is shocked to discover that the choreographer is Finn Harris, a man she never expected to see again.

Ten years ago, Nell and Finn had a casual, no-strings fling. He left London to work abroad. Nell found herself pregnant.

Having made the decision to raise her child alone, Nell didn’t tell Finn that he was the father, a secret easy for her to keep while he was hundreds of miles away. But now Finn is back – and he offers Nell a role in Speakeasy’s cast.

Nell knows if she takes the job she risks Finn finding out her secret, with unimaginable consequences for the life she has made for herself and her daughter, Savannah. But Speakeasy could be Nell’s only chance of dancing on a West End stage – the dream she’s had ever since she first put on a pair of tap shoes. How can she give up her dream?

Nell accepts the role, telling herself that all she has to do is keep away from Finn . . .

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1068358401

Publisher: Shaldo Books

Formats: e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages: 366 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Waterstones

About the Author

Lynne Shelby writes contemporary women’s fiction/romance. Her debut novel, French Kissing, now re-published in ebook as Meet Me In Paris, was published when it won a national writing competition run by Woman magazine and Accent Press. Her fifth novel, Love On Location, was shortlisted for a Romantic Novelists’ Association Award.

She has done a variety of jobs from stable girl to child actor’s chaperone to legal administrator. When not writing or reading, Lynne can usually be found at the theatre watching a play or a musical, or exploring a foreign city, writer’s notebook and sketchbook in hand. She lives in north London with her husband and a lot of books, and has three adult children who live nearby.

You can also find Lynne at

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

Monday, 7 April 2025

The Viscount's Pearl by Melissa Addey - #blogtour #bookspotlight #bookpromo

I am excited to be shining the spotlight on this book today. The Viscount's Pearl by Melissa Addey is part of the Regency Outsiders series and it looks fabulous.

The Blurb

He’s a carefree rake who wants a marriage of convenience.

She’s an awkward spinster who doesn’t want to marry at all.

Fate has other plans in store for them both.

Laurence enjoys his dalliances with the married ladies of society, and thinks marriage is only a matter of convenience. He’s on the lookout for a practical woman accustomed to society. Frances is an odd and awkward young woman, more at home gathering shells on the beach than in the ballrooms of London, hoping to stay a spinster forever.

When the two meet in Margate, will their initial dislike of one another turn into something important?

While Laurence finds his life growing shallow, Frances wonders if love might be worth making a bold move for. Can she find her way into Laurence’s heart, and will he undertake to love her, just the way she is?

A warm-hearted Regency romance, full of historical detail and emotional discovery, as two opposites find they might just attract. The Season has begun, the ton is gathered… who knows what the tides will bring for Laurence and Frances.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1910940556

Publisher: Letterpress Publishing

Formats: e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages: 284 (paperback)

Purchase Links

About the Author

Melissa grew up and was home educated on an Italian hill farm. She now lives in London with her husband, two children and a black and white cat called Holly who enjoys the editing process as there is so much scrap paper involved.

She mainly writes historical fiction, inspired by what she calls ‘the footnotes of history’: forgotten stories or part-legends about interesting people and places. She has a PhD in Creative Writing, for which she wrote The Garden of Perfect Brightness and an academic thesis about balancing fact and fiction in historical fiction.

She likes to move from one historical era to another, finding stories to share, like a travelling minstrel. So far she's been to Ancient Rome, medieval Morocco, 18th century China and Regency England. Join her on my travels: browse her books.

If you’d like to know more about Melissa and her books, visit her website www.MelissaAddey.com where there are free novellas, book trailers, interviews, videos of research trips, info for book clubs and more.

You can also find Melissa at:

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

Thursday, 3 April 2025

Damaged Beauty: Joey Superstar by Margaret Gardiner - #bookreview

They'd driven east along the Cote d'Azur, the endless sky above, the Mediterranean a dirty blue to her right. The villas packed together vibrant oranges and creamy whites, like too much acne on an overcrowded cheek. The light was lemon, and she was sour...

***

The Blurb

Welcome to the world of model Joey Superstar - a whirlwind of cocaine, sex, and money.

Josaphina Brinkley seems to have it all: she’s a superstar model in 1980s America, a cover girl plastered, naked, on fashion billboards above Sunset Blvd. Women want to be her. Men simply want her.

But underneath the glossy veneer she hides a traumatic past. The end of her marriage to Italian Aristocracy led to a stint in rehab. As she returns to parties, premiers and modelling, she’s hoping a life of designer clothes, expensive jewellery and beautiful people won’t take her back to blow. If only she could be truly seen, heard and understood, maybe she wouldn’t self-destruct again?

Joey sets out to confront the roots of her wildness – but must admit to a youthful act that haunts her. As she moves from addiction to redemption, can she change the course of her life, deal with her dark past and become the superstar she was always destined to be?

Former Miss Universe Margaret Gardiner gives readers the key to a secret world of supermodels, sex, style and scandal in her deliciously intoxicating debut, Joey Superstar, the first in an exciting Damaged Beauty series.

My Review

This isn't my typical reading fare, but I am a big believer in stepping out of my comfort zone every once in a while. I think it is good for all of us, especially in our reading choices. That said, I am delighted to say that I enjoyed this book very much.

It is a very character led book and focuses on the life of Joey (also known as Josaphina Brinkley,) a supermodel with celebrity status. To the observer it is a life full of glamour and beauty but through Joey the reader can see that that is very far from the reality.

The book is narrated by Joey almost exclusively with just a couple of insights from her friend, Fran. We soon learn that Joey's life is an extremely troubled one and little by little we learn more of her backstory and how her life has brought her to the place she is currently. She learns that it is necessary that she confronts her past in order to be able to face her future.

This book provides the reader with insight into the world of being a supermodel. It is fuelled by a series of sex, drugs and money. There is little of the glamour that we assume to represent the life of a supermodel.

This insight comes from the author, Margaret Gardiner who was herself a model and I suspect there is a substantial element of her own experience in this novel. Margaret is a former Miss Universe and supermodel in her own right and therefore, I think we can trust her portrayal of Joey's world as accurate.

The narrative moves along fairly swiftly and feels absolutely real. It is probably needless for me to say that this book is intended for an adult reader due to it's content. The world the author portrays is very different to my own life experiences and this made for interesting reading. She has composed her book whereby the narrative came to life on the page.

The book is well worth reading. I am so glad that I stepped outside of my reading comfort zone with this, as I enjoyed it very much. Damaged Beauty: Joey Superstar is the first in a planned series and I am looking forward to reading more.

Book Details

ISBN: 979 8991751711

Publisher: Nightstar

Formats: e-book and hardback

No. of Pages: 210 (hardback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Waterstones

Blackwell's

About the Author

Margaret Gardiner became an international cover-girl at 16 and at 18 she was the first woman from Africa to be crowned Miss Universe.

Her debut novel explores the seedy underbelly of the high-octane world of 1980s fashion modelling. While her book is not autobiographical, it is inspired by the people of the time and events she witnessed. Margaret saw extremes in various forms: the dreaded scales being used to weigh models in the 70s, the coping strategies of other models and friends including drug and alcohol abuse.

As a model for almost 50 years, and a fashion editor, Margaret has an insider’s knowledge of the industry. She knows what it is like to be on the red carpet, in the spotlight - and what goes on behind the scenes.

With a degree in psychology, and a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, her debut novel is for every woman who has ever been made to feel less. She wants to empower women with her writing.

You can also find Margaret at:

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