The Highlanders Bridal Bid by Nicole Locke - #blogtour #bookreview

 

"You truly forgot?" Hamilton said. "Oh, this is good. Far too good."

"Tell me what bet." Camron had no patience for his brother's games today when he intended to lie in his bed until evening's meal.

Hamilton wagged his finger. "You're not getting out of it . Not this time, cause if you do, I'll...tell her of all the maudlin years you wished for her. No! I'll tell her we made the bet. Then she'll not want anything to do with you."

***

Finding his future wife

Means revisiting his past…

After making a pact with his brother to find a bride by the year’s end, warrior Camron of Clan Graham faces his toughest battle yet: to win defiant Anna, his first love. She’s fiercely protective of her family and her independence, so Highlander Camron must prove to Anna that she’s more than just a bet—and that he’s a man she can trust with her safety and her heart!

***

This book is the first in the Lovers and Highlander's series. The second book, The Highlander's Unexpected Bride, is due to be published in September.

Set in the thirteenth century, this is a very character led novel and features the road to love for the two main characters, Camron and Anna. Anna is a woman that I think many readers will identify with. She has been hurt in the past and is now afraid of trusting anyone again. However, Camron, who has loved her from afar for many years, displays a dogged determination to woo and win her and it made for interesting reading.

I also enjoyed the interaction between Camron and Anna's young brother, Lachie. He was a sweet character who Camron enables to have more self confidence. It also allowed the reader to understand that Camron was a good man who just needed to convince Anna that he was.

It was appropriately paced for this genre of novel and made for easy reading. I particularly enjoyed its Scottish setting and I could easily envisage the scene surrounding them.

It is perfect for lovers of romance novels.

ISBN: 978 0263302035

Publisher:  Mills & Boon

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  368 (paperback)

Purchase Links:  Bookshop.org *

About the Author:

Nicole first discovered romance novels hidden in her grandmother’s closet. Convinced hidden books must be better, Nicole greedily read them. It was only natural she should start writing them (but now not so secretly). If she isn’t working on the next book in her historical series, she can’t be found. No, seriously. Because she’s always working on the next story!

Purchase Link *

(book, photos and all information courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources. Opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Lucky Jack by S. Bavey - #bookreview

 

My name is Henry John Rogers, but I'm known to most people as Jack.

I was born at the very end of the nineteenth century, on 21st March 1894, in a room above my father's boot repair shop, in Hammersmith, London.

Most of my nine siblings (I was the second eldest) were born in the same room. Of course, I had no idea then that my life would be full of adventure...

***

Meet Jack Rogers. Born in 1894, he once locked eyes with Queen Victoria and was one of the first travellers on London’s ‘Tube’. An early car owner, he had many escapades on his days out to Brighton, including a time when his brakes failed and he had to drive through central London without them!

His skills as an entertainer earned him popularity throughout his life, and kept him out of the deadly mines while a prisoner during the First World War. At the tender age of 103 Jack earned the title of ‘The World’s Oldest Columnist’ as he began dictating his life’s exploits to a reporter from the local newspaper.

***

This is the story of the author's grandfather, and what a lovely book it is. Ms. Bavey has every right to be as proud of her book as she clearly is of her remarkable grandfather.

Jack Rogers, lived to the grand age of 106 (1894-2000), making him one of the few people to have lived through three different centuries, whilst experiencing the reigns of six different monarchs. And what a remarkable life it was! He faced the ordeal of two world wars, being held in a prisoner of war camp, the establishment of the London Underground and saw the progression from horse drawn carriages to motor cars.

Jack's voice is very apparent throughout the narrative. He was clearly a man of good humour, and I could almost imagine a twinkle in his eye as he told his stories. He described himself in childhood as "a naughty scamp" and it was this boyish enthusiasm that propelled him through life. He faced many challenges throughout his years, but he accepted life with both fortitude and resolve.

This pleasing memoir was a delight to read and my life feels richer for knowing of this man. I could almost imagine him relating his stories to his granddaughter in her childhood, just as my own did, and I appreciated the nostalgia this created in me for bringing my own grandfather to mind who had a good few stories of his own to tell. 

The book has been well written in a first person narrative and thus feels like listening to Jack's stories at first hand. I think the author has done an excellent job of bringing Jack to an audience who would probably never have known of his existence had she not told his story. Bravo Ms. Bavey for this excellent memoir of a life well lived.

I highly recommend this book.

ISBN:  979 8766392583

Publisher:  Independently published

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

About the Author:

Sue is an English mum of two, living in Massachusetts since 2003 with her husband, kids, a cat named Midnight, a bunny named Nutmeg, a leopard gecko named Ziggy Stardust, and occasional frogs and salamanders.

She loves alternative music, British alternative comedy and unusual art.

During the Covid lockdown she wrote her grandfather, Henry John Rogers’ biography, Lucky Jack (1894 – 2000) and it is now available for purchase on Amazon.

In 2022 she collected together all of her late father’s writings and selected what she considered to be the best ones for an anthology she has entitled Daydreams & Narcoleptic Nightmares which is now available for purchase on Amazon with 15% of all profit being donated to the UK charity Narcolepsy UK.

She has two stories (one is an extract from Lucky Jack) in an anthology which came out in December 2021 called 40 Life Changing Events 2022 Edition, edited by Robert Fear. She also contributed a chapter to the Travel Stories Collection Box Set (only available digitally).

In 2022 she also contributed stories to a memoir anthology: 50 Intriguing Personal Insights, 2023 Edition and a creative fiction anthology, 15 Fascinating Fictional Tales, both edited by Robert Fear.

She holds a BA (Hons) in ‘German Studies’ from Manchester University, UK and a MSc in ‘Communication in Computing with Italian’ from Middlesex University, UK.

Thereafter, she worked for many years in London, UK, in publishing, multimedia project management and website production. She currently does some freelance marketing work, in addition to website management, proofreading, writing, beta reading, and reviewing books for booknest.eu, Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team and her own blog, Sue's Musings. She likes a variety of genres, but prefers to support indie authors where possible.

More photos of Jack can be found on the author's website https://suelbavey.wordpress.com/lucky-jack-photo-gallery/

Under His Spell by Luv Lubker - #blogtour #excerpt #extract

 

I am thrilled to be bringing you my second excerpt post this week, with Under His Spell: The Rival Courts - Book One by Luv Lubker. However, before I do, let me tell you more about it via the blurb.

The Blurb

A beautiful love story between the Princess Royal Victoria and Fritz Wilhelm, Frederick III of Prussia.

A lonely young man attends the first World’s Fair – the Great Exhibition of 1851 – and meets a family who changes his life forever.

Follow the young Prince Fritz – later Friedrich III – of Prussia and his wife, Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Vicky, (parents of Kaiser Wilhelm II) through their courtship and the joys and struggles of their first four years of marriage.

Fritz and Vicky dream of a peaceful united Germany, but Fritz’s uncle Karl has his own dreams of power...

Discover often hinted at but unrevealed secrets of the Prussian Royal court..​.

ISBN: 979-8988181545

Publisher:  Historium Press

Formats:  e-book and paperback (audio coming soon)

No. of Pages:  334 (paperback)

The Excerpt

“He is a criminal,” Prince Albert was saying, “He has had the mysterious disappearance of more than one person put to his account. I have heard a story about when one of his huntsmen was to be married. Prince Charles took a fancy to the bride, and he and one of his cronies came up with the scheme of sending the bridegroom on an errand to Berlin – it was at Glienicke in Potsdam – and took his wife captive. The man, for some reason, became suspicious, and returned immediately. He returned to his house, finding it empty, went to the Schloss, and to the Prince’s rooms. He heard his wife’s voice, obviously in distress. He broke the door down, but Prince Karl and his friend took turns guarding the door, with a drawn sword, and simply stabbed the man. They –”

“Albert, must you tell this?” the Queen asked, as she entered the room.

“Vicky must know what she goes into, mustn’t she? We don’t want her going into the lion’s den as an ignorant lamb, a little rag doll to be played with and thrown about, do we?”

“No, of course not, but – oh, Albert, I hadn’t heard that story.” Albert continued. “They buried him secretly in the night, and both left the country for a time, so as to be out of the way if there was a scandal. I don’t know how they found out who did it.

And no one ever knew what happened to the wife. She simply disappeared.”

Fritz leaned his head on his hand, feeling his face flush. He chewed his lip, trying to find his voice.

“Yes, I know what my Uncle is. I wonder that you would think of allowing me to marry your daughter, knowing what you do,” he said, meeting Albert’s eye for a moment, then again hiding his face. His voice broke. “I know I should never take your daughter there.”

The Queen took his hand. She could not speak. Albert began again. “That is why I have taught Vicky what I have. And also why that promise of yours, and the one of the King, were so important.”

About the Author:

Luv Lubker has lived in the Victorian era half her life, making friends with the Brontë sisters and the extended family of Queen Victoria. Now she knows them quite as well as her own family.

Born in a cattle trough in the Appalachian mountains, Luv lives in Texas - when she comes to the modern world.

When she isn’t living in the Victorian era, she enjoys being with her family; making and eating delicious raw food, riding her bike (which she only learned to ride at 25, though she’d ridden a unicycle since she was 7), and watching animals - the passion of her childhood​.

Purchase Link

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz - #BookReview

 

Just after eleven o'clock on a bright spring morning, the sort of day when the sunshine is almost white and promises a warmth that it doesn't quite deliver, Diana Cowper crossed the Fulham Road and went into a funeral parlour.

She was a short, very business-like woman; there was a sense of determination in her eyes, her sharply cut hair, the very way she walked. If you saw her coming, your first instinct would be to step aside and let her pass. And yet there was nothing unkind about her. She was expensively dressed, her pale raincoat hanging open to reveal a pink jersey and grey skirt. She wore a heavy bead and stone necklace which might or might not have been expensive and a number of diamond rings that most certainly were.

***

A woman is strangled six hours after organising her own funeral.

Did she know she was going to die? Did she recognise her killer?

Daniel Hawthorne, a recalcitrant detective with secrets of his own, is on the case, and he's found himself a sidekick - popular crime novelist Anthony Horowitz, who's struck a deal with Hawthorne to turn his latest case into a true crime bestseller.

But the case is twistier and bloodier than Hawthorne had bargained for, and the unlikely duo of detective and writer find themselves neck deep in danger. When the written word is your only defence, you know you're in trouble when the word is murder...

***

Several years ago I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Horowitz, and I found him to be utterly charming. One of my sons was hooked on the Alex Rider novels and when we heard that he was coming to the children's bookshop, Bags of Books in Sussex it was an absolute must.

I have been a fan of his for a while, largely through his screen writing of Midsomer Murders and Foyle's War. I have also read his book Magpie Murders and you can read my review by clicking here.

Prior to beginning the book, I could not decide if I found it a conceited decision to write himself as the main character in the book, or whether it was a clever device. Let's be honest, had the author written this novel about an author who, for arguments sake was called Fred Bloggs, reviewers would probably have accused him of writing about himself anyway. Thus, by the time I had finished the book, I thought it had been an intelligent and honest choice that he made.In fact, I adored the characters of Hawthorne and Horowitz. The relationship between the two completely different characters was wonderful to read and skilfully created.

It almost feels like an oxymoron to use the words murder and fun in the same sentence but there is no escaping that this murder mystery was entertaining and fun to read. I enjoyed the way the author demonstrated his ability to laugh at himself and there is a lot of humour included in the pairing of Hawthorne and Horowitz in their Holmes and Watson type relationship.It always delights me when there are enough twists and turns in a mystery plot that I have not been able to work out the identity of the murderer prior to the resounding surprise reveal at the end.

I am delighted that the author has already written and published further books in this series. I have already ordered the next one, The Sentence is Death, and I am looking forward to reading it very much.

ISBN: 978 1784757236

Publisher: Arrow

Formats: e-book, audio, hardcover and paperback

No. of Pages: 400 (paperback)

Purchase Link *

About the Author:

Anthony Horowitz is the author of the bestselling teen spy series, Alex Rider, and is also responsible for creating and writing some of the UK's most loved and successful TV series, including Midsomer Murders and Foyle's War.

He has also written two highly acclaimed Sherlock Holmes novels, The House of Silk and Moriary; a James Bond novel, Trigger Mortis; and his most recent stand-alone novel, Magpie Murders, was a Top Five Sunday Times bestseller.

He is on the board of the Old Vic Theatre, and was awarded an OBE for his services to literature in January 2014.

The Word is Murder is the first in a series of crime novels starring Detective Daniel Hawthorne and the author Anthony Horowitz, and has been followed by The Sentence is Death and A Line to Kill. The Twist of a Knife is due to be published in August 2022.

Purchase Link *

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Turning the World to Stone: The Life of Caterina Sforza - Part One 1472 - 1488 by Kelly Evans - #blogtour #excerpt #extract

 

I am very excited to be bringing you a short excerpt from Turning the World to Stone by Kelly Evans. It is the first part (1472-1488) of The Life of Caterina Sforza. The blurb below will tell you more about the book, and it looks fascinating.

The Blurb

Vilified by history, Caterina Sforza learned early that her life was not her own. Married at age ten, she was a pawn in the ever-changing political environment of Renaissance Italy.

Resigned to her life as a fifteenth-century wife, Caterina adapted to the role she was expected to play: raising and educating her children, helping the poor in her new home, and turning a blind eye to her husband’s increasingly shameful behaviour. But Fate had other plans for her, and soon Caterina’s path would be plagued by murder, betrayal, and heartbreak.

“Could I write all, the world would turn to stone.”

ISBN:  978 1778022425

Publisher:  Eska Publishing

Formats:  e-book and paperback (currently available from Kindle Unlimited Amazon UK)

No. of Pages:  387 (paperback)

The Excerpt

“Madonna, you have a healthy child.”

"What is it? A boy or a girl?” She knew without their having ever discussed it that Girolamo would prefer a boy. What man in Rome did not?

“A boy, Madonna.”

Caterina fought the pain in her hips and legs and, with Luisa’s help, sat up as much as she could. She reached out her arms, ignoring her exposed thighs and fluid-stained sheets. All she wanted at that moment was to hold her son.

The physician wrapped the child in soft linen and handed him to Caterina. Gazing down at the small angry face, her heart swelled to a size she never knew was possible. Bona had been right; this was a love unlike any other. Caterina knew Girolamo would be pleased. She didn’t care. As she stared into the face of this helpless creature, she knew she would give her life for this child.

***

About the Author:

Born in Canada of Scottish extraction, Kelly Evans graduated in History and English then moved to England where she worked in the financial sector. While in London Kelly continued her studies in history, concentrating on Medieval History, and travelled extensively through Eastern and Western Europe.

Kelly is now back in Canada with her husband Max and a rescue cat. She writes full-time, focussing on illuminating little-known women in history with fascinating stories. When not working on her novels, Kelly writes Described Video scripts for visually impaired individuals, plays oboe, and enjoys old sci-fi movies.

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon CA

Amazon AU

The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay by Nicola May - #bookpromo #blogtour

 

The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay by Nicola May is a book that I have been wanting to read for a while now. I still have not gotten around to it but when the blog tour came around for this book I could not resist grabbing myself a promo post. 

It is the first in a series and has been followed by Meet Me in Cockleberry Bay, The Gift of Cockleberry Bay and Christmas in Cockleberry Bay. 

Who can resist the lovely cover? Of course, you all know that I have a soft spot for books which have dogs on the cover. It is the simple pleasures in life that make me joyful.

Anyhow, let me jump into this promo and tell you a little bit about this book.

The Blurb

Rosa Larkin is down on her luck in London, so when she inherits a near-derelict corner shop in a quaint Devon village, her first thought is to sell it for cash and sort out her life. But nothing is straightforward about this legacy. While the identity of her benefactor remains a mystery, he - or she - has left one important legal proviso: that the shop cannot be sold, only passed on to somebody who really deserves it.

 Rosa makes up her mind to give it a go: to put everything she has into getting the shop up and running again in the small seaside community of Cockleberry Bay. But can she do it all on her own? And if not, who will help her succeed - and who among the following will work secretly to see her fail?

There is a handsome rugby player, a sexy plumber, a charlatan reporter and a selection of meddling locals. Add in a hit and run incident and the disappearance of a valuable engraved necklace – and what you get is a journey of self-discovery and unpredictable events. 

With surprising and heartfelt results, Rosa, accompanied at all times by her little sausage dog Hot, will slowly unravel the shadowy secrets of the inheritance, and also bring her own, long-hidden heritage into the light.

ISBN:  978-0956832351

Publisher:  Nowell

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback (currently available in Kindle Unlimited Amazon UK)

No. of Pages:  328 (paperback)

Also available from Bookshop.org *

About the Author:

Nicola May is a rom-com superstar. She is the author of sixteen romantic comedies, all of which have appeared in the Kindle bestseller charts.

The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay became the best-selling Kindle book in the UK, across all genres, in January 2019, and was Amazon’s third-bestselling novel in that year. It spawned three sequels, followed by the hit Ferry Lane Market trilogy.

Bookshop.org *

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.

Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

I've woken up in Matt's bed.

Stifling a yawn, I glance over at him. He has his bare back to me; messy hair, long limbs and pale white legs. He couldn't be any further away, curled up on the edge of the mattress like a mountain climber clinging to a rocky precipice. His skin is so translucent I'm able to count each knobbly vertebra jutting out of his spine.

The bed creaks as I roll on to my back...

***

Today, nothing is going right for Em. And it's about to get much worse.

Heartbroken by a recent split, with her 30th birthday looming, she loses her job and her home in the same morning because of two swaggering, dishonest men - the boss who sexually harassed her and the flatmate sleeping with her behind his fiancée's back. But all Em can think about is catching a flight to attend her sister's wedding and see her dying mother.

With a record-breaking heatwave, and a serial killer making the streets unsafe, London is completely gridlocked. Em's life has always been full of men getting their own way, and today the scorched city teems with them standing between her and home. As Em's troubled past returns to haunt her, she refuses to let them win. Her defiance leads to shocking consequences that soon spiral wildly out of control.

In a world where men don't listen, and girls have no voice, one woman can change everything.

Today, no one will be staying silent.

***

This is one of the most powerful books that I have read in quite some time, and it made for an utterly compelling read. I doubt there is a single woman who cannot identify with some of the main characters experiences.

The whole book covers the course of just one day in the life of the main character, Em. In fact, although everyone calls her Em, it is a thread throughout the book that this is not actually her name. She is Spanish, and people find her name difficult to pronounce, so much to her annoyance, everyone calls her Em. All through the book, I was eager to learn what her actual name was, and it is kept from the reader until the conclusion of the book.

The author completely inhabited her main character, so it was unsurprising to read in the author's note at the end of the book that she had experienced most of the things that happen to Em. She is a fully fleshed, highly authentic character and the author has done an excellent job in creating a character that virtually every woman will identify with to one degree or another.

The book is set during a heat wave in the UK and the intensity of the description of the heat made it palpable. I could feel the high temperatures that were being described as the author's attention to detail is superb and were an essential factor into how Em's world spirals out of control during this one, seemingly ordinary, day.

This is a powerhouse of a book which is full of rage, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I finished it. To be honest, I am not quite sure I will ever forget Em entirely because she represents all women and the difficulties and challenges that we all face at one time or another.

This book has been expertly written and I cannot recommend this book highly enough. 

ISBN: 978 1035402366

Publisher:  Headline

Formats:  e-book, audio and hardcover

No. of Pages:  384 (hardback)

Purchase link *

About the Author:

As the daughter of a Spanish immigrant, Natali J Simmonds has

lived all over the world. Good Girls Die Last is her first

thriller after writing fantasy novels. When not writing, she is the

Head of Community and Editorial Commissions at Jericho

Writers and lectures at Raindance Film School and The

University of The Hague.

Purchase Link

(Book courtesy of Random Things Book Tours)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.