Monday, 11 February 2019

New Release Spotlight & Review: The Talisman-Molly's Story by Eliza J. Scott



THE TALISMAN – MOLLY’S STORY by Eliza J. Scott



Molly’s dream of taking over her childhood home at Withrin Hill Farm with husband Pip and their three children has finally come true. And, as they settle into the stunning Georgian farmhouse, with their plans to diversify into glamping nicely taking shape, the family couldn’t be happier.
But tragedy suddenly strikes, and Molly’s world is turned upside down.

Heartbroken and devastated, she struggles to face each day. True to form, her fiercely loyal best friends, Kitty and Violet, rally round offering love and support, but Molly doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to smile again. Until the day a tall, dark stranger with twinkly eyes arrives…

Follow Molly’s story in book 2 of the Life on the Moors Series set in Lytell Stangdale, a picture-perfect village in the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors, where life is anything but quiet.

A heart-warming story of love, friendship and hope.





Revisiting Lytell Stangdale is an unmissable opportunity. The Talisman-Molly's Story is the second instalment in The Life on the Moors series and is standalone.

Molly first met Camm when she was fifteen years old. Saving him from bullies, her reward was a kiss as well as half of a talisman with a promise they would meet again one day. Years later, she's trying to re-start her life after a tragedy, never guessing the boy she saved all those years ago would find his way back into her life and help her love again.

The poignancy of Molly's life-changing event is heartfelt. Ms Scott captures the emotions experienced by this otherwise, feisty woman as she comes to terms with her loss and the huge burden of responsibility she now has to shoulder to keep her childhood home, Withrin Hill farm running. For those who read Kitty's Story, you will be familiar with the strong supportive ensemble of secondary characters and they are definitely there for their friend as she slowly starts to pull her life back together with the generosity of kindness, love and friendship.

If you like a wild, rugged looking hero, Camm is the one for you. With Gypsy heritage, he has stoically weathered his fair share of sadness and tragedy too. Meeting up with Molly again, they have common ground to rebuild their lives and to make a future together.

Despite the tragic event plot thread, the narrative is upbeat, light-hearted and humorous. Molly and those close to her are relatable as they all deal with twenty-first-century issues. The narrative flows beautifully, littered with entertaining dialogue with Yorkshire words I'd long forgotten, but quickly remembered. A glossary for those unfamiliar with the charms of this English dialect is supplied, however, Ms Scott has written in a way, most words or terms are self-explanatory.

To sum up, a delightful story set in a lovely part of England. If you enjoy reading books with a small town, strong community backdrop, complemented by a colourful cast of characters, The Life on the Moors books are definitely must read novels.

***arc generously received courtesy of the publisher via Rachel's Random Resources***




Eliza lives in a 17th-century cottage on the edge of a village in the North Yorkshire Moors with her husband, their two daughters and two mischievous black Labradors. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book/glued to her Kindle or working in her garden. Eliza also enjoys bracing walks in the countryside, rounded off by a visit to a teashop where she can indulge in another two of her favourite things: tea and cake.

Eliza is inspired by her beautiful surroundings and loves to write heart-warming stories with happy endings.


Blog: Eliza J Scott - elizajscott.com
Twitter: Eliza J Scott – @ElizaJScott1
Instagram: Eliza J Scott - @elizajscott
Facebook: Eliza J Scott - @elizajscottauthor


Giveaway – Win The Letter – Kitty’s Story, chocolate and a clutch bag (Open Internationally)

The prize is worth over £40 and consists of a paperback copy of the first book in the Life on the Moors Series, The Letter – Kitty’s Story, 3 bars of Love Cocoa chocolate by James and a Caroline Gardner clutch bag.

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.




Sunday, 10 February 2019

New Release Spotlight and Review: Summer on the Italian Lakes by Lucy Coleman



Summer on the Italian Lakes by Lucy Coleman


Bestselling Brianna Middleton has won the hearts of millions of readers with her sweeping - and steamy - love stories. But the girl behind the typewriter is struggling... Not only does she have writer's block, but she's a world-famous romance author with zero romance in her own life.
So the opportunity to spend the summer teaching at a writer's retreat in an idyllic villa on the shores of Lake Garda - owned by superstar author Arran Jamieson - could this be just the thing to fire up Brie's writing - and romantic - mojo?
Brie's sun-drenched Italian summer could be the beginning of this writer's very own happy-ever-after...
Escape the January blues with this sun-drenched, heart-warming story from the bestselling author of Snowflakes Over Holly Cove.

Amazon UK      Amazon DE      Amazon US 


Brianna Middleton is a successful writer but struggling to find her mojo to finish her current work-in-progress. She's also single and lacking confidence after her previous relationship severely dented her confidence. When her agent asks her to stand in for another writer on a four-week assignment in Italy to assist on a writing retreat, she's sceptical but accepts the challenge. Her first impressions of her host are strained, but with a stunning backdrop against Lake Garda, the trip not only triggers her creativity but opens her mind and heart to find love.

Although the main focus is on Brie and Arran, I devoured all the information surrounding the writing retreat classes. If you, like me have sat down to write, you'll love all the details about the writing process the author poured into this part of the narrative. It's unexpected, yet played a huge part in my overall enjoyment along with the antics of the protagonists and their guests.

I enjoyed how Brie took stock of her life and let go of her inhibitions to explore the opportunities presented to her, including Arran. As the hero, I always appreciate getting to know ones perceived as difficult, until we learn more about them. It's exciting when the attraction becomes more than a furtive glance and a slight touch. Complimenting the tentative relationship is the stunning Italian Lakes backdrop and the tantalising descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells of the area.

Around the 75-80% mark, the narrative dragged on and ran out of steam. Until this point, I adored the time the protagonists were in Italy and remained invested in them after the plot shifted back to the UK. However, the additional plot-lines concentrating on secondary characters took away the focus from Brie and Arran in what I can only think is a way of building interest for a future novel? If this is the case, it didn't work for me as I didn't connect sufficiently to those characters and it cast a shadow over what had been until that point a fabulous read.

Overall, many high points make this a lovely, fascinating romance; two very different authors finding a common ground between them, the inclusion of the writing retreat class information and lastly, Lake Garda's beauty and culture. This combination works perfectly and anything else for me was surplus to requirement.

***arc generously received courtesy of Aria via NetGalley***

From interior designer to author, Linn B. Halton - who also writes under the pen name of Lucy Coleman - says ‘it’s been a fantastic journey!’
Linn is the bestselling author of more than a dozen novels and is excited to be writing for both Aria Fiction (Head of Zeus) and Harper Impulse (Harper Collins); she’s represented by Sara Keane of the Keane Kataria Literary Agency.
When she’s not writing, or spending time with the family, she’s either upcycling furniture or working in the garden.
Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award; her novels have been short-listed in the UK's Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards.
Living in Coed Duon in the Welsh Valleys with her ‘rock’, Lawrence, and gorgeous Bengal cat Ziggy, she freely admits she’s an eternal romantic.
Linn is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and writes feel-good, uplifting novels about life, love and relationships.



Giveaway – Win a Chocolate dipping set (UK only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.