Tuesday 31 December 2019

Review: A Christmas Kiss by Eliza J. Scott

A Christmas Kiss by Eliza J Scott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When Zander Gillespie checks to see if his rental cottage is free, he's beyond happy when it is. With his live-in girlfriend abandoning him to go to London instead of their planned trip to spend the holidays with his family in Carcasonne, France, Zander decides to avoid his family's questions about his absent girlfriend and heads to his cottage with his canine pal, Alf. However, on arrival, he's shocked to find his cottage occupied… with a single female!

With a cheating boyfriend and a less than friendly family, Livvie decides to get away for the Christmas holidays and makes a last-minute reservation for a rental cottage in the beautiful Yorkshire village of Lytell Stangdale. First impressions, her accommodation outshines her expectations and she quickly makes herself at home. Only, she's shocked when a male stranger to walk in on her whilst she's soaking in the bath!

Another trip to Lytell Stangdale… I always get a slight feeling of homesickness when reading of Ms Scott's novels. The Yorkshire Moors backdrop, the dialect and details remind me of home. This time around her descriptions reminded me of the weather outside my window. Seemingly, winter conditions on the Yorkshire Moors are very similar to ones I have here in Norway, complete with icy impassable roads and seeing roedeer out and about; in my case in the garden!

Oh, how I love a flawed hero and Zander Gillespie is a card wearing member of that club. He first caught my eye in book 3, Violet's Story, so was super excited to discover he was getting his own book. He's the perfect textbook book boyfriend until he isn't! He's the type who tries to do the best he can but somehow fails. In this instance, his action is almost unforgivable. Thankfully, he's humble, sincere and owns up to his faults. Livvie is a heroine you can't fail to root for. Despite her background and the life she's temporarily escaped from, she's delightful and a fun person to be around. The contrast in their backgrounds makes them unlikely pair so I enjoyed how Alf managed to play a significant part in getting the strangers together romantically.

Full of Christmassy feels, this is my favourite novel in this series so far. It's fun to catch-up with the familiar cast of supporting characters. Those who know the series will already adore them. However, this is standalone, so you can enjoy Livvie and Zander's romance without a previous visit to the Life on the Moors series. Although I strongly recommend you read them all.

View all my reviews


Saturday 28 December 2019

Cover Reveal: Just One Year by Penelope Ward


JUST ONE YEAR
(A standalone)
Release date: 2/24/2020

A Contemporary Romance Novel

New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author
Penelope Ward


COVER CREDITS:
Model: Chase Mattson
Photographer: Derick Smith
Cover designer: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs



Sign up to be alerted when it goes live on Amazon here: https://fave.co/2KoLPUN
**No Amazon e-book preorder. Will go live on/around release day.


From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.

The beginning of my sophomore year in college was off to a rough start.
On the first day of orientation, I had an altercation with an infuriating British dude. (In the men’s room. Don’t ask.)
I got home later that night and realized that the foreign student we were expecting to rent a room in my parents’ house was allergic to our cat.
So, the spare room went to someone else: Caleb—the British guy from the men’s room.
And so it began…my love-hate story with Caleb Yates. Or was it hate-love in that order?

The guy knew how to push every one of my buttons.
Sometimes I’d email him to express my aggravation and disdain.
He’d actually rewrite my own words and send them back to me.
That was the type of infuriating person Caleb was.
So frustrating.
And…
Sometimes incredibly funny and endearingly sweet.
And hot.

He eventually grew on me, and Caleb soon became one of my best friends that year.
Too bad he was headed back to England soon, so nothing could happen between us—for so many reasons.
I definitely couldn't fall in love with him, especially since all we had was just one year. 


Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.


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Tuesday 24 December 2019

Cover Reveal: Eves by S.R. Dyble


Title: EVES
Author: S R Dyble 
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Romantic Comedy.
Series: Carson Brothers #2 
Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Creations 
Release Date: 6th January


  Staying away from Kit Carson had been impossible for Eve Johnson from the very first moment they had met.
Even after her dismissal, he refused to leave her alone.

He'd promised to keep her safe, never to lie to her and love her unconditionally.
So why had he broken her heart?

With secrets that he'd revealed and the hurt he had caused, she had walked away from him with more than just the love that they had created together.
Was there more to their story, or was Eve destined to live with this responsibility alone?   



Tuesday 17 December 2019

New Release Spotlight: The Librarian's Vampire Assistant #4 by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

THE LIBRARIAN’S VAMPIRE ASSISTANT, book #4


Title: The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant book #4 (Stand Alone)
Author Name: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Series Name (or Stand Alone): The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant
Genre: Paranormal humorous MYSTERY, with romantic elements

From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes a snarky Mystery with a side dish of Romance and two sprinkles of chaos, THE LIBRARIAN’S VAMPIRE ASSISTANT, Book Four.
(Yep! These books are STANDALONES. But the more you read, the merrier!)
SHE’S MINE. BUT HAS SHE FORGOTTEN?
A crazy vampire has stolen my librarian. And if that’s not bad enough, it is my fault. Because I, too, am an ancient, deadly vampire, and it was my job to protect her. I failed.
Now, just as I have reason to hope I will get her back, the situation turns into the biggest mystery of my existence.
Apparently, this evil vampire has brainwashed her into thinking she belongs with him. I do not know how. I do not know why. But I will get to the bottom of this and win her back.
Because I am the motherf*!$%ing librarian’s vampire assistant, and she belongs to me. Or, at least she used to?




MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a New York Times bestselling author who’s sold over one million books around the world. Although she obtained her MBA and worked for more than fifteen years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dreams.
Mimi lives with her Latin lover hubby, two pirates-in-training (their boys), and their three spunky dragons (really, just very tiny dogs with big attitudes) Snowy, Mini, and Mack, in the vampire-unfriendly state of Arizona.
She hopes to make you laugh when you need it most and continues to pray daily that leather pants will make a big comeback for men.
Sign up for Mimi’s mailing list for giveaways and new release news!

http://www.mimijean.net
http://twitter.com/MimiJeanRomance
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Sunday 15 December 2019

Book Blog Stop: A Portrait Of Death by Rhen Garland



A Portrait of Death; The Versipellis Mystery Series Book One by Rhen Garland

In the quiet English village of Marmis Parva, a weekend house party is organised by a society hostess and all the top names are invited.
But this is no ordinary party.
Two men are savagely murdered during the course of the first evening and a young man, presumed dead, returns home after two years imprisonment in South Africa bringing with him proof of treason.
Detective Chief Inspector Elliott Caine’s long-awaited holiday in the Lake District is cancelled as he is brought in to investigate the peculiar nature of the murders. More bodies are discovered and Elliott has to manoeuvre between high society, Government protocols, and the heinous nature of the crimes if he and his old friend Detective Sergeant Abernathy Thorne, are to catch the sadistic killer, and the traitor lurking amongst them.
When Caine’s past comes back to haunt him, will his judgement be too clouded to focus on solving the crime?
Will the Boer spy’s identity be uncovered before they can flee?
How are these murders connected to another in New York?

Amazon UK       Amazon US 

Rhen Garland lives in Somerset, England with her folk-singing, book-illustrating husband, approximately 4000 books, an equal number of ancient movies, and a large flock of stuffed sheep.
She enjoys the countryside, peace, and Prosecco and the works of Ngaio Marsh, Glady Mitchell, John Dickson Carr/Carter Dickson, Agatha Christie, and Terry Pratchett.
"I watch far too many old school murder mystery films, TV series, and 1980s action movies for it to be considered healthy."
"A Portrait of Death" is a murder mystery thriller with paranormal touches set in late Victorian England and is the first book in the Versipellis Mysteries Series.


Book Blitz: In The Heart of Windy Pines by Holly Tierney-Bedord



In the Heart of Windy Pines by Holly Tierney-Bedord

From the author of Kindle Unlimited All-Star winner Sweet Hollow Women comes a new novella featuring characters from Murder at Mistletoe Manor, Carnage at the Christmas Party, and The Port Elspeth Jewelry Making Club!

Klarinda Snow is the innkeeper of Mistletoe Manor in beautiful, remote, Windy Pines, Idaho, where she brings her unique brand of hospitality to the tiny mountain town.

When she finds her inn unexpectedly fully booked on a snowy Tuesday night in November, it brings back memories of a tragedy years before. Before she knows what hit her, she and her trusty team of employees (Myrtle, Pierre, and her new night manager, Josephine), have found themselves back at the task of solving another mystery at Mistletoe Manor!

While this book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novella, if you plan to read the books in the Windy Pines Mystery series or The Port Elspeth Jewelry Making Club, it's highly recommended you read those first, as this book contains spoilers that could affect your ability to enjoy them.
Holly Tierney-Bedord lives in Madison, Wisconsin. She’s the author of over twenty books including The Woman America Loves a Latte, The Port Elspeth Jewelry Making Club, and Kindle Unlimited All-Star winner Sweet Hollow Women.
For more information or to subscribe to Holly’s newsletter, visit www.hollytierneybedord.com.
Giveaway to Win a $5 Starbucks card (Open INT)
*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.

Giveaway to Win a complete collection of Holly Tierney-Bedord audiobooks (Open UK / US Only)
Only open to those who have a UK or US Amazon Audible Account.
*Terms and Conditions –UK and US 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.

Friday 13 December 2019

Release Day Spotlight & Review: After You Fell by J.S. Lark



After You Fell by J.S. Lark

Creepy, disturbing and genuinely thrilling, this is one page-turner you won’t be able to forget!
As one life ends
Louise’s Lovett’s death was a tragedy.  But questions still swirl about exactly what happened to Louise that day.  Did she fall…or was she pushed?
A new life starts
Helen Matthews’ donor heart saves her life.  But as her new heart beats inside her, Helen feels the pull of its previous owner–despite what everyone is telling her, Helen is certain she has one final message to pass on.
And a dark obsession begins
As the lives of Helen and Louise become ever more entangled, Helen’s obsession gets increasingly out of control.  And the fragile new life she has built begins to fall apart…





Helen Matthews is given a new lease of life. This sickly woman who has been ill as long as she can remember receives a donor heart, allowing her to finally make plans and have hope for the future. She believes she can communicate with the dead, so it's important to her to find out about the person who's heart beats inside her…

The death of a woman, falling from a car park. How did it happen? Is it a suicide, an accident or was the poor victim pushed?

The author keeps the pace as we count the days since the tragic death of Louise Lovett followed by the inquest and the conclusion. Each day adds another layer of fixation, lies and deceit as Helen makes plans based on her belief. She's surrounded by sound, caring people but she manages to pull the wool over their eyes to make her dreams become a reality. Only, is it possible to have an ability to have contact with the dead, psychic ability or is it simply her bipolar disorder?

It took a few chapters to get into the narrative but once hooked, I couldn't let go before until the final words are read. The pace is slow as the narrative builds and definitely adds to the suspense. It's captivating in a creepy way. It's a chilling tale of how someone can manipulate situations for their own gains. The obsessive actions of a woman had me guessing as to how this all would end...I was confident I had sussed it all out until the end when I'm proved wrong...bravo Ms Lark. 

As a début psychological thriller, it's one to make you sit up and take notice. It's twisty, disturbing and will leave you floored. 

***arc generously received courtesy of One More Chapter via NetGalley***

Jane is a coffee, chocolate and red wine lover, and a late-night writer of compelling, passionate, and emotionally charged fiction. 

Jane's books may contain love, hate, violence, death, passion, a little swearing, and an ending you are never going to forget.