Saturday 30 November 2019

Surprise Christmas Release: All Wrapped Up For The Holidays




It’s the season for gift giving! Six FREE standalone holiday short stories!











Grab your free copy today, before it goes away!
Available for only a limited time!



The Merry Mistake by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

Note to self: Ask Santa for glasses this year. When I accidentally mistook a gorgeous man resting outside my building for a homeless person in need of lunch, we got into it. I’d only been trying to do a good deed around the holidays, but he called me righteous. I called him something far worse. If only I didn’t have to see him again. But fate had other plans.

Finding Perfect by Colleen Hoover

A short story that brings back several of Colleen’s most beloved characters. Told from the point of view of Daniel from Finding Cinderella, readers will finally get the story they’ve been begging for more of. For the best reading experience, make sure you’ve read all three books that come together to make up this heartwarming and fun Holiday short story; Finding Cinderella, Hopeless and All Your Perfects. 

A Rock Chick Christmas by Kristen Ashley

What's Christmas with the Starks like? Get a peek into the Rock Chick world and how Luke copes with Ava going Christmas gaga and just what he will, and won't, do for his girls during the holidays.


Just Say When by Jill Shalvis

When the one you want …
Is the one you can’t seem to have…
Can love conquer all?

The Pact by Elle Kennedy
Thanks to my hectic schedule as a pro hockey player, my girl and I are spending more time apart than together. Luckily, I have a solution--a romantic New Year’s Eve getaway in the mountains, just me and Grace and plenty of sexytimes. Except this blizzard has other ideas...

The Package by K. Bromberg
Christmas week can’t get any worse for Jules Jilliland. Dumped by her boyfriend, rear-ended on the freeway, and fired from her job, she finds herself stuck in an elevator with a handsome stranger. When their packages are accidentally swapped, will it end up being a misfortunate accident that suddenly brightens her holidays?


COVER CREDIT:
Cover designer: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative


Thursday 28 November 2019

New Release Spotlight & Giveaway: It's Not PMS, It's You by Rich Amooi




It’s Not PMS, It’s You by Rich Amooi

Ruth “Ruthless” Harper is on the verge of becoming managing partner at her all-male consulting firm and she won’t let anything stand in her way. That includes men, relationships, and that dreaded F word, FEELINGS—distractions she eliminated long ago.

After the worst day ever (a near-death experience and a public wedgie, for starters), Ruth realizes she doesn’t want to live and die alone. She puts together a business plan to find the perfect man and dives head first into the murky online dating pool. All she wants is a high-powered executive who understands how important her career is. If only it were that easy.

Problem is most men are intimidated by Ruth’s confidence and shocked by her bluntness. The exception being her landscape designer, Nick, whose cool demeanor and unsolicited dating advice are driving her nuts. He’s the antithesis of the business-oriented man Ruth envisions for herself, so why do all signs keep pointing back to him?
Rich Amooi is a former radio personality and DJ who now writes romantic comedies full-time in San Diego, California. He is happily married to a kiss monster imported from Spain. Rich believes in public displays of affection, silliness, infinite possibilities, donuts, gratitude, laughter, and happily ever after.

Author Website: https://richamooi.com/

Giveaway to Win a $25 Amazon Gift 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.

Tuesday 26 November 2019

New Release Spotlight and Guest Post: A Forgiven Friend by Sue Featherstone and Susan Pape



A Forgiven Friend: Lies, Loss, and Love, But Always Friendship by Sue Featherstone and Susan Pape
Readers often want to know whether our characters are based on real people.
Absolutely NOT.
Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.
Unless, of course, there actually is a real, living Heinz 57 person, who is an amalgamation of all the bits and pieces of the various people – passers-by, fellow train travellers, customers in the supermarket check-out queue – who’ve contributed a hairstyle, a quirky laugh or a penchant for knitted waistcoats to our characters.
No, the men and women peopling our pages are definitely figments of our imagination – although I’ve always pictured Teri Meyer, one of the central characters in our Friends trilogy, as looking very similar to US Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher. They’re both tall, slim and elegant – although our Teri is a blonde rather than a brunette.
But in all other respects, they’re as different as chalk and cheese.
One Teri is a successful, award-winning actress, the other is a failed university lecturer. One was voted the world’s sexiest woman by readers of popular magazine FHM, and the other – although several of our male characters think she is pretty hot – has never been an FHM contender. One hails from Palo Alto, California, and the other comes from Yorkshire.
It’s possible that Teri Hatcher shares our Teri’s passion for expensive, high-heeled shoes – Louboutins, for preference – but, equally, most women, if offered a choice, wouldn’t turn up their noses at a pair of beautifully-crafted heels.
Although Lee Harper, our other central character, who prefers chunky boots, might struggle to manage more than a couple of steps…
Not unlike me.
And Teri’s obsession with expensive leather totes is pure Susan.
But, that’s okay. The writer’s code – which includes a healthy respect for this country’s libel laws – means that while Susan and I don’t have any qualms about endowing our characters with aspects of our own personality traits, we’d never dream of modelling them on friends or family.
We do occasionally borrow real-life incidents. There are scenes in all three of our novels that are loosely based on something that has happened to one or other of us. Or something we’ve overheard on a bus or a train – people should talk more quietly if they don’t want us to eavesdrop – or sometimes just a glimpse of a woman in a purple fleece…
But, in every one of these cases, we do what I always think of as the Roald Dahl George’s Marvellous Medicine trick, where a simple premise – a special medicine for George’s horrible grandmother – is exaggerated to its logical conclusion. So, Granny’s medicine contains every pill, potion and lotion George can find with predictably explosive results.
While we don’t have any actual explosions in A Forgiven Friend, and we don’t aspire to Dahl’s absurdities either, we do exaggerate.
What would you do if you’d collected three speeding tickets and were desperate to avoid a driving ban?
In A Forgiven Friend Teri, naturally, tries to persuade best friend, Lee to commit perjury and ‘take’ the points on her behalf. When Lee refuses, Teri has what in Yorkshire we call a massive ‘strop’, declares their friendship at an end, and targets her wealthy new boyfriend instead.
He too is reluctant to acquire a criminal record, so Teri falls out with him as well.
Next she wonders if the boyfriend’s chauffeur, a reformed ex-con, might have connections who could help out…
Of course, it’d never happen in real life. Who’d go to such lengths to keep their driving licence? Oh, wait, wasn’t there an MP and his wife who –?

Friendship will always come first.

There’s only one way out from rock bottom and that’s up, and Teri Meyer is finally crawling out from the worst time of her life – no thanks to her best friend Lee. But no matter, she’s finally found love – real love with a real man, a successful man, a man who accepts all her flaws. Teri’s never felt like this before, and yet it’s changing her in ways she doesn’t understand.

And there’s only one person who can help, one person who truly understands Teri.

It seems that no matter how hard Lee Harper tries, there’s a battle awaiting her at every turn these days, and she’s tired. And as if she needs the extra stress, Teri continues to create constant and unnecessary drama. But Lee’s the only one who really knows what’s going on under Teri’s hard, convoluted exterior, and that’s why she’s always been there for her.

But the question is: will Teri be there when Lee needs her most?

The brilliant and entertaining final book in the unique FRIENDS trilogy dishes out another dose of rib-tickling mayhem for our favourite thirty-something professional women.

Amazon UK      Amazon US 

Breaking Price News!!

A Falling Friend (book 1) will be FREE from November 18 - 22 (UK, AUS and US)








A Forsaken Friend (book 2): 99c/p from November 18 - 25 (UK and US)





Biographies: Sue Featherstone and Susan Pape
Sue Featherstone and Susan Pape are both former newspaper journalists with extensive experience of working for national and regional papers and magazines, and in public relations.
More recently they have worked in higher education, teaching journalism – Sue at Sheffield Hallam and Susan at Leeds Trinity University.
The pair, who have been friends for almost 30 years, wrote two successful journalism text books together – Newspaper Journalism: A Practical Introduction and Feature Writing: A Practical Introduction (both published by Sage), before deciding to turn their hands to fiction.
The first novel in their Friends series, A Falling Friend, was released in 2016. A Forsaken Friend followed two years later, and the final book in the trilogy, A Forgiven Friend, published on November 19.
Sue, who is married with two grown-up daughters, and the most ‘gorgeous granddaughter in the whole world’, loves reading, writing and Nordic walking in the beautiful countryside near her Yorkshire home.
Susan is married and lives in a village near Leeds, and, when not writing, loves walking and cycling in the Yorkshire Dales. She is also a member of a local ukulele orchestra.
They blog about books at https://bookloversbooklist.com/


Follow them on Twitter: @SueF_Writer and @wordfocus


Monday 25 November 2019

Book Tour Blog Stop and Guest Post: The Louise Fawley Symphony by Rikki Evans



The Louise Fawley Symphony by Rikki Evans

Thanks to Teachers... Rikki Evans
Since publishing The Louise Fawley Symphony, I've thought with gratitude of the endeavours of my teachers many years ago, especially those who first introduced me to English Literature, and those who encouraged me to write. I'd love to be able to let them know I'm now a published novelist, but imagine that, sadly, they're now all way beyond telling.
So instead, I'll convey my thanks in a blog, and reflect especially on how they and the works they introduced me to helped shape The Louise Fawley Symphony.
Firstly, let me say that my teachers were nothing like the termagants whom my character Louise encountered at the fictional St. Lucy's. My teachers were kindly and conscientious, enthusiastic about their subjects, and revelled in sharing their knowledge with their pupils.
During my Sixth Form years, I studied English Literature, and our little group was lucky enough to have two teachers for whom the syllabus texts were especial favourites. The influence of each of these is woven into the weft and warp of The Louise Fawley Symphony. For instance, Mrs Folkley (I'll call her) worshipped the richness of King Lear and wrung every last drop of meaning, double-meaning and triple-meaning from its lines. The art of conveying two messages with one set of words is one I've admired ever after and have used whenever I can. Conversely, Mr Sett (I'll call him) was a fan of The Miller's Tale. Ever since those years, I've believed that irreverence, bawdiness and farce are entitled to their place, even in the most exalted literature. There are certainly plenty of all three to be had within The Louise Fawley Symphony. Finally, The Rape of The Lock initiated me into an infatuation with antique literature, and the art of making the trivial, epic. And so, I couldn't resist including my own translation of an Ode of Horace within The Louise Fawley Symphony.
An acquaintance with the works of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Pope, and others, (such as Dylan Thomas) should remind us that storytelling has its origins in poetry, and encourage us that poetry still has its place in storytelling. Accordingly, I've tried to make my prose as poetic as possible, chiefly by using techniques of alliteration more usually reserved for poetry.
Going further back to my Middle School years, Mrs Grimm (I'll call her) employed now time-honoured favourites like Kpo The Leopard and The Ghost of Thomas Kempe in group reading sessions. My memories of these convince me that literature should be for everyone, since even the least academic of my classmates loved these stories. They also, I think, nurtured my taste for tales told from an unexpected perspective. The African savannah through the eyes of a baby leopard? An olden-days poltergeist placated by a modern-day schoolboy?
These thoughts helped lead to the creation of the most unlikely secret agent, a damaged, spolied, sullied, wastrel, the inimitable Louise Fawley.
Falling back further to my Primary School years, Mr Johns (I'll call him) read us Mrs Frisby and The Rats of NIMH. This tale, I believe, gave me a taste for the arcane and surreal which ultimately led to my creating the secret world of Vetchley Castle and its Project Godiva.
Finally, my last but foremost word of gratitude must go to Mr Cherry (I'll call him), another Primary School teacher, for whom the emphasis was undoubtedly on encouraging children to compose. It was he who indulged week-by-week my long-running story (lost, alas) Budgies In Space and thereby, sowed in me the longing to tell a tale, a longing which ultimately germinated decades later in The Louise Fawley Symphony.


Meet Louise Fawley – the newest, sassiest and sleaziest agent in Her Majesty’s Secret Service. 
Follow Louise as she burgles and bungles at Melusine Plastics, gets flirtatious and salacious in Vetchley Castle, grows amorous and glamorous in Sainte-Modeste, and finally, hooks and sinks her villainess on the superyacht Bonquonne.
In this delicious, light-hearted, randy romp, can Louise solve the arcane mystery of La Ligne? 
The Louise Fawley Symphony contains material of a sexually explicit nature, so will not be to the taste of every adult reader.

Amazon UK      Amazon US 
After more than twenty-five years in accountancy, Rikki quit the profession to care for a parent whose health had deteriorated, and to give more time to those interests and hobbies which had
helped render accountancy almost bearable.

Rikki’s interests include all things historical, from castles to candlesticks, music of many genres, from Gregorian Chant to Brit Pop, and above all, like HE Bates, is happiest when working and whiling in a garden.

Giveaway to Win 1 x Signed Paperback of The Louise Fawley Symphony (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.

Friday 22 November 2019

New Release Spotlight & Review: Magic Under The Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman



Magic Under the Mistletoe by Lucy Coleman
Christmas and romance are in the air...
It's December 23rd and while everyone else is rushing home for the holidays, workaholic Leesa Oliver is dreading switching on her out-of-office for the festive season. And it seems her equally driven boss, Cary Anderson, isn't relishing spending Christmas at his family's country estate either.
So together, they draft an unexpected Christmas contract: They'll spend half of the holidays with each other's families, pretending to be a couple. Leesa knows the insufferably good-looking Cary will make her Christmas more bearable, but what happens after the last of the mince pies have been eaten...?
Leesa signed off on a sensible business agreement, but somewhere, amongst the fairy lights and carols something seems to have changed... It seems there might just be some magic under the mistletoe this Christmas!


Two career-driven people burdened by familial expectations at the most wonderful time of the year!! 

Leesa Oliver and Cary Anderson are work colleagues, expected to spend the Christmas festivities with their families after returning to the UK from a hectic business trip in Australia. Both are lacking the seasonal spirit and bad weather on arrival at Cardiff Airport means plans must be changed. Leesa reluctantly accepts Cary's offer of help only for it to lead to a misunderstanding. Therefore they decide to split time between both families pretending to be a couple because of the potential impact it will have. Theoretically, it's the perfect plan but as the pair spend more time in each others company, it becomes clear the lines between them are becoming more and more blurred.

I really enjoyed this novel simply because it isn't overly packed with Christmassy sentiment as the time-line extends a full year. The author provides us with plenty of visual descriptions of the glamorous backdrop to feel it's a special time of the year when the story begins. Yet, there's an undercurrent mood reflected in the protagonists and their attitudes that projects feelings aren't as they seem. The narrative is realistic and believable. It's a wonderful portrayal of how seasonal holidays provoke mixed reactions for many. Ms Coleman captures this and it contrasts well with the snowy scenes we love to read about in festive novels.

I've always liked the fake relationship trope and the fact the protagonists work closely together makes it all the more satisfying when they allow their heads to follow their hearts. 

"We've both discovered that all you need to do is listen to your heart…" 

This novel has so much to offer and the supporting characters add some thought-provoking plot lines. Therefore, it triggers plenty of mixed emotions but most importantly, love is always there in some form or another.

Well balanced and written to keep a reader invested in all aspects of the story, It's a book that will work well at any time of the year for a reader. This is my second Lucy Coleman novel and I'm looking forward to reading many more.

***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 the Society of Authors. She writes feel-good, uplifting novels about life, love and relationships.


Giveaway to Win a Signed paperback copy of Snowflakes over Holly Cove and Christmas Pamper Pack. (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.



Thursday 21 November 2019

New Release Spotlight and Extract: The Raided Heart by Jennifer C. Wilson



The Raided Heart by Jennifer C. Wilson

Meg Mathers, the headstrong youngest sibling of a reiving family on the English-Scottish border, is determined to remain at her childhood home, caring for the land and village she’s grown up with. When an accident brings her a broken ankle and six weeks in the resentful company of ambitious and angry young reiver Will Hetherington, attraction starts to build. Both begin to realise they might have met their match, and the love of their lives, but 15th century border living is not that simple, as Meg soon finds herself betrothed to the weakling son of a tyrannical neighbour, Alexander Gray. When tragedy strikes, can Meg and Will find their way back to each other, and can Will finally take his own personal revenge on Gray?

Amazon UK      Amazon US 


 Hello, and thanks so much for hosting an excerpt of The Raided Heart on your blog today – I hope your readers enjoy it!
Here, we are with Meg, when she hears the news that her brothers have been plotting her marriage. Not the best news, when you’re in love with somebody else…

The Raided Heart, Excerpt Three
“What did you think of young Henry, then?” asked Robert the next morning as they broke their fast. As Lizzie had reported, the Cliffside group had set off just after midnight, keen to make the most of the possible advantage at the western fringes of their territory.
“Well, he’s young, you’re right about that,” replied Meg, risking a glance at Will to see whether he knew where this conversation might be leading. He shook his head, out of Robert’s line of sight.
“Not too young,” replied Robert.
“Not too young for what?”
“Marriage.”
Meg spluttered. Crumbs caught in her throat as she began to choke on pieces of bread, on air, on what she feared her brother was suggesting. “Not for me?” she practically squeaked.
“Well obviously for you – Judd won’t give up the lovely Hannah, and I can’t go offering the maidens of the village these days, can I, like some ancient tyrant? Their menfolk would object, and none of us would want that.” He chuckled at his words, then stopped when he noticed his sister wasn’t joining in.
Meg caught Will’s glance as she caught her breath. “But, you never said anything,” she managed, in a hoarse whisper.
“I wanted to see you together. We both did, Gray and me. He’s in agreement, it seems an excellent match.”
“An excellent match for you two perhaps, but not for me!” Meg exclaimed. “He is little more than a child, what, sixteen years old? A whole five years younger than me! And completely undermined by his father on all counts. You must have seen the way they were together? Alexander is a monster, a bully, and his son is completed cowed. And besides, apart from civil greetings, I hardly spoke to him. You couldn’t possibly have seen how we were together to make such a judgement on whether we are remotely suited for each other.”
Meg could hear the mix of anger and panic rising in her voice, not caring whether her brother could hear it too. Henry Gray was not the man she intended to marry – even if there were no other options presently available to her, that her brothers would readily agree to.
“I cannot marry somebody who appears to have no voice, no thought of his own. You must see that?” Despite the residual ache in her ankle from the forced merriment and activity of the night before, she rose and rushed out of the room, leaving her brother and Will with eyes wide.

Jennifer C. Wilson is a marine biologist by training, who developed an equal passion for history and historical fiction whilst stalking Mary, Queen of Scots on childhood holidays (she has since moved on to Richard III). Enrolling on an adult education workshop on her return to the north-east of England for work reignited her pastime of creative writing, and she has been filling notebooks ever since. In 2014, Jennifer won the Story Tyne short story competition, and has been working on a number of projects since, including co-hosting the North Tyneside Writers’ Circle. Her Kindred Spirits novels are published by Crooked Cat Books and her time-slip novella, The Last Plantagenet?, by Ocelot Press. She lives in North Tyneside, and is very proud of her approximately 2-inch sea view.
Giveaway to Win 2 x e-copies of The Last Plantagenet? (Open Internationally)
*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.