Saturday 27 February 2021

Cover Reveal: Chance Encounter by Rae Shaw



A Chance Encounter by Rae Shaw

Julianna Baptiste, a feisty bodyguard, finds her new job tedious, that is until her boss, the evasive Jackson Haynes, spikes her curiosity. Who is behind the vicious threats to his beautiful wife and why is he interested in two estranged siblings?

Mark works for Haynes’s vast company. He’s hiding from ruthless money launderers.

His teenage sister Ellen has an online friend whom she has never met. Ellen guards a terrible secret.

For eight years their duplicitous father has languished in prison, claiming he is innocent of murder. The evidence against him is overwhelming, so why does Mark persist with an appeal?

Keen to prove her potential as an investigator, Julianna forces Mark to confront his mistakes. The consequences will put all their lives in danger.



Amazon UK                Amazon US 

Publication Date: 24th March

Rae Shaw is a pen name for the author Rachel Walkley.

Rachel is based in the North West of England. She read her first grown-up detective novel at the age of eleven, which proved to be a catalyst for filling many shelves with crime books, which still occupy her home and grow in number whenever she visits a book shop.

As well as crime, Rachel likes to unplug from the real world and writes mysteries that have a touch of magic woven into family secrets.


https://raeshawauthor.com/

https://twitter.com/RaeShawauthor

Rae Shaw Facebook page

Rachel Walkley




Thursday 25 February 2021

A Spotlight on: Death at Rainbow Cottage by Jo Allen


Death at Rainbow Cottage by Jo Allen

At the end of the rainbow, a man lies dead.

The apparently motiveless murder of a man outside the home of controversial equalities activist Claud Blackwell and his neurotic wife, Natalie, is shocking enough for a peaceful local community. When it’s followed by another apparently random killing immediately outside Claud’s office, DCI Jude Satterthwaite has his work cut out. Is Claud the killer, or the intended victim?

To add to Jude’s problems, the arrival of a hostile new boss causes complications at work, and when a threatening note arrives at the police headquarters, he has real cause to fear for the safety of his friends and colleagues…

A traditional British detective novel set in Cumbria.

 

https://amzn.to/3fl0tJj


Jo Allen is the author of the successful DCI Satterthwaite series of detective novels set in and around the English Lake District, where she lives. After a career in economic consultancy she took up writing and was first published under the name Jennifer Young in genres of short stories, romance and romantic suspense. In 2017 she took the plunge and began writing the genre she most likes to read – crime. In common with all her favourite characters, she loves football (she's a season ticket holder with her beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers) and cats.

Twitter @JoAllenAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoAllenAuthor

Instagram @JoAllenAuthor



Monday 22 February 2021

A Spotlight on: The Greek Heart, a romantic escape by Kate Frost


The Greek Heart by Kate Frost

A broken heart, an island escape, a boy from the past. Will Lottie's search lead to love?

When a special anniversary takes Lottie on a journey to find the little boy she once knew, it's a chance to put heartache behind her.

Lottie's search takes her to Greece and a family who have known about her for decades. A warm welcome gives her some much-needed time out and the chance to reflect. Yet an emotional revelation and two handsome but complicated brothers make her question her past decisions. 

Learning to love herself and be content on her own is the first step. But will Lottie be able to follow her heart and find lasting happiness?

 https://getbook.at/thegreekheart

Kate Frost is the author of character-driven women’s fiction (The Butterfly Storm series and Beneath the Apple Blossom), romantic escape novels (The Baobab Beach Retreat, A Starlit Summer, The Greek Heart and The Amsterdam Affair), and Time Shifters, a time travel adventure trilogy for children. She has a MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University, where she also taught lifewriting to creative writing undergraduates.

Kate lives in Bristol with her husband, young son, and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Frodo. She feels very lucky to spend her days writing, but when she’s not working on a novel, she’s the Director of Storytale Festival, a new city-wide children’s book festival that she co-founded in Bristol in 2019 with the ethos of making books accessible to all and encouraging children and teens to read, write and be creative.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katefrostauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katefrostauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/katefrostauthor

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhcSLhVZrTwDq9OteyFmHA

Website: http://kate-frost.co.uk/



Thursday 18 February 2021

A spotlight & Extract for: Daughter of the Sea by Sylvia Broady



DAUGHTER OF THE SEA- PROLOGUE

The midsummer night air in the room was humid and on the bed laid a young woman, bathed in perspiration and in her last stage of labour. The midwife wiped the young woman’s brow and then checked the birth channel. This baby seemed in no hurry to come into the world. ‘And who could blame it,’ the midwife muttered to herself. ‘Push,’ she urged the woman. And then a miracle happened. The baby slipped out of its mother’s protective womb into an uncertain world. Cutting the umbilical cord and cleaning the infant’s face, the midwife wrapped her in a clean cloth.

Placing the infant in the open arms of the mother, she said, her voice softening, ‘You have a daughter, love,’

She watched, seeing the glow of tenderness light up the young woman’s face as she gazed upon her daughter’s red, crinkly face.

Then she continued with her duties and to wait for the placenta to come. It came in pieces with a great gush of blood and soaking the young woman’s body and bed. Swiftly, the midwife took the baby from its mother’s arms and laid her to rest in the crib lined with white silk and covered her with the white woollen blanket. Against the pureness of her crib, the baby girl’s hair shone as auburn as her mother’s.

Focusing all her energy and attention back to the mother, she brought fresh clean towels to try to stem the flow of the woman’s life blood. But it was to no avail. She needed a doctor urgently. Hurrying downstairs and outside to the nearest house, she banged on the door.

An upstairs window opened and a sleepy eyed man stuck out his head and yelled, ‘where’s the fire?’

I need a doctor at once or yond woman might die.’

The man closed the window and was down the stairs and opening the door in a flash. The midwife pushed coins into his hand, saying, ‘Get the doctor and hurry.’

Back with her patient, she looked in horror at the lake of blood and reached for more towels. The woman’s translucent face was hot and feverish and the midwife bathed her face in cold water.

My baby,’ the woman whispered.

The midwife lifted the sleeping infant from the crib and held her close to her mother’s face. The young woman kissed her daughter’s cheek and in that instant, the baby opened its eyes to see her mother. The young woman’s eyelids flickered and she gave a faint sigh as she slipped gently away from this world leaving behind her new born infant. Their daughter.

The doctor came. He was old and grumbled and non-too pleased at being woken up from his sleep. If only he could retire. ‘Too late,’ he stated the obvious as he gave the young woman’s body a cursory examination. And then wrote out the death certificate.

The midwife told him who to make out his bill to and he raised an eyebrow at the mention of the man’s name, but he didn’t comment, he just said, ‘I’ll arrange for the undertakers to call.’

When he’d gone, she sat down on a chair feeling tired and in need of a cup of strong tea. The cry of the infant roused her and she knew she had no option but to take the child to the only person who would take her in. Her father. She bathed the child and put her into a nightgown and nappy and then wrapped her in a pure white shawl of finest wool and went out into the night.

By the time she reached the big house overlooking the Humber Estuary, dawn was breaking. She hurried up the steps of the silent house and rapped hard on the front door and waited with the sleeping child cradled in her arms. She listened to the sound of footfalls, heavy as they drew nearer, and then the door was flung open to reveal a fine figure of a man, despite clan in his night attire, of about thirty.

He stared at her and then he saw the bundle move in her arms. Stepping nearer to him, she thrust the bairn to him, saying, ‘Yond lass died giving birth to your daughter.’

He clasped the baby to his chest and tears wet his eyes as he looked down to gaze upon his sleeping daughter. Then he lifted up his head and said to the midwife, ‘Take care of…’ A choking sound erupted in his throat and he couldn’t speak.

I’ll take care of her, sir.’ For a few seconds they stared at each other.

Suddenly a woman’s voice called out from within. ‘Who’s there?’

The midwife turned and hurried away, knowing the man would pay for all the expenses occurred. Right now, he would have some explaining to do to his wife.

Daughter Of The Sea by Sylvia Broady


Well-paced … genuinely gripping’ Historical Novels Review

Jessica is grieving for her beloved father, trawler owner Jacob Kingdom, when a heated confrontation ends with her being cast out from the family home and the revelation of a shameful secret. She falls upon the kindness of strangers and meets a charismatic trawlerman, who is proud to walk out with Kingdom’s daughter.

But with her cold-hearted brother at the helm of the family business, there is discontent rising, and being Kingdom’s daughter begins to lose its charm. With Jessica desperate to prove herself worthy to the tight-knit community, does she have what it takes to weather the storm to come, or will her secret hold her back?

Amazon US               Amazon UK 


Sylvia Broady was born in Hull and has lived in the area all her life, although she loves to travel the world. It wasn’t until she started to frequent her local library after World War II that her relationship with literature truly began, and her memories of the war influence her writing as does her home town. She has had a varied career in childcare, the NHS and the EYC Library Services, but is now a full-time writer.

https://sylviabroadyauthor.com/

@SylviaBroady





Wednesday 17 February 2021

New Publication Spotlight: Bad Blood by Lily Hayden


Bad Blood by Lily Hayden

Tim, Rose, Will and Belle led a charmed childhood growing up together on idyllic Bluebell Farm, but everything changed when their mother died. Sixteen years on, they’re practically strangers.

An unexpected invitation from their estranged father brings them back together giving them an opportunity to heal past wounds and start afresh.

But when Frank is found dead on the morning of his wedding, suspicion turns to the four siblings’ motivations, and the bad blood of the past resurfaces.

Amazon UK                Amazon US 

Lily Hayden writes chick lit with a kick.

Modern day women want modern day heroines and Lily's characters want sizzling romance, rewarding careers and equal partnerships, but like all of us, they face many challenges and it isn't always easy.

A mother to four children, Lily graduated with a degree in Business in her hometown in South Wales and enjoyed a successful career in Financial Services before fulfilling a lifelong ambition to write books.

Her debut novel Butterflies, a heartwarming alternative to the traditional boy-meets-girl story, was released in 2018, reaching readers all over the world and she is the author of seven books, including a Young Adult Dystopian novel Project Terra under the alias SJ Woods (because who doesn't love a bit of action and defeating bad guys every now and again).

Follow Lily on social media for the latest releases, promotions and occasional photos of her dogs.

Lily Hayden (facebook.com)

Hayden Woods Creative (@hwoods_creative) / Twitter

Lily Hayden (@hwoods_creative) • Instagram photos and videos

Lily Hayden (Author of Butterflies) (goodreads.com)


Monday 15 February 2021

Publication Day Review: Eleven Days in June by R.P. Gibson Colley


Eleven Days in June (The Little Leaf Series, 1) by R P Gibson Colley

Devon, 1985. Dan is 20, lives in a sleepy village and works in a small DIY shop. He likes numbers and hero worships Lord Nelson. But he finds ordinary people difficult to understand and he’s certainly never kissed a girl. His mother mocks him, and he misses his father and he pines for Ollie, his only childhood friend who truly understood him.

But, despite it all, Dan thinks he’s happy enough. Until one June day, the beautiful and mysterious Libby walks into his shop - and into Dan's life. 

Libby’s sudden appearance turns Dan’s ordered existence upside down. But Dan soon realises that Libby isn’t who she seems. Who exactly is she? What is she hiding, and, more importantly, who’s that threatening man always looking for her?

In trying to help Libby, Dan comes to realise what’s missing in his own life, and, in turn, appreciates what’s really important…

A gentle story about a young man going about his life and the challenges he has to deal with.

Twenty-year-old Dan works at a local DIY shop. However, he's not like other young men of his age. He's single and doesn't have a girlfriend. He lives with his mum and enjoys model-making and anything connected with Horatio Nelson. He lives a simple life, but it isn't without drama. Eleven Days in June highlights a short time in Dan's life when Libby walked into his place of work and asked for help.

Intelligent, Dan is both knowledgeable and clueless.

'Dad says I've got an encyclopaedic memory.'
...'Really?' said Ollie's dad. 'Boy, I wish you were old enough for the pub. We could do with someone like you on our quiz team.'

Lacking social antennas Dan is unable to pick up and interpret other peoples meanings. Therefore, is often seen as gullible and often exploited. It's heartbreaking to know he understands people are laughing at him and doesn't know why?

Set in June 1985 and as someone only a couple of years younger than Dan during the setting, I enjoyed the many references to the popular music of the time. Little Leaf, a small Devon village is a contrast to my own city upbringing, so I enjoyed the author's view of life for young adults at that time.

This is a delightful short novel with some unexpected intrigue and set in the not too distant past. It highlights challenges faced by youths back then which are as relevant to young and new adults of today.

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

Amazon UK                Amazon US 

I was born one Christmas Day, which means, as a child, I lost out on presents. Nonetheless, looking back on it, I lived a childhood with a "silver spoon in my mouth" - brought up in a rambling manor house in the beautiful Devon countryside. It's been downhill ever since.

I was a librarian for a long time, a noble profession. Then I started a series called History In An Hour, "history for busy people", which I sold to HarperCollins UK.

I now live in London with my wife, two children and dog (a fluffy cockapoo) and write historical fiction, mainly 20th-century war and misery, and humorous books set in 1980s England.