Publication Day Push and Review: Temptation in Istanbul by Hana Sheik

Temptation in Istanbul by Hana Sheik

Escape to Istanbul, where a nanny may just tempt a bruised billionaire to give love a second chance in this heartwarming romance by Hana Sheik.

A single dad’s greatest temptation?

The nanny on his doorstep! 

Billionaire Faisal is anxiously awaiting custody of his little girl, who’s been living miles away with her mother. First he must win the approval of her nanny, Maryan, who has traveled with her to Istanbul. While he shows Maryan the delights of his city, the instant attraction between them is hard to ignore. But Maryan leaves in two weeks, so Faisal must decide how much of his bruised heart he is prepared to risk…

Maryan has been a nanny to seven-year-old, Zara for four years. However, she is taking the child halfway around the world to live with her father; Billionaire Faisal Umar. Once her charge is settled, Maryan is flying back to California to help out her aunt and uncle and hopefully find another job quickly. That’s her intention, but even the best-placed plans change?

As the owner of Umar Capital Group, Faisal is used to dealing with unexpected challenges, and now that he is to take full custody of his young daughter, he’s confident of his new role. However, when an important deal negotiation scuppers his plans to meet his daughter and nanny at the airport, he sends his assistant to greet them. Very quickly, he learns his new life may not be as adaptable as he thinks.

Maryan is committed to caring for Zara; a child who was moving to live with her father because her mother’s life is too busy. I felt sorry for the child, so I liked how compassionate and devoted Maryan is. She’s a woman determined to do the right thing for the little girl, and it’s an admirable trait. Faisal wants what’s best for his daughter, too, and hopes he can persuade Maryan to stay. However, there is a mutual attraction and with shared family values, he sees the nanny as someone special, but can he risk such a proposal?

I liked the Turkish backdrop of Istanbul and how Ms. Sheik brought the city to life by describing the sights and culture of the city as Faisal showed Maryan around the place he calls home. The inclusion of their shared Somali heritage between the protagonists was an unexpected delight, and I enjoyed reading about familial memories and traditions.

I’ve always enjoyed romance novels set in far-off lands so Temptation in Istanbul hit the spot for me. So, overall it’s a delightful novel, with likeable characters and a memorable narrative.

***arc generously received courtesy of the publisher, Mills and Boon/Harlequin Romance***

Harlequin | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (US)

Hana Sheik falls in love every day reading her favourite romances and writing her own happy-ever-afters. She's worked as a data entry operator, customer service rep, telemarketer, and ghostwriter—but being a romance author is without a doubt the best job ever! Born in Somalia, she moved to the beautiful capital of Canada as a toddler, and still lives there happily with her family. She loves to hear from readers. Reach out to her on the contact page at hanasheik.com

Twitter (@HanaSoChic), Facebook (@HanaSheikAuthor)

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One Day Blog Blitz: The Write Balance by Bonni Golldberg

The Write Balance: How to Embrace Percolation, Revision & Going Public by Bonni Goldberg

Writers write. Being a writer or a book lover also means being a literary citizen. As such, Lynn (a.k.a. Ellesea, a.k.a. Linn) extends her writing to include a blog and book reviews. I extend mine to include writing advice books. Besides offering advice, exercises and tools for writers, The Write Balance reveals a great deal of the inner workings of writers and the creative process. Productivity is something many of us worry over.

“How much do you write?” I’m often asked. Most people really want to know if there’s a magic number of pages or hours that makes one a legitimate writer. My answer always surprises me. When not working on a specific project with a deadline, my general habit was to write for two to three hours a day, five days a week. When I think about this, it’s amazing to me that I organized my entire life to support twoish hours a day of work. On the surface it doesn’t seem to add up to much of a day. But I’d spend those writing hours creating new work, revising it, and editing it. I’d spend the balance of my working-writer day reading and researching, teaching, and doing the ever-expanding tasks of the business side of my profession: correspondence, follow-up, filling out grant applications, working on book proposals, making and returning calls, and brainstorming about other avenues for sharing my work to pay the rent.

It’s a small amount of time, those two to three hours daily. Couldn’t I make it longer if I didn’t socialize, take yoga classes, make art, read, see movies, spend time with my family, help the occasional stranger, and comfort troubled friends? I don’t believe so because my sense of self includes all the above just as much as writing. I’m also not convinced I would get more writing accomplished if I gave up some of these other activities because I don’t have the wherewithal, even if I had the time, to write more. After a few hours. I’m spent.

Some writers also have full-time jobs. One of my college classmates is a full-time lawyer who has published two short story collections and a novel. He wrote them during his daily one-hour train commute between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. I was not this type of person. When I worked on a specific project, I used to need to give over whole days to writing a first draft. Even if I physically wrote for only a few of those hours, I needed to immerse myself, without distraction, in my subject for the day.

My rhythm made me feel like a dilettante and a fake, or worse, a mediocre writer. I envied my colleagues who had the security of a comfortable salary, the energy for another way to contribute to society, the focus, and the comfort of fitting into the societal norm. But I had to accept my reality:

1. I was not like them.

2. Spending energy being bitter about this takes away from writing time.

3. I’m already committed to being a writer no matter what.

Then my circumstances changed. I was the one working full-time. I learned a new writing rhythm. There’s no guarantee that having a Writing Self is easy, but perhaps we focus too much attention on how hard it can be given our personal circumstances or rhythm. Instead of judging yourself so harshly, if you accept who you are you can enjoy the writing process as you experience it. Whether it’s life circumstances or personality traits that define how you write, you may be better off working within their confines instead of expending potential writing energy being aggravated by them. Author Peter Korn’s writing time is defined by being a father. Because he shares work and parenting responsibilities with his wife, his writing schedule changes all year long in conjunction with his children’s school calendar. As a result, he writes a lot of articles and essays because it lends itself to his time frame. Meanwhile, his next novel percolates away in the back of his mind until the kids are old enough to go to sleep-away camp.

I remember hearing a true story about the writer who would get up in the morning and have her his wife lock him in his office. At noon she would unlock the door, serve him lunch, and ask, “How did the writing go this morning?” “Wonderfully,” he’d reply. “I put a comma in.” His wife would lock the writer back in his office until dinner, when she would ask him how the writing 67 The Write Balance went during the afternoon. “Splendidly,” he’d answer. “I took the comma out.”

(from The Write Balance, pp. 64-67)

Bonni Goldberg’s The Write Balance introduces you to alternative perspectives and motivation for lasting creative fulfillment. This companion book to the beloved bestseller, Room toWrite is filled with encouragement, tools, examples and exercises.

Through years of teaching writing in workshops and in classrooms, Bonni has seen that the writers who are most passionate and grounded in their Writing Self embrace three aspects of the writing process: nurturing ideas, revising to best communicate those ideas, and completing the writing cycle by going public.

In this powerful guide, Bonni invites you to explore these creative stages which are essential to satisfying your Writing Self.

Use The Write Balance to:

• Find Fulfillment as a Writer

• Explore Creative Writing

• Add to Your Writer’s Toolbox for Perspective

• Overcome Writer’s Block

• Teach Creative Writing

• Inspire Your Writing Group

• Give as Gifts to the Writers in Your Life

  https://books2read.com/u/3n2XQ9

Bonni Goldberg is the author of The Write Balance: How to Embrace Percolation, Revision & Going Public, the companion book to the best-seller Room to Write: Daily Invitations to a Writer’s Life. Bonni is an award-winning poet and writer. She is the creator of the 2 Minute Journals™ series. Both traditionally and indie published, her books include non-fiction for adults and fiction and non-fiction for young readers. Her essays and blog posts can be found in numerous print and online publications.

Bonni teaches creative writing at colleges and leads writing workshops internationally for all ages. She knows everyone is creative, and she supports people to discover and share their authentic, meaningful and imaginative experiences through words. Whether through her writings or through teaching, her methods and perspectives continue to empower thousands of adults, families, and children.

Bonni is also a Jewish educator. She speaks, writes, and leads workshops on Jewish topics such as Jewish identity, rituals and antisemitism at Jewish women’s events, JCCs, and conferences. 

Bonni Goldberg lives in Portland, Oregon with her partner in life, and some creative projects, artist Geo Kendall.

www.bonnigoldberg.com

www.facebook.com/bonnigoldbergbooks

www.twitter.com/bonnigoldberg

www.instagram.com/goldbergbonni

Giveaway to win one of these prizes –

30-minute coaching call (video or phone if US)

Q&A Zoom with their group (video)

Feedback on 3 double spaced pages of their work (via email)

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