Game of scones

                                                                                   

A story of icing and flour…and how love doesn’t always go to plan!

Growing up, Pippa Pattinson’s summers were spent in the idyllic Greek island fishing village of Taxos. There she spent many long hazy days determinedly ignoring thoughts of the life her parents had mapped out for her (a dreary-but-secure accounting job and obligatory sensible husband!) Instead she daydreamed of running her own tea shop – serving the perfect scones – with mocha-eyed childhood friend Niklaus by her side…
Arriving back in Taxos for the first time in years, with suave boyfriend Henrik, Pippa barely recognises the tired little town – but is relieved to catch glimpses of the quaint, charming village she’s always loved. Together Niklaus and Pippa put together a proposal to save Taxos from tourist-tastic ruin, and at the heart of their plan is Pippa’s dream project: The Tastiest Little Tea Shop in Taxos. It’s time for Pippa to leave her London life behind and dust off her scone recipe that’s guaranteed to win over both locals and visitors. And amidst the rolling pins and raisins, it seems romance is blossoming where she’s least expecting it…

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ULP98BQ?keywords=game%20of%20scones&qid=1429517615&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1

About the author

Samantha Tonge lives in Cheshire with her lovely family, and two cats who think they are dogs. When not writing, she spends her days cycling and willing cakes to rise. She has sold over 80 short stories to women’s magazines. Her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, came out in November 2013.

My Review

I was fortunate enough to receive a free copy of this book via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a light-hearted summer read, set in an idyllic Greek village on Kos, then look no further. Samantha Tonge has created a deliciously moreish book and her scone fillings definitely give you food for thought. I’d only ever thought of scones as plain, cheese or cherry until reading this book. Now I want apricot and fig and … there could be a whole new sideline as a result.

Her characters are wonderful and totally believable. There is just the right amount of conflict and the background adds a bit of added tension as redevelopment beckons. I particularly loved the description of the grandmother. At first I wasn’t so keen on Pippa’s boyfriend but he endeared himself to me towards the end. I love a book with a HEA but you’ll have to read it to find out if Pippa gets her dream of running a teashop or not.

5/5

Aoleon the Martian girl part 4

Book Description:

Aoleon and Gilbert have become the Luminon’s top priority in stopping the Martian resistance movement, and after being chased by the Royal Paladin Guard, they are forced to flee the Martian Megalopolis. Aoléon, Gilbert and Zoot escape with the help of Bizwat and his newly found friend, Helios, a first generation soldierbot.

After their saucer is destroyed, they crash land somewhere in the deep Martian desert, and they set out to locate Kyrios and the secret base where Aoleon’s parents are being held captive.

After battling the forces of nature, starvation, a Klyklon dust storm, (and not to mention a giant slor that almost swallows them alive), they finally make it to their destination. However, after Kyrios gives Gilbert some basic training to develop his budding psionic power, they learn that their journey is far from over.

Will Aoléon, Glbert, Bizwat, Helios, and Zoot be able to rescue Aoleon’s parents and stop the Martian invasion of Earth in time?

Read part 4 to find out!

Book Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/eA1b6G876V0

Buy the Book:

Amazon

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Buy The Martian Girl Song!

Another World - Single

Featuring Élan Noelle

Download on iTunes

Meet the Author:

Mr. LeVasseur enjoys crafting good stories based on lovable characters designed to translate well to multiple media formats such as books, games, movies, and toys. He lives in New York when he is not commuting between Southern California and Olympus Mons, Mars. His hobbies include writing, 3D animation, musical composition, and intergalactic space travel. He also enjoys various sports such as skiing, running, and exospheric skydiving.

Connect with Brent:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Aoléon: The Martian Girl 

My Review

After the exciting adventures of the last three books in the series, it was inevitably going to be difficult to maintain the pace to the end. Mr Levasseur gets around the tricky middle bit by slightly moving the focus away from Aoleon and Gilbert, who have become well established by now, and introduces us to some super side characters. My favourite of these is Zoot!

As the action takes place in the desert of Mars, we are once again treated to some fantastic graphics of the terrain. I can only imagine the hours of work that must have gone into this. They also enable the reader to get a very good visual picture of the latest monsters to cross our hero and heroine’s path. I would love to be able to see inside the writer’s head as I can’t myself imagine how he dreams up his ideas.

Without giving away any spoilers, this book neatly sets up the action for the final book in the series. Can’t wait to find out what happens in the end.

4/5

Visiting the sins - Melanie Denman

                                                                                 

About the book

Set in the Bible Belt of Deep East Texas, Visiting the Sins is a darkly funny story about mothers and daughters, naked ambition, elusive redemption, and all the torment it's possible to inflict in the name of family.

Down through the decades, the lofty social aspirations of the feisty but perennially dissatisfied Wheeler women -- Pokey, the love-starved, pistol-packing matriarch; Rebanelle, the frosty former beauty queen turned church organist; and Curtis Jean, the backsliding gospel singer -- are exceeded only by their unfortunate taste in men and a seemingly boundless capacity for holding grudges. A legacy of feuding and scandal lurches from one generation to the next with tragic consequences that threaten to destroy everything the Wheeler women have sacrificed their souls to build.

Author's Bio:

                                                                             

Melanie Denman is a native of Nacogdoches, Texas and a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University. An eighth-generation Texan, and a former banker and cattle rancher, she currently lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is working on a second novel.

Connect with Melanie:  Website  ~  Facebook  

Where to buy the book:

On author's website
Amazon
Barnes & Nobles

a Rafflecopter giveaway

​Giveaway:​

​Prize: ​One of 15 copies of Visiting the Sins (Open USA & Canada) and Amazon Gift Cards 3 X $10, 2 X $15, 1 X $20 (Open internationally). Ends April 25.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

http://www.ireadbooktours.com/blog---current-tours/book-tour-visiting-the-sins-by-melanie-denman-march-23-to-april-17

Interview with Melanie Denman 

1. Can you tell us what prompted you to first start writing? I come from a long line of colorful storytellers, so it’s in my blood. Because I’m more of an introvert than the rest of them, writing is easier for me than talking.
2. Can you summarize your latest work in just a few words? Visiting the Sins is a Texas tale of three generations of mothers and daughters whose conflicting ambitions tear their family apart.
3. What was the inspiration for this book? My real life grandmother was the inspiration for “Pokey,” the pistol-packing matriarch in my book. She landed herself in quite a few scandalous escapades over the years, and never repented of any of it. The plot was built around her adventures.
4. Did you do any research for the book? I did a lot of research on the Conner-Smith-Lowe feud that took place in Scrappin’ Valley, Texas back in the early 1900’s. Some of my mother’s people came from Scrappin’ Valley, and I was interested in the impact of the feud on later generations.
5. What does a typical writing day involve for you? It depends on what stage I’m on with a chapter – brainstorming, storyboarding, or writing. If I’m brainstorming, I try to get out of my usual surroundings. I might take my journal and go to a playground or a cemetery for a few hours. Once I’m ready to actually type the chapter, I work in my home office with my storyboards to guide me. I tend to get into a zone, taking a break only to get coffee or walk my dogs.
6. How do you decide on the names for your characters? I take almost as much trouble deciding on my characters’ names as I did with my own children! Of course the names need to fit the time and place, but more importantly, they reflect the hopes, dreams, values, and culture of the parents who would have chosen the name. I give a lot of thought to whether they would have chosen to name the child for a relative, or someone from the Old Testament, or even for a virtue they hoped the child would have. Occasionally a name I choose just doesn’t end up fitting the character and it has to be changed.
7. Tell us about your travels. I love to travel “low and slow.” You miss all the good stuff if you fly over it. I’ve gone across Tanzania in a Land Rover, over the Sahara on a camel, around Italy by train. One thing I still want to do is go on a long cattle drive on horseback. I have a Lonesome Dove fixation.
8. Tell us about your childhood. I grew up on a cattle ranch near Nacogdoches, Texas. My parents believed in working hard, saving your money, and never giving up.
9. Do you plot your novels or allow them to develop as you write? My plots are almost always driven by the characters. I might have an idea of the general direction the plot will take, but ultimately it all springs organically from the character.
10. Have you taken any creative writing courses and would you recommend them? I completed Stanford’s two year novel-writing program. I recommend that program or something similar, for what you learn about the craft of writing as well as the networking and support you find in the faculty and fellow students.
11. What book(s) are you reading at the moment? I am staying up way past my bedtime reading “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins.
12. Do you have any advice for new writers? The best advice I have is to get objective feedback on your writing, either through a critique group or in a class environment. It will make you a better writer and help you get accustomed to criticism.

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iRead Book Tours

Aoleon the Martian Girl Part 3

                                                                         

Spying on the Luminon, Aoléon and Gilbert uncover his plot to steal Earth’s milk cows and make the disturbing discovery that the Martian leader plans to disrupt Mars’s galact supply. The duo races to warn Aoléon’s father, Deimos, a manager at the galactworks, before the Luminon’s saboteur can act.

While still on the run, Aoléon takes her pilot’s exam so she can join the Martian intergalactic exploration fleet. However, during the test-run, something goes horribly wrong. The two are put in a life-threatening situation and only Bizwat, Aoléon’s Procyon commando friend, can save them.

Gilbert finally gets his chance to learn to skyboard, but the lesson turns into a test of skill as he and Aoléon are chased by the Royal Paladin Guard.

Will they survive?

Don't miss this exciting part 3 of 5 of the middle-grade sci-fi series Aoleon The Martian Girl.

Book Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/eA1b6G876V0

Buy the Book:

Amazon

 ​

​

Buy The Martian Girl Song!

Another World - Single

Featuring Élan Noelle

Download on iTunes

Meet the Author:

Mr. LeVasseur enjoys crafting good stories based on lovable characters designed to translate well to multiple media formats such as books, games, movies, and toys. He lives in New York when he is not commuting between Southern California and Olympus Mons, Mars. His hobbies include writing, 3D animation, musical composition, and intergalactic space travel. He also enjoys various sports such as skiing, running, and exospheric skydiving.

Connect with Brent:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Aoléon: The Martian Girl 

My Review

In Part one we saw how Gilbert met Aoleon. In Part two we were introduced to life on Mars. The pace is hotting up in the third part of the series. Gilbert and Aoleon find out about the plan to steal Earth’s cows, which means that the Galact plant where Aoleon’s father is Manager is a target. As they try to warn him they find themselves in grave danger. The descriptions don’t do the book justice and the illustrations will surely blow you away. I can’t imagine where the author gets his ideas as just when you think you’ve seen it all, he comes up with something new. I’m sure there will be lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ as this book is read. My son is a huge fan of Dr Who but this is like Star Trek, Dr Who and Star Wars combined! Loved the part with Aoleon taking her pilot’s exam and am on tenterhooks now waiting to read Part Four to see how it all pans out. This series is for big kids and little kids alike!

5/5