A little Christmas Charm

A Little Christmas Charm

                                                                             

                                                     

Would you swap sea and sunshine for tinsel and turkey? Gabby Sanderson is used to being let down – even at Christmas. Which is why she’s happy to skip the festive season completely in favour of a plane ticket and sunnier climes. But this Christmas could be different, because this time she might not be spending it alone. Can Owen Cooper charm Gabby into loving Christmas in the same way he’s charmed his way into her life, or is he just another person who’ll end up disappointing her?

Purchase Link Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Christmas-Charm-Choc-Lit-ebook/dp/B07GNL7VN8


Author Bio –

                                                                           

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.
With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.

Social Media Links – Website: http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathrynfreeman Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1

Giveaway – Win a paperback copy of A Little Christmas Faith by Kathryn Freeman (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 I reserve 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 I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.


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My Review

I really enjoyed this book. At the beginning, the reader doesn't really warm to flashy salesman Owen. He seems to be just another charmer who is going to let Gabby down. Gabby has been let down by everyone close to her and is reluctant to let anyone in. The author cleverly breaks down the layers so that we see Owen's caring side as well as Gabby opening up her heart. This Christmas though Owen might just have to let her down again. You'll have to read it to see if they really do have their dream Christmas.

Five ladies go skiing

                                                                             

Five Ladies Go Skiing

A delightful new novel of love and friendship from Karen Aldous…

Ginny is alone now after losing her husband, so her friends (her F.L.O.W.E.R.S) decide with his first memorial imminent, learning to ski in the Swiss Alps would be a great distraction for her. What Ginny’s friends fail to add into the equation however, is their own distractions! The baggage they carry with them not only threatens their skiing but scales mountainous emotions throughout the trip. The questions then are…can their friendships survive, and can Ginny ever trust enough to love again?

Purchase Links

http://mybook.to/FiveLadiesGoSkiing on Amazon worldwide

Five Ladies Go Skiing on ibooks

Five Ladies Go Skiing on Kobo

Five Ladies Go Skiing on NOOK

Author Bio –

Karen Aldous enjoys village life on the edge of the north-downs in Kent with easy access to the buzz of London. Not only does she love the passive pleasures of reading and writing, she also craves the more active pursuits with her family and friends such as walking, cycling and skiing especially when they involve food and wine!

Much of Karen's inspiration comes from her travels and meeting people. The UK, France, Greece, Switzerland, Italy and parts of the USA and Asia are just some you will experience in her books to date. However, wherever she goes, new characters emerge in 'Karen's World' screaming at her to tell their stories; past or present. She loves to write about strong independent women who can direct their own lives - but struggle to control them! And, of course there's always a gorgeous hunk or two!

See more...http://www.karenaldous.co.uk/about-me/

Social Media Links –

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenAldous_

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

Giveaway – Win 5 x Paperback copies of Five Ladies Go Skiing (UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –Please note prize will be distributed once the paperback is available (published 13^th December).  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 I reserve 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 I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494163/?

My Review

I must say that at the start I struggled to work out who was who as we are introduced to five friends and then when you add their families into the mix -it all seemed a bit overwhelming. However, once I got into the story, it was so heart-warming. It's a story of friendship, love, loss and self-discovery as well as a secret that will test friendship to its limits. It was refreshing to read about a group of older women who haven't given up on love and whose lives have been shaped by all that has happened to them - something you are unlikely to find to the same degree when writing about twenty-year-olds. This added depth to the characters really shines through. The setting is pretty fabulous too adding a realistic dimension to the story.

Snowed in at the little duck pond cafe

                                                                         

Snowed In at The Little Duck Pond Café

The biggest snowfall in years has blanketed Sunnybrook, cutting the village off from the outside world. For Fen, who finds herself snowed in at The Little Duck Pond Cafe, it's little more than a minor inconvenience. Her love life is finally running smoothly; it looks as if she's found the perfect man for her.

But then a shocking secret threatens to destroy Fen's new-found happiness.

Will being snowed in be the final straw? Or will Fen find a way through the snowdrifts to the perfect love?

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/2Cg99ki

Author Bio

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centred on life in a village café. The first two stories in the series are: Spring at The Little Duck Pond Cafe and Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café.

Twitter - https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988



My Review

This is a quick novella if you're looking for something short to read when you need a break from the Christmas festivities. It is part of a series but stands alone quite well although I'm sure the reader would have a deeper sense of the characters if they had read the others. It has all the elements you're looking for in a Christmas/ winter story - a cafe, a bake-off, lots of snow and a heroine who is afraid to trust the hero. Will a night stuck in the snow be enough to change her mind or will it just make things worse? Rather formulaic but enjoyable nonetheless.

                                                                           

Love, lies and Cafe au lait

When Annie Roberts has the chance to escape rainy Accrington for the glamour of sunny Nice, it seems like a dream come true, even if it does involve dog-sitting a pampered pooch for the winter.

But, once in France, despite trying to adopt a classy persona, Annie attracts the attention of all the wrong people: from Jacques, an attractive waiter, to Reen, a perma-tanned expat from the Costa del Sol.

And just who is the charming Monsieur Xavier who is so keen to befriend her? Dare she enlist his help to solve the mystery left behind by her France-obsessed mother?

Can Annie find her way through all the lies, intrigue and deception or is she just too nice for Nice?

Lynn Forth went to live in Accrington when she was 11 and still has the accent to prove it.
She now lives in Worcestershire (where it doesn’t rain as much) with her family, and has a room with a view to write in.
With a lifelong fascination with words and people, she studied English and Psychology at University and, as a lecturer at the local College, she tried to impart this love of words and teaching to students of all ages.
An avid reader, she runs two book clubs and, as a bit of a movie buff, she loves the discussions at a local Film Club. Although not a big exercise fan, she enthusiastically enjoys the fun and music at her Zumba sessions and loves encouraging a riotous array of flowers in her garden.
She now writes romantic comedies full of sparky dialogue set in sunny foreign climes, which, of course, she has to visit for the sake of research.
Her debut novel, Love in La La Land, combines this love of films, humour and hot, steamy places. 
Her second novel, Love, Lies and Café au Lait, is inspired by a visit to Nice and evokes Accrington Annie’s delight in living in such a sophisticated city full of elegant buildings and people although, perhaps, all is not quite as perfect as it seems. 

She can be contacted at lynnforthauthor.wordpress.com.
Twitter@lynnforth or her Facebook page.


My Review

I must say I was pretty much sold when I found out the book was set in the South of France, an area I love. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. There were so many things I could identify with; a Lancashire lass (or in my case a Yorkshire lass) being slightly overawed by the seamless elegance of French women, making many a faux pas with the language although I didn't have a dog to practise on and of course, experiencing many kindnesses once you are finally accepted as a local.
Apart from the protagonists, there are some wonderful secondary characters too. Everyone must have come across a Reen at some time in their lives - flamboyant, over the top but with a heart of gold.  Monsieur Xavier, on the other hand, is decidedly dark and mysterious.
This is a wonderful story, well-told with lots of observations on life that just ring true - I thoroughly enjoyed Annie's story and the way in which it turned out.

The Perfect Family

                                                                       



























‘Mummy, she’s gone…’ 

Gemma Ballantine is getting ready for work one morning when her eldest child comes running down the stairs, saying the words every mother dreads. 

The front door is open. And her six-year-old daughter has disappeared. Frantic with fear, Gemma starts a nail-biting search for her little girl. 

After what feels like forever, her mother-in-law Diane finds Katie wandering lost a few streets away. Relieved to have her youngest child back in her arms, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair, Gemma thinks the nightmare is over. 

But then her perfect family starts to fall apart. 

And she realises it’s only just beginning… 

From the top ten bestselling author of The Secret Mother and The Child Next Door, this completely addictive psychological thriller of secrets, lies and betrayal will make you gasp out loud at the heart-stopping final twist. If you loved Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and The Sister this book is for you. 

Shalini Boland is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of psychological thrillers 'THE GIRL FROM THE SEA', 'THE BEST FRIEND', 'THE MILLIONAIRE'S WIFE' (optioned for US TV), 'THE SECRET MOTHER', and THE CHILD NEXT DOOR.

THE SILENT SISTER is out now, and her upcoming thriller THE PERFECT FAMILY will be published November 6th 2018 and is available to pre-order.

THE SECRET MOTHER will be published by Grand Central in the US on June 4th 2019.

Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing psychological thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

Be the first to hear about her new releases here: http://eepurl.com/b4vb45

She is also the author of two bestselling Young Adult series as well as an atmospheric WWII novel with a time-travel twist.

http://www.facebook.com/ShaliniBolandAuthor
http://www.shaliniboland.co.uk
https://twitter.com/ShaliniBoland

My Review

This book had me gripped from the first page when Katie goes missing. At first, I thought it would be a story about a missing child but when Gemma's mother-in-law finds Katie a few minutes later it sets in motion a very different chain of events. Every woman who has to juggle a home, job, childcare and in-laws will appreciate Gemma's dilemma as she sees her 'perfect family' disintegrate in front of her and is powerless to stop it. I loved the writing style and how easy it was to stay up until the early hours to find out what happened next. Having read so many 'gripping thrillers' I had the ending all worked out and then the author dropped an enormous bombshell right at the end. This book is brilliant!

A gift from Woolworths

A Gift From Woolworths
By Elaine Everest

 Will the war be over by Christmas?

As the war moves into 1945 the lives of the women of Woolworths continue. When store manager, Betty Billington, announces she is expecting Douglas’s baby her future life is about to change more than she expects.

Freda has fallen in love with the handsome Scottish engineer but will it end happily?

Maisie loves being a mother and also caring for her two nieces although she still has her own dreams. When her brother appears on the scene he brings unexpected danger to the family.

Meanwhile Sarah dreams of her husband’s return and a cottage with roses around the door but Woolworths beckons.

Will our girls sail into times of peace, or will they experience more heartache and sorrow? With a wedding on the horizon, surely only happiness lies ahead – or does it?

Information about the book

Title: A Gift From Woolworths (Woolworths Girls #

Author:  Elaine Everest

Release Date: 31^st August 2018

Genre: Historical Saga

Publisher: Macmillan

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41587455-an-armful-of-animals

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Armful-Animals-Malcolm-D-Welshman-ebook/dp/B07H1HM7ZB

Author Information

Elaine Everest, author of Bestselling novels The Woolworths Girls, The Butlins Girls, Christmas at Woolworths, and Wartime at Woolworths was born and brought up in North West Kent, where many of her books are set. She has been a freelance writer for twenty years and has written widely for women's magazines and national newspapers, with both short stories and features. Her non-fiction books for dog owners have been very popular and led to broadcasting on radio about our four legged friends. Elaine has been heard discussing many topics on radio from canine subjects to living with a husband under her feet when redundancy looms.

When she isn't writing, Elaine runs The Write Place creative writing school at The Howard Venue in Hextable, Kent and has a long list of published students.

Elaine lives with her husband, Michael, and their Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Henry, in Swanley, Kent and is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, The Crime Writers Association, The Society of Women Writers & Journalists and The Society of Authors.

                              

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/elaineeverest

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

My Review

It's 1945 and with the end of the war in sight, there are profound changes ahead. The Woolworths' girls are back but there is doubt about their jobs once the men return from war. The risk to their jobs, however, pales into insignificance compared to the problems they each face in their daily lives. I really enjoyed catching up with the characters and wondering if their hopes and wishes would be realised. There is drama and high tension, emotion, happiness, sadness and romance. Not everything will turn out as you might expect but Elaine Everest will have you turning the pages to find out the next chapter in their lives. 

Tour Schedule

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Dreaming of Christmas

                                                                          

It’s the dream Christmas: snow, mountains… and, er, an ex-boyfriend. But can Zoe still find love in the Alps? 

Dumped on Christmas Eve by her long-term boyfriend, it's been a rough year for Zoe Lumsley. But then she gets an invitation she can’t refuse: an all expenses paid skiing holiday with old university friends.

The bad news: her ex, Grant, will be there with his new girlfriend. But so will her former flatmate Billy, the organiser, and in the meantime he’s done rather well for himself. As Christmas in the Alps approaches, it'll be great to see the old gang. Some more than others...

Perfect for readers of Tilly Tenant, Holly Martin and Philippa Ashley, this is the perfect magical Christmas getaway from the bestselling T.A. Williams.

About the author

 

Firstly, my name isn't T A. It's Trevor. I write under the androgynous name T A Williams because 65% of books are read by women. In my first book, "Dirty Minds" one of the (female) characters suggests the imbalance is due to the fact that men spend too much time getting drunk and watching football. I couldn't possibly comment. Ask my wife...
I've written all sorts: thrillers, historical novels, short stories and now I'm enjoying myself hugely writing humour and romance. Romantic comedies are what we all need from time to time. Life isn’t always very fair. It isn’t always a lot of fun, but when it is, we need to embrace it. If my books can put a smile on your face and maybe give your heartstrings a tug, then I know I’ve done my job.
I‘ve lived all over Europe, but now I live in a little village in sleepy Devon, tucked away in south west England. I love the place. That’s why you’ll find leafy lanes and thatched cottages in most of my books. Oh, yes, and a black Labrador. 
I've been writing since I was 14 and that is half a century ago. However, underneath this bald, wrinkly exterior, there beats the heart of a youngster. My wife is convinced I will never grow up. I hope she's right.


My Review

Once again the author has excelled. One thing for sure, there is always an excellent sense of place in TA Williams's books and this one is no exception. I loved the descriptions of Austria, especially the snow - so evocative I had to snuggle the cat to keep warm. The food and drink really add to the ambience too.
The story kept me turning the pages as each of the ex-flatmates reveals a little more about their life. lots of hidden secrets, subterfuge and some great characters. I really couldn't see how this book could end well. Without spoiling it I'll say that it ended as I had hoped but in a way that I hadn't expected. This is such a lovely book to curl up with and even the cat appreciated it. Send gluhwein next time.