Drumbeats

Drumbeats is the first novel in a trilogy and follows 18 year old English student Jess through her gap year in West Africa. It's a rite of passage novel set in the mid-1960s when Jess flees her stifling home background for freedom to become a volunteer teacher and nurse in the Ghanaian bush. Apprehensively, she leaves her first real romantic love behind in the UK, but will she be able to sustain the bond while she is away? With the idealism of youth, she hopes to find out who she really is, and do some good in the world, but little does she realise what, in reality, she will find that year: joys, horrors, tragedy. She must find her way on her own and learn what fate has in store for her, as she becomes embroiled in the poverty and turmoil of a small war-torn African nation under a controversial dictatorship. Jess must face the dangers of both civil war and unexpected romance. Can she escape her past or will it always haunt her?


Purchase Link

http://myBook.to/Drumbeatstrilogy

 

Acclaimed award-winning author Dr Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and concepts of time travel. She studied English at Keele University, specialising in early medieval language, literature and history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. She wrote her first novel at age 10, but became a school teacher, then an academic as a university lecturer and researcher. Julia spent a turbulent but exciting time in Ghana, West Africa, teaching and nursing. She has published both academic works and fiction, including a medieval time-slip, a children’s novel , a memoir, and the Drumbeats trilogy (which begins in Ghana in the 1960s). Apart from insatiable reading, Julia loves world travel, choral singing, swimming, yoga, and walking in the UK and Madeira where she and her husband divide their time. She runs an editing/critiquing service for authors: details on her website at http://www.juliaibbotsonauthor.com She is a member of the Society of Authors, the Historical Novel Society and the Romantic Novelists' Association.
As an academic, she has published many academic papers and books, mainly about gendered leadership and management issues and socio-linguistics. Her focus is now on writing novels which was her first love.

My Review

I thoroughly enjoyed reading a book that is different from the usual run of the mill. In Drumbeats we follow the journey of eighteen-year-old Jess, who against her parents' wishes, embarks on a gap year as a volunteer nurse in West Africa. Set in the sixties, we get to look at the political climate of Ghana at that time seen through the eyes of a young Western girl. Even Jess though could not have foreseen what a journey she will undertake. Facing civil war, a controversial dictatorship and the stirrings of romance, this is a kind of coming of age novel as she discovers what exactly she is made of. I totally admire Jess for doing her own thing and shaking off her restrictive background to emerge from her chrysalis as a beautiful butterfly ready to take her place in the world.

Knowing You promo

Knowing You

An abrupt change; a new friendship; a dark secret...
Kind-hearted Violet has never fitted in, but despite being bullied at school is now content. She is dating ambitious Lenny, has her dream job in publishing and runs a book club at the local retirement home.

However, when her relationship with Lenny begins to falter, Violet, hurt and alone, seeks the advice of her new flatmate, Bella. She changes her image and with her head held high aims to show that she doesn’t need Lenny in her life to be happy and successful.

Her long-term friends Mable and Farah worry about Bella’s influence and slowly Violet starts to distance herself from them. When she was a child, her closest confidant and companion was a boy called Flint. Her mother didn’t approve of their closeness and he suffered a terrible end. She won’t let the same thing happen to Bella, no matter what anyone says...

Knowing You is about friendship and knowing who to trust with your deepest secrets; it’s about taking control of your life and not being afraid to stand out. Perfect for fans of Ruth Hogan, Gail Honeyman and Amanda Prowse


Purchase Links

Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MX87BH1/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=ur2&tag=canelo-21
Apple - https://geo.itunes.apple.com/gb/book/knowing-you/id1449854707?mt=11&uo=8&at=1000l5Q7
Google - https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=aRiEDwAAQBAJ
Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/knowing-you-6

About Samantha Tonge

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK and her passion, second to spending time with her husband and children, is writing. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.
When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines.
In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins and in 2014, her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category.

Links Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor Website: http://samanthatonge.co.uk/

The Orphan Sisters

A heartbreaking, unputdownable and utterly unforgettable story of two young sisters cruelly abandoned by their mother at an orphanage. Fans of Wives of War, Lisa Wingate and Diney Costeloe will lose their hearts to this stunning World War Two novel. 

1929: Four-year-old Etty and eight-year-old Dorothy are abandoned at Blakely Hall orphanage by their mother, never to see her again. With no other family to speak of, the sisters worship their beloved mam – confused and heartbroken to be deserted by her when they need her the most. 

1940: Etty and Dorothy are finally released from the confines of Blakely Hall – but their freedom comes when the country is in the grip of World War Two and its terrors. Amidst a devastating backdrop of screaming air-raid sirens and cold nights huddled in shelters, the sisters are desperate to put their broken childhoods behind them. 

But trouble lies ahead. Dorothy must bid goodbye to her beloved husband when he’s sent to war and Etty must nurse a broken heart as she falls in love with the one man she can never be with. 

Etty and Dorothy survived the orphanage with the help of one another and neither sister can forget the awful betrayal of their mother, which has haunted them their whole lives. But when a shocking secret about their painful childhood comes to light, will the sisters ever be the same 
again?

The Orphan Sisters

Amazon: http://geni.us/B07JY7ZVBZSocial

iBookstore: http://ow.ly/pgVK30noiY1

Kobo: http://ow.ly/Iqo630noiUm

Googleplay: http://ow.ly/MKDC30noiRm

 

Shirley Dickson is the author of The Orphan Sisters, her debut novel. 
She lives under the big skies of Northumberland with her husband, family and lucky black cat. 

She wrote her first short story at the age of ten for a childrens' magazine competition. She didn't win but was hooked on writing for a lifetime. 

For many years she wrote poetry and short stories and got many rejection slips. 
Shirley decided to get serious about writing novels when she retired. 

She signed with Bookouture in 2018 for a two-book deal. She has written two stirring World war two historical novels.

Follow Shirley on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shirleydicksonbooks/

Follow Shirley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShirleyDWriter

My Review

I've been reading quite a lot of books set during WW2 recently and this one grabbed me from the start. It's a book that will really pull on your heartstrings as you engage with the two young abandoned sisters. Shirley Dickson has a knack for recreating a terrific sense of time and place and it's an amazing debut novel. Aspiring authors note that you should never give up on your dreams. If you enjoy fast-paced stories that are full of the highs and lows of life set against the background of WW2 then you'll love this book.

A promise to the dead

                                                                   


The blur of shapes began to sharpen, forming a clear picture that stood out against the darkened background. For a moment he couldn’t move, his fear rendering him immobile. He needed help. He turned to run. 

On a dark night, on a mountain road, a young couple, Matthew and Stacey, are on their way home from a night out. Their car breaks down and Matthew leaves to look for help. By the next morning, Stacey is found murdered in the car and Matthew is missing, presumed guilty of her murder. 

Called to the scene, Detective Alex King and her team soon see some terrifying links – to another local young man who is missing, and to the discovery of a body from 30 years ago. 

Alex knows that the missing and the dead have a story to tell her. But will she hear it in time to uncover the killer before they strike again? 

A Promise to the Dead is a totally unputdownable crime thriller that will have you hooked. Readers of Angela Marsons, Karin Slaughter and Robert Dugoni will love this. 

About the author


 

Victoria Jenkins is an Australian author who has made a name for herself writing the highly popular Detective King and Lane series of novels. The first novel in the series was “The Girls In The Water” that Jenkins first published in 2017, to much critical acclaim and popularity among crime fiction fans. 
The series of novels features Detective Constable Chloe Lane and Detective Inspector Alex King, who are the lead investigative characters that solve some mysterious murders in their hometown.

Jenkins lives with her husband and daughter in South Wales, where her series of crime novels featuring Detectives King and Lane is based.


My Review

This book's opening is gripping. Imagine being slightly the worse for wear and running out of petrol ln a bleak mountain road. You set off for help leaving your drunken girlfriend in the car and are never seen again. Of course, I had to read on. Then another young man just disappears leaving the police wondering if they are dealing with missing persons or a serial killer. Eventually, a body does turn up but it is that of a young man who disappeared thirty years ago. I was intrigued to know how the cases were connected. I did have to keep clarifying in my mind whose story I was reading as they became blurred at times but like all good thrillers, this kept me turning the pages to the end.

Tell me a secret

Holly and Roz spend most of their days together. They like the same jokes, loathe the same people and tell each other everything. 

So when single mum Holly gets a shot at her dream job after putting everything on hold to raise her daughter, she assumes her friend will be dying to pop the champagne with her.

But is she just imagining things, or is Roz not quite as happy for her as she should be?

As Holly starts to take a closer look at Roz's life outside their friendship, she begins to discover a few things that don't add up. Who is the woman who claims to be her ally? 

Perhaps it was a mistake to tell Roz all her secrets.

Because it takes two to forge a friendship. 

But it only takes one to wage a war . . .

 


Jane Fallon is an English producer and novelist, most famous for her work on popular series Teachers, 20 Things To Do Before You're 30, Eastenders and This Life. She has also written two successful novels.

Fallon has been in a relationship with popular comedian Ricky Gervais since 1982, after they met while studying together at the University College London. The couple has lived together since 1984 and are based in North London. They own a cat called Ollie.

My Review

This is a seriously good read. Seriously good as in I read it in one sitting and stayed up well past my bedtime. It's one of those books that is cleverly written to make you keep turning the pages and I couldn't wait to find out how it all turned out. If you read nothing else this year then make sure this book is on your list. Dealing with office politics, friendship and family relationships, this book will suck you into Holly's life and it won't let you go until the last page. Even then you will find yourself thinking about the characters. Seriously good I tell you!

A Greek Affair

                                                                                

                                                                              

A Greek Affair

More than just a holiday romance?

Her daughter, her job and divorcing her untrustworthy ex are Leah’s main priorities. She isn’t really bothered that her life might be missing a few things. But after winning a prestigious travel blogger award, she’s inundated with offers to review glamorous holiday destinations. Lying around drinking exotic cocktails and being paid for it! What could be better?

Perhaps a romantic trip to idyllic Greece to find the one man who might make Leah risk her heart again…

Purchase Link - http://smarturl.it/AGreekAffair

Author Bio –

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 writes feel-good, uplifting novels about life, love and relationships.

Social Media Links –

Website: http://linnbhalton.co.uk/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/LinnBHaltonAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LinnBHalton

Giveaway to Win Rose wine and chocolates (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 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

When I saw that this book was set in Greece, I knew I had to read it. From the start, I was sucked into Leah's life as we discover in the first chapter that her cheating husband leaves her to bring up their baby daughter. Fast forward several years and when she meets archaeologist Daniel in Athens, there is definitely a spark. However, true love never runs smoothly as there are obstacles which prevent them being together.

The author does a great job of taking the reader on an emotional journey as well as taking us on a journey around the sights of Athens. I loved following in their footsteps in a city I know well. This is a wonderful book from start to finish which I thoroughly enjoyed.