Archive for September 2014

Squaring Circles by Carolyn Mathews - A review


BOOK BLURB

Squaring Circles blurb:  Free spirit Pandora is shaken by the sudden death of her mother and the presence of a mysterious stranger at the funeral. When her mother’s grave is disturbed, she turns detective and finds herself drawn into a world of intrigue, centering round a devious couple’s plot to exploit a healing circle for their own ends. Her partner Jay’s collaboration with a sexy singer and her own encounter with an old flame add to the confusion. Will she succeed in her quest to restore equilibrium to her family circle or will the decisions she and Jay make set them up for more heartache?

Squaring Circles by Carolyn Mathews - Promo

Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to be coordinating the promo blitz party for Squaring Circles by Carolyn Mathews. The party which kicks off tomorrow (27th) at 9am will be a day of bookish fun with reviews, author interviews and guest posts. Join us there. You are all invited to the fab Facebook Event. Lets find out a little bit more about what the book is all about.





Squaring Circles blurb

 Free spirit Pandora is shaken by the sudden death of her mother and the presence of a mysterious stranger at the funeral. When her mother’s grave is disturbed, she turns detective and finds herself drawn into a world of intrigue, centring round a devious couple’s plot to exploit a healing circle for their own ends. Her partner Jay’s collaboration with a sexy singer and her own encounter with an old flame add to the confusion. Will she succeed in her quest to restore equilibrium to her family circle or will the decisions she and Jay make set them up for more heartache?


 Bio


 Carolyn Mathews' English Language writing and teaching career included a stint with a class of 'Harry Potter' extras at the local Warner Bros. studio, Hertfordshire. With so much magic in the air, it's no wonder she now writes fiction with more than a hint of the supernatural.

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If anyone wants an autographed copy they can email Carol. The address is on the contact page of her website.



The Intended by Sten Eirik


A young, up-and-coming Swedish officer is suddenly and traumatically forced into the role of victim, as his newly wedded bride is defiled and murdered by pirates. In an exotic 18th century colonial setting, this novel explores the psychology of trauma, dissociation and redemption. Set against a political backdrop of the era, with revolution and romantic individualism versus etiquette and conformity.

Seaside Dreams by Melissa Foster - A review and Giveaway


Book Blurb

Bella Abbascia has returned to Seaside Cottages in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, as she does every summer. Only this year, Bella has more on her mind than sunbathing and skinny-dipping with her girlfriends. She’s quit her job, put her house on the market, and sworn off relationships while she builds a new life in her favorite place on earth. That is, until good-time Bella’s prank takes a bad turn and a sinfully sexy police officer appears on the scene.
Single father and police officer Caden Grant left Boston with his fourteen-year-old son, Evan, after his partner was killed in the line of duty. He hopes to find a safer life in the small resort town of Wellfleet, and when he meets Bella during a night patrol shift, he realizes he’s found the one thing he’d never allowed himself to hope for—or even realized he was missing.
After fourteen years of focusing solely on his son, Caden cannot resist the intense attraction he feels toward beautiful Bella, and Bella’s powerless to fight the heat of their budding romance. But starting over proves more difficult than either of them imagined, and when Evan gets mixed up with the wrong kids, Caden’s loyalty is put to the test. Will he give up everything to protect his son—even Bella?

My Review

If you are looking for a book with passion in it then this is the book for you. Seaside Dreams blew me away! I loved it. The Seaside Girls are characters from a previous series (Love in Bloom) from Melissa Foster but this book can be read as a standalone. Bella is feisty and independent and sworn off men. However, the best laid plans sometimes don't always pan out when a hunky policeman enters the scene. Caden is drop dead gorgeous and doesn't even realise it with his cute little dimple on  his chin. He's a sensitive man, single father and hunk all rolled into one. Be still my beating heart and loins!

Bella, despite fighting the urge not to date Caden, cannot resist his good looks, charm and gentle kindness. I fell for him a little bit myself! Another book boyfriend to add to my list! Caden is an adoring single dad who must always put his teenage son first. Bella cares about both of them enough to try and understand and make a go of things. Caden struggles to separate his job to keep the peace with his parental duties and the worry that his son might have fallen in with the wrong crowd when the area is hit with a spate of burglaries. Bella struggles with the fact that the super independent woman persona she tries hard to portray is unraveling as quickly as her clothes are falling to the floor every time she is in close proximity to Caden. And who could blame her! Will she give in and let herself be rescued? Or will she fight it all the way? You'll have to read the book to find out!

Melissa Foster has created some wonderful characters and the loyalty and love between Bella and her friends is beautiful. Each one has a wonderful personality and they make you want to be part of the gang! They did in fact remind me of my own group of girlfriends and the one-liners and easy conversation between them all was wonderfully natural and flowed seamlessly. Melissa Foster writes in such a way as to make each scene leap off the page and draw the reader into the storyline. The passion between Caden and Bella is sizzling with sexual chemistry. I loved this couple! Highly recommended!

About Melissa Foster
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the  World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on  Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine. 
Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.
Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

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Sweet Occasions by Linn B Halton - A review!

When an opportunity comes along to read a book by Linn B Halton I practically bite her hand off! As per usual this book did not disappoint!

Book Blurb


Shortlisted in the UK's Festival of Romantic Fiction reader's award 'Best Author Published' category

Katie's relationship has had more than its fair share of problems. After a difficult few years things begin to pick up and Katie finally realises her dream of opening up a bakery. Sweet Occasions specialises in novelty and celebration cakes, plus the most inspiring range of cupcakes anyone could possibly ask for!

Utilising her passion and skill helps to inject happiness back into her life, but it's short-lived as things begin to fall apart. The reality is that you need to run a business with your heart AND your head. Help is at hand in the shape of her partner, Steve. He has the necessary experience, but does Katie want to tie herself to him financially, as well as personally?

Then one rainy, wintry day a bedraggled customer steps inside the door to order a cake ...

Sometimes a turning point centres around one single moment in time: sometimes it takes two Christmases and three birthdays ...

A heart-warming story that deals with many of life's most difficult issues: being a single dad when a relationship falls apart, the impact of life-changing illness, dealing with the loss of a loved one ... and the search for a soul mate. 


My Review
 
Sweet Ocassions is a beautiful book. Katie is a lovely young woman who is struggling to make her bakery business a success. However, in the background is her pushy businessman boyfriend who wants Katie to take the business in a whole new direction. Then, one Christmas a soaked and frozen Adam comes into the bakery to buy something nice for his grandmother. Katie takes pity on him when she sees he is nearing a state of hypothermia! A strange sort of friendship begins. A friendship that only sees the pair meet up a couple of times a year when Adam visits his grandmother.

Both Katie and Adam have one thing in common. Both are desperately unhappy. Katie is caught in a relationship that has kept her there through a sense of duty and Adam is a lonely single father who is struggling to juggle what he wants out of life with the needs of his daughter. The only real family he has apart from his daughter is his frail grandmother and she is the bond that ties him to Katie. She adores the cakes that Katie bakes and soon something as simple as a cupcake is the link that Katie and Adam have to one another.

This book explores differing forms of relationships and the ties that bind. Duty and guilt are mistaken for love and two people with a clear attraction to one another are drawn together by their mutual desire to escape what life has become. Both want and need each other but just don't know it. The book is set over a couple of years and I loved how the characters were allowed to grow and develop. Adam's grandmother is a wonderfully spiritual woman who always has words of wisdom for Adam. Linn B Halton has nurtured them all and loved them and turned them into wonderful individuals with the worries and fears of real life! And like real life, love doesn't always bloom instantly. Sometimes real life gets in the way! Sometimes the timing isn't right. Love, fear, death, grief and the fragility of relationships are explored in this wonderful book.

Told from the different perspectives of each of the central characters I loved how the story was told and  how it developed. It flows at a natural pace, much like Adam and Katie's friendship. This book will  leave a lasting impression on your heart. A lovely book that was hard to put down and equally hard to let go once the final page was turned.

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Tour KickOff: Seaside Dreams by Melissa Foster

Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to be coordinating the tour for Seaside Dreams by Melissa Foster. You can find links to all the reviews by visiting the tour page every day and finding the link to the competition! Lets find out what the book and indeed the series is all about!


SEASIDE SUMMERS is the newest addition to the LOVE IN BLOOM series, featuring a group of fun, sexy, and emotional friends who gather each summer at their Cape Cod cottages. They’re funny, flawed, and will have you begging to enter their circle of friends. You met them in READ, WRITE, LOVE, (The Remingtons, Book 5), follow these friends on their search for forever love in the Seaside Summers series. 



Bella Abbascia has returned to Seaside Cottages in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, as she does every summer. Only this year, Bella has more on her mind than sunbathing and skinny-dipping with her girlfriends. She’s quit her job, put her house on the market, and sworn off relationships while she builds a new life in her favorite place on earth. That is, until good-time Bella’s prank takes a bad turn and a sinfully sexy police officer appears on the scene.
Single father and police officer Caden Grant left Boston with his fourteen-year-old son, Evan, after his partner was killed in the line of duty. He hopes to find a safer life in the small resort town of Wellfleet, and when he meets Bella during a night patrol shift, he realizes he’s found the one thing he’d never allowed himself to hope for—or even realized he was missing.
After fourteen years of focusing solely on his son, Caden cannot resist the intense attraction he feels toward beautiful Bella, and Bella’s powerless to fight the heat of their budding romance. But starting over proves more difficult than either of them imagined, and when Evan gets mixed up with the wrong kids, Caden’s loyalty is put to the test. Will he give up everything to protect his son—even Bella?




 
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