Archive for August 2013
Cover Reveal - Forever Fredless by Suzy Turner
Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to be able to reveal the cover for Suzy Turner's new chic-lit novel, Forever Fredless.
For more details about Suzy and her books, visit: http://suzyturner.comhttp://suzyturner.blogspot.com
Suzy Turner
Author of The Raven Saga and The Morgan Sisters series
Kate Robinson has spent the past two decades
yearning to find her soul mate, the boy she found and then lost during a family
holiday. Shortly after her twenty-eighth birthday, however, she inherits a
fortune from an old family friend and becomes something of an overnight
celebrity. Can her new-found fame lead her to him after all this time? Forever
Fredless will be available from online bookstores from October 2013
For more details about Suzy and her books, visit: http://suzyturner.comhttp://suzyturner.blogspot.com
Author of The Raven Saga and The Morgan Sisters series
Promo Bltiz - She Who Dares by Jane O'Reilly
Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to be part of the Fiction Addiction Book Tours Promo Blitz for She Who Dares by Jane O'Reilly.
Release:
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1 Sept 2013
|
ISBN/APN:
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9780857990709
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Available to pre-order on Amazon from 1st August 2013
The Ugly Duckling meets Top Gear when a plain Jane mechanic comes face-to-face with the bad boy of rally racing...
Nic Sinclair spends most of her time hiding under the bonnet of a car. With her obsession with engines, a total lack of feminine wiles, and a stepsister who looks like Barbie, she understands that it’s the safest place to be.
But when Nic’s stepsister sells her half of their vintage car business and does a runner, Nic is forced to set down her wrench and deal with the fallout. Soon she’s engaged in a battle of wills with her new business partner, superstar rally driver Sebastian Prince — a battle he dares her to win.
There’s nothing quite like a scoundrel...
At least, there isn’t for me. Ever since Princess Leia told
Han Solo he was one, and he told her she could ‘use a good kiss,’ he’s been the
very definition of a perfect hero. This is the hero with the naughty streak,
the one who confidently walks right on the edge between right and wrong. The
dictionary defines a scoundrel as a villain, someone dishonourable and wicked.
Not qualities you’d normally want in a man. But he’s also playful and
mischievous, someone who lives by his own rules and refuses to conform.
Now
those are qualities we do like. Take Han Solo. He’s a smuggler. He doesn’t play
for either side, instead operating by his own rules. He is ruthless in his
pursuit of money, but in the end he comes through for his friends. He’s a good
bad man. Then we have Zorro, and Robin Hood, and James Bond (yes, Daniel Craig,
I’m looking at you).
Sebastian Prince, the hero in She
Who Dares, is something of a scoundrel too. He’s been suspended from his racing
team following a horror crash, but he’s determined to get back in the driving
seat and he’s going to do it his way. That’s how he ends up in Cornwall,
staying in a house that looks like a pink porno palace, working with the sister
of his ex and doing what scoundrels do best (and yes, a good kiss is most definitely
involved).
So who is your favourite
scoundrel?
Jane O’Reilly started writing as an antidote to kids’ TV when her youngest child was a baby. Her first novel was set in her old school and involved a ghost and lots of death. It’s unpublished, which is probably for the best. Then she discovered contemporary romance, and that, as they say, was that. She lives near London with her husband and two children. Find her at www.janeoreilly.com and on Twitter as @janeoreilly or email her at jane@janeoreilly.com.
Promo Post - A Proper Charlie by Louise Wise
Charlie
watched as he fell back onto her settee, and then straddled his lap. Oh my God!
What was she doing! She was having an out-of-body-experience, she thought. Only
she wasn’t dead. She was alive. Very much so. She wriggled against him
wonderingly and excitement flared in her body as his own rose to her teasing.
Charlie
Wallis has everything a girl could wish for. A loving boyfriend, a nice flat
and a fantastic job as a journalist for London Core. Trouble is, Charlie's
boyfriend isn’t at all ‘loving’, her job title really reads 'office assistant'
and her flat, at the top of a high-rise, isn't that nice either.
Her
new boss, Ben, is a huge bear of a man. A gentle giant, with chocolate brown
eyes that hold a secret.
While
London Core investigates the disappearances of local prostitutes, Charlie wants
in on the action, deciding that dressing as a hooker and walking the streets is
good research.
Bumping
into Ben was the last thing she expected.
Extract from A Proper Charlie (this book is available in all electronic formats)
‘What the bloody hell have you done, Charlie?’ Mr Fanton stood behind her, his hands, somewhere beneath his large middle, were on his hips. He came forward and slapped down a wad of printouts on a nearby table. ‘I’ve just being ringing up the stationers to see if there’s been some kind of mistake, but apparently not.’ He jabbed at the printouts with a finger. ‘The quantities are all in triple figures! What were you thinking?’
Charlie felt terrible. ‘I’m so sorry Mr Fanton, I
think the order must’ve gone through twice, somehow.’ She remembered how Faye
had caused her computer to go blank while looking for her pen and Charlie had
resubmitted the order.
‘Twice? Look!’ he shrieked picking up the printouts
of her order and thrusting them into her hands. ‘That isn’t twice! What am I
supposed to do with that lot?’
Charlie looked through the pages. It was her scroll
on the bottom of the order. Oh God, she must have submitted it for the third
time by mistake! ‘I’m sorry,’ she repeated in a small voice, realising that
people in the canteen were taking great delight in witnessing her
dressing-down. ‘I’ll sort it, Mr Fanton,’ she added.
‘Sort it?’ He glowered, spittle gathered at the
corners of his mouth, and his jowls wobbled as he shook his head. ‘Are you
going to pay for it, too? Are you going to work wage-free while you sort out
the mess? Well, are you?’
Charlie felt close to tears. She was deeply troubled
over her personal involvement over Sally, and felt that any moment now she’d
collapse in a heap of convulsing sobs. She restrained herself.
‘For God’s sake girl, you are a hindrance to the
company.’
Charlie bit her lip. This is it, you’re going to be fired, she thought.
‘What’s going on?’ said a deep voice.
‘Ah, Ben,’ Mr Fanton turn away from Charlie.
‘Nothing I can’t handle. There’s been a mistake in the stationery order.’ He
turned as if to try and shield Ben from the stacks of boxes, not because he
wanted to protect Charlie from further wrath, but because he wanted to be the
one to dish it out. Ben side-stepped him and looked at the piles of packages
and boxes.
Charlie had been looking at her feet, feeling fully
chastened. She glanced up at Ben, with her bottom lip clenched between her teeth,
and expected to see shock followed by anger on his face. Instead, he pulled his
lips inside his mouth as if he were trying to stop himself from laughing.
Mr Fanton held the printouts of Charlie’s stationery
order towards him. ‘Charlie can’t seem to understand the difference between
single and double figures,’ he declared pompously.
Taking them, Ben glanced up and his gaze met with
Charlie’s. He didn’t look at all angry or annoyed, and Charlie felt stupidly
grateful. She had to stop herself from throwing her arms around his ankles and
kissing his shoes.
‘Hmm, someone’s been a bit over-enthusiastic,’ Ben
said, his mouth turning up at the corners as he read through them.
‘As I was saying to Charlie,’ Mr Fanton began,
‘she’s a hindrance to the company. It’s been one mistake after another.’
‘Really?’ Ben asked. ‘What other mistakes has she
made?’
‘Well, nothing major like this, but she just causes
disruption. She chats when she should be working—’
‘Excellent qualities in a reporter,’ Ben said. ‘It
helps to break the ice, and encourages the interviewee to talk.’
‘She isn’t a reporter,’ Mr Fanton pointed out.
‘After this I doubt she’ll ever get a newspaper to hire her again! Charlie,
I’ll have your P45 drawn up this afternoon. Don’t worry Ben, I’ll have this mess
sorted in no time.’
Ben was taking off his jacket and unbuttoning his
cuff buttons on his shirt. He rolled up his sleeves. He winked at Charlie, who
stood miserably between both men. ‘I’ll not hear of Charlie being dismissed
over a slight error.’
Charlie looked up, open-mouthed.
‘A slight error?’ Mr Fanton gave a small humourless
laugh.
‘That’s right,’ Ben said. ‘Arrange a dispatcher
would you? Er, you’d better make that several.’
Mr Fanton looked from Charlie and then to Ben. When
his shocked gaze fell back on Charlie she controlled herself from sticking out
her tongue, and instead permitted a smug smile to tease the corners of her
mouth – well, if a girl can’t be smug in situations like this, when can she be?
STOP PRESS!!!!!
The book is 99c/77p for the rest of the summer (from now and all through September). What a bargain!!!
Other buy links
Amazon: http://bookShow.me/B004NSV6NK
Kobo: http://bit.ly/14U6lfs
Nook: http://bit.ly/170HtWj
Media links:
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/BookJunkies/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B003FW6RKM
Knockout by Emma Calin
Anna Leyton is a police officer
attached to Interpol. Her life is
finally back on track after an incident which saw her career hang in the
balance and her relationship end. However, a chance meeting whilst getting into
a cab is about to change Anna’s life. The charismatic professional boxer
Freddie La Salle has swept Anna off her feet. However, there’s a slight problem
– Freddie, the sexy French man is a suspect in a case that Anna is
investigating and he doesn’t know she is a police officer. Can Anna maintain
her professional integrity and protect her heart? Or, is love clouding her
judgment? Anna must take many risks to find out the truth about Freddie. But,
will the truth destroy what they have? Both have secrets and neither one can
find the courage to reveal the truth.
I enjoyed this book. I thought
the back story was excellent and the spicy love scenes in the book added a bit
of ooh la la to this romance and left me very hot under the collar. Sometimes
the dialogue was a bit soppy but hey Freddie is French and they say no one does
romance like the French! The story has a few unexpected plot twists which I
loved and really didn’t see coming. But be warned, you will need something to
fan yourself with as Freddie is hot hot hot!
My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott
Ella's marital arrangements are less than conventional. In fact, her marriage is downright strange altogether. After marrying her artist boyfriend, later to become her very famous artist husband, Ella's life was far from the norm. Unfortunately, their years of marital bliss have turned into marital disharmony and her now ex husband Sebastian lives next door to her on their small farm. Sebastian appears to want very little to do with Ella which continues to break her heart. Ella is torn between her continuing love for Sebastian and her 'friendship' with a very handsome and romantic gardener called Ludo. Throw into the mix some rather eccentric and difficult parents with marital problems of their own, a snobby sister, some crazy chickens and two unruly and surly teens and you have what is Ella's chaotic life.
Ella is a sort of heroine underdog. Throughout this book and I wanted Ella to have so much more. I wanted so desperately for her to gain some sort of control over her life. Instead, poor Ella spends much of her time trying to please everyone and forgetting about her own needs and wants. And, even when she does eventually decide to put herself first, it doesn't quite work out. There were a lot of laughs to be had throughout this book but also an undercurrent of sadness and 'what if's' and 'if only'. For me, Ella epitomises what a lot of women become - someone to fix everyone else but themselves. Ella's crazy lifestyle left me exhausted on her behalf! She is torn in so many different directions that she is reaching breaking point.
Essentially, this book is a story about love lost, love found and love rekindled . It's about the complexities of relationships and how the dynamics within those relationships can change and evolve. It is also about sacrifices. Ella sacrifices so much of herself to please everyone and 'fix' every problem. Ella's family are essentially not all they appear to be. Her snobbish sister does not have quite as perfect a life as she would like to portray and Ella's parent's have some fixing of their own to do - not only within their own marriage but with their relationship with their children. At first, Ella appears to be a weak and indecisive character who is a bit of a doormat. However, Ella is more complex than that. She is simply struggling to survive in a situation that she is unable to fix. Yet, her love for her family is unwavering and her sacrifices for them go unnoticed. She is merely a woman trying to keep her family together.
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. No sooner had I turned the last page than my mother in law had swiped the book from under my nose. She is a Catherine Alliott fan and now I can understand why.
*I received a review copy from Penguin Books for an unbiased and honest review.
Press Release!!! Little White Lies and Butterflies by Suzie Tullett - exciting news!
As some of you know, I have an internship with the wonderful Safkhet Publishing. I was given the opportunity to work alongside the very talented Suzie Tullett and edited her book Little White Lies and Butterflies. This was a fantastic experience for me. Suzie's writing has a wonderfully easy flowing style and the story was so enjoyable that for me, this did not feel like work. It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of this project.
Little White Lies and Butterflies continues to receive wonderful reviews and readers everywhere are enjoying this fab book. You can read my review for it here. However............there's more news!!!
NEWS FLASH
London — Safkhet Publishing
Little White Lies and Butterflies by Suzie Tullett has been shortlisted for the Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize 2013 (http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/aug/15/neil-gaiman-2013-not-booker-prize-shortlist).
According to The Guardian blog comments, this is the first year that a Chick Lit novel has made the shortlist for the Not the Booker Prize. “What an exciting and wonderful opportunity for Little White Lies and Butterflies and Chick Lit!” stated Kim Maya Sutton, managing editor for the Safkhet Soul imprint, upon hearing the news about the book’s shortlist status.
Go Team Safkhet!!!! Go Suzie!! This is a wonderful achievement and I would just like to wish Suzie Tullett continued success with Little White Lies and Butterflies.
For more information about Little White Lies and Butterflies and Suzie Tullett, please check:
At The Guardian:
At Safkhet Publishing
On Facebook:
The book is available in paperback and e-book formats.
Excerpt - Stained by Elizabeth Marx
“Is that why you were living in the same city as me and you never came to see me?” I asked a little bit more accusatorially than I meant to. “Why didn’t Mandy call me or come to see me?”
His jaw seemed to harden as he looked over the top of his sunglasses. “Do you want to know about me or Mandy?”
I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“Maybe I was just admiring you from afar as I always have.” Revell merged onto the highway in the direction of Crossroads.
I snorted. “What’s Mandy’s excuse?”
Revell took one hand off the steering wheel and rubbed the back of his neck. “She took Daddy’s death hard and she’s been busy with school there.”
“So for some reason, which you won’t explain to me, one of few people I consider a true and loyal friend came to live in my home town and she didn’t even want to see me?”
Revell sighed. “Since you didn’t come here when Daddy died, maybe she thought your friendship was over.”
“Is that what you thought? That our friendship was over?”
“We weren’t friends, Scarlett, don’t fool yourself into believing that!”
“Then I’d like to know what we were?” I countered angrily.
He wouldn’t look at me, and his voice was rough and tense when he spoke. “You knew I’ve wanted you in every way a man can want a woman since you were fifteen.”
“Friendship is better than nothing, especially when what you wanted to happen between us was completely inappropriate.”
“It was only wrong if it was one sided or if I’d acted on it when you were under age.”
“The summer I was fifteen and Mamaw found us in the deer stand you came pretty close to you going to jail.”
“The age of consent in Alabama is bit lower than it is up North.”
“You were twenty, it was a crush on an older man on my part. What was it on your part?”
Revell paused, turned, and looked me up and down. “It was I’m going to rot in hell because I want a minor or I’m going to die a slow death because I don’t believe I can live without her.”
I grumbled in disbelief, “And yet here you are perfectly healthy and happy.”
“You were the one who just said that I don’t smile the way I used to.”
I moved away from his ire closer to the door. “Are you blaming me?”
“I’m not blaming anyone, I’m just trying to tell you how I feel because you wouldn’t let me tell you back then, and you never came back to let me explain how it was.” Revell sighed. “Why didn’t you come when I wrote you?”
“I couldn’t.”
“Couldn’t or wouldn’t?”
“Couldn’t, Revell, couldn’t.”
Buy Stained on SMASHWORDS.
Add Stained to your GOODREADS want to read list!
About the Author: Windy City writer, Elizabeth Marx, brings cosmopolitan life alive in her fiction—a blend of romance, fast-paced Chicago living, and a sprinkle of magical realism. Elizabeth resides with her husband, girls, and two cats who’ve spelled everyone into believing they’re really dogs. She grew up in the city, has traveled extensively, and still says there’s no town like Chi-Town.
| Cover Reveal - Secrets of a Hart by Elizabeth James
Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to reveal the fantastic cover for Secrets of a Hart by Elizabeth James.
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Elizabeth James is the author of the Design Series. She writes contemporary romance set in her native North Carolina. A life-long reader, she began writing a novel at age fifteen, put it away with no hopes of publication, but now has realized her dream as an adult. Inspired by several bestselling authors she began working as a beta reader and her passion for writing once again surfaced. She embarked on a journey to see if she could complete a novel and Love by Design was born. With warm reception to her first novel she is now making this crazy world a part of her life. Elizabeth believes you're never too late in life to realize your dreams and this has opened up a new world of adventures and meeting new people which she loves to do. Elizabeth lives in North Carolina with her husband and their dogs. She enjoys traveling, exploring North Carolina, and spending time with her friends.
Author in the Spotlight - Rachel Amphlett
Brook
Cottage Books is thrilled to have Rachel Amphlett as the Author in the
Spotlight. Lets find out a little about Rachel.
Rachel
Amphlett previously worked in the UK publishing industry, played lead guitar in
rock bands and worked with the BBC before relocating from England to Australia
in 2005.
After
returning to writing, Rachel enjoyed publication success both in Australia and
the United Kingdom with her short stories.
In August 2011, Rachel published her first thriller White Gold as an
ebook, with a paperback version being released in 2012.
A
further Dan Taylor Thriller, ‘Under Fire’, was released in August 2013 and a
further two independent projects are currently being researched.
White
Gold
A
conspiracy that will end alternative energy research; an organisation killing
to protect its interests – and a bomb that will change the face of terrorism...
When Sarah Edgewater’s ex-husband is murdered by a radical organisation hell-bent on protecting their assets, she turns to Dan Taylor – geologist, ex-soldier, and lost cause. Together, they must unravel the research notes that Sarah’s ex-husband left behind to locate an explosive device that is circumnavigating the globe towards the London 2012 Olympics – and time is running out. In an fast-paced ecological thriller that spans the globe, from London to Brisbane and back via the Arctic Circle, Dan and Sarah aren’t just chasing the truth – they’re chasing a bomb that, if detonated, will change the future of alternative energy research and the centre of England’s capital forever.
When Sarah Edgewater’s ex-husband is murdered by a radical organisation hell-bent on protecting their assets, she turns to Dan Taylor – geologist, ex-soldier, and lost cause. Together, they must unravel the research notes that Sarah’s ex-husband left behind to locate an explosive device that is circumnavigating the globe towards the London 2012 Olympics – and time is running out. In an fast-paced ecological thriller that spans the globe, from London to Brisbane and back via the Arctic Circle, Dan and Sarah aren’t just chasing the truth – they’re chasing a bomb that, if detonated, will change the future of alternative energy research and the centre of England’s capital forever.
Under Fire
An explosion
rocks a Qatari natural gas facility... a luxury cruise liner capsizes in the
Mediterranean... and someone has stolen a submarine... Are the events
connected? Dan Taylor doesn't believe in coincidences - all he has to do is
convince his superiors they are next in the terrorists' line of fire. As
Britain enters its worst winter on record, Dan must elude capture to ensure the
country's energy resources are protected. At all costs. In an action-packed
adventure, from the Middle East through the Mediterranean to London, Dan and
his team are on a quest which will test every choice he makes. Assisted by the
exotic Antonia Almasi, Dan realises he faces an adversary far greater than he
ever imagined. And not everyone will survive.
Rachel is
very kindly offering one signed copy of her book Under Fire to a lucky reader
of the blog! All you have to do is leave a comment below and your name will be
put into my magic hat! The competition will run until Midnight tonight (GMT) and
the winner notified tomorrow (20th August). The winner’s details will
then be passed on to the author.
Author Links
www.rachelamphlett.com
Facebook: Rachel Amphlett - author Twitter: @RachelAmphlett
Facebook: Rachel Amphlett - author Twitter: @RachelAmphlett
Between Today and Yesterday by Joanna Lambert
This book is part of the
Blue Eyes series by Joanna Lambert. This, the fourth book follows the original
characters from the series. In this book we are introduced to the next
generation of this music dynasty – Lucy and Charlotte. Lucy, daughter of Matt
and Ella is a spoilt brat who has been given everything she has ever wanted
without question. Charlotte, her cousin is the polar opposite and is unaffected
by her famous relatives and the privileged lifestyle she leads. When Lucy is
expelled from her exclusive private school she puts a plan in place in an
attempt to force her parents hand and give her a job in the music industry.
However, this backfires and Lucy is caught up with the thoroughly distasteful
Adam Carmichael who is a dangerous and equally spoilt brat. Adam has little
regard for anyone, particularly the local villagers, sneering down his nose at
them. He is villainous and a horrible character.
Matt and Ella remain
showbiz’s most grounded and loving couple and their marriage has remained
strong. Matt and fellow band member Baz now run a record management company and
are working hard to propel new band Rosetti into the limelight they themselves once had.
However, someone from Matt’s past is back on the scene. Marcie, a diva with a
grudge and her sights set on Matt means that things do not run smoothly for
Matt, Baz or the band. Having lost him once back in the 1970’s, Marcie is
desperate to get her claws into Matt at all costs. Ella is just collateral
damage. Marcie will stop at nothing.
When the band goes to Spain to record their new album, Marcie sets her
devious plans in motion, with devastating results.
Having not read any of the
other books in the series I was a bit apprehensive about reading this book as I
was worried I’d be completely lost. However, Joanna Lambert has written an
amazing book that allowed me to follow the story without too much confusion.
There were of course a few times in the book where it may have been helpful to
have read the other books but this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the
story and once I familiarised myself with the central characters I could not
put this book down. However, I may go back and read the other books in the
series, simply because I loved this book so much. If you like books about the
cut-throat world of showbiz then you will love this. I’d highly recommend it.
