Just like most
writers, writing has been my passion for as long as I can remember. From short
stories as a child to songs performed in school plays. One way or another I’ve
always written.
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Saturday, 27 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?
Friday, 26 September 2014
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.
Buy Links
Author
Links
If anyone wants an autographed copy
they can email Carol. The address is on the contact page of her website.
Thursday, 25 September 2014
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.
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Why I love Series Romance - Guest post by A.B Michaels
Brook Cottages is thrilled to welcome A.B Michaels to the blog for the first time with a great guest post!
Why I Love Series
Romance
by A.B. Michaels
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
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!
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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| BUY |
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!
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.
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.
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 ...
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
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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| BUY |
Monday, 22 September 2014
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?
