Monday 26 September 2016

Book Showcase & Giveaway: MY HEART'S DESIRE BY ANDREA KANE (Historical Romance)



My Heart’s Desire by Andrea Kane Tour Banner

My Heart’s Desire by Andrea Kane on Tour September 2016

  My Heart’s Desire by Andrea Kane
Book Details
Genre: Historical Romance
Published by: Bonnie Meadow Publishing LLC
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Number of Pages: ~ 402
Series: Book 1 in "Barrett Family Series&quot
Purchase My Heart’s Desire at: Amazon Barnes & Noble or Add it to your reading list on: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Lady Alexandria Cassel scorned London's frivolous social whirl, seeking adventure as a stowaway aboard a merchant ship. Drake Barrett was the vessel's powerful captain—and a cynical duke who disdained a noble's shallow life. At sea he revealed neither his origins nor his wealth, and to Alexandria he was simply a man who made her cool reserve fly with the winds… whose desire for her was as wild as the ocean they sailed.
Caught in the crossfire of war, they were shipwrecked on an idyllic island, where they tasted perfect passion… and tenderness. But Drake dreaded the day of their rescue—when his love would discover that the virile man she adored was at the pinnacle of the aristocracy she despised. Hardly did they suspect the base treachery that would soon threaten them… and the dangers each would brave to join forever their hearts and lives!

Read an excerpt:

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY CLOTHES?"
No storm could be as fierce as the one that raged in Alexandria’s flashing eyes as she faced Drake across the cabin. Her expression was murderous, her small hands clenched at her sides, her tone lethal.
Drake closed the door behind him with a firm click. “By ‘your clothes’ I presume you mean that dusty gown and shredded chemise you discarded on my cabin floor?” He leaned nonchalantly against the wall, regarding her with amusement.
Alex was too angry to be shocked at his casual mention of her undergarment. “You know damned well what clothes I mean!”
“Now, now … such language, my lady. I am truly shocked.”
She looked as though she might strike him.
“I demand that you return my things at once!”
His brows went up. “You demand? Careful, princess, your snobbish airs are showing. Remember, on this ship the only one who demands is me.” He crossed the room, ignoring her as if she were no more than an annoying child.
She stepped in front of him, blocking his way.
“Did you want something, my lady?” He paused, studying her livid expression. She was as transparent as glass, her anger and exasperation clearly evident on her beautiful face.
Drake grinned. “Your clothes are no longer with us.”
The color in her face deepened. “What?”
“They were torn from your adventure.”
“Liar!” she shot back. “There was no reason for you to discard them … at least not for the reason you just gave.”
Her accusing tone made him chuckle. “You are quite correct, princess. The real reason is that I cannot have you parading around in your finery. My men are already lusting after you quite openly. We wouldn’t want to further intoxicate their senses, now would we?”
“The only one on this ship who has treated me with any disrespect is you!” she retorted.
“Then be grateful that I have limited you to men’s attire. Perhaps you will be safe from my lecherous advances.”
Drake moved away, and Alex turned her back as he took off his shirt and tossed it carelessly onto the chair. Tossing his breeches next to his shirt, he put an end to her torment by climbing into his berth.
The cabin was silent. Drake could sense Alex’s presence nearby, and he knew instinctively that she was not in bed.
“Princess?”
He heard her jump. “What is it?”
He cleared his throat. “Is there some problem?”
“No … yes …” She paused. “May I use your basin and some water to wash the dirt from my face?”
Drake smiled in the darkness. “Go right ahead. And, princess … if you can find your way around in the dark, help yourself to one of my shirts. They are clean and more than large enough to protect your modesty.”
Again, silence. Then, “Thank you, Captain.”
Her bare feet padded across the room. Drake listened to her opening the heavy chest, taking out one of his shirts, and slipping it on. Splashing sounds told him she was washing, followed by her soft footsteps as she returned to her cot. Then a thud and a cry of pain.
Drake was out of bed in an instant, moving toward the sound of her choked cry.
“Alexandria? What is it?”
“I walked into the cot,” she whimpered.
“Are you badly hurt?”
In truth she was not. It had been a sudden painful blow, yet already the pain was subsiding to a dull throb. But it was more than she could withstand after her emotionally taxing day. Hot tears filled her eyes, spilled down her cheeks. Try though she would, she could not control the sobs that shook her.
“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “I never cry … and it is not that bad a bruise … I just can’t …” She shook her head helplessly, covering her eyes with trembling hands.
There was no forethought. Drake reacted instantly, pulling her into his arms.
“Shhh,” he soothed, pressing her head against his chest. He felt her tears drenching his bare skin, her narrow shoulders shaking. “It’s all right, sweetheart … don’t cry,” he murmured, raising her chin with his forefinger, wishing he could see her face. He stroked his other hand down her back, pressing her closer to him.
They became aware of each other at the same moment. He was totally naked. She was clad only in a thin white shirt. She needed comfort. He needed more.
 

Author Bio:

Andrea KaneAndrea Kane is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-seven novels, including thirteen psychological thrillers and fourteen historical romantic suspense titles.
With her signature style, Kane creates unforgettable characters and confronts them with life-threatening danger. As a master of suspense, she weaves them into exciting, carefully-researched stories, pushing them to the edge—and keeping her readers up all night.
Kane’s beloved historical romantic suspense novels include My Heart’s Desire, Samantha, The Last Duke, and Wishes in the Wind.
With a worldwide following of passionate readers, her books have been published in more than twenty languages.
Kane lives in New Jersey with her husband and family. She’s an avid crossword puzzle solver and a diehard Yankees fan. Otherwise, she’s either writing or playing with her Pomeranian, Mischief, who does his best to keep her from writing.

Connect With Ms. Kane on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.

 

Tour Host Participants:




Giveaway

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Providence Book Promotions for Andrea Kane. 
There will be 5 US winners of one (1) eBook copy of My Heart’s Desire by Andrea Kane. 
The giveaway begins on August 31st and runs through September 30th, 2016.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday 23 September 2016

Short Book Review: SUNSHINE OVER WILDFLOWER COTTAGE BY MILLY JOHNSON


Viv arrives at Wildflower Cottage, a tumbledown animal sanctuary, for the summer. Her job is to help with the admin, but the truth is she is here for something much closer to her heart.... 

Geraldine runs the Wildflower Cottage sanctuary. She escaped from her past to find happiness here, but now her place of refuge is about to come under threat. Can she keep her history at bay and her future safe? 

Back home, Viv's mother, Stel, thinks she might have found a man who will treat her right for once. Ian is kind, considerate, and clearly head over heels for her. That's what she has wanted all along, isn't it...?



If you're a fan of Milly Johnson you're going to love this!  I read this whilst on holiday and it was the perfect read for relaxing.

There were lots of quirky characters who all seemed to have problems they needed solving and secrets they were keeping. I warmed to them all and their mixed up lives, especially Viv who wasn't keen on the animals at the sanctuary at all......so why did she come and work for them?  What secrets was she keeping?

This was fun and lively, with a great storyline that I absolutely loved and would definitely recommend.

******************************

Published by Simon & Schuster on 16 June 2016




Sunday 18 September 2016

SPOTLIGHT & EXCERPT OF A PORTRAIT TO DIE FOR BY RADINE TREES NEHRING (Cozy Mystery Series)


A PORTRAIT TO DIE FOR
BY
RADINE TREES NEHRING


Carrie McCrite, a volunteer librarian at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, discovers two versions of a portrait on loan to the museum. When a reporter writing about that portrait disappears, Carrie must choose between honoring Henry's request that she stop jumping into danger on behalf of people in trouble-- or work to find the woman who was a college friend of her son's.



Dark Oak Mysteries
Paperback:  284 pages
Published:  22 April 2016
Genre:  Mystery


“A charming marriage of love and mystery.”
—Nancy Pickard, author of The Virgin Of Small Plains

“A delightfully clever novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Radine Trees Nehring's warm and believable characters are like good friends that I am happy to see again.  The Civil War history, train ride, antiques and diner food were icing on the cake! I look forward to Carrie and Henry's next adventure.”
—Earlene Fowler, author of Love Mercy and State Fair

“What a great mix for Carrie’s latest adventure!  She and Henry have their hands full with suspicious characters aboard an excursion train, switched identities, Civil War treasures, stolen jewelry, rifled rooms, and a “safe house” incident. Did I mention a dead body?  Radine Trees
Nehring has given us another ‘can’t put it down’ read.”
—Joe David Rice, Arkansas Tourism Director



EXCERPT

An excerpt from "A Portrait to Die For" by Radine Trees Nehring with two sentences with spoilers removed:

    At 8:20 the next morning Catherine sat in her car outside the workshop at Fred's and wondered who was inside the building. There were two trucks parked in the lot. She supposed the newer pickup with the business name and logo on the door was Freda's.
    The other truck was unmarked. Maybe it was the older pickup she had seen here yesterday. She hadn't paid much attention to it then, and wasn't good at identifying trucks unless an automaker had displayed their company name and vehicle style prominently on the tailgate.
    8:25.
    Well, nothing ventured. Daddy had said that. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
    Zero hour. Catherine opened her car door and slid out, putting her cell phone in her pocket. 
    Twenty steps to the open shop door, and then Catherine was inside. It was very quiet. Should she say something? No, not yet at least.
    Two steps. Lots of stuff, but no person, no sound, no movement but her own. 
    Two more steps.
    Something on the concrete floor caught her attention. Blobs of oil? She stopped to stare, bent over to look more closely.
    Drops of blood. Fresh enough to be red. Oh, dear God, NO.
    Catherine started to turn back toward her car and run. Panic had her breathing like a steam engine though she was trying to be quiet, to give no sign she was there. She must get to her car and hurry to safety, to be with Carrie and Henry. Get away, Get away! Get to Carrie and Henry, get them to come back here with her.
    A groan stopped her, freezing her steps as she started toward the door.
    Her mind tried to work sensibly. Someone groaning probably wasn't going to attack her. Someone was hurt and needed help.
    She turned around again and took two more steps into the building, avoiding the drops.
    Step. Step.
    A weapon! She should have a weapon in case something horrible and dangerous faced her on the other side of those boxes. The workbench next to her offered a huge hammer. She started to lift it, found it too heavy for one arm, re-enforced her grasp with her other hand and, hammer raised, moved forward again.
    End of the row of boxes. With the hammer held as high as she could lift it, she went around the stack.
    A shriek. Oh! That was her voice.
    A choked laugh came from someone propped up against the back of the box stack. Another person faced her--Freda, with a raised hammer.

About the Author


Brief bio and links for Radine Nehring
For more than twenty years, Radine Trees Nehring's magazine features, essays, newspaper articles, and radio broadcasts have shared colorful stories about the people, places, events, and natural world near her Arkansas home.

In 2002, Radine's first mystery novel, A VALLEY TO DIE FOR, was published and, in 2003 became a Macavity Award Nominee.  Since that time she has continued to earn writing awards as she enthralls her original fans and attracts new ones with her signature blend of down-home Arkansas sightseeing and cozy amateur sleuthing by active retirees Henry King and Carrie McCrite King.
Her four follow-up novels in the To Die For series (MUSIC TO DIE FOR, A TREASURE TO DIE FOR, A WEDDING TO DIE FOR, A RIVER TO DIE FOR, and JOURNEY TO DIE FOR) have established her place in the pantheon of cozy mystery authors.
Website URL:  www.RadinesBooks.com
Blog URL:  http://radine.wordpress.com
Facebook URL:  www.facebook.com/RadineTreesNehring
Twitter:   @RTNehring
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/radine-trees-nehring

Buy link for Portrait to Die For

Wednesday 7 September 2016

Book Tour: THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY BY HAZEL GAYNOR


Today is my stop on The Girl from the Savoy blog tour and I'm thrilled that author Hazel Gaynor has written a piece about one of her favourite discoveries while researching for her latest novel.

Dolly Lane is a dreamer; a downtrodden maid who longs to dance on the London stage, but the outbreak of war takes everything from her: Teddy, the man she loves – and her hopes of a better life.

When she secures employment as a chambermaid at London’s grandest hotel, The Savoy, Dolly’s proximity to the dazzling guests makes her yearn for a life beyond the grey drudgery she was born into. Her fortunes take an unexpected turn when she responds to an unusual

newspaper advert and finds herself thrust into the heady atmosphere of London’s glittering theatre scene and into the sphere of the celebrated actress, Loretta May, and her brother, Perry.

All three are searching for something, yet the aftermath of war has cast a dark shadow over them all. A brighter future is tantalisingly close – but can a girl like Dolly ever truly leave her past behind?


Published:  8 September 2016
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Paperback Pages:  528




Discovering the ‘Gallery Girls’ of the West End
One of my favourite discoveries during my research for THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY, was reading about the ‘gallery girls’ of London’s West End theatres.
In the early 1920s, as Britain picked itself up in the aftermath of the Great War, society’s elite packed the West End theatres, revelling in the glamorous spectacles, laughing and cheering without the oppressive background of war. The clamour for entertainment in these post-war years was palpable. But as well as those who could afford the best seats in the house, crowds of working class women also flocked to the cheap seats in the theatre gallery. These ordinary young girls and women loved to watch their favourite stars perform as they forget – for a while - about their unrewarding jobs and troubles at home. They packed the seated and standing areas at the very top of the theatres and became known as the Gallery Girls.
Newspaper reports from the time capture the level of hysteria the gallery girls created, such was their excitement and admiration for the actors and actresses who graced the stage. One report notes: “There is a gallery first-nighter – a girl or woman with a shrill treble – who most disconcertingly persists in screaming to actors and actresses, good, bad, and indifferent, “You’re marvellous; You’re marvellous!” Other reports refer to the audience, ‘yelling themselves hoarse and refusing to let the curtain go down.’ The gallery girls queued for hours at the stage door to get tickets, and many lost shoes, hats and gloves as they raced inside as soon as the theatre doors opened, desperate to get to the best position at front of the gallery. From their lofty view from the top of the theatre, the gallery girls shared their admiration very vocally and the big name actresses of the time knew that the fate of their show and their own performance would be sealed by the reaction of these ordinary girls as much as by the theatre critics.
My character, Dolly Lane, was inspired by these accounts of the Gallery Girls: young women who longed for more to their lives than scrubbing floors. After their experiences during the war, working as munitionettes or in offices or as nurses, for many, the expectation to return to a simple life of domestic subservience was almost impossible. Dolly’s progression from working girl to the chorus and beyond, is very much based in fact. Dance troops and chorus lines such as the well-respected Gaiety Girls and Cochran’s Young Ladies encapsulated most working class girls’ dreams. Time and time again, I read accounts of young girls auditioning for a part in these respectable chorus lines, being plucked from the obscurity of the second line of the chorus and brought out to shine, or stepping into a speaking part at the last minute to replace someone struck down with a dose of laryngitis.
After the horrors of war, is it any wonder these young women longed to laugh and sing, dance and dazzle? No wonder they dreamed of a life on the stage and for some, that dream came true.

Recent Praise for The Girl from the Savoy

"Sumptuous, gorgeous, authentic and surprising, Hazel Gaynor has written another hit." Sunday Independent

‘Peopled with unforgettable characters…Once begun, I dare you to put it down.’ Kathleen Tessaro, author of The Perfume Collector

'A stunningly evocative story so vividly told …I loved every gorgeously written page of it.' Claudia Carroll

‘Unputdownable. The characters jumped from the pages, filling my head with extraordinary moments.’ Carmel Harrington



About the Author



Hazel Gaynor's debut novel THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller and winner of the 2015 RNA Historical Romantic Novel of the Year award. Her second novel A MEMORY OF VIOLETS was also a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.
Hazel writes a popular guest blog 'Carry on Writing' for national Irish writing website writing.ie and also contributes feature articles for the site, interviewing authors such as Philippa Gregory, Sebastian Faulks, Cheryl Strayed and Rachel Joyce among others.
Hazel was the recipient of the 2012 Cecil Day Lewis award for Emerging Writers and was selected by Library Journal as one of ten big breakout authors for 2015. Originally from Yorkshire, England, Hazel now lives in Ireland with her husband and two children.


Check out the other blogs on the tour for reviews and other fab content


Available to buy now from 


AmazonUK

AmazonUS
BookDepository.com

Tuesday 6 September 2016

BOOK TOUR SPOTLIGHT: CLOSED CASKET BY SOPHIE HANNAH



After The Funeral Podcast Promotion - Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah

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Listen to After the Funeral by Agatha Christie

A Free Serialization of the Complete Audiobook in Eight Parts
Presented by Sophie Hannah

Throughout the serialization, Sophie informs listeners on the crucial distinction between the truly impossible and the deeply unlikely, points out the magic of a very personal motive, and explains her belief that “the best stories are the ones that would only ever happen once.”

after the funeral
Hercule Poirot is called on to investigate the murder of a brother and sister, in this classic Agatha Christie mystery now available in an updated edition with a foreword Sophie Hannah.
“He was murdered, wasn’t he?”
When Cora Lansquenet is savagely murdered, the extraordinary remark she had made the previous day at her brother Richard’s funeral suddenly takes on a chilling significance. At the reading of Richard’s will, Cora was clearly heard to say, “It’s been hushed up very nicely, hasn’t it. But he was murdered, wasn’t he?”
Did Cora’s accusation a dark truth that sealed her own fate? Or are the siblings’ deaths just tragic coincidences?
Desperate to know the truth, the Lansquenet’s solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery. For even after the funeral, death isn’t finished yet .
 
monogram murders

In 2014 Sophie Hannah received wide-spread acclaim for penning an all-new mystery featuring Agatha Christie’s legendary hero Hercule Poirot, The Monogram Murders, an instant bestseller. Reviews were outstanding, praising Hannah for her command of the character and voice. So when the time came to write a new story, Sophie knew there was only one way she would write another book—even though she enjoyed writing the first so much—she knew she would need to have an idea that was clever and compelling enough to think, 'This feels very Agatha-ish. Poirot MUST solve this case.'
And then it came to her, “…as if by magic (that really is how it felt!) an idea landed in my head. A motive for murder. It was incredibly simple—so simple, it almost seemed too obvious—and yet I didn't think it had been done before.”

The Monogram Murders: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery

Series: Hercule Poirot Mystery Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (June 9, 2015) ISBN-13: 978-0062297228 goodreads-badge-add-plus
"I'm a dead woman, or I shall be soon . . ."
Hercule Poirot's quiet supper in a London coffeehouse is interrupted when a young woman confides to him that she is about to be murdered. Though terrified, she begs Poirot not to find and punish her killer. Once she is dead, she insists, justice will have been done. Later that night, Poirot learns that three guests at a London Hotel have been murdered, and a monogrammed cufflink has been placed in each one's mouth. Could there be a connection with the frightened woman? While Poirot struggles to put together the bizarre pieces of the puzzle, the murderer prepares another hotel bedroom for a fourth victim.
CLOSED CASKET

So now Sophie Hannah returns with an all new Poirot story, CLOSED CASKET on sale September 6, 2016!

Closed Casket: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery

Series: Hercule Poirot Mysteries Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: William Morrow (September 6, 2016) ISBN-13: 978-0062458827 goodreads-badge-add-plus    
Lady Athelinda Playford has planned a house party at her mansion Clonakilty, County Cork, but it is no ordinary gathering. As guests arrive, Lady Playford summons her lawyer to make an urgent change to her will – one she intends to announce at dinner that night. She has decided to cut off her two children without a penny and leave her fortune to someone who has only weeks to live…
Among Lady Playford’s guests are two men she has never met—the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, and Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard. Neither knows why he has been invited…until Poirot starts to wonder if Lady Playford expects a murderer to strike. But why does she seem so determined to provoke, in the presence of a possible killer? When the crime is committed in spite of Poirot’s best efforts to stop it, will he be able to unveil the true reason behind Lady Playford’s drastic change of heart, and ultimately, identify the killer?
Sophie Hannah

About the Author:

Sophie Hannah is the internationally bestselling author of 10 psychological thrillers, which have been published in more than 20 countries and adapted for television. Her novel The Carrier won the 2013 Specsavers National Book Awards Crime Thriller of the Year. Sophie is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge, and as a poet has been shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize.

Author Links Webpage - Blog - Facebook - Twitter 

Purchase Closed Casket - Amazon - B&N - HarperCollins - Books-A-Million - IndieBound 

Purchase The Monogram Murders - Amazon - B&N - HarperCollins Publishers - Books-A-Million -IndieBound 

Tour Participants – Spotlight Tour September 1 – The Book's the Thing September 1 – The Cozy Mystery Journal September 2 – Shelley's Book Case September 2 – Celticlady's Reviews September 3 – A Holland Reads September 3 – The Broke Book Bank September 4 – Brooke Blogs September 4 – 3 Partners in Shopping Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! September 5 – The Bookwyrm's Hoard September 5 – Readsalot September 6 – Queen of All She Reads September 6 – Carole's Book Corner September 7 – Pulp and Mystery Shelf September 7 – Socrates' Book Reviews September 8 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book September 8 – Island Confidential September 9 – StoreyBook Reviews September 9 – Bea's Book Nook September 10 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews September 10 – The Power of Words September 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy September 11 – LibriAmoriMiei September 12 – Jemima Pett, Author September 12 – The Girl with Book Lungs 

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

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Friday 2 September 2016

Book Review & #Giveaway: DISCLAIMER BY RENEE KNIGHT (Mystery) #SummerSix


When an intriguing novel appears on Catherine's bedside table, she curls up and begins to read.

But as she turns the pages, she is horrified to realise she is a key character, a main player.

This story will reveal her darkest secret.

A secret she thought no one else knew ......



Published:  April 2015
Publisher:  Black Swan


She thought she had laid it to rest.
That it was finished.
But now it has resurfaced.
In her bedroom.
In her head.



Something happened to Catherine 20 years ago that she wasn't brave enough to tell her husband about.  But when a book turns up that appears to tell the world her secret her life is turned upside down as she tries to discover who wrote the story and why.  Why now?  What purpose would it serve?

Some of the chapters are narrated by a widower, an ex-teacher who, at first seems reliable.  The other chapters follow Catherine as she struggles to make sense of it all, she's a very successful documentary film-maker who is very persuasive at teasing the truth out of people, it's what she's good at.  But when it comes to her own truths she doesn't want them revealed to anyone.

This is a story about relationships and about seeing what we want to see, believing what we want to believe.

This was a well-paced, clever and unique story line, the slow unravelling of the truth and unexpected plot twists all combined to make a great read!



This book is part of Dead Good Books #SummerSix campaign showcasing six fantastic books that they recommend as fab page turners.  The other books are:-

Little Boy Blue by MJ Arlidge
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent (my review here)
Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben
My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry  (on my tbr pile!)
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Even though summer is nearly over they can be read at any time of year!

GIVEAWAY

Special thanks to Lynsey Dalladay at Penguin Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book and for providing me with another copy of Disclaimer to give away to one of my lucky readers!

UK entries only please



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