Sunday 29 October 2017

THE LIAR'S CHAIR BY REBECCA WHITNEY Audio Book Review



THE LIAR'S CHAIR
BY
REBECCA WHITNEY

Audiobook published by Pan MacMillan
August 2015

Read by
Emma Fielding



Rachel Teller and her husband, David, appear happy, prosperous and fulfilled. The big house, the successful business... They have everything. However, control, not love, fuels their relationship, and David has no idea his wife indulges in drunken indiscretions.
When Rachel kills a man in a hit-and-run, the meticulously maintained veneer over their life begins to crack. Destroying all evidence of the accident, David insists they continue as normal. Rachel, though, is racked with guilt, and as her behaviour becomes increasingly self-destructive, she not only inflames David's darker side but also uncovers her own long-suppressed memories of shame.
Can Rachel confront her past and atone for her terrible crime? Not if her husband has anything to do with it....


The Liar's Chair is one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to .... which is all due to the amazing and breathless reading of Emma Fielding.

She manages to convey so much passion and anticipation in her words.

Although the storyline isn't particularly gripping, I was hanging on to every word.

The husband of Rachel is a nasty person, he's manipulative, a control freak and a bully and Rachel comes across as so compliant and under his control.  I was shouting to her telling her to stand up for herself but she thinks it's love, not fear.

As their marriage disintegrates, Rachel does such strange things, I couldn't understand why she did what she did, maybe her childhood and her awful mother were to blame, as we find out in flashbacks.

It is quite a dark story in parts, especially the time when Rachel's husband punishes her in a nasty way for staying out all night.

If I had read this instead of listening to it I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much.  

I can't praise Emma Fielding's narration highly enough.

I received a paperpack copy of this book from the publishers though I downloaded this audiobook from my local library.



Friday 20 October 2017

COVER REVEAL FOR HEART NOTE BY CASSANDRA O'LEARY

I'm thrilled to be sharing this cover reveal today for Heart Note by Cassandra O'Leary!  I love it!



Love is like a fine perfume. The top note draws you in, an instant attraction, but the Heart Note is the true essence. Like true love. A great perfume should be a woman’s perfect match.

At least, that’s what Lily Lucas tells the perfume counter customers. Personally, Lily is tired of perfumes with a sickly sweet top note that make her dizzy. She definitely does not want to stick her nose in another scent with a base note of stinky old socks. 

After leaving her home in Sydney, Lily moves to Melbourne and a new job as a perfume counter manager in a major department store. One day she wants to own a Parisian-style perfumerie, but at the moment she’s spritzing perfume on unsuspecting customers and ringing up purchases until she falls off her high heels at the end of a long day. 

The high point of Lily’s work life is Christos Cyriakos, the ex-cop senior security guard, who happens to look like a Greek god. She’d happily stare at him all day, but keeps falling at his feet like a klutz. It’s kind of embarrassing. No other man has ever had this effect on her. He smells so good up close, she gets a little woozy. But in a good way.

Rumours about Christos swirl around the department store staff. There’s a scent of scandal. The reason he quit the police force wasn’t a happy one. But he’s the strong, silent type. A mystery box. Lily hopes she can get close enough to unwrap him. When he asks for her help, it seems like the perfect opportunity to get to know him better…if she can trust him.
It’s almost Christmas and the whole store is bedecked with decorations, and Lily has to gift wrap and sell eleventy billion gift sets assisted by a team of glamorous spritzer chicks. Meanwhile sneaky guys are trying to get into the store room at night and stock is going missing. It could be an inside job. Lily helps Christos setup a sting. They are a team, sort of. But why won’t he confide in her?

She’d like to be kissed by Christos (and more) preferably not while wearing the hideous red velvet onesie and reindeer antlers all the spritzer chicks are supposed to wear. But can they solve a crime, and get it together to go on an actual date before Christmas?

Publication date – 6th November 2017


MEET THE AUTHOR

**Winner of the We Heart New Talent contest, HarperCollins UK. Nominated for BEST NEW AUTHOR in the 2016 AusRom Today Reader's Choice Awards for excellence in Australian romance fiction.**

Cassandra O’Leary is a romance and women’s fiction author, communications specialist, avid reader, film and TV fangirl and admirer of pretty, shiny things. 

In 2015, Cassandra won the We Heart New Talent contest run by Avon Books/HarperCollins UK. Her debut romantic comedy novel, Girl on a Plane, was published in July 2016. Cassandra was also a 2015 finalist in the Lone Star writing contest, Northwest Houston Romance Writers of America, and a 2014 finalist in the First Kiss contest, Romance Writers of Australia.

Cassandra is a mother of two gorgeous, high-energy mini ninjas and wife to a spunky superhero. Living in Melbourne, Australia, she’s also travelled the world. If you want to send her to Italy or Spain on any food or wine tasting ‘research’ trips, that would be splendiferous. You’ll find Cassandra online, drinking coffee and possibly buying shoes. Oh, yes. And writing.

Social Media Links
Twitter – @cass_oleary

Wednesday 18 October 2017

BENEATH THE SKIN BY CAROLINE ENGLAND Blog Tour Extract


BENEATH THE SKIN

BY
CAROLINE ENGLAND

5 October 2017
Paperback Original, EB, Audio




Today is my stop on the Beneath the Skin blog tour and I'm thrilled to be sharing an extract from the book



Presenting a stunning debut psychological thriller about a life-changing lie.

Caroline England’s, Beneath The Skin is a tense and compelling read, exploring truth, friendships and betrayal.

Three women. Three secrets.
Antonia is beautiful and happily married. Her life is perfect. So why does she hurt herself when nobody’s watching?
Sophie is witty, smart and married to the best-looking man in town. She likes a drink, but who doesn’t?
Olivia is pretending to be a happy wife and mother. But her secret could tear her family apart.
Their lies start small, they always do. But if they don’t watch out, the consequences will be deadly.

No-one remembers your past. But you do.

‘Antonia, Antonia. My name is Antonia.’

It’s been her name for many years. But sometimes, like tonight, she forgets. Antonia has a secret. A secret so dark and so deep that she can barely admit it to herself. Instead, she treats herself to Friday night sessions of self-harm while her husband David is at the pub, and her best friend Sophie is drinking too much wine a few doors down.

Nobody close to her knows the truth about what the teenage Antonia saw all those years ago. No-one, that is, except her mother. But Candy is in a care home now, her mind too addled to remember the truth.

Antonia is safe. Isn’t she? The lies start small. They always do. But when the tightly woven story you’ve told yourself begins to unravel, the truth threatens to come to the surface. And then what’s going to happen?


EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT

Sami pulls up the leg of his trousers at the knee, crouches down and spreads out the plans on the dusty concrete floor as he recalls an extremely pleasurable start to the day. Sophie was dead to the world when the alarm woke him at seven. But that’s nothing new. She jacked in her job at the estate agents months ago (‘too early, too boring!’) and he suspects she sleeps in all morning during the week when he isn’t there to cajole her into the land of the living. He’d done his press-ups, showered and finished the box of no-added-sugar muesli, and was just about to unlatch the walled garden door of his townhouse when Sophie called his name. He turned his head in surprise and there she was on their doorstep, naked save for fluffy slippers and the chunky glasses she wears first thing in the morning before her ‘battle’ with contact lenses.
‘You haven’t given me a kiss, darlink,’ she called in her best Marlene Dietrich accent. He laughed. Her face looked crumpled and sleepy, her hair like a crow’s nest, but her body was beautiful; rounded, plump and still tanned from their Antiguan summer.
‘I haven’t cleaned my teeth, so . . .’ Sophie mumbled as she knelt on the floor of the hallway, the front door still ajar. She slipped one hand in the fly of his suit trousers and unbuckled his belt with the other. ‘So I’ll give you a different kiss goodbye.’
‘That was a very nice treat,’ he said afterwards. He stood at the lounge door for a moment and eyed Sophie thoughtfully. She’d put on the dressing gown he tries regularly to throw out and was lying on the sofa, the Daily Mail propped on her knees. ‘Was there a particular reason why you were kind enough to . . .’
‘I just like to keep you on your toes,’ she replied, her face still hidden by the newspaper. ‘Besides, you’ve been—’
‘What?’ Sami asked, his heart sinking just a little as he thought of the time. He knew that any heavy conversation about babies would make him very late for work.
Sophie narrowed her eyes as she lowered the paper. ‘I don’t know,’ she said slowly, turning her head towards him. ‘You seem happy.’
‘I am happy. No, I’m absolutely delighted that we’re going through with the IVF again. I know how hard it is for you with all the drugs, the hospital visits and stuff, but you know I’ll be there. I’ll be with you every step of the way, I promise.’ He glanced at his Montblanc watch, which still gave him the rush of pleasure it had given him six months previously when he’d finally given in to temptation and bought it for himself. ‘And I think it’s going to work this time, I don’t know why, but I feel sure.’
Sophie turned back to the newspaper and the horoscopes. ‘OK, you can bugger off to work now. Your usefulness is at an end.’
Sami now brushes the dust off his trousers as he straightens back up. Time to focus on work. ‘Shall we start, Jack? Time is money and all that. Is the client coming or not?’
‘What have you got that I haven’t, Richards?’ the quantity surveyor replies as he removes a pen from behind his ear and jots down some figures on his clipboard. ‘On second thoughts, don’t answer that,’ he says with a dry laugh, ‘we’re not paid by the hour.’
Irony one: the morning nap has made Sophie tired. She yawns and looks at the calendar before opening the fridge. ‘Coffee with Christine’ is pencilled in for today, but it doesn’t ring any bells. Irony two: the handwriting is hers, so she can blame no one but herself. The forgetfulness can be worrying, but only if she lets it, and anyway, she never forgets anything important.
She bends to pull out the carton of milk from the fridge and then changes her mind. It would be a shame to forego a glass of Chablis when it’s so beautifully chilled, and besides, she bought a replacement bottle yesterday, just in case. She makes a mental note of the level of the wine before she pours. She’s sure that Sami has too. Perhaps he’s sketched a diagram and slipped it in his briefcase along with his work plans. She laughs as she closes the fridge. The big question for her is whether she’ll remember.

MEET THE AUTHOR


Born Yorkshire lass, Caroline studied Law at the University of Manchester and stayed over the border. Caroline was a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer and instigated her jottings when she deserted the law to bring up her three lovely daughters. 
In addition to the publication of her short story collection, Watching Horsepats Feed the Roses by ACHUKAbooks, Caroline has had short stories and poems published in a variety of literary publications and anthologies. 
She was shortlisted for the Impress Prize 2015, in the Pulp Idol 2016 finals and long listed for the UK Novel Writing Competition 2017.


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Tuesday 17 October 2017

COVER REVEAL FOR CHRISTMAS SECRETS IN SNOWFLAKE COVE BY EMILY HARVALE

I'm thrilled to be sharing this cover reveal today for Christmas Secrets in Snowflake Cove!  I think it's gorgeous.




Christmas Secrets in Snowflake Cove
Christmas is a time for family and friends, miracles and magic, falling snow and roaring fires, fun, laughter and festive feasts. In Snowflake Cove, it’s also a time for secrets to be revealed…


Evie Starr is hoping for more than a sprinkling of magic this Christmas. The family-run Snowflake Inn is virtually empty and the Starr’s financial future isn’t looking bright. But Evie’s gran, Jessie has a secret that might help.

Enigmatic, Zachary Thorn is every woman’s dream. He’s also ex-SAS, so his secrets are classified. The Christmas Special of his feel-good, TV show is set in Michaelmas Bay – until a phone call means he’s spending Christmas in nearby Snowflake Cove.

Evie’s best friend, Juniper thinks boyfriend Darren has a secret. Evie knows he does. And Evie’s niece, Raven is hiding feelings for Juniper’s brother – who has a secret crush of his own.
But the biggest secret in Snowflake Cove is the identity of Raven’s dad.

With snow falling thick and fast and secrets being revealed one after another, will everyone be snuggling up by the fire on Christmas Eve, or are some secrets best kept hidden…?

Publication date is 1st November 2017
Pre-order now on Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076G4DVZH

MEET THE AUTHOR

Having lived and worked in London for several years, Emily returned to her home town of Hastings where she now spends her days writing... and chatting on social media. Emily is a Member of the SoA, a PAN member of the RWA and a Pro Member of ALLi. She's an Amazon bestseller and a Kindle All Star. Emily loves writing and her stories are sure to bring a smile to your face and a warmth to your heart.

Emily says, "I write about friendship, family and falling in love. I believe in happing endings." When she isn't writing, she can be found enjoying the stunning East Sussex coast and countryside, or in a wine bar with friends, discussing life, love and the latest TV shows. Chocolate cake is often eaten. She dislikes housework almost as much as she dislikes anchovies - and will do anything to avoid both.


Monday 16 October 2017

BEST-LAID PLANTS BY MARTY WINGATE Blog Tour and Review (Cozy Mystery)

I am thrilled to be kicking off the blog tour for Best-Laid Plants with a review of this fabulous cozy mystery!




Best-Laid Plants: A Potting Shed Mystery by Marty Wingate


Best-Laid Plants: A Potting Shed Mystery Cozy Mystery 6th in Series Alibi (October 17, 2017) 
Print Length: 294 pages 
ASIN: B01MSAATUW
A trip to the English countryside turns into a brush with death for Pru Parke, the only gardener whose holiday wouldn’t be complete without a murder to solve.
Pru and her husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, are long overdue for a getaway. So when Pru is invited to redesign an Arts and Crafts garden in the picturesque Cotswolds, she and Christopher jump at the chance. Unfortunately, their B&B is more ramshackle than charming, and the once thriving garden, with its lovely Thyme Walk, has fallen into heartbreaking neglect. With the garden’s owner and designer, Batsford Bede, under the weather, Pru tackles the renovation alone. But just as she’s starting to make headway, she stumbles upon Batsford’s body in the garden—dead and pinned beneath one of his limestone statues.
With such a small police force in the area, Christopher is called upon to lead the investigation. Pru can’t imagine anyone murdering Batsford Bede, a gentle man who preferred to spend his time in quiet contemplation, surrounded by nature. But as her work on the garden turns up one ominous clue after another, Pru discovers that the scenery is more dangerous than she or Christopher could have anticipated.

Marty Wingate’s captivating mysteries can be enjoyed together or separately, in any order:



Marty Wingate has done it again!  I have read all the books in the potting shed series of mysteries and she continually and consistently comes up with great plots, unique scenarios, quirky characters and all so brilliantly written!

If you haven't read any of this series I would suggest this is as good as any to start with.  It's easy to jump right in and get to know Texan Pru Parke and her gorgeous British Detective Inspector husband Christopher, both very likeable and easy going.

Pru is getting quite a name for herself in the gardening world and, once again, she is tasked with helping to restore a neglected country garden to its former glory, but before she can meet the owner he is found dead, underneath one of the gardens many statues.  

Though Christopher is in overall charge of the investigation, Pru, finding the body, just naturally gets involved in the pursuit of the killer.  There are several suspicious suspects, including an old girlfriend of Christopher's, lots of red herrings, lots of funny moments, an encounter with a bull called Custard, and plenty of pints drunk in the local pub!

A fun read, a clever plot, wonderful descriptions of the local British countryside, and lots of references to plants, all make this a very entertaining mystery.




MARTY

About the Author

Marty Wingate is a Seattle-based writer and speaker who shares her love of Britain in her two mystery series. The Potting Shed books feature Pru Parke, a middle-aged American gardener transplanted from Texas to England, and Birds of a Feather follows Julia Lanchester, bird lover, who runs a tourist office in a Suffolk village. Marty writes garden articles for magazines including Country Gardens and theAmerican Gardener. She is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Crime Writers Association. She leads garden tours to England, Scotland and Ireland, spending free moments deep in research for her books. Or in pubs.
 

Author Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martywingateauthor 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/martywingate 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/453259.Marty_Wingate 
Website: www.martywingate.com 
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marthawingate/ 
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Marty-Wingate/e/B001JS1AIS 
Purchase Links Amazon B&N kobo Google Play

TOUR PARTICIPANTS 

October 16 – Carole's Book Corner – REVIEW 
October 16 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews - SPOTLIGHT 
October 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT 
October 18 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST 
October 19 – Reading Reality - REVIEW 
October 20 – Christ Reads and Writes – REVIEW 
October 21 - The Power of Words - REVIEW 
October 22 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW 
October 23 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW 
October 24 – Celticlady's Reviews - SPOTLIGHT 
October 25 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
October 26 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST 
October 27 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT 
October 28 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW 
October 29 – A Chick Who Reads - REVIEW   



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Sunday 15 October 2017

CHRISTMAS ON THE LITTLE CORNISH ISLES (THE DRIFTWOOD INN) BY PHILLIPA ASHLEY Blog Tour & Extract




Today is my stop on the Christmas on the Little Cornish Isles Blog Tour and I have a fabulous extract from the book!




Christmas has arrived on the Cornish Isles of Scilly, bringing mistletoe, surprises and more than a sprinkle of romance . . . Fans of Poldark and Carole Matthews will love this brand-new festive read from the author of the bestselling Cornish Café series.

For Maisie Samson, this Christmas is going to be different. After years working in a busy Cornish pub, she’s moved back to quiet Gull Island where she grew up, to help her parents run the family inn.

But even though she can’t wait for the festive season to arrive, Maisie cannot shake the memories of what happened to her last Christmas – the day she lost everything. She keeps herself busy, setting up the tree and hanging mistletoe ready for her first proper family Christmas in years.

Until a new arrival to the island walks into her bar and changes everything. Australian backpacker Patrick is looking for a job for the low season. When Maisie takes him on, she doesn’t expect him to last the week, but to her surprise Patrick is the perfect fit. Charming and handsome, could Maisie allow herself to hope that she and Patrick could be more than just colleagues?

As Christmas approaches, Maisie finds herself dreading the spring, when Patrick is due to leave. With the help of a little Christmas magic, can Maisie get the happily ever after she always dreamed of?


Christmas on the Little Cornish Isles is the perfect book to snuggle up with this Christmas.


Extract Eighteen from Chapter Eleven, pp 73-74
‘I had a visit from Hugo the other day,’ Maisie said, knowing Jess would be intrigued.
‘How nice for you. Not a social call, was it?’
‘No, although you never know with Hugo. He tried to persuade me to sell the Driftwood again.’
‘Oh God. He never stops trying, does he? What did he offer this time?’
‘The opportunity’ – Maisie bracketed her fingers around the word while sticking out her tongue – ‘to be a tenant and manage the place.’’
‘No way! Don’t give in, Maisie.’
‘Don’t worry. Hell will freeze over first. I just wish so much of what he says didn’t make sense. We’re getting by – just – but Dad’s not well and Mum’s obviously not up to the long hours and stress that she used to take in her stride. Which is another reason why I came home, aside from the obvious one. With the summer staff leaving and with winter to face, I sometimes wonder why we all do it.’
Jess gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘I know. We’ve been through some tough times at the Flower Farm. Remember those years of frost when we were at school and then the wholesale flower market collapsed? That period almost finished Mum and Dad. They were so close to losing everything and having to leave St Piran’s. I don’t think Will and I realised how bad things were, but we do now we run the business . . . but who could ever leave here to work in a city? You tried it.’
Maisie smiled. ‘St Austell’s hardly a city, but I worked in London briefly after I’d finished college. It was great for a few months but I couldn’t go back now. Mind you, not everyone feels that way. Hugo says that the Fudge Pantry and Una and Phyllis have also agreed to sell to Petroc Holdings.’
Jess grabbed Maisie’s arm. She looked horrified. ‘You’re joking? Una and Phyllis? The Jenkins? I’m gobsmacked.’
‘Business hasn’t been too great after the summer we had last year and I guess Mr Jenkins wants to try life on the mainland since their kids moved to Truro. There won’t be many of us left to resist at this rate. Hugo already owns a couple of properties on Gull and I suppose he could buy the businesses piecemeal, but what he really wants is to make us all lose hope and buy the whole of Gull Island, complete, so he can turn it into a mini Petroc.’
‘He’s a megalomaniac,’ Jess said, curling her lip. ‘I’m so glad he’s not interested in St Saviour’s too.’
‘If it was over the water from Petroc, he might be. Gull is just too close to Petroc for comfort. I wouldn’t put it past him to try and build a bridge between the two islands if he can get his hands on most of the land.’
‘If there’s anything Will and I can do, shout up. Help you rally the islanders, dump a pile of manure in Hugo’s gardens . . . anything at all, you know we’re here.’
‘Thanks, hun,’ said Maisie, feeling the thrill of resistance flood her veins. ‘Nothing and no one – and definitely not Hugo Scorrier – will hound me out of the Driftwood or off Gull Island.’

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