A Year at Meadowbrook Manor by Faith Bleasdale - Blog Tour & Extract

I am delighted to be part of the blog tour for A Year at Meadowbrook Manor and I have a fabulous extract for you today



Genre:  Romantic Comedy
Publication Date:  25 January 2018
Publisher:  Avon

One divided family, one life-changing year…

Harriet Singer hasn’t been home in ten years. When her beloved dad dies suddenly, she races to be there for her estranged siblings, despite the memories it brings back.

Then Harriet learns that all four Singer siblings must live together for one year, caring for their dad’s Animal Sanctuary, or forfeit their inheritance.

Living under the same roof could make or break the family, but it’s time Harriet stopped running and faced her past. Especially when her first love turns up…

A heart-warming story about love, hope and family, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley and Heidi Swain.

EXTRACT

Extract 5 – Chapter 21, 239-240

Now the party was in full swing. Carols had been sung, mulled wine and Freddie’s Christmas cocktails were being drunk, chatter filled the air, as the guests spilled into the drawing room and dining room as well as the grand hallway. Mark was holding court as if he was the lord of the manor, Freddie was charming everyone, Pippa was playing her hostess role perfectly and Gus and Amanda were almost inseparable. Fleur and Hayley had slunk off to Fleur’s room to watch Netflix and Harriet had promised not to tell, although she was tempted to go with them. Gwen was laughing at something Gerry was saying and Harriet wondered if there could be happiness for her again, she sincerely hoped so; no one deserved it more than Gwen. And finally, Connor and Bella. It wasn’t the first time she had seen them as a couple but it sucked more and more each time. The longer they were together, the happier they appeared, the worse it felt. Having to greet them, be nice, when she wanted to tear Bella’s perfectly neat dark hair out and kick him where it hurt, almost killed her. Just look at them, the perfect couple! Bella was gazing adoringly at Connor who had his hand on the small of her back, in a way which made Harriet burn with jealousy as she choked back tears.

‘What’s up?’ Hector sat down next to her. He was wearing a ridiculous Aran jumper and a pair of smart trousers which made him look about fifty from the neck down.

‘I was just thinking how happy everyone looked.’

‘Yeah, it’s that sort of party, isn’t it? A happiness party.’

‘My invite must have gone astray,’ she stated.

‘I’m having a marvellous time, although if I get groped one more time by one of your old ladies, I’m going to sue for sexual harassment.’ Hector was deadpan, Harriet glared at him in surprise but he burst out laughing. Harriet giggled.

‘They’ve got no money,’ she pointed out.

‘Ah, then I’ll just have to avoid them.’ He looked at her, his blue eyes were quite hypnotising. ‘By the way, Harriet, you look bloody sexy tonight. I don’t suppose you know anywhere to hide, you know, your bedroom perhaps?’ He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Spotlight on Survival of the Fritters by Ginger Bolton (Cozy Mystery) & Giveaway (US only)

Survival of the Fritters (A Deputy Donut Mystery) by Ginger Bolton

 

 

Survival of the Fritters (A Deputy Donut Mystery) Cozy Mystery 

1st in Series 

Kensington (January 30, 2018) 

Paperback: 256 pages 

ISBN-13: 978-1496711878 

E-Book ASIN: B071HKMK38

Emily Westhill runs the best donut shop in Fallingbrook, Wisconsin, alongside her retired police chief father-in-law and her tabby Deputy Donut. But after murder claims a favorite customer, Emily can’t rely on a sidekick to solve the crime—or stay alive.

If Emily has learned anything from her past as a 911 operator, it’s to stay calm during stressful situations. But that’s a tall order when one of her regulars, Georgia Treetor, goes missing. Georgia never skips morning cappuccinos with her knitting circle. Her pals fear the worst—especially Lois, a close friend who recently moved to town. As evening creeps in, Emily and the ladies search for Georgia at home. And they find her—murdered among a scattering of stale donuts . . .

Disturbingly, Georgia’s demise coincides with the five-year anniversary of her son’s murder, a case Emily’s late detective husband failed to solve before his own sudden death. With Lois hiding secrets and an innocent man’s life at stake, Emily’s forced to revisit painful memories on her quest for answers. Though someone’s alibi is full of holes, only a sprinkling of clues have been left behind. And if Emily can’t trace them back to a killer in time, her donut shop will end up permanently closed for business . . .

Ginger Bolton writes the Deputy Donut mystery series--cops, crime, coffee, donuts and one curious cat. When Ginger isn't writing or reading, she's crocheting, knitting, sewing, walking her two rescue dogs and generally causing trouble. She’s also fond of donuts, coffee, and cafes were folks gather to enjoy those tasty treats and one another’s company.

Author Links 
Webpage: http://gingerbolton.com/ 
Ginger has joined Killer Characters! http://www.killercharacters.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGingerBolton/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginger_bolton 
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16834862.Ginger_Bolton

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS 

January 17 – Babs Book Bistro – REVIEW, GUEST POST 
January 17 – A Holland Reads - CHARACTER GUEST POST 
January 17 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW 
January 18 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW 
January 18 – La libreria di Beppe – SPOTLIGHT 
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Forget Her Name by Jane Holland - Book Review (Psychological Thriller)

Featured today on my blog is a brilliant psychological thriller by Jane Holland and I'm thrilled to be sharing my review of Forger Her Name with you



Genre:  Psychological Thriller
Publication Date:  25 January 2018
Publisher:  Thomas & Mercer
Standalone Novel
Estimated Page Count:  348
Format:  eBook


Amazon UK:  www.amazon.co.uk
Amazon US:  www.amazon.com
Book Depository:  www.bookdepository.com

Rachel’s dead and she’s never coming back. Or is she?

As she prepares for her wedding to Dominic, Catherine has never been happier or more excited about her future. But when she receives an anonymous package—a familiar snow globe with a very grisly addition—that happiness is abruptly threatened by secrets from her past.

Her older sister, Rachel, died on a skiing holiday as a child. But Rachel was no angel: she was vicious and highly disturbed, and she made Catherine’s life a misery. Catherine has spent years trying to forget her dead sister’s cruel tricks. Now someone has sent her Rachel’s snow globe—the first in a series of ominous messages…

While Catherine struggles to focus on her new life with Dominic, someone out there seems intent on tormenting her. But who? And why now? The only alternative is what she fears most.

Is Rachel still alive?

Oh my goodness! I've just finished reading this and I'm still reeling from the shocks and twists.

What a fantastic read, I was totally and utterly absorbed in this game of cat and mouse, as Catherine's life is turned upside down as terrible tricks are played on her, when she receives her dead sister's old snow globe at her place of work, together with other strange incidents.

Her family seem to disbelieve her, she thinks her father holds her responsible for Rachel's death, she always thought Rachel was his favourite daughter. Her parents have never, ever spoken about Rachel or how she died. She feels that the truth of who's doing this is somehow tied up with the family's secrets but what are they?

It was gripping and puzzling and the suspense never lets up.

I had all sorts of theories whilst reading this book, my mind was totally bewildered and just when I thought I sort of knew what was going on something else happened to blow that theory out of the water.

A brilliant story with complex and well-developed characters, the writing was so full of intensity that I could not put it down until I found out the truth.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jane Holland is a Gregory Award–winning poet and novelist who also writes commercial fiction under the pseudonyms Victoria Lamb, Elizabeth Moss, Beth Good and Hannah Coates. Her debut thriller, Girl Number One, hit #1 in the UK Kindle Store in December 2015. Jane lives with her husband and young family near the North Cornwall/Devon border. A homeschooler, her hobbies include photography and growing her own vegetables.

Social Media Links –

https://twitter.com/janeholland1

https://www.facebook.com/jane.holland.1253

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JaneHollandAuthor/

Natural Thorn Killer by Kate Dyer-Seeley - Book Blast & Giveaway (US only)

BOOK BLAST

About the Book

Natural Thorn Killer (A Rose City Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery New Series 

Kensington (March 27, 2018) 

Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages 

ISBN-13: 978-1496705136 Digital ASIN: B073NPHX8Z

Cut down among the flowers . . .

Britta Johnston might be a late bloomer, but after leaving her deadbeat husband and dead-end job, she’s finally pursuing her artistic passion at her aunt Elin’s floral boutique, Blooma, in Portland, Oregon. It’s on the banks of the Willamette, in a quaint district of cobblestone paths and cherry trees. The wine bar featuring Pacific Northwest vintages is a tasty bonus, offering another kind of bouquet to enjoy. But things aren’t as peaceful as they look.

For one thing, someone’s been leaving dead roses around—and a sleazy real estate developer who wants the waterfront property has put a big-money offer on the table. Then, after a contentious meeting of local business owners, he’s found on the floor of the shop, with Elin’s garden shears planted in his chest. And before the police decide to pin the crime on her beloved aunt, Britta will have to find out who arranged this murder . . .

About the Author

Kate Dyer-Seeley aka Ellie Alexander writes multiple mystery series, all with a Pacific Northwest touch. She lives in the PNW with her husband and son, where you can find her hitting the trail, at an artisan coffee shop, or at her favorite pub. Better yet—at all three.
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WHAT SHE LEFT BY ROSIE FIORE - Blog Tour Extract

Today is my turn on the What She Left blog tour and I'm thrilled to be bringing you an extract of this exciting novel



Genre:  Commercial Literary Fiction
Publication Date:  17 August 2017
Standalone Novel

Paperback: https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-She-Left-Rosie-Fiore/dp/1760292494/ref=tmm_pap_title_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-She-Left-Rosie-Fiore-ebook/dp/B07253XZR4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Helen Cooper has a charmed life. She's beautiful, accomplished, organised - the star parent at the school. Until she disappears.

But Helen wasn't abducted or murdered. She's chosen to walk away, abandoning her family, husband Sam, and her home.

Where has Helen gone, and why? What has driven her from her seemingly perfect life? What is she looking for? Sam is tormented by these questions, and gradually begins to lose his grip on work and his family life.

He sees Helen everywhere in the faces of strangers. He's losing control.

But then one day, it really is Helen's face he sees...

EXTRACT

Sam Cooper’s wife, Helen, has gone missing. He calls the police, and they ask him to check Helen’s personal effects. For the first time, Sam realises he might be a suspect in Helen’s disappearance.

I went to search through Helen’s desk in the conservatory. The filing drawers containing all our bills, correspondence and important documents were locked, but I had a key. I opened the top drawer and went carefully through each section. There were the girls’ birth certificates, our driver’s licences, our marriage certificate, and our four passports, rubber-banded together. Helen bought matching leather passport holders in different colours to make it quick and easy to identify whose are whose when we travel. Mine’s cobalt blue, hers is green, and the girls’ are pink and purple. Everything was where I expected it to be.

The male PC came looking for me, and I showed him what I’d found. He nodded. ‘Clever idea with the passport holders, that. My wife spends ages sorting through them for the kids every time we travel.’

He didn’t look old enough for a wife and kids, but it wasn’t the time for small talk.

‘So nothing appears to be missing?’

‘Not as far as I can tell,’ I said, and I opened the lower drawer. Here Helen had all our bills and correspondence neatly filed, each section labelled – bank, insurance, mortgage, utilities.

‘Very organized, your wife,’ he said.

‘Very.’

‘She certainly doesn’t look like the kind of person who’d just go walkabout, does she?’ he said conversationally. There was an awkward moment of silence.

I looked over his shoulder into the kitchen and suddenly remembered my manners. ‘Can I offer you a cup of tea? Coffee? Some water, maybe?’

‘I’m fine, thanks,’ he said. ‘Now tell me, Mr Cooper, where were you today? Out of town, I think you said?’

‘Manchester, for a meeting. As soon as I arrived there, I got the call from the school to say Helen hadn’t turned up, so I got straight on a train to come back.’

‘Were you travelling alone? With a colleague?’

‘Alone.’

‘Did you talk to anybody? Anyone who could confirm that they saw you in Manchester at that time?’

It took me a moment to work out what he was asking. He wanted to know if I had an alibi.

‘I bought a ticket from the ticket office. You can talk to the woman who works there. She might remember me because she sold me a first-class ticket for a train that was just leaving. And I’m sure I’m all over CCTV.’

‘What time did you leave for Manchester?’

‘Around twelve. I was at my office in Soho before that.’

‘Can we check that with your colleagues?’

‘Of course.’ I kept my voice calm, but I thought back through the day, hoping that someone in the office would remember seeing me and saying goodbye to me and could attach times to their recollections. I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation. That morning I had kissed my wife goodbye. Now I was trying to find ways to prove I hadn’t murdered her. Wait, had I kissed her goodbye? I’d left in a rush. Had she been in the shower? Had I just yelled goodbye as I rushed out of the door? It was entirely possible. If that was the case, had I missed my last chance to kiss her, hold her?

I shook my head. She was missing, that was all. There was no proof something bad had happened to her. I had read somewhere that 90 per cent of missing people returned home within twenty-four hours. I had to believe she was coming back.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Rosie Fiore was born and grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. She studied drama at the University of the Witwatersrand and has worked as a writer for theatre, television, magazines, advertising, comedy and the corporate market. 

Her first two novels, This Year's Black and Lame Angel were published by Struik in South Africa. This Year's Black was longlisted for the South African Sunday Times Literary Award and has subsequently been re-released as an e-book. Babies in Waiting, Wonder Women and Holly at Christmas were published by Quercus. She is the author of After Isabella, also published by Allen & Unwin.

Rosie’s next book, The After Wife (written as Cass Hunter), will be published by Trapeze in 2018, and in translation is seven countries around the world.

Rosie lives in London with her husband and two sons.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/rosiefiorewriter/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/rosiefiore

THE GIRL IN THE GALLERY BY ALICE CASTLE - Blog Tour, Book Review & Giveaway

It's my turn on the blog tour for The Girl in the Gallery and I'm delighted to be sharing my review with you all


Genre:  Cozy Crime
Series:  London Murder Mystery Series No. 2
Publication Date:  19 December 2017
Publisher:  Crooked Cat Books


Amazon UK:  www.amazon.co.uk
Amazon US:  www.amazon.com
Book Depository:  www.bookdepository.com

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Dulwich…

It’s a perfect summer’s morning in the plush south London

suburb, and thirty-something Beth Haldane has sneaked off

to visit one of her favourite places, the world-famous Picture

Gallery.

She’s enjoying a few moments’ respite from juggling her job

at prestigious private school Wyatt’s and her role as single

mum to little boy Ben, when she stumbles across a shocking

new exhibit on display. Before she knows it, she’s in the thick

of a fresh, and deeply chilling, investigation.

Who is The Girl in the Gallery? Join Beth in adventure #2

of the London Murder Mystery series as she tries to discover

the truth about a secret eating away at the very heart of

Dulwich.

BUY LINK

https://MyBook.to/GirlintheGallery

When single mum Beth discovers a girl lying unconscious in a mausoleum within her favourite art gallery she is horrified, but she also makes it her business to discover who she is and why she had been placed there......with the help of D.I. Harry York who she just happens to have helped solve a crime with in the first of the London Murder Mystery series.

I enjoyed Beth's and Harry's exchanges, they both get exasperated with each other but they also work well together, add to that an underlying attraction which gives the story a nice will-they-won't-they feel.

There is a lot of detail about the art paintings, the Dulwich area and the kind of parents who live there, and the history of the college, which was a little overwhelming at times.  But, once I'd got used to the writing style, I really enjoyed the mystery.  I liked Beth, she was a good mum, she was very compassionate and she relished a challenge!

The plotline had a few surprises, the characters were well-developed and I was left feeling satisfied that the mystery was neatly solved.  

MEET THE AUTHOR

Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily
Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph before
becoming a novelist. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, was a
European best-seller which sold out in two weeks.

Alice is currently working on the sequel to Death in Dulwich
and The Girl in the Gallery. The third instalment in the
London Murder Mystery series, it will be published by
Crooked Cat next year and is entitled The Calamity in
Catford. Once again, it features Beth Haldane and DI Harry
York.

Alice is also a top mummy blogger, writing DD’s Diary at
www.dulwichdivorcee.com.

She lives in south London and is married with two children,
two step-children and two cats.

Alice Castle’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/alicecastleauthor/

Alice Castle is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DDsDiary

Links to buy Alice Castle’s books: myBook.to/GirlintheGallery  
myBook.to/1DeathinDulwich, myBook.to/HotChocolate

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dds_diary/?hl=en

Blog: http://www.dulwichdivorcee.com

GIVEAWAY

A signed copy of the book and a £20 Amazon voucher!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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