 Release date - 30th September 2016
Book length - 323 pages Available on - www.amazon.com | www.amazon.co.uk It is 1816 and Georgiana, the widowed Duchess of Darby, is being thrust back into society by her twin brother Jonathan, and her best friend Helena. Worried about her seclusion, they long for her to find some passion or love in her life. Georgiana misses her husband Teddy, who was her best friend and champion, even though they were married in name only. And the last thing she wants to do is find romance, as she is haunted by her past which has altered her forever. And with her reputation as the Ice Duchess, she hopes that the rakes will keep their distance. But when Rafe Landsbury, Lord Markham, takes an interest in her, she cannot seem to escape his attentions, and what worries her the most is that she is not sure if she wants to escape him. Rafe is fascinated by Georgiana, but the more he gets to know her, the more he wants her for himself. But Rafe soon discovers that Georgiana has suffered horrifically in her past, and may be unwilling to trust him to love her and keep her safe. And when Rafe's past comes back to haunt him and threaten everything he has come to cherish, will Rafe be forced to walk away from Georgiana in order to protect her? THE ICE DUCHESS by Amy Rose Bennett is unlike any other Regency romance that I have read before. Gritty, heart-breaking and emotional, my heart broke for Georgiana as she tried to face her past in order to move on in her life. Rafe is the perfect hero - strong and protective, but also unbelievably tender and vulnerable at times. With danger closing in, ghosts from both of their pasts reappearing, and sizzling sexual encounters, THE ICE DUCHESS by Amy Rose Bennett was a compelling read from start to finish. This is my first time reading Amy Rose Bennett but it most certainly will not be my last. BOOK RATING - 📖📖📖📖📖 5+ Author Bio: Amy Rose Bennett has always wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. An avid reader with a particular love for historical romance, it seemed only natural to write stories in her favourite genre. She has a passion for creating emotion-packed—and sometimes a little racy—stories set in the Georgian and Regency periods. Of course, her strong-willed heroines and rakish heroes always find their happily ever after. Amy is happily married to her own Alpha male hero, has two beautiful daughters and a rather loopy Rhodesian Ridgeback. She has been a speech pathologist for many years, but is currently devoting her time to her one other true calling—writing romance. For more information: Website - amyrosebennett.com Twitter - twitter.com/AmyRoseBennett Facebook - www.facebook.com/amyrosebennett.author *Book received from Secret Realm Book Reviews & Services in exchange for an honest review
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 Book length - 320 pages
Available on - www.amazon.com | www.amazon.co.uk BLURB Golden peonies bowing their heads beneath blue delphinium bells. Delicate pink anemones threaded between freckled green orchids. Soft apricot roses woven together with velvety purple irises. Every bouquet tells a story. And every story begins at Blossom & Grow, a tiny jewel-like flower shop in the heart of Dublin. Here, among the buckets of fragrant blooms, beneath the flickering candles and lanterns, Lara works her magic. Translating feelings into flower arrangements that change hearts and lives. But what about her own heart? Has she really healed since she lost her chance to be a mother? What will happen when her own story takes a sudden turn? Can the flowers that heal the customers work their magic on the florist? Drawing together a delightful cast of characters, Ella Griffin brings her warmth, wit and wisdom to a captivating tale woven around a Dublin florist.  Release date - 4th October 2016
Book length - 304 pages Available on - www.amazon.com | www.amazon.co.uk When Julia Padden comes into contact with her surly neighbour Cain Maddox, she cannot understand what his problem is, and when she catches him taking her newspaper, she is determined to teach him a lesson. Working full-time, playing piano for the choir, and volunteering with kids, means that Julia is always busy, but in order to get the job of her dreams, she must also start a blog for the month of December that will attract as many followers as possible. And that is when a unique idea occurs. What if she killed her grumpy neighbour with kindness for the next twelve days of Christmas, and document it on the blog? What harm could it cause? But as Julia soon learns, looks can be deceptive, and sometimes you find what you need when you least expect it. Cain Maddox has accepted his solitary existence. Having been abandoned as a child and later learned first hand that love only hurts, he is determined to keep his walls firmly in place. But when his super-chirpy, always happy, neighbour Julia refuses to take a hint and leave him alone, he finds himself softening towards her. But as secrets start to emerge can he really trust her? TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber is a beautifully written, festive tale of love, understanding and finding what you need. Both of the main characters have had bad experiences with relationships, but they hide it in different ways - Cain puts on a sharp, abrupt facade, while Julia hides behind a sunny, breezy attitude. As the Christmas spirit spreads throughout the novel, their real hopes, dreams, and fears come alive and we hope that they can find their way through their insecurities to find love. With hilarious moments throughout, and a lot of festive goodness, TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber is the perfect Christmas read to get you into the holiday mood. A truly delightful, happy read! BOOK RATING - 📖📖📖📖📖 5+ Author Bio: Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 950 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Ten of these novels hit the number one spot. In 2016, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publications include A Girl’s Guide to Moving On (February), Sweet Tomorrows (August), and Twelve Days of Christmas(October) and an adult coloring book, The World of Debbie Macomber: Come Home To Color (April). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published two bestselling cookbooks, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books. Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and five have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons. Macomber owns two businesses in Port Orchard, WA, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series. These include The Grey House Café, formerly the Victorian Rose Tea Room, featured in the Cedar Cove Series, and A Good Yarn Shop, introduced in her popular Blossom Street novels. They are located on the Village Square campus, which also serves as Debbie’s corporate headquarters. She and her husband, Wayne, serve on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, and she is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington and winter in Florida. For more information: Website - debbiemacomber.com Twitter - twitter.com/debbiemacomber Facebook - twitter.com/debbiemacomber *Book received from Netgalley.com  Release date - 21st September 2016 Book length - 190 pages Available on - www.amazon.co.uk | www.amazon.com REVIEW It is 1841 and like so many of the villages in Scotland at that time, Ceannabeinne is under threat of eviction from the Master. Through the eyes of a spirited twelve-year-old, Janet, we are transported back in time to when life was tough and family and friendship meant survival against the odds. As Janet prepares to fight to stop their homes getting burned down in front of their very eyes, will her selfless interference cause more trouble? And as the day draws near when the Sheriff will clear them out by force, can luck step in and give them a reprieve? With echoes of the past shown through Janet's Granna's memories, we get to feel the fear, sadness, and anger that is boiling beneath the surface of the Scottish people. And with beautifully detailed descriptions and hypnotic narrative, the villagers and their plight comes alive in front of your very eyes. FIR FOR LUCK by Barbara Henderson is an emotional debut that brings the harshness of history to light, but also displays the true meaning of friendship, loyalty, and never-wavering love. In the vein of Marita Conlon-McKenna's Under the Hawthorn Tree, FIR FOR LUCK by Barbara Henderson is a story that should be read by children and adults alike, and I look forward to reading more from this talented author. BOOK RATING - 📖📖📖📖📖 5+ AUTHOR FEATURE As all writers know research is vital to any story. Find out what Barbara Henderson had to say about the research involved in FIR FOR LUCK (and there are photos too!): RESEARCH I did not set out to write historical fiction. Mainly because I’m no historian. Don't get me wrong, I love history. I find it fascinating how we used to live, interact, react, make sense of the world. I love to read it, too - those books that take you into a different world, rich with detail, evocative, stirring the senses. One of my favourite children’s books is The Executioner’s Daughter, a fantastic re-imagining of life in the Tower of London during the Tudor reign. But in all the five unpublished manuscripts I had written before Fir for Luck, I had not ventured into historical territory at all. There were contemporary school-based stories, a dystopian novel, one set on a Hebridean island, some light-hearted stuff; but history? No, that was too hard. It would require more than imagination. It would require accuracy, attention to detail, self-discipline. RESEARCH. I am not hardwired to care about detail. At all. I’m the sort of person who gets things started, the one to run away with a big idea, but I tend to let other people worry about the nitty-gritty bits and bobs that require actual effort. The thing is; I didn’t search out the story of Fir for Luck. As I explained at the very beginning of this blog tour, it found me: I visited the place, my imagination cooked up the story, and I now I suddenly had to figure out what the scaffolding was on which I could pin my tale. The shape of the story wasn’t mine to decide. It was already out there - I just had to find it. I took photos of every display and sign on the Ceannabeinne Trail as I visited it. That meant I had a record of the basics. Tracking down the original piece of local historical research really helped, and I was incredibly lucky that its author was generous enough to read my first draft and give me feedback on it. I revisited the place as often as I could - one luxurious sunny day, my husband actually looked after the children and gave me the car so I could explore. I ran down the hill like Janet, navigated the cliffs above Rispond where Janet catches up with the Superintendent’s horse, peered up and down the road from the schoolhouse to decide what could and couldn’t be seen from here. I stepped across the burn like Isabella and stood where the cottages lay ruined, imagining the village elder’s house and the Seamstress’s beside. One particularly happy day, I spent visiting the Strathnaver Museum, touching the tools, feeling the fabrics that would have formed everyday life for people like Janet. Whatever did we do before phones had cameras? I clicked this way and that, just to make sure that I couldn’t forget a thing. Back at home I printed the best of the pictures and hung them on the wall above my desk, making the transition from myevery-day to Janet’s every-day as quick and smooth as possible, whenever I found snatched moments in which I could write. In the end, I stuck to a fairly simple timeline of non-negotiable events and characters, to which I added my own imaginative twist. I didn’t feel compelled to mention every single thing we know about the village at the time: pace was essential. The best research treasure I came across was a census list of the actual tenants of Ceannabeinne, the year before eviction. Even when I think about it, a small shiver runs down my spine: real names and ages and occupations. Real families who lived through the actual evictions I describe. I didn’t use their original names (pretty much everyone was called Mackay anyway), but swapped first names and second names around where possible. The occupations listed are the jobs my characters do. I loved that nod to authenticity. It wasn’t all reading and ancient documents either. There were many phone calls, watching of a village re-enactment video, countless first-hand accounts of the Strathnaver Clearances, re-reading and watching of John McGrath’s first-class The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black Black Oil. YouTube clips of Gaelic psalm-singing came incredibly handy. Not too bad, this research lark, I thought. Maybe I can do detail after all. P.S. I’m currently researching Victorian Inverness for my work-in-progress. Let’s see where the research takes me. 
I would like to thank Barbara for taking the time to write this informative piece for my blog. Fascinating stuff!!  Author Bio: I’m a writer (Fir for Luck out 21/09/16), puppeteer and drama teacher living in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland. First and foremost, my writing is aimed at children, but I also enjoy dabbling in short stories and Drama. I’m in the process of re-starting a book festival in my hometown of Inverness and have just signed up to co-ordinate the Highland Hub of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators).I love books, nature’s wild places, history, baking, folk music (I fiddle badly in my church band), old buildings, mosaics, Celtic Christianity, thick woolly jumpers…Oh yes: And I do have a soft spot for all things puppetry. You have been warned! For more information: Website - www.barbarahenderson.co.uk Twitter - twitter.com/scattyscribbler Facebook - www.facebook.com/barbarahendersonwriter/ *Book received from author in exchange for an honest review  Release date - 1st October 2016
Book length - 164 pages Available on - www.amazon.com | www.amazon.co.uk BLURB Siren…or Sinner? With her long blond hair and flowy skirts, Rhys Glover's new neighbor is the sexiest woman he's ever seen. He quickly learns she's also free-spirited and impulsive—the total opposite of his own personality. They should be like oil and water. Instead, the chemistry between them is like oxygen and flame. But when Rhys's next assignment for Cobalt & Dane security leads him right back to Wren, Rhys begins to walk a very fine line between ethics and desire. He believes he can trust Wren, but can he trust himself when he's with her? And if she is keeping her own dangerous secrets, will he be able to walk away?  Release date - 21st August 2016
Book length - 249 pages Available on - www.amazon.com | www.amazon.co.uk The day Lily walks in on her husband of three months, Marc, cheating on her with a glamorous actress, is the day that her life starts to tumble down one block at a time. Not only has Marc cheated but he wastes no time in moving in with his mistress, and flaunts his new romance in every Irish magazine that he can find. Even though Lily despises her job as call-centre supervisor, she is gutted when she gets the sack, and with an older sister that is intent on pointing out her flaws and her mistakes, Lily is not in a good place right now. But as her best friend, Frankie, and her sweet-natured dad rally around her, and help her see herself for who she really is, maybe she can pull herself out of the messiness of her life. But as things finally start to look up with a new career and a new man interested in her, her ex realises what he has lost. But does he deserve a second chance? Or does Lily deserve a second chance at the life she always wanted?  Release date - 25th July 2016
Available on - www.amazon.com | www.amazon.co.uk On the outside, Sarah Lacey has a perfect life - living in London with her husband Hugo, her two beautiful little girls, working from home as a freelance writer, and looking in on her special great-aunt Ines. But looks can be deceiving. Sarah is lost. Unhappy in her marriage which has become stale, with a man who is more of a roommate than a husband. So when Sarah gets offered a writing commission that will take her to Portugal, she jumps at the chance. Even though it brings back her memories of her short time there all those years ago. That unbelievable time that will forever live in her heart. Her time with him... But her own experience is not the only link that Sarah has to Portugal - after all, Ines is Portuguese. Her wonderful stories and beautiful descriptions of Portugal always made Sarah long to be there. And when Ines finds out that Sarah is returning to her homeland, she gives Sarah her journal from all those years ago and asks her to take it on her journey with her. When Sarah arrives in Lisbon, nothing will ever be the same again, for the man who stole her heart all those years ago is also visiting. But there is nothing wrong with two old friends catching up, is there? As Sarah tries to work her way through her own feelings of regret, loss, and lack of identity, reading Ines's journal seems to show echoes of her own feelings. But the more that Sarah learns about Ines, the more she realises that she never really knew her great-aunt at all. With her family at stake, will unravelling Ines's past help Sarah figure out her future?  Release date - 27th September 2016
Book Length - 286 pages Available on - www.amazon.com | www.amazon.co.uk Jess Culpepper needs a change of scene for a while. Now divorced from her cheating ex, and still grieving the death of one of her best friends, Lacy, Jess just wants to escape her small hometown of Morning Glory. So when she gets offered a short-term contract working as a nurse in Florida, she jumps at the opportunity. And by living on the beach, Jess feels she is also close to achieving Lacy's final request for her. Jess really wants to figure out what she wants from life but she is sure of one thing, she definitely doesn't want to risk her heart ever again. But when she helps out her sexy neighbour who happens to be a blast from the past, life is about to get very interesting... Ryan Reyes walked away from his lucrative scientific career because he was tired. Tired of being the nerd, the workaholic, the lonely guy who watched everyone else be happy. Packing it in and moving to Florida, where he runs a Charter fishing business, Ryan has reinvented himself - after all, working out, being fit, and having casual flings is what a normal guy does, right? But when he sets eyes on his former school crush, the bullied nerd from all those years ago echoes inside. As the chemistry explodes between Jess and Ryan, they both struggle with who they really are, and other people's expectations, and when a visit to Morning Glory dredges up both of their pasts, will their new-found feelings survive the trip? |
WelcomeHi fellow bookworms. My name is Linda and I'm a reviewer & blogger, wife & mother who loves all things books! 
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