Guest Book Review: Catherine Alliott - My Husband Next Door

Reviewed by Janine Cobain

When Ella married the handsome, celebrated artist Sebastian Montclair at just nineteen she was madly in love. Now, those blissful years of marriage have turned into the very definition of an unconventional set-up. Separated in every way but distance, Sebastian resides in an outhouse across the lawn from Ella's ramshackle farmhouse.

With an ex-husband living under her nose and a home crowded by hostile teenaged children, gender-confused chickens - not to mention her hyper critical mother whose own marriage slips spectacularly off the rails - Ella finds comfort in the company of the very charming gardener, Ludo.

Then out of the blue Sebastian decides to move on, catching Ella horribly unawares. How much longer can she hide from what really destroyed her marriage . . . and the secret she continues to keep?

Guest Book Review: Henriette Gyland - The Elephant Girl

Reviewed by Danielle Pullen

Peek-a-boo I see you ...

When five-year-old Helen Stephens witnesses her mother's murder, her whole world comes crumbling down. Rejected by her extended family, Helen is handed over to child services and learns to trust no-one but herself. Twenty years later, her mother's killer is let out of jail, and Helen swears vengeance.

Jason Moody runs a halfway house, desperate to distance himself from his father's gangster dealings. But when Helen shows up on his doorstep, he decides to dig into her past, and risks upsetting some very dangerous people.

As Helen begins to question what really happened to her mother, Jason is determined to protect her. But Helen is getting too close to someone who'll stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden ...

Books Read: Sinead Moriarty - Mad About You

Emma and James Hamilton have weathered lots of storms in their ten-year marriage. From the heartbreak of infertility, to the craziness of then becoming parents to two babies in one year, to coping with James losing his job, somehow they have always worked as a team.

However, the pressure of moving from Dublin to London for James's new job - away from familiar surroundings and the family Emma loves - puts them under stress like never before. So when James starts getting texts from a stranger - texts that show startling insights into their lives - Emma is not sure what to think. She is far from home, isolated and before long finds herself questioning everything about their relationship.

Maybe those texts are telling the truth and the life she believed to be solid and secure is just a mirage. Somehow she has to get a grip, but how can she do that when a stranger is set on driving Emma out of her home and marriage! 

Guest Book Review: Sarah Stovell - the Night Flower

Reviewed by Lisa Bentley

Two girls are brought together under the worst of circumstances: a prison ship taking them from London to 'parts beyond the sea'. 

Miriam is a Romany girl drawn from freedom in the hills of the North-West to the city to eke a living playing her tin-whistle in a place where her people are despised. When her mother dies - from cholera, the 'gypsy disease' - she's caught breaking-and-entering and sentenced to transportation.

Rose has been brought up to expect more, but when her husband dies and her father is sent down for illegal slave-trading, she's separated from her children and forced to take a governess's job. When she's caught stealing, the judge shows no mercy.

Surviving - just - an appalling voyage, the two arrive just after Christmas into the blinding sun of the strange new island: Van Dieman's Land. Here they are sent to work in a nursery, where women of ill-repute give birth before being sent for correction. The nursery is run by a corrupt, debauched Reverend and his idealistic son, who soon takes a fancy to Miriam. But Rose, her best friend and close confidant, watches jealously and makes plans to reverse their fortunes.

Books Read: Kate Kerrigan - Land of Dreams

1940s Hollywood. A new life. A new love. 

A mother's love, a woman's ambition and a Hollywood romance in a time of war. Land of Dreams is the stunning third novel in the Ellis Island trilogy which began with young, determined Ellie Hogan's arrival in New York from the poverty of rural Ireland in the 1920s.
  
The 1940s sees a threat to Ellie's idyllic and bohemian family lifestyle on Fire Island when her eldest son, Leo, runs away to Hollywood to see his fame and fortune.  Ellie is compelled to chase after him, uprooting her youngest son and long-time friend and confidante Bridie as she goes.

Ellie fashions a new home amongst the celebrities, artists and movie moguls of the day to appease Leo's star-studded dreams. As she carves out a new way of life, Ellie is drawn towards intense new friendships. Talented composer Stan is completely different to any other man she has previously encountered whilst kindred spirit Suri opens Ellie's eyes to a whole new set of injustices. 

Ellie sees beyond the glitz of 1940s Hollywood, realising that the glamorous and exciting world is also a dangerous place overflowing with vanity and greed. It is up to Ellie to protect her precious family from the disappointments such surroundings can bring and also from the more menacing threats radiating from the war raging in Europe.

Books Read: Mandasue Heller - Broke

How low would you go to protect your own?

Amy only wants a happy family - instead, she's in a nightmare of pain.

Her marriage to Mark isn't the best - he can't hold down a job, he's got a bit of a temper. But she doesn't want to know just how bad things are until his gambling habit brings Lenny Yates to her door. He makes it brutally clear how she can pay off Mark's debts.

And Amy's troubles are only beginning. Now there's another woman in Mark's life, who wants Mark for herself. She is ready to steal Amy's man, her self-respect and even her children.

As the stakes rise, Amy will either lose everything, or she'll have to learn how to stand up to her enemies...

Guest Book Review: Melanie Jones - L'Amour Actually

Reviewed by Janine Cobain

“The woman was one of those irritating expat types who felt she owed it to the world to impart on her all her superior knowledge of life in France. I realised that if I didn’t stop her now, she’d be bending my ear all the way to Bergerac.

‘Actually,’ I said, leaning in toward the woman, ‘I’m planning to integrate my way into the boxers of the first good-looking Frenchman I see. Can’t think of any better way to learn the language myself. You wouldn’t happen to know the French for “fancy a shag?” would you? Voulez-vous coucher avec moi just seems a bit nineteen-seventies these days.’ 

After one particularly bad day at work, advertising executive and confirmed city girl Melanie Jones decides to give up her old life in search of something new and simpler in South West France. With little knowledge of the country, even less of the language and just the memory of a disastrous school French exchange and a few day trips to Calais, she embarks on her adventure with a suitcase full of optimism and not a little bit of naivety. After all, how different can life in France be? 

After a series of adventures with skirt-ripping tractors, handsome twin farmers, celebrity not-quite-beens, unusual toilets and a bonkers ex-pat community, all topped up, of course, with lashings of rosé, Melanie begins to discover that her new life in France isn’t quite what she’d thought it would be.”

Books Read: Debbie Macomber - Rose Harbor in Bloom

Welcome to the Rose Harbor Inn, where every room has an inspiring new view, and every guest finds a second chance...

Jo Marie has started to feel at home running the Rose Harbor Inn. Now it's springtime, and in memory of her late husband, Paul, Jo Marie has designed a beautiful rose garden for the property and enlisted handyman Mark Taylor to help make it happen. Jo Marie and Mark don't always see eye-to-eye but deep down, she finds great comfort in his company. And while she still seeks a sense of closure, she welcomes her latest guests, who are on their own journeys.

Annie arrives in town to organise her grandparents' fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration. But she's struggling to move on from her broken engagement, and her grandparents themselves seem to be having trouble getting along. But all the best parties end with a surprise, and Annie is in for the biggest one of all.

Mary has achieved incredible success in business, yet serious illness has led her to face her sole regret in life. Almost nineteen years ago, she ended her relationship with her true love, George, and now she has returned to Cedar Cove to make amends.

Together, the women discover that sometimes you have to travel far from home to find the place where you really belong.

Books Read: Diane Chamberlain - Necessary Lies

North Carolina, 1960. Newlywed Jane Forrester, fresh out of university, is seeking what most other women have shunned: a career.

But life as a social worker is far from what she expected. Out amongst the rural Tobacco fields of Grace County, Jane encounters a world of extreme poverty that is far removed from the middle-class life she has grown up with.

But worse is still to come. Working with the Hart family and their fifteen-year-old daughter Ivy, it’s not long before Jane uncovers a shocking secret, and is thrust into a moral dilemma that puts her career on the line, threatens to dissolve her marriage, and ultimately, determines the fate of Ivy and her family forever.

Soon Jane is forced to take drastic action, and before long, there is no turning back.

Debut Spotlight: Jennifer Burke

If you're a regular follower of the blog then you will have discovered by now that I am a huge fan of Irish fiction and authors so I'm delighted to be able to introduce you to a new Irish author, Jennifer Burke, whose debut book The Secret Son is being published by Poolbeg Press next week.

After the death of his wealthy father Liam in a car crash, Seán Murtagh flies home to Wicklow for the funeral. There he is stunned to discover that Liam’s will disinherits his family and leaves everything – including the family home – to a secret son, Andrew Shaw.

The news fills the Shaw family with hope. Twenty-year-old Andrew is in desperate need of a kidney transplant, and for him the inheritance may mean the difference between life and death.

However, the lives of Andrew, his devoted older sister Tors and young brother Jack are disrupted when their mother insists they move from their home in Kerry to Wicklow to stake their claim under the will. There they live in a tiny bungalow on the sea front, while the Murtaghs take steps to contest the will.

Gradually, both Seán Murtagh and Tors Shaw recognise the need to seek some middle ground but that seems impossible, such is the hostility between the families and the burning resentment that exists between the mothers.

Andrew Shaw’s focus, however, is not on the question of the inheritance. There is something else he needs from the Murtaghs ... something only they can give him . . .

Guest Book Review: Carol E. Wyer - Just Add Spice

Reviewed by Lisa Bentley

   Escape from reality comes in patent-leather Prada kneeboots

Dawn Ellis needs to escape from her painfully dull existence. Her unemployed husband spends all day complaining about life, moping around, or fixing lawnmowers on her kitchen table. The local writing class proves to be an adequate distraction with its eccentric collection of wannabe authors and, of course, the enigmatic Jason, who soon shows a romantic interest in her.

Dawn pours her inner frustrations into her first novel about the extraordinary exploits of Cinnamon Knight, an avenging angel -- a woman who doesn't believe in following the rules. Cinnamon is ruthless and wanton, inflicting suffering on any man who warrants it. Little does Dawn realise that soon the line between reality and fiction will blur. Her own life will be transformed, and those close to her will pay the price.  Find out what happens in Just Add Spice. 

Author Interview: Mary Simses

Today I have a Q&A with Mary Simses as part of her blog tour for her debut book The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe which has just been published here in the UK.   

Can you tell us a little bit about the Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café?
It’s a novel about a 35-year-old attorney named Ellen Branford who leads a fast-paced life as a partner in a large New York City law firm. Her grandmother dies, unexpectedly, one weekend when Ellen is visiting her at her home in Connecticut, and, just before she dies, she asks Ellen to deliver a letter. The letter is to a man who Ellen’s grandmother knew when she was young. Ellen leaves Manhattan and her fiancé, Hayden, who is also a lawyer, and travels to the small coastal town of Beacon, Maine (where her grandmother grew up) to deliver the letter. Shortly after Ellen’s arrival, she falls through the rotted boards of a dock, gets swept away by a rip current, and is rescued by a local carpenter named Roy. Ellen’s plan of delivering her grandmother’s letter and quickly returning to New York soon goes astray, but Ellen discovers some interesting secrets about her grandmother’s past and some insights about herself as well.

Where did the inspiration come from for this story?
The idea came from something I heard on the radio one morning. A woman told a story about how just before her grandmother died, she said, “Erase my hard drive.” I began to wonder what that grandmother had on her computer that she wanted to keep secret. It led me to think about a much broader range of questions, such as what someone in their later years might want to change about the life they had lived and what regrets they might have about decisions they’d made. All of that led to the idea of an elderly woman reviewing her life and feeling the need to set certain things right before she died. I used a letter as the object that would get the story going, as I wanted something old-fashioned and tangible, but the computer-hard-drive story is what led me to write the book.

Debut Spotlight: Grace Henderson

My debut spotlight guest today is Grace Henderson who has just self-published her debut book Sweet Deception.  

Three years ago, tragedy struck Cassie Wilson’s family and pushed her away from her hometown. Now, one phone call pulls her right back…

Cassie’s had more than her fair share of heartbreak and the last thing on her mind is finding love. But when she meets the charming, arrogant and drop-dead gorgeous Blake Richards, she has to decide whether she can open up her heart to him.

Blake has a bad rep with women but that doesn’t stop them lining up to spend the night with him. What he wants, he gets. And he wants Cassie.

The attraction is obvious, but Cassie soon realises he’s holding something back. When his past threatens to destroy his future, will he share his most guarded secret with her? A secret that connects them both in ways neither could have imagined.

Books Read: Nele Neuhaus - Snow White Must Die

On a September evening eleven years ago, two 17-year-old girls vanished without a trace from the tiny village of Altenhain, just outside Frankfurt. In a trial based on circumstantial evidence 20-year-old Tobias Sartorius was convicted and imprisoned for the murder of his childhood friend Laura and his beautiful girlfriend Stefanie – otherwise known as Snow White.

After serving his sentence, Tobias returns home. His presence in the little German village stirs up the events of the past. Events that the locals would prefer to remain hidden. When the Sartorius family is subjected to a number of attacks, Detective Inspector Pia Kirchhoff and DS Oliver von Bodenstein are tasked with monitoring the tense atmosphere in the tight-knit community. As the village inhabitants close ranks it becomes apparent the disappearance of Snow White and her friend was far more complex than imagined.

Then history starts to repeat itself in a disastrous manner when another pretty girl goes missing. The police are thrown into a race against time. Will they be able to save her, or is she destined to die?

Books Read: V.M Giambanco - The Gift of Darkness

Twenty-five years ago in the woods near the Hoh River in Seattle, three boys were kidnapped. One did not come home. 

A quarter of a decade later, a family of four is found brutally murdered, the words thirteen days scratched near their lifeless bodies. 

Homicide Detective Alice Madison ran away from home as a child, one breath away from committing an unforgivable act; as an adult, she found her peace chasing the very worst humanity has to offer. Madison believes these murders are linked. And she has thirteen days to prove it. 

To stop a psychopath, Madison must go back into the woods and confront the unsolved mystery of the Hoh River Boys. She must forget her training and follow her instincts to the terrifying end as enemies become allies and, in the silent forest, time is running out to save another life.

Lack of reviews

You may have noticed that there has been a distinct lack of reviews on the blog this week, this isn't due to me not having read, I have actually managed to finish 4 books this week, it's due to circumstances outside of my control, both work and personal. 

I've been a bit down this week which has affected my mood and in turn anything I've tried to write, I did attempt to write a couple of reviews earlier this week but they were utter rubbish and so rather than post something I wasn't happy with I've decided to leave them until later. 

I hate not writing up reviews as soon as I've finished reading books as think it's only fair to the author and/or publishers who have sent me the books to review them as soon as physically possible.

But I'm hoping that my slump is well and truly over as today I've woken up feeling in a lot brighter mood which I'm hoping will reignite my writing juices to enable me to catch up with the 6 outstanding reviews. It might take me a while to catch up but I'll get there... 

Author Interview & Giveaway: Mandasue Heller

Today I'm delighted to bestselling author Mandasue Heller to my blog as part of her blog tour to promote her latest book Broke.  Mandasue kindly agreed to answer some questions so I'll hand you over to her... 

Tell us something about yourself that your readers probably don’t already know?
I have worked at many jobs, from phone-tarot reader to pharmacy assistant, but my very first job was meant to have been as a trainee mortuary technician. I was offered the position and was shown exactly what happens in an autopsy, and what I would be expected to do, but changed my mind at the last minute and moved to London to live with my sister for a year instead.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to be a crime writer?
I’ve always been fascinated by the darker side of life and, in my younger days, was an avid reader of anything that was considered taboo. I’d always enjoyed writing, mainly poetry which I later turned into lyrics for my songs, but had never considered making a serious attempt to write an actual book until illness forced me to take a long break from singing. Crime was the natural genre for me, as I had witnessed and experienced so much of it throughout my life. My first piece was an account of having been attacked by a man who broke into my house and hit me on the head with a claw hammer while I was holding my then 10 week old son in my arms. I wrote about it years later in the hope that it would release the fear, pain, and anger I’d suffered ever since. It did exorcise some of the demons, but it was too personal for anyone else to read. I had enjoyed the act of writing, though, so I decided to keep myself out of it and write about fictitious characters instead. And I used the Hulme Crescents as my setting, because that was where I had experienced most of the stuff I subsequently put my characters through.

Giveaway: Win a copy of Elysian Fields by Suzanne Johnson

I have today received a copy of Elysian Fields, the third book in the Sentinels of New Orleans series, by Suzanne Johnson to review.  But as I've currently got a backlog, and fantasy books are not really the type of book I would normally read, I've decided to offer it to you as a giveaway prize to one of you instead.

New Orleans is under attack from a copycat who is mimicking the crimes of a serial killer who terrorized the streets almost a century earlier. 

Drusilla Jaco could happily live without the advances of the 200-year-old undead pirate Jean Lafitte, but through him DJ learns the terrible truth: this is no copycat - someone has resurrected the original Axeman of New Orleans. And to make matters worse, the attacks aren't random at all. He's after her.

So there's an undead serial killer on her back. A loup-garou who's going loco. The Elders are insisting on magic lessons from the world's most annoying wizard. And former partner - and sometime Neanderthal - Alex Warin has just turned up on DJ's to-do list. 

DJ is about to discover that life in Louisiana has more twists and turns than the mighty Mississippi.

Author Interview: Hazel Osmond

Today I'm delighted to welcome Hazel Osmond to my blog for a bit of a natter.  Her latest book Playing Grace is published today so happy publication day Hazel, hope you'll be celebrating in style.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book ‘Playing Grace’?
Gladly.  The Grace of the title is a very calm, organised person who likes her routines and works for a company that organises art tours in London. When a brash young American guy called Tate joins the company to give tours on more cutting-edge art, weird things start to happen – pictures get stolen from galleries and Grace’s life starts to unravel. As it does, the reason why Grace keeps herself so in control, start to emerge.

Where did the inspiration come from?
I’ve always been interested in people who re-invent themselves – pretend to be something they aren’t because they’re trying to hide from their past in some way. I was thinking about that and how you could probably get away with it unless you came up against someone who didn’t have that British sense of reserve and so wouldn’t back off. I liked the idea of avery stiff upper lip woman trying to keep an over enthusiastic American guy at arm’s length.

Author Interview: Sarah Stovell

Today I am taking part in Sarah Stovell's blog tour for her latest book The Night Flower which is published this Thursday by Tindal Street Press.  Sarah kindly agreed to answer a few questions so I'll hand you over to Sarah.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? 
Yes. Always.

Have you ever had writer’s block? 
I’ve had the odd day where things aren’t going well, but no, I’ve been lucky enough not to suffer from any kind of long-term block so far.

If you weren’t a writer, what career path would you have chosen to follow?
At 21, I probably would have gone for media or something like that, though in reality I don’t think I’d have survived. Now, I often wish I’d become a left-wing politician. More likely, however, I’d have been an English teacher. It’s still quite likely that I will become an English teacher.

Can you tell us a little bit about The Night Flower?
It’s set in the 1840s and is about a young Gypsy girl who burgles a house and is sentenced to seven years’ transportation.

Guest Book Review: Julia Williams - Midsummer Magic

Reviewed by Lisa Bentley

On a balmy summer evening, anything can happen...

Recently engaged Josie is visiting her parents in Cornwall with best friend Diane, fiancée Harry and his pal Ant. 

As the four have a drink in the local pub, they encounter TV hypnotist Freddie Puck who convinces them to take part in a dare.  Local mythology predicts that an evening by the standing stones will lead to everlasting happiness.  But as evening falls, not everyone seems to have remembered the boundaries of love...

Debut Spotlight: Jamie Baywood

Tonight's debut spotlight is something a little different as it's highlighting the debut novel from Jamie Baywood writing about her own experiences about moving to New Zealand.

Craving change and lacking logic, at 26, Jamie, a cute and quirky Californian, impulsively moves to New Zealand to avoid dating after reading that the country's population has 100,000 fewer men. In her journal, she captures a hysterically honest look at herself, her past and her new wonderfully weird world filled with curious characters and slapstick situations in unbelievably bizarre jobs. It takes a zany jaunt to the end of the Earth and a serendipitous meeting with a fellow traveler before Jamie learns what it really means to get rooted.

Books Read: Tasmina Perry - Deep Blue Sea

Beneath the shimmering surface lies a dark secret...

Diana and Julian Denver have the world at their feet. With a blissful marriage, a darling son and beautiful homes in London and the country, Diana's life, to the outside world, is perfect. But nothing is as it seems...

When Julian dies suddenly and tragically, Diana is convinced there is more to it than meets the eye. She calls on the one person she had never wanted to see again - her sister, Rachel.

A former tabloid reporter, Rachel appears to be living the dream as a diving instructor on a Thai island. The truth is she's in exile, estranged from her family and driven from her career by Fleet Street's phone-hacking scandal.

For Rachel, Diana's request opens old wounds. But she is determined to make amends for the past, and embarks on a treacherous journey to uncover the truth - wherever it may lead...

Giveaway: Win a copy of Frisky Business by Clodagh Murphy & Lifesaving for Beginners by Ciara Geraghty

Last week I was lucky enough to win a Twitter competition run by Hachette Ireland for a copy of Frisky Business and Lifesaving for Beginners (click on the name of the book for link to Amazon to read the book blurbs).  

But as it's sunny and I've already read and reviewed both books previously, I've decided to run another giveaway to give one of you lucky peeps the chance to win these for yourself. To enter, simply enter your details into the Rafflecopter form below.

Guest Post & Giveaway: Eliza Watson talks about her cameo appearance in Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir

My personality and quirks often sneak into my books. Sometimes I realize it, and sometimes I don’t. The following are several appearances I make in my new women’s fiction book, Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir.

I fell in love with Paris while studying at the Sorbonne for a college semester, and I’ve since visited there several times. Being a writer, people watching is one of my favorite pastimes. I have discovered many characters while riding the Métro or strolling around Paris. Every walk sparks an idea for a character, setting, or scene. It’s a city that inspires creativity, which is why I’ve set two books there.

I’m an event planner like the book’s protagonist, Samantha. I’m all-too-familiar with the type of challenges she faces throughout the book—even though they are fictional—and it was easy to make her suffer, which of course makes her stronger in the end. 

Harper's Bazaar Spring short story competition

Are you a budding writer with undiscovered talent?  Do you love writing short stories?  Do you love Spring?  If the answer to any of these questions is 'Yes' then I may just have heard of the perfect opportunity for you.

Harper's Bazaar have this week launched a short story competition, details can be found here, which is open to previously published and novice writers on the subject of Spring.  

Entrants will need to write a Spring-related 3,000 short story and submit their entries to shortstory@harpersbazaar.co.uk by 13th December.   So what could you win?

• Winning entry will be published in the May 2014 issue of Harper's Bazaar plus they get to pick a first-edition book from Asprey's Fine and Rare Books Dept to the value of £3,000
• The winner will also enjoy a week long retreat at Eilean Shona House, a 2,000-acre private island off the west coast of Scotland, where JM Barrie wrote Peter Pan

So what are you waiting for... pick up your pens and get writing ;-)  

Guest Post & Giveaway: My Favourite Novels by Catherine Alliott

Today I'm delighted to welcome Catherine Alliott as part of her blog tour for her latest book My Husband Next Door was published last week.  I was fortunate enough to be sent an advance copy but due to lack of time I've not managed to read it yet but will be reviewing this shortly so keep an eye out for it to see what I think.   

Catherine has kindly written a guest post for us talking about a few of her favourite books, are any of these your favourites too?

Love in a Cold Climate is such a wonderfully witty novel it opened my eyes to the possibilities of comedic writing.   Despite the glamorous Radlett and Hampton families, Nancy Mitford provides us with a sensible and down to earth narrator in Fanny.  Not nearly as beautiful or as wild as her exotic cousins, Fanny is far easier to identify with and the novel is an eloquent reminder that the best way to write about frivolous young things, is from the vantage point of the outsider looking in.

Anne Tyler is probably my favourite contemporary novelist.  She's so good yet she never draws attention to her writing, she lets you forget it.   Back When We Were Grownups is a wry and comic tale about a woman who feels herself disappearing in middle age and tries to claw back the sense of who she once was before she became consumed by her dead husband's family.

Guest Book Review: Jean Burnett - Who Needs Mr Darcy?

Reviewed by Lisa Bentley

Mr Wickham turned out to be a disappointing husband in many ways, the most notable being his early demise on the battlefields of Waterloo. And so Lydia Wickham, nee Bennet, must make her fortune independently.

A lesser woman, without Lydia's natural ability to flirt uproariously on the dance floor and cheat seamlessly at the card table, would swoon in the wake of a dashing highwayman, a corrupt banker and even an amorous Royal or two. But on the hunt for a marriage that will make her rich, there's nothing that Lydia won't turn her hand to.

Taking in London, Paris and Brighton, The Bad Miss Bennet details the charming, lively and somewhat dastardly exploits of the youngest Bennet sister. Pride and Prejudice this isn't and Mr Darcy certainly won't be rescuing her this time.

Author Interview: Lori Nelson Spielman

I am thrilled to be kicking off the UK blog tour to promote The Life List by debut author Lori Nelson Spielman which was published last week by Arrow.  Lori kindly agreed to answer a few questions to tell us a little bit about herself and the book so I'll hand you over to her.

Tell us a little about yourself
Aside from a year spent in Florida following grad school, and a sabbatical in D.C. a year ago, I’ve lived in Michigan my entire life. I was raised in the sweet little town of Grand Ledge, attended Central Michigan University and Michigan State University. I currently live with my husband in an old, treelined East Lansing neighbourhood. I work for the Lansing Public Schools—initially as a speech/language pathologist, later as a high school guidance counsellor, and now as a homebound teacher.

Tell us about your debut novel, The Life List
The Life List tells the story of a young woman who embarks on a year-long journey of self-discovery after her mother passes away and leaves her an inheritance with one big stipulation — in order to receive it she must complete the items on the “life list” of goals she made for herself when she was 14.

Debut Spotlight: Lorna Peel

The latest author to go under the debut spotlight is Lorna Peel whose first book Only You was published by Entranced Publishing earlier this year.

I was born in England and lived in North Wales until my family moved to Ireland to become farmers, which is a book in itself!

I now live in Ireland, where I write, research my family history, and grow fruit and vegetables. I also keep chickens (and a Guinea Hen who now thinks she’s a chicken!).

I’ve had some pretty varied jobs, including Tour Guide, Professional Genealogist, Bookseller, and Census Enumerator, but I think I’m going to enjoy being an author best of all!

Guest Book Review: Anne-Marie Casey - An Englishwoman in New York

Reviewed by Lisa Bentley

When Lucy's husband loses his job and is relocated to New York, she is forced to give up her posh London life and move to a tiny Manhattan apartment. Homesick and resentful at first, Lucy soon finds herself embarking on an exhilarating new affair - no, not with her husband, although she is surprised to find they do still love each other, but with the city itself and the three women she meets at the school gates who, against all odds, become her friends.

Christy, married to a wealthy older man, questions her life choice as she fantasizes about her doorman and tries to make peace with her angry stepdaughter. Julia is a workaholic television writer who becomes convinced her family is better off without her, until a neighbour's dog makes her re-think everything. Meanwhile Robyn, bread-winning wife to an aspiring novelist, has had enough. She wants what her friends are having - even if it means an affair with at least one, if not all, of their husbands...

Debut Spotlight: Amy Bird

Under the debut spotlight today is Amy Bird whose debut book Yours is Mine has recently been published. 

An alumna of Faber Academy, and currently a Creative Writing MA student at Birkbeck, University of London, Amy Bird writes in a range of media, focussing on novels and plays. She isn’t just a writer – she also juggles a career as a solicitor at a City law firm, where she works four days a week. Born in Hampstead, she lived outside London for years, before returning to her roots in North London, where she now lives with her husband.

Yours is Mine is Bird’s first novel under a three-book deal with Harlequin UK, via their digital-first imprint Carina UK.

The idea for the novel came when a colleague had his bag stolen on a team away-day. “It made me think – what is the most important thing you could have stolen from you? Your identity. But what if someone gave that away voluntarily? And so the idea for the novel was born.”

The novel also explores how vulnerable we make ourselves on social media. “Kate, my protagonist, is an innocent. She thinks no-one can steal her identity from just looking at her public posts. But she soon realises how vulnerable she has made herself in laying bare her soul.”

Books Read: Barbara Delinsky - Sweet Salt Air

Can the bonds of friendship weather a betrayal?

Charlotte and Nicole were once best friends, spending long, idyllic summers together in Nicole's family home on the island of Quinnipeague, but they have since grown apart.

After ten years, their writing careers brings them back together - to write a cookbook about island food in their childhood haven. 

When both women reunite, it becomes clear that they are both guarding secrets of the years spent apart. But when Charlotte learns that her secret is the key to saving Nicole's husband's life, she must face her painful past and risk the consequences that honesty might bring ...

Author Interview: Diane Chamberlain

It is my great pleasure to welcome bestselling author Diane Chamberlain back to my blog to talk about her latest book Necessary Lies which is out today here in the UK. 

It's no secret that I have become a huge fan of her books since I first discovered them whilst on holiday in the US for Christmas & New Year 2008/09.  Since then I've bought all of her books, both her back catalogue and each new book that's been published, although all three books in the Keeper of the Light trilogy are currently sat in the midst of my towering TBR pile.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book?
Necessary Lies is the story of a young inexperienced social worker who has to figure out how to buck the system to save her fifteen-year-old client from a terrible fate.

Where did the inspiration come from to set this in the 1960s and write about forced sterilisations?
Ten years ago, a news article in a North Carolina newspaper shined a light on the sterilization program that ran from the '20s to the '70s in the state. North Carolina was the only state that allowed social workers to refer clients for sterilization. As a former social worker—and a human being—I was appalled by this news and knew that that I would someday create a story inspired by this ugly time in my state's history.