Books Read: Alice Peterson - The Things We Do For Love

Love may hurt, but not loving hurts even more...

January Wild loves her daughter, her dog Spud and her childhood home by the sea.

Single parenting is tough, but January has no regrets. She has a job she loves, a happy home, and the support of her beloved grandfather. The arrival of a new boss, however, threatens to shake up January's safe world.

Ward Metcalfe loves great sales results and a well-run office.

Everyone at her office agrees: Ward is a soulless, corporate slave driver. Even Spud, the company mascot, dislikes him.

A secret stands between them.

Yet over time January realises first impressions aren't always right. Slowly she unravels more and more about her new boss, things she couldn't possibly have imagined, nor expected...

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Books Read: Alice Peterson - One Step Closer to You

After Polly ends her relationship with the father of her young son, Louis, she is determined to move on. All she wants is to focus on her job, her friends and to be a good mum. No more looking over her shoulder. No more complications... 

Then Polly meets Ben. 

Ben is guardian of his niece, Emily. They become close, with Polly teaching Ben how to plait Emily's hair, and Ben playing football with Louis. Their friendship is unexpected. Polly’s never been happier. 

But when Louis's dad reappears in their life, all Polly’s mistakes come back to haunt her and her resolve weakens when he swears he has changed. 

Will she give herself a second chance to love?

Amazon links Kindle or Paperback  

Author Interview: Alice Peterson

Today I'm delighted to welcome bestselling author Alice Peterson to talk about her latest book One Step Closer to You which was published this week.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book One Step Closer to You?
One Step Closer To You is a story about family secrets, addiction and relationships, both good and bad. Ultimately, it’s a love story with a dramatic twist, exploring the choices we make and how it is possible to change direction on even the darkest path in life. I think it’s my most romantic book so far… 

After Polly ends her relationship with the father of her young son, Louis, she is determined to move on. All she wants is to focus on her job, her friends and to be a good mum. No more looking over her shoulder. No more complications...

Then Polly meets Ben.

Ben is guardian of his niece, Emily. They become close, with Polly teaching Ben how to plait Emily's hair, and Ben playing football with Louis. Their friendship is unexpected. Polly’s never been happier.

But when Louis's dad reappears in their life, all Polly’s mistakes come back to haunt her and her resolve weakens when he swears he has changed.

Will she give herself a second chance to love?

Book News: Another Alice by Alice Peterson

Over the last few years I have loved reading all three of Alice Peterson's fiction novels so I was interested to hear that she has recently published her non-fiction book Another Alice, which is her own personal story, as an eBook. 

Love, lust, boys and shopping – the main worries of a teenage girl? Not for eighteen-year-old Alice Peterson, who, at the height of her youth and promising tennis career, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the midst of shock and denial, and the enduring question, 'Isn't it old people who get arthritis?', Alice had to learn to live with what quickly turned from the odd ache and pain to a very aggressive form of the illness, and rediscover a new path in life.

Alice’s brilliant account of both her tennis-mad childhood and battle to live with RA is an uplifting, humourous and heart-warming story. Here is a story of how, armed with courage, she left behind a world she loved to overcome the pain of a degenerative disease.

Another Alice is also a story of friendship, family, growing up and the desire to be normal. Above all it celebrates the power of the human spirit.

I don't normally read many non-fiction novels but I'll definitely be adding this to my wishlist to read as soon as I clear my reviews backlog as it sounds like an inspirational story.  You can read a sneak peek extract of the book on her website here.

My top 5 books read this Summer

This week I've decided to run another feature week on the blog and the theme I decided on was to do a review of books that myself, other bloggers and authors have enjoyed reading over the Summer months.

I've been lucky to have been sent so many fantastic books to read, some that I probably would not have read otherwise, so it was extremely difficult to narrow it down to just 5 books but in the end this was the selection I came up with.

Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain

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.

My first pick was easy as Diane Chamberlain has become one of my favourite authors in recent years and Necessary Lies didn't disappoint.  I've recommended this book to many friends and family and it's certainly prompted some interesting discussions afterwards as to the ethics of the topic that this book is about!

Books Read: Alice Peterson - By My Side

One step can change everything… 

Cass Brooks loves her job, her boyfriend Sean, her life. Until, leaving home one morning, distracted and hungover, she steps into the path of a truck. 

When she wakes up, she can’t walk. And suddenly all her hopes and dreams, the plans she’d made with Sean, the future she thought she’d have, seem out of her reach. 

But then fate intervenes again. Cass meets Ticket, a loyal golden Labrador who refuses to leave her side. And on a flight to Colorado, she sits next to Charlie, who believes he can show her a life full of possibilities, if only she’ll let him. 

Cass wants her life back the way it was. Charlie knows this cannot be. Yet a future beckons all the same...

Books Read: Alice Peterson - Ten Years On

Source - Received from publisher to review

Rebecca
As her glamorous London life comes crashing around her, Rebecca flees to her childhood home to recover.

Joe
Born in the same country town as Rebecca, he hasn't seen or spoken to her in a decade.  Now he's the successful owner of a wine bar, Maison Joe, and is breaking local hearts.

As Rebecca and Joe are forced to confront the past, bittersweet memories rush back, along with unanswered questions.  Can Rebecca ever forgive and forget? 

Author Interview: Alice Peterson

I'd been eagerly awaiting the release of Ten Years On by Alice Peterson and having just finished reading it, I can say that it was so worth the wait.  Alice has kindly agreed to answer a few questions... OK maybe a lot of questions!  

Can you tell us a little bit about ‘Ten Years On’?

‘Ten Years On’ is about two characters, Joe and Rebecca, who were flatmates at university, they lose touch, and ten years on they meet again. Through a sequence of flashback chapters the reader learns a little more about their friendship all those years ago, and why it fell apart. 

The novel deals with themes of grief, healing, rebuilding friendships and finding love again. I loved developing Becca and Joe’s friendship. They are two characters who really deserve a happy ending. If you have a past love or old friend that you often think about, or wonder, ‘what if” then I think you might enjoy ‘Ten Years On’.

How long did it take you to get your first book published?

My first book, ‘A Will To Win’, took me approximately 18 months to write, and then a further 3 to 6 to sign a contract with Macmillan. Macmillan was one of the first publishers my agent approached. I did not realize at the time how lucky this was. I was pretty naïve about the world of publishing, but I now realize that it’s not just about the writing; a good degree of luck is essential too. Your script needs to lands on the right person’s desk to give you a really good chance.