#RNA60 Giveaway: Win a romance-inspired bookish bundle

This year is the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA), an organisation that champions writers and their romantic fiction novels. Over the years the genre has broadened as authors writing styles and reading tastes have evolved but the central ingredient at its core romance/love is ever present. 

As part of their celebrations the RNA has designated February as Romance Reading Month, well it is the month of love after all, so I've decided to join in the celebrations today by hosting a romance-inspired giveaway bundle. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to buy to include, apart from a romance novel or 2 of course & maybe some sweets or chocolate, but I've got until the giveaway finishes on Valentine's Day to decide 😍

Giveaway: Win a copy of Happiness for Beginners by Carole Matthews (UK only)

Today I have decided to share the book love and celebrate the publication day of Carole Matthews' latest book, Happiness for Beginners, by running a giveaway for the extra copy I received.  I already had a proof copy, and Emma also has an ecopy from NetGalley, but sadly neither of us have had a chance to read the book yet for review due to work and other commitments but one of us definitely will sooner rather than later.

Molly Baker is living her best life.

Thirty-eight years old, she lives on the twenty-five-acre Hope Farm in Buckinghamshire, surrounded by (mostly) four-legged friends and rolling hills. There's Anthony the anti-social sheep, Tina Turner the alpaca with attitude, and the definitely-not-miniature pig, Teacup.

Molly runs the farm as an alternative school for kids who haven't thrived in mainstream education. It's full on, but she wouldn't have it any other way. So when the well-groomed Shelby Dacre turns up at Hope Farm asking to enrol his son Lucas, Molly isn't fazed.

12 Days of Festive Giveaways: Win a Festive eBook of your choice from Amazon UK

Amazon UK have finally added the give ebook as a gift option which means that I can now run giveaways for ebooks which will save me a few pennies in postage.  Sadly there is still restrictions in place meaning the eBooks can only be gifted to residents in the UK so for any International winners who use Amazon UK I would have to send a gift card instead.

I have decided to trial the gift an eBook this weekend by running to win a festive eBook of their choice.  As it's Christmas and I want to share the book love, I will choose three winners so will have to set an eBook price limit of £2 as there are multiple winners.  Below are some of the fantastic Christmas eBooks that are currently on offer from 99p to consider but you don't have to pick one of these.

The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan

It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree, but who’s around it that matters most.

All Suzanne McBride wants for Christmas is her three daughters happy and at home. But when sisters Posy, Hannah and Beth return to their family home in the Scottish Highlands, old tensions and buried secrets start bubbling to the surface.

Suzanne is determined to create the perfect family Christmas, but the McBrides must all face the past and address some home truths before they can celebrate together . . .

After the Snow by Susannah Constantine

Christmas morning, 1969.

All eleven-year-old Esme Munroe wants for Christmas is for her mother to be on one of her ‘good’ days – and, secretly, for a velvet riding hat. So when she finds an assortment of wet towels and dirty plates in her stocking, she’s just relieved Father Christmas remembered to stop at The Lodge this year.

But later that day Esme’s mother disappears in the heavy snow. Even more mysteriously, only the Earl of Culcairn seems to know where she might have gone. Torn between protecting her mother and uncovering the secrets tumbling out of Culcairn Castle’s ornate closets, Esme realises that life will never be the same again after the snow…

Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights by Carole Matthews

Fay and Danny are madly in love and it's all Fay's ever dreamed of. But she left everything - including the delightful cake shop she used to run - to be with Danny on his cosy canal boat The Dreamcatcher. And as she soon finds out, making delicious cakes on the water isn't always smooth sailing!

Then Fay gets a call that sends her back to where it all began; back to where she first met Danny, back to her friends and the Cake Shop in the Garden. Even as Fay happily returns to dry land and her passion for baking, she knows it will be hard being away from Danny, especially with Christmas round the corner. But their relationship is strong enough to survive . . . isn't it?

Can Fay really get everything she ever wanted in Christmas Cakes and Mistletoe Nights?

Emma's Review: Million Love Songs by Carole Matthews

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

After splitting up with her cheating ex, Ruby Brown is ready for a change. She's single again for the first time in years and she's going to dive into this brave new world with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. The last thing she's looking for is a serious relationship.

Mason represents everything Ruby wants right now: he's charming, smooth and perfect for some no-strings-attached fun, and yet Ruby can't help feel that something is missing. Joe on the other hand is kind and attentive, but he comes with the sort of baggage Ruby wants to avoid: an annoyingly attractive ex-wife and two teenage children.

Amazon Affiliate Links: Kindle or Hardcover

Emma's Review: Paper Hearts & Summer Kisses by Carole Matthews

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Christie Chapman is a single mum who spends her days commuting to her secretarial job in London and looking after her teenage son, Finn. It's not an easy life but Christie finds comfort in her love of crafting, and spends her spare time working on her beautiful creations. From intricately designed cards to personalised gifts, Christie's flair for the handmade knows no bounds and it's not long before opportunity comes knocking.

Christie can see a future full of hope and possibility for her and Finn - and if the handsome Max is to be believed, one full of love too. It's all there for the taking. And then, all of sudden, her world is turned upside down.

Christie knows that something has to give, but can she really give up her dreams and the chance of real love? Will Christie find her happy ending in . . . Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses.

Amazon Links: Kindle or Paperback

Food & Drink Month: Q&A with Carole Matthews

As part of this Food & Drink feature month I contacted a few authors to see if they'd like to be a part in what I hope readers will think is a fun foodie Q&A and I was delighted with the response.  First up into the spotlight I'm delighted to welcome bestselling author Carole Matthews whose latest book The Chocolate Lovers' Wedding was published earlier this year.  Despite winning a set of all four Chocolate Lovers' books, the first two I read when they were originally published, I still haven't managed to find the time to read the final two The Chocolate Lovers' Christmas and The Chocolate Lovers' Wedding... not enough hours in the day! 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing journey?
I live in Costa de Keynes with my partner, Lovely Kev and a cardboard cutout of The Queen. I like champagne, cake and chocolate. 

I had my first book – Let’s Meet on Platform 8 – published 19 years ago, so I’ve been kicking around for quite a while now. I’m currently writing book 30 which seems like quite a milestone. 

The Chocolate Lovers Wedding is the fourth book featuring the ladies from the Chocolate Lovers Club, can you give us a brief hint as to what we can expect? 
Fun, laughs, love and tears. Oh, and LOTS of chocolate. 

What inspired you to return to the ladies from the Chocolate Lovers Club after so many years?   Were you worried at all about the time gap between the first two books and these latest two books? 
I had so many messages and emails over the years asking for more about these ladies, that it was always on my mind. The decision to do it was sparked by a reader tweeting me and I thought why not? It seemed as if the time was right. I wasn’t too worried about the gap. A lot of readers have gone back to read the first two books which is great.

Which character did you  have the most fun creating, Lucy, Nadia, Autumn or Chantal?    
Lucy. She’s waaaaaay too much like me. : ) xx 

Fictional Characters in Panto: The Christmas Party as Cinderella by Carole Matthews

It would appear that Cinderella is a popular choice when thinking about pantomimes so it was no surprise to find that it was chosen by bestselling author Carole Matthews for today's festive feature.

My favourite pantomime is Cinderella as I do love a happy ending. My current book is a perfect setting for a pantomime as it takes place at an office party - the modern equivalent, I suppose, of Cinderella's ball. 

My Cinderella would be Louise Young, a single mum who's just joined the working world again and has a good job at a corporate headquarters. But her boss, Tyler Benson, is tricky. He'd be my pantomime baddie - perfect for people to boo and hiss. Some of the things he gets up to are truly terrible. 

Christmas Reading Challenge: Carole Matthews - Calling Mrs Christmas

Cassie Smith has been out of work for a while but she has an idea. Drawing on her love of Christmas, she begins charging for small things: wrapping presents; writing cards; tree-decorating. She's soon in huge demand and Cassie's business, Calling Mrs Christmas, is born.

Carter Randall wants to make Christmas special for his children, so he enlists Cassie's help, and his lavish requests start taking up all her time. Thank goodness she can rely on her loving partner Jim to handle the rest of her clients.

When millionaire Carter asks Cassie to join his family on a trip to Lapland, she knows she shouldn't go . . . 

Suddenly Cassie finds herself facing a heart-breaking choice that could change her entire life.

Join Cassie as she takes you on a romantic and emotional rollercoaster ride in Calling Mrs Christmas.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Countdown to Christmas Day 1: Festive Fun Q&A with Carole Matthews

Today it's the first of the December so time to start the Countdown to Christmas feature.  In the build up to Christmas I have a few different features planned featuring authors, fellow bloggers and guest reviewers. Kicking it off for us is bestselling author Carole Matthews with a festive fun Q&A.

What’s your earliest or favourite Christmas memory? 
Getting a doll’s bunk bed set when I was about four years old which had been handmade by my uncle. 

What are you looking forward to most this Christmas? 
Same as always, Christmas lunch. Best meal of the year.

What’s your favourite Christmas song or carol? 
Judy Garland’s version of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’. Reduces me to floods of tears every time.

My top 5 books read this Summer by Carole Matthews

When I initially put out feelers for this top 5 books read this summer feature week Carole Matthews, bestselling author of 23 books including her latest books A Cottage by the Sea and Calling Mrs Christmas which is being published in paperback next month, was one of the first to offer to contribute. So what books did she pick, read on to find out... 

Me and Mr Jones by Lucy Diamond

Meet the women in love with three very different brothers...

Izzy’s determined to escape her troubled past with a new start by the sea – but flirtatious Charlie Jones is causing complications.

Alicia’s been happily married to loyal Hugh for years but secretly craves excitement. Maybe it’s time to spice things up?

Emma’s relationship with David was once fun and romantic but trying for a baby has taken its toll. Then temptation comes along . . .

As the future of the family’s B&B becomes uncertain, Izzy, Alicia and Emma are thrown together unexpectedly. It seems that keeping up with the Joneses is harder than anyone thought...

Really enjoyed this book. The story of three women , all of them married to sons of the Jones family. The action revolves around who will take over the running of the family bed & breakfast as their parents start to age. Funny and poignant. I love Lucy’s writing.

Valentine Feature Week Interview: Carole Matthews

When I decided to do a Valentine Feature Week on the blog I tweeted asking for contributors, one of the first authors to contact me was Carole Matthews.  I've previously had the pleasure of doing blog interviews with Carole before but I'm delighted that she offered to take part in this fun Valentine's chat.

What has been your most memorable Valentine’s experience, either good or bad? 
When my novel The Chocolate Lovers’ Club was out my partner, Lovely Kev, took me to The Pudding Club at the Three Ways Hotel in Mickleton in the Cotswolds. They have a Chocolate Suite there which he’d booked for the night. We have a really lovely time and, more importantly, lots of chocolate! That earned him a lot of brownie points.

If you were to receive a book as a Valentine’s Day present, what book would you like to receive?
I would like hardback of any of Philippa Gregory’s Tudor novels - probably The Other Boleyn Girl is my favourite - signed by the author.

Author Interview: Carole Matthews

Earlier this year I interviewed bestselling author Carole Matthews as part of her Summer Daydreams blog tour and today I'm pleased to be able to welcome her back to talk about her new book, With Love at Christmas.

Can you tell us a little bit about With Love at Christmas?

This is my 21st novel and it features the Joyce family which I first wrote about in That Loving Feeling.  I wanted to write about a family Christmas and they seemed like the ideal family.  Juliet Joyce adores Christmas.  She just loves everything about it.  Already she's getting excited about it, which is just as well as this Christmas things are starting to get a little bit out of hand.

Her son Tom is out of work and is bring home a slew of unsuitable partners.  Her pregnant daughter, Chloe, has left her partner and has returned home, toddler in tow.  Her father is getting over a heartbreak of his own and her mother, eccentric at best, is behaving more and more erratically every day.  Then Juliet finds mystery texts from another woman on her husband's phone and wonders if the chaos has all got to be too much for him. 

With the big day fast approaching, Juliet wonder if she can stop everything from spiralling out of control, because the only thing that she wants is for her family to be happy and her home to be filled With Love at Christmas! 

Did you always know you were going to write a sequel to That Loving Feeling or did it just creep up on you?

It's not really a sequel, it just catches up with the same family two years later.  So it's nice if you've read That Loving Feeling as you'll know the characters but it's not essential.  I'd never planned to spend time with the Joyce family again, it did just creep up on me.  When I had the idea for a book about a family at Christmas, they seemed like the perfect candidates.

Christmas Comes Early: With Love at Christmas by Carole Matthews

This is a new feature I'm starting where each week I'll highlight one of the Christmas related books that are due to be published shortly and there's certainly no shortage of books for me to choose from which I love ;0) 

The book I've chosen for this week is With Love at Christmas by bestselling author Carole Matthews. 

Can the imperfect family really have the perfect Christmas?

Juliet Joyce adores Christmas. She loves the presents, the tree, the turkey, the tinsel, everything. Already the festive spirit is upon her, which is just as well as this Christmas things are starting to get out of hand.

Her son Tom is out of work and bringing home a slew of unsuitable partners; pregnant daughter Chloe and her little boy have moved back in; Juliet's father, Frank, is getting over a heartbreak of his own and Rita, her eccentric mother, is behaving more erratically each day. And has the chaos got too much for Juliet's husband Rick?

Books Read: Carole Matthews - Summer Daydreams

Source - Received from publisher to review

What if you had always dreamed of something more...?

Nell McNamara has a happy life: her boyfriend Olly adores her, their four-year-old daughter Petal is the centre of their world and Nell has a steady job in the local chip shop. When the chippy needs a makeover, Nell jumps at the chance to unleash the creativity fizzing inside her.

Inspired by what she can achieve - and encouraged by the best friends a girl can have - Nell is determined to try something new. Waving goodbye to the chip shop, she starts up a new business making her own line of must-have handbags, which are soon flying off the shelves!

It seems Nell's dreams are finally coming true, but her success doesn't come without a price. Before too long, Nell has to ask herself if it's really possible to have it all...

Winners announced for Summer Daydreams giveaway

Thank you to everyone who entered into this giveaway to win 1 of 5 copies of Summer Daydreams by Carole Matthews.

Entries closed at 6pm today so each entry was allocated a number and then I used Random.org to select the winners:

• Mark P
• Sarah M
• Michelle B
• Susan C
• Gina H

I have emailed each of the lucky winners to notify them of their win and will pass their postal details onto the publishers for them to send out the books.  Please allow up to 28 days for delivery.

Sorry if you were unlucky this time but keep an eye out as I've got some more great giveaways coming soon.

Author Interview & Giveaway: Carole Matthews

Today I'm delighted to be able to welcome Carole Matthews to my blog as part of her tour to promote Summer Daydreams, her new book due out next week. 

Carole is the bestselling author of 20 novels including Wrapped Up in You, which I reviewed last November and kindly agreed to answer a few questions ...

Can you describe Summer Daydreams in 20 words or less?

It’s about a woman who tries to pursue her dreams while juggling the demands of a family and relationship. It’s fab!

After writing 20 successful books, how do you manage to keep yourself motivated?

I still love writing even after all these years! I’m never happier when it’s just me and my story. Now that I write two books a year, I use an awful lot of material. Which, in turn, means that I have to go out and do great things, so that I can write about them. Feeble excuse to behave badly in the name of research, I know. But I think that it really does help to keep you motivated. If you always have a story that you’re itching to tell then it’s not that hard. I think I would probably just go nuts and wander round talking to myself if I didn’t write, so that’s a pretty good incentive too!

Books Read: Carole Matthews - Wrapped up in You

Source - Bought (Amazon)

A Christmas fling, or has Janie found the real thing?

Thirtysomething hairdresser Janie Johnson's single status is a constant source of gossip for her friends and clients. So after many nights in with her cat, a blind date disaster and news that her ex is getting married, Janie realises it's time to do something dramatic with her life.

It's time for an adventure!

Leaving winter behind, Janie takes the plunge and books on an exotic trip to Africa. Her friends think she's mad and Janie thinks they may well be right... then she falls head over heals for her tour guide - and fully fledged Maasai warrior - Dominic. But can Janie now face spending a snowy Christmas back home without him?