Extract from Song of the Nile by Hannah Fielding

Today it's my stop on the blog tour for Hannah Fielding's latest book Song of the Nile which is published today. Sadly I wasn't in a position to read for review so instead I have an extract for you to read below but first a little about the book.   

Luxor, 1946. When young nurse Aida El Masri returns from war-torn London to her family’s estate in Egypt she steels herself against the challenges ahead.

Eight years have passed since her father, Ayoub, was framed for a crime he did not commit, and died as a tragic result. Yet Aida has not forgotten, and now she wants revenge against the man she believes betrayed her father – his best friend, Kamel Pharaony.

Then Aida is reunited with Kamel’s son, the captivating surgeon Phares, who offers her marriage. In spite of herself, the secret passion Aida harboured for him as a young girl reignites. Still, how can she marry the son of the man who destroyed her father and brought shame on her family? Will coming home bring her love, or only danger and heartache?

Chapter 4 pages 133 - 135

The ballroom opened on to an immense walled garden, where an enormous marquee had been set up for dinner on one acre of land. Inside the marquee, a long, narrow buffet table, covered in velvet sirmas embroidered with gold thread, stretched almost out of sight. Standing behind it, suffragis wearing kaftans in the family colours of dark green and gold served guests who wandered in to sit at round tables. The tent was lit with Turkish blue mosaic drop lanterns, and beyond this pool of light the rest of the garden lay deep in shadow. 

The Write Stuff with... Hannah Fielding

Today it's my pleasure to welcome author Hannah Fielding back to the blog on publication day of her latest book Concerto to talk about the settings for her novels. 

Destination: romance

My new novel, Concerto, takes the total number of novels I have published to seven. Like all of the novels, it is sensuous and romantic – and it is set in a beautiful part of the world.

Exotic settings are integral to my writing. Burning Embers is set in the unspoilt beauty of Kenya. The Echoes of Love is set in Venice, Italy, the city of love, and the stunning landscapes of Tuscany, birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. My Andalucían Nights trilogy is set beneath the scorching sun in the rugged countryside of Andalucía, Spain, and the city of light, Cádiz. Aphrodite’s Tears is set on an island in the Ionian Sea that is steeped in the traditions and mythology of the Ancient Greeks. And Concerto is set in the French Riviera, not far from my home there, and amid the bellisima scenery of Lake Como, Italy.

For me, the setting of my novel is all about inspiration. 

Blog Tour: The Echoes of Love by Hannah Fielding

Today I'm taking part in blog tour for Hannah Fielding's latest book The Echoes of Love which is being published on 6th December.  

Venetia Aston-Montague has escaped to Italy’s most captivating city to work in her godmother’s architect firm, putting a lost love behind her. For the past ten years she has built a fortress around her heart, only to find the walls tumbling down one night of the carnival when she is rescued from masked assailants by an enigmatic stranger, Paolo Barone.

Drawn to the powerfully seductive Paolo, and despite warnings of his Don Juan reputation and rumours that he keeps a mistress, Venetia can’t help being caught up in the smouldering passion that ignites between them.

When she finds herself assigned to a project at his magnificent home deep in the Tuscan countryside, Venetia not only faces a beautiful young rival but also a sinister count and dark forces in the shadows, determined to come between them.

Can Venetia trust that love will triumph, even over her own demons? Or will Paolo’s carefully guarded, devastating secret tear them apart for ever?

Did you do a lot of research for this book?
Yes. I always do. Even though I have a pretty good knowledge of the places in which I situate my novels, I always research my books thoroughly to make sure the facts are right.

Researching my books is an enormous pleasure to me. I have visited so many places, but do not always know them as well as I think I do, and so I enjoy revisiting them and exploring in depth, and also devouring materials like books, documentaries and movies.

My research for The Echoes of Love focused on Venice, a place one can love and hate at the same time, but its history fills me with awe. I also found myself fascinated by Tuscany when I was looking at the background to the chapters set in Santo Stefano – such a beautiful place.

Books Read: Hannah Fielding - Burning Embers

Source - Received from PR company to review

Whoops just noticed that this post that was scheduled to go live last week didn't upload... apologies Hannah and Midas PR.

Coral Sinclair is a beautiful but naïve twenty-five-year-old photographer who has just lost her father. She's leaving the life she's known and traveling to Kenya to take ownership of her inheritance--the plantation that was her childhood home--Mpingo. On the voyage from England, Coral meets an enigmatic stranger to whom she has a mystifying attraction. She sees him again days later on the beach near Mpingo, but Coral’s childhood nanny tells her the man is not to be trusted. It is rumored that Rafe de Monfort, owner of a neighboring plantation and a nightclub, is a notorious womanizer having an affair with her stepmother, which may have contributed to her father’s death.

Circumstance confirms Coral’s worst suspicions, but when Rafe’s life is in danger she is driven to make peace. A tentative romance blossoms amidst a meddling ex-fiancé, a jealous stepmother, a car accident, and the dangerous wilderness of Africa. Is Rafe just toying with a young woman’s affections? Is the notorious womanizer only after Coral’s inheritance? Or does Rafe’s troubled past color his every move, making him more vulnerable than Coral could ever imagine?

Burning Embers giveaway - winner announced

Thank you to everyone who entered into my latest giveaway for the chance to  win a copy of  Burning Embers by Hannah Fielding proved to be another popular one.  The deadline closed tonight and I've just selected a winner using Random.org.

Mary T, congratulations I have just sent you a email for your postal details to enable me to post this book to you.

Commiserations to everyone else who entered this giveaway but were not successful this time.  Fortunately I now have another giveaway for the chance to win a copy of Cox by Kate Lace here.

Author Interview: Hannah Fielding

Today's guest author is Hannah Fielding whose debut novel, Burning Embers, is due to be published here in the UK next week.

Can you tell us a little bit about Burning Embers?

Lovely Coral Sinclair, a young and fiery English photographer, is on her way to Kenya, the land of her birth, to take ownership of Mpingo plantation, a legacy from her recently deceased father.

Handsome and charismatic Rafe de Monfort, a mature French widower and owner of a nightclub and of the Whispering Palms plantation, holds a dark secret deep in his heart.

The two meet on board the ship that is taking them both to Kenya, and Coral feels an immediate attraction towards this stranger.

Once in Kenya, Coral discovers that Rafe is her closest neighbour, but she is warned off him by her old nanny. Gossip has it that Rafe is a notorious womaniser who counts among his mistresses Morgana, the dusky night club dancer, and Cybil, Coral’s stepmother with whom it is believed he was having an affair – an affair which might have contributed to her father’s death. 

Yet despite herself, Coral finds herself falling in love with this man who shows her only kindness.

What is she to think when a witch doctor tells her that Rafe killed his heiress first wife and that he is now pretending to care for her simply to get his hands on after Mpingo?  When beautiful Cybil says that Rafe has been her lover for over ten years and Morgana assures her that Rafe will never be hers? What is the secret in Rafe’s past that colours his every move and makes him more vulnerable than Coral could ever imagine?

In this evocative and passionate story set in 1970 against the vivid and colourful backdrop of rural Africa and its culture, the seemingly doomed lovers are sent down a destructive path wrought with betrayal, passion and greed. Will love overcome all obstacles and prevail at the end?

Win a copy of Burning Embers by Hannah Fielding

Burning Embers is a sizzling romance set against the magnificent backdrop of Kenya, taking in plantations, beautiful beaches and hot desert safaris. 

Following her father’s death Coral Sinclair embarks on a long boat journey to Kenya to claim her inheritance, where she has an intense and magnetic run-in with a mysterious stranger. Little does she know that he is a notorious playboy who just so happens to own the plantation next to hers and is determined to take it from her. 

Sparks fly as Coral is unable to resist his fiery charm despite the danger that radiates from his every touch.