Giveaway: Win a bundle of Bookish Goodies

I'd been planning on running a Summer giveaway but time flew by but I finally decided to put together a bundle of goodies so when I was shopping this weekend I bought a copy of The Island Getaway by Lucy Diamond. 

The dream holiday just got complicated . . .

On the sun-drenched island of Kefalonia, the new arrivals at The Ionian Escape hotel are hoping for a break from everyday life. But some of them are bringing a lot of baggage . . .

Disgraced TV star Miranda Vallance feels like the worst person in the world. Her sister won't speak to her and her job's on the line. She's desperate to put things right, but how?

Eighty-two-year-old Evelyn Chambers has come to fulfil a promise to the love of her life. If she can steel herself to go through with it, that is . . .

And when celebrity chef Frank Neale checks in, rumours swirl around the hotel. But is it his wife, Leonora, who has more of a reason to escape to Greece?

I then had a quick delve into my box of bookish goodies to see what else I could add to the prize package. I also have an endless supply of stationery so I decided to add a few bits to the bundle as well. 

Emma's Review: The Best Days of Our Lives by Lucy Diamond

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When 35-year-old Leni McKenzie is knocked off her bike, her family's world is turned upside down.

Leni and her sister Alice were best friends as well as siblings. But did they know each other as well as Alice thought? In the hope of coming to terms with her grief, she tries to piece together Leni's last weeks - but her discoveries only lead to more questions. And that's before the surprise reappearance of someone from the past. Life is certainly getting very complicated...

Meanwhile, the rest of the family seem to be falling apart. Belinda, Alice's mum, has developed an unhealthy obsession with a clairvoyant, and Tony, her dad, is stressed about becoming a father all over again, what with three failed marriages stacking up behind him.

As for Will, the youngest McKenzie, he's in denial, having hopped onto a plane to Thailand days after the funeral. Secretly, he's tormented by the part he played in Leni's death ... and the thing about secrets is, they always come out eventually...

Book Links: Kindle or Hardcover

Emma's Review: Anything Could Happen by Lucy Diamond

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Your big secret is out. What next?

For Lara and her daughter Eliza, it has always been just the two of them. But when Eliza turns eighteen and wants to connect with her father, Lara is forced to admit a secret that she has been keeping from her daughter her whole life.

Eliza needs answers - and so does Lara. Their journey to the truth will take them on a road trip across England and eventually to New York, where it all began. Dreams might have been broken and opportunities missed, but there are still surprises in store... 

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: On a Beautiful Day by Lucy Diamond

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Treasure every moment. Life can change in a heartbeat.

It’s a beautiful day in Manchester and four friends are meeting for a birthday lunch. But then they witness a shocking accident just metres away which acts as a catalyst for each of them.

For Laura, it’s a wake-up call to heed the ticking of her biological clock. Sensible Jo finds herself throwing caution to the wind in a new relationship. Eve, who has been trying to ignore the worrying lump in her breast, feels helpless and out of control. And happy-go-lucky India is drawn to one of the victims of the accident, causing long-buried secrets to rise to the surface.

Amazon Affiliate Links: Kindle or Hardcover

Books Read: Lucy Diamond - One Night in Italy

How do you say 'I love you' in Italian?

Is Italian really the language of love? A new class of students hopes to find out.

Anna's recently been told the father she's never met is Italian. Now she's baking focaccia, whipping up tiramisu and swotting up on her vocabulary, determined to make it to Italy so she can find him in person.

Catherine's husband has walked out on her, and she's trying to pick up the pieces of her life. But she'll need courage as well as friends when she discovers his deception runs even deeper than infidelity.

Sophie's the teacher of the class, who'd much rather be back in sunny Sorrento. She can't wait to escape the tensions at home and go travelling again. But sometimes life - and love - can surprise you when you least expect it.

As the evening class gets underway, friendships form and secrets from Italy begin to emerge. With love affairs blossoming in the most unlikely places, and hard decisions to face, it's going to be a year that Anna, Catherine and Sophie will never forget.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Books Read: Lucy Diamond - Me and Mr Jones

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...

Amazon Links: Kindle or Paperback

Author Interview: Lucy Diamond

When I received a proof copy of Lucy Diamond's latest book One Night in Italy it put me to shame as I still hadn't read her previous book Me and Mr Jones which was languishing in my TBR pile!  So I decided to ask if Lucy would like to do a Q&A to run alongside the reviews which she kindly agreed to do.  

What does a typical writing day look like for you? 
I have three school-age children so I usually work between nine and three o’clock, while they’re out of the house. I tend to start by going over my previous day’s words and editing them, then I carry on with the next part of the story. I’m either working at home in my own little office, or sometimes I go into town and work in a shared office full of other freelancers. 

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book One Night in Italy?

One Night In Italy follows three main characters who meet at an Italian evening class. There’s Catherine, suffering a bad case of empty nest syndrome (and an even worse case of cheating husband syndrome). There’s Anna, who is desperate to throw herself into all things Italian, having just discovered that her never-met dad is from Italy. And there’s Sophie, the class teacher, forced home to the UK after a family emergency, even though she’d much rather be back in sunny Sorrento. At first appearances, the three women have nothing in common but as the term progresses and the class get to know each other, confidences are shared, unlikely friendships develop and there’s even the first flickerings of romance...

Christmas Reading Challenge: Lucy Diamond - Christmas at the Beach Cafe

After a hectic summer running her beach café in Cornwall, Evie Flynn is looking forward to her first Christmas with new boyfriend Ed – she’s determined that it’s going to be the most perfectly romantic one ever. Cosy nights in front of the fire, spicy mulled wine, mince pies . . . what’s not to love? But the peace is shattered when Ed’s ex suddenly gets in touch again, and then some unexpected guests arrive: Ed’s surly brother Jake and Evie’s heartbroken best friend Amber. Add in the stress of trying to finish her very own recipe book, snow blizzards and family dramas and Evie’s Christmas starts to look as if it’ll be a total turkey. Will any of her festive wishes come true . . . or is this Christmas just a recipe for disaster?

Amazon links: Kindle

Sneak Peeks & Giveaway: Lucy Diamond - Me and Mr Jones

I've been a fan of Lucy Diamond for a number of years when a friend gave me a copy of Sweet Temptation to read, since then I've read all of her books both new releases and the ones published prior.  So I was very happy when I received an advance copy of her new book, Me and Mr Jones, due out on 6th June, but I'm having to physically stop myself reading this whilst I've still got other review books to read... 

Three charming brothers - which one would you choose?  

Is Mr Jones really Mr Right? 
 
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?

Books Read: Lucy Diamond - Summer with my Sister

Source - Received from publisher to review

Polly has always been the high-flyer of the family, with the glamorous city lifestyle to match...

Clare is a single mum with two children, struggling to make ends meet in a ramshackle cottage.  The two sisters are poles apart and barely on speaking  terms.

But then Polly's fortunes change unexpectedly and her world comes crashing down.  Left penniless and with nowhere else to go, she's forced back to the village where she and Clare grew up, and the sisters find themselves living together for the first time in years.  With an old flame reappearing for Polly, a blossoming new career for Clare and a long-buried family secret in the mix, sparks are sure to fly.  Unless the two women have more in common than they first thought?