Cover Reveal: A Girl Called Summer by Lucy Lord

Today I'm taking part in the cover reveal for A Girl Called Summer by Lucy Lord which is being published this Summer.  Isn't it gorgeous and make you wish you were somewhere hot right now? 

Blurb: 

Island life is just one step away…

A new start…
Bella and Andy have escaped the rat race for the sun-drenched, relaxed lifestyle on the island of Ibiza. But with a run-down house to make habitable and a distractingly gorgeous neighbour, is their island idyll all that it seems?

A holiday adventure…
Tamara Gold has been Hollywood’s most notorious car crash since she was a child star. Now clean and sober, and engaged to Tinseltown’s hottest leading man, it seems like she’s finally conquered her addictions, if not her bratty behaviour. But a summer in Europe with all the hedonistic lures of Ibiza beckons…

Books Read: Lucy Lord - Revelry

One summer can change everything…

What happens when a friend breaks the one rule that should never be broken?

Best friends Bella and Poppy are living the dream – Notting Hill glamour, Shoreditch lofts, exclusive parties and drop-dead gorgeous men. But sometimes living life to the max catches up with you, and even the strongest friendships can be pushed to the limit.

Poppy, Bella and their friends spend the summer having as much fun as they possibly can – from the hedonistic escapades of Ibiza to doing Glastonbury in style. But amongst the laughter come tears, betrayal and backstabbing and one devastating decision threatens to bring it all crashing down. And, once the sunglasses have come off, Bella is forced to question if her lifelong friendship has been broken beyond repair.

Exclusive e-book short stories - are they necessary?

One thing I've noticed this year is that there seems to have been an influx in the release of e-book exclusive short stories ahead of a new book from authors. 

That's not to say that I'm against this as I have purchased most of them but it does seem to disadvantage readers who haven't got an e-reader yet (I would have been included in this category if I hadn't received a Kindle for my 40th birthday). 

Fortunately these e-books either tend to be free or are cheap so it's not going to cost you the earth to buy them.  But is this practice necessary for book promotion or is it simply a means to cash in further?

A selection of these short stories that have been released in the last couple of months or are due out soon are:

I'd be interested to hear from other readers as to whether they buy/read the exclusive e-books before reading the novels?