Book Lover's Day Giveaway: Win a Books Tote Bag & paperback of your choice from Amazon

Apparently today is Book Lover's Day so even though my When I Find You giveaway only finished yesterday I thought it only fitting to run another one to share the book love, as I've been spoilt by authors and publishers with so many fabulous books, by giving something back to loyal followers of the blog.

So I've decided to totally spoil you by offering you the chance to win this gorgeous Books, Books, Books tote bag plus a paperback book of your choice from Amazon (up to value £8)

Emma's Review: The Pool House by Tasmina Perry

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

A Summer To Die For
To Jem Chapman, it's the chance of a lifetime. An invitation to join a group in an exclusive Hamptons house-share, who could say no? But when she discovers what happened last summer, Jem can't help but feel a chill.

A young woman was found drowned in the house's pool. The housemates said Alice was troubled. She'd been drinking. She couldn't swim...

A Secret To Kill For
As Jem gets to know her glamorous new housemates, she realises each has something to hide. What really happened last summer? And who would go to any lengths to keep a person quiet?

Amazon Links: Kindle or Paperback

Guest Post: Around the World with Tasmina Perry

It's the final day on The House on Sunset Lake blog tour and it's my pleasure to welcome Tasmina Perry with a guest post about locations around the world that have featured in her novels. 

Beautiful locations have always been a big part of my books. People say that you should write what you know, but I think you should also write about what you love and I have always been obsessed by travel. My idea of a relaxing night in is being on the Internet ferreting out great destinations. When I was a journalist and set up a travel magazine, I got to travel around the world and see so many incredible places it seems rude not to try and write about them all!

Antibes
I’m actually writing this blog post from Antibes and I have just been driving around the Cap telling my son it’s the location for a chapter in Perfect Strangers. It’s so beautiful and glamorous that I am thinking of setting an entire novel there. I love the literary connections too – the other night I had a drink at this amazing hotel called the Belle Rives, which was actually F. Scott Fitzgerald’s house in the 20’s. The terrace was stunning and for the price of a cocktail I got to pretend that I was a character in Tender is the Night.

Paris
Paris has appeared a few times in my novels – probably because I know the city quite well as my sister lived there for a little while. She had a great flat in Montmartre, which had a magnificent view of Sacre Coeur, and her flatmate had a three-legged cat called Lucky who I gave a cameo role in Guilty Pleasures. 

Thailand
Deep Blue Sea is a book about the bond between sisters.  At the start of the novel the two sisters Diana and Rachel are estranged and I wanted Rachel to have run away to somewhere remote but exotic, somewhere where she could reinvent and recharge after a scandal. I decided to set her early chapters in Thailand because it’s so far-flung but a familiar destination for back-packers who want to get away from it all and experience the world.  The book is called Deep Blue Sea because it’s about secrets that simmer beneath a perfect surface – even though the water around the likes of Ko Tao and Phi Phi are a stunning shade of green!

Emma's Review: The House on Sunset Lake by Tasmina Perry

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Casa D'Or, the mysterious plantation house on Sunset Lake, has been in the Wyatt family for over fifty years. Jennifer Wyatt returns there from university full of hope, as summer by the lake stretches ahead of her. Yet by the time it is over her heart will be broken, her family in tatters, her dreams long gone.

Twenty years later, Casa D'Or stands neglected, a victim of tragic events. Jennifer has closed the door on her past. Then Jim, the man she met and fell in love with that magical summer, comes back into her life, with a plan to return Casa D'Or to its former glory. Their reunion will stir up old ghosts for both of them, and reveal the dark secrets the house still holds close...

Amazon links: Kindle or Hardcover

Giveaway: Win a copy of The Last Kiss Goodbye by Tasmina Perry

Tomorrow is the paperback publication day for Tasmina Perry's latest book The Last Kiss Goodbye and what better way to celebrate by doing a giveaway.  I recently received a copy out of the blue but as I already have a signed HB copy from when I met Tasmina at an event last year, and Emma has already reviewed The Last Kiss Goodbye, I decided to give this extra copy away to a follower of the blog instead.

Giveaway is open to existing followers of the blog only (all entries will be validated once the giveaway finishes next week).

Guest Book Review: Tasmina Perry - The Last Kiss Goodbye

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Everyone remembers their first kiss. But what about the last?

1961. Journalist Rosamund Bailey is ready to change the world. When she meets explorer and man about town Dominic Blake, she realises she has found the love of her life. Just as happiness is in their grasp, the worst happens, and their future is snatched away.

2014. Deep in the vaults of a museum, archivist Abby Morgan stumbles upon a breathtaking find. A faded photograph of a man saying goodbye to the woman he loves. Looking for a way to escape her own heartache, Abby becomes obsessed with the story, little realising that behind the image frozen in time lies a secret altogether more extraordinary.

Amazon links: Kindle or Hardcover

Cover Reveal: The Last Kiss Goodbye by Tasmina Perry

This morning it's my privilege to be able to share with you the gorgeous cover for Tasmina Perry's new book The Last Kiss Goodbye which is being published in September. 

The cover designers have come up trumps again, it's stunning and so romantic.  So between the cover which promises romance and the blurb below which promises mystery, I cannot wait to read The Last Kiss Goodbye to find out what the secrets are...  

From Paris to St Petersburg, this spellbinding tale of love, loss and long-buried secrets is guaranteed to break your heart...

Everyone remembers their first kiss. You never forget the last...

1961. Bright-eyed young journalist Rosamund Bailey is determined to change the world. When she meets dashing explorer and man about town Dominic Blake, she realises she has found the love of her life. Just as happiness is in their grasp, the worst happens, and their future is snatched from them.

Coming soon from Headline & Tinder Press

This Summer is certainly turning out to be a busy one for book lovers as there are so many fab books being published, today I've decided to feature a few of the books that Headline Review and Tinder Press will be publishing this July and August.  Which ones will you be adding to your wishlist?

Season to Taste or How to Eat Your Husband by Natalie Young (published 3rd July)

Always let the meat rest under foil for at least ten minutes before carving...

Meet Lizzie Prain. Ordinary housewife. Fifty-something. Lives in a cottage in the woods, with her dog Rita. Likes cooking, avoids the neighbours. Runs a little business making cakes.

No one has seen Lizzie's husband, Jacob, for a few days. That's because last Monday, on impulse, Lizzie caved in the back of his head with a spade. And if she's going to embark on the new life she feels she deserves after thirty years in Jacob's shadow, she needs to dispose of his body. Her method appeals to all her practical instincts, though it's not for the faint-hearted. Will Lizzie have the strength to follow it through?

Strange Girls and Ordinary Women by Morgan McCarthy (published 3rd July)

They say you know instinctively who to trust.

Alice is normal; she'd never do anything rash. But when she sees her husband one day with a younger girl, she knows at once that he's having an affair. And it must be stopped.

Vic loves her friend Michael, more than he knows. He wants happiness, and thinks he's found it with the magnetic Estella. But Vic feels sure she can't be trusted - and she needs to make Michael see that too.

They don't know Kaya; her life is tougher than they can imagine. But Kaya's a survivor, and she's determined to find a way out of her miserable world.

Three women, three lives that come crashing together in this dark, lyrical and utterly enthralling story of warped perceptions, female intuition and 'the other woman'.

Books Read: Tasmina Perry - The Proposal

When Amy Carrell's wealthy boyfriend ends their relationship just before Christmas, she's left to nurse her broken heart alone. With nothing to lose, she replies to an advertisement requesting a companion for a mysterious 'Manhattan adventure'.

Whisked off to New York with eccentric British aristocrat Georgia Hamilton, Amy experiences a glamorous side of the city that she's never seen before. Along the way, Georgia initiates her protegee in the arts of old-school elegance.

But as Georgia shares her life lessons, Amy discovers a painful secret in her mentor's past. A secret that shattered her future. A story of love and betrayal that only Amy has the power to put right.

Amazon links: Hardcover or Kindle

Guest Post: Tasmina Perry talks Vintage

Today I'm joined by bestselling author Tasmina Perry as part of her blog tour for her latest book, The Proposal, which was published last week.

My new novel the Proposal, set between present day Manhattan and Fifties London was one of my favourites to write. Not just because it had a love-story at its heart but because I loved researching all the 1950’s detail to make the book as authentic as possible. 

I’ve always loved anything vintage, ever since I bought a fabulous emerald silk Fifties dress for my Eighteenth birthday party many moons ago. Even today I like nothing better than rummaging round vintage shops or having afternoon tea in somewhere gloriously ‘old-school’. Here’s some of my favourite places.

The Secret Tea-Room in Soho.
Talk about secret – you hardly even know it’s there! On the first floor of the famous Coach and Horse pub in Soho, you have to go behind the bar to find it. Great cake and Fifties tea-girls that bring in shivering plates of cucumber sandwiches.

Books Read: Tasmina Perry - Deep Blue Sea

Beneath the shimmering surface lies a dark secret...

Diana and Julian Denver have the world at their feet. With a blissful marriage, a darling son and beautiful homes in London and the country, Diana's life, to the outside world, is perfect. But nothing is as it seems...

When Julian dies suddenly and tragically, Diana is convinced there is more to it than meets the eye. She calls on the one person she had never wanted to see again - her sister, Rachel.

A former tabloid reporter, Rachel appears to be living the dream as a diving instructor on a Thai island. The truth is she's in exile, estranged from her family and driven from her career by Fleet Street's phone-hacking scandal.

For Rachel, Diana's request opens old wounds. But she is determined to make amends for the past, and embarks on a treacherous journey to uncover the truth - wherever it may lead...

Guest Book Review: Tasmina Perry - Perfect Strangers

Reviewed by Ceri Kehoe 

Just an innocent invitation...

When Sophie Ellis is asked to house-sit at a luxurious Knightsbridge townhouse, it appears to be the offer of a lifetime. Drawn into the glittering circle of the home's owner, she meets wealthy American businessman Nick Cooper and is swept up into a thrilling and passionate affair.

But when Nick is found dead in his hotel suite, Sophie is suddenly the prime suspect for his murder, and soon realises Nick was not the man he seemed. Racing to find the truth and clear her name, Sophie must elude not only the authorities but also a group of dangerous players who believe Sophie has something that they want. And who won't stop until she's caught...