Emma's Review: The Silent Fountain by Victoria Fox

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Beneath the surface lies a terrible secret…

Hollywood, 1975: Tragedy sends troubled film star Vivien Lockhart into the arms of Giovanni Moretti, and it seems her fortunes have finally changed. Until she meets his sister, and learns that dark shadows haunt her new husband’s past…

Tuscany, Present day: Everyone in London is searching for Lucy Whittaker – so Lucy needs to disappear. But her new home, the crumbling Castillo Barbarossa, is far from the secluded paradise it seemed.

Across the decades, Vivien and Lucy find themselves trapped in the idyllic Italian villa.

And if they are ever to truly escape its walls, they must first unearth its secrets…

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: The Santiago Sisters by Victoria Fox

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

They should have stayed as one. They couldn’t survive apart.
It was fate, forever destined to come to this: from birth to death, two halves of the same whole.

Twins Calida and Teresita Santiago have never known a world without each other…until Teresita is wrenched from their Argentinian home to be adopted by world-famous actress Simone Geddes.

Now, while Teresita is provided with all that money can buy, Calida must fight her way to the top – her only chance of reuniting with her twin.

But no one can predict the explosive events which will finally bring the Santiago sisters into the spotlight together…

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Books Read: Victoria Fox - Glittering Fortunes

Charlie Lomax hasn't seen his brother in years.

Cato's been too busy living the A-list Hollywood dream to bother with the likes of a small Cornish town. But now he's back.

Hollywood and British aristocracy are about to clash as Cato sets out to claim the Lomax legacy he believes is his birthright.

Unsuspecting Olivia needs a job after spectacularly failing to make a life for herself in London. Forced back to Cornwall, she has no idea what she's letting herself in for by becoming a gardener at the crumbling but beautiful Usherwood estate. She certainly didn't bargain on becoming embroiled in the biggest scandal of the year, and not least because the brooding Charlie is a man she can't seem to stay away from...

Amazon links: Paperback or Kindle

Books Read: Victoria Fox - Wicked Ambition

If not victory, revenge!

Some will do anything for fame.

Others will do anything to bring the famous down.

Three superstars. Three secrets.

For Robin, Turquoise and Kristin, the spotlight shines brightly. They’ve reached the glittering heights of stardom, and are adored the world over. But in the shadows lies the truth... An expose could be their end.

Because not everyone is happy about their success. Not everyone wants the best for them. Some people want to reveal the real stories behind the luxury parties and gorgeous men, and bring their dazzling worlds crashing to the ground.
Who will fall first?

Books Read: Victoria Fox - Temptation Island

Source - Received from PR company to review

WELCOME TO PARADISE Only the rich are invited... only the strongest survive.

Fame.  Money.  Success.  Lori wants them, Aurora is being destroyed by them and Stevie's got them at her best friend's expense.  These three women are drawn unwittingly to the shores of Temptation Island, all looking for their own truth.  But they discover a secret so shocking, there's no turning back.  It's wicked, it's sensational.  Are you ready to be told?

But the glittering waters drown dark secrets.  The island promises the one thing money can't buy - and the price is devastating...   

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? 

Sneak Peeks & Author Interview: Victoria Fox - Temptation Island

There are lots of fab books out this summer which would be perfect holiday reading but the one on the top of my list is Temptation Island by Victoria Fox.  It's officially due out this Friday but Amazon are already sending out copies early ;0)

Welcome to Paradise. Only the rich are invited...only the strongest survive. But is it heaven on earth or a devil s playground? Fame. Money. Success. Lori wants them Aurora is being destroyed by them, and Stevie s got them at her best friends expense. These three women are all drawn unwittingly to the shores of Temptation Island, all looking for their own truth. But they discover a secret so shocking there s no turning back. It s wicked, it s sensational. Are you ready to be told? The island promises the one thing money can t buy - but the glittering waters drown dark secrets... The price is devastating.

I loved her debut novel Hollywood Sinners last year, and this one sounds like it's going to be even racier so I was delighted to be able to ask her a few questions about her writing and her inspiration for this book.

How long did it take to get your first book published?

I began writing my debut while I had a job in publishing, so was lucky to have a hold on how the industry worked. In July 2009 I sent a partial manuscript (about 30,000 words) anonymously to agents and amazingly one agreed to represent me. In September of that year I resigned, finished the book, and four months later we had a deal. Every publisher except one rejected Hollywood Sinners so I felt extremely fortunate to be signing a contract. Quitting a job in the middle of a recession was certainly the motivation I needed to get the novel written and out there.