Love - is it worth its weight in gold?
It's 1866 and the gold rush is on. Left to fend for herself in the wilds of New Zealand's west coast, Lady Guinevere Stanhope is determined to do whatever it takes to rescue her ancestral home and restore her father's good name.
Forced out of his native Ireland, Quinn O'Donnell dreams of striking gold. His fiercely held prejudices make him loath to help any English person, let alone a lady as haughty and obstinate as Guinevere. But when a flash flood hits, Quinn is compelled to rescue her, and their paths become entwined in this uncharted new world.
Though a most inconvenient attraction forms between them, both remain determined to pursue their dreams, whatever the cost.
Will they realise in time that all that glitters is not gold?
I had originally planned to combine this next giveaway with my review for Fool's Gold but I'm a little behind and only finished reading it last night so have not had a chance to write it up yet... hopefully it will be uploaded separately later this evening.
When I was asked whether I would like to review Fool's Gold I was sent both a physical copy of the book as well as an eBook by the lovely Liz at Choc Lit so as you've guessed I'm offering the paperback copy as a blogiversary prize.
Love - is it worth its weight in gold?
It's 1866 and the gold rush is on. Left to fend for herself in the wilds of New Zealand's west coast, Lady Guinevere Stanhope is determined to do whatever it takes to rescue her ancestral home and restore her father's good name.
What would you give to be free?
Georgiana da Silva is catapulted out of the Victorian drawing rooms and into a world of danger when she escapes her fiendish fiance to engage in a mad dash across the world to save her brother before an unknown assassin can find him.
Meanwhile, Captain Harry Trent is setting sail for New Zealand. With a mission to complete and the law on his heels, he's got enough trouble of his own without further complications.
Thrown together, unable to trust anyone, Georgiana and Harry are intent on fulfilling their missions despite the distractions of the other. But liberty comes at a price and the closer they get, the more they must question the true cost of being free.
Today is publication day for Zana Bell's latest book Close to the Wind, her first for Choc Lit UK, so I'm delighted to welcome her to my blog.
Zana Bell grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe and studied English Literature at the University of Cape Town. After travelling for several years doing a wide range of jobs, she immigrated to New Zealand where she now lives with her family and cats in a small harbourside community.
She began writing, just for the fun of seeing whether she could actually complete a novel and immediately became hooked. Research is her primary love and writing gives her an excellent excuse to be obsessive or just plain nosey. She enjoys writing in a variety of genres but has a particular fondness for all things historical.
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book Close to the Wind? Where did the inspiration come from?
It’s Georgette Heyer meets Romancing the Stone in 1860s New Zealand.
I’m a huge Heyer fan but instead of regencies, I had a yen to write a NZ historical based on the 1860s gold-rush. Within months of the first discovery of gold, colourful characters were pouring in from all over the world, risking all in a crazy gamble. Small towns were hastily thrown up as fortunes were made and lost overnight. There were hotels and bars – lots of bars! – theatres, brothels etc. I wanted to capture some of that exuberant energy.
