Emma's Review: The Dog Sitter by Zara Stoneley

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Wanted: someone nice, normal and trustworthy to housesit a beautiful cottage in the Lake District while the owner is away on a business trip. Must like dogs.

Wanting to escape from crap bosses and useless boyfriends, Becky jumps at the chance of the perfect escape – rest, relaxation and dog-sitting a very cute pooch called Bella!

But looking after Bella comes with a catch, namely gorgeous, brooding, Chris Hemsworth-worthy Ash James, who claims Bella is his dog and will stop at nothing to get her back!

Becky’s not about to hand over lovely Bella to any Tom, Dick or Ash.  She’s determined to watch every move Ash James makes…even if it gets her very hot under the collar.

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Blogiversary Giveaway #18: Win a signed copy of The Holiday Swap by Zara Stoneley

It's time to bring the blogiversary celebrations to a close for another year with one final giveaway, a signed paperback copy of The Holiday Swap which has been generously donated by Zara Stoneley.  I'm currently reading The Holiday Swap, which is the perfect escapism read I've needed over the last few days, but sadly I haven't quite finished reading it in time to review alongside the giveaway as had planned so review should be on the blog later in the week.

Two women, two very different lives – one perfect solution to escape festive heartbreak!

Tucked away in the idyllic English countryside, Daisy Fischer’s cosy little cottage has always been her safe haven. But when her completely dependable boyfriend issues her an ultimatum, Daisy realises there’s a whole world out there she’s missing out on.
Florence Cortes’s life couldn’t be better – gorgeous apartment right on the beach, fabulous job and dreamy boyfriend, or so she thought. Suddenly, Flo’s life isn’t so perfect after all.

Guest Post: What I Love about Barcelona by Zara Stoneley

Sadly I haven't been away on holiday anywhere this year and don't currently have any plans (or finances!) to so the only way I'm going to visit places is through books.  So I decided to do a shout out to authors on a author/blogger FB page that I'm onto see if any of them fancied doing a post about places they love or places they have featured in their stories.  Today it's my pleasure to welcome Zara Stoneley to the blog with a post about Barcelona which features in her new book The Holiday Swap. 

One of the brilliant things about books is that they can transport you anywhere. I’ve always loved being able to curl up on the sofa on a miserable day in the UK and find myself immersed in a story set on a sunny beach, or being able to experience a magical snowy Christmas as the rain pelts against the windows in December!

I think the setting of a book plays such a big part in any story. I read for escapism, and as well as loving to immerse myself in the lives of the characters, I enjoy the feeling that I’m there with them in the dreamy locations.

It’s great to be able to write about the places that mean something to me. My Tippermere books were all set in Cheshire (which I love), but being able to travel to Barcelona to create The Holiday Swap was brilliant!

In the story, I’ve let Daisy take you to some of my favourite, and sometimes off-the-beaten-track, places. But here are a few more things I love about the city …

Window shopping – Barcelona is full of contrasts. I love to wander up the two main shopping streets Passeig de Gracia and Rambla de Catalunya. These are really easy to find, they’re just off the main square Placa de Catalunya. The streets themselves are amazing – wide avenues with gorgeous old buildings (like Gaudi’s Casa Batlló) mixed with modern architecture – and there are lots of designer shops. There are also lots of great tapas bars along the way so you can give your feet a break!

Head in the other direction from Placa de Catalunya and you can explore all the small boutiques in the narrow streets of the Barri Gotic, or (and I love it here more) El Born. The building are old, so most of the shops are small and unique, with lots of craftsmen. If you want leather shoes or handbags, clothes you won’t see anybody else wearing, or silver and gold jewellery (often made on the premises and sometimes very reasonably priced) then this is where you should go! One day, we even discovered a workshop where they were making guitars.

Kelly's Guest Review: Zara Stoneley - A Very Country Christmas

Reviewed by Kelly Spillane

Festive fervour takes over and it isn’t all seasonal peace and goodwill as expectations rise and it soon escalates from cosy dinner for two, to all the trimmings for ten!

With missing turkeys, loose horses, troublesome terriers and randy huntsmen, Lottie is hard pushed to find time for a kiss under the mistletoe, let alone find the opportunity to woo Rory with her sexy Santa costume.

But there is only one thing Lottie really wants for Christmas, and only one man can deliver it…

Amazon link: Kindle

HI Read-a-thon list & giveaway

Over the next couple of weeks Emma, Louise and I will be reviewing a few Harper Impulse titles as part of the HI Read-a-thon organised by Katey at Books with Bunny.  Between us we've built up quite a selection of eBooks over the last few years that have sadly been overlooked so now is the perfect time to read and review them.

Below is a list of some of eBooks that we are hoping to read between us although it's highly unlikely that we'll manage them all! 

Aimee Duffy - Trouble in Tinseltown http://amzn.to/1JXPwVM

Aimee Duffy - Misbehaving in Miami http://amzn.to/1Ig1Sbz

Bella Osborne - It Started at Sunset Cottage http://amzn.to/1gyyVRx

Brigid Coady - The First Kiss http://amzn.to/1StptzH

Brigid Coady - The Last Kiss http://amzn.to/1eKWBAd

Charlotte Phillips - Your Room or Mine? http://amzn.to/1Ic5UE1

Charlotte Phillips - Meet Me at the Honeymoon Suite http://amzn.to/1MEdJGC

Debbie Johnson - Cold Feet at Christmas http://amzn.to/1HfkJlp

Debbie Johnson - Pippa's Cornish Dream http://amzn.to/1LWQmqb

Erin Lawless - Somewhere Only We Know http://amzn.to/1OI8CTw