tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30753820339489937062024-03-13T12:26:39.846-07:00Reading Room with a ViewThat Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.comBlogger178125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-45237574289555564732016-10-31T02:43:00.002-07:002016-10-31T02:43:25.111-07:00Celebrations and Confetti - Rebecca Raisin **GUEST POST**Today I have a sneak peek at Cedarwood Lodge....and am wishing so hard it wasn't a fictional place! I could do with a stay there right about now....<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Get ready for Christmas with the first part in a feel-good romance serial from best selling author, Rebecca Raisin!</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Clio Winters is finally fulfilling her childhood dream of renovating the gorgeous old Cedarwood Lodge in Evergreen. Turning it into the perfect destination for big celebrations, weddings and parties has brought her back home, but Cedarwood Lodge is in need of a lot of tender loving care.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Perhaps all the work will be the perfect distraction from the real reason she had to leave her glamorous New York life behind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Will coming home be the best decision of her life… or her biggest regret?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Cedarwood Lodge is a delectable romance told in three parts – following Clio Winters journey back to her hometown of Evergreen. This is Part One."</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Welcome
to the Cedarwood Lodge, situated in the town of Evergreen. All you have to do
here is relax, and let Clio and her staff cater to your every whim! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here are
a list of our winter recreation activities that are available for our guests,
just ring the bell and we’ll arrange it for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hiking,
choose a trail and let Georges pack you a gourmet picnic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cooking
classes: choose from sweet or savory, simple or gourmet, if you can dream of
it, Georges can do it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dance
lessons: salsa, tango, ballroom, Latin, our dance instructor is a phone call
away<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Art
room: capture the view in water color, sketch, or oils, or if craft is your
thing, head to the studio and check out the supplies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Games
room: Billiards, board games, table tennis, to name but a few things we have on
offer. You’ll find the games room opposite the ballroom<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ice
skate on the lake, join in on snowman building competitions, snowball fights,
or sledding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Spa
room: call ahead and Clio can arrange any number of beauty treatments from
massage to facials, and mud wraps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Join
us by the campfire to sing songs and toast marshmallows<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Want
to keep the kids busy? Sign them up to the end of season show, there’s a part
for everyone!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For
our bibliophiles, check out the library upstairs, peruse the huge display of
books catering for every genre<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Movie
room: flick through our extensive movie library and pull up a beanbag and watch
it on the big screen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Go
for a run around the jogging track<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take a virtual yoga/Pilates class<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We hope you enjoy your stay! <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><i>Celebrations and Confetti </i>is out now and you can get it here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Celebrations-Confetti-Cedarwood-Lodge-hilarious-ebook/dp/B01JNHHDP0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477906778&sr=8-1&keywords=rebecca+raisin" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></span></div>
That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-45097363137121663932016-10-17T01:08:00.000-07:002016-10-17T01:08:14.505-07:00Dancers in the Wind - Anne Coates<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Today I'm hosting a guest post from Anne Coates - author of <i>Dancers in the Wind</i>. She tells us all about her long road to publication. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"SHE IS HUNTING FOR THE TRUTH, BUT WHO IS HUNTING HER? Freelance journalist and single mother Hannah Weybridge is commissioned by a national newspaper to write an investigative article on the notorious red light district in Kings Cross. There she meets prostitute Princess, and police inspector in the vice squad, Tom Jordan. When Princess later arrives on her doorstep beaten up so badly she is barely recognisable, Hannah has to make some tough decisions and is drawn ever deeper into the world of deceit and violence. Three sex workers are murdered, their deaths covered up in a media blackout, and Hannah herself is under threat. As she comes to realise that the taste for vice reaches into the higher echelons of the great and the good, Hannah realises she must do everything in her power to expose the truth .... and stay alive."</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b><u>Dancers in the Wind – the long journey to
publication </u></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I began writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dancers in the Wind</i> over 20 years ago. When I thought I had
completed it, I sent it to a few agents I’d had dealings with in my role as an
editor. Each agent liked it to a certain extent and offered suggestions – which
I took on board – but even after changes, no one wanted to take it on.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">At the time, as well as my journalism and
editing, I began writing non-fiction books and I was having my short stories
accepted in women’s magazines. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dancers in
the Wind</i> went the way of another novel I’d written (encouraged by an agent)
and found it’s way into the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet. Almost
forgotten but not quite…</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Fast-forward two decades and, having a
clear out, I discovered the manuscript (two actually the other still awaits my
attention!) and having a free afternoon, I read it. I’d forgotten much of the
action and detail so I was almost approaching it as an editor, rather than the
writer.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">By the time I’d finished reading, I was
convinced the story was worth telling – but it needed some work. As I had
changed computers and software several times since writing the original, I had
to retype the whole thing. Touch-typing is not a skill I possess so it was an
arduous task. I bought some dictating software but I found that almost as
frustrating. I have never managed to train my Dragon!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Having printed out the pages, I then began
the long revision process, checking and editing the timeline, adding and
subtracting scenes, reading out loud chapter after chapter. Proof reading. In
my other life as a journalist and editor we always had three people proofing. I
had no such luxury until a friend and fellow editor offered to step into the
breech…</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Eventually I thought I had a viable
manuscript. Then as I was reading through one last time I realised the ending
was a bit weak. Immediately a much more sinister scene presented itself and I
was pleased with the result.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Not so, however, with the agents I
approached. One didn’t reply at all although I had met him and discussed
sending the novel to him. One sent a standard rejection with advice to read her
book (I had) and about two liked the idea – but not quite enough. A publisher
in the US offered to take me on but the email they sent was full of so many
mistakes that it didn’t bode well for their publishing skills.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Then I saw a tweet by a publisher looking
for reviewers for one of his titles. And within a short while I had a review
copy and an offer to read my manuscript, after I’d sent in the idea on Urbane
Publications website.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Matthew Smith was not only enthusiastic
about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dancers</i>, he also bought into
the idea of a trilogy. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement. A contract
with a new independent publisher offering a dynamic and innovative publishing
concept of collaboration and care was a dream come true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So just before publication date for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dancers</i> I submitted the manuscript for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Death’s Silent Judgement</i> to be published
in May, with the third to be released in the autumn. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The journey to publication has been a
marathon which finished in a sprint: from début crime novel to publishing three
books – within twelve months or so (plus all those years of preparation).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><i>Dancers in the Wind </i>is out now and you can get it here:</o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dancers-Wind-gripping-crime-thriller/dp/1911129635/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476691532&sr=8-1&keywords=anne+coates" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></o:p></span></div>
That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-91243876975667246032016-09-27T02:00:00.000-07:002016-09-27T02:00:00.173-07:00The Kill Fee - Fiona Vetch Smith<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Poppy Denby, Arts and Entertainment Editor at The Daily Globe, covers an exhibition of Russian Art, hosted by White Russian refugees, including members of the surviving exiled Romanov Royal family. There is an armed robbery, a guard is shot, and the largest Faberge Egg in the collection is stolen. The egg itself is valuable, but more so are the secrets it contains within - secrets that could threaten major political powers. Suspects are aplenty, including the former keeper of the Faberge Egg, a Russian Princess called Selena Romanova Yusopova. The interim Bolshevik Russian ambassador, Vasili Safin inserts himself into the investigation, as he believes the egg - and the other treasures - should all be restored to the Russian people. Poppy, her editor Rollo, press photographer Daniel, and the other staff of the Globe are delighted to be once again in the middle of a sensational story. But, soon the investigation takes a dark turn when another body is found and an employee of the newspaper becomes a suspect...The race is on to find both the key and the egg - can they be found before the killer strikes again?"</span><br />
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This is the second offering from Fiona Vetch Smith in her Poppy Denby Investigates series, and I enjoyed this as much as the first. With a twisting plot line and some very unsavoury characters I was unsure who to trust as events unfolded. </div>
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I love the setting for these novels - London in the 20s - and Fiona's style of writing makes it easy to imagine the way things were in those days. Poppy is a brilliant characters, completely ahead of her time and her outlook on life is very refreshing! I'm looking forward to hearing more from Poppy...this is series that could easily run and run! </div>
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<i>The Kill Fee </i>is out now and you can get it here:</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kill-Fee-Poppy-Denby-Investigates/dp/1782642188/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1474803694&sr=8-2&keywords=fiona+veitch+smith" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-20572602014429750392016-09-18T02:51:00.003-07:002016-09-18T02:51:44.977-07:00The Girl from The Savoy - Hazel Gaynor **GUEST POST**<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Today I'm hosting a guest post from the lovely Hazel Gaynor, author of <i>The Girl from The Savoy. </i></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">London Glamour<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">When I moved to London in the early
‘90s I was instantly charmed. There was something about the iconic buildings
and the atmosphere that I just loved and felt very comfortable being around. I
lived and worked in London for seven years, and was sad to leave when I moved
to Ireland. Of course, when you live in a city you rarely do the ‘tourist’
things so it was only after I’d left, and returned for visits, that I did the
Tower of London, St. Paul’s, the London Dungeons and so much more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">It was such a joy to write about London
in THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY. In many ways, the hotel and London itself became
characters in the book. Writing about such a golden age as the 1920s made me
very nostalgic for the more glamourous side of the city, so here is my perfect
London day, inspired by my characters Dolly and Loretta, and by my experience
of writing the book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Where better to start the day than <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">breakfast at The Wolseley</b>, such a
London institution that food critic A.A. Gill has written a book about it. (No
prizes for guessing the title. Yep. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Breakfast
at the Wolseley)</i>. I would have to choose an omelette Arnold Bennett,
created by chefs at the Savoy Grill especially for Mr. Bennett, a novelist,
whose book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Imperial Palace</i> was
written at The Savoy and formed part of my research. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">After breakfast, a stroll through Green
Park and Belgravia before visiting the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">V&A
Museum</b>. The permanent collections – fashion, ceramics, glass and many more
– are always wonderful, as are the special exhibitions. The wedding dresses
exhibition was amazing. At the moment, you can see Undressed: A Brief History
of Underwear! The beautiful gardens at the back of the museum are also the
perfect place to escape the bustle of London and relax over coffee. It was at
the V&A Theatre Archives (housed separately in Blythe House near Olympia)
that I did most of my research into the lives of actresses and theatrical
producers of the 1920s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">On to<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Afternoon tea at Claridge’s</b> which is where my characters, Loretta
and Perry, meet every Wednesday. When I was writing the book I contacted the
hotel to check what would have been on the menu in the 1920s. They explained
that the selection would have been very similar to today – sandwiches, scones
and cakes. Sandwich fillings would have been chicken and tarragon, roast beef,
and egg mayonnaise. Today, afternoon tea is served today in The Foyer but up to
1926 this was known as The Winter Garden, which is what it is called in The
Girl From The Savoy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Of course no day out in London would be
complete without taking in a<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> West End
show</b>. The Gallery Girls of the 1920s - ordinary working girls who saved all
their wages for theatre tickets - would queue for hours at the theatre doors
and scream the house down from the cheap seats at the very top of the theatres.
It was from up there that Dolly watches the spectacle on the stage and dreams
of being there herself one day. The Novello Theatre was named after the
composer Ivor Novello who lived in a flat there for many years. Novello inspired
my character, Perry, who lives on the top floor of The Strand theatre (as it
was known at the time). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">After the show, it has to be<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> dancing at The Savoy</b> with a cocktail
in the famous American Bar. The Savoy always had a resident band (the Savoy
Orpheans in the 1920s, which has a small cameo in the book). Now the band is
Alex Mendham and his Orchestra, who play authentic 1920s and 1930s jazz in the
Savoy ballroom. I’d love to try a Corpse Reviver cocktail, invented to fight
off the Spanish Flu epidemic that followed the end of WW1. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">And to finish the day, a moonlit walk
along <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Embankment</b> where Loretta
looks for shooting stars and Dolly admires the work of the screevers – pavement
artists. After all that, just time to curl up with a good book in one of the
famous Savoir ‘Savoy’ beds, first made especially for The Savoy in 1905, and
still made for them today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><i>The Girl From The Savoy </i>is out now and you can get it here:</o:p></div>
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<o:p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Savoy-Hazel-Gaynor/dp/000816228X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474192073&sr=8-1&keywords=hazel+gaynor" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></o:p></div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-91392973199057725082016-09-03T01:13:00.000-07:002016-09-03T01:13:49.248-07:00First Monday - September Edition!First Monday is a BRILLIANT new evening for crime fiction lovers everywhere - and at £5 a ticket it's a snip. September's evening will include Sophie Hannah, Tim Weaver, Rod Reynolds - author of the incredible Texarkana noir <i>The Dark Inside </i>and <i>Black Night Falling,</i> and Jane Corry, interviewed by Jake Kerridge. I was lucky enough to receive copies of Sophie and Tim's books for review - and they are both CRACKING reads, which makes me even more devastated to miss this month's crime-filled evening.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Hercule Poirot returns in another brilliant murder mystery that can only be solved by the eponymous Belgian detective and his ‘little grey cells’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">‘What I intend to say to you will come as a shock . . .’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lady Athelinda Playford has planned a house party at her mansion in Clonakilty, County Cork, but it is no ordinary gathering. As guests arrive, Lady Playford summons her lawyer to make an urgent change to her will – one she intends to announce at dinner that night. She has decided to cut off her two children without a penny and leave her fortune to someone who has only weeks to live . . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Among Lady Playford’s guests are two men she has never met – the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, and Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard. Neither knows why he has been invited . . . until Poirot starts to wonder if Lady Playford expects a murderer to strike. But why does she seem so determined to provoke, in the presence of a possible killer?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">When the crime is committed in spite of Poirot’s best efforts to stop it, and the victim is not who he expected it to be, will he be able to find the culprit and solve the mystery?"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeNjHwutZNxhDmBxy8eUxH3EpzcQ6xxEP7ocf7FzTr-6TDWxWI2V-9ZJIOTljLW57eYm33TZIVV0maxRptTmzk9MgmlwJ7k0dvwVFEkd3RxJdZDsmFKmeJ5zoYBOjjbqZJwKVZuKpBBY/s1600/unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJeNjHwutZNxhDmBxy8eUxH3EpzcQ6xxEP7ocf7FzTr-6TDWxWI2V-9ZJIOTljLW57eYm33TZIVV0maxRptTmzk9MgmlwJ7k0dvwVFEkd3RxJdZDsmFKmeJ5zoYBOjjbqZJwKVZuKpBBY/s320/unknown.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">I don't think I know of any crime fiction lover that doesn't love Agatha Christie - I am a HUGE fan and have to confess to feeling a little nervous at reading Sophie Hannah's recreation of Hercule Poirot. WHAT??! Why was I worried? She is an absolute MASTER - in this (the second Poirot book written by Sophie) she easily recreates the levels of suspense that Christie mastered so well. I loved the puzzling plot line and there were plenty of gasp-inducing moments as Poirot worked those little grey cells to give the reader a most satisfying conclusion. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>Closed Casket </i>is out on 6th September and you can get it here:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Closed-Casket-Hercule-Poirot-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01BJ12PEM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1472121052&sr=8-1" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">My second read for First Monday was the utterly brilliant <i>Broken Heart </i>by Tim Weaver.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"Where did she go?</i><br /><i>What did she know?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A woman drives to a secluded beauty spot on the Somerset coast.<br />CCTV watches her enter but doesn't see her leaving.<br />In fact, Lynda Korin is never seen again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">How can someone just disappear?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Her sister calls missing persons investigator David Raker.<br />For him, the mystery of where she went is only the start. The real question is why a woman with no reason to run would choose to leave her entire life behind?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Was it her decision? Or did someone make it for her?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Raker is an expert at following the echoes of decades-old lies. But only Lynda Korin knows the most shocking secret of all - and she's missing, presumed dead..."</span></div>
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Blimey. I knew the new Tim Weaver novel would be good, but this one was OFF THE SCALE good. As expected, a gripping plot line and some despicable villains make for a pacy, addictive read, and Weaver hides some brilliant subtle twists and turns. It'll be worth heading to First Monday just to quiz Tim on how he comes up with these cracking twists!</div>
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<i>Broken Heart </i>is out now and you can get it here:</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Broken-Heart-David-Raker-7-ebook/dp/B01EIVT8RM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1472121568&sr=8-1" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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First Monday crime tickets are available here: </div>
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<a href="https://www.goldsborobooks.com/event/first-monday-new-evening-crime-fiction-3/" target="_blank">https://www.goldsborobooks.com/event/first-monday-new-evening-crime-fiction-3/</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Don't miss it! </span></span></div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-18294579598797875902016-08-25T00:49:00.000-07:002016-08-25T00:49:46.583-07:00Ash and Bones - Mike Thomas<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"A cop killer on the loose in Cardiff - introducing a dark and gritty new voice in crime fiction, perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride and David Mark</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">At a squalid flat near the Cardiff docks, an early morning police raid goes catastrophically wrong when the police aren't the only unexpected guests. A plain clothes officer is shot dead at point blank range, the original suspect is left in a coma. The killer, identity unknown, slips away.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Young and inexperienced, Will MacReady starts his first day on the CID. With the city in shock and the entire force reeling, he is desperate to help - but unearths truths that lead the team down an increasingly dark path...'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">FINALLY - a police procedural that doesn't involve an old, jaded, got-his-demons detective on the cusp of retirement! I loved the fact that our main detective in this novel is "the new guy" - I loved his insecurity, his slightly rogue attitude to the way he does things, and the fact that he's yet to be swallowed up by the usual crap that sucks the life out of most detectives we meet in these kinds of books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The premise was a good one - one that had me hooked pretty much from the off - and at first I thought there was no way every thing was going to tie together, so I was pleased when the ending gave me answers to all the questions I had hovering in my head. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a class example of how a police procedural should be written - fast paced and edgy, with believable characters and a plot that sucks you right in. I'll be waiting impatiently for the next in the series...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Ash and Bones </i>is out on 25th August and you can get it here;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ash-Bones-Afraid-Killer-Loose-ebook/dp/B01G8W2DRG/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1471605911&sr=8-1" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></span></div>
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**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-15649228535104449562016-08-07T23:57:00.002-07:002016-08-07T23:57:35.336-07:00Down on Daffodil Lane - Rebecca Pugh *RELEASE DAY BLITZ*Our lovely Rebecca has been a bit poorly of late, so what better way to cheer her up than all her writer/blogger mates getting together to blitz her new book baby on release day? (Fabulous idea, Rebecca Minton!) Sooo.....Down on Daffodil Lane is out today! <div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A charmed life…<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Maria Charm’s world might have recently crumbled, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to let it get her down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sure, her ex-husband broke her heart and decimated her trust, and while it would be so tempting to spend forever in her dressing gown, a tub of ice-cream in one hand and a glass of Chardonnay in the other, Maria wants more from her new—single—life!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A make over of her lovely little cottage on Daffodil Lane and a new job at Harriet’s café are just the distractions Maria needs to carve a new life in the country. One distraction she doesn’t need is Mr Tall, Brooding and Handsome from down the lane! 'Maria may only be in town temporarily, but there's nothing temporary about the tingles she feels at gorgeous Brad's touch…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">After everything she’s been through, can Maria ever trust a man again? Could risking her heart with Brad lead to a charmed life on Daffodil Lane?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong><span style="color: #333333;">Find out in Rebecca Pugh’s dazzling novel,</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></b></span><em><b><span style="color: #333333;">Down on Daffodil Lane</span></b></em><strong><span style="color: #333333;">!</span></strong><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Publisher – Carina UK <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Publication Date – 8<sup>th</sup> of August 2016</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #111111; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Rebecca Pugh grew up in the green county
of Shropshire. Not an immediate reader, it took her a while to find her way
towards the wonderful fictional words hidden between the pages of books. Ever
since, she’s fallen under the spell of countless authors and the tales they've
weaved. Her favourite authors include Jill Mansell, Cathy Bramley, Sarah Morgan
and Holly Martin, to name but a few. She loves nothing more than tapping away
at the keyboard, taking her characters from imagination to page and, when that
isn’t the case, she adores curling up with a good book.</span><span style="color: #111111; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
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<span style="background: white;">Rebecca is a fan of fairy tale romances that
sweep you off your feet, dashing heroes and strong, lovable heroines. She can’t
make up her mind whether she prefers a countryside escape, or a love story set
in bustling New York. Either way, she’s more than happy to disappear into both.</span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">When it comes to her own writing, Rebecca aims
to whisk readers away to desirable locations, where they can meet characters
who, she hopes, will begin to feel like friends. With a dash of romance here,
and a shake-up of things there, she loves dreaming up stories and watching them
come to life<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Down-Daffodil-Lane-Rebecca-Pugh-ebook/dp/B01E58V8BW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470639327&sr=8-1&keywords=rebecca+pugh" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Down-Daffodil-Lane-Rebecca-Pugh-ebook/dp/B01E58V8BW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470639327&sr=8-1&keywords=rebecca+pugh</a></div>
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You can get Becca's other books here:</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rebecca+pugh" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-33084328053414019442016-07-23T01:18:00.000-07:002016-07-23T01:18:42.584-07:00The Name I Call Myself - Beth Moran<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"All Faith Harp wants is a quiet life – to take care of her troubled brother, Sam, earn enough money to stop the wolves snapping at her heels, and to keep her past buried as deep as possible. And after years of upheaval, she might have just about managed it: she’s engaged to the gorgeous and successful Perry is holding down a job, and Sam’s latest treatment seems to actually be working this time. But, for Faith, things never seem to stay simple for long. Her domineering mother-in-law-to-be is planning a nightmare wedding, including the wedding dress from hell. And the man who killed her mother is released from prison, sending her brother tumbling back into mental illness. When secretly planning the wedding she really wants, Faith stumbles across a church choir that challenges far more than her ability to hold a tune. She ends up joining the choir, led by the fierce choir-mistress, Hester, who is determined to do whatever it takes to turn the motley crew of women into something spectacular. She also meets Dylan, the church’s vicar, who is different to any man she has ever met before."</span><br />
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In all honesty, I am a crime fiction girl at heart, and was never expecting be a fan of Beth Moran. She just seemed a little too <i>nice </i>from the blurb. This is the second of her novels that I've read though, and you know what? She isn't as <i>nice </i>as the blurb makes out (this is a GOOD THING, trust me). I really enjoyed Beth's last novel, and it came as a refreshing treat after months of reading about psychos and serial killers. This novel is even better.</div>
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This book takes a slightly darker tone than the previous novel, and that was something that I liked. Beth always has very likeable characters, and this time Faith, while likeable, also has a dark secret that she's trying to hide from her new future family. The plot line pulled me in, and there are some really brilliant characters - I loved Marilyn - and the focus on women and how we are so much stronger when we are all together was another element that I really loved. </div>
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Yes, it's chick lit but there's nothing fluffy or two-dimensional about it. The focus isn't on how the main character can get her man, or whatever. It's about being yourself, opening up to others, and showing how we are there to lean on each other - to <i>help </i>each other. It's the kind of chick lit I'd want my daughter to be reading. Basically, I loved it - and I'm looking forward to the next Beth Moran book.</div>
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<i>The Name I call Myself </i>is out now and you can get it here:</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Name-I-Call-Myself-ebook/dp/B01I9IJBGS/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1468672157&sr=1-3&keywords=beth+moran" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-77043680693090605162016-07-21T06:21:00.000-07:002016-07-21T06:21:11.081-07:00Silent Scream - Angela Marson (repost)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
So, I first posted this review months and months ago when <i>Silent Scream </i>was published as an ebook by Bookouture. Now, the incredibly brilliant Angie Marsons has just had it published in paperback by Bonnier, so it seems natural for me to need to shout about it again! This is the first in what has now become one of my favourite crime series - if you haven't read it yet, then you need to. See that, NEED. Y'all need to read it. And then the next one. And the next one....etc. My original review is below....and yes, I still love it just as much. </div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood …</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. </span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">D.I. Kim Stone</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it’s too late?"</span><br />
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I seriously love a good crime novel. It's got to be my favourite genre, but it can be so hard to find a really excellent crime thriller where everything all fits together just perfectly - the plot, the characters, the writing. Generally, I always find one thing that, even though I may love the book, there's a little niggly bit that makes me think "meh" and it's rare that I find one without the 'meh' factor at all. The thing I love most about book reviewing is that you get to find some absolute gems - debut authors that you've never heard of before that make you sit up and think, "I need more of this!". Angela Marsons has TOTALLY done of these things with <i>Silent Scream</i>. I don't think I've been so hooked by a new author since the discovery of Mark Edwards or Mark Billingham, (the only other winners of the 'zero meh' factor, congrats boys).</div>
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I loved the plot - totally twisty-turny as a good crime thriller should be. I thought I knew who was behind it all, then I really didn't have a clue, and then another curve-ball was thrown right when I thought everything was all coming together. I loved the characters - Kim Stone is a fantastic lead character, just the right mix of slightly damaged crossed with woman on a mission to see that justice is done. I actually want to be Kim Stone when I grow up. </div>
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<i>Silent Scream</i> gets 5 stars from me - if you finish a crime thriller feeling like you just need to have a lie-down and a cup of tea to get your breath back, then the writer has done their job. Angela Marsons, I still don't have my breath back. </div>
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From 20th February you can get <i>Silent Scream here:</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Scream-serial-thriller-Detective-ebook/dp/B00S5K0CAU" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Scream-serial-thriller</a></div>
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*I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley*</div>
That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-26983230305178657822016-07-20T03:36:00.000-07:002016-07-20T03:36:49.463-07:00The Beauty of the End - Debbie HowellsAfter reading Debbie's first book, <i>The Bones of You, </i>I was super excited to be offered an advance copy of <i>The Beauty of the End. </i>A hauntingly brilliant psychological thriller, I found myself intrigued and captivated by Noah's attempts to uncover exactly what has been happening to his ex-girlfriend for her to end up in hospital, accused of murder. This was one read that I really wasn't able to put down until the very last page. Today, for my stop on the tour, I have a piece from Debbie on her writing space.<br />
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<i>"I was fourteen when I fell in love with a goddess . . .</i></div>
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<b>A love he'd never forget</b></div>
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Ex-lawyer Noah has never forgotten his first love. When, years later, he hears that she's suspected of murder, he knows with certainty that she's innocent. With April on life-support and the evidence pointing towards her guilt, he's compelled to help her. But he's also unprepared as he's forced to confront what happened between them all those years ago.<br />
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<b>A secret she would never reveal</b></div>
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April Moon had loved Noah. She never wanted to hurt him. But there was something - and someone - dark in her life which made happiness together impossible.</div>
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<b>A family she could never forgive</b></div>
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Ella is a troubled teenager with her own secrets to tell. But no one will listen. What Ella knows holds the key to finding the killer. But as Noah, April and Ella's stories converge, shocking revelations come to the surface. The truth is obvious. Or so everyone believes . . ."</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My writing space:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At the moment, I mostly write from the
comfort of an old leather sofa, the floor around me piled with my notebooks,
flowers on the coffee table – whatever’s growing outside, which at the moment
is sweet peas and herbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the
subject of notebooks, I have dozens of them, all sizes – pocket sized to large
artists’ sketch books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could not
write a book without them.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 1cm;">The room is filled with natural light
from the huge windows which are usually open, so that I can hear the wind in
the trees and the birds.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 1cm;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 1cm;">This
spring, there’s been a noisy nest of magpies.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 1cm;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 1cm;">At my feet, I have faithful Bernard, our large and very dear
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I write in silence (apart from the
magpies) or maybe with music, quietly, in the background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lyrics are too distracting, so it’s
classical or instrumental - or sometimes, Ibiza chillout – a reminder of the
times I’ve spent out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it
depends what I’m writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Music’s
a powerful mood thing – the twisted, dysfunctional people I write about suit a
dark, atmospheric soundtrack! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; font-style: italic;">The </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i>Beauty</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i> of the End </i>is out now and you can get it here:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beauty-End-Debbie-Howells/dp/1447278135/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1468341083&sr=8-3&keywords=debbie+howells" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">**My </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">thanks</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> to the publisher for my ARC**</span></span></div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-54924157052327047122016-07-18T02:24:00.000-07:002016-07-18T02:24:07.197-07:00Cut to the Bone - Alex CaanI was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Cut to the Bone - a gripping, thrilling tale of the murky world of vlogging. Now, I am an old hand at blogging, but had literally NO IDEA about vlogging so I was intrigued to find out exactly how this story was going to pan out. In short, it was BRILLIANT. Strong characters, brilliant premise, and some cracking little plot twists meant that I devoured this over the course of two days. And THEN I got to have a little chat with extremely talented author, Alex Caan. A pleasure, and a privilege.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">"Ruby is a vlogger, a rising star of YouTube and a heroine to millions of teenage girls. And she's missing. She's an adult - nothing to worry about, surely? Until the video's uploaded. Ruby, in the dirt and pleading for her life.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="color: #333333;" /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Who better to head up the investigation than the Met's rising star, Detective Inspector Kate Riley? She's leading a shiny new team, high-powered, mostly female and with the best resources money can buy. It's time for them to prove what they can do. Alongside her, Detective Sergeant Zain Harris - poster boy for multiracial policing and the team's newest member - has his own unique contribution to make. But can Kate wholly trust him and when he's around, can she trust herself?</span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="color: #333333;" /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Ruby's millions of fans are hysterical about what may have happened to her. The press is having a field day and as the investigation hurtles out of control in the glare of publicity, it becomes clear that the world of YouTube vloggers and social media is much, much darker than anyone could have imagined in their worst nightmares.</span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br style="color: #333333;" /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">And the videos keep coming . . ."</span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>So Alex, now I've got you here, describe your book deal moment when you knew someone wanted to publish
you.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I’m glad I got to answer this, because it was just so cool. My mum’s not
been well for a while, and ended up in hospital for months. It was while I was
with her in a rehabilitation unit that I got the call from my awesome agent
Luigi to say that Bonnier were going to be my publisher. And so I could share
it with my mother, and it made her happy seeing how thrilled I was, and it just
felt so right. Sorry this all sounds a bit like an X Factor/The Voice sob
story, but really it couldn’t have been better! What about you? How did you get
to become super successful Lisa Hall Number One Best Selling author?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>Oh, that is SO lovely - not at all X Factor! Mine all happened really quickly - within three weeks of sending out my manuscript I had a two-book deal. So quickly in fact, that I'm still waiting for them to knock on the door and tell me it was all a huge mistake! I personally LOVED Cut to the Bone – what has the response been from
your family and friends? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Thank you! You really have championed it and me, so for that you will
always be an aubergine! (Readers should stalk us on Twitter to find out exactly
what that means…and no it’s not rude!!) My family think writing is a ‘hobby’
not a calling, so don’t think they’ll take me seriously unless I’m J K Rowling.
So, never basically. My friends have been amazing. None of them have been
allowed to read it yet, but they have supported me for decades in my dream to
become a proper author, and never let me quit. I hope they still talk to me
after they read such a twisted, creepy novel! How did your family react when
they read Between You and Me? Did they get really worried??<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>Aubergines rule! My family and friends were all lovely and dead supportive when they read BYAM...although I did have to reassure my Dad that it's not true life and that Mr H is not really an evil villain. I know one question I have been asked by various people is whether any
of my characters are based on real life people. Spill the beans, Alex - are any
of your characters based on people you know? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">No. But in the next one…Hisa Lall will be ruling the world! Lol. I think
my lead characters are all versions of me, so how I would like to be. Ok when
people read about how damaged they are they are seriously going to think I’m
bonkers! I just mean it’s natural, bits of yourself end up in your novel. I’ve
totally stolen names from real people though. And with the vloggers I had to
change them about a million times, everytime I thought I’d invented an original
vlogger I saw a video on YouTube of someone doing exactly what Ruby et al did! Please
tell me Charlie isn’t based on anyone you know?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>I can't wait to meet Hisa Lall...I've heard that she is very beautiful and absolutely does not drink too much Prosecco. Hahah nooooo Charlie is not real! But Sal does have certain elements that I have stolen from someone that I DO actually know! People say “write what you know” – I wrote about domestic violence, even
though I didn’t have personal experience of it, and needed to do heaps of
research. Cut to the Bone ventures into the world of vlogging (which I also
know nothing about, I’m not down with the kids) – how much experience do you
have of the vlogging community and did you have to go undercover to get the low
down on it all? (I am secretly hoping that you did)</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Lol yeah in a shady anorak and sunglasses at Videocon! Not really,
before I get arrested. Luckily for me the vloggers lives are all available for
public consumption, so I just watched videos non-stop. I did a four day stint
at the beginning. I started to believe they were my friends, and that they were
speaking to me…oh wow I am so getting arrested! Next!! Lol. Seriously though
it’s addictive, and you feel like you’re part of their lives. I did do a lot of
research about locations, and the science behind what I wrote, so read some
really interesting academic papers on the psychology of online personalities
and there was research about mineral ore extraction after which I had to lie
down in a darkened room somewhere for a week. In my next one there is loads of
complex science and my head hurts just thinking about what I learnt. And we discussed
this already. We are so down with the kids we are in Australia! What?? Even I
don’t know what that means. Oh and I HATE that rule btw. Write what you want to,
or what you want to know, or about a life you secretly would want to live. I’m
curious now-what research did you do? Was it harrowing? I really want to ask
you about the research you did for some of it, but I’m not going to, it will
spoil stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>Yes, lips are sealed! I did do lots of research and it was very harrowing - it certainly opened my eyes to things that go o around us! Now back to you - who was your favourite character to write? I have to confess to secretly
loving writing the baddies – do you prefer the dark side too? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Lol you do baddies so well though!! Seriously compelling to read them!
And yes totally. Even my leads, Kate Riley and Zain Harris, have loads of shade
about them. I like messed up people, people who live in the crease of
normality. Kate’s got some major secrets which are going to blow people’s minds
in future books. It’s that Joni Mitchell song ‘Case of You’ about being drawn
to people who aren’t afraid of the dark side, even though I am too scared to
venture near it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>Ohhhhh, I can't wait to find out about Kate's major secrets...I might need to bully them out of you when I see you! One of my top reads for the year so far has been Tall Oaks by Chris
Whitaker (yes, I am STILL going on about it!) What has been your top read so
far this year? Which book have you been subtly bullying people into buying? (I
know I’m not the only one who does this, so just confess to it now).</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Oh man not again. That Whitaker fellow has followed me into too many of
my blogs. It’s my blog tour, he didn’t mention me even once! Yes Chris that is
a hint!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I can’t pick just one, I’ve read so many novels this year and I don’t
want to upset everyone by not picking theirs! I tweet about all the novels I
love regularly though, and once I get my sh… into gear I will make sure I
review them on Goodreads and on my website…which is erm being developed…very
slowly! And not just saying this, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Between
You and Me </i>is one of them. Seriously I can’t love your novel enough! I
couldn’t put it down and had to read it again when I finished! And I’m not
alone because not only are you a NUMBER ONE superstar you are also one of the
top selling books on Amazon this year!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>Oh shucks...hahaha, thank you so much - it's always a bit thrilling when an author whose book you've loved likes yours back! (I'm talking you liking mine, not blowing my own trumpet here haha) Finally – what writing advice would you give to new and aspiring
writers? Personally, my favourite bit of writing advice has been get your face
out there and known…and never run out of teabags. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Lol!! Teabags!! How random!! You make me laugh soooo much! I would say
write what you want to write, not what you think you should or what someone
told you to or what you think might sell. I like your advice, and it is
important. I have to say the crime writing community has been so brilliant,
really supportive and encouraging. The Twenty7 authors have been like a rock,
seriously couldn’t have done this without them and they all write blazing
books! I really wish I could name all the fantastic people I’ve met, but it would
take ages. I tweet my love regularly though so they know who they are! Especially
that Lisa Hall, who is an aubergine!! (Again-not rude!!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Thank you Alex, for what has probably been the most brilliant interview I've ever had the joy of doing...Cut To The Bone is a bloody marvellous read! Folks, I really don't want you to miss out on what promises to be one of the most exciting thrillers this year....</b></div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Cut to the Bone </i>is out now and you can get it here:</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cut-Bone-Everyones-watching-Nobody-ebook/dp/B01G778SQM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1468665097&sr=1-1&keywords=alex+caan+cut+to+the+bone" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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**My thanks to the gorgeous peeps at Bonnier for my ARC**</div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-73081198233078231972016-07-17T03:36:00.001-07:002016-07-17T03:36:22.226-07:00High Season (The Polo Season Series) - Nacho Figueras & Jessica Whitman<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"World-renowned polo player and global face of Ralph Lauren, Nacho Figueras dives into the world of scandal and seduction with a new fiction series set in the glamorous, treacherous world of high-stakes polo competition. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Georgia never wanted to be a jetsetter. A plain old country vet was fine for her. But one distress call from her best friend and the next thing she knows she's neck deep in the world of polo's most elite international players--complete with designer dresses, fine champagne and some of the most gorgeous thoroughbreds she's ever seen. Some of the most gorgeous men too... </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Alejandro Del Campo needs his team to win the season's biggest polo tournament or else he's not sure how much longer they're going to be in business. What he doesn't need is some sassy new vet telling him how to run his business--and distracting him at every turn. But as they come closer and closer to the championship match, it soon becomes clear that Alejandro wants to win Georgia just as much as the tourney trophy. But can he ever convince her his world is where she truly belongs?"</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">I was offered an ARC of this novel, as I had confessed to being a Jilly Cooper fan. Which I am. A massive fan. So, although I was looking forward to reading this, it wasn't without some trepidation. Lots of writers have been compared to Jilly, but the only other one I've found who stands up to Jilly's high standards is Zara Stoneley. I was ever so slightly worried that this wouldn't compare. In a way, it </span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">didn't - although I liked a lot of the characters, I didn't have the emotional attachment that I have built up with other characters, but this IS the first in a series, so I'm sure the character attachment will come over time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">That said, it did compare in other ways - the storyline uses a very similar formula to Jilly Cooper (handsome rider-type guy, beautiful girl, he-loves-her-but-doesn't-want-to-and-vice-versa), and it's a formula that WORKS. And it works in this case too - I did really like Georgia and Alejandro, and despite feeling like I didn't connect with some of the other minor characters, I still want to know what happens next in the series, and I know that once I read the next in the series I'll be glad to be re-visiting old familiar faces.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, in short, NO it's not in Jilly's league JUST YET, but I still give it four stars, as I'm already looking forward to reading the next in the series, and that can't be a bad thing at all. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>High Season </i>is out on 27th July and you can get it here:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nacho-Figueras-Presents-High-Season/dp/1760292389/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468750506&sr=8-1&keywords=nacho+figueras" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></span></div>
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**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**</div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-13604033541351178882016-06-27T01:12:00.000-07:002016-06-27T01:12:43.071-07:00Too Close - Gayle Curtis<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am delighted to be able to host a guest post from Gayle Curtis today, author of <i>Too Close. </i>I am hooked on Bonnier Publishing at the moment...they seem to be churning out book after book of top quality stories, with excellent twists and gripping plot lines and this novel is no exception. I found it an engrossing read, and while it will take some people out of their comfort zone (it did to me!) the storyline is so addictive I found myself completely unable to put it down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">BLOG FILES – WHERE IT ALL BEGAN<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few years
ago my dear friend, Vicky persuaded me to attend some courses, workshops
entitled You Can Heal Your Life. We’ve been friends for over twenty years and
there had been many occasions such as this where I had politely and sometimes rudely,
said no. Seeing something I clearly couldn’t and knowing how good these
workshops were going to be, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I wasn’t into
any nimby namby, dance around the garden naked and plait each other’s hair kind
of courses, so I tried to think of every possible excuse I could not to attend.
The cat needs a shampoo and set, I thought to myself….no, that won’t work,
something more drastic…the cat’s broken a claw…the cat’s suffering from
anxiety…no…I drummed my fingers on the table but I just couldn’t think of a
reason not to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The morning of the
course dawned and I called Vicky. I’m not listening, she said, unless you’re
dead, you are going to that course even if I have to drag you there myself. I
clearly wasn’t going to get out of it. The silly thing is, I wanted to go, I
knew I needed to go and being my best friend, she saw that in me. It was the
greatest thing I ever did for myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t anything like
what I had imagined and Jill who was running the course was more boot camp
sergeant major than a bra twanging twig whittler. There is too much to explain
here but basically the whole course was about retraining your brain to realise
that you are in control of your life, not the other way round. And the most
important lesson of all, as cheesy as it sounds, was to learn to love yourself
and look at life with an attitude of gratitude. Yes, I really did say that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I learnt to
write as a small child, I have in fact been writing and telling stories. It was
a part of my life, like brushing my teeth or having a shower, only I had never
really told anyone. A select few people noticed because you can’t hide things
from the ones closest to you. A couple of friends suggested I send some of my
work off to a literary agent or a publisher. I thought this was an absolutely
ludicrous idea. I wasn’t a writer. I could never be a writer. That was
something other people did. Not me, no way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
attending these courses I began to see things differently, I looked at myself
and everyone around me with new eyes and I began to believe in myself. I started
to listen to what my loved ones had been saying all along, I absorbed the words
and finally saw my life in a different way. So I began to write some letters
accompanying my work and within a few months I was offered a contract by The
Feldstein Agency.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Too </i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i>Close </i>is out on 30th June and you can get it here:</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Too-Close-Gripping-Psychological-Thriller-ebook/dp/B01B9K0716/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466860699&sr=8-1&keywords=too+close+gayle+curtis" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-64751412989646014092016-06-15T00:07:00.000-07:002016-06-15T00:07:06.694-07:00BLOGIVAL! Adapt - Edward FreelandToday, as part of the BLOGIVAL tour, I am hosting a guest post from Edward Freeland, author of <i>Adapt. Adapt </i>has made it's way into my TBR pile and from the blurb, I think it's going to be a cracking read.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Daniel O'Neal lives a very normal life. He drives a bus for a living in a sleepy English countryside town, and enjoys the mediocrity of his daily routine. But on a trip to London, while enjoying a quiet drink with a friend, he notices a code of numbers on his mobile phone screen, and not for the first time. When Daniel returns home, he begins to notice an increasingly common malfunction with his electronic devices, as his laptop begins to develop the same quirk. Suddenly, his world undergoes a paradigm shift. It starts with subtle responses and giggles at work and in public. Daniel becomes increasingly paranoid, and certain that something is out of the ordinary, yet he cannot prove it. Before long, he believes himself to be under an assault on his being. Is there something more playing with him than just his mind? Is there an organised attack on his psyche, and if there is, can Daniel find the strength to endure the attack?"</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 120%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I wrote this story to explore some fundamental
human characteristics and emotions, both positive and negative, all of which I
believe can relate to every person’s life. On the surface is a story of hacking, media power and people
in positions of trust abusing their power to harm others. It delves in to the mind, and observes
how outside factors can play havoc with an individual’s mental state. It follows the experiences of a patient
being destroyed by a wayward psychiatrist, with unquestionable power over that
patient’s life. Beneath this
amalgamation of modern day issues, (all of which a few people may relate to, a
victim of hacking, a victim of a media onslaught, or a helpless patient
undergoing poor/disastrous treatment by mental health workers), there exists a
number of themes, that together, for me, are the themes of life. These themes not only interest me but I
feel they are common to many people.
They are of connection, consciousness, and the fact that the love of
another can be instrumental on a person’s ability to adapt their
consciousness. Everyone will need
to adapt in life, and will often need the love of another to help fine tune
their consciousness and existence in a reality that no human being truly
understands. Ever present, even in
our modern society, behind our highly evolved minds and our desire to connect
and entwine our consciousness with another being, lurk primal drivers, and
evolutionary traits passed on through DNA. These traits often override our intelligent, understanding
selves, without us ever realizing they are at play. There is an inherent drive for people to group
together. I believe it’s a trait
that was very important for our ancestor’s survival, for instance, when a tribe
of hunter gathers encountered a larger tribe, their existence would be at
stake. Pure survival, to group,
share ideas, and protect their existence in a hostile world. This continued through history. As our
tribal ancestors evolved in to settlements, towns, cities and empires, the need
to be part of a group remained, whether political, religious or warrior
based. This is still within humans
the world over, from religious groups through to avid followers of a sports
teams, (which often result in bitter feuds with rivals). I believe that grouping together is
important for our happiness, unions of individuals the world over are an
awesome, inspirational sight, when coming together for the good and the
positive. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 120%;">This evolutionary trait of ours can be used to
propel us forward as a species and as individuals, yet all too often this
primal driver is present as a destructive force, one group waging war with a
rival group. Or, in the case of my novel, a group of people collectively coming
together to target an individual, essentially the rising of a lynch mob.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout history, mobs, without
rational debate, perspective or understanding carry out persecution, and the
mob always feels validated in their actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Together the group justify the destruction of another
person’s life, and pride themselves on ripping the fabric of that individual’s
reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mobs have justified
pushing someone’s mental state over the precipice, burning witches at the
stake, or locking women in mental asylums for behavior that today is understood
to be perfectly normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Adapt,
I explore how mob mentality can erupt in modern society and how it could
hypothetically play out with instant national media flows and social media, (</span><span lang="EN-US"> I researched the idea of monstering, a term taken from the book
Hack Attack, which basically means bullying by the media.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone is aware when the media
relentlessly target an individual, and I thought it would be a good idea to
take monstering to a whole new level)</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 120%;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try to highlight the absurd hypocrisy
of any mob.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A mob retaliates to
hateful speech with hateful speech.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A mob retaliates to violence with violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a cycle of hypocrisy, that’s easily avoided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If somebody feels a part of collective
who’s purpose is to hurt a fellow human being, they only need to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They devalue their own individuality by
being a cog in a bullying mechanism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In Adapt the mob uses subtlety and positions of power to inflict their
hypocritical persecution.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 120%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In conclusion, the book is an example of how
connection, and the love of family, friends or a partner will always be pivotal
in a person’s ability to adapt, whether to bullying or any other troubles in
life. To group together for
positive will highlight the pettiness of grouping together for hate. Life will continue to put us in
positions we wish we were never in and will continue to put strain on our
happiness. As one chapter in life
closes another begins, and maybe this time, someone else will need your support
to Adapt. I hope that people take
something away from reading my novel.
Each reader may take their own understanding with them. They may question people in positions
of trust abusing their power. Some
readers may educate themselves on how easy it is to hack webcams and
microphones on our personal electronic devices and put tape on their web cam. Some may look at real stories of mental
health patients who have received concerning treatment, sometimes life changing
for the families involved. Others
may question the media’s position to inform without veiled motives. Ultimately, what I would like is for a
reader to walk away from the book, and want to group with others for positive
goals, for people to help others to adapt to their situations in life. I hope some readers will walk away, and
not be concerned by petty attacks on their character and ignore their
detractors, and to avoid pursuing the want to get back at those who have hurt
their life in some way, and to pursue their own happiness, by harnessing our
primal drivers and using them for loving interactions, kindness and
understanding. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 120%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Adapt </i>is out now and you can get it here:</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 120%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adapt-Edward-Freeland-ebook/dp/B00QPHQTI4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1465974115&sr=8-1-fkmr0" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></span></span></div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-35963884445695711462016-06-09T04:06:00.000-07:002016-06-09T04:06:33.469-07:00Willow Walk - SJI Holliday<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<b><i>"When the past catches up, do you run and hide or stand and fight?</i></b></div>
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When a woman is brutally attacked by an escaped inmate from a nearby psychiatric hospital, Sergeant Davie Gray must track him down before he strikes again. But Gray is already facing a series of deaths connected to legal highs and a local fairground, as well as dealing with his girlfriend Marie’s increasingly bizarre behaviour.</div>
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As Gray investigates the crimes, he comes to realise that there has to be a link between Marie and the man on the run. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. But he also knows that if he confronts her with the truth, he risks losing everything.</div>
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As a terrified Marie is pulled back into a violent past she thought she’d escaped, she makes a life-changing decision. And when events come to a head at a house party on Willow Walk, can Gray piece together the puzzle in time to stop the sleepy town of Banktoun being rocked by tragedy once again?'</div>
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I enjoyed Susi's first novel, and was looking forward to this, her second, however I didn't realise exactly HOW GOOD this one was going to be. The second in the Banktoun trilogy is a BRILLIANT read - it's intense and uncomfortable, and at some points I felt like I should be averting my eyes, but like a car crash, I couldn't. </div>
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Two storyline running alongside each other mean that this is a pacy, addictive read. The characters are...hard to describe. I liked Marie, even though she is desperately flawed, and there is nothing you can dislike about Davie. Some of the other characters, though, had my skin crawling - there is something about a certain character that gets under your skin and makes you feel that uncomfortable, which means long after I'd finished reading he played on my mind. A tense and difficult read, <i>Willow Walk </i>heads right up to the boundaries of some pretty intense, taboo stuff - and it's executed perfectly. </div>
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Bravo, Susi - I thought I loved <i>Black Wood, </i>but it turns out I loved <i>Willow Walk </i>even more. I can't wait for the third in the trilogy. </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Willow-Walk-Banktoun-Trilogy-Holliday-ebook/dp/B01B74442W/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1463578152&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=willow+wlak" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**</div>
That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-72685971821478916352016-05-28T22:56:00.000-07:002016-05-28T22:56:14.342-07:00Country Rivals - Zara Stoneley<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
I'm so excited to host Zara Stoneley on the blog today! She is my guilty pleasure when I need something light hearted and fun to read and I can highly recommend all of her books.<br />
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<span class="s4" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">What were your </span></span><span class="s4" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">influences when writing Country Rivals</span></span><span class="s4" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s6" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Strong women</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> – I’ve been lucky enough so far in my lifetime to meet some amazing women who’ve inspired me in my life as well as my writing. I know a wonderful lady who runs a horse stud in Cheshire, competition riders who show and event, a flamboyant artist and photographer who runs her own business, and more than one matriarchal figure who runs the country estate (even though other members of the family might think it is their job!). I love all my female characters in Country Rivals, they’re strong, determined and resourceful – but have a terrific sense of humour (essential in the countryside).</span></span></div>
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<span class="s6" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Sexy men</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> – where would we be without them? I’ve known more than one Billy in my life – blunt but well-meaning men who will say what they mean, a very sexy farrier, and more than one rather attractive polo player. I have to admit the combination of horses and men does something for me (this could be the fault of J</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">illy Cooper and Rupert Campbell–</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Black who came into my life at an impressionable age!).</span></span></div>
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<span class="s6" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Funny dogs</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> – I’ve always had a dog, but the one with the most character had to be </span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Darcey</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">, my Jack Russell Terrier. Sadly, we lost her to leukaemia when she was only a few years old but she left a huge impression and was the inspiration for Tilly the terrier. I’ve also had a greedy Labrador (is there any other kind?) who would quite happily have polished off a cricket tea like Lady Elizabeth’s dog did in Country Affairs.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s6" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Wilful horses</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> – I’ve had a few, especially one very naughty Welsh cob. Black Gold is a combination of a couple of my naughtier horses, but all the horses in Tippermere are inspired by ones I’ve known or owned.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s6" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Dream locations</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> – I love the Cheshire countryside and the villages. The village of </span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Alderley</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> Edge, home </span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">to</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> many premier footballers, influenced Kitterly Heath, and the village where I used to keep my horses</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> was the main inspiration for</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Tippe</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">r</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">mere.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s6" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Events</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> – a few years ago there was a fire at a castle, used as a location for events, near to where I live. This was t</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">he initial trigger for the plot of ‘Country Rivals’</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> – what if it happened to Lottie?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s6" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Character to love</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> – there is a great sense of community in the villages in Cheshire. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Everybody attends the village shows, supports their neighbours when things go wrong, and quite a few people like to gather in the local pub and catch up on the gossip. People have time for each other, and this </span></span><a href="" name="_GoBack"></a><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">had a massive influence w</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">hen I was writing the Tippermere series</span></span><span class="s5" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s8" style="font-family: Calibri; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Country Rivals</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">'A great treat for readers…jam-packed with sexy men and horses.' Bestselling author Fiona Walker</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Dashing eventer Rory is ready to button up his breeches and settle down. His gorgeous wife, Lottie, wants a bank balance in the black so she can protect the beautiful family estate for future generations.</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">But with the wedding business at Tipping House going up in flames, and rumours that it was arson not accident, Lottie begins to wonder who she can trust with her future.</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Tranquil Tippermere is under siege as movies moguls and insurance investigators invade the countryside, and as events gather pace rescue plans start to look too good to be true, and intentions may not be as honourable as they seem.</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">As a moody, but definitely marvellous, polo player enters the fray and squares up to the eventing hero of Tippermere, does Lottie stand to lose her husband as well as her home?</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">You can buy ‘Country Rivals’ from </span><a href="http://smarturl.it/CountryRivals"><span class="s11" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Amazon</span></a><span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> or visit Zara’s </span><a href="http://www.zarastoneley.com/country-rivals.html"><span class="s11" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">website</span></a><span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> to see all buy links.</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">And you can grab the other Tippermere books (all the books can be read independently) here –</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">‘</span><a href="http://smarturl.it/StableMates"><span class="s11" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Stable Mates</span></a><span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">’ - ‘</span><a href="http://smarturl.it/countryaffairs"><span class="s11" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Country Affairs</span></a><span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">’ - ‘</span><a href="http://smarturl.it/FreeChristmasStory"><span class="s11" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">A Very Country Christmas</span></a><span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">’ (FREE!)</span></div>
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<span class="s12" style="font-family: Calibri; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">ZARA STONELEY </span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Zara was born in a small village in Staffordshire, educated in Cheshire, and went on to study at Liverpool University. After a successful career as an IT consultant, she decided to follow her heart and ran a dog grooming business for several years before becoming a full-time writer.</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Her fun, romantic, romps draw on her experiences of village life, and her various love affairs with dogs, cats and horses. These days if she’s not at her laptop, you can usually find her trudging across fields on foot, or sat on the back of a horse.</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Zara divides her time between a country cottage in Cheshire and an apartment in Barcelona. Her most recent novels include the popular Stable Mates, Country Affairs and Country Rivals.</span></div>
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<span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Find out more -</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.zarastoneley.com/"><span class="s11" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Website</span></a><span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ZaraStoneley"><span class="s11" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Twitter</span></a><span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/zarastoneley"><span class="s11" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Facebook</span></a><span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><a href="http://amazon.com/author/zarastoneley"><span class="s11" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Amazon</span></a><span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span><a href="https://uk.pinterest.com/zarastoneley/"><span class="s11" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Pinterest</span></a><span class="s9" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></div>
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"Dashing eventer Rory is ready to button up his breeches and settle down. His gorgeous wife, Lottie, wants a bank balance in the black so she can protect the beautiful family estate for future generations.</div>
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But with the wedding business at Tipping House going up in flames, and rumours that it was arson not accident, Lottie begins to wonder who she can trust with her future.</div>
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Tranquil Tippermere is under siege as movies moguls and insurance investigators invade the countryside, and as events gather pace rescue plans start to look too good to be true, and intentions may not be as honourable as they seem.</div>
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As a moody, but definitely marvellous, polo player enters the fray and squares up to the eventing hero of Tippermere, does Lottie stand to lose her husband as well as her home?"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezV4bjvWKiGBO1ZBSV8Wqw4VdPFMJhDQK38bWpadwGkx-eZrDWjZ_X_Kiy7c8LWcEbxIop_Jv9JUFOBbWjqEi2qxZ7yPJSnkD77tdXZ2L26H0nCKhlx9ZAmHuUJLDQSWBaEjCTZwKRRA/s1600/unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezV4bjvWKiGBO1ZBSV8Wqw4VdPFMJhDQK38bWpadwGkx-eZrDWjZ_X_Kiy7c8LWcEbxIop_Jv9JUFOBbWjqEi2qxZ7yPJSnkD77tdXZ2L26H0nCKhlx9ZAmHuUJLDQSWBaEjCTZwKRRA/s320/unknown.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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What do you do when your guilty pleasure is reading Jilly Cooper novels, but Jilly hasn't written a book for years? Read Zara Stoneley, of course. </div>
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The Tippermere series is a FANTASTIC read, and this, the third instalment is brilliant. Meeting up with Lottie, Rory and Tab is like meeting up with old friends - not a lot changes, and you feel like you're picking up where you left off. This time though, Lottie is fighting off potentially losing the house, losing Rory, dealing with a film crew and all while being put under pressure to start a family. </div>
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There were moments when I laughed out loud, and I also have to confess to a few tears....Zara's characters are so relatable that it's difficult not to get caught up in the events of the their lives. </div>
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Another brilliant Tippermere novel - I really hope it won't be the last. </div>
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<i>Country Rivals </i>is out now and you can get it here:</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Country-Rivals-Tippermere-Zara-Stoneley-ebook/dp/B01CC8L9XE/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1463576463&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=country+rivalsd" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**</div>
That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-11085467320858989762016-05-06T01:30:00.000-07:002016-05-06T01:30:38.618-07:00Thriller Writing with C.J. CarverI am so excited today to be able to host an article on thriller writing by C.J. Carver. C.J's latest novel <i>Spare Me The Truth </i>is a cracking fast paced read that will have even the most confident thriller reader hanging on by their fingernails....<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thriller writing and CJ
Carver<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Creating a thriller that thrills, I like to have a
high-concept idea that interests and intrigues me, and in Spare Me The Truth
it’s the memory erasing drug which isn’t sci-fi, but all too real.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I like writing the odd scene with an international
setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not too many, but enough
to give the novel a bit of zest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In Spare Me The Truth, we nip to Chennai in India for just four brief
scenes, but they’re extremely evocative and add a touch of colour to the story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I also concentrate on ending each scene with a
thruster that will make the reader curious about what happens next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like to deprive the reader of
something he needs to know – like why Dan Forrester can’t remember certain
things – to increase the reader’s attention and keep them turning those pages.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Additional Question for CJ<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Question:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3075382033948993706" name="_GoBack"></a> Which location would
you most like visit in the world?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Currently, Iceland is at the top of the list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Geologically fascinating, but what I’m
intrigued by is the Icelandic world of the huldufolk, the hidden people (elves,
dwarves & ghosts).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently
there’s been an 8-year battle to stop a road being built because it’s believed
elves live there and construction workers don’t want to risk any mishaps caused
by angry elves upset at having their home destroyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, we protect newts and bats, but in Iceland its elves
and ghosts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Spare Me The Truth </i>is out now and you can get it here:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spare-Me-Truth-Explosive-Forrester/dp/1785760335/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462447566&sr=8-1&keywords=cj+carver" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></span></div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-15032324293622688302016-04-29T01:06:00.000-07:002016-04-29T01:06:11.943-07:00Tall Oaks - Chris Whitaker<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Everyone has a secret in Tall Oaks . . .</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When three-year-old Harry goes missing, the whole of America turns its attention to one small town.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Everyone is eager to help. Everyone is a suspect.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Desperate mother Jess, whose grief is driving her to extreme measures.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Newcomer Jared, with an easy charm and a string of broken hearts in his wake.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Photographer Jerry, who's determined to break away from his controlling mother once and for all.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">And, investigating them all, a police chief with a hidden obsession of his own . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In Chris Whitaker's brilliant and original debut novel, missing persons, secret identities and dangerous lies abound in a town as idiosyncratic as its inhabitants."</span><br />
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I always know when a book has completely blown me away - as a reader, I want to weep because I've finished it and I will never again get to experience it for the first time, and as a writer, it makes me want to weep because I wish I had written it myself. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE BOOKS.</div>
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I raced through this debut novel, unable to put it down. Set in small-town America and filled with some of the most exciting characters I have seen in fiction for ages, this is a intriguingly twisty story that will net Chris Whitaker a TON of fans. </div>
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The main focus of the story is a missing child, but the townspeople of Tall Oaks all have their own secrets to keep. The author manages to weave these stories tightly together flawlessly, leaving the reader wondering exactly what their secrets are and what really did happen to Harry Monroe, before tying things up in an OH-MY-GOD climax. There are SO MANY wonderful characters that pop up throughout this novel - Manny being my favourite. (Manny is marvellous, so marvellous that I think I could read a book just about Manny BY HIMSELF.) </div>
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Darkly funny, reminiscent of Jamie Kornegay's <i>Soil, </i>this is like <i>Fargo</i>, but better. Bravo, Chris Whitaker, you've made my top ten of the year already. </div>
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<i>Tall Oaks </i>is out in Ebook now, paperback coming September 2016. You can get your copy here:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tall-Oaks-gripping-small-wrong-ebook/dp/B01BTUUE3W?ie=UTF8&keywords=tall%20oaks&qid=1461831505&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-2735569276094184732016-04-20T01:41:00.001-07:002016-04-20T01:41:35.716-07:00Abigale Hall - Lauren A. Forry<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Amidst the terror of the Second World War, seventeen-year-old Eliza and her troubled little sister Rebecca have had their share of tragedy, losing their mother to the Blitz and their father to suicide. But when they are forced to leave London to work for the mysterious Mr Brownawell at Abigale Hall, they find that the worst is yet to come...There are tales that the ghost of Mr Brownawell's bride-to-be haunts the desolate mansion, and in the village there are shocking rumours of maidservants meeting a terrible fate within its walls. But is it superstition that Eliza should be afraid of or is there something real and deadly lurking in the dark, dusty rooms of Abigale Hall? Yet vicious, cold-hearted housekeeper Mrs Pollard will stop at nothing to keep the mansion's terrible secrets, and she exerts a twisted hold over Rebecca. To save herself and her sister descending into madness, Eliza must wage a desperate battle to escape back to London and uncover the horrifying truth before Abigale Hall claims two more victims."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a SERIOUSLY good read - far exceeding my expectations from the blurb. Despite being set during the Second World War there is a deliciously gothic feel to the entire novel. With an air of the creepy ghost story about it, <i>Abigale Hall </i>has a sense of intrigue and mystery running throughout which meant I kept turning the pages long after I should have gone to bed. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Combine all of this with some excellent characters - Eliza is very likeable, Rebecca is shrouded in mystery exacerbated by her mental illness, and the delightfully wicked Mrs Pollard and a setting that lends itself to the eerie plot line wonderfully, Lauren Forry has created a brilliant debut novel, one that creeped me out, kept me hooked and will have me recommending <i>Abigail Hall</i> to everyone. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Abigale Hall </i>is out on 29th February and you can get it here:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abigale-Hall-Lauren-Forry/dp/1785300091/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450009036&sr=1-1&keywords=abigale+hall" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abigale-Hall-Lauren-Forry</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">*My thanks to Black & White Publishing for my ARC*</span>That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-42236802840639427172016-04-19T02:37:00.002-07:002016-04-19T02:37:30.876-07:00Lindsey Davis - VENI, VIDI, VICI - CharacterisationIn a week-long blitz of lovely Linsdey Davis bookish posts, I am hosting an article by Lindsey on characterisation, with an introduction to Marcus Didio Falco....<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Marcus Didius Falco was the beloved
main character that you started with, and he saw you through many of the books.
Flavia Albia took over from Falco – and the new one is the fourth in the
series. Was it difficult to say goodbye to Falco as a main character? Why did you
make the change? How was Flavia greeted by fans? How is Flavia developing as a
character – has her life changed much in the four books so far? <o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
Falco was wonderful and I don’t feel I’ve said goodbye to him. I am now jus<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3075382033948993706" name="_GoBack"></a>t showing him not through his own, deeply biased, eyes, but
as other people see him, specifically his children, Albia and also (in The
Spook Who Spoke Again) the strange little lad Postumus. It gives Falco and
Helena another dimension. Other old friends are also in the Albia series, 12
years older and grizzlier, and so are well-loved places such as Fountain Court,
which Falco owns and is now trying to pass off as a good investment to the
future Emperor Trajan. <br />
I made the change to refresh everyone – me, readers, and the characters
themselves. (I also had a film company interested, who wanted ‘spin-off’ rights
– and I was damn well not going to let them choose what any spin-off would be.)
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Fans were at first resistant, which does sadden me because I would have
hoped they would trust me by now! However, they seem to have settled down and
to their own amazement they like Albia as much as Falco. <br />
As I did with Falco in The Silver Pigs, the first Albia Story, The Ides of
April, turned out to occur at what would be a turning point in her personal life;
she meets a man who scrubs up rather nicely and who is not in awe of her. We
surely know where that is heading (well, I think we do, though readers can be
oddly uncertain) By the second book his utter decency becomes apparent, and so
on… In the fourth story the sub-plot concerns their wedding (many stories are
about marriage but I hadn’t shown an actual wedding since the spectacular
debâcle of Lenia and Smaractus in Time to Depart, where the bridal bed ends up
on fire) There will be a blip or two at Albia’s wedding, which I shall not give
away here, but ultimately as they set up home together (hampered by their
hopeless slave Dromo) I am now going to explore the idea of the Roman family
business. Albia will be informing yet also helping Tiberius set himself up as a
building contractor. They will talk about things together, but he will leave
her to it. I want to show that whatever the textbooks say, for most Romans the
couple worked together for their own prosperity. <br />
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<i>The Graveyard of the Hesperides </i>is out now and you can get it here:</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Graveyard-Hesperides-Flavia-Albia-Generation/dp/1473613361/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461058543&sr=8-1&keywords=lindsey+davis" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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**Thanks to the author and publisher**</div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-3774783131681623272016-04-16T03:50:00.006-07:002016-04-16T03:50:54.760-07:00A Life Discarded: 148 Diaries Found In A Skip - Alexander Masters<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
"Unique, transgressive and as funny as its subject, A Life Discarded has all the suspense of a murder mystery. Written with his characteristic warmth, respect and humour, Masters asks you to join him in celebrating an unknown and important life left on the scrap heap.</div>
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A Life Discarded is a biographical detective story. In 2001, 148 tattered and mould-covered notebooks were discovered lying among broken bricks in a skip on a building site in Cambridge. Tens of thousands of pages were filled to the edges with urgent handwriting. They were a small part of an intimate, anonymous diary, starting in 1952 and ending half a century later, a few weeks before the books were thrown out. Over five years, the award-winning biographer Alexander Masters uncovers the identity and real history of their author, with an astounding final revelation.</div>
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A Life Discarded is a true, shocking, poignant, often hilarious story of an ordinary life. The author of the diaries, known only as ‘I’, is the tragicomic patron saint of everyone who feels their life should have been more successful. Part thrilling detective story, part love story, part social history, A Life Discarded is also an account of two writers’ obsessions: of ‘I’s need to record every second of life and of Masters’ pursuit of this mysterious yet universal diarist."</div>
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I enjoyed this book SO MUCH - a weirdly compelling read, it was almost like peeping through a window into someone else's life, watching their thoughts and emotions come to life into front of you. Added to this intimate, intricate story through diary entries, we follow the author on his quest to find the writer of the diaries. I found this emotional, addictive and the ending was just perfect. If you looking for something a little bit different, I highly recommend this. </div>
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<i>A Life Discarded </i>is out on 5th May and you can get it here:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Life-Discarded-Alexander-Masters/dp/0008130779?ie=UTF8&keywords=alexander%20masters&qid=1460803725&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-7383735653675327612016-04-14T02:40:00.000-07:002016-04-14T02:40:00.245-07:00The Silent Twin - Caroline Mitchell<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Nine-year-old twins Abigail and Olivia vow never to be parted. But when Abigail goes missing from Blackwater Farm, DC Jennifer Knight must find her before it’s too late. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Twin sister Olivia has been mute since Abigail’s disappearance. But when she whispers in Jennifer’s ear, Jennifer realises it is Abigail’s voice pleading to be found. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A damp and decaying house set in acres of desolate scrubland, the farm is a place of secrets, old and new – and Jennifer must unravel them all in order to find the lost girl. But could Olivia’s bond with her twin hold the key to finding Abigail? And can Jennifer break through her silence in time to save her sister’s life? "</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Blimey. Just when you thought things couldn't get any better in a series, THIS comes along. While I have been a fan of Caroline's paranormal detective series from the word go, this third instalment honestly blew me away. Twisty and turny from the get- go I found myself tangled up in knots as I tried frantically to figure exactly what was going to be the outcome of this intricate web of deceit. Needless to say, nothing I dreamt up came even close to what ACTUALLY happened - and it's so rare now for me to have NO clue at all as to what the twist will be in a book, that the fact that I was kept in the dark until the very end meant that I was hooked.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Book three sees the return of Jennifer and Will - and several other familiar characters - battling to solve the mystery of a missing child. As ever, Caroline's characters are believable and relatable, even the ones that you don't take a shine to. The writing is clear and crisp and the plot is cleverly woven together to come to a brilliant denouement. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Whilst I'm sad that we've reached the end of the Jennifer Knight series, I am even more excited by Caroline's Ruby Preston series, which if it's even half as good as this, it's sure to be a cracker.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>The Silent Twin </i>is out today and you can get it here:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Twin-gripping-detective-Detective-ebook/dp/B01BLU0U6G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1460478164&sr=1-1&keywords=the+silent+twin" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.co.uk</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">**My thanks to Bookouture for my ARC**</span>That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-7724120985344350962016-04-13T01:28:00.000-07:002016-04-13T01:28:09.385-07:00The Vintage Springtime Club - Beatrice Meier<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
"Newly retired Philip returns home to Cologne and is thrown into emotional turmoil upon bumping into his long-lost sweetheart. In the midst of a domestic crisis, Ricarda confides in Philip that she is looking for somewhere to live. And there and then, Philip suggests that she move in with him - he is setting up a flatshare. Will she join him with his mischievous dachshund named Ralf?</div>
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To his surprise, Ricarda agrees, leaving Philip to scramble together a crew of retires in time for spring, for the most unlikely of social experiments. There's grumpy cigarette-smoking grandfather Harry; quiet and discreet Eckart, curiously carting around his late wife's headstone; Uschi, brimming with life, harbouring a passion for leotards and aerobics, along with sausages and outrageous knitting patterns; and then, ever-practical and warm-hearted Ricarda, towards whom Phillip is developing real feelings. </div>
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Despite their differences, the flatmates thrive and embark on a series of new adventures. But when Uschi falls unwell, familiar cracks begin to show and this uniquely spirited club of friends must work together in order to survive - and truly blossom."</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">A delightful
read, similar in style to <i>A Man Called
Ove, </i>(although that may be down to the translation style) I really enjoyed <i>The Vintage Springtime Club. </i>Beatrice
Meier has created some wonderful characters, with a surprisingly fresh plot;
which combine together to make this a really wonderful story. The characters
are very real – I cried along with Ricarda at Uschi’s fate, and cheered on the
burgeoning love story that unfolded throughout. While this is a little unusual compared
to my normal reads, I am so pleased that I agreed to review it – a wonderful
tale of life, friendship and love that kept me hooked until the very end. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>The Vintage Springtime Club </i>is out now and you can get it here:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vintage-Springtime-Club-Beatrice-Meier-ebook/dp/B010PFFLLM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1460478006&sr=1-1&keywords=vintage+springtime+club" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.co.uk</a></span></div>
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**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**</div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-86000352951873502002016-03-21T03:21:00.000-07:002016-03-21T03:21:42.147-07:00Little Boy Blue - MJ Arlidge<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
<b>"Detective Inspector Helen Grace is no stranger to tragedy. But when a body is found in a Southampton nightclub, the death cuts too close to the bone.</b></div>
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Hiding her personal connection to the victim - and a double-life which must remain secret at all costs - Helen becomes a woman possessed, working her team around the clock to chase down every lead.</div>
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As the killer strikes again, the investigation takes its toll not only on Helen but also her senior officers. Tempers flare, friendships fray and Helen faces an impossible choice.</div>
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Confess her sins and lose control of the case? Or keep living a lie, protecting her darkest secrets, and risk getting trapped in this tangled web?</div>
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<b>But whatever she does, this killer will not stop until the truth is revealed: there are some fates worse than death . . ."</b></div>
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I love Helen Grace. She is a TOTAL badass. Plus, she hangs around in my old manor, so she must be alright. </div>
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I've enjoyed every one of MJ Arlidge's books in the Helen Grace series, but this one blew me away. Starting with a shocking murder, one that made me stop for a minute as I couldn't quite believe it (and I recommend you read the others in the series so that you can fully appreciate the impact of the murder in this book!), the team are thrown into the murky world of S&M to try and uncover the killer. </div>
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As usual, Arlidge treats us to a fast-paced roller-coaster ride, with this latest instalment being, in my opinion, the best one yet. The killer is revealed, and is someone that I was NOT expecting, and the explosive ending is superb - I, for one, am definitely left hanging, desperately hoping that Arlidge gets pen to paper as soon as possible, because I cannot WAIT for the next Helen Grace novel. </div>
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<i>Little Boy Blue </i>is out now and you can get it, and the rest of the Helen Grace novels (which you really must do if you want to get fully blown away by this book!) here:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Boy-Blue-Detective-Inspector-ebook/dp/B014K6FD6U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1454852362&sr=1-1&keywords=little+boy+blue" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.co.uk</a></div>
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**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**</div>
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That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075382033948993706.post-39072282962196700942016-03-09T22:47:00.000-08:002016-03-09T22:47:57.957-08:00Jihadi, A Love Story - Yusuf Toropov<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"A former intelligence agent stands accused of terrorism, held without charge in a secret overseas prison. His memoir is in the hands of a brilliant but erratic psychologist whose annotations paint a much darker picture. As the story unravels, we are forced to assess the truth for ourselves, and decide not only what really happened on one fateful overseas assignment but who is the real terrorist. Peopled by a diverse and unforgettable cast of characters, whose reliability as narrators is always questioned, and with a multi-layered plot heaving with unexpected and often shocking developments, Jihadi: A Love Story is an intelligent thriller that asks big questions.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Complex, intriguing and intricately woven, this is an astonishing debut that explores the nature of good and evil alongside notions of nationalism, terrorism and fidelity, and, above all, the fragility of the human mind."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I can always rely on Orenda Books to send me quality books to review - stuff that pushes me out of my comfort zone, but this one really stretched me. I wasn't at all sure whether I would enjoy it, despite a cracking blurb. All I can say now, after finishing it, is WOW. A difficult, complex read that took me longer than average to read (possibly because I felt the need to let things digest between chapters), this was actually a brilliant read. It's a complicated read, so don't pick it up thinking you'll whizz through it in a weekend, because you won't, but it was one that slowly reeled me in until I felt like I had no option but to read to the end. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Even now, a week after I've finished reading, I still don't know whose side of the story is the true one - the novel is written in the form of a manuscript, written by unreliable narrator, which is then annotated by ANOTHER unreliable narrator - see what I mean by complicated? Both sides are equally believable, and while some things that are written are slightly distasteful, or shocking, it didn't stop me from enjoying it. I've been left mulling things over, thinking about circumstances and the characters, long after I've finished the book. That, to me, can only be a good thing. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Jihadi - A Love Story </i>is out now and you can get it here:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jihadi-Love-Story-Yusuf-Toropov-ebook/dp/B016721VLG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1456065124&sr=1-1&keywords=yusuf+toropov" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jihadi-Love-Story</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">**My thanks to the publisher for my ARC**</span>That Farm Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14660912826383606873noreply@blogger.com0