Contemporary/Chic-Lit/Womens Fiction
#BlogTour | The Curious Heart Of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland #TheCuriousHeartOfAilsaRae #Exclusive #Excerpt
Hello, Sunshine’s, I have the huge pleasure to be today’s stop on this amazing blog tour for; The Curious Heart Of Aisla Rae by Stephanie Butland. Unfortunately didn’t finish my review in time to post alongside this, so that will come at a later date. But I do have an amazing excerpt to share with you, which I know will make you a bit weepy and you will want to go out and grab a copy. So sit back, grab that cuppa and enjoy!
T
he Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland
For fans of Josie Silver’s One Day in December, The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae is a wholly original, charismatic, and uplifting novel that no reader will soon forget.
Ailsa Rae is learning how to live. She’s only a few months past the heart transplant that—just in time—saved her life. Now, finally, she can be a normal twenty-eight-year-old. She can climb a mountain. Dance. Wait in line all day for tickets to Wimbledon.
But first, she has to put one foot in front of the other. So far, things are as bloody complicated as ever. Her relationship with her mother is at a breaking point and she wants to find her father. Then there’s Lennox, whom Ailsa loved and lost. Will she ever find love again?
Her new heart is a bold heart. She just needs to learn to listen to it. From the hospital to her childhood home, on social media and IRL, Ailsa will embark on a journey about what it means to be, and feel, alive. How do we learn to be brave, to accept defeat, to dare to dream?
From Stephanie Butland, author of The Lost for Words Bookshop, The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae will warm you from the inside out.
Buy link here – The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae
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Exclusive Excerpt
6 October, 2017,
Hard to Bear
It’s 3 a.m. here in cardio-thoracic.
All I can do for now is doze, and think, and doze again. My heart is getting weaker, my body bluer. People I haven’t seen for a while are starting to drop in. (Good to see you, Emily, Jacob, Christa. I’m looking forward to the Martinis.) We all pretend we’re not getting ready to say goodbye. It seems easiest. But my mother cries when she thinks I’m sleeping, so maybe here, now, is time to admit that I might really be on the way out.
I should be grateful. A baby born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome a few years before I was would have died within days. I’ve had twenty-eight years and I’ve managed to do quite a lot of living in them. (Also, I’ve had WAY more operations than you everyday folk. I totally win on that.) OK, so I still live at home and I’ve never had a job and I’m blue around the edges because there’s never quite enough oxygen in my system. But – Actually, but nothing. If you’re here tonight for the usual BlueHeart cheerfulness-in-the-teeth-of-disaster, you need to and another blogger.
My heart is failing. I imagine I can feel it oundering in my chest. Sometimes it’s as though I’m holding my breath, waiting to see if another beat will come. I’ve been in hospital for four months, almost non-stop, because it’s no longer tenable for me to be at home. I’m on a drip pumping electrolytes into my blood and I’ve an oxygen tube taped to my face. I’m constantly cared for by people who are trying to keep me well enough to receive a transplanted heart if one shows up. I monitor every icker and echo of pain or tiredness in my body and try to work out if it means that things are getting worse. And yes, I’m alive, and yes, I could still be saved, but tonight it’s a struggle to think that being saved is possible. Or even likely. And I’m not sure I have the energy to keep waiting.
And I should be angrier, but there’s no room for anger (remember, my heart is a chamber smaller than yours) because, tonight, I’m scared.
It’s only a question of time until I get too weak to survive a transplant, and then it’s a waste of a heart to give it to me. Someone a bit tter, and who would get more use from it, will bump me from the top of the list and I’m into the Palliative Care Zone. (It’s not actually called that. And it’s a good, kind, caring place, but it’s not where I want to be. Maybe when I’m ninety-eight. To be honest, tonight, I’d take forty-eight. Anything but twenty-eight.)
I hope I feel more optimistic when the sun comes up. If it does. It’s Edinburgh. It’s October. The odds are about the same as me getting a new heart.
My mother doesn’t worry about odds. She says, ‘We only need the one heart. Just the one.’ She says it in a way that makes me think that when she leaves the ward she’s away to carve one out of some poor stranger’s body herself. And anyway, odds feel strange, because even if my survival chances are, say, 20 per cent, whatever happens to me will happen 100 per cent. As in, I could be 100 per cent dead this time next week.
Night night, BlueHeart xxx
P.S. I would really, really like for one of you to get your- self a couple of goldsh, or kittens, or puppies, or even horses, and call them Cardio and Thoracic. My preference would be for puppies. Because I love the thought that, if I don’t make it to Christmas, somewhere there will be someone walking in the winter countryside, let- ting their enthusiastic wee spaniels off the lead, and then howling ‘Cardio! Thoracic!’ as they disappear over the brow of a hill intent on catching some poor terried sheep. That’s what I call a legacy.
***Excerpt From The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie Butland and used with permission from publisher as apart of this blog tour. Copyright © 2019 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.***
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About the Author
STEPHANIE BUTLAND lives with her family near the sea in the North East of England. She writes in a studio at the bottom of her garden, and when she’s not writing, she trains people to think more creatively. For fun, she reads, knits, sews, bakes, and spins. She is an occasional performance poet and the author of The Lost for Words Bookshop.
#CoverReveal | Once Upon A Wish-mas by Laura Barnard #OnceUponAWish-mas #ChristmasRomance @BarnardLaura
Hello my lovely readers! Today, I have the huge pleasure to be taking part in this exclusive cover reveal for; Once Upon A Wish-mas by Laura Barnard. If you love your Contemporary Romance books, then I can guarantee you will love this cover, it’s so gorgeous.
Once Upon A Wish-mas by Laura Barnard
Releasing: 1st November 2019
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Contemporary/Christmas
Format: Print/ebook
Ruby Campbell isn’t daunted at the prospect of working as a Nanny for the notorious Barclay Rothchester. She’s warned he’s a strict control freak, but she’s sure she can soften him up.
Barclay Rothchester lost his wife three years ago. of course, he’s never going to find someone to replace her role, the one she did so perfectly. he’s sure it’s not going to be hippy dippy Ruby with her sass and rebellious ways.
Ruby is determined to give his daughters the Christmas they deserve. Now if only she can tolerate their father long enough to make that happen.
Are they both willing to put their stubborn pride aside, or will they risk losing the one gift that can’t be wrapped; each other.
Goodreads / Amazon
About The Author
Amazon Best Seller Laura Barnard lives in Hertfordshire, UK and writes romantic comedy or ‘chick lit’ as its so often described. In her spare time she enjoys drinking her body weight in tea, indulging in cupcakes the size of her face and drooling over hunks like Jamie Dornan, Ryan Gosling and Leo Dicaprio.
She enjoys wearing yoga pants and reading fitness magazines while sitting on the sofa eating chocolate. She’s a real fan of the power nap, loves setting her friends up together and of course READING!
She writes not to get rich or famous, but because she LOVES writing. Even if one person tells her they enjoyed her book it makes the midnight typing worth it!
Social Links
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Website / Goodreads
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#Review | Happy Christmas Eve by Jackie Ladbury #HappyChristmasEve @ChocLituk @RubyFiction @JackieLadbury
Hellooo my friends, I have the huge pleasure to be sharing my review of this wonderful new Christmas book; Happy Christmas Eve by Jackie Ladbury. So grab a cuppa…and a sausage roll, or two and enjoy!
All I want for Christmas is you … or you?
Eve Halligan is back in her hometown for Christmas after a whirlwind few years touring with her band, the Molotovs. A lot has changed since she left, but two things have stayed the same. One: Eve is head-over-heels in love with Lucien Malikov, the Molotovs’ bad boy lead singer. Two: Lucien is completely indifferent to her.
Still, Eve dreams that this could be the Christmas where she convinces Lucien that they’re made for each other. But when childhood friend and local caterer Theo Wright comes back into her life bringing with him festive cupcake and sausage roll conundrums, Eve begins to question whether her Christmas dreams have been wasted on the wrong man …
I love a feel-good Christmas romance, and this is just perfect for those colder, chilly nights wrapped in a blanket with your fluffy socks on. It is pure festive joy; fun, charming, cheery and a very delicious romance, everything you would want from a Christmas book is right here….it even has sausage rolls, who doesn’t love a sausage roll at Christmas…or any time of the year? Yes, I am afraid to say that Jackie Ladbury did have me hooked from the moment a sausage roll making gorgeous guy was mentioned.
Eve is back home after years on the road with her band; the Molotov’s – well, when I say her band she is more like a roadie than a participating band member, she is in her own right a brilliant singer, songwriter and guitarist yet the bands lead; ridiculously arrogant and vain Lucien does push her into the background, Eve may like him and think that the sun shines when he is around but personally I thought he was a bit of a pillock and did take against him from the off, which I have to congratulate Jackie Ladbury for that brilliant piece of writing. Anyway, our Eve she has been infatuated with him since they were children, so when he asked her to tour with him and be his singer she literally jumped at the chance – unfortunately for Eve she soon learned that he didn’t want anyone to take the limelight from him so she became a basic dog’s body.
Once back home for Christmas she did hope that things would change and Lucien would change and start to see and treat as in the way she would like – really Eve, haven’t you heard that Leopards never change their spots, and this leopard is well and truly stuck in his, well that is until he realises there is competing for lovely Eve’s attention in the form of delicious and kind; Theo – ahhh, Theo – be still my beating heart!!
Theo is another of their childhood friends, whereas Lucien wants to be this hugely loved internationally adored pop star; our Theo is more than happy in the kitchen baking some delicious treat’s, yet he has made a name for himself and his catering business has soured and now they are all back together – in some sort of fashion. Now there are two men in Eve’s life, two completely different men; one is charming, natural, kind and actually see’s her as a person and the other is a notorious playboy, a rogue, charming yet arrogant and only interested because someone else is, but which one will sweep her off her feet and make this Christmas the best yet? I can tell you which one I was cheering on and for once it wasn’t the bad boy if a man-made me sausage rolls he would have my heart for life 😉
Well, I ain’t going to tell you, you’re going to have to read for yourselves! I’ll just say that this, I loved the journey Eve goes on to have her perfect Christmas, she has difficult choices to make. If you love your sweet, heart-warming and very festive romances then this is a perfect read, even if you don’t then I definitely recommend you give it a go. It is one of those stories that you will pull off the shelf every Christmas, I know that it will be one which I will be re-reading again.
This was an Arc copy from the publisher, which I voluntarily reviewed, thank you Liz. Xx
Happy Christmas Eve is available now and can be found at Amazon.
#CoverReveal | Aria’s Travelling Book Shop by Rebecca Raisin #AriasTravellingBookShop @jaxandwillsmum @HQDigitalUK
Hello my lovely readers! Today, I have the huge pleasure to be taking part in this exclusive cover reveal for; Aria’s Travelling Boom Shop by Rebecca Raisin. If you love your Contemporary Romance books, then I can guarantee you will love this cover, it’s so gorgeous.
Aria’s Travelling Book Shop by Rebecca Raisin
Releasing: April 8th 2020
Publisher: HQ Digital
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Contemporary
With her merry band of Van Lifers, Aria heads to France in her travelling bookshop, best friend Rosie by her side for a summer they’ll never forget!
Hopeless romantic Aria vowed never to love again after losing her husband, TJ, but fate has other ideas and keeps throwing the bespectacled, booklover Jonathan in her path. When a memento from TJ turns up it brings Aria’s past back to the fore.
Nomadic by nature, Aria can’t see how love could work anyway when home is always at the end of a new patch of road…
A long, hot summer travelling off the beaten track, surrounded by newly loved up couples reminds Aria of what she’s missing.
Will she bookmark her love life at the point her husband left, or she will begin a new chapter under the sizzling sun of the Cote d’azure…?
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Amazon Aust / Google Play / iBooks / Barnes and Nobles / Goodreads
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About The Author
Rebecca Raisin is a true bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. She’s been widely published in short story anthologies, and in fiction magazines. And now she is focusing on writing romance.
Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships and believe in true love.
#CoverReveal | Just A Kiss (Angels Sands #4) by @CarrieElks #JustAKiss #AngelSandsSeries
Hello my lovely readers! Today, I have the huge pleasure to be taking part in this exclusive cover reveal for; Just A Kiss by Carrie Elks. If you love your Contemporary Romance books, then I can guarantee you will love this cover, it’s so sexy and romantic.
J
ust A Kiss by Carrie Elks
Series: Angel Sands #4
Beautiful, perfect and everything he needs.
Caitie Russell’s big brother is getting married. As the proud owner of Holiday Magic, Caitie is the obvious choice to organise the perfect Christmas wedding. Piece of cake, right?
If it weren’t for one gorgeous man-shaped problem…
Her brother’s best friend, Brecken Miller.
First crush. First kiss. First broken heart…
Brecken Miller. Modern-day Scrooge. Confirmed bachelor. He’d rather pull his nails out than celebrate Christmas. Until he sees Caitie again.
Like a moth to a flame he’s drawn to her. But there’s one problem with fire. It always leaves a scar.
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Links
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon Universal
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About The Author
Carrie Elks writes contemporary romance with a sizzling edge. Her first book, Fix You, has been translated into eight languages and made a surprise appearance on Big Brother in Brazil. Luckily for her, it wasn’t voted out. Carrie lives with her husband, two lovely children and a larger-than-life black pug called Plato. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found baking, drinking an occasional (!) glass of wine, or chatting on social media.
Social Links
Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram
Do signup to Carries Newsletter – HERE
#Review | Reach For The Star by Kathryn Freeman #ReachForTheStar @KathrynFreeman1 @ChocLituk
Hello my lovelies, I have the huge pleasure to be sharing my review of this wonderfully starry new book; Reach For The Star by Kathryn Freeman, as always take a seat, grab a cuppa and a snack of your choice and enjoy.
What if your dreams were so close you could reach out and touch them?
How could anyone resist Michael Tennant, with his hypnotic blue eyes and voice like molten chocolate? Jessie Simmons certainly can’t. But Jessie’s a single mum who can’t sing to save her life – there’s no way she’ll ever cross paths with the star tenor.
A least that’s what she thinks until she’s unexpectedly invited to take part in a new reality TV show. The Premise? Professional singers teach hopeless amateurs how to sing. The surprise? Jessie’s partner is none other than Michael Tennant!
As she becomes better acquainted with the man behind the voice, will Jessie find out the hard way that you should never meet your idols? Or will she get more than she bargained for?
Have you ever had a serious crush on a celebrity than you literally dream and fantasise about them on a daily basis? Come admit it, we have all done it, lets all stand up and admit it. I will be the first to hold up my hand, I think everyone on the planet knows about my love of a certain Tom Hardy…sigh! So you have a wee inkling of how Jessie feels about charismatic crooner Michael Tennant, but just imagine actually meeting and then working along side your hearts crush on tv, I know it blows the mind, doesn’t it, but this is what happens to Jessie and what follows is a heart-warming, funny and delightfully romantic story about an everyday woman next door who does reach for the stars.
I adored the premise of this as soon as I read the blurb, having read Kathryn’s previous book; Crikey, A Bodyguard! I knew that this was going to be a real treat and I wasn’t wrong, this is the perfect escapism read, I love that it’s leading couple aren’t young twenty-somethings, but it has mature character’s who have real life issues and whom the reader can easily relate to, and personally I was willing Jessie on and so wanted her to find what she had been looking for.
Jessie Simmons is your run of the mill single, working mum of two. She goes to work cares for her children and goes around life doing exactly what she is supposed to do, putting everyone else first. Jessie deep down wants more, she wants excitement and love in her life, from the first few pages in I had a sense that Jessie is lonely, she wants someone in her life, someone other then two cheeky, boisterous boys, so she does what so many of us do she allows her mind to wander into her own secret fantasy world which is all about her not-so-secret crush, the fabulous and ridiculously attractive singer; Michael Tennant. Jessie is more then happy to daydream and fantasise about that gorgeous man, only her two children soon take matters into their own hands and with one letter to a TV show her life turns around and changes.
The little tykes have only gone and entered her into a reality show, where an enthusiastic amateur is partnered up with a professional musician, which later sees her partnered with none other then the man of her dreams; Michael Tennant. Oooh, any bets on Jessie being a little bit star struck?
Michael Tennant is a fabulous character, he is so different to how we first imagine him to be he isn’t a super confident and arrogant super star, he is a very down-to-earth man who hates being thrust into the limelight, he got pushed into this reality show and now he feel stuck. He is actually very closed up, he guards and protects himself from others as much as possible, he isn’t the best in social situations – in fact he is downright uncomfortable around people, which only makes you love him all the more. Being governed by an over zealous PA – who did get on my nerves a bit and really did need putting in her place. I got the feeling that he is a bit like a rabbit in head lights he is a lonely man who isn’t a fan of the lifestyle that his career has bought him. Then he meets an equally lonely woman, who not only appears to be on the show against her will but she has a passion for music.
I love them as a couple, both are from completely different worlds and there is a lot of wrangling to be able to be with each other, they are so similar in some ways and very different in others he can be shy and awkward when not on the screen, he is constantly worried about saying the wrong thing – I think we can all relate to that in some way. Whereas jessie she is just a normal woman, she is bored and lonely but she has got guts to go out and give something a go, she doesn’t intimidate she gives as good as she gets, I really think that she stole every scene she was in I was fascinated by her, she has fire beneath that mumsy persona.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, I adore Kathryn Freeman’s writing she has a great skill with drawing the reader into her world with just a few words. The story is heart-warming, original and fun, with fabulous character’s who really make the reader go through the mill, you never know where the story will take you, if Michael and Jessie will ever get together, I was engaged right to the last page.
I thoroughly enjoyable, delightful and heart-warming read and highly reccomended!
This was an Arc copy via the publisher, which I voluntarily reviewed, thank you Liz. x
#Review | Jessie’s Little Bookshop by the Sea (Tempest Sisters #3) by Kirsty Ferry #JessiesLittleBookshopByTheSea @kirsty_ferry @ChocLituk
Hello my lovely friends, I have the huge pleasure to be sharing my review of the gorgeous; Jessie’s Little Bookshop By The Sea by Kirsty Ferry, I will warn you that there is a fair amount of babbling within this review, but this book is just so good. So grab a cuppa and cake – your going to need it and enjoy.
Take a trip to the little bookshop by the sea …
Jessie Tempest has two main interests: reading books and selling books. Her little bookshop in the seaside town of Staithes is a cosy hideaway from the chilly Yorkshire wind, but it’s also Jessie’s sanctuary from the outside world.
When writer Miles Fareham and his son Elijah arrive to stay in the holiday apartment above the shop, it’s a test for Jessie who has always felt clueless when it comes to kids. But as she learns the story of the single father and the inquisitive eight-year-old, Jessie realises that first impressions aren’t always the right ones – and, of course, you can never judge a book by its cover!
I love, love, love this book!! My goodness I really can’t describe how much I love this book, the story is gorgeous, setting; stunning (But, I may be biased when it comes to Yorkshire) character’s are adorable, but more then that I felt a real connection to them, especially Jessie, everything about her reminded me of myself, from her little insecurities, to her passionate nature and her – shall we say loose tongue, this lass doesn’t hold back, I have literally just found myself in a book, honestly Jessie is me to a tea;
Loves, lives and breathes books. Check!
Has an aversion to kiddos. Check!
Is a little socially inept and would rather stay in the comfort of her own home with a book. Check!
Loves with a passion her home county of Yorkshire. Check!
Loves her family, even if at times they irritate the hell out of her. Check!
All I need now is a book shop and i would be living the dream 😉
Honestly, I think I best start actually talking about the book instead of concentrating on myself…..Did I mention how much I love this book? Yes, I thought I did, but it is so good I want to shout from the rooftops just how great this book is. What surprised me is that this is the third book in the Tempest Sisters series, usually by the third book in a series there are little clues that there have been previous books, but not here, I genuinely thought that this was a stand-a-lone, the writing is just so darn good. Jessie’s two sister’s are mentioned which gives us a nice little back story to Jessie which I really liked, the story really revolves around Miles and Jessie, their lives and their relationship with each other.
Set in the tiny, but cosy Yorkshire village of Staithes, Jessie Tempest owns the little bookshop which is one of the cosiest bookshops ever, with a hot drinks machine and reading corner this is just perfect. She likes to hide herself in her books and her work, the books shop really has become a sanctuary from the outside world, away from her family where she can just be herself. Not that there is anything wrong with that, she has this aversion to children, which she likes to call little beasties and fully believes that they should neither be seen nor heard – again nothing wrong with that 😉 her life is set, that is until one day she meets a tiny eight year old and his father who turn her life around.
Miles Fareham is in Staithes to research and write his latest book, but he is also there to spend some quality time with his young son Elijah, Miles is full of deep guilt that he doesn’t spend half enough time with his young son and that they are both missing out. He wants Elijah to have that so much yearned for happy family, but there are certain aspects of their story that does prevent that. I rather though that Miles is stuck in the past, and that his young inquisitive son is far more capable of moving forward and being able to see what is right in front of him far better then his father can.
I love everything about Miles and Jessie’s budding romance, how they start of on pretty negative terms, it’s actually very funny – maybe not for Jessie, but hey we all have little slips in etiquette, that soon turns into a friendship, but even though he has this bright eyed young woman in front of him , who is trying her hardest to bond with his son, Miles does have reservations, he is holding on tightly to the past. I love how they are both so encouraging with Elijah, they all bond over his reading which I thought was such a lovely touch.
I am a late arrival o the Kirsty Ferry bandwagon, having only discovered her last year, but from that first book I was completely hooked with her writing, I love her style, her books are so immersive and easy to read, this is by far my favourite I’ve read, I now need to find the other Tempest Sister’s books.
Jessie’s little book shop by the sea is just as adorable as the title hints at, it is charming, heart-warming, full of warmth that will make you smile as you read, its sweet and romantic with a touch of hope. With a darling little storyline that will keep you engaged, wonderfully multi-layered characters and the beautiful Yorkshire coast setting, this is a must read. I am completely smitten with it!
If you only read one book from now until Christmas then this is the one to read, I can guarantee you will be completely charmed.
This was a complimentary copy via the publisher which I voluntarily reviewed, thank you Liz. X
Jessie’s Little Bookshop By The Sea is available now at Amazon, I cannot recommend you grab a copy.
