Thursday 30 January 2014

Dory's Avengers by Alison Jack


What They Say:

A brutal regime. A docile population. A glimmer of hope.
In a stifled and oppressed United Kingdom, nothing can be achieved without the approval of the dictatorial Sponsors, at whose head is the malevolent and cruel Lord William St Benedict. In Britain’s cities the Sponsored live narrow, if privileged, lives, while the Unsponsored are confined to menial roles and to ‘less desirable’ districts. Among the Sponsors’ many victims is Lord William’s own son, the forthright and charismatic Theodore – ‘Dory’ – held captive by his father since he was a boy.
In the unassuming town of Applethwaite, in the shadow of the Cumbrian fells, an unlikely revolution is brewing. Albino gymnast Louis Trevelyan and his motley group of friends are fiercely proud of their Unsponsored status and gradually forge a plan not only to liberate the beleaguered Theodore but the whole of the United Kingdom.
‘Dory’s Avengers’ are coming!

What I Say:
When I first started reading this book I want sure I would like it...... Was I wrong I  found myself loving Louis and his electic mix of friends, Louis is an easily likeable character who at the beginning of the book it is predicted he would bring down the Sponsership Scheme run by the evil Lord William St Benedict.
The book is set years later and Louis is a promising gymnast trained by the once great gymnast Gideon Wallis, who was injured in a car crash years earlier and retired to the Lake District, as you follow the story you find Gideon's car crash is no accident, Lord Benedict and his minions are behind it, as he opposed their scheme.  
The Sponsorship Scheme and those who run this think they are above the law and can do what they like especially the evil Lord Benedict.  He's imprisoned his son Theodore (Dory) once Louis's childhood pal, because he didn't agree with him and accused him of makin his mother disappear.
Dory  manages to make contact with Louis to ask for his help and here is where Dory's Avengers are formed. They are set up in Louis's local pub The White Lion.  The action travels from the sleepy Lake District town on Applethwaite to London, there's a siege at the pub, personally this is where I would love to be in a siege, then there's even action at the Olympics in London thrown in the add to the action, a nice touch after the Olympics here.
I laughed, cried and was glued to this book, the characters were so colourful and likeable.  Always wanting the bad guys to be found out and brought to account.
Absolutely brilliant debut from the author, the book ended perfectly and I can't see if there would be a follow up book, but I will be looking out for any others by the author.
5 out of 5 stars
About the Author

Alison Jack has spent much of her adult life working in book distribution – Dory’s Avengers, however, is her first foray into the world of books as an author. She is a keen walker and has a particular love for the Lake District fells – the atmospheric setting for much of her novel.
Aside from writing her own novels and blogging, Alison spends a lot of time editing the work of other authors. When not writing, Alison enjoys reading, playing guitar – with more enthusiasm than skill – and wakeboarding.  She lives near Cambridge with her partner and three cats.
Author Links
 Alison’s Website - http://alisonjack-blog.com/
Amazon purchase links – UK Link

The overall giveaway on this tour is 2 x signed hardback copies of Dory’s Avengers.  UK and IRE only.  
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Wednesday 29 January 2014

I would like to introduce Lynda Renham's book Blitz

I would like to introduce Lynda Renham's book Blitz 

The Dog's Bollocks












On arriving home after a friend’s posh wedding, launderette worker Harriet finds her life irrevocably changed as she discovers her flat ransacked and her boyfriend missing. In a matter of hours she is harassed by East End gangsters and upper crust aristocrats. Accepting an offer she can’t refuse, Harriet, against her better judgement becomes the fiancĂ©e of the wealthy Hamilton Lancaster, with dire consequences. What she had not bargained on was meeting Doctor Brice Edmunds. 
The Dog’s Bollocks is Lynda Renham’s funniest novel so far. A cocktail of misunderstandings, three unlikely gangsters, a monkey and a demented cat make this novel a hysterical read. Follow Harriet’s adventure where every attempt to get out of trouble puts her deeper in it. 


Pink Wellies and Flat Caps
 



















Alice Lane has everything; a wonderful fiancé, a responsible job and a lovely flat in Chelsea, but after she has a bra fitting her life goes tits up. Homeless, and with just a sparkling engagement ring as a memory of her previous life Alice accepts a live-in farm manager s job and discovers that things actually can get worse. Come with Alice as she makes her hilarious career change and struggles to cope with her moody employer, Edward. But can Alice turn her back on romance and resist the dashing Dominic or will the past come back to surprise her?
Croissants and Jam
 




















Annabel Lewis (Bels) has two days to get to her wedding in Rome but her journey is beset with one disaster after another as fate takes its turn. Will the stranger she meets on the way get her to her wedding on time or will he change her life forever? Come with Bels on her humorous romantic journey to see if she marries Mr Right or if destiny takes her in different direction.


Coconuts and Wonderbras
 



















Literary agent Libby Holmes is desperate for her boyfriend, Toby, to propose to her and will do anything for him and if that means dieting for England then she ll have a go. However, when Libby s boss introduces her to her new client, Alex Bryant, her life is turned upside down. Alex Bryant, ex-SAS officer and British hero, insists Libby accompany him to Cambodia for a book fair. What she hadn't bargained for was a country in revolt. Libby finds herself in the middle of an uprising with only Alex Bryant to protect her, that is, until Toby flies out to win back her affections. Come with Libby on her romantic comedy adventure to see if love blossoms in the warm Cambodian sunshine or if, in the heat of the day, emotions get just too hot 
to handle.




Confessions of a Chocoholic
A collection of short funny tales and a unique insight into the world of chicklit royalty, aka Lynda Renham. A right comedy of errors if ever there was one. If you're looking for her beauty secrets and fashion ideas you've come to the right place. Read of her intimate sex life, her secrets for staying young and how she keeps her man - just. A fly-on-the wall true account of the life of a romantic comedy novelist, written in her own words. It's all here, the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 

Publisher Note: We are not responsible for any of the advice given in this book. If you do not look like Lynda after reading this we cannot be held accountable.
 

Warning: Tena Pads recommended while readin
 























About the Author






















Lynda Renham writes romantic comedy novels and has a growing fan base. She has been likened in style to Sophie Kinsella but writes with a down-to earth humour. Lynda’s novels are popular, refreshingly witty, fast paced, and with a strong romantic theme. Lynda lives in Oxford, UK. She has appeared on BBC radio discussion programs and when not writing Lynda can usually be found wasting her time on Facebook.
"Lynda Renham is right up there with chick-lit royalty! I'm not talking princess either, for me, the Queen of Chick-lit". – Booketta Book Blog’


Author Links

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Wednesday 22 January 2014

Don't Tell The Groom by Anna Bell


I would like to thank Quercus books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.  I would also like to say sorry to them for taking so long to post this. 

What They Say:

Bride-to-be Penny discovers that she’s lost £10,000 of wedding savings playing online bingo. So that she doesn’t have to reveal her gambling secret, she convinces her fiancĂ© Mark that they should have a Don't Tell The Groom themed wedding. Penny then has to plan a wedding fit for a princess on a shoestring budget. But, by the time she discovers that the true meaning of marriage isn’t a Vera Wang wedding dress or Jimmy Choos, will she still have a groom to marry?

What I Say: 

I didn't know what to expect when I started to read this book, especially when I read the blurb.

Penny on the face of it is selfish having wasted her money on online bingo, but having used these sites I know how easy it is to spend more than you planned and having friends that have got themselves into financial trouble, I did have sympathy with her when she discovered she hasn't enough for her wedding.

The books all about Penny trying to plan her wedding on a budget without telling her groom to be, she does start to get carried awayin parts but then it is her wedding after all.

A nice read that I enjoyed even though I prefer books with a bit more of a dark side to them. I would recommend to anyone who love chick-lit books.

4 out of 5 stars.

Read the first chapter of Don't Tell the Groom.
Out Now on Amazon, Sony, Kobo Nook and iBookstore. Paperback published by Quercus- 5th December 2013, pre-order now onAmazon

Monday 20 January 2014

Book Blitz for Secrets and Lies (Truth and Dares Bk 2) by Amity Hope



The Book:
Secrets and Lies (Truths and Dares #2) by Amity Hope
Genre: YA Romance
Release date: January 19th, 2014
Publisher: Self published

Out of necessity, Seth grew up hiding behind secrets and lies. The weight of it all sometimes so heavy, he thought it would bury him. Until one night, everything comes crashing down in a way he never imagined.

Harper wanted nothing more than to pull Seth out of the darkness that surrounded his life. One huge mistake nearly cost Seth everything.

Somehow, they need to find their way out of the secrets and lies that continue to pile up around them. If they don’t, they’ll be lost to each other forever.



The Author:
Amity lives in beautiful northern Minnesota with her two sons, two cats and their Rottweiler. She has a degree in elementary education and workedunnamed in that field for ten years before deciding to self-publish. Her first self-published novel, Twisted, was listed by Amazon as a Top 100 Kids & Teens Kindle Book of 2012.

If she’s not writing, or spending time with her boys, she’s most likely reading.


Excerpt:

“Do you remember once, when I told you if I had one wish, it would be that I was in control of my own life?”
I nodded because I remembered it well. We had just watched the Northern Lights. We had been talking about when we were younger, when we’d wished on stars. I’d asked him if he had one wish, what it would be. That was the answer that he’d given me: He wished he was in control of his own life.
“Yes,” I said quietly. “I remember.”
He pulled me closer, keeping one hand pressed against my back. His gaze drifted over my face, stopping on my lips as his other hand came up, brushing across my cheek this time.
“This,” he said quietly, “is me, taking control of my life.”
He moved in slowly, as if maybe he was afraid that too much time had passed. Or maybe his head was filled with all of the same questions as mine.  My eyes fluttered closed as I gripped his shoulders in my hands. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, then my temple, followed by a soft kiss directly over the small scar from childhood that rested on my cheekbone. His lips moved down, lingering at the corner of my mouth. His breath danced across my cheek. An impatient whimper floated out of me. I couldn’t bear to wait a single heartbeat longer. I tilted my head just a fraction of an inch, forcing his lips to graze against mine.
When he kissed me, it didn’t feel like a question. It felt like every answer I’d been waiting for.


Saturday 18 January 2014

Book Blitz Truth and Dare by Amity Hope


The Book:

What They Say:

Truths and Dares (Truths and Dares #1) by Amity Hope
Genre: YA Romance
Published: December 2nd, 2013
Publisher: Self Published

Somewhere in between playing in the sandbox and starting high school, Harper Monroe fell in love with her best friend. Seth Ryerson was the boy who lived next door. He was the boy who dared to give her her first kiss. He was the boy she cried over when her mother decided to uproot her from her hometown. He’s also the boy with a secret. 

When Seth finds out that Harper is coming back to town halfway through their senior year, he hates that he can’t be happy about it. Because Harper is the one person who knows the truth. And as far as Seth is concerned, the truth really doesn’t set you free.

Excerpt:
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but why are we up here?” I wondered as I glanced around the tree house.
“This is where we were the first time I realized I wanted to kiss you,” he said. “You were sitting right over there. I think we were twelve, maybe thirteen. It was one of the last times we came up here. Your hair was down. Usually, back then, you always wore it in a ponytail. But it was down and you were drinking a bottle of lemonade. You’d just gotten done shopping with Gabby at the mall. You were telling me about all of the different flavors of lip gloss you bought. I’d never cared about your lip gloss before. But that day,” he said with a low laugh, “that was all I could think about. In fact, that’s all I thought about for days. Maybe even years. I wanted to taste every damn one of those flavors.”
“Really?” I asked, unable to hide my surprise.
He nodded. “Did you think you were the only one that wanted that dare?”
I scrunched up my face as I made my admission. “About that…The dare wasn’t really Gabby’s idea.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked, feigning surprise.
“Yeah. It was probably pretty obvious, huh?”
He shrugged but he was smiling. “That night, I just kept wishing that I’d kissed you sooner. Because I knew in the morning you were leaving. I was sure I’d never get the chance to kiss you again. But here you are.”
“Here I am,” I echoed.

About The Author



Amity lives in beautiful northern Minnesota with her two sons, two cats and their Rottweiler. She has a degree in elementary education and worked in that field for ten years before deciding to self-publish. Her first self-published novel, Twisted, was listed by Amazon as a Top 100 Kids & Teens Kindle Book of 2012.



Friday 17 January 2014

Beneath Manhattan Skies By Emma Meade


I would like to thank Paranormal Sister for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.


What They Say:

Book Info & Author Details
Beneath Manhattan Skies by Emma Meade

Publication Date: November 15, 2013
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

Summary
November in New York is cold but full of possibility for college freshman Erin Harris. When her twin brother, Nick, shows up on her doorstep for a surprise visit, Erin is delighted. Unfortunately, Nick’s arrival coincides with the discovery of a body outside her apartment building, a body drained of blood. Right away, Nick assumes vampires are involved. He’s not exactly their biggest fan since Erin dated one in high school.

Juggling nosy roommates, a first date with a gorgeous guy from college and a brother on a Van Helsing kick is enough to keep any nineteen year old girl busy - And then Erin’s old flame walks back into her life.

Is Erin destined to be caught up in supernatural shenanigans, or will she choose a different path?
What I Say:

Erin Harris is from a small town, she has a secret she knows that Vampires exist, having fallen for James, a vampire when she was 17.  

She has now moved to New York to go to college.  She shares an apartment with flatmates Sadie, Valarie and Patrick.  Valarie and Patrick are also an item. Things are looking up as she has a new love interest in Tommy but she has kept at arms length, while she waited for her ex love James to turn up as promised but he still hasn't.

This you would think is a normal situation for a  19 year old girl, until at a party she see's a girl with the same dazed look as she has seen before and it sends a chill down her spine, could it be true there are vampires in New York?  This had me wanting to find out more as I love anything with a Supernatural/Paranormal twist.

Erin's twin brother Nick, then turns up at the same time the girl is found dead outside Erin's apartment, is Nick involved in her death.  Added to this her ex Vampire boyfriend James turning up in a nightclub and the story really takes a twist, loved it.

Erin is an easily likeable character as are her friends, even James you can't hate, although the bad guy in Vincent is very bad, you can see why Vampires are irresistible.

A great book with a twist on a love story, would the vampire get the girl?  Would it work out all right for them all?

I understand there is a book about Erin and James telling their story back in Erin's home town, this book can easily be read as standalone,  I will however read the other book in the future as I would love to see how Erin and James met.

In some ways I am hoping there will be another book but the ending to this is perfect. 

5 out of 5 stars

About the Author:


Emma Meade writes paranormal fiction.
She lives in rainy Ireland and loves all things supernatural. Stephen King's The Stand is one of her most loved books and she's lost count of the number of times she's read L.J. Smith's trilogy, The Forbidden Game.

Books, DVDS & TV show boxsets take up lots of space in her home and she collects all the Point Horror books she can get her hands on.

She is not ashamed to admit that Dirty Dancing and Twilight make her top ten movie list but wishes to point out that The Last of the Mohicans, Reality Bites, Dead Poets Society, Stand by Me and The Goonies are in there too.

Writing supernatural stories & watching marathon re-runs of Buffy are some of her favourite ways of escaping reality.
Social Media Links:
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Thursday 16 January 2014

Cover Reveal for The Love Game and Playing for Keeps by Emma Hart

PLAYING FOR KEEPS NEW






















TITLE: Playing For Keeps (#2) 
AUTHOR: Emma Hart 
GENRE: New Adult 
RE-RELEASE DAY: 13th February 2014 
HOSTED BY: The Book Lovers
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Synopsis

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Emma Hart, comes the second book in The Game series, and the story everyone wanted after The Love Game… She's in love with him. He's trying not to love her. One night changes everything. Aston Banks never meant to get close to Megan Harper – not even for that one night. Haunted by a childhood he refuses to face, he knew she could break through every wall he’d ever built and tear them down without even realizing she was doing it. Betraying Braden by starting a relationship with Aston wasn’t on Megan’s to-do list, but the second she sees a glimpse of someone other than the arrogant ass she’s come to know, she can’t walk away. Aston’s childhood is worse than Megan ever guessed, but as he tries and fails to push her away, it’s clear her love is stronger than the demons that cling to him every day. And now, because of it, he finally has to deal with what he’s buried deep down. What he doesn’t want to face. What he’s fought against for so long. And they have to do it all without Braden finding out. Keeping a relationship secret has never been harder.

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6451162 

About Emma Hart

By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies – usually wine – and writes books. Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love. She likes to be busy – unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.

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Connect with Emma

Twitter || Facebook || Website || Goodreads

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Buy Links

Amazon UK || Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || iBooks || Kobo



THE LOVE GAME NEW 

 TITLE: The Love Game (#1) 
AUTHOR: Emma Hart 
GENRE: New Adult

HOSTED BY: The Book Lovers 
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Synopsis

A New York Times and USA Today bestseller! His challenge? Make her fall in love with him. Her challenge? Play the player. Until life changes the rules of the game. Maddie Stevens hated Braden Carter on sight. Arrogant, egotistical, and the playboy of the University of California, Berkeley, he's everything her brother Pearce has taught her to despise. So why, when the girls challenge her to play the player, doesn't she say no? She doesn't know either. Braden wanted fiery little Maddie the second he laid eyes on her - and he'd do anything to have her, hence why he's agreed to make her fall in love with him. After all, it's the only way he'll get what he wants. Sex. But, as Braden discovers, there's more to the girl from Brooklyn than he ever imagined - and he can't help but care about the broken girl behind those pretty green eyes. Maddie finds Braden isn't just a walking erection - he actually has feelings. He can be sweet, funny and his good looks don't exactly hurt. That means trouble - but when her brother Pearce turns up in Berkeley begging for her help, she realises Braden and Pearce aren't so alike anymore. And maybe, just maybe, they're exactly what each other needs.

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6451162About Emma Hart

By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies – usually wine – and writes books. Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love. She likes to be busy – unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.

-------------------------------------------

Connect with Emma

Twitter || Facebook || Website || Goodreads

-------------------------------------------

Buy Links

Amazon UK || Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || iBooks || Kobo