#BookBirthdayBlitz The Christmas Miracle by Stephanie Wood

 It’s the BlogBlitz for The Christmas Miracle by Stephanie Wood.

About the Author

Stephanie Wood writes contemporary fiction in the form of novels, novellas and short stories and you can find the running order of her titles on the first page of any book.

She published the Aegean Sun series of books as a fly-on-the-wall vision of life in a Greek resort during the summer season, using her extensive experience as a holiday rep to bring some unusual incidents to life on the page. The series began as an exploration of the various ways in which tourists make the most of their holidays and how they interact with the locals while they are visiting. The later books in the series have taken a closer look at the locals themselves and show how their lives and relationships are sometimes changed by the regular influx of seasonal visitors.

The Christmas on the Close series is set in a British suburban cul-de-sac over the festive period and visits each house individually to discover how the neighbours who live there celebrate the season in their own special way.

Stephanie lives in Lancashire where, apart from reading and writing, she loves gardening and cycling and is a huge fan of the soaps Emmerdale and Neighbours. 

Follow @stephaniewooduk and @TheCloseSeries on Twitter, on Facebook, Visit stephaniewood.co.uk

About the book

You are invited to spend Christmas on the Close where each of the neighbours are celebrating in their own special way.

Diane always enjoys baking special festive treats, which she happily delivers to her friendly neighbours on The Close as Christmas approaches. When she decides to seek closure with a romantic matter from her past, she unexpectedly finds herself on an emotional journey she isn’t prepared for. Her granddaughter, Emma, has all the technical know-how to assist in the search for answers, but is distracted by an intense – and highly unsuitable – romance of her own.

The two women must deal with unsettling issues as they begin to face the reality of their situations, but their familial bond helps to provide the security and support they need to answer the questions they face.

The sixth standalone episode of ‘Christmas on The Close’ reveals how it may be easier to allow the head to make all the decisions, but the heart will never stop fighting for what it really wants.

Review

This is the sixth part in the Christmas on the Close series – a novella length read. A series about interconnections between people who live in the same neighbourhood close together. Their individual stories unfold in each part.

Although Diane and her granddaughter Emma take centre stage in this book, the story of Diane dominates the read. The idea of unresolved emotional ties flooding back after a trauma or when life makes you feel as if you should lay ghosts to rest – I found that realistic and relatable.

If only it were so easy, as Diane soon discovers, and the answers at the end of the journey aren’t always what you expect. What makes us think life stands still for others when it moves rapidly for ourselves. Why would our moment of regret be waiting for us to recognise that fact? It’s such a human trait.

It’s a short interlude, a glimpse into the world behind the doors of Christmas Close.

Buy The Christmas Miracle at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.

#BookBirthdayBlitz Only When It’s Love by Olivia Spring

It’s the Book Birthday Blitz for Only When it’s Love by Olivia Spring. 

About the Author

Olivia Spring is a British, London-based writer of contemporary women’s fiction, sexy chick lit and romantic comedy. Her uplifting debut novel The Middle-Aged Virgin, which was released in July 2018, deals with being newly single in your thirties and beyond, dating, relationships, love, sex and living life to the full.

In addition to The Middle-Aged Virgin, Olivia has published four novels: The Middle-Aged Virgin in Italy, Love Offline, Losing My Inhibitions and Only When It’s Love. When’s The Wedding?, the hotly anticipated sequel to Only When It’s Love and Olivia’s sixth novel, will be published in March 2021.

When she’s not writing, Olivia can be found travelling to Italy to indulge in pasta, pizza and gelato and of course, seeking inspiration for her next book!

Follow @ospringauthor on Twitteron Facebookon Instagramon Goodreadson BookBub, Visit oliviaspring.comBuy Only When it’s Love

About the book

Alex is tired of being single. After years of disastrous hook-ups and relationships that lead to the bedroom but nowhere else, Alex is convinced she’ll never find her Mr Right. Then her newly married friend Stacey recommends what worked for her: a self-help book that guarantees Alex will find true love in just seven steps. Sounds simple, right? 

Except Alex soon discovers that each step is more difficult than the last, and one of the rules involves dating, but not sleeping with a guy for six months. Absolutely no intimate contact whatsoever. Zero. Nada. Rien. A big challenge for Alex, who has never been one to hold back from jumping straight into the sack, hoping it will help a man fall for her. 

Will any guys be willing to wait? Will Alex find her Mr Right? And if she does, will she be strong enough to resist temptation and hold out for true love?

Join Alex on her roller coaster romantic journey as she tries to cope with the emotional and physical ups and downs of dating whilst following a lengthy list of rigid rules.

Review

Alex is a little fed-up of being an afterthought and not being able to find Mr Right, as opposed to Mr Right Now and not for much longer than that either. It’s time for a new approach to dating and luckily her friend has just the thing.

Unfortunately one of the many rules is that she isn’t allowed to have any kind of sexual contact with a potential date. Not exactly an easy thing to follow. Alex does like a bit of rompy-pompy, a wee exchange of hot moments and breathless situations.

I can imagine quite a few sniggers and laughs while people are reading this. It is funny and sometimes just outrageous, which again is hilarious at times. ‘Coming before Commitment – no what after dinner?, seriously a good laugh.

This is the kind of escapist read everyone needs at the moment. The author isn’t afraid to just write what she thinks, which is probably what a real life manual on dating and finding Mr Right would say. At least one with a no holds barred attitude and a healthy zest for life.

It’s a bit of a bonkbuster, but with more of a light lively romcom feel, and less bonk due to the strict rules. There is a clear open approach to the topic of sensuality, sexuality and good ol’ romps in the hay and any other place you could possibly do the horizontal tango or indeed vertical one too.

Buy Only When it’s Love at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Hartley Publishing pub date 7 Feb. 2019. Buy at Amazon com. 

#BookBirthdayBlitz Love Offline: Looking For Romance In Real Life by Olivia Spring

Today it’s the Book Birthday Blitz for Love Offline: Looking For Romance In Real Life by Olivia Spring.

Love Offline is available to read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited. It is also available to read for FREE in Prime Reading until late November. 

About the Author

Olivia Spring is a British, London-based writer of contemporary women’s fiction, sexy chick lit and romantic comedy. Her uplifting debut novel ‘The Middle-Aged Virgin’, which was released in July 2018, deals with being newly single in your thirties and beyond, dating, relationships, love, sex and living life to the full.

Olivia published three novels in 2019: ‘Only When It’s Love’, ‘Losing My Inhibitions’ and ‘Love Offline’. ‘The Middle-Aged Virgin in Italy’, the hotly anticipated sequel to ‘The Middle-Aged Virgin’ and Olivia’s fifth novel, was published in July 2020. 

When she’s not writing, Olivia can be found making regular trips to Italy to indulge in pasta, pizza and gelato and of course, seeking inspiration for her next book!

Follow Olivia on Amazonon GoodreadsBuy Love Offline

About the book

Emily’s Struggling To Find Romance Online. Will Ditching The Dating Apps Lead To True Love? 

Online dating isn’t working for introvert Emily. Although she’s comfortable swiping right at home in her PJs, the idea of going out to meet a guy in person fills her with dread. 

So when her best friend challenges her to ditch the apps, attend a load of awkward singles’ events and find love in real life, Emily wants to run for the hills. 

Then she meets Josh. He’s handsome, kind and funny, but Emily’s had her heart crushed before and knows he’s hiding something… 

Is Josh too good to be true? Can Emily learn to trust again and if she does, will it lead to love or more heartache? 

Review

Emily has a choice to make – hide away from the world or accept that the world is going to move on with or without her, so she might as well make sure it is with her. Breaking up with her boyfriend was hard, but seeing him happy with someone else has taken her to a breaking point.

Her best friend decides to help get Emily out of her rut by forcing her to engage with the world outside via events for singles. A daunting thought for anyone in her position.

In a way this is a coming-of-age story, albeit a young adult who starts to discover their own strength and confidence. Finding a way out of the mind-set of living in a world where online acceptance carries more weight for some than actual real interactions.

I think Spring makes an interesting point about the way people are consumed by the online lives, photos and storylines made specifically for viewers – for an audience. You have to acknowledge the fakery or be able to differentiate between the real and the fake. And you don’t have to play happy families with your ex. You are entitled to put them far behind you in the past.

Although it is a story of hope, as a reader I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the plight of women and men having to navigate the world of meeting a partner when everything is online and takes place in a throwaway society.

Buy Love Offline at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher – Paperback: Hartley Publishing pub date 28 Oct. 2019. Buy at Amazon com. 

#BookBirthdayBlitz Lady in Red by Tessa Buckley

Today it’s the Book Birthday Blitz Lady in Red by Tessa Buckley.

About the Author

Tessa Buckley was an inveterate scribbler as a child, and spent much of her time writing and illustrating stories. After studying Interior Design, she spent fifteen years working for architects and designers. She took up writing again after her young daughter complained that she couldn’t find enough adventure stories to read. This led, in 2016, to the publication of  Eye Spy, the first in a series for 9-12 year olds about two teen detectives. There are now two more books in the series: Haunted, which was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2017,, and Lady in Red. She lives by the sea in Essex and recently completed an Open University arts degree.

Follow Tessa on Amazonon Goodreads, Visit tessabuckley.comBuy Lady in Red

About the book

Pursuing the truth can be a dangerous game…School’s out for the summer, and Eye Spy Investigations have a new case – looking for Lady in Red, a lost masterpiece by Victorian painter, Gabriel Pascoe.

The clock is ticking for Alex and Donna, because the artist’s house, Acacia Villa, where their friend Jake lives, is due to be demolished, and vital clues may be destroyed. And Alex has an additional problem: he is terrified of snakes, and Jake has a pet snake called Queenie…

As the twins pursue their enquiries, they come up against the man who wants to demolish Acacia Villa. But Mr Mortimer is the godfather of their baby half-sister, Sophie, and criticising him could open up family rifts, which have only just healed.

Then Queenie goes missing, setting in motion a disastrous train of events that will turn the search for Lady in Red into the twins’ most dangerous case yet.

Review

This is the third book in the Eye Spy series. It can absolutely be read as a standalone novel. It’s in the YA category, but I wouldn’t hesitate to give it to a younger reader – the category it is perhaps better suited for.

Alex and Donna accidentally fall into their next case when they befriend a young man and his pet snake. It turns out he is living with the descendant of a famous artist. The house of his ancestor is under threat by a local bigwig developer, which means they have to try and get to the bottom of his own personal mystery really quickly – the hunt for a missing painting is on.

Buckley gives readers the kind of cosy mystery vibe you get from Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, but with a more modern take on the subject. The detectives are nosy, dominant and think they can barge in anywhere and demand change in a heartbeat. One has to admire the tenacity of the young who are willing to take on the criminals of the world and still be of an age where they need permission to stay out late.

Buy The Lady in Red at Amazon Uk (eBook) Publisher: Matador pub date 10 Nov. 2019 or Paperback, Publisher: Troubador pub date 16 Oct. 2019 or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon comBuy at Troubadour. At IBooks.

#BookBirthdayBlitz The Rue Stone by Janet Stock

Today its my turn on the BlogTour The Rue Stone by Janet Stock.

Enter the Giveaway below to Win 5 paperback copies of The Rue Stone (UK Only)

About the Author

Having written all of my life, I decided to self-publish my writing when I turned 50. I have published four books since then. Two are collections of short stories; Dark & Fluffy; Dark & Fluffy II and 500 Words, which is flash fiction. My latest book The Rue Stone is a fantasy novella.

My passion is medieval fiction, and I am working on my first novel The Little Servant – The Wait’s Son, set in the 12th century, in Lincoln, where I live. All four books are available on Amazon.

Follow @JanetStock12 on Twitteron Amazon, on Facebook, on Goodreads, Visit janetstockwriter.wordpress.comBuy The Rue Stone at Amazon Uk

About the book

The rue is a mysterious and rare being who is rarely seen, and Janna is amazed when one arrives at the inn where she works, looking for a room. The next morning, her life has changed, and she is left wondering whether she will ever see him again, but only time and the rue stone know the answer to that question.

Review

This is a short fantasy novella, about 75 pages, absolutely worth the read though. It’s paranormal romance with elements of folklore and myths.

The rue are known to the people of the village. They built the village inn in an attempt to connect with the mortal folk, but different always remains different to some people. So with time the rue became a distant memory and a thing of myths the older people would talk about now and again.

Tales of how they seek endlessly for that one woman they will connect with and eventually return to. Beings of beauty who captivate and enthrall the one they attract, which is exactly what may happen to one of the young women who works at the inn.

Stock has a compelling idea that can be developed into something bigger, perhaps with more depth and complexity. Where do the rues come from or their stones? Why men and not women? Magic, myth and fantasy. 

It will be intriguing to see if the author returns to fantasy in one way or the other. Aside from that the writing promises a good read regardless of the genre.

Buy The Rue Stone at Amazon Uk (Kindle) – Paperpack or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.

Enter the Giveaway to Win 5 paperback copies of The Rue Stone (UK Only)

Click here to Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway 

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.