Blog Tour: The Cosy Little Cupcake Van by Annette Hannah

 

I am delighted to kick off the blog tour for Annette Hannah's second novel, The Cosy Little Cupcake Van, published by Orion Dash on 22 March 2021. Thank you to the lovely author and the publisher for this opportunity. Make yourself a cup of tea and order your copy here!

The Blurb

Camilla's delicious cakes are the talk of her little village. If you need a perfectly iced mouthful of joy, Camilla 'Cupcake' is your woman. But after losing her mother, she finds her home and her business in jeopardy. She needs a little helping hand...

Thankfully her friends are always there for her, and when she is given an old ice cream van, Camilla's dream of a cupcake delivery service is born. Now she can bring happiness - and buttercream frosting - to the whole town.

But when her ex Blake appears back on her doorstep, Camilla must decide if she can trust him again or if her heart might belong to someone else...

Bursting with romance and sprinkled with humour, this is a deliciously feel-good story about one woman putting her life back together, one cupcake at a time. Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Ali McNamara and Rebecca Raisin!

My Review

What an amazing idea! A Cupcake Van, delivering delicious, melt-in-the-mouth portions of heaven... Someone do it now please! I can't, I'd eat all the stock...

Annette's second book is just as good, if not better, than her first. She writes from the heart, with beautiful mouthwatering descriptions (and that's just the men!), and instills great empathy with her characters.

Poor Camilla is mourning the loss of her mother, compounded by the betrayal of her mother's deceitful husband who has left Camilla with nothing but her memories of her darling mum. At rock (cake) bottom, Camilla fortunately is surrounded by friends who are determined to see her rise again (sorry not sorry).

Auntie Edie is a wonderful older lady who is of great comfort to Camilla, sharing her memories and her wisdom. And there's Lucy, who we first met in Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café, who gently encourages Camilla to build up her business again. Then there is Ged, the hunky Irish man with a twinkle in his eye, but will it be blast-from-the-past, Blake, who will be the icing on Camilla's cake?

The Cosy Little Cupcake Van is the perfect antidote to what we've all been through these last 12 months. A wonderfully uplifting story of community with a lovely topping of romance, it is the perfect comforting read.

Right, I'm off to dig my mixer out...

The Author

Annette Hannah is a Liver Bird who relocated to leafy Hertfordshire in the 80's and now lives near a river with her husband, two of their three grown up children and a crazy black cocker spaniel. She writes Romantic comedies in settings inspired by the beautiful countryside around her and always with a nod to her hometown.

Blog Tour: Erotic Fiction? by Hannah Lynn

I'm delighted to be part of the blog tour run by Rachel's Random Resources for Hannah Lynn's hilarious novel, Erotic Fiction? Click here to buy your copy!

The Blurb

Sarah’s mind-numbing housewife existence is turning her brain to mush. With her
third bun in the oven, this British mum is drowning under a mountain of playdates,
bills, and head lice checks. But her man’s get-rich-quick idea of writing steamy
novels isn’t her ideal way to dial up life’s passion.  

Drew desperately wants a break from Sarah’s whinging. And if that means
researching how to write racy books all by himself, then he’ll make the sacrifice. But
as he finally warms Sarah up to the sultry side hustle, their R-rated private project
gets publicly exposed…  

With an office scandal brewing, it’s only a matter of time before gawking workers
and a perfectly nosy PTA president turn them into social pariahs. 

Can Sarah and Drew earn some extra income from sizzling lit without falling prey to
stiff gossip?  

Erotic Fiction is a charming comedy for fans of humorous fiction. If you like sweet
love stories, endearing characters, and dry British humor, then you’ll adore Kindle
Storyteller Award Winner Hannah Lynn’s delightful tale.

Buy Erotic Fiction to slip into something a little more lovable today!

My Review

Having made my own attempt at writing something that made my own mother blush, I relished the chance of hopping on the blog tour for this novel.

Sarah and Drew are fed up and broke, and expecting a third child. Sex is the last thing on Sarah's mind now, but Dan needs a distraction and a way to make money. How hard can writing an erotic novel be?

Sarah and Dan are relatable as exhausted parents. Sarah seems to be the more pessimistic of the two, constantly worrying about the size of their house and the impending birth, and the last thing she wants to do is think about sex, let alone write about it. Dan takes matters into his own hands, so to speak, and decides he can do it himself. Write the book, that is. 

Of course it's not as easy as that... especially when faced with an incompetent colleague. How Barry was still employed is quite amazing. 

There were some genuine laugh-out-loud moments in this story, making it an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Hannah Lynn is an award-winning novelist. Publishing her first book, Amendments - a dark, dystopian speculative fiction novel, in 201

5, she has since gone on to write the multi award winning The Afterlife of Walter Augustus - a contemporary fiction novel with a supernatural twist, Fiona and the Whale – a thought provoking romantic comedy and the delightfully funny and poignant Peas and Carrots series.

While she freely moves between genres, her novels are recognisable for their character driven stories and wonderfully vivid description.

She is currently working on a YA Vampire series and a reimagining of a classic Greek myth.

Born in 1984, Hannah grew up in the Cotswolds, UK. After graduating from university, she has spent twelve years as a teacher of physics, first in the UK and then around Asia and Europe. It was during this time, inspired by the imaginations of the young people she taught, she began writing short stories for children, and later adult fiction. Now as a teacher, writer, wife and mother, she is currently living in the Jordan.

You can find Hannah on social media:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HannahLynnAuthor/
Twitter @HMLynnauthor
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13830772.Hannah_M_Lynn
Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/profile/hannah-lynn

I'm delighted to be on the blog tour for Zara Stoneley's lovely festive read, Four Christmases and a Secret. Thank you to Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to review.

You can buy the book here:

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QRTC5JC/

US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QRTC5JC/

The Blurb

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… 

Except for Daisy Christmas means another of Uncle T’s dreaded Christmas parties, complete with Christmas jumper and flashing antlers. And Oliver Cartwright. Gorgeous Oliver Cartwright. Who she hates. 

Every year Daisy has to face insufferable Ollie and hear all about how BRILLIANT he is. Whereas Daisy has no job, no man and no idea how to fix things. 

This Christmas however Daisy is determined things will be different. There will be no snogging Ollie under the mistletoe like when they were teenagers. No, this year she’ll show Ollie that she’s a Responsible Adult too.

But as the champagne corks pop, and the tinsel sparkles, Uncle T has news of his own to share…and it could change Daisy's life forever… 

My Review

Daisy feels hopeless, especially compared to childhood friend, Ollie, who she hears about endlessly from her mother - he's a Doctor, no less, with a Beautiful Girlfriend (again). How can she ever live up to that? 

Daisy's career is less than stellar - like many of us, she flounders from one thing to the next, unable to catch a break to do the thing she thinks she wants to do most. 

I found Daisy a bit irritating to start with - the story is narrated by her, and her thoughts tends to interrupt conversations so that I'd lose track sometimes, but I soon adapted to her style. After all, aren't we all thinking stuff during conversations - in the end it became endearing. 

Daisy's character grows through the story, guided by everyone's favourite 'Uncle' Terence, and the new 'man' in Daisy's life, Stanley.  Stanley is lovely, as are most of the characters. They are all well-rounded, even if some are not quite who they seem to be. And of course there is the hero of the tale, who is more than swoon-worthy!

There was so much more to this story than I thought at the beginning. It develops nicely, going deeper than I expected - which made it an absolute joy to read.

About the Author

Zara Stoneley is the USA Today bestselling author of 'The Wedding Date'.

She lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.

Born in a small village in the UK, Zara wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up. After many (many) years, and many different jobs, her dream of writing a bestseller came true. She now writes about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hopes that her tales make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say 'ahhh'.

Zara’s bestselling novels include 'Bridesmaids', 'No One Cancels Christmas', 'The Wedding Date', 'The Holiday Swap', 'Summer with the Country Village Vet', 'Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage' and the popular Tippermere series - 'Stable Mates', 'Country Affairs' and 'Country Rivals'.

You can find Zara on various social media platforms:

Website: http://www.zarastoneley.com
Twitter: @ZaraStoneley
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley

Instagram: zarastoneley

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/zara-stoneley?follow=true

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B007WK307G

Blog Tour: Knowing You by Samantha Tong

Thank you to the author, the publisher Canelo, Netgalley and Rachel's Randon Resources for the opportunity to review the book on the Blog Tour!

Purchase Links

Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MX87BH1/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=ur2&tag=canelo-21

Apple - https://geo.itunes.apple.com/gb/book/knowing-you/id1449854707?mt=11&uo=8&at=1000l5Q7

Google - https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=aRiEDwAAQBAJ

Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/knowing-you-6

The Blurb

An abrupt change; a new friendship; a dark secret...

Kind-hearted Violet has never fitted in, but despite being bullied at school is now content. She is dating ambitious Lenny, has her dream job in publishing and runs a book club at the local retirement home.

However, when her relationship with Lenny begins to falter, Violet, hurt and alone, seeks the advice of her new flatmate, Bella. She changes her image and with her head held high aims to show that she doesn’t need Lenny in her life to be happy and successful.

Her long-term friends Kath and Farah worry about Bella’s influence and slowly Violet starts to distance herself from them. When she was a child, her closest confidant and companion was a boy called Flint. Her mother didn’t approve of their closeness and he suffered a terrible end. She won’t let the same thing happen to Bella, no matter what anyone says...

Knowing You is about friendship and knowing who to trust with your deepest secrets; it’s about taking control of your life and not being afraid to stand out. Perfect for fans of Ruth Hogan, Gail Honeyman and Amanda Prowse.

My Review

I love this book! It had me gripped all throughout. I was screaming at the page as Violet ignores all her old friends in favour of Bella, her new flatmate and confidente. Emboldened and encouraged by Bella's suggestions, Violet undergoes a radical transformation. But not everyone is happy with the new Violet...

The author has written with passion and sensitivity about emotive subjects, such as self-esteem, bullying and loss. I found Violet to be instantly relatable, and my heart was breaking for her as I read her story. It resonates deeply even now, weeks after I read the book.

About the Author

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK and her passion, second to spending time with her husband and children, is writing. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.

When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines. 

In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins and in 2014, her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category.

Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor
Website: http://samanthatonge.co.uk/

Blog Tour: The Barn of Buried Dreams by Chrissie Bradshaw

The Blurb

Erin and Heather Douglas are struggling. Their mother’s death has left a void in their family and everyday life has side-lined their dreams. 

Erin has buried herself away in the family home and left her stage career. By hiding away, she is evading the pain of returning to London and the acting world where her ex-fiancé is enjoying success and a new relationship. When she meets charismatic Texan Jackson McGee, she wrestles with her feelings for him. Should she trust another man? 

Heather is juggling babies, work, a rocky marriage and running on wine. An overheard conversation makes her ask, would Mark cheat on her? 

Can the sisters help one another to face their fears, dust off and revive those dreams and find joy in life?

My Review

The Barn of Buried Dreams is a lovely heart-warming story, centred around a bereaved family. Erin and Heather have both put their dreams on hold in the face of responsibility. Erin has struggled to cope with first giving up her acting career in London to nurse her sick mother, to having to then sort out her mother's house - the Barn of the title - and effects. Her sister Heather has her own problems as a mother and a wife; she seems very self-centred at first, but there's more than meets the eye to her issues. And brother Fraser just isn't present enough.

It's a story of everyday people with everyday problems, but it's not an everyday book. It's written sympathetically, with warmth and love, and the characters are well-developed and relate-able. And there's a hunky Texan to (cowboy) boot!

I'm going to go and read the author's first novel, A Jarful of Moondreams!

The Author

Chrissie, 2016 winner of the Romantic Novelist's Elizabeth Goudge writing trophy, is a seasoned tea drinker and a tenacious trainer of her welsh terrier, Oscar. She has always loved match-making a book to a reader. Writing the kind of book she loves to read takes this a step further. When Chrissie is not writing or reading, you will find her walking Oscar on the beach, trying to avoid the gym and spending time with her family and friends. 

Her new release, THE BARN OF BURIED DREAMS - when will they see daylight?, is a contemporary story about two sisters who are struggling after the death of their mother. It starts in Dunleith, the same Northumbrian setting as her debut novel ‘A Jarful of Moondreams’, and some characters cross both books. Readers can enjoy either book as a stand alone 

Chrissie enjoys tweeting to readers on @ChrissieBeee

Her instagram account is chrissie_bradshaw_author

Her blog is newhenontheblog.com

and she has a Chrissie Bradshaw author page on Facebook.

She would love to hear from readers!

Blog Tour: A Scentational Guest Post by Cassandra O'Leary

When asked what she wore to bed, Marilyn Monroe famously said 'Chanel No. 5'. Unfortunately my efforts to emulate the glamour puss have been thwarted by my children, who said I smelled like Granny. I hope they were referring to the fact my mum likes the same perfume as me, and that I don't smell like old ladies' wee! But the damage has been done - I ended up giving my mum the rest of my beloved bottle and had to seek out my own new favourite.

Today I'm welcoming Cassandra O'Leary, author of Heart Note, a Christmas Romcom Novella, to talk about her favourite perfumes. Buy the book here!

Discovering the Heart Note

Favourite Perfumes and Scents

Love is like a fine perfume… My interest in perfumes started many years ago when I worked as a ‘spritzer chick’ at a department store perfume counter. 

Perfume and scent are closely tied to our emotions and memories. I’m sure most people reading this can recall a specific scent associated with their childhood home, mother, or maybe grandmother. [HA! - SEE ABOVE - Vikbat].

As an example, some of the scents I remember from my childhood might not sound that good mixed together, but they remind me of the place and the time, being a kid. Maybe a cooking smell (apple cake with cinnamon), freshly mown grass, the woody scent of pencil shavings, a perfume (Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds), the washing detergent still permeating clothes when you get them out of a drawer (lavender). 

Perfumes are also made up of layers of ingredients, the top note, the middle note (or Heart Note) and base note. But they also interact with each person’s skin chemistry – one smells good on one person may completely change and smell horrible on someone else. 

You need to try a perfume on your skin and let it unfold over time to discover the true essence. Fascinating! 

My favourite perfumes

It’s hard to name only one or two perfumes that I love. For me, different scents evoke moods, seasons or remind me of a certain time in my life. When I started working on the perfume counter at a department store in my early twenties, I hadn’t worn much perfume apart from the cheapies from the discount stores. 

But we were promoting the launch of Calvin Klein’s new perfumes such as Eternity, Escape and Obsession. A whole new world of evocative and layered scents opened up, and they were addictive. I loved collecting the perfume samples and trying the different varieties. 

My favourite from this era was Eternity, and I still wear it sometimes today. It almost represents that time of my life now, when I was young and finding my place in the world. It’s a fresh floral, light and breezy. 

Eternity by Calvin Klein

Top Notes:

Freesia, Mandarin, Sage

Heart Notes

Muguet, White Lily, Marigold, Narcisse

Base notes

Patchouli, Sandalwood, Amber

Scents of seduction

What’s a great scent to wear to feel sexy? Well, the answer can be as different as the people choosing the scent. Some will go for the heavier, spicier scents known as Orientals, with base notes of long-lasting ingredients. Opium or Shalimar come to mind. 

When I worked for Yves Saint Laurent perfumes for a while, I fell in love with the heavier, richer, evocative and spicy scent of Opium. I’d wear this perfume when I dressed up in a little black dress for a dinner date in winter, but never in summer. This fragrance is too heavy and rich for summer, when it might seem over the top. 

Something different

I love the fragrance, Dune by Christian Dior (and lots of other Dior perfumes). The following notes don’t quite describe the complexity of this perfume on the skin. It’s actually described as a floral oceanic scent and there’s a freshness to this scent that reminds me of summer at the beach. 

Dune by Christian Dior

Top Notes

Mandarin

Heart Notes

Peony accord

Base notes

Vanilla

For an excellent resource on perfumes and their ingredients, I recommend visiting the website www.basenotes.net – lots of people have reviewed their favourite perfumes and it has full lists of ingredients too. 

Thank you Cassandra!

I'm quite partial to Dior Addict, and Estee Lauder's Modern Muse. What's your favourite perfume? Let me know!

Blog Tour: The Gin Shack on the Beach by Catherine Miller

Being a fan of Catherine Miller's previous books, Waiting for You and All That is Left of Me, I was thrilled to be invited by Catherine herself to take part in the Blog Tour for her newest novel, The Gin Shack on the Beach. Her third novel was published by HQ Digital on 5th June 2017.

The Blurb

When octogenarian Olive Turner is persuaded by her son to move into a retirement home, she congratulates herself on finding the secret to an easy life: no washing up, cooking or cleaning. But Olive isn’t one for mindless bingo with her fellow residents, and before the first day is over she's already hatching a plan to escape back to her beloved beach hut and indulge in her secret passion for a very good gin & tonic.

Before long Olive’s secret is out and turning into something wonderful and new. Only a select few are invited, but word spreads quickly about the weekly meetings of The Gin Shack Club. Soon everybody on the beach wants to become a gin connoisseur and join Olive on her journey to never being forced to grow older than you feel.

A journey of friendship, defiance and a quest for the perfect G&T.

My Review

Ah, Gin & Tonic. That most refreshing of alcoholic drinks, with hidden depths and mysterious ingredients, each different make of gin having its own character. Just like this book!

I want to be like Olive when I grow up (if that ever happens!). This feisty eighty year old lets no one boss her around. She is fiercely independent, and likes her own space. After a fall, she agrees to go into a retirement home - not a care home - but is devastated when her son says he is selling her beloved beach hut. 

She soon finds new allies in her quest for the perfect gin in fellow residents Veronica and Randy, and the Three Amigos get up to some hilarious antics quite unexpected for people of a certain age. They certainly bemuse the local police. The theme of friendship and community is strong in the book, with Olive's beach hut neighbours rallying around her. 

There's mystery involving the despicable Matron, a woman full of her own self-importance. Can the Three Amigos bring an end to her regime?

There are poignant moments, such as between Olive and her son Richard, who appears not to care what his mother actually wants. The relationship is obviously strained, the reasons for which become evident later on.

It's a wonderful, heart-warming story showing that age should have no boundaries. 

I hope Catherine had as much fun researching her novel as I did reading it - I know I would have!

Cheers!

You can buy The Gin Shack on the Beach here. Alcoholic beverage optional.

About the Author

When Catherine Miller became a mum to twins, she decided her hands weren't full enough so wrote a novel with every spare moment she managed to find. By the time the twins were two, Catherine had a two-book deal with Carina UK. There is a possibility she has aged remarkably in that time. Her debut novel, Waiting For You, came out in March 2016, and her latest, All That is Left of Us, is out now.

Catherine was a NHS physiotherapist, but for health reasons (Uveitis and Sarcoidosis) she retired early from this career. As she loved her physiotherapy job, she decided if she couldn't do that she would pursue her writing dream. It took a few years and a couple of babies, but in 2015 she won the Katie Fforde bursary, was a finalist in the London Book Fair Write Stuff Competition and highly commended in Woman magazine's writing competition. Soon afterwards she signed with Carina. Soon after that, she collapsed in a heap and was eventually revived by chocolate.

Blog Tour: The People at Number 9 by Felicity Everett

Meet the new neighbours. Whose side are you on?

When Gav and Lou move into the house next door, Sara spends days plucking up courage to say hello. The neighbours are glamorous, chaotic and just a little eccentric. They make the rest of Sara’s street seem dull by comparison.

When the hand of friendship is extended, Sara is delighted and flattered. Incredibly, Gav and Lou seem to see something in Sara and Neil that they admire too. In no time at all, the two couples are soulmates, sharing suppers, bottles of red wine and childcare, laughing and trading stories and secrets late into the night in one another’s houses.

And the more time Sara spends with Gav and Lou, the more she longs to make changes in her own life. But those changes will come at a price. Soon Gav and Lou will be asking things they’ve no right to ask of their neighbours, with shattering consequences for all of them…

Have you met The People at Number 9? A dark and delicious novel about envy, longing and betrayal in the suburbs…

I'll be reviewing The People at Number 9 soon; in the meantime, I welcome the author, Felicity Everett, to the blog.

Guest Post: Where I find Inspiration - Felicity Everett

Inspiration is a slippery concept. I suppose if you look at my books, the answer to the question where does it come from, would seem to be my life. My first novel The Story of Us, is about five women, who meet at university in the 1980s, and about what becomes of them over the next two decades (I went to university in the 1980s, where I met some awe inspiring women, some of whom went on to great things, but not all…). My new novel, The People at Number 9 is about a couple who live a humdrum life in a London suburb, then meet some exciting new people who inspire them to make changes to their lives which they come to regret. I too lived a humdrum life in a London suburb. I also met some cool new people who made me see things differently. Fortunately I didn’t remake my life in their image, or come a cropper like the characters in my book, but the inspiration for the book was on my doorstep. The novel I am working on at the moment is a gothic psychodrama about a menopausal woman in a bad marriage who moves to the country and loses her mind. And yes, I am a woman of a certain age and I have just moved to the countryside. My marriage, I’ll have you know, is in very good shape! 

That’s what I mean by a slippery concept. I start off with something I know – a situation, a person. I tweak it a little, play a game of ‘what if?’ and it starts to get interesting. Before I know it, I’ve constructed a plot involving suicide and abusive celebrity marriage (The Story of Us); adultery (The People at Number 9) or marital gas-lighting (my new novel, as yet untitled). I’ve tried a few other scenarios – I was keen on the idea of a novel about a twenty-first century commune, but I couldn’t breathe life into it. I kept getting the characters mixed up – a sure sign that my heart wasn’t in it, so eventually I gave up. There’s no objective reason, really why that one should have flopped, and the gothic countryside idea should have grabbed me, as it has. All I know is, when the inspiration comes I don’t look it in the eye, I just crack on and write.

Thank you Felicity!

The People at Number 9 was published by HQ on 6th April, and you can meet them too by buying the book from Amazon and other retailers.  You can follow Felicity on Twitter @Ittymay

Blog Tour and Review: Dangerous to Know by Anne Buist

Today the Blog Tour for Anne Buist's novel, Dangerous to Know, stops off at mine.

Thanks to Legend Press and Anne Buist for the advanced reading copy. All views are my own.

The Blurb 

Natalie King is back: back from a stay on the psych ward. Her reluctance to live a quiet life has contributed to a severe depressive episode, and now it’s time for a retreat to the country. A borrowed house on the Great Ocean Road; a low-key research job at a provincial university nearby.

But Natalie and trouble have a strange mutual fascination. Her charismatic new boss Frank is friendly, even attractive. But it turns out his pregnant wife is an old enemy of Natalie’s. And when Frank’s tragic personal history is revealed—then reprised in the most shocking way—Natalie finds herself drawn deep into a mystery. And even deeper into danger.

My Review

This is our second encounter with psychologist Natalie King (you can read my review of the first book in the series, Medea's Curse, here). 

Natalie has her bi-polar in hand (for now) after a stay on a psychiatric ward, but she treads a dangerous path when she ends up working for Frank Moreton. Frank is an enigmatic, attractive man, who has the somewhat unfortunate misfortune of losing pregnant wives. He and Natalie are both drawn to each other, but not in the usual way.

Jealousy weaves its way through the story, as wives, ex-lovers and members of an eccentric family all make their presence known. No one appears to be straightforward, everyone has their own hidden agenda, with the exception of the lovely Declan, Natalie's own therapist. I feel sorry for him, and it is obvious that Natalie respects him and wants to please him.

I found this second novel easier to read than the first as there were not as many technical details relating to the mental health profession - as promised by the author!

The plot twists and turns, as family secrets are revealed in this fast-paced thriller. It is a breathless ride along with Natalie as she is at risk of losing control of herself and the complicated situations in which she inevitably ends up embroiled. Natalie is one of the most interesting and complex characters I've ever met in a book, and I hope to be reading about more of her escapades.

About the Author:

Anne Buist is the Chair of Women’s Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and has over 25 years clinical and research experience in perinatal psychiatry working on cases of abuse, kidnapping, infanticide and murder.

She has published ten erotic romance- suspense novels under the pseudonym Simone Sinna. She is married to novelist Graeme Simsion and has two children.

Follow Anne on Twitter: @anneebuist

You can buy Dangerous to Know here (other retailers are available!).

Blog Tour: Second Helpings by Kristen Bailey

Today I'm welcoming the delightful Kirsten Bailey onto the blog, where she talks about friends. I had the pleasure of meeting Kirsten recently at Jackie Kabler's book launch, and felt an immediate kinship with her as she too was mad enough to have four children. Unlike me, Kirsten has actually finished and published two novels. Second Helpings is the sequel to Kirsten's first novel, Souper Mum.

The Blurb

Exactly eighteen months after her dramatic cook-off against nemesis Tommy McCoy, Jools Campbell's down-to-earth approach to cooking and family life has won her many fans. But when the roof of her house caves in she is desperate for cash and finds herself agreeing to be a judge on a kids' cooking show called Little Chefs.

She is soon horrified to find that her co-star and fellow judge is none other than Tommy McCoy, on a mission to save his reputation. The audience loves the abrasive chemistry between Jools and McCoy whose style involves making the child-contestants cry and soon the show is hugely popular.

Behind the scenes, Jools is juggling all the relationships in her life with being a working mum. Will she succeed? Will she ever work out what quinoa is? Can she deal with Second Helpings of McCoy and the all too familiar media intrusion into her life?

Author Guest Post: Kristen Bailey

My seven-year-old daughter is currently obsessed with the idea of best friends. Every day, she returns home from school relaying to me the intricacies of the playground hierarchy, how friends have been won and lost over games of ‘It’, who’s not inviting who to the next party. ‘Who is your best friend?’ she always asks me. I always reply with my stock answer. ‘You.’ She always gives me a look. ‘Well, that’s a bit sad, isn’t it?’ I should also mention she’s also a bit of a smart arse, my seven-year-old.

What do I know about friends? I know plenty about the TV show but I think modern life makes the definition of ‘friend’ all the more harder to understand. You can go on Facebook and have hundreds of the things...anyone from your neighbour five doors down to your aunt Betsy who ‘likes’ all your photos and only posts memes about cats.

It was a topic I, therefore, really wanted to examine in Second Helpings, the next instalment in the adventures of Jools Campbell, my Souper Mum. I wanted to get to know all the people in the periphery of Jools’ life, and chart how all these acquaintances whether old or new fit into her every day. Who are her friends? What is a friend? If Jools were to have a best friend, it would probably be Annie, the faithful university mate who steered her through difficult times and has stayed by the Campbells’ side ever since. But how else do friends come into your life? As Jools finds out, you meet people constantly; through the school gate, through work, and part of the adventure suddenly becomes working out how you define all these individuals, how you juggle all these relationships and realise their importance. In Second Helpings, Jools will get a second education about cliques, gossips, backstabbers and flakes but she will also find awesome people along the way: friends to keep, friends in the strangest of places...

She will also come to realise that friends come in many forms, shapes and guises. Siblings who’ve never let her down, spouses who know her inside out, parents who are just always there, sassy daughters (sound familiar?) – these relationships are built on love, blood, legal obligation but always a healthy sense of camaraderie too. They nourish, keep her afloat and make her the souper mum that she is...

Second Helpings is the sequel to Souper Mum and the concluding part of Jools’ adventures. It’s been a great joy to map her journey out, create all these characters, and pay tribute to the community of people who surround any one mother. As such, it feels I’m also bidding farewell to a good mate myself: Jools Campbell my fellow souper mum, writing companion, and alter-ego...in the five years we’ve come to know each other, you’ve turned into a BFF of sorts. Just don’t tell my daughter I told you that...

Thank you Kristen for a fabulous guest post!

You can buy Kirsten's books here:

Souper Mum - Amazon, Waterstones

Second Helpings - Amazon, Waterstones

Publisher: Accent Press

About the author:

Mother-of-four, gin-drinker, binge-watcher, receipt hoarder, hapless dog owner, enthusiastic but terrible cook. Kristen lives in Fleet, Hampshire in a house overrun by Lego and odd socks. Her debut novel, Souper Mum was released by Accent Press in June and its sequel, Second Helpings was released on 17th November. 

Author links:

She writes a blog about being a modern mother. That and more can be found at: www.kristenbaileywrites.com

You can also find her on Twitter/Instagram: @baileyforce6

and Facebook: www.facebook.com/kristenbaileywrites

Blog Tour: Lost in Static by Christina Phillipou

Sometimes growing up is seeing someone else's side of the story.

Four stories. One truth. Whom do you believe?

Callum has a family secret. Yasmine wants to know it. Juliette thinks nobody knows hers. All Ruby wants is to reinvent herself.

They are brought together by circumstance, torn apart by misunderstanding. As new relationships are forged and confidences are broken, each person's version of events is coloured by their background, beliefs and prejudices. And so the ingredients are in place for a year shaped by lust, betrayal, and violence...

Lost in Static is the gripping debut from author Christina Philippou. Whom will you trust?

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to participate on the Blog Tour.

University life. A chance, to make a fresh start, to make new friends - and new enemies. 

The story is told in first person point of view; with each of the major characters getting to put forward their version of events. It's cleverly done; once I realised that each scene was being described by each character in turn, so there was a little bit of a sense of travelling back in time to the beginning of each scene/incidence. It was interesting to see each person's perspective, making it easy to see how misunderstanding can happen so easily, and proving that we cannot know what is going on in someone else's mind. Never assume you know what someone is thinking!

It's interesting to see how different people react to others when placed in a rarefied situation like university. It was an uncomfortable read at times, with characters not reacting as I presumed, but this is in no way a criticism; it makes for a great read with it's twists and turns.

A great debut novel, and I look forward to reading more by Christina.

Lost in Static is available from, amongst others, Amazon UK, Amazon US, and direct from the publisher, Urbane Publications.

Author Bio

Christina Philippou’s writing career has been a varied one, from populating the short-story notebook that lived under her desk at school to penning reports on corruption and terrorist finance. When not reading or writing, she can be found engaging in sport or undertaking some form of nature appreciation. Christina has three passports to go with her three children, but is not a spy. Lost in Static is her first novel.

Christina is also the founder of the contemporary fiction author initiative, Britfic.

You can connect with Christina on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google+.

Blog Tour: That Girl by Rachel Strong

That Girl
By author: Rachel Strong

Blurb:

After serving half of a three-year prison sentence, James is out and ready to try and get his life back on track, which means forgetting about the girl who sent him to prison in the first place - despite the fact he’s still in love with her! 
Katie knows that she can’t see James, but that doesn’t make it any easier. If she does it could send him straight back to prison, but, she still loves him and is desperate to make things right and tell him how sorry she is for ruining his life. 
After accidently bumping into each other, James and Katie can’t stay away from one another and so begin to see each other in secret. After a slight wobble on James’s part, when he decides he can’t take the risk of going back to prison, Katie decides enough is enough and it really is time to move on and put James behind her. 
Heartbroken, James decides to try and get his life in order. But due to his conviction it’s not as straightforward as he would like, leaving him miserable and despairing at what his life has become. 
When a job opportunity comes up hundreds of miles away he doesn’t hesitate to head south and put his troubles behind him. 
Can James and Katie forget each other and move on with their lives without one another?

Buy the Book:

AmazonUS
AmazonUK

About the Author:

Rachel Strong

Bio:

Rachel Strong is a romance author and lives in Lancashire, England, with her husband, three children and little dog Daisy. Rachel works part time as a Health Care Assistant at her local hospital, but her real passion is writing.

Ever since she can remember, Rachel has been writing stories but didn’t really take it seriously until summer 2012 when her husband discovered one of her stories, read it and convinced her that it was good. She loves writing and creating characters, sometimes a whole day can pass her by, just sitting at her laptop, typing away.
When she’s not writing, Rachel loves to read slushy romance novels, chick-lit and a good thriller. When she finds a spare moment she will be found curled up on the sofa with her nose in a book.

Rachel’s debut novel ‘Complicated Love’ is out now with her second novel ‘That Girl’ is due to be released this coming June.

Find her here:

http://www.rachel-jayne-strong.co.uk/
Twitter
Facebook
GoodReads

Visit All the Stops on the Tour:

June 13th

The Bookworm Lodge - www.thebookwormlodge.com - Book Excerpt/Promo Post
Little Shop of Readers - http://littleshopofreaders.com/ - Book Promo Post
T&L Book Reviews - http://tasz1976.wordpress.com - Book Excerpt/Promo Post
One Book At A Time  - Booksandwinearelovely.blogspot.com - Book Promo Post
The Writing Garnet - HTTPS://Thewritinggarnet.wordpress.com - Book Review

June 14th

Grass monster - Amazon/GoodReads - Book Review
Vikbat - http://vikbat.blogspot.co.uk/ - Promo Post
The Bookdragon - http://sheisadude.blogspot.com/ - Book Review
Boundless Minds - www.boundlessminds.org - Author Guest Post
ItsShelbyMariee - http://itsshelbymariee.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1 - Book Review

June 15th

JustaBooklovinJunkie - http://jabooklovinjunkie.blogspot/ - Book Review/Excerpt/Promo Post
Liz Ellyn - https://lizellyn.com - Book Review
Fervently Curious - ferventlycurious.wordpress.com - Book Review/Excerpt
Love Sex and Other Dirty Words - http://lovesexandotherdirtywords.com - Book Promo Post
Little Novelist - Www.littlenovelist.com - Book Excerpt
Hello...Chick Lit - http://hellochicklit.com - Book Promo Post

June 16th

Rachel Brimble Romance - http://www.rachelbrimble.blogspot.co.uk/ - Author Guest Post
Have books, Will read - www.havebookswillread.wordpress.com - Book Excerpt/Promo Post
Bookmyopia - www.bookmyopia.wordpress.com - Book Excerpt
Book Lover in Florida - https://bookloverfl12.wordpress.com/ - Book Excerpt/Promo Post
Ali - The Dragon Slayer - http://cancersuckscouk.ipage.com/ - Book Review
The Book Basics - https://thebookbasics.wordpress.com/ - Book Review/Promo Post

June 17th

Steamy Book Momma - http://steamybookmomma0.blogspot.com - Book Review
Book Groupies - http://bookgroupies2.blogspot.com/ - Book Promo Post
Brittany's Book Blog - http://www.brittanysbookblog.com - Book Review
Sparkles at Midnight - www.sparklesatmidnight.com - Book Review
MsWanderlust - www.mswanderlust1963.wordpress.com - Book Review/Excerpt

Book Tour Arranged by:
now booking tours for July/August/September