Hello my loves,
I'm back today with a book spotlight on a gorgeous festive story by the fabulous Daisy James - Mistletoe & Mystery!
Let's dive straight in shall we?
Title: Mistletoe
& Mystery
Author Name: Daisy
James
Previous Books (if
applicable): Sunshine & Secrets and
Confetti & Confusion
Genre: Women’s
Fiction
Release Date: 8th
November 2018
Book Blurb: Welcome to the Cotswolds Festive Feast
cookery course...
Fresh off the successful opening of the
Paradise Cookery School in St Lucia, Millie Harper is headed to the Cotswolds
for Christmas!
Co-presenting Claudia Croft’s famous Festive
Feast cookery course at Stonelea Manor is a dream come true for Millie…as is
reuniting with gorgeous estate manager Zach Barker.
But arriving in a winter wonderland Millie
learns the manor is under a mysterious threat. It’ll take a holiday miracle,
but Millie is determined to save the school and get Zach under the mistletoe to
finally finish what they started in the Caribbean!
Cosy up with this fun, festive visit to the
Cotswolds premier cookery school! Perfect for fans of Jenny Oliver and Sarah
Morgan
If
you loved Mistletoe & Mystery, why not read the first two stories in The
Paradise Cookery School series? Sunshine & Secrets and Confetti &
Confusions are both available now!
Links to Book:
Author Bio:
Daisy James is a Yorkshire girl transplanted to the
north east of England. She loves writing stories with strong heroines and
swift-flowing plotlines. When not scribbling away in her summerhouse, she
spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She
loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something pink and fizzy or
indulging in a spot of afternoon tea – china plates and teacups are a must.
Twitter: @daisyjamesbooks
Have a look at some of the other blogs taking part in the tour for this fabulously festive read as they have reviews, Q&As, exclusive extracts and more...
Hello again my loves,
Everywhere you look it's all looking a lot like Christmas isn't it? Well as we're almost halfway into November I'm going to join the Christmas fan club by taking part in a Blog Tour for TA Williams' new novel called Dreaming of Christmas.
As a blog tour host, today I have the privilege of bringing you an festive extract of this book and I for one have my cup of tea reading to sit down and have a read.
So we'll start by looking at what the books about in a book spotlight and then we'll cosy up and have a read together shall we?
Title: Dreaming of
Christmas
Author Name: T.A.
Williams
Previous Books (if
applicable): Dreaming of Venice,
Dreaming of Florence and Dreaming of
St Tropez
Genre: Women’s
Fiction, romcom
Release Date: August
2018
Publisher: Canelo
Book Blurb: It’s the dream Christmas: snow, mountains…
and, er, an ex-boyfriend. But can Zoe still find love in the Alps?
Dumped on Christmas Eve by her long-term
boyfriend, it's been a rough year for Zoe Lumsley. But then she gets an
invitation she can’t refuse: an all expenses paid skiing holiday with old
university friends.
The bad news: her ex, Grant, will be there
with his new girlfriend. But so will her former flatmate Billy, the organiser,
and in the meantime he’s done rather well for himself. As Christmas in the Alps
approaches, it'll be great to see the old gang. Some more than others...
Perfect for readers of Tilly Tenant, Holly
Martin and Philippa Ashley, this is the perfect magical Christmas getaway from
the bestselling T.A. Williams.
Well, doesn't this sound dreamy? Shall we take a look at the extract now? I think it's a real treat to read an extract so you can make a choice as to whether this book is something that is usually your cup of tea. Please enjoy!
The actor – whose name was Dan
Greenfinch – had come across the Atlantic to London to co-star in a low-budget
movie about zombies invading Canary Wharf. His face looked seriously weathered,
and when Zoë and Ron were shown into his trailer to interview him, her first
impression was that he had maybe already applied zombie make-up. It
subsequently transpired that he hadn’t and Zoë didn’t envy the make-up artists
if he had to appear in a non-zombie role. The actor – ‘Call me Dan’ – did his
best to be hospitable by asking her if she wanted a ‘line’. This was not the
first interview she had done with showbiz folk, and she now knew what was
intended by this invitation, so she hastily shook her head.
‘Thanks, I’m working.’
‘Mind if I do?’
‘No, go ahead.’
She then had to sit there while
Call-me-Dan snorted a line of cocaine up his nose. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
Subsequently, as he answered her questions, he spent most of his time rubbing
his nose, snuffling and sneezing. She shuddered surreptitiously.
The interview took about half an
hour, and then Ron spent another half-hour taking a load of photos of the
actor. Once she had finished and Ron had gone off with the PR girl to take some
shots of the set, Call-me-Dan indicated that he rather liked the look of Zoë. As
she was shaking hands with him, he gave her a lecherous leer and informed her
that sex with him would undoubtedly be the high point of her life to date. For
once, Zoë was grateful to Ron. This was the fifth time in four months that she
had been propositioned by celebrities, and the photographer had been happy to
provide her with a very effective way of refusing, without fear of being
bothered any further. Keeping a straight face, she told Call-me-Dan she
regretted she would not be able to accept his kind offer.
‘I’m afraid I haven’t had the
all-clear from the doctor yet.’
She didn’t say any more, but
comprehension dawned on the pockmarked face in front of her, and she was able
to leave unmolested. Unless she counted the sensation of disgust she carried
with her all the way back in the taxi.
She spent the next couple of hours
writing a two-thousand-word piece entitled ‘Zombies vs Canaries’. Just after
lunch, she sent it through to Damien, the editor, and waited for his verdict.
She didn’t have to wait long. The phone on her desk buzzed almost immediately,
and he was as succinct as ever.
‘Zoë. Get in here. Now.’
She made her way along the corridor
to his office, knocked, and went in without waiting for an answer.
‘You wanted to see me, Damien?’
As usual, he was sitting with his
back to the window so as to dazzle and intimidate anyone who came to sit
opposite him. He was wearing his usual blue striped shirt with a white collar
and cuffs, the collar open and the sleeves rolled up. He wore the same thing
every day, and opinion in the office fell into two camps. There were those who
believed he had a stock of the shirts,
one for every day of the week, while others – amongst them Zoë – felt sure he
had just the one and never took it off.
‘Yes, Zoë. Come in. Sit down.’ She
did as instructed and he immediately launched into a critique of her piece. The
crux of the problem could be summarised as ‘You didn’t like the guy, did you?’
‘Not in the slightest. He was a
slimy piece of pond life, and if the next time I see him is on my deathbed,
it’ll be too soon.’
‘Listen, Zoë, nobody says you’ve got
to like these people. I don’t like
many of them, but that’s not the point. His film company has just paid for six
full-page adverts in HC magazine and
two of our subsidiaries. That pays the bills, and that includes your salary.
While I admire your prose, describing him as having “the personality and
complexion of a fly cemetery biscuit” is not only insulting, it’s probably
actionable. So go back over it, tone it down, and for God’s sake try to sound as if you like him. All right? Got
that?’
Zoë spent the rest of the afternoon
doing as she had been instructed. At the end of the day, before going off to
meet Juliet, she emailed the piece to Damien with one line: Sanitised for your convenience. Zoë.
Please take time to visit the other blogs taking part in this tour as they will have undoubtedly have festive treats for you!
Links to Book:
Author Bio: T.A. Williams lives in Devon with his
Italian wife. He was born in England of a Scottish mother and Welsh father.
After a degree in modern languages at Nottingham University, he lived and
worked in Switzerland, France and Italy, before returning to run one of the
best-known language schools in the UK. He’s taught Arab princes, Brazilian
beauty queens and Italian billionaires. He speaks a number of languages and has
travelled extensively. He has eaten snake, still-alive fish, and alligator. A
Spanish dog, a Russian bug and a Korean parasite have done their best to eat
him in return. His hobby is long-distance cycling, but his passion is writing.
Author Social Media Links
Twitter: @TAWilliamsBooks
Hello my loves,
Today it's my turn to host the blog tour for an absolutely phenomenal book by MJ Lee called Where The Truth Lies. It's a Crime Thriller and I've fast become a huge fan of this genre.
When I read the blurb of this book, I just knew that I HAD to read it and I'm sure once you've read this post you'll be dying to read it too!
As a blog tour host, today I have the privilege of bringing you an extract of this book and I for one have my cup of tea reading to sit down and have a read.
So we'll start by looking at what the books about in a book spotlight and then we'll cosy up and have a read together shall we?
CHAPTER TWO
Present day
Today it's my turn to host the blog tour for an absolutely phenomenal book by MJ Lee called Where The Truth Lies. It's a Crime Thriller and I've fast become a huge fan of this genre.
When I read the blurb of this book, I just knew that I HAD to read it and I'm sure once you've read this post you'll be dying to read it too!
As a blog tour host, today I have the privilege of bringing you an extract of this book and I for one have my cup of tea reading to sit down and have a read.
So we'll start by looking at what the books about in a book spotlight and then we'll cosy up and have a read together shall we?
Title: Where the
Truth Lies
Author Name: M J Lee
Previous Books (if
applicable): The Murder Game and The Killing Time
Genre: Crime Fiction
Release Date: 22nd
October 2018
Publisher: Canelo
Blurb:
The
case was closed. Until people started dying… The unputdownable first DI Ridpath
crime thriller from bestseller MJ Lee
A killer in total control. A detective on
the edge. A mystery that HAS to be solved.
DI Thomas Ridpath was on the up in the
Manchester CID: a promising young detective whose first case involved capturing
a notorious serial killer. But ten years later he’s recovering from a serious
illness and on the brink of being forced out of the police. Then people start
dying: tortured, murdered, in an uncanny echo of Ridpath’s first case.
As the investigation intensifies, old bodies
go missing, records can’t be found and the murder count grows. Caught in a turf
war between the police and the coroner’s office, digging up skeletons some
would rather forget, Ridpath is caught in a race against time: a race to save
his career, his marriage… And lives.
When a detective goes missing everything is
on the line. Can Ridpath close the case and save his colleague?
I think one of the reasons I love reading crime thrillers are the perspective of the police force as my father was in the West Midlands Police (as is my Mr R) and as he worked through his specialism he was the officer that worked with SOCO and used to "draw up the fatalities" and photograph them for evidence. These days they have whole forensic teams for that. I know only too well how the pressure of working in the force can have a lasting impact upon you as an officer (from witnessing my Father as I was growing up) and also the effects it has on the families, more so today with the huge cuts, lack of resources, and poor portrayal in the media of our Blue Light Family protectors. It's more important than ever that we show our support for our officers and the work they do. So, after I went off on a little tangent there, shall we read the extract now? Yes!
CHAPTER TWO
Present day
Ridpath stood outside looking up at
the acres of plate glass covering the building and shivered. Why was he so
nervous? This was his place, his patch; he knew every inch of police
headquarters.
He took another long drag on his
cigarette. He wasn’t supposed to smoke, the doctors had told him many times,
but he was sick of them and their rules. He laughed to himself. Only he could
be sick of doctors.
He took one more life-giving suck on
the Marlboro Red and threw the butt into the drain on his right. It had been
nine months since he’d been inside this place. Nine months is a long time. A
lot could have changed. A lot probably had changed.
As his DCI, Charlie Whitworth,
always used to say; ‘Listen, Ridpath, the only constant with the police is
change. A new chief constable and we change. A new government and we change. A
new policy and we change. Only the job remains the same. We catch the bad guys
and we put them away. Remember that and you’ll go far in this job.’
Well, he had remembered it and he
had gone far.
Until nine months ago.
He pulled his jacket tighter around
himself. ‘Come on, lad, get on with it,’ he said out loud, adjusting the tie
his wife had given him to wear. It felt strange to feel the noose of the tie
around his neck, touching his Adam’s apple. You’ll get used it, he thought. You
always get used to it.
He launched himself up the
whitewashed steps, stopping in front of the glass doors, waiting to be buzzed
in.
The door opened and he strode into
the reception area. Well, at least this hadn’t changed. There were still the
same old fading police notices on the wall with their fading messages:
‘Look out, there’s a thief about.’
‘Don’t be blind to the signs.’
‘Look her in the eye and tell her a
little drink never hurt anybody.’
And there were some new ones, clean
and crisp in their colour and design:
‘Help free the UK from modern
slavery’
‘Hate crime. Tell the Manchester
Police about it.’ Beneath this one somebody had written in biro: ‘Because
nobody hates crime more than the Manchester Police.’ He thought he recognized
the handwriting.
Just two people spoilt the pristine
emptiness of the reception area: a wrinkled woman and a young, burly man, both
sitting forlornly on the row of plastic seating screwed to the floor. Probably
waiting for someone to be released after a night in the cells. Another drunk
driver.
A sergeant he had never seen before
was standing behind thick glass, looking like a clerk at a post office except
for the blue uniform. A muffled voice through the microphone. ‘How can I help
you, sir?’
‘An appointment with Detective Chief
Inspector Charlie Whitworth at 10.30.’
The sergeant checked his diary.
‘Nothing in here, sir.’
Just then the door to the inner
sanctum of the police station opened. ‘Well, I never. Ridpath, it’s great to
see you.’
‘Harry Makepeace, skiving off as
usual.’
‘You know me too well.’ Makepeace
scanned him up and down. ‘You’re looking well.’
Ridpath stepped back and waved his
hands. ‘Feeling great. Raring to go.’
‘You here to see the boss?’
He nodded.
Harry held open the door. ‘I’ll take you through…’
‘But there’s no appointment…’ The
tinny voice of the sergeant sounded feeble through the speaker.
‘No worries, Martin. This is
Detective Inspector Tom Ridpath, used to work here.’
‘Still do.’
Harry Makepeace turned slowly
towards him. ‘Aye, I suppose you do. Come on.’
He stepped through into the back
office. Behind him the voice of the sergeant was calling, ‘Can you sign the book?’
They both carried on walking down
the corridor.
‘Been a few changes since you were
here.’
‘Have there?’
‘Me for one – I’ve been promoted.’
‘Congrats, Detective Inspector
Makepeace, it’s been a long time coming.’
Harry looked across, checking for
irony. ‘Aye, too bloody long.’
‘Charlie’s still here though. Still
running the Major Incident Team?’
‘Aye, nowt’s changed there. John
Gorman’s officially in charge, but he’s so snowed under by management meetings,
Charlie does the day-to-day.’
They entered the CID office on the
right.
The place hadn’t changed at all. The
same beige walls with the marks of ancient posters staining the
government-issue wallpaper. The same mismatched desks. The same ancient desktop
computers due to be mothballed a year ago but still being used. And the same
grey, coffee-stained carpet that always gave him an electric shock every time
he touched his desk.
That detectives’ office.
Well what can I say?! I wasn't ready for the extract to end there - what a tease! If you (like me) want to get your hands on a copy immediately (heck why wouldn't you?) then all the links are below as is a bit about MJ Lee (in case you want to know the author behind the words. Please take time to visit the other blogs that are taking part in this tour to support them as they will have different features showcasing this book that you won't want to miss.
Links to Book:
Author Bio:
M J
Lee has spent most of his adult
life writing in one form or another. As a university researcher in history, he
wrote pages of notes on reams of obscure topics. As a social worker with
Vietnamese refugees, he wrote memoranda. And, as the creative director of an
advertising agency, he has written print and press ads, TV commercials, short
films and innumerable backs of cornflake packets and hotel websites.
He has spent 25 years of his life working
outside the north of England, in London, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok
and Shanghai, winning advertising awards from Cannes, One Show, D&AD, New
York and the United Nations.
While working in Shanghai, he loved walking
through the old quarters of that amazing city, developing the idea behind a
series of crime novels featuring Inspector Pyotr Danilov, set in the 1920s.
When
he’s not writing, he splits his time between the UK and Asia, taking pleasure
in playing with his daughter, practising downhill ironing, single-handedly
solving the problem of the French wine lake, and wishing he were George
Clooney.
Twitter: @WriterMJLee
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