To move forward, I’ll have to look back to our past…
I know I have to get myself out of this funk, but it feels impossible. My childhood best friend is dead and nothing in life is working out as I’d planned.
Then Lottie leaves me a ‘jar of joy’ in her will – filled with instructions to visit places where we had our happiest memories. But with every happy memory, I also remember the things that tore us apart. Because Lottie was keeping secrets. And Jay – the man we both loved – keeps turning up at the same places. Even as I feel pieces of myself begin to heal, some wounds run too deep. It’s time to make a change in my life, but can Lottie’s jar of joy really give me the strength I need?
A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel for fans of PS I Love You, The Memory of Us and The Last Letter from Your Lover.
Eve Ainsworth is a public speaker, creative workshop coordinator and award-winning author who draws from her extensive work with teenagers managing emotional and behavioural issues to write authentic, honest and real novels for young people and adults. Eve’s adult debut, Duckling, was published by Penguin Random House in 2022. She has had short stories published in magazines such as Writers’ Forum and Prima and articles posted online for the Guardian, Metro and BookTrust. Eve is also a champion for working class voices, has set up the Working Class Writers Network and is an experienced mentor.
The sparkling NEW Christmas Romance from the author of A Wedding in Cornwall!
Quirky, creative, and dedicated to their work, window dressers Nina and Molly can’t believe the news from the upscale staging and design company which occasionally hires them as extras during the Christmas season: their tiny New York company has just been tapped to create a magical Christmas window and showroom display for London’s newest designer fashion boutique!
With their trusty assistant in tow, they catch a plane across the Pond, making their way to the historic former department store with a unique past in Parkleigh Square—and their once-in-a-lifetime chance to impress the ultimate client, legendary fashion designer Simone Van Stewart.
But a humiliating encounter with the London branch’s new frosty director reveals a tragic truth — the duo was hired by mistake. With time running out before the store’s unveiling, and the best window stagers already booked, however, Nina and Molly have been given a tentative trial period to prove they can do the job – and they’ll need a miracle to survive it. Battling deadlines, a delivery disaster, and their own personal doubts, it seems their dream assignment could soon spiral into their worst nightmare.
Not everybody at the exclusive store for Van Stewart is against them, however. Rugged, handsome fashion designer Vincent is supportive of their chances, and makes Nina’s heart race whenever their paths cross. Can she risk romance with an ocean between their two worlds, and with all her future plans and dreams at stake? Her friend Molly worries she’s getting in over her head—but Molly has her own complications to worry about, both personal and professional, as the dream team from Queens searches for the key to make Parkleigh Square’s newest business come alive with Christmas magic, which may just lie in histories both beloved and forgotten.
Filled with flurries of romance, friendship, humor, and heartwarming revelations, A Nightingale in Parkleigh Square is the must-read new release of the Christmas season.
Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller ‘A Wedding in Cornwall’. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.
Feisty country girl Annabeth Hope has sworn off men since her ex abandoned her. Juggling three resentful step-teens, a hyperactive toddler, a smallholding, and a herd of rescued llamas, she has her hands full. With the roof about to collapse on her crumbling New Forest home, she is desperate to find a way to hold her patchwork family together. The last thing she needs is an attractive distraction moving in next door.
Burnt-out inner-city doctor Rick Mahon has left London and his medical career behind in a moment of professional crisis. A malpractice lawsuit is on the horizon, and the cancel culture mob are snapping at his heels. His plan to stay under the radar is thrown off course when he meets his new neighbour and sparks start to fly. Annabeth and Rick couldn’t be more different, but maybe they hold the key to each other’s happiness…
“What more could we want from life? Family, friends, llamas, and hope… An excellent read.” Jenny Kane, author of the bestselling Mill Grange Series.
A former GP surgery manager, school librarian and art teacher, Alice May is mum to four not-so-small children. She is married to the most patient man on the planet, and they live in the New Forest. Alice started writing in 2016 and she enjoyed playing with words so much that now she can’t stop.
Choosing a publishing route for your manuscript, by Alice May
The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope is the first book in ten years of writing that I haven’t taken down the self-publishing route. Instead, I was offered a publishing contract by The Book Guild. While I have enjoyed the freedom of self-publishing in the past, it has been an enlightening experience working with talented publishing professionals on this new release.
My first book was a memoir. The House That Sat Down Trilogy is based on the time that my house fell down out of the blue one day and I ended up living in a tent in the garden with my children because our house insurance company refused to cover us. Once we had rebuilt our home and moved back in, I started writing to get my head around how that situation had unfolded. Before long I had a manuscript. I decided to self-publish through Amazon KDP. Every part of the process of putting that book together was driven by me. I had to source editing advice, cover creation expertise, technical advice, marketing advice, and then put it all together. There it was. My book. Publishing it had taken me on a huge journey of discovery. A journey that had inspired me to make writing my full-time career.
Having been bitten by the writing bug, I decided I wanted to write fiction. I wasn’t naïve, though, I knew I had a lot to learn. A whole series of writing courses followed, and then a period of time submitting manuscripts to agents and publishers with the inevitable painful rejections. Developing my work through constructive feedback was an enlightening process. Eventually the day dawned when an email fell into my inbox that wasn’t a rejection. My dreams had come true. The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope had found a home with a publisher. I had to read that acceptance email several times before I could believe it.
Given that self-publishing gives you complete creative control, I was more nervous than I expected handing over my Annabeth Hope book baby to the control of others, but I haven’t been disappointed. At each stage of the editing, typesetting, cover creation, production and marketing process I have been supported by positive and very patient publishing professionals. I ask a lot of daft questions. They explain everything clearly and help me negotiate my way. I thought I would not get any say in layouts, cover design or the overall look of my book, but that hasn’t been the case. My opinion counts too. I was even allowed to contribute some artwork to the cover. The silhouette of Annabeth with her daughter Grace that appears on the front cover is taken from a sketch I did of my daughter and granddaughter; and that makes me feel really connected with every part of the book.
Now, the question in the back of my mind is which route should I take with future books? (The sequel to The Mid-Life Trials of Annabeth Hope is nearly finished.) The short answer is: both.
On the one hand, I like the control and speed of self-publishing. On the other, I could get very used to the support and teamwork involved in working with a publishing house. I think it is good to have options, and depending on the needs of whichever project I am working on, I am open to using both publishing routes again. The important thing is to get stories out into the world for readers to enjoy.
I really hope you enjoy The Mid-life Trials of Annabeth Hope. A story of families, friends, hope and love. There are llamas in it too. What more could you want?
Psychology With Mr. Mistletoe (Smart is Seriously Sexy Series Book 3)
Publication Date: October 22, 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Holiday Romance
Return to hometown
Best friend’s older brother
Small town romance
Firefighter
Slow burn
Secrets
She’s running the town’s holiday fundraiser, but he might just steal the show—and her heart.
Becoming the new chair for the annual Mr. and Ms. Mistletoe Fundraising Event is an honor Morgan McCann embraces. After all, the competition combines Christmas, honoring local firefighters, and raising money for victims of Colorado wildfires, a cause close to her heart. Minutes into the job, however, she discovers a certain firefighter has been nominated…a man with whom she shares a years-long secret and happens to be her best friend’s older brother.
Returning to his hometown after being gone five years had never been part of Jason Kinsella’s plan. But experiencing personal tragedy while on the job turned his life upside down. As such, competing to become Mr. Mistletoe is not at the top of his holiday to-do list. But can he really say no to the nomination and the Lady Chair who hasn’t been far from his mind the last sixteen years?
Amidst competition hiccups, nosy eyes and ears, and a secret fighting to break free, Morgan and Jason realize there might be more than holiday magic in the air.
Brigid’s Vista is the place to be this season where brains and brawn meet under the mistletoe in Psychology With Mr. Mistletoe, Book Three in the Smart is Seriously Sexy Series.
Bella is living her best life in Wynbridge, with her beloved Spaniel, Tink. She’s found a way to keep the house she inherited from her grandparents while expanding her dream business – Away With the Fairies – and she’s ecstatic that Christmas is on the horizon!
In fact, everything is perfect until family friend, Catherine Connelly asks Bella if she’d be willing to rent part of the house to freelance author, Jude who is researching the history of the Connelly Clan and Wynthorpe Hall ahead of turning his findings into a book. The plan had been for Jude to stay at the hall, but he can’t cope with the chaos and Bella reluctantly agrees to open her door to him.
Initially, the pair clash but then friendlier feelings begin to grow and Bella finds herself wondering if Jude could become more than just another guest before it’s time for him to leave. That is, until he announces he has no time for Christmas!
With her favourite time of the year suddenly in jeopardy, will Bella ever feel like she’s home for Christmas?
Heidi Swain is a Sunday Times Top Ten best-selling author who writes feel good fiction for Simon & Schuster. She releases two books a year (early summer and winter) and the stories all have a strong sense of community, family and friendship. She is currently writing books set in three locations – the Fenland town of Wynbridge, Nightingale Square in Norwich and Wynmouth on the Norfolk coast, as well as summer standalone titles.
Heidi lives in beautiful west Norfolk. She is passionate about gardening, the countryside, collecting vintage paraphernalia and reading. Her tbr pile is always out of control!
Heidi loves to chat with her readers and you can get in touch via her website or on social media.
My thoughts: I do enjoy a Heidi Swain Christmas book and this is really good, fun and charming, and it made me feel all cosy inside.
Bella makes fairies at her business Away With the Fairies, inspired by her love of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies (my Nan gave me the whole series as a child, one book per birthday till I had them all) and other fairy related things. She’s good at it, and they sell well, especially in the run up to Christmas, so she’s going to be really busy.
And then she’s asked to take in a temporary guest – a writer called Jude, who’s been staying at the Hall but needs somewhere quiet to put together the history he’s writing. And she can’t really say no, as the Connollys have been so good to her over the years.
Cue chaos, Jude hates Christmas, Bella’s little flat is too small for all the fairy making paraphernalia and her dog, Tink, is disturbing him by barking.
But as the festive season intensifies, and the pair get to know each other better, there’s a distinct something in the air…
Filled with Heidi’s charming characters and festive fun, this is a terrific cosy, mug of hit chocolate wrapped in a blanket with your favourite festive film (Muppets’ Christmas Carol for me) on the TV read. So get comfy and enjoy!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re getting ready for the upcoming release of the next book in this series and thought it would be fun to recap Sincerely, Secretary of Doom! Besties, you still have 2 weeks to read this one before Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn’t Evil comes out on October 16th!
Sincerely, Secretary of Doom (High Court of the Coffee Bean Book 2)
Publication Date: May 28, 2024
Genre: Cozy Romcom w/ Fantasy Elements
Workplace romance
Amnesia
Found Family
Forced Proximity
Creepy Cathedral
Love/Hate Relationship
Fairy Newspaper
The High Court of the Coffee Bean returns with a sassy, wicked streak.
Months after the deadly assassins-turned-baristas left the Four Corners of Ever behind for good, Doom comes knocking at Mor Trisencor’s door. And it’s wearing stilettos.
When the Fairy Post gets an unexpected, grand following in the human realm for its vintage feel and whimsical words, Mor gets busier than ever typing out articles, following up on leads of fairy mischief, and everything else that goes along with being a faeborn reporter. But his heavy workload comes to a screeching halt when he spots someone in the human realm that shouldn’t be there—an old foe of his. One he thought he would never see again. One he’d prayed to the sky deities that he wouldn’t cross paths with after the day Mor abandoned the Shadow Army, leaving a trail of flames and destruction in his wake. For the first time since the Fairy Post was published, the newspaper gets put on hold and Mor goes hunting.
Mor can think of nothing else but stopping this foe before ripples of doom begin to stir up the human realm.
Violet Miller is a journalist with a mysterious past her amnesia forbids her from remembering. But when she gets let go from her job at the most prestigious news station in the city, her unexplained past becomes the least of her problems. She thinks it’s all over for her as a journalist, until she sees a job posting for a secretary position at a niche, laughable “old school style” newspaper called the Fairy Post.
The day Violet shows up at Mor’s house—or, creepy, dark cathedral is more like it—is the day that everything changes for her. Before Violet even has a chance to ask about the job, she’s mistakenly marked as Mor’s lover by his “enemies” and she finds herself in the crosshairs of a battle of inhuman creatures who’d rather “stab first and ask questions later.”
This marks the beginning of a love-hate relationship (mostly hate) between a fae assassin born of the Shadows, and a lipstick-wearing, mascara wielding human born to be in the spotlight.
While reading this second installment of the High Court of the Coffee Bean series, you may find yourself craving macaroons, listening to the wind for signs of fairy magic, and wishing you had a “creepy, dark, creaking, abandoned cathedral” of your own to call home.
My thoughts: this series is so much fun, it’s a bit silly but that’s all part of the fun. The fae cafe is still going well under the supervision and coffee making skills of the High Court of the Coffee Bean, Cress is hosting a bonkers YouTube channel, Mor is still publishing the Fairy Post and the knitting assassins are still over the road.
Mor’s past catches up with him in the form of another fae warrior from the Shadow Army, someone who really resents and hates him. And poor Violet Miller, who can’t remember anything that happened to her before she was 13, is caught in the middle.
All she wants is a job as a journalist, and to look into the spate of strange attacks leaving women with amnesia across the city. So she answers an ad in the Fairy Post and now she’s Secretary to Doom, hunted by fae warriors and even more confused than she’s ever been!
I loved it, I can’t wait for book 3. This is just such a funny, entertaining series, I love the characters, the fae are all completely hopeless and cannot cope with our world – they keep pledging vengeance and having battles in the street involving throwing baked goods. It’s just, very silly, very funny, very joyful. Read it!
Nora’s city life isn’t exactly working out how she planned. She’s stuck in her best friend’s tiny boxroom and hasn’t yet found that dream bookish job. But when she’s forced to return to her hometown of Little Harbour, Nora’s life takes an unexpected plot twist. Her estranged sister needs her help and the beloved family bookshop of her first love, Alex, is about to go out of business.
Alex knows a trip home to his dad and The Book Nook is long overdue. If only his own life wasn’t such a complete and utter mess he’d have visited by now. But then he hears Nora Bell is back in town and it’s the push he needs to change everything. When the two meet again it’s clear the spark of attraction still burns bright, but their unresolved past overshadows any possible future. Can they work together to save the bookshop and find their fairytale ever after, or will hidden secrets and surprising truths keep them apart?
Perfect for fans of second chance romances, dreamy bookshops and escapist seaside settings!
ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO SIGN UP TO KATIE GINGER’S MAILING LIST
Katie Ginger writes romantic comedies as Annabel French for Avon, HarperCollins and historical fiction as Emma Royal for Century, Penguin Random House. When she’s not writing she spends her time reading, looking after her family and volunteering as Vice Chair or the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Turn a tumbledown Paris hotel into a perfect boutique, bookish retreat, and have it open for Christmas? What could possibly go wrong?
When Anais receives a near-derelict Paris hotel in her divorce settlement, her first thought is to tidy it up and sell it immediately. All she wants is to move on and forget her disaster of a marriage ever happened. But selling it proves impossible, so she has only one option: to make it gorgeous and open by Christmas… when her funds will almost certainly run out.
She’s not counting on the grumpy American bar-owner next door, Noah, coming and interfering at every moment though. Nor is she expecting to find a mysterious room – which holds the key to a one-hundred-year-old secret – about a woman who chose love against the odds.
One thing’s for sure… as the fairy lights twinkle all over the city of lights and the first snowflakes start to fall… this will be a Christmas in Paris to remember.
A totally gorgeous, escapist romantic comedy, with an unforgettable mystery! A perfect festive read for fans of Emily Henry and Sarah Morgan to curl up with this winter.
Rebecca Raisin writes heartwarming romance from her home in sunny Perth, Australia. Her heroines tend to be on the quirky side and her books are usually set in exotic locations so her readers can armchair travel any day of the week.
My thoughts: After catching her crummy husband in bed with the cleaner, Anais chucks him and gets a bit screwed over in the divorce, he gets their lovely apartment, she gets the run down hotel he bought with her money.
Luckily her hilarious cousin Manon is on hand to help do it up, ideally to sell ASAP. Of course both women fall in love with the place in all it’s salmon pink bathrooms glory. There’s also a mystery at the heart of the hotel – why are two of the rooms walled off and what is hidden within?
There’s a tiny cameo from a familiar Paris Cupid, secrets and mysteries to uncover, a grumpy bar owner to win over, lots of renovations to do, plus Anais owes her publisher a novel, Christmas is coming and her rubbish ex puts in an unwelcome experience (Manon, I’ll help you hide the body!)
Lots of fun to read, with a lovely but bittersweet mystery to resolve that draws the characters together, because Paris is the city of love, lights and it seems, literature. Bon.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
It’s release week and we are thrilled to be touring this adorable and spicy romance by Chrissy Hopewell!
Since We’re Here: A Grumpy Sunshine Irish Romance
Genre: Romance/ Interconnected Standalone
Publication Date: September 9
Grumpy sunshine
Irish setting
Close proximity
He falls first
Fish out of water
Main characters in their 30s
Just once to get it out of our system
Pet sheep
Open door/ medium spice
Nine messy breakups, nine jobs lost. When restaurant manager Maddie Hart learns that number ten—a surf instructor based in the Caribbean—is cheating on her, she changes her destination flight (but not the contents of her suitcase) to Ireland. She’ll delay disappointing her family and figure out how to get her life back on track, while also planning her oldest sister’s pre-wedding Irish road trip. Except the groom-to-be’s best friend isn’t replying to her emails.
Ex-pro soccer goalkeeper Patrick McNulty has deep roots in the seaside town of Dingle, Ireland. He’s got clear priorities: be there for his aging parents, support his sister and nieces, and take over the family brewery while also managing his pub. None of that includes dating, because after one disastrous engagement, Patrick is done with relationships.
When the sunshine-y American tourist who asked him to kiss her in the pub turns out to be the same woman emailing for help planning a road trip, Patrick vows to keep it platonic. Especially after his pub manager quits and Maddie jumps in to help. Their sizzling chemistry leads them to sleep together just once, but it’s not nearly enough for either of them.
Maddie knows her future isn’t in Ireland—or with Patrick. And he needs to stay focused before his carefully planned life unravels with the distraction of the American tourist. The Irish road trip is their last chance…Will Patrick be able to convince her (and himself) that fighting for number eleven is worth the journey?
Two sworn enemies, snowed in over Christmas with chemistry that will melt the ice!
Nina Thompson has one Christmas wish: to avoid her brother’s obnoxiously handsome best friend, Tristan, like the plague. From the moment he humiliated her as a teenager to their escalating revenge schemes, Nina and Tristan’s relationship can only be defined as an all-out prank war!
And there is yet to be a winner.
But it just so happens the ghost of Christmas present has other ideas. When Tristan unexpectedly crashes her family’s Christmas, Nina’s dreams of a peaceful holiday vanish faster than Santa up a chimney. Determined to end their rivalry for good, she braces herself for one last prank-filled showdown.
But when they find themselves snowed in, with no way of avoiding each other amongst the holiday festivities, they discover their heated exchanges have been masking a different kind of sizzle. Caught in a snow globe of holiday romance, they decide to let their fiery chemistry burn bright—but this is absolutely and unequivocally nothing more than a secret fling destined to melt with the snow, this is not a forever romance…
This Is Not a Holiday Romance is an enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, forced proximity rom-com perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Abby Jimenez, and Lynn Painter.
My thoughts: Another fun Camilla Isley rom com, this time with a festive twist.
At her parents for the holiday, Nina is horrified when her brother shows up with his best friend, her arch nemesis, Tristan, in tow. He was supposed to fly to San Diego, but all flights were grounded by the weather. So now he’s joining the party. This is hell.
But obviously things change and suddenly there’s all these feelings to deal with, and not accidentally tell Dylan about his pal and his little sister. Cue total chaos as they try to keep whatever this is under wraps in close quarters while also celebrating with the whole family.
This is great fun, a bit silly and also sweet with all the fun of Christmas on top. If you want a charming festive read to curl up with this winter – try this!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
