#Guestpost A VILLA IN PORTOFINE by EVONNE WAREHAM #PublicationDay @ChocLituk @evonnewareham

Hello all! Happy Tuesday and welcome to the Blog! It is my absolute pleasure to be handing over the reins today to the lovely EVONNE WAREHAM who is celebrating publication day for A VILLA IN PORTOFINO!  Oh to be sitting in that villa right now!!  I’ve added the links so you can treat yourself to a copy of the book so you can visit the villa that way! 
Over to you Evonne…..

🌞🌞🌞

 A big thank you to Karen for inviting me onto the blog to talk about A Villa in Portofino, my new romantic suspense. It’s hard to believe that this is my sixth book for Choc-LIt and the third in my ‘Riviera’ Series.

I thought it might be fun to interrogate the book with the five classic questions – Who, What, When, Where, Why, although I’ve mixed the order up a little.

Where: I had to start with this one as the book title is a bit of a giveaway. Although the book begins in Bath in Somerset, the action quickly moves on to the Ligurian coast, in Italy. Portofino is a picturesque village and a very up-market resort, with luxury shops and galleries and some very fancy yachts moored in the harbour. The location was actually suggested to me in a readers’ poll, but it proved to be a great choice for locating the spectacular property that my heroine inherits.

When: The book can be read as a stand-alone, but it is book three in my Riviera series, so if you have read the others you will again meet old friends. The events of the book dovetail with some of those in A Wedding on the Riviera, as they take place in the same time frame, but on different sides of the French/Italian border.

Who: Although the book is part of a series, each episode features a new couple with their own love story. In this case my heroine is Megan Morrison, an out of work academic who has just come through a bad break-up when she gets a mysterious letter from a firm of London solicitors…

My hero, Gideon West, is a landscape gardener with a passion for Riviera gardens. On an impromptu research trip to Portofino he is strangely drawn to the overgrown garden of a deserted villa…

What: Megan needs help to make her surprising legacy fit to be the home of her dreams. Gideon seems like an answer to her unexpected difficulties in reclaiming what was once a beautiful garden created by her great-great aunt Olwen. But Gideon has something in his past that he isn’t sharing, and someone else has covetous eyes on the neglected estate…

Why: When I first envisaged the book it had a distinctly Gothic overtone but somehow, in the Italian sunshine, things didn’t work out that way! Instead it became a story of family secrets, some deliberately kept, but others simply lost in time and memory, although the book still has its dark side – this is romantic suspense, after all. I was juggling five generations stretching back to the Second World War, and there was a lot of time and space for memory to become clouded and misinformation to be passed around. Megan has a number of mysteries to unravel – the history of the estate, the history of her last family member, an aunt whom she had never met, and the possible link between the estate and some books of poetry that formed the substance of her doctorate. And alongside all this she seems to be falling in love…

So – those are the answers to those five one word questions. I hope that they have intrigued you and made you want to read the book. If you do, I really hope you enjoy it.

🌞🌞🌞

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Evonne is an award winning Welsh author of romantic suspense – more crime and dead bodies than your average romance. She likes to set her book in her native Wales, or for a touch of glamorous escapism, in favourite holiday destinations in Europe. She is a Doctor of Philosophy and an historian, and a member of both the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Crime Writers’ Association.

 Twitter https://twitter.com/evonnewareham

 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/evonnewarehamauthor/ 

Website www.evonnewareham.com 

Blog www.evonneonwednesday.blogspot.com

ABOUT THE BOOK

Third in the ‘Riviera’ Series of romantic suspense: love and mayhem in the sunshine of the French and Italian Riviera

From chambermaid to “got it made” … When hotel cleaning temp and poetry academic Megan Morrison finds out she’s inherited an Italian villa and small fortune from her estranged great-great aunt Olwen, she doesn’t quite know how to react. That is, until she travels to Portofino to see Il Giardino delle Rose for herself. Then she knows exactly what she has to do: live there! Enchanted by the beauty of the house and gardens, fascinated by the history, and more than a little intrigued by handsome hired landscape gardener Gideon West, Megan can immediately see the villa’s potential as a dream home. But having long-lost relatives sometimes means long-lost secrets – and it seems that Olwen had plenty of those. Could these secrets and a jealous obsession be powerful enough to drive Megan out of the house that she’s already fallen in love with?

PURCHASE LINKS

 Kindle https://www.amazon.co.uk/Villa-Portofino-Evonne-Wareham-ebook/dp/B09CDPWB98/r?tag=smarturl-gb-21 

Apple https://books.apple.com/gb/book/a-villa-in-portofino/id1580723491?id=1580723491&ign-itsct=books_box_link&ign-itscg=30200 

Barnes and Noble/Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-villa-in-portofino-evonne-wareham/1139997714?ean=2940162375562 

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/a-villa-in-portofino

Google playbooks https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Evonne_Wareham_A_Villa_in_Portofino?id=JylAEAAAQBAJ&gl=GB 

Goodreads Reviews https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58773338-a-villa-in-portofino?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=1t6hnjlD7p&rank=6

Advertisement

#BookReview A WEDDING ON THE RIVIERA by EVONNE WAREHAM

ABOUT THE BOOK

A return to the Riviera on the trail of a runaway groom …

When out-of-work actor Ryan Calder attends a wedding as the plus-one of successful businesswoman, Nadine Wells, he doesn’t expect to get in a scuffle with the groom.

But Ryan has a good reason. He recognises the groom from another wedding where the same man made a quick getaway, taking the wedding money and leaving a heartbroken bride in his wake. It seems he’s struck again, and Nadine’s poor friend is the target.

Ryan and Nadine decide they can’t let it happen to another woman, so with a group of friends they hatch a plan that will take them to the French Riviera, hot on the heels of the crooked groom. But could their scheme to bring him to justice also succeed in bringing them closer together?

PUBLISHED BY CHOC LIT

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08FJCQQRS/

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-wedding-on-the-riviera/id1527067169?itsct=books_toolbox&itscg=30200&at=11lNBs 

Kobo Books: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/a-wedding-on-the-riviera

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-wedding-on-the-riviera-evonne-wareham/1137460211?ean=2940162842545 

Google Play:  https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Evonne_Wareham_A_Wedding_on_the_Riviera?id=X5j6DwAAQBAJ

Website: https://www.choc-lit.com/dd-product/a-wedding-on-the-riviera/

MY REVIEW

A story that is a brilliant escape from the reality of life!! It has excitement and mystery galore in a beautiful setting and I loved reconnecting with characters from the first in the series, although this can easily be read as a standalone.

Ryan is used to being the plus one at weddings in the line of work that he does! And the more times he spends with Nadine, the harder he finds it to feel a real connection with her and that is really put to the test when they all pull together to try and thwart a serial runaway groom from scamming his next bridal victim. When Nadine puts herself forward as the ‘guineapig’ fake bride, can Ryan bear to see her with someone else as she tries to lure ‘Hemingway’ into another wedding.

Nadine seems to quite enjoy the subterfuge in this one, although in dealing with a man who has pulled this stunt a number of times, she always needs to be on her toes so she doesn’t mess up the plan and I loved how quickly she had to think on her feet sometimes to try and stay one step ahead of the sneaky scoundrel!!

Another brilliant and absorbing story from Evonne full of romance and drama galore!! Highly recommended!

★★★★★

#GuestPost A WEDDING ON THE RIVIERA by EVONNE WAREHAM #PublicationDay @ChocLituk @evonnewareham

Hello!! Happy Tuesday! And Happy Publication Day to Evonne Wareham for the fabulous  A WEDDING ON THE RIVIERA! She’s sharing a post here today to share a little more info about the book and hopefully get you to grab your copy straight away!!
Over to you Evonne………

Release Day Post: A Wedding on the Riviera by Evonne Wareham

A Wedding on the Riviera is my fifth book for Choc Lit and the second in what I hope will be a Riviera series. It can be read as a stand-alone, with a new central couple, but if you have read Summer in San Remo you have the chance to catch up with a few of the characters from that book, and see how their lives have moved on. It’s a romantic suspense, so you get some mayhem mixed in with the romance. I have to say that in this one not all the mayhem comes from the villains. The action centres around a group of friends taking on a con man, and to do that they set up a sting. Of course things are never quite that straightforward, and two of the group are on the verge of falling for each other, so it all gets quite exciting – or at least I hope it does!

It opens with a wedding in Bath, and a runaway groom who absconds with a large amount of money. He gets found out because my hero, Ryan, recognises him. Ryan is a professional escort, who is attending the event with Nadine, who is his favourite client. That professional relationship is the first stumbling block to any romance between them, but both of them are beginning to wonder if there may be a chance of something more. When the group sets out to try to trap the thief, they are thrown together. You can see where this is going, can’t you?

The sting operation gave me the opportunity to plan the most glitzy wedding in the South of France, which is the lure to draw the con man. I created a beautiful Art Deco villa outside Nice, with fabulous grounds and its own chapel, and had immense fun researching all the things I could include to make it the wedding of the century, and a few embellishments of my own on top. I have a weakness for glamorous settings and sunshine, and this book gave me the chance to channel those 1950’s films – blue sky, blue sea, fast sports cars on the coast road, motor boats …

I hope A Wedding on the Riviera will conjure up the spirit of a fabulous holiday in a gorgeous part of the world, but as it is a romantic suspense, it also has its dark side, as Nadine and Ryan realise that the con trick may be part of something a lot more sinister …

For various reasons I haven’t been able to travel abroad for a while, so the first draft of the book was written from memories of holidays in the past. I had a trip to the Riviera booked in May, when I was going to soak up atmosphere, collect quirky little details, take photographs… Well, we all know what happened to that. I’ve had to rely on memory and my trusty guide books, and the Internet, which is brilliant for images and even virtual tours. I was able to wander round the Cours Saleya market in Nice and around the Marais district in Paris, without leaving home. The scene in Paris didn’t make it into the final version of the book, but it’s still lurking there. I would love to write a Paris book. One for the ‘to do’ list. The one I’m working on next is set in equally glamorous Portofino. Riviera number three.

💙💙💙

About the book:

A return to the Riviera on the trail of a runaway groom … When out-of-work actor Ryan Calder attends a wedding as the plus-one of successful businesswoman, Nadine Wells, he doesn’t expect to get in a scuffle with the groom. But Ryan has a good reason. He recognises the groom from another wedding where the same man made a quick getaway, taking the wedding money and leaving a heartbroken bride in his wake. It seems he’s struck again, and Nadine’s poor friend is the target. Ryan and Nadine decide they can’t let it happen to another woman, so with a group of friends they hatch a plan that will take them to the French Riviera, hot on the heels of the crooked groom. But could their scheme to bring him to justice also succeed in bringing them closer together?

Buying links:

Amazon

Kobo

Apple Books

About the Author:

Evonne Wareham was born in South Wales and spent her childhood there. After university she migrated to London, where she worked in local government, scribbled novels in her spare time and went to the theatre a lot. Now she’s back in Wales, living by the sea, writing and studying a PHD in history. She still loves the theatre, likes staying in hotels and enjoys the company of other authors through her membership of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Evonne’s debut novel, Never Coming Home won the 2012 Joan Hessayon New Writers’ Award, the 2013 Colorado Romance Writers’ Award for Romantic Suspense, the Oklahoma National Readers’ Choice Award for Romantic Suspense plus was a nominee for a Reviewers’ Choice Award from RT Book Reviews. 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/evonnewareham

What Happens at Christmas by Evonne Wareham #happypublicationday #bookreview

Another fabulous festive read for you to enjoy – and out today!!!

THE BLURB

Best-selling author Andrew Vitruvius knows that any publicity is good publicity. His agent tells him that often, so it must be true. In the run-up to Christmas, she excels herself – talking him into the craziest scheme yet: getting himself kidnapped, live on TV.
But when the plan goes ahead and Drew is unceremoniously thrown in the back of a van before being dragged to a hut in middle of the Brecon Beacons, it all starts to feel a little bit too real.
Meanwhile, not far away, Lori France and her four-year-old niece Misty are settling in to spend the holidays away after unexpected events leave them without a place to stay. Little do they know they’re about to make a shocking discovery and experience a Christmas they’re not likely to forget …

OUT NOW!!

Amazon UK

Apple IBooks

Kobo

Google Books

Choc Lit Website

MY REVIEW

In these mad celebrity driven times that we live in where all publicity is seen as good publicity, when the author Drew is told he will be kidnapped in order to raise his profile, he sees it as a little odd but goes along with it in the name of promotion! But when he ends up in a shed in the middle of nowhere, beaten and bound he begins to think all is not as it seems!!

Meanwhile, Lori has the builders in and needs to escape the madness that her home has become! And she ends up with her 4 year old niece dumped on her for Christmas by her uncaring sister Lark, who is the most selfish excuse for a mother that I’ve ever known! Lori ends up taking Misty away with her for Christmas where she promises to spoil her rotten and they end up staying in an idyllic barn in the Welsh countryside! When they stumble across noises coming from a shed and find Drew in trouble, it seems their Christmas plans are about to change!

I loved the madness of this set up! And with such wonderfully written characters, you instantly feel attached to them and hope for their ‘happy ever after’ stories, especially little Misty who is seen as an accessory by her mother, and you are just glad that Auntie Lori is there to take good care of her! As the weather changes for the worst, it forces them to spend more time together and there is quickly a spark between them that is really touching. When they go their separate ways, you just wish they’d find a way back to each other as they just seem perfect for one another.

A fabulous festive read from start to finish!!

HAPPY READING!!

#coverrevealtuesday What Happens at Christmas by Evonne Wareham

Hello all!! I hope you’re ready for a little bit of Christmas today as I’m delighted to be able to share a rather gorgeous Christmas cover with you all from those lovely people at Choc Lit .  So get your tinsel and baubles out (oo-er sounds a bit rude!!) and take a peek at this fantastic festive treat……..

 

🎄🎅

Kidnapped for Christmas? 

  

Best-selling author Andrew Vitruvius is getting sick of the schemes his agent comes up with in the name of publicity. In the run-up to Christmas, she excels herself by suggesting the craziest one yet: that they stage his kidnapping live on TV. 

 

But when the plan goes ahead and Drew is unceremoniously thrown in the back of a van before being dragged to a hut in middle of the Brecon Beacons, it all starts to feel a little bit too real. 

 

Meanwhile, not far away, Lori France and her four-year-old niece Misty are settling in to spend the holidays away after unexpected events leave them without a place to stay. Little do they know they’re about to make a shocking discovery and experience a Christmas they’re not likely to forget … 

 

What Happens at Christmas is published by Choc Lit and will be released on Tuesday 5th December.

Amazon UK  – Pre-order 99p

Kobo  – Pre-order 99p

 

Put that date in your diaries NOW!!!!  

Summer in San Remo by Evonne Wareham – cover reveal and review!

Happy Tuesday to you all! It is with great delight that I get to share yet another fabulous new release from the wonderful Choc Lit publishers – OUT TODAY!!!  And here is how it looks!!

THE BLURB

For fans of Sarah Morgan, Jennifer Crusie and Jenny Colgan. A fabulous read perfect for the summer!

Anything could happen when you spend summer in San Remo …
Running her busy concierge service usually keeps Cassie Travers fully occupied. But when a new client offers her the strangest commission she’s ever handled she suddenly finds herself on the cusp of an Italian adventure, with a man she thought she would never see again.
Jake McQuire has returned from the States to his family-run detective agency. When old flame Cassie appears in need of help with her mysterious client, who better than Jake to step in?
Events take the pair across Europe to a luxurious villa on the Italian Riviera. There, Cassie finds that the mystery she pursues pales into insignificance, when compared to another discovery made along the way …

Amazon UK  99p!!

Kobo  99p!!

Amazon US

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Evonne was born and brought up in Wales. After living in London for many years she has now returned to the Welsh coast where she studies history, writes and walks by the sea, when it’s not raining.

http://www.evonnewareham.com/

 

 

 

 

MY REVIEW

With the gorgeous cover promising a story set in spectacular scenery you are not disappointed when you step inside the world of Cassie Travers!  And what you get is the perfect romantic, summer read!!

Cassie lives in Bath and her life is busy, busy, busy! Her job as a concierge sees her facing requests for all kinds of help! But to find a husband by tomorrow?!  She’s not had that kind of plea before!!  And with things being tough financially, she needs to find a way to get this contract and complete the deal.  

She is keen to not mix business with pleasure after a very traumatic time with an ex who ended up ripping her off, so when an old school friend, Jake, ends up being her only option she has to take the plunge and forget how their lives took different paths and get reacquainted for work!  Jake has his own problems going on in his life, and he never really understood how he and Cassie never lived happily ever after as they were expected to way back when!  The more time they spend together for this assignment it soon becomes clear that they still  have feelings for each other and I found their relationship to be so warm and endearing – very flirty and fun too!

They then find themselves on the trail of solving 2 mysteries in San Remo – and who can blame them!! 

This was one of those stories that was just so easy to read and enjoy! The characters were so likeable and delightful and the settings added to the fabulous escapism that this book provided!

So if you are looking for the perfect beach/garden/sofa read for this summer, then look no further!!