#GuestPost ESCAPE TO LITTLE BLUEWATER BAY by JOANNE BODEN #PublicationDay @ChocLituk @JoBodenAuthor

We are fit to burst with celebrating new books here today!! It is an absolute pleasure to be handing over the blog today to the lovely JOANNE BODEN to help her celebrate the publication day of ESCAPE TO LITTLE BLUEWATER BAY!! That cover is just perfection! I’m packing my bags and heading there ASAP!!
Over to you Joanne…..

🦋🦋🦋

Release Day: Escape to Little Bluewater Bay by Joanne Boden

Hello Karen and thank you so much for inviting me on your blog to help celebrate the publication of Escape to Little Bluewater Bay that is out in the world today! I can’t believe I am writing that! I am so excited to share Willow and Noah’s story with everyone. I had such a good time writing this book.

When it came to choosing the setting for the story I decided to set it on the fictional island of Little Bluewater Bay. I really wanted to write a contemporary romance with an old school feel, so this meant the islanders having no access to the internet as the island has no Wi-Fi. Willow soon learns to adapt to a life without Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp. I really wanted to create a sense of community, where everyone looks out for each other and no one stares at screens while sitting in a cafe. I think I succeeded in doing so.

Escape to Little Bluewater Bay is a contemporary romance. From the very beginning I had a clear picture in my mind of who Willow was and what had happened to her in the past. Her story ran loud and clear in my mind and I quickly fleshed out her story. I then started to think about Noah. Who was he? What does he look like? How did he fit into this story? My first thought was where should he live? I decided on a shack on the beach. He’s a bit of a loner, preferring to spend days by himself, painting and crafting. He’s an artist. But then I asked myself why does he live alone? What’s his story? And I took it from there and very quickly I knew who he was and how to bring him into the story and how he and Willow would interact. I created scenes that had humour, some tender scenes and of course scenes that involved misunderstandings. By the time I’d finished the first draft I realised that Noah was my favourite character and that during the writing process I had gradually fallen in love with him. I hope that you do too.

Although this story has romance at its very core, I also wanted to introduce the dynamics of a grandmother and granddaughter relationship. Willow travels to the island to be with her grandmother, Annie, after her grandfather’s death. Although they have kept in touch via monthly phone calls, the two women haven’t had much face to face interaction in the past five years and so I wanted to explore their relationship and in doing so highlight the important role that grandmother’s play. I loved developing Annie’s character and the strong and caring relationship between the two women. I also thought it was important to write about strong women, and especially an older woman in her later years of life.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing Escape to Little Bluewater Bay. I had so much fun writing the first messy draft all the way through to the final edits. I really hope you enjoy reading Willow and Noah’s uplifting and heart-warming story.

🦋🦋🦋

About the Book:

Start the new year in Little Bluewater Bay …

New year, new Willow Jenkins? All Willow knows is that she needs an escape. So, she takes an extended break from her PR job and retreats to her grandmother’s cosy cottage by the sea in Little Bluewater Bay, where a limitless supply of hot chocolate will soothe her broken heart and a limited wi-fi connection will prevent her workaholic tendencies.

Willow is soon made to feel welcome by the friendly locals – although grumpy artist Noah Atkinson doesn’t seem to like her very much. Just what is his problem?

But then Willow is asked by her grandmother to approach Noah with a very special commission, only to discover that he hasn’t painted people for a long time – and with good reason. Will he make an exception, and in doing so usher in a hopeful and healing new era for them both?

Buying links: 

Kindle: www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Little-Bluewater-Bay-hopeful-ebook/dp/B09M4337G2

 Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/escape-to-little-bluewater-bay/id1596092706

 Kobo: www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/escape-to-little-bluewater-bay

Google Books:https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Joanne_Boden_Escape_to_Little_Bluewater_Bay?id=Ls5VEAAAQBAJ

About the Author:

Joanne lives in Lancashire with her husband and their two sons. When she is not busy writing, she likes to take her boys to the local museums, cafes and for walks in the countryside. Joanne has published 4 non-fiction works aimed at parenting children on the Autistic spectrum, based upon her experiences as a mother of an autistic son. She has also self published a contemporary romance novel, Picking up the Pieces.

Joanne writes contemporary romances with gorgeous heroes. Escape to Little Bluewater Bay is her debut novel with Choc Lit.

Social media links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoBodenAuthor 

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

🦋🦋🦋

Advertisement

#GuestPost THE FALL AND RISE OF RONNI FAIRWEATHER by GINA HOLLANDS @ChocLituk @ginaholls #PublicationDay

Delighted to be with you today to help celebrate the publication day of THE FALL AND RISE OF RONNI FAIRWEATHER by GINA HOLLANDS!!    She’s here to share some personal thoughts about her new release! You’re going to want to read this one!! Links to buy are also included so scroll down and grab your copy NOW!
Over to you Gina…..

★★★

Release Day: The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather by Gina Hollands

I am more excited about the release of my new book, The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather, than I’ve ever been about a book release (and that’s saying something!). That’s because it was so long in the making and because it’s so different from anything I’ve written before.

There is romance, yes, but it’s more than that. It’s about independence, friendship and the resourcefulness of women. The main character thinks she’s got it all –– the successful husband, the beautiful home, the rich friends, the country club lifestyle, then something happens which means she has to start over by using her brain to survive. She returns to her roots and discovers the person she could have been all along, even though that’s the last thing she thought she wanted.

The setting isn’t glamorous or luxurious –– far from it. I wanted to show that how you judge any place is based on perception alone, and that great things can happen everywhere.

The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather started out life as a short story for a writing competition. A friend, who is also a writer, offered to critique it for me. Although I didn’t win (boo!), my friend saw something in it and suggested I work it into a novel.

A few months later, the day before Christmas Eve, I had an accident in my kitchen. No drunken, debaucherous or even slightly interesting story attached to that –– I fell over my own feet and ended up with a bleeding head and a broken wrist. Worse still, two days later I was due to fly out to Norway for a skiing trip with my family. It was touch and go whether I’d be allowed to fly, but I was and I did. There were plenty of limbs in plaster at the resort, but I was the only one to arrive that way.

While my family hit the slopes, I drank endless cups of tea and got to work on the novel. It was probably for the best –– I’m a useless skier (see earlier comment about falling over own feet). It took another 18 months before the book was finished, edited and ready for the world to see.

The Fall and Rise of Ronni Fairweather is a very personal book to me, but it’s a book for everyone. I want people to read it, feel uplifted and say to themselves: if Ronni can do it, so can I.

★★★

About the Book:

When going back to your roots is the only way forward …

Raegan Kent-Walters is living the high life. Thanks to her husband’s salary, she enjoys the elite Surrey housewife existence of luxury holidays, exclusive gym memberships and skinny lattes.

But then the high life comes crashing down, and, whilst reeling from the discovery that her husband wasn’t the man she thought he was, Raegan is also confronted with the reality that she and her daughter, Sabrine, will have to make some major life changes.

So, out goes the state-of-the-art Range Rover, and in comes the beat-up old Transit van to take them away; back to Raegan’s roots in Yorkshire and the life she abandoned.

But perhaps by embracing who she used to be, Raegan can find the strength she never knew she had, building something unexpected – but truly special – to get her and Sabrine through to a brighter future.

Buying links: 

Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fall-Rise-Ronni-Fairweather-inspirational-ebook/dp/B09N9K8Z1F

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/the-fall-and-rise-of-ronni-fairweather/id1599267388

 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-fall-and-rise-of-ronni-fairweather

Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Gina_Hollands_The_Fall_and_Rise_of_Ronni_Fairweath?id=8a1VEAAAQBAJ

About the Author:

Originally from Yorkshire, Gina now lives by the sea in West Sussex with her husband and son. When she’s not working in her job in marketing and PR, or writing her latest book, Gina can be found dancing everything from lindy hop to salsa, shopping (she loves clothes far too much for her own good), eating out (she hates cooking far too much for her own good), or relaxing, which generally involves reading a book someone else has written or indulging in her new hobby of learning to play the piano. She has a sneaky suspicion she may be a musical genius in the making, but isn’t about to give up the day job just yet.

Social media links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginaholls/ 

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

Website: www.ginahollands.com

★★★

My Bookish Weekly Wrap Up – 29th January 2022

Hello! Happy Saturday!! The last one of January… that went by quick didn’t it?!  
And it’s been another fairly quiet bookish week for me! Maybe February will get me sparked up again on the reading/requesting/buying front!!  I did manage to finish 3 books this week, had some bookpost courtesy of one of my subscriptions and nothing from Netgalley again! 
Here’s my look back

BOOKS FINISHED

HARE HOUSE by SALLY HINCHCLIFFE (AUDIOBOOK) – 3 STARS

THE LEVIATHAN by ROSIE ANDREWS – 5 STARS

THE GARDEN BY THE SEA by AMANDA JAMES – 5 STARS

BOOKHAUL

Does Netgalley miss me I wonder?! Another week without visiting and adding to my shelves! Yay me!
But there was lovely post from Renard Press with their latest release – and a fab new tote bag – as part of my book subscription with them!

SAINT JOAN by GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

One of Shaw’s most unusual and enduringly popular plays. With SAINT JOAN (1923) Shaw reached the height of his fame and Joan is one of his finest creations; forceful, vital, and rebelling against the values that surround her. The play distils Shaw’s views on the subjects of politics, religion and creative evolution.

CURRENTLY READING

THE RAPTURES by JAN CARSON

HAPPY READING!!

#BlogTour THE MAN IN THE BUNKER by RORY CLEMENTS #BookReview @ZaffreBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n

Delighted to be with you today as part of the Blog Tour for the gripping THE MAN IN THE BUNKER by RORY CLEMENTS.
My thanks to the author, publisher and Tracy of Compulsive Readers for putting the tour together and letting me be part of it all!

ABOUT THE BOOK

WHAT IF HITLER HAD SURVIVED?

In the gripping new spy thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Hitler’s Secret, a Cambridge spy must find the truth behind Hitler’s death. But exactly who is the man in the bunker?

‘MASTER OF THE WARTIME SPY THRILLER’ – FINANCIAL TIMES
________________

Germany, late summer 1945 – The war is over but the country is in ruins. Millions of refugees and holocaust survivors strive to rebuild their lives in displaced persons camps. Millions of German soldiers and SS men are held captive in primitive conditions in open-air detention centres. Everywhere, civilians are desperate for food and shelter. No one admits to having voted Nazi, yet many are unrepentant.

Adolf Hitler is said to have killed himself in his Berlin bunker. But no body was found – and many people believe he is alive. Newspapers are full of stories reporting sightings and theories. Even Stalin, whose own troops captured the bunker, has told President Truman he believes the former Führer is not dead. Day by day, American and British intelligence officers subject senior members of the Nazi regime to gruelling interrogation in their quest for their truth.

Enter Tom Wilde – the Cambridge professor and spy sent in to find out the truth…

Dramatic, intelligent, and brilliantly compelling, THE MAN IN THE BUNKER is Rory’s best WWII thriller yet – perfect for readers of Robert Harris, C J Sansom and Joseph Kanon. 

PUBLISHED BY ZAFFRE BOOKS

PURCHASE LINK

AMAZON

MY REVIEW

This is Book 6 in the Tom Wilde series, and my first! So that shows how it can be read as a standalone! And now I’ve got the enjoyment of the rest of the series to catch up with as I found this to be such an intriguing and fascinating subject to have a story based around! The What If subject is one of those conspiracies that still does the rounds now, so the author has done a brilliant job within this series of using that as the backdrop for a new adventure!

This is set just after the war, so the world is waking up again and trying to move on but life is still pretty brutal in many parts of the world with unresolved anger.  Tom Wilde is trying to live a normal life again, but that is blown out of the water when 3 men show up on his doorstep wanting his help in finding out just what happened in ‘that’ bunker where no body was ever found.

So he has to travel to Germany, interrogate those close to Hitler and others at the top to find out if they know more than they are letting the world believe.   

You get a real sense from the story that many people are still on edge after what they’ve been through for the past few years, and many want revenge for what has happened to them or those they love.  Wilde has a tough job ahead of him getting through to people and trying to work out who he can trust and who is telling the truth.

There’s also a side story featuring the character of Lilly too, a woman who had a fling with a german officer and has been shunned by her own family, and it really hit home how the war had split family and friends.

As I said, this was my first book in the Wilde series and I just loved the whole feel and pace of the storytelling so I’m eager to go back and see where the rest of the series took the character!  It is a smart and dramatic piece of historical fiction.

★★★★

#BookReview WAHALA by NIKKI MAY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London.
They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English.
Not all of them choose to see it that way.

Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their thirties, they question their future. Ronke wants a husband (he must be Nigerian); Boo enjoys (correction: endures) stay-at-home motherhood; while Simi, full of fashion career dreams, rolls her eyes as her boss refers to her urban vibe yet again.

When Isobel, a lethally glamorous friend from their past arrives in town, she is determined to fix their futures for them.

Cracks in their friendship begin to appear, and it is soon obvious Isobel is not sorting but wrecking. When she is driven to a terrible act, the women are forced to reckon with a crime in their past that may just have repeated itself.

Explosive, hilarious and wildly entertaining, this razor-sharp tale of love, race and family will have you laughing, crying and gasping in horror. Fearlessly political about class, colourism and clothes, the spellbinding Wahala is for anyone who has ever cherished friendship, in all its forms.
PUBLISHED BY DOUBLEDAY

PURCHASE LINK

AMAZON

MY REVIEW

This was a sparky and utterly enjoyable story of 3 mixed race women – Ronke, Simi and Boo – and all the trials and tribulations that life and female friendships bring their way! It was fascinating to see how the issue of race affected the women throughout their lives, especially with the culture clashes and expectations of their own families because of their heritage.

The women are in their 30’s and all living in London and all dealing with their own issues – from relationships to their professional lives – and how they’re dealing with it separately and with support from their friends. An old friend, Isobel, shows up from their past too and you get a real sense of an undercurrent with her attitude and motives. It adds a nice bit of spice to the mix and points towards trouble in the past that was never resolved.

It’s a story that zips along at a great pace – all the women are interesting characters and the challenges they face are all relatable so that makes you connect with them in an easy going way! A real fun read, with a dark twist or two!!

★★★★

My Bookish Weekly Wrap Up – 15th January 2022

Hello all! Happy Saturday!! The month is flying by, and the fight to catch up with the TBR mountain keeps failing!!  We need a pause button.. just for a day or two!
And on the book front it’s been another steady week! 4 books finished and, wait for it, nothing new added!! Really!!  I think I may need help!!
Here’s my look back!

BOOKS FINISHED

SIXTEEN HORSES by GREG BUCHANAN – 4 STARS

THE LITTLE SHOP OF HIDDEN TREASURES by HOLLY HEPBURN – 5 STARS

PAX, JOURNEY HOME by SARA PENNYPACKER – 5 STARS

A MARVELLOUS LIGHT by FREYA MARSKE – 4 STARS

BOOKHAUL

Netgalley – ZERO!!

Bookpost – ZERO!!

Bookshops – ZERO!! – even with a purse full of xmas gift vouchers still to spend!!

CURRENTLY READING

BIRD COTTAGE by EVA MEIJER

HAPPY READING!!

#BookReview PAX, JOURNEY HOME by SARA PENNYPACKER

ABOUT THE BOOK

From bestselling and award-winning author Sara Pennypacker comes the long-awaited sequel to Pax; this is a gorgeously crafted, utterly compelling novel about chosen families and the healing power of love.

It’s been a year since Peter and his pet fox, Pax, have seen each other. Once inseparable, they now lead very different lives. Pax and his mate, Bristle, have welcomed a litter of kits they must protect in a dangerous world. Meanwhile Peter—newly orphaned after the war, wracked with guilt and loneliness—leaves his adopted home with Vola to join the Water Warriors, a group of people determined to heal the land from the scars of the war.

When one of Pax’s kits falls desperately ill, he turns to the one human he knows he can trust. And no matter how hard Peter tries to harden his broken heart, love keeps finding a way in. Now both boy and fox find themselves on journeys toward home, healing—and each other, once again.

PUBLISHED BY BALZER & BRAY

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

Having adored the first Pax book, I was utterly delighted to find out there was a sequel and it has not disappointed! The story of Pax the fox, and Peter continues as they’ve gone their own way but that bond between them still plays a big part in both their lives.

The story is picked up a while after book one, and life is very different for both of them. Peter is unsure of his place in the world, so joins a group that is centred on cleaning up the local river to help bring it back to use for the local wildlife – finding that purpose in life allows him to confront some other issues in his life that are plaguing his thoughts.

And Pax has a family of his own now so he’s learning all about responsibility and showing that caring side. His female kit proves to be a little feisty and independent and they set off on a little adventure together which proves to be a little too testing.

Watching their paths cross again filled my heart with joy, and seeing Peter and Pax reconnecting was so touching especially seeing how much both had grown and after the heart breaking times they’d gone through in their first book. This is a story that is full of friendship, grief, trust and hope and I just found it to be another endearing and captivating story.

★★★★★

#BookReview SIXTEEN HORSES by GREG BUCHANAN #Audiobook

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sixteen horses dead. Each buried with a single eye facing the sun . . .

In the dying English seaside town of Ilmarsh, the heads of sixteen horses are found buried in circles, with only their eyes exposed to the light of the low winter sun. The local police call upon forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen to assist with this uniquely disturbing case.

In the weeks that follow, investigators uncover evidence of a chain of crimes in this community: disappearances, arson, and mutilations, all culminating in the reveal of something deadly lurking in the ground itself. And as the town panics, not everything in Ilmarsh is as it seems. . . Dark days follow, then Cooper finds herself working with local police detective Alec Nichols to uncover a frightening mystery.

A literary thriller from a stunning new talent, Sixteen Horses is about enduring guilt, trauma and punishment, set in a small seaside community the rest of the world has left behind.

PUBLISHED BY MANTLE

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

I listened to the audio version of this book.

This is one of those books that is going to be very difficult to review! It’s a story that has a little bit of everything, and a lot of darkness ! And for a debut, it’s pretty astonishing! I did find myself more invested in the first half of the book which I lapped up at speed, but then either the story lost its’ way or my brain just couldn’t cope anymore with the changing timelines and narratives, and it disappointingly, for me, just fell away and I lost track. Maybe it’s one of those I need to go back to and read again for it all to fall in to place properly!

At the heart of the story is the mysterious discovery of 16 horse heads buried and Cooper and Alec are brought in to investigate the significance, if any, and they stumble across some very dark goings on in the past that are still haunting the locals and leads to more questions than answers. These characters are intriguing in themselves as they appear very insular and guarded so watching them slowly reveal little parts of their past is fascinating. And the whole bleakness of the community also adds to the atmosphere and it just feels like everyone has been walking around in a nightmare for many years.

This is a uniquely original kind of story and, despite the bleakness, it absorbs you as a reader as you try and unravel the mysteries and significance of the crimes as they unfold.

★★★★

#BookReview THE LITTLE SHOP OF HIDDEN TREASURES by HOLLY HEPBURN @TeamBATC

ABOUT THE BOOK

**The brand new novel from Holly Hepburn, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley and Katie Fforde.**
Originally published in four parts this is the full story in one package. 

When Hope loses her husband, she fears her happiest days are behind her. With her only connection to London broken, she moves home to York to be near her family and to begin to build a new life.  

Taking a job at the antique shop she has always admired, she finds herself crossing paths with two very different men. Will, who has recently become the guardian to his niece after the tragic death of her parents. And Ciaran, who she enlists to help solve the mystery of an Egyptian antique. Two men who represent two different happy endings.

But can she trust herself to choose the right man? And will that bring her everything she really needs?

The brand new novel from Holly Hepburn, author of Coming Home to Brightwater Bay. 

PUBLISHED BY SIMON & SCHUSTER

PURCHASE LINK

AMAZON

MY REVIEW

This was a wonderfully heartwarming story following Hope who is on a journey to find some happiness again, after recently losing her husband. She moves to York to be nearer family, and finds herself drawn to a little treasure trove of a shop that she was always drawn to as a child, who are advertising for a part time role! It’s almost like her destiny to be at that shop! And what a shop it is! Full of hidden treasures, and wonderful objects that always have the customers, and staff!, intrigued and ready to buy!

she’s a perfect fit for the shop as she has a great imagination which helps put a story behind each item and when Will and young Brodie enter the shop, they are smitten with all the items, especially an old puzzle box, which young Brodie helps to open – and that leads to an Egyptian mystery to be solved!

This is a story full of wonderful characters overcoming various challenges in their lives, and the need to find out more about the past revealed in the puzzle box allows them to detach a little from reality and escape into a different time and place. Just as I did as a reader as I could picture myself in the little shop and on the streets of York.

Just one of those books that you find yourself savouring every page of! Loved it!

★★★★★

My Bookish Weekly Wrap Up – 8th January 2022

Hello! Happy Saturday! We go again!!  Christmas already feels like a distant memory, and the quest to find new hidey holes for the book collection continues without success!!  Looks like the piled book look on floors and furniture will have to continue a while longer!!

And on to books! It’s been a pretty decent start to the year with 5 books finished and an even better start on the book haul front with ZERO newbies in! No Netgalley visits, no shopping trips!  One week in – how long can this continue?! Place your bets…..😂

Here’s my look back!

BOOKS FINISHED

WAHALA by NIKKI MAY  – 4 STARS

THE MAN IN THE BUNKER by RORY CLEMENTS – 4 STARS

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES by L.M.MONTGOMERY (AUDIOBOOK) – 5 STARS

THE FAIRY TELLERS by NICHOLAS JUBBER – 5 STARS

THE LAST LIBRARY by FREYA SAMPSON (audiobook) – 3 STARS

BOOKHAUL

ZERO! Yay me!!

CURRENTLY READING

PAX, JOURNEY HOME by SARA PENNYPACKER

HAPPY READING!!