Publication Day Review: The Mysterious Lord Millcroft by Virginia Heath

The Mysterious Lord Millcroft by Virginia Heath

Published: 23rd August 2018

Publisher: Mills & Boon Historical

Pages: 368

Available in Paperback and on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5 

Blurb

Life as a duchess…
Or something much more dangerous…?

Part of The King’s Elite. Constantly told her beauty and charm is all she has to offer, Lady Clarissa is intent on marrying a duke. And intriguing spy Sebastian Leatham will help her! Only first she’ll assist him with his new assignment—playing the part of confident aristocrat Lord Millcroft. Sebastian awakens a burning desire within Clarissa which leaves her questioning whether becoming a duchess is what she truly longs for…

Review

While recovering from a severe bullet wound at his friend Dr Joe Warriner’s house Sebastien Leatham meets Lady Clarissa, a woman who is utter perfection in Seb’s eye’s and he’s instantly shy and tongue-tied around her, but surely someone that beautiful is too good to be true?

Clarissa’s had her heart set on marrying the Duke Westbridge since they first met two years ago, she knows the Duke finds her stunning but has yet to make her his wife. Clarissa needs a husband before her big secret is uncovered.

When these two meet again they realise they can help each other. Seb can make Clarissa’s Duke jealous and force a proposal out of him and Clarissa can help Seb blend into her world while he works as a spy for the Kings Elite to uncover some smugglers.

Despite coming from completely different backgrounds these two made the perfect team and it was wonderful to read about how they slowly opened-up to each other and became their true selves and not the images they’ve being projecting to the outside world. Their vulnerabilities made the chemistry between them sizzle as they finally realised their true feelings for each other.

For me this was the perfect Regency Romance. Seb Leatham is the perfect hero with his dashing good-looks, his dangerous job and the way his confidence struggles with woman is sure to make any women’s heart flutter.  I loved the chemistry and growing romance between Seb and Clarissa which mixed with their serious talks of plotting against the smugglers was the perfect combination to keep the story flowing. The dramatic and unexpected ending gave a nice twist to end of this perfect tale whilst leaving me wanting more.

Thank you so much to the author and Rachel’s Random Resources for sending me a copy to review.

About the Author

Virginia Heath lives on the outskirts of London with her understanding husband and two, less understanding, teenagers. After spending years teaching history,she decided to follow her dream of writing for Harlequin. Now she spends her days happily writing regency romances, creating heroes that she falls in love with and heroines who inspire her. When she isn't doing that, Virginia likes to travel to far off places, shop for things that she doesn't need or read romances written by other people.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/virginiaheathauthor/

https://twitter.com/VirginiaHeath_

https://www.virginiaheathromance.com/

Purchase Link - myBook.to/KingsElite1 

Giveaway

Win 3 x E-copies of The Mysterious Lord Millcroft (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494120/?

Blog Tour Review: The Good Sister by Rachael Stewart

The Good Sister by Rachael Stewart

Published: 21st August 2018

Publisher: Deep Desire Press

Pages: 205

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

HE WASN’T HERS TO LOVE … BUT HER HEART DOESN’T CARE…

When Isla Evans agrees to switch lives with her rising star of a twin for three weeks, she has no idea the move will thrust her into the same bed as her teenage celebrity heartthrob, Bradley King. Trapped there at her sister’s request, she gives her desire free reign and finds herself falling hard and fast.

And she’s not alone. 

Bradley wants a wife to tick all the boxes, save for one: love. It’s not part of the deal, never was, never will be. But when he returns home early to find his hopeful-fiancée behaving all sorts of different, he likes it. A lot. Suddenly, he wants a real marriage, with all the trimmings, and he will stop at nothing until he gets it.

But this Hollywood HEA faces one big hurdle—she’s not who he thinks she is…

Review

The Good Sister by Rachael Stewart is a hot and steamy romance which also has some substance. Carrie has asked her twin Isla if she will swap lives with her for three weeks as being a famous Hollywood actress is taking its toll on her. Reluctantly Islas agrees and heads to L.A. all set to follow Carrie’s instructions about what she can and can’t do while she’s there. There’s just one small problem, Carrie has forgotten to mention that her latest boyfriend is Bradley King, Isla’s teen crush. So, when Isla wakes up in Carrie’s bed with Bradley naked beside her she’s not sure what she can do except carry on the pretence. As Isla continues with the charade she realises that lust isn’t the only feeling she has for Bradley. But how will he react when he finds out the truth?

This may be a short novel, but it really does make an impact. The chemistry between Isla and Brad is instant and makes for some steamy, passionate moments which leave them just a bit sweaty. I loved Isla’s innocence as she tries to do the right thing and keep her hands off her sister’s boyfriend, without much luck as Bradley is a man who makes her heart and her body sing.  

The steamy romance may be the big storyline in this book, but I also loved the back stories behind our main characters as it really added some depth to them which you don’t often see in this genre. With, The Good Sister Rachael Stewart has created a well-rounded story which flows well and was a joy to read. I can highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys an erotic contemporary romance. This may be a new to me author but I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.

Thank you to Rachael Stewart for sending me a copy to review and Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

About the Author

Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories for the readers of Harlequin Mills & Boon and Deep Desires Press, with tales varying from the heart-warmingly romantic to the wildly erotic.

Despite a degree in Business Studies and spending many years in the corporate world, the desire to become an author never waned and it's now her full-time pleasure, a dream come true.

A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and three children, and if she's not glued to her laptop, she's wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors seeking out inspiration.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.rachaelstewartauthor.com

Twitter: @rach_b52

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rachaelstewartauthor/

Purchase Links

Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Good-Sister-Rachael-Stewart-ebook/dp/B07FYDT2J9

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Sister-Rachael-Stewart-ebook/dp/B07FYDT2J9

Giveaway – Win an e-copy of The Good Sister by Rachael Stewart (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

To enter the giveaway click on the link below

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494119/?

Blog Tour Review: How to Have a Great Life by Paul McGee

How to Have a Great Life by Paul McGee

Published: 25th June 2018

Publisher: Capstone

Pages: 264

Available in Paperback

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

How to Have a Great Life starts with you–your strengths and amazing potential and how to develop those. It helps you understand how to tap into your ability to grow, while equipping you with insights, inspiration, and practical tools to deal with whatever life throws your way in order to achieve success and live a happy and fulfilled life.

You already have many of the tools you need to succeed–you just need to know which ones to use and how best to use them. With no-frills, funny, and emotionally intelligent advice, Paul McGee will make you think, make you laugh, and make you take action to live your greatest life possible.

• Tap into your ability to grow
• Find insight and practical tools to deal with whatever life throws your way
• Slow down and live a more balanced life
• Re-gain time and brain space
• Improve the quality of your relationships with others

We are living faster and more frantic lives than ever before—and there’s no time like the present to catch your breath and live your best life possible.

Review

I have been a self-help book junkie for many years, but this book is the first one I’ve read from cover to cover. The reason for that I think this is an extremely accessible book which is not weighed down by too much theory.

The book is split into 35 chapters each covering a different concept or insight from Mr McGee, these are short chapters which means you can easily read one each night like I did, or you can dip in and out and focus on whichever chapter you chose.

In each chapter Mr McGee explains his insight and backs it up with an anecdote which highlights things in the very simplest way, this made his ideas very easy to digest and emphasized his no-nonsense common-sense approach to life.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the writing style, it was written as if I was listening to one of Mr McGee’s motivational talks as I could feel his positive energy bouncing off the pages.

I feel this is a book which could benefit anyone, even if you don’t read it all, flick through and take notice of the Great Life Insights throughout the book as these are little quotes which give you something to think about. I’ve written some of my favourites into my planner to give me some focus.

So do I feel this book has made me happier and more successful? Actually yes I do feel overall more positive, more grateful and after implementing some of Mr McGee’s ideas I can see small changes happening in my business, time will tell whether or not  this book will have a lasting impact on my life, but if I keep it by my bedside I’m sure it will.

About the Author

HOW TO HAVE A GREAT LIFE (Wiley Capstone) is Paul McGee’s eleventh title. He is an expert on workplace relationships, communication, motivation and resilience. His book SUMO-Shut Up, Move On-became an instant bestseller and is still in print 13 years later. SELF CONFIDENCE: THE REMARKABLE TRUTH OF WHY A SMALL CHANGE CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE reached number one in the WHSmith’s business book chart and remained there for a further 24 weeks. He has appeared on BBC Breakfast Television, and the Chris Evans Radio 2 Breakfast Show to talk about HOW NOT TO WORRY which Chris described as ‘a gift to the world’ (July 18, 2017). He has recently been interviewed by Tim Lovejoy on HOW TO HAVE A GREAT LIFE for his podcast DEAR LOVEJOY (February 11, 2018). SUMO has also been featured in GQ Magazine. Building on his academic background in psychology and drawing on his experiences as an ME sufferer, Paul’s aim is to deliver practical, relevant messages that can make an immediate impact on people’s personal and professional lives. His clients include public sector bodies, blue-chip organisations and a Premier League football club.

Blog Tour Review: The Girl on the Doorstep by Lindsey Hutchinson

The Girl on the Doorstep by Lindsey Hutchinson

Published: 7th August 2018

Publisher: Aria

Pages: 494

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Blurb

Left an orphan, five-year-old Rosie Harris is found and raised by Maria, a Romany gypsy. Life on the road is hard, but the little girl soon feels one of the tribe with the travellers.

As she grows older, Rosie realises she has ‘second sight’ and is able to read people’s palms and see into their futures. Needing to make a living of her own, she befriends the canal folk, known as the ‘cut-rats’ traversing the Black Country waterways with their cargo, and so offers readings to anyone who can pay.

Pursued by Jake Harding, a Romany bandolier who wants her for his wife, Rosie instead finds herself falling in love with a married man. And despite growing ominous signs that her future may be cursed, Rosie can’t quite break away from the dream of a happily ever after…

Lindsey Hutchinson is a master storyteller, and her Black Country sagas are heart-breaking, uplifting and truly addictive. 

Review

Lindsey Hutchinson latest novel set in the Black Country centres around the life of Rosie Harris. Orphaned at just five Rosie spent much of her childhood growing up with gypsy Marie and living the Romany way of life. It’s here that Rosie has the gift of “second sight” and can read palms, a skill which comes in handy when Marie dies, and Rosie is left alone once more. Seeking solace with the “cut-rats”, the name given to the cannel folk at the time, Rosie settles into life afloat and its here where she finds herself falling in love with an older, married man. Rosie’s longs for her happy ever after but is met with disaster so often she begins to lose hope. The only man who’s ever shown her love is gypsy bandolier Jake Harding, a man Rosie has no intention of marrying.

Like previous novels by Ms. Hutchinson that I have read I was soon addicted to Rosie and her plight for happiness. Life on the “cut” has really been brought to life through the vivid array of characters which Rosie meets. Most of the characters were likeable, my favourite being Margy Mitchell. The cannel folk and the gypsies all had a grit and determination to make an honest living despite being viewed by most of society as outcasts and a lower social class than people of the land and the town. I loved the loyalty and spirit which flowed through these two communities, especially down by the cannel where even strangers were given a bed aboard a boat if needed.

I loved all the twists and turns which Rosie and the wider Mitchell family faced as they all looked for work and their own piece of happiness. With so many threads developed during the story I was a little disappointed with the ending as I felt the story ended abruptly in the final chapter. I was rather hoping there was going to be a sequel as I felt there was more story which could have been told, but this is a feeling I always get when I’m really enjoying a family saga.

The Girl on the Doorstep is a wonderful tale of love, loyalty and family deceptions and it’s a novel which will keep you hooked until the very end. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys family sagas with plenty of twists, turns, laughter and tears.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a copy to review and to Aria for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

About the Author

Lindsey lives in Shropshire with her husband and dog. She loves to read and has recently discovered photography. Lindsey is the daughter of million-copy bestselling author Meg Hutchinson.

Follow

Twitter: @LHutchAuthor

Facebook: @Lindsey Hutchinson

Buy links:

Amazon: mybook.to/TheGirlOnTheDoorstep

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2z5VMlf

iBooks: https://apple.co/2uJjGya

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2KIHKL4

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

Blog Tour Review: Little Pink Taxi by Marie Laval

Little Pink Taxi by Marie Laval

Published: 20th February 2018

Publisher: Choc Lit

Pages: 347

Available on Kindle

Order now from Amazon

Rating: 5/5

Blurb

Rosalie Heart is a well-known face in Irlwick – well, if you drive a bright pink taxi and your signature style is a pink anorak, you’re going to draw a bit of attention! But Rosalie’s company Love Taxis is more than just a gimmick – for many people in the remote Scottish village, it’s a lifeline.

Which is something that Marc Petersen will never understand. Marc’s ruthless approach to business doesn’t extend to pink taxi companies running at a loss. When he arrives in Irlwick to see to a new acquisition – Raventhorn, a rundown castle – it’s apparent he poses a threat to Rosalie’s entire existence; not just her business, but her childhood home too.

On the face of it Marc and Rosalie should loathe each other, but what they didn’t count on was somebody playing cupid …

Review

Little Pink Taxi may be portrayed as a romance novel, but it is so much more than that, this book is fantastic. It has something for everyone, yes there’s the romance between Rosalie and Marc, but there’s family history entwined with Gaelic culture, there’s ghostly goings on and a hit and run accident with links to the Russian mafia! It’s a book which will have you hooked from the very start with its fabulous story-telling and leave you a little sad when you’ve finished it.

Rosalie Hart is a young woman who literally has a heart of gold, she’s running her taxi business not for profit but mainly as a service to the community or Irlwick, many of whom rely on Rosalie and bright pink taxi. When she meets Marc Peterson at the airport and learns he’s bought her home Raventhorn from eccentric old Geoff and in turn inherited Rosalie’s taxi business she’s not too happy. But try as she might she just can’t help but like him, especially when he keeps coming to her rescue as things start to go wrong for Rosalie.

I loved how we were given the full back story of Marc and Rosalie’s childhoods and relationships with their parents. This really added to the story and gave the characters a real depth and realism which is sometimes missing in romance novels. Not that Little Pink Taxi can be classed as just a romance novel as I felt there was mystery woven throughout the story and towards the end it was very thriller like and a little unnerving.

I adored this book and can highly recommend it to anyone who wants a really good all-round contemporary read.

Thank you to Choc Lit and Netgalley for sending me a copy to read and Rachel’s Random Resources for organising this blog tour.

About the Author

Originally from Lyon in France, Marie now lives in Lancashire with her family. She works full-time as a modern languages teacher, and in her spare times loves writing romance and dreaming about romantic heroes. She writes both historical and contemporary romance, and her historical romance The Lion’s Embrace won the Gold Medal at the Global eBook Awards 2015 (category Historical Romance). She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors. Her native France, as well as her passion for history and research, very much influences her writing, and all her novels have what she likes to call ‘a French twist’!

Purchase Links

Kindle UK:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Pink-Taxi-Choc-Lit-ebook/dp/B078KCQ5G3/
Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Pink-Taxi-Choc-Lit-ebook/dp/B078KCQ5G3/
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/little-pink-taxi-choc-lit
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/little-pink-taxi/id1326824583

Social Media Links –

Twitter:
www.twitter.com/MarieLaval1 Blog: http://marielaval.blogspot.co.uk/