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Showing posts with label summer books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer books. Show all posts

22 June 2015

Blog Tour: 'Truly, Madly, Greekly' by Mandy Baggot (includes give-away)!

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Get your summer off to a steamy start with Mandy Baggot and her sizzling new read, Truly Madly Greekly.

We've got an all inclusive tour chock-a-block with reviews, guest posts and a giveaway, as the book scorches a trail across a variety of blogs!

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Sun, sea and a sexy stranger - a whole lot of fun just got a lot more complicated. Capable, confident and career-driven, Ellen had her dream job and a marriage proposal from boyfriend Ross. Life was good, her future set. Until it wasn’t and everything fell apart… Whisked off to the beautiful island of Corfu to plan her sister Lacey’s big, fat, Greek wedding, Ellen is hoping some time out will help clear her head and heal her heart. But letting go of her past is not going to be easy. With Lacey in full on Bridezilla mode, Ellen is soon distracted from her own problems. And when the all-inclusive treats on offer at hotel Blue Vue include one gorgeous, brooding Adonis – Yan – Ellen finds him difficult to resist. But Ellen isn’t looking for love or lust, or anything involving too much ouzo…or is she? 

Fans of Lucy Diamond, Miranda Dickinson and Lindsey Kelk will want to escape to Corfu with Mandy Baggot this summer.   

 I'm really excited to be part of the Candle Lit Author Services blog tour today for Mandy Baggot's latest Bookouture release 'Truly, Madly, Greekly'! The book focuses on main character Ellen, who is a confident and independent thirty-year-old who seemed to have things going for her. She had a great job as an accountant, a handsome boyfriend Ross who proposed to her, her own apartment... But then everything suddenly fell apart, and now Ellen finds herself on her way to the Blue Vue Hotel on the beautiful Greek island of Corfu to help her younger sister Lacey plan her wedding. Ellen hopes some time away from it all will help her leave behind the stress and other issues in her life, but this turns out to be a bit trickier than she initially expected...

Mandy Baggot's novel 'Made in Nashville' was released by Harper Impulse last year, but unfortunately I never got the chance to read it. So when I was offered the chance to read and review 'Truly, Madly, Greekly' I straight said yes, because I had only heard positive things about her writing from others. Besides, the cover and the blurb promise a great summer read and that's exactly what this book is! I really liked sisters Ellen and Lacey; they are spending a holiday in Greece together and are each other's opposites. While Ellen is quite uptight and worries a lot, Lacey is more carefree and wild. Yet, both girls have their strengths and flaws, and help each other out when the going gets tough.

I really liked the cast of characters, but the storyline was also entertaining and the setting is ideal for a summer read like this one with the Blue Vue hotel on Corfu, with its beautiful beaches and tons of sunshine. The story is told from two perspectives: Ellen's and Yan's (the handsome Bulgarian who works in the hotel). I really like it when a book includes both a male and female perspective and Mandy Baggot did a great job. I really enjoyed her writing style, which flowed well and showed the obvious chemistry between Ellen and Yan. Overall, 'Truly, Madly, Greekly' is a great beach read filled with handsome men, sunshine, laughter and a dose of romance. An entertaining and fun story, perfect to pick up and start your summer holiday with!

Rating:9/10


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Author Bio: 
 Mandy Baggot is a romantic fiction author. In 2012 she won the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance. Her self-published title, Strings Attached was also short-listed for the Best Author Published Read award. Also in 2012 she signed with American publishing house, Sapphire Star Publishing, who produced her novels, Taking Charge and romantic suspense, Security. In June 2013 she signed a two book deal with Harper Collins' digital first romance imprint, Harper Impulse. She is a regular contributor to writing blogs and on-line magazine, Loveahappyending Lifestyle In May 2014 Mandy signed with Kate Nash of the Kate Nash Literary Agency. Mandy loves mashed potato, white wine, country music, World’s Strongest Man, travel and handbags. She has appeared on ITV1’s Who Dares Sings and auditioned for The X-Factor. Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband, two daughters and cats, Kravitz and Springsteen. She is an advocate for women in business and belongs to the networking group Women on Wednesdays.  

Follow Mandy:

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WIN a £50 Amazon voucher with Truly Madly Greekly and let Mandy Baggot see where you've escaped to this summer.

To take part just upload your photo of the cover of Truly Madly Greekly (paperback or e-reader) on Twitter or Facebook adding #TrulyMadlyGreekly. Whether you've escaped to a tropical haven with the kids or even your own backyard, Mandy would love to see where you're reading about Ellen and Yan this summer!

PLUS leave a comment on this post and you could be in with a chance of winning a Kindle copy of Excess All Areas!

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Follow the Tour!

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Giveaway terms and conditions:
Competition runs from 22 May 2015 until 31 August 2015, UK based entries only. One winner will be chosen at random from all the entries. Mandy Baggot and CandleLit Author Services reserve the right to amend and/or cancel the giveaway at any time, without prior notification.

5 June 2015

Blog Tour: 'The Island Escape' by Kerry Fisher!

I am so excited to be part of the blog tour for author Kerry Fisher's latest release 'The Island Escape today! The book looks like an amazing read and I can't wait to finally sit down with it myself. I was lucky enough to do a short interview with Kerry about her newest novel, so be sure to check out her answers to my questions below!

Can you tell us something about your new novel, ‘The Island Escape’?
I set out to write about whether one woman’s marriage could survive her best friend’s divorce. I wanted to depict a ‘warts and all’ friendship – even the closest friendships can be put to the test if one person behaves in a way that the other fundamentally disagrees with. As always in my novels, I like to weave in a foreign location so I used Corsica and Sardinia as a backdrop for some of the action.

Where did you get the inspiration for your novel? Is it in any way based on your own experiences?
The setting is based on my own experiences as I lived in Corsica for a year when I was nineteen. The inspiration came from hearing so many people say, ‘I didn’t think my life would turn out like this’. When we’re twenty, I think we all have an idea of what our future will look like but the reality is often very different.

Can you tell us a bit more about the main character, Octavia?
When she was young, with her pink hair, penchant for mischief and zest for adventure, she thought she’d live an exotic life somewhere in the Mediterranean with free-spirited children. Instead she’s ended up in suburbia with a rather dull and unavailable husband, wondering how her dreams turned to drudgery. When her best friend, Roberta, gets divorced, it acts as a catalyst. She starts obsessing about ‘the one who got away’ – a wild and charismatic Corsican called Xavi. Can she resist going to search for him?

There’s a great cast of supporting characters in the novel as well. Which character did you most enjoy writing? 
I loved writing Octavia’s rather staid husband, Jonathan. It was lovely to put to good use all the little idiosyncrasies I’ve observed in pernickety people over the years – the endless shoe cleaning, the dramatic over-reaction if anything gets spilled, the obsession with kids not getting muddy in the park…

Did you do any particular research for parts of the book?
As with all my books, it doesn’t feel like formal research but I’m listening to people’s conversations all the time, the things they worry about, how they judge other people, how competitive they are…a million and one bits of research that make up every day conversation.

Can you perhaps tell us something about your future plans? Are you perhaps already working on a next novel? 
I’ve already finished my next novel – it’s about how small secrets grow more toxic as they pass down the generations, intertwined with the very contemporary challenge of parenting teenagers (no parallel with my own life, clearly!). 

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
I say this all the time but it’s so true: you will have to believe in yourself long before anyone else does. Unless you’re a genius, most people have to learn how to write. Build your confidence by taking writing courses, reading about the craft, going to workshops. Network on social media and in real life with agents and other authors. Most of my best opportunities have come from face-to-face meetings. Social media can’t replace real life encounters though it’s a great place to chat to likeminded people.

What is the last book you read that you’d like to recommend to others?
The book I really enjoyed recently in a genre (historical) I don’t normally read was Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey. It’s touching, poignant and just makes you long for everything to turn out well for the protagonists.

Which book could you not live without?
The New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors. The most ridiculous punctuation mark in the English language is the hyphen. Who could ever know when you need one and when you don’t? They’re the bane of my life. This book saves me a full day’s editing, every time!

And last but not least, if you had to describe ‘The Island Escape’ in just three words, which words would you pick? 
Feel-good, romantic and nostalgic.

Thanks so much, Kerry!

17 June 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Books on My Summer TBR List

'Top Ten Tuesday' is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. I love making lists, so this feature fits me perfectly! If you also take part in this feature or have any additions to my lists, please get in touch; I'd love to hear from you!
 
 
Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR List

I missed last week's Top Ten Tuesday, but this Tuesday I have another great top 10 of books lined up for all of you! This week's list includes the 10 summer 2014 releases I am most excited about. It was quite tricky to only pick 10 books, since lots of amazing novels are hitting the shelves in the upcoming weeks. Which ones are you looking forward to the most? I'd love to hear from you!
 


1. Holly Martin - 'One Hundred Proposals'



Oh my, this book sounds SO amazing! I've heard great things from other bloggers and this has definitely added to the excitement as well. I haven't ready any of Holly's work before, but I honestly can't wait to pick up 'One Hundred Proposals', so sure I'm going to love this!
 


2. Katy Regan - 'The Story of You'



A lovely cover and a very promising read! The blurb doesn't give too much away, but I'm already quite captivated by it and can't wait to find out more about the story inside!
 


3. Cathy Bramley - 'Ivy Lane: Summer'



Not too long ago I received a review copy of the first part of Cathy Bramley's 'Ivy Lane' series. In July, the second part of the series, 'Summer', is coming up and I can't wait to see what's going to happen next in the story!
 


4. Lindsey Kelk - 'What a Girl Wants'



I need my Lindsey Kelk fix every six months, and I'm so excited the sequel to 'About a Girl' will be hitting the shelves in July! 'What a Girl Wants' promises to be a great read and it's at the top of my holiday to-read list this year.



5. Nicola Doherty - 'Poppy Does Paris'


This summer the first part of Nicola Doherty's new five-part book series 'Girls On Tour' will be released. I read Nicola's book 'If I Could Turn Back Time' not too long ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love the idea of this series, five girls in five different cities, and I can't wait to read about Poppy's adventures in Paris!
 


6. Claire Sandy - 'What Would Mary Berry Do?'



I love 'The Great British Bake Off' and this book promises to be a great read for fans of baking and Mary Berry. I'm really excited about it and hope it won't disappoint!



7. Dani Atkins - 'The Story of Us'



Love love LOVE the cover of this book! The description also sound amazing, a perfect romantic tale for those long summer days... So looking forward to this one!




8. Colette Cadle - 'First We Take Manhattan'



I've been lucky enough to already have a review copy of this book waiting for me, but that doesn't mean I'm any less excited about its upcoming summer release. Colette Caddle is a great writer and I'm really excited to read her newest release and find out what others think of it!




9. Sinead Moriarty - 'The Secrets Sisters Keep'



I love Sinead Moriarty's novel and her upcoming release sounds like a must-read. I love the fact that the book tells the story of three sisters and I'm already looking forward to finding out more about these three different storylines.



10. Amanda Prowse - 'Will You Remember Me?'



I'm 100% sure this book is going to make me cry like crazy, but sometimes those reads can be exactly what you need. I love the gorgeous cover and am sure this book will make an impact! 

Which summer 2014 reads are you looking forward to?