Blog Tour: 'Stable Mates' by Zara Stoneley (including giveaway!)

Scandalous Stable Mates by best-selling author Zara Stoneley is cantering its way through the bloggersphere. Get ready for lust, love and outrageous goings-on as we bring you romping reviews, exciting excerpts, galloping guest posts and a tip-top giveaway!

Secrets and scandals, love and lust – when the ‘Cheshire Set’ are up against the ‘Footballer’s Wives’ the only common ground is carnal… 
 Flirting and fun seem the perfect antidote for Lottie's battered heart, and where better to find them than back in tranquil Tippermere, home of sexy eventer Rory Steel, the smiling Irish eyes of hunky farrier Mick O'Neal, and mysterious newcomer, model Tom Strachan? 
 But when landowner Marcus James drops dead unexpectedly, and the threat of his waggish wife Amanda selling the heart of the village out from under them looms large, things look like they're about to heat up in and out of the saddle. 
With tensions running high, and the champagne flowing as freely as the adrenalin, is it any wonder that love catches more than one of them unawares? 
  Click Here To Buy This Book - UK    Click Here To Buy This Book - US  

I Blame James

Guest Post by Zara Stoneley

When I was younger my mother wanted me to be like James Herriot. Well, I wanted to be like James, a vet. Not, obviously the type who permanently had one arm in the nether regions of a mooing cow, and two feet in very muddy wellingtons. No, more the type that spent a lot of time cuddling puppies and kissing kittens. But my mother had other ideas. She wanted me to write like James Herriot. As in a best-selling very funny and popular book about animals, that is turned into a TV series or a film (I can now see where she was coming from).

I did it my way, I did write a book but it was more James Bond than James Herriot (animals and 007 were my twin obsessions). I sent it to Michael Joseph publishers (because they published my favourite books) and got on with nagging my parents to let me have a puppy, and pay for horse riding lessons.

Time passed, I grew up, and became an IT consultant wearing designer suits instead of wellies, and applying my fingers to a keyboard rather than anything four legged and furry.

And then, one day I decided a sudden career change was in order. I set up a dog grooming business, and bought a horse (no, there isn’t any logic). The dogs were funny (did I tell you about the collie that liked to climb trees?), me and the horse were funnier (ever been towed through a picnicking family by a fat cob?). So I’d come full circle, almost. And I decided to apply those fingers to a different keyboard. And write Stable Mates.

I blame James, and I blame my mother (who definitely knew best) – which is why I dedicated the book to her. Now, anybody fancy turning it into a TV series?

   
Author Bio:   Bestselling author Zara Stoneley lives in deepest Cheshire surrounded by horses, dogs, cats and amazing countryside. When she's not visiting wine bars, artisan markets or admiring the scenery in her sexy high heels or green wellies, she can be found in flip flops on the beach in Barcelona, or more likely sampling the tapas! Zara writes hot romance and bonkbusters. Her latest novel, 'Stable Mates', is a fun romp through the Cheshire countryside and combines some of her greatest loves - horses, dogs, hot men and strong women (and not forgetting champagne and fast cars)! She writes for Harper Collins and Accent Press.

Follow Zara

Twitter |Facebook | Goodreads | Website

 

Enter via the Rafflecopter below to win a £20 Amazon voucher and signed paperback of Stable Mates:

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Giveaway UK only. Paperback copy of Stable Mates will be sent upon its 20th November 2014 release. CandleLit Author Services and Zara Stoneley reserve the right to cancel and/or amend the giveaway at anytime, without prior notification.

Review: 'Confessions of a Paris Potty Trainer' by Vicki Lesage (2014)

Diapers, tantrums, and French bureaucracy - the crazy life of an American Mom in Paris.  Party Girl is back, this time as the sassy mommy of two kids trying to navigate the beautiful, yet infuriating, city of Paris. 
How does she steer a stroller around piles of dog poop? How does she find time for French administration between breastfeeding and business meetings? And can she ever lose the baby weight with croissants staring her in the face from every street corner? 
Answers to these pressing questions - and many more - are in this hilarious sequel. Laugh, cry, and wipe up drool right alongside Vicki as she and her ever-patient French husband raise two children in the City of Light.
In May this year I got the chance to read and review Vicki Lesage’s debut novel ‘Confessions of a Paris Party Girl’ (click here to read my review and an interview with Vicki Lesage!). The book is a collection of Vicki Lesage’s stories of her time living in Paris, which started out as blog posts. I’m not a big fan of memoirs, but I ended up really enjoying reading about Vicki’s experiences in France. So, I was really excited when Vicki contacted me a few months ago about possibly reviewing the sequel to her first book, ‘Confessions of a Paris Potty Trainer.’ I looked forward to reading more about Vicki’s experiences in the famous city of love, especially since this time we are introduced to a new main character, her first baby!
Vicki is still living her life in the wonderful city of Paris; trying to find her way as an American in the land of the French. After having found the love of her life and discovering she is pregnant with her first child, big changes are around the corner and Vicki’s life is about to become completely different from what she’s used to. The hunt for a new and bigger apartment in the French capital is forming quite a challenge, and Vicki has to do it all without the support of a glass of wine. As soon as the baby is born, Vicki’s life is completely taken over by him and as a reader we are invited to join Vicki and her husband on their Parisian adventures with a newborn...
I really enjoyed the chance of going back to the city of Paris and once again joining Vicki on her everyday adventures as an American in France. The great thing about this memoir is that Vicki Lesage managed to make the reading experience feel like you are chatting to a friend and laughing at her life stories. She has a great and fun outlook on life and with these collections of stories she has found  a great way to share her experiences with the world. The book isn’t complicated or boring; it’s filled with funny anecdotes, is fast-paced and basically just really entertaining. 
Personally, I would definitely recommend reading ‘Confessions of a Paris Party Girl’ before picking up this one, because I think you will enjoy it more if you know the characters and the history. In this sequel, there’s one new main character and that’s Leonardo, Vicki’s newborn son, and it was great fun to see what kind of situations Vicki and her husband found themselves in. I’m sure many parents will be able to relate to Vicki’s experiences, but if you’re not thinking about children just yet the stories are definitely entertaining as well. Overall, ‘Confessions of a Paris Potty Trainer’ is another thoroughly enjoyable book that is light-hearted, easy to read and filled with funny, entertaining stories. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a third part of the series! Rating:

8/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top New Series I Want to Start

'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 New Series I Want to Start
Over the years there have been so many amazing book series. 'Harry Potter', 'Twilight', 'The Hunger Games'... I love book series and for this week's Top Ten Tuesday I did some research which only made me add even more books to my wishlist. There are some amazing series I really want to start reading soon, and I'm always up to hear about exciting new releases. So, if you have any recommendations, don't hesitate to leave a comment!

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1. 'The Mortal Instruments' series - Cassandra Clare

So many people are really enthusiastic about this book series. I loved 'Twilight' and 'The Hunger Games', so I have a feeling I will enjoy this series as well!

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2. 'Divergent' series - Veronica Roth

I've heard many people talk about the film adaptation of Veronica Roth's 'Divergent' and I have to say it has made me quite curious. I prefer to read the books before seeing the film version, though, so I definitely have to pick this series up sometime soon.

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3. 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' series - Rick Riordan

Another series that caught my attention mainly through the films that have been based on these books. I really like the sound of this particular series and definitely want to give it a chance sometime.

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4. 'The Selection' series - Kiera Cass

I fell in love with the pretty dresses on the covers of Kiera Cass' novels, but now I'm also quite curious to check out the series itself. Apparently you either hate it or love it and I'd like to see in which camp I will fit in!

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5. 'Caster Chronicles' series - Kami Garcia

I saw the film 'Beautiful Creatures' last year and really enjoyed it. My sister really liked this series and the books have been lying on one of my book shelves for quite some time now... Really have to start reading them!

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6. 'Austen Addicts' series - Victoria Connelly

I don't quite understand myself how come I haven't read all of the parts of Victoria Connelly's 'Austen Addicts' series. I'm a huge Jane Austen fan, I love Victoria's writing, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of the series. These books are definitely at the top of my TBR-list.

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7. 'Beautiful' series - Jamie McGuire

To be completely honest, I don't even know what this particular series is about exactly. However, I've heard SO many positive things about it, I know I have to give it a chance.

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8. 'The Wicked Years' series - Gregory Maguire

I'm a book fan of 'The Wizard of Oz' and this series is, of course, based on that particular story collection. I'm quite fascinated by Gregory Maguire's series and definitely want to sit down with these books someday.

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9. 'Pretty Little Liars' series - Sara Shepard

Love the TV show, so have to give the books a shot as well!

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10. 'Vampire Academy' series - Richelle Mead

I'm not 100% convinced yet that this series is really for me, but I have to admit it definitely sparked my interest and I'm quite curious to give the first book a go sometime!