Archive for March, 2011

Bella Greenwood is just a normal girl returning from her travels when she is hauled along with her best friend Charlotte to a rather well-to-do party. She manages to get herself into a somewhat embarrassing situation, but is rescued by a tall, dark and handsome stranger. All is fine, until Bella realises that her knight in shining armour is none other than Prince Richard, son of the King and Queen and heir to the throne of Britain. Bella is mortified but can’t stop her feelings towards him. Soon the pair are madly in love, and Bella begins to think a Royal Wedding might be on the cards. But is she right in thinking that a Prince can fall in love with her, and do fairytales romances ever have a happy ending?

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There are some brilliant new books out in April. You have Jodi Picoult with her latest book Sing You Home, Chick Lit regulars Jenny Colgan, Jane Costello and Louise Bagshawe with new novels along with Victoria Connelly’s second Jane Austen-themed novel and Hollywood Sinners from debut author Victoria Fox!

Jodi Picoult – Sing You Home – 12th April 2011

Zoe Baxter has spent ten years trying to get pregnant, and just when she’s about to get her heart’s desire, tragedy destroys her world. In the aftermath of loss and divorce, she throws herself into her career as a music therapist. Working with Vanessa, she finds their relationship moving from business, to friendship, and then - to Zoe’s surprise - blossoming into love. When Zoe allows herself to start thinking of children again, she remembers that there are still frozen embryos that she and her husband never used. But Max, having sought peace at the bottom of a bottle, has found redemption in an evangelical church, and Zoe needs his permission to take his unborn child . . . SING YOU HOME is accompanied by a soundtrack of original songs created for the novel by Jodi Picoult and Ellen Wilber.

Jenny Colgan – Meet Me At The Cupcake Cafe – 14th April 2011

Ever dreamed of starting over? Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that - Issy can create stunning, mouth-wateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe’s bakery she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. So when she’s made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment and open up her own cafe. It should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong. As her friends point out, she has trouble remembering where she left her house keys, let alone trying to run her own business. But Issy is determined. Armed with recipes posted to her from Grampa, and with her local bank manager fighting her corner, Issy attempts to prove everyone wrong. Following your dreams is never easy and this is no exception. Can Issy do it?

Francine Pascal – Sweet Valley Confidential – 14th April 2011

It’s been ten years since the Wakefield twins graduated from Sweet Valley High, and a lot has happened. For a start, Elizabeth and Jessica have had a falling out of epic proportions, after Jessica committed the ultimate betrayal, and this time it looks like Elizabeth will never be able to forgive her. Suddenly Sweet Valley isn’t big enough for the two of them, so Elizabeth has fled to New York to immerse herself in her lifelong dream of becoming a serious reporter, leaving a guilt-stricken Jessica contemplating the unthinkable: life without her sister. Despite the distance between them, the sisters are never far from each other’s thoughts. Jessica longs for forgiveness, but Elizabeth can’t forget her twin’s duplicity. Uncharacteristically, she decides the only way to heal her broken heart is to get revenge. Always the ‘good’ twin, the one getting her headstrong sister out of trouble, Elizabeth is now about to turn the tables…

Jackie Collins – Goddess of Vengeance – 14th April 2011

Lucky Santangelo is back with a vengeance - in a novel full of power, passion, revenge, and the raging family dynamics of the Santangelo clan - and, as always, Lucky comes out on top! In Goddess of Vengeance Lucky Santangelo rules with her high profile casino and hotel complex - The Keys in Vegas.

Lennie, her ex-movie star husband is still writing and directing successful independent movies, while Max, her wild and gorgeous teenage daughter is about to celebrate her 18th birthday, and her son, Bobby, owns a string of hot clubs. Lucky has everything. Family. Love. Life.

And everything is exactly what billionaire businessman Armand Jordan is determined to take from her one way or the other.

Jane Costello – Girl on the Run – 14th April 2011

He’s a real catch …if only she could catch him up Abby Rogers has been on health kicks before - they involve eating one blueberry muffin for breakfast instead of two. But since starting her own business, after watching one too many episodes of The Apprentice, the 28-year-old’s waistline has taken even more of a back seat than her long-neglected love life. When Abby is encouraged to join her sporty best friend’s running club - by none other than its gorgeous new captain - she finds a mysterious compulsion to exercise. Sadly, her first session doesn’t go to plan. Between the obscenely unflattering pink leggings, and the fact that her lungs feel as though they’ve been set on fire, she vows never to return. Then her colleague Heidi turns up at work and makes a devastating announcement, one that will change her life - and Abby’s - forever.

Fanny Blake – What Women Want – 14th April 2011

Friends for life. Then he came along… Bea, Kate and Ellen have always known that they can depend on each other, no matter what. But as each reaches a new phase in their life, their bond is put to the test. Recently-divorced Bea’s job is in jeopardy as she grapples with a new boss and her power-hungry younger colleagues. At home she has to deal with a stroppy teenage son and the gaping hole left by her ex-husband. Feisty, impulsive and never one to give up, she throws herself back onto the dating scene. Her friends will hold her steady. Stressed-out Kate contends with an empty nest now that her children have left home, a frantic pace at work as a GP and the growing realisation that her marriage has definitely lost its shine. Reliable, hard-working, how can she find the energy to keep going? At least her friends will lift her spirits. Then Ellen, who has devoted herself to her two children and her small art gallery for the last ten years since her beloved husband died, falls head over heels in love with Oliver. When Oliver forces Ellen to re-evaluate everything about herself and her future, so Bea and Kate are driven further away from their friend and from each other as they react differently to this unfamiliar stranger in their midst. A novel about love and life and the issues that face women today as they try to decide what they want – and come to realise what they really need…

Victoria Fox – Hollywood Sinners – 15th April 2011

POWER Marriage to Hollywood heartthrob Cole Steel secured Lana Falcon a glittering place on the red carpet. But running from a wicked past she has trapped herself in a gilded cage the price of freedom…her soul? REVENGE Kate diLaurentis s career is fading as quickly as her looks… What could be worse than discovering her husband s latest mistress is Hollywood s hottest starlet? Her only option the most shocking revenge. LUST Chloe French s innocent beauty has captured a million hearts, but no one s warned her of the dangerous, dark temptation of rock star Nate - will lust destroy her? GREED Las Vegas King, Robert St Louis s fairytale wedding to Sin City s richest heiress is tabloid gold… But scandal circles like a vulture - dirty secrets are about to be exposed! BETRAYAL From the deepest desires come the deadliest deeds…and these four couples are about to pay for their sins… Sexy. Sensational… Sinfully good. If you love Jackie Collins, then you ll devour Victoria Fox!

Hazel Osmond – Who’s Afraid of Mr Wolfe? – 21st April 2011

Ellie Somerset is a great advertising copywriter going nowhere fast - a boyfriend who is always at work, a tendency to dress like a short-sighted bag lady and a Creative Director who rejects her fresh ideas - they all conspire to keep her just treading water. Even her Great Aunt Edith, a demon at filthy scrabble, has a better social life than she does. All that changes when Jack Wolfe becomes her boss. Whilst everyone else at the agency thinks he’s Heathcliff in jeans, Ellie just sees a stalking, scowling Alpha male with a nasty redundancy plan up his sleeve. As Jack makes it his mission to smarten up Ellie’s attitude and her appearance, it’s time for her to prove herself. But that means getting closer to this very sexy, very wicked man, and as she does Ellie discovers that this particular Heathcliff has an awful lot to hide.

Victoria Connelly – The Perfect Hero – 28th April 2011

The sparkling follow-up to A Weekend with Mr Darcy from Victoria Connelly – set to become the Richard Curtis of the chick-lit world! The circus has come to town… Die-hard romantic, Kay Ashton, uses her inheritance to open a B&B in the seaside town of Lyme Regis and is dumbstruck when the cast and crew of a new production of Persuasion descend, needing a place to stay. Kay can’t believe her luck – especially when she realises that heart throb actor Oli Wade Owen will be sleeping under her very own roof! Meanwhile, co-star Gemma Reilly is worried that her acting isn’t up to scratch, despite landing a plum role. She finds a sympathetic ear in shy producer, Adam Craig, who is as baffled by the film world as she is. Kay thinks the two are meant for each other and can’t resist a spot of matchmaking. Then, when Oli turns his trademark charm on Kay, it seems that she has found her real-life hero. But do heroes really exist? Featuring a cast of characters that could have stepped out of a Jane Austen novel, this is the perfect read for fans of Katie Fforde and Alexandra Potter.

Cathy Woodman – The Sweetest Thing – 28th April 2011

If only everything in life was as simple as baking a cake… Jennie Copeland thought she knew the recipe for a happy life: marriage to her university sweetheart, a nice house in the suburbs and three beautiful children. But when her husband leaves her, she is forced to find a different recipe. And she thinks she’s found just what she needs: a ramshackle house on the outskirts of the beautiful Talyton St George, a new cake-baking business, a dog, a horse, chickens… But life in the country is not quite as idyllic as she’d hoped, and Jennie can’t help wondering whether neighbouring farmer Guy Barnes was right when he told her she wouldn’t last the year. Or perhaps the problem is that she’s missing one vital ingredient to make her new life a success. Could Guy be the person to provide it?

Milly Johnson – Here Come The Girls – 28th April 2011

Shirley Valentine, eat your heart out Ven, Roz, Olive and Frankie have been friends since school. They day-dreamed of glorious futures, full of riches, romance and fabulous jobs. The world would be their oyster. Twenty-five years later, Olive cleans other people’s houses to support her lazy, out-of-work husband and his ailing mother. Roz cannot show her kind, caring husband Manus any love because her philandering ex has left her trust in shreds. And she and Frankie have fallen out big time. But Ven is determined to reunite her friends and realise the dream they had of taking a cruise before they hit forty. Before they know it, the four of them are far from home, on the high seas. But can blue skies, hot sun and sixteen days of luxury and indulgence distract from the tension and loneliness that await their return?

Louise Bagshawe – Destiny – 28th April 2011

A fabulously addictive read from a bestselling author, filled with glamour, passion and desire. Orphan Kate Fox is determined to make her mark in the world, and with her gorgeous looks, what better way to secure her future than to marry money? When she attracts the attention of media mogul Marcus Broder – sophisticated, powerful and wealthy beyond measure – it seems as though all of Kate’s dreams have come true. But marriage to Marcus isn’t everything she imagined. A closet filled with designer clothes, and nothing to do with her time but shop, lunch and be beautiful, does not bring happiness. Before long, Kate wants out of her marriage, a career of her own, and a chance at love. But Kate’s reputation as a gold-digger is sealed. Ruthlessly pursued by Marcus, who will stop at nothing to destroy her, Kate knows she has to defeat her past if she is to win the trust of the man she loves.

We haven’t had an author article in a while, so I jumped at the chance to have the lovely Chrissie Manby tell us about the inspiration behind her fabulous new novel Kate’s Wedding which is out this week! Do grab a copy if you can, it’s so much more than a chance to cash-in on the Royal Wedding (as many people perceive it to be) and is very much worth a read! Take it away, Chrissie!

One of the first questions people like to ask a writer is ‘where do you get your ideas from?’ When I started out as a novelist, I found plenty of inspiration in my flat-sharing life as a temp in London. Later, bad boyfriends provided plenty of unfortunate fiction fodder. A couple of years ago, however, life seemed to settle down. I had my writing career, my sweet little house and had finally met a man who would not make sashimi of my heart. On a personal level, that was great. On a creative level… what the hell did I write about now that my life was so wonderfully sorted and dull?

The answer came when I got engaged. At thirty-eight years old, I was thrown into a world I could never have made up: the world of the bride-to-be. A week after I got the proposal, I found myself in a bridal shop trying on wedding dresses. I was the oldest bride by at least a decade and the shop assistant didn’t pull any punches as she evaluated my saddle-bags and back-fat. As I stood on a stool in the middle of the salon and she tutted over my low-slung breasts which were spoiling the line of a frock, my only consolation was that one day I would put it all down in a book.

I started making notes about the wedding planning process. There was no shortage of weird and wonderful moments over the next few months. An afternoon at a wedding fair, where I was cornered by a Prince Charles impersonator, was particularly traumatic. And I was astonished by how expensive everything was. Bunch of roses? Ten pounds. Bunch of roses for a wedding? Try a hundred. The best day of my life was fast looking like a stressful rip-off. I had to try to find a book in all this horror to pay for the wedding cupcakes (roughly more expensive per ounce than gold).

So, I soon had a series of vignettes about my wedding hell but how would I turn them into a novel? The idea for the story that would pull everything together came on the day Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement. The run up to their wedding, together with the royal wedding of 1981 and Princess Diana’s tragic death in 1997 provided a time-frame for my heroine’s story. My own made-up bride, Kate Williamson, of course shares a great many things in common with me. I was nine years old in 1981 and the fairytale fantasy that was the royal wedding was a key feature in my development as a hopeless romantic. Likewise, Diana’s death marked a moment when I was at a particularly low ebb, having broken up with my first real love while all my friends were getting hitched. Kate Middleton and Prince William’s engagement seemed like an opportunity for national optimism, corresponding with my own increasing optimism about the years ahead.

My book, Kate’s Wedding, is, I hope, a story that will have relevance outside the run-up to April 29th 2011. I wanted to poke a bit of fun at the wedding industry but also to write about the things that really matter when it comes to love and marriage. One thing I’ve learned is that a big white dress really isn’t important at all.

Ellen Woods spends her days immersed in the escapist pages of the romantic novels she lovingly edits. But her reality is somewhat less rose-tinted. Once upon a time, Ellen had her ‘happily ever after’ moment when she married her beloved Nick, but fifteen years later her husband’s tragic death leaves her alone with their soon-to-become-a-teenager son, faced with a mountain of debt, and on the verge of losing the family home. On the brink of bankruptcy, Ellen finally succumbs to her sister’s well-meant bullying and decides to rent out some rooms. And all too soon the indomitable Allegra with her love for all things lavender, Sabine on secondment from Berlin and estranged from her two-timing husband, and unreconstructed lads’ mag aficionado Matt enter her ordered but fragile existence – each with their own messy life in tow. And Ellen finds herself forced to step out of the pages of the romantic novels she hides behind, and learn to live – and love – again. Maybe a new chapter is about to begin for them all…

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I have read and adored 2 of Fiona O’Brien’s novels so far, so when I saw her latest book cover was up on Amazon, I was really excited because this is a book I’m certainly looking forward to! I think the cover is quite nice, although her publishers clearly favour purple as nearly all of her covers have the colour in some shade! The book is out on October 13th, and is called The Love Book. Here’s the synopsis:

“In 1980, three schoolgirls visit St. Valentine’s shrine in Dublin, to write their petitions for love. By 2010, these same women have discovered that finding love was the easy part - it’s what you do with it once you’ve found it that’s tricky.

When one of the women returns home unexpectedly from California, all three are forced to examine their choices, loves, and lives, which have proved surprising, and in some ways, precarious. So much for St. Valentine - if the saint has taught them anything about love - it’s be careful what you wish for . . .

But real love is always a work in progress - and Vonnie, Abby and Diana must learn they need to open their eyes and more especially their hearts - because St. Valentine has some unfinished business with them . .”

Thanks to HarperCollins, we have a great prize to giveaway today! You can win one of 3 pairs of novels: Sue Welfare’s The Surprise Party and Victoria Connelly’s The Perfect Hero, both brand new titles! There will be 3 winners who will win a copy of both books, so this is a great prize to get your hands on! The competition is open to UK residents only, 1 entry per household and closes on Wednesday April 6th at midnight. Good luck!

Colours & Fonts:
Graphics/Pictures used:
Overall design:
Why we like/dislike it: I know the cover for Sam Baker’s fourth novel To My Best Friends might not be to everyone’s taste but personally, I absolutely love it. The design is very simplistic and I like the use of ribbons for the ‘Friends’ and for the love heart. The colours complement each other well and the tag line very much intrigues me.

Overall mark out of 10:
Would we buy this book based on its cover? Yes!

Allison Glenn tried to hide what happened that night…and failed. The consequence? Five years in prison. Now she’s free. But secrets have a way of keeping you caged…When Allison is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls’ golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult in her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces the whispered rumours every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It’s Brynn - shy, quiet Brynn - who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her. But then Allison is released, and is more determined than ever to speak with her sister. Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

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