The Wildest Hunt – Jo Zebedee

I have the honour of kicking of the blog tour for the dark fantasy novel, The Wildest Hunt by Jo Zebedee. Many thanks to Jo for providing me with a copy of the book, and to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to be a part of the tour.

BLURB:

A long-dead child.

An artist who paints the fae.

An ancient estate on blood-filled land.

The commission was close to Amelia’s dream: a cosy cottage in Donegal over Christmas and the chance to paint the beautiful Glenveagh estate. But when the weather closes in and the country shuts down, a ritual begins – one that traps Amelia in its circles of magic.

Stranded in a place where iron is power, her heart can no longer be trusted and the land itself is a weapon, Amelia’s survival depends on unravelling the truth of a decades-old death.

Even if it draws the same ancient danger to herself.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

REVIEW:

Anyone who knows me knows that I find it hard to resist a book about the fae, and if there is even a sniff of the Wild Hunt, then I am totally sold. Add in the tempting combination of Christmas, snow and a trip to Ireland, and The Wildest Hunt was always going to be headed straight for the top of my TBR list!

The Wildest Hunt is a book that is chilling in more ways than one right from the appearance of the Grey Lady, through to the Donegal snowbomb. I always enjoy books where adverse weather becomes almost a character in its own right, especially when that weather is snow. Jo Zebedee’s snow covered landscape is so very atmospheric and the thought that something “other” was affecting the weather and the wildlife to prevent Amelia and Joe leaving gave me shivers. It gave the entire book a dark, malevolent air so that by the time the Hunt make their appearance, I was already on edge and expecting the worst.

The dual perspective kept me gripped and I was equally eager to be in both parts of the story, to uncover Jean’s secret and to see what was happening to Amelia and why. This is actually something that is quite unusual for me with books told from multiple points of view as there is usually one that I am more drawn to than the other. Because I was so invested in both women’s tales, I flew through this book in my enthusiasm to find out what was going to happen and what secrets were going to be revealed.

This is a beautifully crafted book that is tinged with sadness alongside the tension and drama as the heart-breaking truth of events at Glenveagh come to light.

The Wildest Hunt is a great Christmas read when you need a detox from all the sugar, and the sweet festive romances.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Listed as one of the Guardian’s Top 10 Irish Sci-Fi authors, Jo writes stories based both in her native Northern Ireland and her fictional world of Abendau.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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Website

Instagram

Facebook

Make sure you visit the other blogs joining me on the tour.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bar – Isabella May

I am delighted to be kicking off the blog tour for the latest book by one of my favourite authors, the lovely Isabella May. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bar sees us heading back to Glastonbury with old friends, and is a book I was desperate to get my hands on from the very second it was announced! Many thanks to Isabella for providing me with a copy of the book, and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be a part of the tour.

BLURB:

River and Alice miss Somerset. Christmas isn’t Christmas without family and friends, even when you live in quaint Cornwall.

When River’s Aunt Sheba dies unexpectedly, leaving him her ancient VW campervan, nostalgia nudges him and Alice back to Glastonbury – and the surrounding villages – to rediscover their roots whilst serving the most decadent hot chocolate and delectable gingerbread from their renovated ‘bar on wheels’.

A bar on wheels complete with a fold-up stage to host local talent competitions rivaling anything Simon Cowell could dream up, even if he’d gorged on a truckle of Cheddar cheese!

As the villagers sip their cocoa and ice their gingerbread houses amidst the festive backdrop of song, dance, and slightly more unconventional talents, River and Alice find themselves in an unexpected race against time:

Zara, their chocolate supplier is leaving Glastonbury on the twelfth day of Christmas, keen to put a string of disastrous relationships behind her to make a fresh start.

Bruno, their gregarious and gorgeous baking supplier is secretly smitten with Zara – ticking every box on her New Year’s wish list.

If only they can get them together for one experimental kiss under the mistletoe…

They’ve even enlisted their customers’ help in their mission to wrap this budding romance up in all the jingle bells and whistles. How hard can it be?

So, ho, ho VERY tricky, as it turns out…

PURCHASE LINKS:

Order here

REVIEW:

When I was choosing my next read recently, I was feeling decidedly not okay and in need of something to lift my spirits. Remembering I had the new Isabella May cheered me up almost instantly – her books always feel like a big hug anyway, and one about hot chocolate and Christmas, featuring one of my favourite former rock stars was just what the doctor ordered. River’s thoughts on the correct way to apply cream and jam to a scone had me chuckling to myself just a few sentences in to the book (he’s doing it wrong, by the way), and I knew this book would have me feeling better in no time. It was wonderful being back with River and Alice, meeting up with friends old and new, friends who I laughed with and even shed a tear or two with.

In Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bar, Isabella May has captured my ideal Christmas, full of warmth, love, and the magic that can be created when communities come together. I could practically smell the hot chocolate and gingerbread as I was reading. I adore the attention to the smaller details that Isabella adds to her books – a prime example here, and I am potentially showing my age here, is the fact that Alice’s ponies all had My Little Pony names. I absolutely loved this, largely because the name’s Alice had chosen almost perfectly matched my own My Little Pony collection as a child.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bar is a read in one sitting kind of book, as long as that sitting involves a cosy blanket, an enormous mug of hot chocolate and a pile of sweet treats. Move over The Cake Fairies, I do believe I have a new favourite Isabella May book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Isabella May lives in (mostly) sunny Andalusia, Spain with her husband, daughter and son, creatively inspired by the mountains and the sea. She grew up on Glastonbury’s ley lines and loves to feature her quirky English hometown in her stories.

After a degree in Modern Languages and European Studies at UWE, Bristol (and a year working abroad in Bordeaux and Stuttgart), Isabella bagged an extremely jammy and fascinating job in children’s publishing… selling foreign rights for novelty, board, pop-up and non-fiction books all over the world; in every language from Icelandic to Korean, Bahasa Indonesian to Papiamento!

All of which has fuelled her curiosity and love of international food and travel – both feature extensively in her cross-genre novels, fused with a dollop of romcom, and a sprinkle of magical realism.

Isabella is also a Level 4 Pranic Healer and a stillbirth mum.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Make sure you visit the other blogs taking part in the tour for more about River and Alice’s adventures.

Christmas Miracles At The Little Log Cabin – Helen J Rolfe

I have another festive treat for you today with Christmas Miracles At The Little Log Cabin by Helen J Rolfe.

BLURB:

Do you believe in Christmas Miracles?

Holly is looking for a change and even though not everyone agrees with her career choices, she’s determined there’s more to this life than the long hours she works as an editor in New York City. What she doesn’t expect is to meet Mitch, a recluse who’s hiding more than she realises.

Mitch does all he can to avoid human contact, spending his days in the little log cabin out in the woods behind Inglenook Falls where he owns a Christmas tree farm, so when Holly falls into his life, he’s not sure how to react. All he knows is that something needs to change if he ever wants to get his life back on track.

Along with friends Cleo and Darcy, Holly is determined to bring joy back to Mitch’s life, but will he appreciate their interference? And when a business proposition throws everything up in the air, will it do more harm than good and ruin lives forever?

Both Holly and Mitch must learn that on the surface people aren’t always what they seem…but if you dig a little deeper, they can take you by surprise.

Curl up this Christmas for plenty of snowflakes, roaring log fires, a marriage proposal, unlikely friendships and second chances as we return to the much-loved characters in the New York Ever After series.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

REVIEW:

Christmas Miracles at the Little Log Cabin has the feel of one of those made for TV movies that pop up at Christmas every year – you know, the ones where you figure out how it is all going to end from about five minutes in, but you don’t care because they give you that warm Christmas glow, and you just can’t resist settling down for the duration and enjoying the ride. It is full of snow, festive cheer and goodwill, and redemption stories – everything you need in a heart-warming Christmas story.

This book is the fourth in the New York Ever After series, but it honestly doesn’t matter if you haven’t read the others. I haven’t, and it certainly didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story. There is enough background information for you to form an attachment to the characters, without it turning into a total rehashing of the first three books and an information overload. There was just enough that everything made sense, but that I was also left wanting to read the first three books to uncover the full stories of the characters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Helen J Rolfe writes contemporary women’s fiction and enjoys weaving stories about family, friendship, secrets, and community. Characters often face challenges and must fight to overcome them, but above all, Helen’s stories always have a happy ending.

Location is a big part of the adventure in Helen’s books and she enjoys setting stories in different cities and countries around the world. So far, locations have included Melbourne, Sydney, New York, Connecticut, Bath and the Cotswolds.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook

Twitter

Website

BookBub

Many thanks to Helen and to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to talk part in the blog tour for this book, and for providing me with my copy of the book. Please have a look at the other blogs taking part. Us bloggers love it when someone stops by to say hi!

The Christmas Spirit – Susan Buchanan

It’s time for another festive book today, with Susan Buchanan’s delightful The Christmas Spirit.

BLURB:

Christmas is coming, but not everyone is looking forward to it.

Rebecca has just been dumped and the prospect of spending the holiday period with her parents is less than appealing.

Eighty- two year old Stanley lost his beloved wife, Edie, to cancer. How will he cope with his first Christmas without her?

Jacob’s university degree hasn’t helped him get a job, and it looks like he’ll still be signing on come New Year.

Workaholic Meredith would rather spend December 25th at home alone with a ready meal and a DVD box set. Can anything make her embrace the spirit of the season?

The enigmatic Natalie Hope takes over the reins at the Sugar and Spice bakery and café in an attempt to spread some festive cheer and restore Christmas spirit, but will she succeed?

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

REVIEW:

The Christmas Spirit is a wonderful book, full of sugar and spice, snow, kindness, and everything else that makes for a magical Christmas.

I devoured this book in one sitting, much as I would have done with one of the divine sounding cakes that Natalie baked over the course of the book. As I read, I could almost taste the baking and smell the Christmas spices. I loved reading about all the Christmas cakes from around the world, and not being a fan of the traditional Christmas fruit cake, I will certainly be investigating some of the recipes.

I loved how Natalie was able to sense exactly what it was that was missing from the lives of each of the people she interacted with, and felt that the whole book served as a timely reminder that life is not just about the material things. Just through tiny kindnesses, and being present and aware of what is going on around you, you can make a huge impact on someone else’s life.

Reading this book was like being wrapped up in a giant, squishy hug, and was just what I needed as the stresses of the festive season begin to kick in.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan Buchanan lives in Scotland with her husband and their two children. She is the author of four novels: Return of the Christmas Spirit, The Christmas Spirit, The Dating Game, and Sign of the Times. She is currently working on books five and six: The Proposal and Just One Day.

Susan is also a proofreader, editor and translator, and when not working, writing, or caring for her two delightful cherubs, loves reading, the theatre, quiz shows and eating out – not necessarily in that order!

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook

Twitter

Blog

GIVEAWAY:

Win e-copies of Sign of the Times and The Dating Game (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter link 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/33c69494170/

Many thanks to Susan and to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in today’s blog blitz, and for providing me with a copy of the book.

Spoon Shortage Book Club

As some of you will know, I am involved with a Facebook book club for people who suffer from chronic illnesses, the Spoon Shortage Book Club. Through the book club and our sister groups and pages on Facebook, we try to bring chronic illness sufferers together to chat, have a laugh, and make friends, and generally feel a little less isolated than they sometimes do. As a chronic illness sufferer myself, I know just how important my online friends have become to me, and I feel proud to be a part of a thriving community filled with people who I would never have “met” otherwise.

Starting tomorrow and for all of December, we are running a festive photo challenge, and would love for as many people as possible to get involved, either in the group itself, or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other social media platforms that are out there (I am sure I am well and truly out of touch with more than a few of them!). Please spread the word and get involved if you would like to. Remember to include #spoonshortagebookclub on any posts so that we can see what everyone is getting up to!

Here are the themes for each day!

A Little Christmas Charm – Kathryn Freeman

With the festive period fast approaching, I have another Christmas book for everyone to enjoy today, A Little Christmas Charm by Kathryn Freeman.

BLURB:

Would you swap sea and sunshine for tinsel and turkey?

Gabby Sanderson is used to being let down – even at Christmas. Which is why she’s happy to skip the festive season completely in favour of a plane ticket and sunnier climes.

But this Christmas could be different, because this time she might not be spending it alone. Can Owen Cooper charm Gabby into loving Christmas in the same way he’s charmed his way into her life, or is he just another person who’ll end up disappointing her?

PURCHASE LINK:

Amazon UK

REVIEW:

Really, the title of this book tells you everything that you need to know about it. It is a charming Christmas tale filled with everything you could want from a festive novel. It is a wonderfully warm book, and is the perfect read to give you that cosy Christmas glow.

I found that every one of the characters touched my heart, each for very different reasons. Owen is truly irresistible, and I found that elements of Gabby’s trust issues really resonated with me. I loved getting to know each of the characters and found that I was really rooting for each of them to get the Christmas that they deserved.

I have read a lot of Christmas novels over the year, but A Little Christmas Charm is without a doubt one of my favourites. It left me with a warm feeling, and a reminder of what Christmas is really all about.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

GIVEAWAY:

Win a paperback copy of A Little Christmas Faith by Kathryn Freeman (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter link 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/33c69494161/?

Many thanks to Kathryn, and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be a part of this tour and for providing me with a copy of the book. Why not stay in the festive spirit and head over to the other blogs taking part in the tour.

Christmas Spirit – Nicola May

Now we are in November, I don’t feel so bad that I have already started my Christmas reading. It’s time to dig out the Christmas movies, dust off the tinsel and start getting into the festive spirit. (Would everyone hate me if I said that I am already half way through my Christmas shopping?)

Anyway, to kick off this year’s festive reads, I have this lovely little number from Nicola May for you.

BLURB:

It’s two days before Christmas – and Evie Harris finds herself both manless and jobless. After a chance encounter with handsome Greg (and egged on by her toy-boy-eating friend, Bea) she agrees to work at a homeless shelter on Christmas Day.

Striking up an unlikely friendship with homeless Yves, Evie begins an unwitting journey of spiritual awakening, all set against the sparkling winter backdrop of London landmarks. 

A New Year’s Eve revelation is on its way . . . but will it leave Evie with a happy heart, or will she allow the pre-Christmas past to dictate her future?

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

REVIEW:

Christmas Spirit is a delightful little book, just perfect to curl up with, along with a mug of hot chocolate and a mince pie, in between decorating the tree and wrapping the presents. It is full of the perfect festive mix of love, warmth, and a sprinkling of magic. In a time when the world is becoming increasingly materialistic, this book is a timely reminder that it is not money or possessions that matter, it is experiences, following our dreams and spending time with the people we love that are what really make life worth living.

I loved all of the characters, from the mysterious Yves to the toyboy loving Bea, and of course poor dumped Evie, and delicious Greg.

This is a book to warm your soul on the cold winter nights, so snuggle up with a blanket and get reading.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

  Nicola May lives near the famous Ascot racecourse with her black-and-white rescue cat, Stan.  Her hobbies include watching films that involve a lot of swooning, crabbing in South Devon, eating flapjacks – and, naturally, enjoying a flutter on the horses.

Nicola likes to write about love, life and friendship in a realistic way, describing her novels as ‘chicklit with a kick’.

She has written eight novels, with Christmas Spirit being her first novella.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

GIVEAWAY:

Win 5 x PDF copies of Christmas Spirit (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter link 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/33c69494153/

Many thanks to Nicola, and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources, for inviting me to take part in this blog tour, and for providing me with my copy of the book. Why not get even further into the Christmas spirit by paying a visit to the other blogs on the tour.