Knockout by Emma Calin

 

Anna Leyton is a police officer attached to Interpol.  Her life is finally back on track after an incident which saw her career hang in the balance and her relationship end. However, a chance meeting whilst getting into a cab is about to change Anna’s life. The charismatic professional boxer Freddie La Salle has swept Anna off her feet. However, there’s a slight problem – Freddie, the sexy French man is a suspect in a case that Anna is investigating and he doesn’t know she is a police officer. Can Anna maintain her professional integrity and protect her heart? Or, is love clouding her judgment? Anna must take many risks to find out the truth about Freddie. But, will the truth destroy what they have? Both have secrets and neither one can find the courage to reveal the truth.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the back story was excellent and the spicy love scenes in the book added a bit of ooh la la to this romance and left me very hot under the collar. Sometimes the dialogue was a bit soppy but hey Freddie is French and they say no one does romance like the French! The story has a few unexpected plot twists which I loved and really didn’t see coming. But be warned, you will need something to fan yourself with as Freddie is hot hot hot! 

 

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My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott

 

 

Ella's marital arrangements are less than conventional. In fact, her marriage is downright strange altogether. After marrying her artist boyfriend, later to become her very famous artist husband, Ella's life was far from the norm. Unfortunately, their years of marital bliss have turned into marital disharmony and her now ex husband Sebastian lives next door to her on their small farm. Sebastian appears to want very little to do with Ella which continues to break her heart. Ella is torn between her continuing love for Sebastian and her 'friendship' with a very handsome and romantic gardener called Ludo. Throw into the mix some rather eccentric and difficult parents with marital problems of their own, a snobby sister, some crazy chickens and two unruly and surly teens and you have what is Ella's chaotic life.

 

Ella is a sort of heroine underdog. Throughout this book and I wanted Ella to have so much more. I wanted so desperately for her to gain some sort of control over her life. Instead, poor Ella spends much of her time trying to please everyone and forgetting about her own needs and wants. And, even when she does eventually decide to put herself first, it doesn't quite work out. There were a lot of laughs to be had throughout this book but also an undercurrent of sadness and 'what if's' and 'if only'. For me, Ella epitomises what a lot of women become - someone to fix everyone else but themselves. Ella's crazy lifestyle left me exhausted on her behalf! She is torn in so many different directions that she is reaching breaking point.

 

Essentially, this book is a story about love lost, love found and love rekindled . It's about the complexities of relationships and how the dynamics within those relationships can change and evolve. It is also about sacrifices. Ella sacrifices so much of herself to please everyone and 'fix' every problem. Ella's family are essentially not all they appear to be. Her snobbish sister does not have quite as perfect a life as she would like to portray and Ella's parent's have some fixing of their own to do - not only within their own marriage but with their relationship with their children. At first, Ella appears to be a weak and indecisive character who is a bit of a doormat. However, Ella is more complex than that. She is simply struggling to survive in a situation that she is unable to fix. Yet, her love for her family is unwavering and her sacrifices for them go unnoticed. She is merely a woman trying to keep her family together.

 

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. No sooner had I turned the last page than my mother in law had swiped the book from under my nose. She is a Catherine Alliott fan and now I can understand why.

 

 

 

*I received a review copy from Penguin Books for an unbiased and honest review.

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Press Release!!! Little White Lies and Butterflies by Suzie Tullett - exciting news!

 

As some of you know, I have an internship with the wonderful Safkhet Publishing. I was given the opportunity to work alongside the very talented Suzie Tullett and edited her book Little White Lies and Butterflies. This was a fantastic experience for me. Suzie's writing has a wonderfully easy flowing style and the story was so enjoyable that for me, this did not feel like work. It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of this project.

 

Little White Lies and Butterflies continues to receive wonderful reviews and readers everywhere are enjoying this fab book. You can read my review for it here. However............there's more news!!!

 

NEWS FLASH

London — Safkhet Publishing

 

Little White Lies and Butterflies by Suzie Tullett has been shortlisted for the Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize 2013 (http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/aug/15/neil-gaiman-2013-not-booker-prize-shortlist).

 

According to The Guardian blog comments, this is the first year that a Chick Lit novel has made the shortlist for the Not the Booker Prize. “What an exciting and wonderful opportunity for Little White Lies and Butterflies and Chick Lit!” stated Kim Maya Sutton, managing editor for the Safkhet Soul imprint, upon hearing the news about the book’s shortlist status.

 

Go Team Safkhet!!!! Go Suzie!! This is a wonderful achievement and I would just like to wish Suzie Tullett continued success with Little White Lies and Butterflies.

 

For more information about Little White Lies and Butterflies and Suzie Tullett, please check:

 

 

At The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/data/book/romance/9781908208194/little-white-lies-and-butterflies

http://www.theguardian.com/books/data/author/suzie-tullett

 

 

At Safkhet Publishing

http://www.safkhetpublishing.com/books/soul/9781908208194/Little_White_Lies_and_Butterflies.html

http://www.safkhetpublishing.com/authors/Suzie_Tullett.htm

 

 

On Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/148018858732414/

 

 

 The book is available in paperback and e-book formats.

 

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Excerpt - Stained by Elizabeth Marx

 

“Is that why you were living in the same city as me and you never came to see me?” I asked a little bit more accusatorially than I meant to. “Why didn’t Mandy call me or come to see me?”   His jaw seemed to harden as he looked over the top of his sunglasses. “Do you want to know about me or Mandy?”   I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.”   “Maybe I was just admiring you from afar as I always have.” Revell merged onto the highway in the direction of Crossroads.   I snorted. “What’s Mandy’s excuse?”   Revell took one hand off the steering wheel and rubbed the back of his neck. “She took Daddy’s death hard and she’s been busy with school there.”   “So for some reason, which you won’t explain to me, one of few people I consider a true and loyal friend came to live in my home town and she didn’t even want to see me?”   Revell sighed. “Since you didn’t come here when Daddy died, maybe she thought your friendship was over.”   “Is that what you thought? That our friendship was over?”   “We weren’t friends, Scarlett, don’t fool yourself into believing that!”   “Then I’d like to know what we were?” I countered angrily.   He wouldn’t look at me, and his voice was rough and tense when he spoke. “You knew I’ve wanted you in every way a man can want a woman since you were fifteen.”   “Friendship is better than nothing, especially when what you wanted to happen between us was completely inappropriate.” “It was only wrong if it was one sided or if I’d acted on it when you were under age.”   “The summer I was fifteen and Mamaw found us in the deer stand you came pretty close to you going to jail.”   “The age of consent in Alabama is bit lower than it is up North.”   “You were twenty, it was a crush on an older man on my part. What was it on your part?”   Revell paused, turned, and looked me up and down. “It was I’m going to rot in hell because I want a minor or I’m going to die a slow death because I don’t believe I can live without her.”   I grumbled in disbelief, “And yet here you are perfectly healthy and happy.”   “You were the one who just said that I don’t smile the way I used to.”   I moved away from his ire closer to the door. “Are you blaming me?”   “I’m not blaming anyone, I’m just trying to tell you how I feel because you wouldn’t let me tell you back then, and you never came back to let me explain how it was.” Revell sighed. “Why didn’t you come when I wrote you?” “I couldn’t.”   “Couldn’t or wouldn’t?”   “Couldn’t, Revell, couldn’t.”  

 

 

 

Buy Stained on SMASHWORDS.   Add Stained to your GOODREADS want to read list!   About the Author: Windy City writer, Elizabeth Marx, brings cosmopolitan life alive in her fiction—a blend of romance, fast-paced Chicago living, and a sprinkle of magical realism. Elizabeth resides with her husband, girls, and two cats who’ve spelled everyone into believing they’re really dogs. She grew up in the city, has traveled extensively, and still says there’s no town like Chi-Town.  

 
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER  

Purchase Links: AMAZON |

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Cover Reveal - Secrets of a Hart by Elizabeth James

 

Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to reveal the fantastic cover for Secrets of a Hart by Elizabeth James.

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth James is the author of the Design Series. She writes contemporary romance set in her native North Carolina. A life-long reader, she began writing a novel at age fifteen, put it away with no hopes of publication, but now has realized her dream as an adult. Inspired by several bestselling authors she began working as a beta reader and her passion for writing once again surfaced. She embarked on a journey to see if she could complete a novel and Love by Design was born. With warm reception to her first novel she is now making this crazy world a part of her life. Elizabeth believes you're never too late in life to realize your dreams and this has opened up a new world of adventures and meeting new people which she loves to do. Elizabeth lives in North Carolina with her husband and their dogs. She enjoys traveling, exploring North Carolina, and spending time with her friends.

www.facebook.com/elizabethjamesauthor

 

 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18048036-secrets-of-a-hart

 

http://about.me/elizabeth_james

 

 

 

 

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Author in the Spotlight - Rachel Amphlett

Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to have Rachel Amphlett as the Author in the Spotlight. Lets find out a little about Rachel.

Rachel Amphlett previously worked in the UK publishing industry, played lead guitar in rock bands and worked with the BBC before relocating from England to Australia in 2005.  

After returning to writing, Rachel enjoyed publication success both in Australia and the United Kingdom with her short stories.  In August 2011, Rachel published her first thriller White Gold as an ebook, with a paperback version being released in 2012.

A further Dan Taylor Thriller, ‘Under Fire’, was released in August 2013 and a further two independent projects are currently being researched.

White Gold

A conspiracy that will end alternative energy research; an organisation killing to protect its interests – and a bomb that will change the face of terrorism...

When Sarah Edgewater’s ex-husband is murdered by a radical organisation hell-bent on protecting their assets, she turns to Dan Taylor – geologist, ex-soldier, and lost cause. Together, they must unravel the research notes that Sarah’s ex-husband left behind to locate an explosive device that is circumnavigating the globe towards the London 2012 Olympics – and time is running out. In an fast-paced ecological thriller that spans the globe, from London to Brisbane and back via the Arctic Circle, Dan and Sarah aren’t just chasing the truth – they’re chasing a bomb that, if detonated, will change the future of alternative energy research and the centre of England’s capital forever.

Under Fire

An explosion rocks a Qatari natural gas facility... a luxury cruise liner capsizes in the Mediterranean... and someone has stolen a submarine... Are the events connected? Dan Taylor doesn't believe in coincidences - all he has to do is convince his superiors they are next in the terrorists' line of fire. As Britain enters its worst winter on record, Dan must elude capture to ensure the country's energy resources are protected. At all costs. In an action-packed adventure, from the Middle East through the Mediterranean to London, Dan and his team are on a quest which will test every choice he makes. Assisted by the exotic Antonia Almasi, Dan realises he faces an adversary far greater than he ever imagined. And not everyone will survive.

Rachel is very kindly offering one signed copy of her book Under Fire to a lucky reader of the blog! All you have to do is leave a comment below and your name will be put into my magic hat! The competition will run until Midnight tonight (GMT) and the winner notified tomorrow (20^th August). The winner’s details will then be passed on to the author.

 

Author Links

www.rachelamphlett.com
Facebook: Rachel Amphlett - author Twitter: @RachelAmphlett

      

                                                         

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Between Today and Yesterday by Joanna Lambert

 

This book is part of the Blue Eyes series by Joanna Lambert. This, the fourth book follows the original characters from the series. In this book we are introduced to the next generation of this music dynasty – Lucy and Charlotte. Lucy, daughter of Matt and Ella is a spoilt brat who has been given everything she has ever wanted without question. Charlotte, her cousin is the polar opposite and is unaffected by her famous relatives and the privileged lifestyle she leads. When Lucy is expelled from her exclusive private school she puts a plan in place in an attempt to force her parents hand and give her a job in the music industry. However, this backfires and Lucy is caught up with the thoroughly distasteful Adam Carmichael who is a dangerous and equally spoilt brat. Adam has little regard for anyone, particularly the local villagers, sneering down his nose at them. He is villainous and a horrible character.

 

Matt and Ella remain showbiz’s most grounded and loving couple and their marriage has remained strong. Matt and fellow band member Baz now run a record management company and are working hard to propel new band Rosetti into the limelight they themselves once had. However, someone from Matt’s past is back on the scene. Marcie, a diva with a grudge and her sights set on Matt means that things do not run smoothly for Matt, Baz or the band. Having lost him once back in the 1970’s, Marcie is desperate to get her claws into Matt at all costs. Ella is just collateral damage. Marcie will stop at nothing.  When the band goes to Spain to record their new album, Marcie sets her devious plans in motion, with devastating results. 

Having not read any of the other books in the series I was a bit apprehensive about reading this book as I was worried I’d be completely lost. However, Joanna Lambert has written an amazing book that allowed me to follow the story without too much confusion. There were of course a few times in the book where it may have been helpful to have read the other books but this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the story and once I familiarised myself with the central characters I could not put this book down. However, I may go back and read the other books in the series, simply because I loved this book so much. If you like books about the cut-throat world of showbiz then you will love this. I’d highly recommend it.

 

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