September 1, 2010 10:30 PM
UPCOMING RELEASE: Down to Earth
Melanie Rose's books, with their beautifully distinct covers, have been delighting us for quite some time. Her latest novel, Down to Earth, is due for release in October and looks very interesting indeed...When Michaela Anderson signs up for a parachute jump she gets more than a case of vertigo...
Suffering last-minute panic, Michaela's three colleagues go first. But just as she takes her leap of faith, an almighty gale blows up from nowhere.
When she returns to the ground, she finds the airfield deserted, her car gone and the seasons mysteriously changed. Posters nearby proclaim Michaela to have been missing for the last six and a half years...
But Michaela is determined to find out the truth. Was she kidnapped? Is she now suffering amnesia, or has something even more extraordinary occurred?
With the help of handsome pilot Matt, Michaela sets out to find the truth. And what she discovers rocks everything she has ever believed in to the core...
To find out more about Melanie Rose, visit her website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on September 1, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 31, 2010 7:09 PM
BOOK NEWS: Over His Dead Body
It's no secret that Trashionista is a huge fan of Little
Black Dress books, and there are plenty of upcoming offerings from some
well-known romance authors. Laurie Brown, writer of The Death of Bridezilla, is
back in December with new novel Over His Dead Body; a romantic tale with
elements of mystery...
Ever since Caroline Tucker moved back home from Hollywood to the bright lights
of Haven, New Mexico, she's been trying (and failing) to avoid her ex-husband,
Town Sherriff Travis Beaumont. Then, when her niece stumbles across the
perfectly preserved body of a cowboy at Girl Scout camp, Caroline has no choice
but to give Travis a call. But is this actually a crime scene? Or just a
potential tourist attraction? As the mystery of the mummy unravels, Travis digs
up some sinister evidence. And the more Caroline tries to keep away from
trouble - and Travis - the more they come knocking at her door...
Click here to visit Little Black Dress Books.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 31, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 30, 2010 1:51 AM
BOOK NEWS: Getting Away With It
Julie Cohen, who brought us the fabulous Little Black
Dress novels Girl from Mars and Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom, is back with
another chick-lit offering later this year. Getting Away With It is due for
release in October and looks like a wonderful, quirky read! Here's the
synopsis...
Liza Haven couldn't wait to escape the small village where she grew up with her
perfect identical twin sister, Lee. Her life in LA as a stunt woman
is reckless, fast and free - and that's just the way she likes it. But when a
near-fatal mistake drives her home, she finds Lee gone and everyone in the
village mistaking her for her twin sister. Liza has to deal with her
ailing mother, the family ice cream business, and Lee's dangerously attractive boyfriend.
Liza's always been the bad twin, but as she struggles to keep up the masquerade
and puzzle out where her sister has gone, she realises it's not so simple.
She's spent her whole life getting away with it - is it finally time to
face up to who she really is and where she really belongs?
To find out more about Julie Cohen, visit her website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 30, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 27, 2010 3:55 PM
NEWS: Bloomsbury Street Hotel Book Club
Here's something special for book fans in London - the Bloomsbury Street Hotel is now offering guests the opportunity to pick up a complimentary copy of this month's featured title, as part of its very own book club.
Based in Bloomsbury, home to literary legends Virginia Woolf and EM Forster, the Radisson Edwardian Hotel invites guests to enjoy the recommended book, and take home a complimentary copy.
The hotel, which was launched in 2009, has dedicated an entire wall to one of Bloomsbury's exports: Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, boasting an art display made from pages of the novel.
So if you find yourself in the capital, whether for shopping, work or seeing a show, don't hesitate to join in with the book fun at Bloomsbury Street!
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 27, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 26, 2010 8:48 PM
BOOK NEWS: The Real Me Is Thin
Last week I
came across an interesting article by British actress and writer Arabella Weir,
in which she told of her constant battle with weight and self image, which
began during childhood. Arabella, who wrote the wonderfully funny novel Does My
Bum Look Big in This? In the 90s, is back - and this time, with a memoir. The
Real Me is Thin is due for release on September 2nd, and is set to
be a funny yet frank account of life involving watching what you eat.
The hapless and hilarious tale of a life lived under the constant and ruthless reign of a chocolate biscuit...
Lumped into 'the too fat for potatoes group' by her mother, carefree eating isn't something Arabella Weir had much experience of growing up.
Written with startling frankness, Arabella unravels her own eating history in this humorous appraisal of our attitudes towards eating disorders and obesity. Not easy for someone who still can't be alone unsupervised in a room with a packet of chocolate biscuits.
Charting Arabella's neurotic relationship with food, from prolonged abstinence to binge eating, this humorous memoir recreates a childhood besieged with battles over food. Subjected to her mother's capricious feeding regime and taught early on that food was her enemy, happiness meant being allowed to eat what she liked - or more importantly, what everyone else was eating.
Recounting stories of unhinged mothers and callous doctors, mystery-meat suppers, and egg custard battles with calculating boyfriends' mothers, this candid memoir vividly recreates a childhood and adolescence marred by the social embarrassment of being marked as different simply due to your weight.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 26, 2010 in Book News, Memoirs | Permalink | Comments (0)
COVER NEWS: My Bollywood Wedding
We're looking forward to Rekha Waheed's Little Black Dress novel,
My Bollywood Wedding. The book is due for release next year, and here's the gorgeous
cover!
We have a while to wait yet (the book isn't released until
February!) but here's the synopsis:
Maya Malik wants a big glamorous Bollywood wedding.
And now Maya has found Jhanghir Khan, her perfect man, it's time to start the
mammoth task of planning it. But fifteen designer wedding boutiques, seven
venues, two jet-set dashes to Dubai and Dhaka, and one trip to Tiffany's later,
with interfering aunties on her tail, her enthusiasm is flagging. And with the
Maliks and Khans fighting over dowries and every decision related to the
600 strong guest list, Maya questions if it's all worth it. Most importantly,
she starts to doubt if Jhanghir really is Mr Right...
Click here to visit Little Black Dress Books.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 26, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 25, 2010 8:33 PM
UPCOMING RELEASE: Unlucky in Love
If you've
enjoyed Jessica Fox's Hen Night Prophecies series so far, then you'll be
pleased to hear that the next installment is on its way. Jessica, who wrote
Katy Carter Wants a Hero (under the name Ruth Saberton) has penned Unlucky In
Love, the fifth book in the Hen Night series. The book is due for release in
mid-September. Here's the synopsis:
Risk-taker Libby Foster wishes she thought things through more - maybe then
she'd avoid being humiliated at work over her reckless romantic attachments. So
it's just as well that she's swearing herself off men and escaping to a Thai
island to work on location casting for a romance-slash-action film. But is she
really such a danger to the opposite sex? A series of bizarre events in the
serene beach surroundings have Libby fretting, but could it be she's met her
match in Craig, the daredevil martial arts instructor training her cast?
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 25, 2010 in Book News, Series | Permalink | Comments (1)
COVER NEWS: New York Valentine
We're big fans of Carmen Reid's Annie Valentine series (The Personal Shopper, Celebrity Shopper, How Not to Shop). So we were delighted to discover that the latest installment about heroine Annie, titled New York Valentine, will be on the shelves next year. And here's the cover!What do you think? New York Valentine will be released in January. Read on for the synopsis:
Love is in the air! Personal shopper Annie Valentine has a dream job in the heart of fabulous Manhattan. Daughter Lana is lost in the heat of first love, but has she fallen for a heart-breaker? In London husband Ed faces a scandal at work and knows, in his heart, he needs Annie back. What's a girl to do when her true love is in London but her new love is New York? Does it have to be fashion or family, or can Annie Valentine have it all?
To learn more about Carmen Reid, head on over to her website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 25, 2010 in Book News, Book covers | Permalink | Comments (1)
IN THE NEWS: Twilight tops book charts after just three days
I think it's safe to say that the following doesn't come as much of a surprise! The paperback of Breaking Dawn, the fourth novel in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, has topped this week's Official UK Top 50.According to The Bookseller, Meyer scooped the top spot five times previously, and has now sold 48,673 copies of the mass-market edition of Breaking Dawn, the final tale in the phenomenal teen vampire saga, in only three days. Her novella, titled The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, gained the top place for three weeks in June.
To read the full article, click here.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 25, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 23, 2010 5:10 PM
BOOK NEWS: The Bum Magnet
2011 is already proving exciting in terms of new
releases, and here's another to add to the list! Karla Brady's The Bum Magnet
is to be re-released in March next year, and we can't wait to get our hands on
it!
The Bum Magnet, which Karla self-published in 2009, was snapped up by publishers Simon & Schuster and is soon to be getting a new cover. The book won the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award for Multicultural Fiction. Keep checking back for updates!
For now, here's the synopsis:
She's a savvy,
successful real‑estate agent with a quick wit, a low tolerance for BS, a
gorgeous plus‑size body, and a thirst for top shelf vodka. Despite her dream
house, luxury car, and appetite for life's best--like fine dining and hot
men--she seems to have her own special talent for attracting players. Why do all
of her ex‑lovers belong in the Losers Hall of Fame?
There was Lamar,
the hazel-eyed Adonis who sowed more wild oats than Quaker . . . Sean, an expert at juggling relationships . . . Marcus, whose lips
wandered as often as his eyes . . . and others, too. But
just as Rissey swears off sex and vows to dump her emotional baggage, she meets
house‑hunting client Dwayne Gibson. There's no way she can resist his seductive
smile and rock‑hard body. . .
Will Dwayne turn
out to be the biggest bum of them all? Or will this time be different?
To find out more about KL Brady, check out her website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 23, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
RECENT RELEASE: All That Glitters
Samantha Carbon's debut novel is definitely one to look
forward to! All That Glitters was released in June and focuses on Sophie, who
is trying learn to trust men again after her divorce. But she always seems to
fall for the wrong man...
Whilst her professional life may be rich and rewarding, Sophie Jones, a trader's assistant at a multi-national bank in the City of London, cannot bring herself to think about the depressing husk that is her social life. Following her divorce from her abusive husband, thirty-seven year old Sophie finds herself drinking heavily to escape her deep-seated loneliness, and partying to excess in a vain effort to fill her evenings and weekends. So when she meets Mitch, a very ordinary and somewhat clumsy American financier, she is ill-prepared for the warm feelings of affection that begin to overwhelm her.
But this early flush of love is brought into sharp focus when Sophie learns that Mitch has a difficult ex-girlfriend and a two year old son called Toby, both of whom are living in Germany. And despite his proud responsibilities as a father, Mitch also seems to have a penchant for one night stands and passion fuelled flings; he is no then the ideal romantic candidate for a vulnerable woman still nursing
a broken heart.
So when Sophie convinces herself to take a huge leap of faith and embark upon a relationship with Mitch, she is shattered when her worst fears are quickly realised and she discovers that he has been sleeping with an eighteen year Zambian girl called Katie. Their drunken encounters are too much for Sophie to bear, and having given Mitch one last chance, only to have it sabotaged by Katie, she decides to banish Mitch from her life forever and to try to move on without him. But little does Sophie realise that her life is now intrinsically linked to both Mitch and Katie's; all three have been cast off on an emotional journey of self-discovery in which Sophie at least may learn that in absence the heart really does grow fonder.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 23, 2010 in Book News, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 20, 2010 10:03 PM
COVER NEWS: New image for 'Cocktails for Three'
While we may be eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sophie
Kinsella's latest instalment in the Shopaholic series, some other Sophie news wouldn't go amiss!
The UK cover of Cocktails for Three, which bestselling author Sophie originally wrote as Madeleine Wickham, has recently been revamped with a look that fits in with her other novels. And it looks great! According to Sophie's website, the other six books that were written as Madeleine will also be getting a cover makeover.
What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know!
Here's the synopsis of Cocktails for Three:
Three women, smart and successful, working in the fast and furious world of magazines, meet for cocktails and gossip once a month. Roxanne: glamorous, self-confident, with a secret lover - and hoping that one day he will leave his wife and marry her. Maggie: capable and high-achieving, until she finds the one thing she can't cope with - motherhood. Candice: honest, decent, or so she believes - until a ghost from her past turns up, and almost ruins her life. A chance encounter in the cocktail bar sets in train an extraordinary set of events which upsets all their lives and almost destroys their friendship...
You can read more Sophie Kinsella news over at her official website (where you can listen to a second extract of Mini Shopaholic!)
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 20, 2010 in Book Extract, Book News | Permalink | Comments (2)
August 19, 2010 9:13 PM
BOOK NEWS: Sister
Along with some much-anticipated new releases hitting the
shelves next month (Mini Shopaholic, anyone?) September will also see quite a
few debut authors making their way into the world of fiction. One of them is
Rosamund Lupton, whose first novel, Sister, will be released on the 2nd
and is set to be a highly interesting, emotional tale. Here's some more
information...
Nothing can break the
bond between sisters...
When Beatrice gets a
frantic call in the middle of Sunday lunch to say that her younger sister,
Tess, is missing, she boards the first flight home to London. But as she learns
about the circumstances surrounding her sister's disappearance, she is stunned
to discover how little she actually knows of her sister's life - and unprepared
for the terrifying truths she must now face.
The police, Beatrice's
fiancé and even their mother accept they have lost Tess but Beatrice refuses to
give up on her. So she embarks on a dangerous journey to discover the truth, no
matter the cost.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 19, 2010 in Book News, Debut Novels | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 17, 2010 8:08 PM
BOOK NEWS: The Badness of King George
Here's something for all of the puppy lovers among us. If
you enjoyed Marley & Me, then here's a September treat for you! Author and
journalist Judith Summers' book The Badness of King George is out next month,
and is all about fostering dogs...
Judith Summers' life is about to change dramatically. Her five-year relationship with her on-off boyfriend has finally ended. Her son, Joshua, is off to university, and for the first time since her husband died she's living alone. Well, not entirely alone. She still has George, her King Charles Spaniel. Judith knows she needs a new challenge. But how free can she ever be with George in tow? He is, of course, immensely lovely. But he's also spoilt, lazy, and prone to flouncing around the house like a fluffed-up diva. But then, during a chance encounter , Judith finds out about Many Tears, a dog rescue centre. Before she knows it, she has joined a nationwide network of canine foster carers. Far from having Judith all to himself, George suddenly finds he has to share his owner with lots of other less fortunate dogs. And he's finding adjusting to this new way of life a bit of a challenge...
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 17, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 16, 2010 10:38 PM
UPCOMING RELEASE: Marrying Out of Money
We posted last week about Nicky Schmidt's third novel,
The Anti-Model Agency, which is due for release next year. However, we don't have
long to wait until Nicky's second novel is published. Marrying Out of Money
will hit the shelves in November. Here's the synopsis (via ChickLitClub).
Marrying Out of Money follows the life and perils of rich
coffee heiress Lou, who is madly infatuated with the less than erudite,
tree-hugging, scruffy-to-the-point-of-smelly Hedge - member of rock band 4BY4.
Lou's social-climbing mother decides that enough is enough, and hooks up with a
poverty-stricken aristocrat to arrange a marriage between Lou and the snotty,
outrageously good-looking Harry Partington - 40th in line to the throne. Not
surprisingly, for both parties, it's hate on first sight. Still desperately in
love with rock star Hedge, but with her beloved father ill and wanting nothing
more that to see her married, Lou sets about making herself so repulsive that
the aristocrats decide a future on a derelict council estate is preferable to
having her as a daughter-in-law. Of course, nothing goes according to plan, and
Lou finds herself questioning the wisdom of her actions, when she discovers
that horrible Harry has a sensitive side after all.
You can read Nicky's blog here.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 16, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (2)
BOOK NEWS: No Ordinary Girl
Abbey Bynum never asked for her strange superpowers; she was born with them and man, does she hate them. Only a few family members and her ex-fiance, the uptight government bureaucrat Murphy Napier, know her secret. But when supervillain Jon Carson appears on the scene under the guise of a brilliant new defence lawyer at her work, Abbey knows she must embrace her 'weird stuff' to have any chance of thwarting his plans for world domination. There's only one person who can assist her: Murphy. He's had a complete makeover since their split two years ago, but can he help Abbey triumph in her epic superbattle of good versus evil, winning back her trust and her heart in the process?
To find out more about AM Goldsher, click here to visit his website. Also, go here to check out Little Black Dress Books.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 16, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (2)
August 13, 2010 10:28 PM
BOOK NEWS: Must Be Love
Vet Maz Harwood
loves her job as a partner at a country vet practice in the picturesque town of
Talyton St George. To add to her happiness, she's in love with the gorgeous
Alex, and he seems to love her back. As the new year dawns, Maz can't help
feeling that she's never been happier. But when her business partner Emma
suffers a terrible tragedy, it's up to Maz to keep the practice going. Suddenly
life is spiralling out of control, what with working all hours, fending off
insults from Alex's parents, keeping one eye on the lusty locum, and dealing
with Emma's precarious emotional state. It won't take much to upset the apple
cart. So when Maz discovers she's pregnant, life gets even more complicated.
To find out more about Cathy Woodman, head on over to her website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 13, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (1)
IN THE NEWS: Final Twilight book set to be biggest paperback release of the year
Not a week goes by without there being more news of
Twilight's success, and it doesn't seem to be stopping. The Bookseller recently
reported that Breaking Dawn, the fourth novel in Stephenie Meyer's famous teen
vampire series, is set to be one of the biggest paperback releases of this
year.
Breaking Dawn, the final novel in the series, is to be published in paperback on August 19th. It has been available in hardback for two years.
Amazon's Amy Worth said: "We'd expect the paperback of Breaking Dawn to be one of the biggest paperback releases of the year, challenging hugely popular titles including Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol and Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. The Twilight franchise continues to do very well, as does anything vampire related as a whole, with Charlaine Harris's True Blood also featuring several times in the top 100 alongside Stephenie Meyer's series."
To read the full article, click here.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 13, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 12, 2010 8:20 PM
COVER NEWS: The Anti-Model Agency
Trashionista LOVED Nicky Schmidt's debut Naked In Knightsbridge, and we can't wait for her second novel, Marrying Out Of Money. Now, we have news of Nicky's third book, The Anti-Model Agency, that's due out in 2011!The cover has just been released and we love it! What do you think?
Here's the synopsis for The Anti-Model Agency:
The life of Denise 'D' Harris is your average ill-fitting-discount-store-knock-offs to riches story. Growing up in a dusty little terrace on an estate in north London, D realises, at fifteen, that she is different. Thanks to the bizarre science of recessive genes, she is five ten and has the startling blue-green eyes and long golden locks of a wayward uncle who enjoys shooting squirrels and drinking loo water. As 'The Bimbo', as she is not so affectionately known at her agency, she lands a lucrative account early on in her career - the face of a little-known clothing outlet. Thanks to cheap labour in Asia; an owner with the guts to knock off the catwalk collections with an abandon Mussolini would be proud of; her quirky one-letter name and the recession, the store and D become household names. But, as with many models, D turns to substance abuse - although her particular preference is for large packets of home-brand crisps and jumbo-sized chocolate bars. When she is unceremoniously dumped by her only client and her agency for being overweight, D decides it is time to finally stand up for herself and seek her revenge in the only way she knows how.
Read Nicky's blog here.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 12, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 11, 2010 3:00 PM
IN THE NEWS: Limited edition Twilight covers for Christmas
The Twilight series is set to be republished with a brand new jacket design in time for Christmas.The limited edition covers of Stephanie Meyer's bestselling books (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn) are due to be published with white and red cover designs by Atom on October 14th. The new paperback covers will only be available in the UK and Ireland and, according to The Bookseller, Little, Brown's publishing territories which include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India.
A box-set of the Twilight saga in hardback (along with novella The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner) will also be released in October.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 11, 2010 in Announcements, Book News | Permalink | Comments (2)
COVER NEWS: I Heart New York
We're very fond of Lindsey Kelk's I Heart... series (including I Heart New York, I Heart Hollywood and more recently, I Heart Paris!) And now the first in the series about globe-trotting heroine Angela is being released in paperback in the States, with a whole new cover.The book is due for release in the States on September 7th. We love the sophisticated American jacket, but what about you?
If you're not already familiar with Kelk's first novel, here's the synopsis:
When Angela catches her boyfriend with another woman at her best friend's wedding, she's heartbroken and desperate to run away. With little more than a crumpled bridesmaid dress, a pair of Louboutins, and her passport in hand, Angela decides to jump on a plane for . . . NYC!
Settling into a cute hotel and quickly bonding with benevolent concierge Jenny--a chatterbox Oprah wannabe with room for a new best friend--Angela heads out for a New York makeover, some serious retail therapy, and a whirlwind tour of the city. Before she knows it, she's dating two sexy guys and blogging about her Big Apple escapades for a real fashion magazine. But while it's one thing telling readers about your romantic dilemmas, it's another working them out for yourself. Angela has fallen head over heels for the city that never sleeps, but does she heart New York more than home?
To find out more, head on over to Lindsey Kelk's website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 11, 2010 in Book News, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 10, 2010 11:05 AM
UPCOMING RELEASE: Homecoming
Cathy Kelly's latest novel is due to hit the shelves soon. Homecoming will be released in mid-September. Cathy has written a number of books including Best of Friends, Past Secrets and Once in a Lifetime.Eleanor Levine left Ireland seventy years ago with little more than a suitcase and her mother's handwritten recipe book. Now, a lifetime later, she's returning from New York with hard won wisdom and memories of her own. A renowned psychoanalyst, Eleanor knows there's one final journey she has to make! Lovely young actress Megan Bouchier didn't have to chase success -- it arrived effortlessly. Fame was what she always wanted until a disastrous affair made her the wrong kind of headlines -- now Megan needs a place to hide! Darkly beautiful Rae is a wonderful wife, a loyal friend and a dedicated community carer. From Titania's Tea Rooms she dispenses tea and sympathy to everyone -- until a painful secret from her past threatens everything she holds dear. Big-hearted teacher Connie O'Callaghan has given up on love. She's cheerfully approaching forty and besides, why does no man ever match the heroes in her beloved romantic novels? As Eleanor re-reads her mother's comforting words and watches life unfold from her window in Dublin's pretty Golden Square, she slowly becomes drawn into the lives of Megan, Rae and Connie. But can treasured wisdom handed down from mother to daughter really be relevant today? And what are the ingredients for a life well lived?
To find out more about Cathy Kelly and her books, check out Cathy's website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 10, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 9, 2010 11:08 PM
BOOK NEWS: Swimming With Dolphins
Deborah Wright, author of
The Celebrity Mother, is back with another novel - this time, away from the
world of stardom and into the life of a recession-hit thirty-something.
Swimming With Dolphins is due for release in November. Here's the synopsis:
Why wait to make your dreams
come true? When the bottom falls out of Julia's world, she makes a wish list
that will change her life for ever.
Julia is thirty years old
and fiercely ambitious. But when the credit crunch wipes out the US bank she
works for overnight, she finds herself unemployed and utterly lost. Her
flatmate and best friend, Reece, advises her to make a list of all the things
she's always wanted to do before she dies - and use her redundancy money to do
them. Feeling she has nothing to lose, Julia embarks on a big adventure across
countries and continents, armed with her list. She becomes involved in exciting
love affairs, enjoys new experiences and heals old family wounds. Ultimately
Julia realises she is searching for happiness and a meaning in her life she has
always craved...
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 9, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 6, 2010 1:20 AM
BOOK NEWS: Amy Inspired
We were first drawn to Bethany Pierce's new novel, Amy Inspired, by the beautiful cover. The book is due for release in November and focuses on wannabe writer Amy. Here's the synopsis:Amy Gallagher is an aspiring writer who, after countless rejections, has settled for a career as an English professor in small-town Ohio just to pay the bills. All her dreams suddenly start to unravel as rejections pile up--both from publishers and her boyfriend. But just as Amy fears her life is stuck in a holding pattern, she meets the mysterious, attractive, and unavailable Eli. She struggles to walk the fine line between friendship and something more with Eli, even as staying true to her faith becomes unexpectedly complicated. When secrets, tragedy, and poor decisions cause rifts in Amy's relationships, she must come to terms with who she's become, her unrealized aspirations for her life, and the state of her faith. Can she dare to hope that she will find love and fulfilment despite it all?
To find out more about Bethany Pierce and her books, head on over to Bethany's website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 6, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 4, 2010 1:24 AM
NEW RELEASE: Perfect Meringues
Here's another great read for month ahead - Perfect Meringues by Laurie
Graham was released at the end of July. Laurie has penned quite a few novels
including At Sea, Mr Starlight and Life According to Lubka. Read on for the
synopsis of Perfect Meringues...
It shouldn't have been like this.
Being on television was meant to lead to fame and a glamorous social life. But
for Lizzie Partridge, forty-something, divorced and TV cook on Midlands This
Morning, it meant dinners for one, coping alone with an air-head adolescent
daughter and following middle-aged men into corner shops pretending she needed
a bottle of Lea & Perrins. Her good friend Louie - if only he wasn't gay -
thought he knew what the trouble was: Lizzie was always on the wrong side of
the glass, looking in at other people's lives. True or not, things for Lizzie
were going to get a lot worse before they got better...
Click here to visit Laurie Graham's
website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 4, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 3, 2010 1:28 AM
BOOK NEWS: A Weekend With Mr Darcy
ere's a Jane Austen-inspired upcoming release that will see both Austen
fans (and fans of Molly's Millions author Connelly!) delighted. A Weekend With
Mr Darcy is due for release in mid-September and I can't wait to read this -
Victoria's tale of lottery winner Molly was fantastic! Here's the synopsis:
Katherine Roberts is fed up with men.
As a lecturer specialising in the works of Jane Austen, she knows that the
ideal man only exists within the pages of Pride & Prejudice and that in
real life there is no such thing. Determined to go it alone, she finds all the
comfort she needs reading her guilty pleasure - regency romances from the pen
of Lorna Warwick - with whom she has now struck up an intimate correspondence.
Austen fanatic, Robyn Love, is blessed
with a name full of romance, but her love life is far from perfect. Stuck in a
rut with a bonehead boyfriend, Jace, and a job she can do with her eyes shut -
her life has hit a dead end. Robyn would love to escape from it all but
wouldn't know where to start.
They both decide to attend the annual
Jane Austen Conference at sumptuous Purley Hall, overseen by the actress and
national treasure, Dame Pamela Harcourt. Robyn is hoping to escape from Jace
for the weekend and indulge in her passion for all things Austen. Katherine is
hoping that Lorna Warwick will be in attendance and is desperate to meet her
new best friend in the flesh.
But nothing goes according to plan and
Robyn is aghast when Jace insists on accompanying her, whilst Katherine is
disappointed to learn that Lorna won't be coming.
However, an Austen weekend wouldn't be
the same without a little intrigue, and Robyn and Katherine are about to get
much more than they bargained for. Because where Jane Austen is concerned,
romance is never very far away...
Posted by Elle Symonds on August 3, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 29, 2010 10:59 PM
BOOK NEWS: A Class Act
You might know of Kate Lace by her Little Black Dress titles, such as Moonlighting, The Love Boat and The Chalet Girl. Kate's back with another LBD title, due for release at the end of September, this time focusing on high society girl Tilly. Here's the synopsis:Tilly de Liege may be Lady of the Manor, but it's not quite as fabulous as it sounds - the de Lieges may be high society but they're also flat broke. When boarding school-bound Tilly meets skater boy Ashley from the local comprehensive, it feels like the start of something special. Bur fate - and Tilly's father - are soon conspiring against them. Then moneyed older man Marcus appears on the scene... Are Tilly and Ashley star-crossed lovers or simply poles apart?
You can find out more about Kate Lace and her books at Kate's website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on July 29, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 28, 2010 11:18 PM
UPCOMING RELEASE: The Girl Who Chased The Moon
Being a fan of magical tales, I personally cant wait to read Sarah Addison Allen's novel The Girl Who Chased the Moon (and the cover is stunning!). Released in early August, the book follows Emily, who arrives in North Carolina to find out about her mother. But there's plenty more in store! Here's the synopsis:Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother's life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realises that mysteries aren't solved in Mullaby, they're a way of life. Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbour, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, offering them to satisfy the town's sweet tooth - but also in the hope of rekindling a love she fears might be lost forever. Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily's backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.
To find out more about Sarah Addison Allen and her books, check out Sarah's website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on July 28, 2010 in Book News, New Releases | Permalink | Comments (0)
IN THE NEWS: Twilight sells two million copies
Stephanie Meyer's Twilight - the first book in of the highly popular saga - has sold two million copies.The book, which focuses on Bella Swan and vampire love interest Edward and began a vampire craze that swept the world, recently became the 13th novel to reach the 2 million mark in the UK since the turn of the century.
According to The Bookseller, Meyer follows JK Rowling, Dan Brown and Mark Haddon in reaching the number. Twilight sales totalled 27,000 copies in 2007, but hit 355,000 the following year due to the movie adaptation.
£47.7 million has so far been spend on Stephanie Meyer's books since 2006.
To view the full article, click here.
Posted by Elle Symonds on July 28, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (8)
July 22, 2010 1:32 AM
BOOK NEWS: No Strings Attached
Here's another book to add to the summer reading list! Karyn Grice's No
Strings Attached will be released in mid-August, and focuses on Jasmine, who
may have found The One...but there's rather a big catch. Here's the synopsis:
Jasmine Taylor vowed never to become
attached to another man after her long-time boyfriend, Nicco, left her to marry
another woman. Sean is a big-time music producer living an extravagant life,
complete with a private jet, fancy condos and different women in every city.
Although he knows Jasmine is the one, he's not ready to give up his lifestyle
for a monogamous relationship. As Jasmine and Sean spiral in their complicated,
openly emotional, yet non-exclusive relationship, they try to figure out if
they can commit to one another-or if they need to just walk away.
You can find out more about Karyn Grice by visiting her website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on July 22, 2010 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (2)