Fiction « Books Are Cool

I Will Follow Him

A bachelor party on a cruise ship. What could go wrong?

When private detective Francie is hired to spy on a groom-to-be as he and his bachelor party set sail for the Caribbean, she thinks she’s landed herself a week of paid vacation. Between lounging in the sun and sipping margaritas, she just needs to–best case scenario–report back that he’s on the up and up, or–the unfortunate, more likely scenario–snap a few photos of her target in compromising positions, buy a box of sympathy chocolates for her client, and then collect her pay along with a nice golden suntan.

Blame it on the island breezes or the alcohol, but within hours of setting sail, Francie’s leisurely vacation gets complicated when she starts making careless mistakes. Like accidentally becoming friends with the groom and falling for his best man.

Can she get herself and her mission back on track, or has she blown her cover and possibly even her career?

My review

This is a lovely, lively, summery read. Actually, you could read it anytime but summer is when we think travelling in general, and more exciting things like cruises in particular.

This novella is part of a series but you don’t need to have read the other books to enjoy this one.

The characters are all great – and we get the full range from awful to awesome. They’re all believable, intriguing people and it’s great fun to get to know them all a bit better. Our heroine Francie is perfect. She’s motivated, well-intentioned, loyal and caring, but has her flaws and they only serve to make her even more likeable.

The plot is fresh and entertaining, and definitely clever. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable story. It has a super, eye-catching cover and is very well presented.

Purchase Link:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QVB2XS7/

US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QVB2XS7\

Author bio: Holly Tierney-Bedord is the author of over twenty books including Kindle Unlimited All-Star winner Sweet Hollow Women.

Links:

FB https://www.facebook.com/HollyRecommends/

Twitter https://twitter.com/HollyTierney

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authorhollytierneybedord

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/holly-tierney-bedord

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6433388.Holly_Tierney_Bedord

Website www.hollytierneybedord.com

Follow on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Holly-Tierney-Bedord/e/B00M3C9W3E

Oceanic Dreams Series

Set sail for love and laughs aboard the Oceanic Aphrodite.

This series of stand-alone romantic comedy novellas releases throughout the summer of 2019.

To learn about the contributing authors and each book, watch our trailer, here: https://oceanicdreamsbooks.com/series-trailer/ and visit our website, here: https://oceanicdreamsbooks.com/

The Oceanic Dreams series is a collection of romantic comedy novellas by eight award-

winning, bestselling, and critically acclaimed authors from around the globe.

Meet Holly Kerr, author of I Saw Him Standing There.

Meet Laura Heffernan, author of Time of My Life.

Meet Tracy Krimmer, author of Circle in the Sand.

Meet Kirsty McManus, author of I Thought it was You.

Meet Holly Tierney–Bedord, author of I Will Follow Him.

Meet Delancey Stewart, author of Take a Chance on Me.

Meet Monique McDonell, author of Shut Up and Dance with Me.

Meet Sophie–Leigh Robbins, author of The Best of You.

Giveaway to Win a $10 Starbucks card (Open to US Only)

*Terms and Conditions –US entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box 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 Rachel’s Random Resources reserves 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 Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494251/

Synopsis
The fifth and final book in the Singles’ Series takes us to the Mediterranean island of Ibiza then back to the Caribbean island of Antigua, where it all began.

After making a hard decision two years earlier Eve Mitchell has moved on with the hand that life has dealt her and she finds herself on the White Island working a tennis holiday. While it isn’t a job she would have chosen, in her typical pragmatic way Eve gets on with it, working hard to ensure that her diverse group of singles, with their hopes, expectations, character flaws and baggage, have the best time possible. And as she binds together tennis sessions, social gatherings, meals and trips Eve hears some tragic personal news that brings her to another crossroads in her life. Will she and the love of her life Melv finally make a life together and live happily ever after?

My review
This may be the last in this five-set ‘match’ but you can come into the series at this late stage and still enjoy this novel. It works perfectly well as a standalone, but it does whet your appetite to discover what has gone on previously. I shall certainly be reading the four preceding books.

This is a thoroughly absorbing story. Eve is a likeable and interesting heroine, and we really care what happens to her. We admire her strength of character when having to deal with her rather wearing clients. She remains patient and smiling, at least on the outside. There’s quite a turmoil of emotions going on beneath the surface.

The author creates a holiday atmosphere very effectively. It’s not a holiday for Eve, of course, but she’s there to facilitate things for the singletons she’s looking after.

The tennis element adds an unusual touch and makes the book more memorable. I particularly like the candid but sympathetic portrayal of people’s flaws and foibles. As someone who works in the tourist industry, like Eve, I know from experience that you have to expect the unexpected, but somehow you can never foresee every quirk and eventuality. It certainly makes for challenges.

The main concern of the story is Eve, and the second chance at happiness that unexpectedly comes her way. It’s uplifting, but not without its moments of tension and of the reader wanting to shake a bit of sense into one of the protagonists now and again! Beautifully written, this is a super summer read.

Purchase links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Singles-Set-Match-Book-ebook/dp/B07S3WGLX2
US – https://www.amazon.com/Singles-Set-Match-Book-ebook/dp/B07S3WGLX2

Author bio

Elaine Spires is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and actress. Extensive travelling and a background in education and tourism perfected Elaine’s keen eye for the quirky characteristics of people, captivating the humorous observations she now affectionately shares with the readers of her novels. Elaine has written two books of short stories, two novellas and seven novels, four of which form the Singles Series – Singles’ Holiday, Singles and Spice, Single All The Way and Singles At Sea. Her latest book, Singles, Set and Match is the fifth and final book in the series. Her play Stanley Grimshaw Has Left The Building is being staged at the Bridewell Theatre, London in May 2019. Her short film Only the Lonely, co-written with Veronique Christie and featuring Anna Calder Marshall is currently being in shown in film festivals worldwide and she is currently working on a full length feature film script. Only the Lonely won the Groucho Club Short Film Festival 2019! Elaine recently returned to UK after living in Antigua W.I. She lives in East London.

Social media links
Facebook: Elaine Spires Author
Twitter: @ElaineSWriter
Instagram: elainespiresauthor

Synopsis

Janet’s first love arrives out of the blue after forty years. Those were simpler times for them both. Sunny childhood beach holidays, fish and chips and big copper pennies clunking into one armed bandits.

The Wells family has run the Cromer Pier Summertime Special Show for generations. But it’s now 2009 and the recession is biting hard. Owner Janet Wells and daughter Karen are facing an uncertain future. The show must go on, and Janet gambles on a fading talent show star. But both the star and the other cast members have their demons. This is a story of love, loyalty and luvvies. The road to Cromer Pier might be the end of their careers, or it might just be a new beginning.

Pre-order Links:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07R9XP3QM/

US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9XP3QM/

My review

I grew up in Suffolk and we used to have our summer holiday on the Norfolk coast. “There’s a lot of sky in Norfolk,” my dad would always say, and it’s true that the county has a very distinctive look and feel to it. I wasn’t disappointed therefore to discover a very strong sense of place alongside a cast of very strong characters in this family drama. The book couldn’t be set anywhere else and it conjures up beautifully the atmosphere of a seaside town.

Cromer, whilst beautiful in its own distinctive way and famous for its crabs, isn’t exactly a bustling resort, and certainly not during the period that this novel is set in. Times are hard but the Wells family are determined to maintain their high standards in their summertime show. Boss Janet has to take rather more risks than she’s happy to. There are more pressures than just the financial climate too.

The author has written for the stage and his love and understanding of all things theatrical adds an extra dimension to his writing. It’s very vibrant, but his characters have depth and undergo development too.

Tension and pressure builds and the people we meet react in different ways. There’s plenty going on emotionally and physically and the book is totally engrossing from start to finish. It’s delightfully different and makes for an excellent read for the summer, but it’ll be equally good at any other time of year!

And a super cover is the icing on the cake.

About the author

I am a 61 year old Accountant who semi-retired to explore my love of creative writing. In my career I held Board level jobs for over twenty five years, in private, public and third sector organisations. I was born in Coventry, a city then dominated by the car industry and high volume manufacturing. Jaguar, Triumph, Talbot, Rolls Royce, Courtaulds, Massey Ferguson were the major employers, to name but a few.

When I was nine year’s old I told my long suffering mother that as I liked English composition and drama I was going to be a Playwright. She told me that I should work hard at school and get a proper job. She was right of course.

I started as an Office Junior at Jaguar in 1973 at eleven pounds sixty four a week. I thus grew up in the strike torn, class divided seventies. My first career ended in 2015, when I semi retired as Director of Corporate services at Humberside Probation. My second career, as a Non Executive Director, is great as it has allowed me free time to travel and indulge my passion for writing, both in novels and for theatre.

The opportunity to rekindle my interest in writing came in 2009, when I wrote my first pantomime, Cinderella, for my home group, the Walkington Pantomime Players. I have now written eight. I love theatre, particularly musical theatre, and completed the Hull Truck Theatre Playwrite course in 2010. My first play, a comedy called He’s Behind You, had its first highly successful showing in January 2016, so I intend to move forward in all three creative areas.

Pen Pals was my first novel, but a second, The Road to Cromer Pier, will be released in the Summer of 2019.

I’m an old fashioned writer I guess. I want you to laugh and to cry. I want you to believe in my characters, and feel that my stories have a beginning, a middle, and a satisfactory ending.

Social Media Links

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AuthorGore

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Martin-Gore-Author-1237780169706466/

Le Tour de Love

“…the opportunity of a lifetime.”

When physiotherapist Molly Matthews is offered a dream job by a guy who shaves his legs and has an obsession with his bicycle, she has serious doubts about accepting. But, as she keeps telling herself, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime and she’ll never get another chance like this. So, she does what anyone in her position would do – she agrees to join a professional cycling team for the most prestigious race in the cycling world – The Tour de France.

The reality, though, isn’t exactly what she had anticipated; instead of eating out at restaurants in pretty French villages and spending her free time lounging around the hotel pool, Molly finds herself living out of a suitcase for three weeks, massaging eight pairs of sweaty legs, administering ice baths and treating saddle sores.

And neither did she anticipate falling for a gorgeous, passionate, professional rider by the name of Alexander Duvall…

My review

View of vector evening paris from the cafe, eps 10

I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed other books by this author so I couldn’t wait to get stuck into this story, especially as I’m a keen cyclist and I live in France! And I enjoyed every word.

It’s a lively, lovely romcom featuring physiotherapist Molly and pro cyclist Alex. The author obviously did a lot of research into the tough world of cycle racing. She admits she may have taken the odd liberty or two – and isn’t that what most fiction does! – but I think she conveys very clearly how hard the riders train, how brutal and dangerous the racing is, and how committed everyone in each cycle team is. I confess I was a tiny bit impatient with Molly initially when she needed everything cycling-related explained to her, but not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the sport and so knows what the various terms mean! And anyway, Molly’s bafflement at all things bikey is a clever way of getting the information across that readers need to fully appreciate the story.

As you might expect from a story centred on a bike race, and the most famous one in the world at that, the action is swift. Events take place over not much more than a month. It’s true to say that love whisks both Alex and Molly off their feet.

But, like the cobblestones of the Champs Elysées, which is where the final stage of the race takes place each year, the course of true love can be bumpy. It wouldn’t be a proper romcom if everything went smoothly from start to finish anyway!

This is a really super, summery read, and very topical since Le Tour sets off for the 106th time on 6^th July, from Brussels. Don’t miss it, and definitely don’t miss this book.

Purchase Link:

viewbook.at/LeTourDeLove

Author Bio

Lilac spends all her time writing, or reading, or thinking about writing or reading, often to the detriment of her day job, her family, and the housework. She apologises to her employer and her loved ones, but the house will simply have to deal with it!

She calls Worcester home, though she would prefer to call somewhere hot and sunny home, somewhere with a beach and cocktails and endless opportunities for snoozing in the sun…

When she isn’t hunched over a computer or dreaming about foreign shores, she enjoys creating strange, inedible dishes in the kitchen, accusing her daughter of stealing (she meant to say “borrowing”) her clothes, and fighting with her husband over whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher.

Social Media Links – https://www.instagram.com/lilacmillsauthor/

https://twitter.com/LilacMills

Synopsis

Mina Scarletti is invited to ancient Hollow House to investigate reports of ghostly occurrences.

A determined sceptic, Mina’s main concern is for Kitty, whose health appears to be dramatically sinking under the strain of all that is going on.

With the help of her trusted adviser, Dr Hamid, and her lively friend, Nell, Mina must get to the heart of the mystery.

Have the maids merely been frightening themselves with tales of the macabre? Is there a rational explanation for what is being reported?

Or will Mina be forced to admit to the presence of a ghost in Hollow House?

My review

This book is part of the Mina Scarletti Mystery Series, one that I wish I’d discovered earlier since this novel is absolutely delightful. It works as a standalone but I’ve no doubt there will be added richness if you follow the series from the start.

The book is set in the Victorian era and that’s obvious at once from the clever use of language. Both the way the characters speak and the author’s own narrative reflect this, but never overdo it! An air of genteelness comes over well, and there’s also a hint of frustration on the part of the female characters who are rather constrained by their times. Our heroine Mina is also constrained physically by her scoliosis, but, as with the social mores of the time, this doesn’t affect her sharp mind and intelligence.

Kitty, a friend of a friend of Mina’s, has recently married and gone to live in Hollow House with her new, much older husband Mr Honeyacre. However, there are strange goings-on and whilst Kitty is largely sceptical, her servants are becoming worked up over the presence of ghosts. Mina has a track record in routing out fake spiritual mediums, and so she’s the ideal person to visit and work out what’s actually happening.

And she does, and it’s all thoroughly entertaining! Mina is also a novelist writing under the male pseudonym of Robert Neil, so we get to see not only Mina but also Robert at work. His version of events is a little different from what Mina experiences. This clever touch adds even more sparkle to this lively, interesting and very enjoyable cosy mystery. Definitely one to read.

Published by Sapere Books. Available at http://getbook.at/HollowHouse

Synopsis

Convinced that his imperfect, solitary existence is the best it will ever be, Martin unexpectedly finds himself being sent to represent his company in Japan. His colleagues think it’s a joke; his bosses are certain he will fail. What does Martin think? He simply does what he’s told. That’s how he’s survived up to now – by hiding his feelings.

Amazingly, in the land of strange rituals, sweet and juicy apples, and too much saké, Martin flourishes and achieves the impossible. But that’s only the beginning. Keeping up the momentum for change proves futile. So, too, is a return to what he had before. Is there a way forward, or should he put an end to the search now?

Gradually, as you’ll see when Martin looks back from near the end of his journey, life improves. There’s even a woman, Fiona, who brings her own baggage to the relationship, but brightens Martin’s days. And just when you think there can be no more surprises, another one pops up.

Throughout his life, people have laughed at ‘weirdo’ Martin; and you, as you read, will have plenty of opportunity to laugh, too. Go ahead, laugh away, but you’ll find that there’s also a serious side to all this…

My review

Oh my goodness, this is such a moving and lovely story!

It’s essentially the story of one man’s lifelong battle with social anxiety. Martin is intelligent and compassionate but struggles to integrate in social situations. He’s bullied at school and generally life is pretty miserable for him. He’s unappreciated, but he soldiers on.

Fortunately he gets a lucky break (although not for the colleague who suffers a broken leg) at work and stands in for someone on a trip to Japan. Everyone expects Martin will be a disaster, Martin included, but Japan provides a very different environment for this gentle person to blossom in. This is his milieu.

The story isn’t just that – there’s much more going on. This is a very cleverly constructed novel and beautifully written. There’s no preaching or wallowing. The author presents the issue of social anxiety and gives us a view from both sides: from those who experience it and those who feel that it’s OK to put others down and induce such misery. There’s hope and despair, love and disappointment, achievement and failure, happiness and missed opportunities in this richly textured book that’s rewarding and poignantly enjoyable to read.

Purchase Link – mybook.to/cultivatingafuji

Author Bio –
Miriam Drori has decided she’s in the fifth and best stage of her life, and she’s hoping it’ll last for ever. It’s the one in which she’s happiest and most settled and finally free to do what she wants. Miriam lives in a delightful house and garden in Jerusalem with her lovely husband and one of three children. She enjoys frequent trips around the world. She dances, hikes, reads and listens to music. And she’s realised that social anxiety is here to stay, so she might as well make friends with it. On top of that, she has moved away from computer programming and technical writing (although both of those provided interest in previous stages) and now spends her time editing and writing fiction. NEITHER HERE NOR THERE (currently unavailable), a romance with a difference set in Jerusalem, was published in 2014. THE WOMEN FRIENDS, co-written with Emma Rose Millar, is a series of novellas based on the famous painting by Gustav Klimt. SOCIAL ANXIETY REVEALED (non-fiction) provides a comprehensive description of social anxiety from many different viewpoints. CULTIVATING A FUJI takes the social anxiety theme into fiction, using humour to season a poignant story.

Social Media Links – Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, Instagram, Wattpad, website/blog and social anxiety blog.

Amazon page: Author.to/MiriamDroriAtAmazon

And look, there’s a giveaway! Do enter.

Giveaway to Win copies of Neither Here No There and Social Anxiety Revealed (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box 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 Rachel’s Random Resources reserves 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 Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494227/?

Synopsis

Ellie’s dreams of opening a bakery in Sunnybrook are finally coming true and best friends Fen and Jaz are happily rallying round, helping her to plan a fabulous grand opening day. Everything in their garden seems to be rosy – until the arrival of a newcomer brings chaos to the village and tests relationships to the limit. Can the bakery succeed in the face of such upheaval? And more importantly, can firm friendships survive?

My review

This is another lovely romcom from this prolific author. She’s created a wonderful world for us in her Little Duck Pond Café series, and is keeping up her high standards and originality with each book.
This time we focus on the adventures of Katje aka Kate and Madison. Due to a muddle, they’ve both been offered the same job at the bakery and have a trial run each. This is rather clever and reflects the popular trend in reality shows of someone having to leave after a particular ordeal! There are plenty of personality clashes between these two rivals.
There’s lot of fun too, wonderful interactions between the other characters and a very cosy, warm atmosphere is created despite the tension at the bakery. The story makes for a quick and delightfully enjoyable read.

Pre-order Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bakery-Little-Duck-Pond-Cafe-ebook/dp/B07MLF2N6T
US – https://www.amazon.com/Bakery-Little-Duck-Pond-Cafe-ebook/dp/B07MLF2N6T

Author Bio
Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centred on life in a village café. Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Cafe will be the sixth in the series

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

Breaking News – Coming Soon – Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Café

With Ellie and Zak’s Big Day on the horizon, the sun is shining brightly on the Little Duck Pond Café community. But as dark clouds begin to roll in, threatening more than one close relationship, will the wedding of the year take place at all?

Follow Rosie Green on Amazon to hear when its published and available for purchase – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosie-Green/e/B07CZYV7DW

Rough And Deadly

Everyone knows Abe Compton’s Headbender cider is as rough as a cider can get. But is it deadly?

When self-styled ‘lady of the manor’, Margot Duckett-Trimble, announces she wouldn’t be seen dead drinking the stuff, who could have foreseen that, only a few days later, she’d be found, face down, in a vat of it?

Kat Latcham’s no stranger to murder. Indeed, the once ‘sleepy’ Somerset village of Much Winchmoor is fast gaining a reputation as the murder capital of the West Country and is ‘as sleepy as a kid on Christmas Eve’ when it’s discovered there’s a murderer running loose in the community again.

Kat has known Abe all her life, and she is sure that, although he had motive, he didn’t kill Margot. But as she investigates, the murderer strikes again. And the closer Kat gets to finding out who the real killer is, the closer to danger she becomes.

This second Much Winchmoor mystery is once again spiked with humour and sprinkled with romance – plus a cast of colourful characters, including a manic little dog called Prescott whose bite is definitely worse than his bark.

My review

This is a very entertaining and lively cosy mystery, but there is a more menacing thread of violence running through it too. However, the two elements of serious but slightly town-in-cheek murder and the secondary one of more realistic threat work well together in this author’s hands.

This is the second book about Kat, who’s moved back home after her city career crumbles. She does odd jobs and some reporting around Much Winchmoor, and keeps tuned in to all the gossip in her mother’s hair salon. However, don’t worry if you haven’t read the first book (Murder Served Cold) since this one works fine as a standalone. You quickly pick up all you need to know as the author deftly weaves in the essentials without them being intrusive.

Kat does tend to blunder in rather naively, but with the best of intentions. Fortunately there’s usually someone with a bit more sense to keep an eye on her! She’s a larger-than-life, lovely character, who takes life’s problems on the chin (work, mother and car troubles mainly) and never hesitates to roll up her sleeves and get stuck in. She’s helped and hindered by the eccentric and colourful residents of the village, both human and canine.

The writing flows and the plot is clever. This is the sort of book you just can’t put down once you start reading because it’s so enjoyable in every way.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/roughanddeadly

About the author

Paula Williams is living her dream. She’s written all her life – her earliest efforts involved blackmailing her unfortunate younger brothers into appearing in her plays and pageants. But it’s only in recent years that she discovered to her surprise that people with better judgement than her brothers actually liked what she wrote and were prepared to pay her for it.

Now, she writes every day in a lovely, book-lined study in her home in Somerset, where she lives with her husband and a handsome but not always obedient rescue Dalmatian called Duke. She started out writing fiction for women’s magazines (and still does) but has recently branched out into longer fiction. She also writes a monthly column, Ideas Store, for the writers’ magazines, Writers’ Forum.

But, as with the best of dreams, she worries that one day she’s going to wake up and find she still has to bully her brothers into reading ‘the play what she wrote’.

Social Media Links –

Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/paula.williams.author

Blog. paulawilliamswriter.wordpress.com

Twitter. @paulawilliams44

Website. paulawilliamswriter.co.uk

Synopsis
The final instalment of the Highbury trilogy, Dear Jane recounts events hinted at but never actually described in Jane Austen’s Emma; the formative childhood years of Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill, their meeting in Weymouth and the agony of their secret engagement.

Orphaned Jane seems likely to be brought up in parochial Highbury until adoption by her papa’s old friend Colonel Campbell opens to her all the excitement and opportunities of London. Frank Weston is also transplanted from Highbury, adopted as heir to the wealthy Churchills and taken to their drear and inhospitable Yorkshire estate. Readers of Emma will be familiar with the conclusion of Jane and Frank’s story, but Dear Jane pulls back the veil which Jane Austen drew over its remainder.

My review
I hadn’t read the previous books in this series, but that didn’t stop me enjoying this book immensely.

It’s a bold step to take on some of Jane Austen’s characters and write new stories for them, but this author does it very successfully. She captures the atmosphere and time of Jane Austen’s novels with her use of language, social interactions and imagery, but clearly marks her own stamp too. I definitely prefer her Jane Fairfax to the rather remote one who appears in ‘Emma’, but then she’s intended to be somewhat mysterious in that novel. It’s intriguing to discover the possible events that might have accompanied these well-known literary personages, and I’m sure that Jane Austen would have approved!

The author must have done a tremendous amount of research into the Georgian era and captures it for us so convincingly.

Clever, imaginative and respectful of the original novels from which this springboards, Dear Jane is great fun and very entertaining to read.

Purchase Links:
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dear-Jane-Highbury-Trilogy-inspired-ebook/dp/B07PXGL93S
US – https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Jane-Highbury-Trilogy-inspired-ebook/dp/B07PXGL93S

About the author
Allie Cresswell was born in Stockport, UK and began writing fiction as soon as she could hold a pencil.
She did a BA in English Literature at Birmingham University and an MA at Queen Mary College, London.
She has been a print-buyer, a pub landlady, a book-keeper, run a B & B and a group of boutique holiday cottages. Nowadays Allie writes full time having retired from teaching literature to lifelong learners.
She has two grown-up children, two granddaughters, two grandsons and two cockapoos but just one husband – Tim. They live in Cumbria, NW England.
Dear Jane is her ninth novel.

Social Media Links

www.allie-cresswell.com
https://www.facebook.com/alliescribbler/
@alliescribbler

This is wryly humorous and very entertaining story.

Mr Finchley has led a hard-working, quiet and respectable life. Up to now, that is. He sets off on his first ever holiday. He’s booked a hotel in Margate, because he’s heard that’s the sort of thing you do for a holiday, but he never gets there. He falls in with an assortment of crooks, who take merciless advantage of him, but this exposure to the wilder side of life has Mr Finchley hooked. Bother Margate, he’s going to go where the wind takes him – on his ‘borrowed’ bicycle. Things never go smoothly for him, but this new Mr Finchley take it all on the chin, and loves every minute of it!

Set in the 1930s this wonderful story whisks us back to a simpler, more innocent time. It’s heartening and fascinating to be immersed in that period – the clothes, prices, food and manners of the time. The writing is superb and the reader is quickly engrossed, chuckling, occasionally tutting (from our modern and far more street-cred and cynical point of view) but always willing Mr Finchley on in his delightful adventures.

Buy the book here.

Books Are Cool

Book reviews, editing and publicity

Category Archives: Fiction

I Will Follow Him by Holly Tierney-Bedord: a lively summer novella

Singles, Set and Match by Elaine Spires: beautifully written summer reading

The Road to Cromer Pier by Martin Gore: atmospheric and engrossing

Le Tour de Love by Lilac Mills: a romcom tour de force

The Ghost of Hollow House by Linda Stratmann: entertaining and enjoyable

Cultivating a Fuji by Miriam Drori: richly rewarding to read

A Bakery at the Little Duck Pond by Rosie Green: wonderfully enjoyable

Rough and Deadly by Paula Williams: a lively, clever mystery with a hint of menace

Dear Jane by Allie Cresswell: Jane Austen would have approved!

Mr Finchley Discovers His England by Victor Canning