Book of the Month: February

 

The Sum of All Kisses by

Julia Quinn

 

 

Hugh Prentice has never had patience for dramatic females, and if Lady Sarah Pleinsworth has ever been acquainted with the words shy or retiring, she's long since tossed them out the window. Besides, a reckless duel has left this brilliant mathematician with a ruined leg, and now he could never court a woman like Sarah, much less dream of marrying her.

Sarah has never forgiven Hugh for the duel he fought that nearly destroyed her family. But even if she could find a way to forgive him, it wouldn't matter. She doesn't care that his leg is less than perfect, it's his personality she can't abide. But forced to spend a week in close company they discover that first impressions are not always reliable. And when one kiss leads to two, three, and four, the mathematician may lose count, and the lady may, for the first time, find herself speechless...

*      *      *      *      *

 

 

I'd never read a Julia Quinn novel before, so I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by this humorous historical romance and thoroughly enjoyed the book. My review of The Sum of All Kisses will be up on Novelicious soon.

 





 

 

Click here to see all Books of the Month

Writing Book 2 - Part 2

The Second Draft

Last month, I blogged about the first draft of my second book (click here to see the post) and this month I am tackling the second draft. It's quite daunting to be faced with your book again - is it going to be utter crap? Will any of it be salvageable? Will I be able to make an actual novel out of it?

I always fear the worst, but I have to say I've quite enjoyed the second draft so far. That isn't to say it's been a doddle. It's been hard work, with lots of cutting and shifting scenes and writing new parts, but I feel like I'm really getting to know my characters now. This usually happens a lot sooner, but the first draft was written over a long period of time with other projects in between, so poor Ally was neglected. But not anymore!

I'm about 80% through the second draft. This last part requires the most shifting around of scenes, which is a bit brain-melty, but I'm hoping it'll make the book a lot stronger. I know there is at least another draft to be done before I even think of sending it off to be edited, but this time the task doesn't seem so daunting as I know the manuscript I have now is far better than the one I had a month ago.

Guest Post: Christine Elise McCarthy

I have been a professional actress for 25 years - but I always had aspirations to write. A wrote a few episodes of the original 90210, but that didn't satisfy my fantasy of being an author. Then, a few years ago, a friend challenged me to write a short essay & submit it to a Los Angeles comedy show called Four Stories & a Cover. It was a live show at the United Citizens Brigade Theater in Hollywood where writers read true, comic stories about themselves. She said she would do it if I did. Well, I did – and she didn’t. I was accepted & the night I was to read it on stage, they asked me for a title. Caught off guard, I quickly said, “Uhm – Bathing & the Single Girl?”

They said OK & my journey began. I read the piece that night and it was really well received. A friend who saw me do it said, “You should have recorded that! It was hilarious! Your agent could use that to show casting directors that you can be funny!”

So – I read it again at another theater – Naked Angels. A friend videotaped it and I posted that video on Facebook.

A few days later, a friend who happens to be an A-list commercial cinematographer wrote me and suggested I turn it into a short film. He said, “The piece is so funny but that video is so ugly. Make a movie! Make it pretty!”

So – I did. That ten minute short film of the same name went on to screen at over 100 film festivals and won 20 awards. It was at this point that yet another person made yet another fateful suggestion.

“Say, Christine! You should expand that movie into novel form!”

So I did! I wrote the book in a few short months. I shopped it around and got an agent and she shopped it around and I rewrote it a few times and about two years later - Bathing & the Single Girl – The Novel – was released! It is not the great American novel. It is intended as pure comedy. It is Fifty Shades of Grey – if Larry David had written it. It is HBO’s Girls – 15 years & no personal successes later. It is a book of awkward sex and embarrassing, personal defeats. It is a book of always trying and never succeeding. 

It is raunchy and raw and, I hope, it is the funniest book you will ever read. www.BathingBook.com

Check out the short film - www.BathingandtheSingleGirlFilm.com

Check out my food porn blog – www.delightfuldeliciousdelovely.com

Follow me on Facebook -www.facebook.com/christine.elise.mccarthy and
www.facebook.com/BathingandtheSingleGirlTheBook

Follow me on Twitter – www.twitter.com/celisemccarthy

Follow me on Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/foodpornsite

Follow me on Instagram – www.instagram.com/christineelisemccarthy

Follow my acting career – www.christineelisemccarthy.com

 

Millie and The American Proposal by Annabel Scott

 

 

Millie is fed up with her relationship. She's been with James for four years and loves him, but his job is causing problems. James has been working in Zurich for months, with Millie visiting when she can at the weekends. The fancy hotels and restaurants were fun to begin with, but spending so much apart is taking its toll. So Millie is relieved when the Zurich project ends and James can return home. Until James drops the bombshell that he's been offered a promotion that will mean having to live in Singapore for a year - and he's already accepted.

 

Millie can't cope with another separation, especially as she can't hop on a plane for a weekend visit this time, so she ends the relationship. Millie is devastated, but knows she has made the right decision. When she's offered a three month placement at her work's New York office, she jumps at the chance. A new city and the chance to catch up with her American friends, Kristen and Tara, will help her get over James.

 

But Kristen and Tara aren't the only familiar faces in New York. Her ex-boyfriend and first love, Rob is there too.

 

Millie and The American Proposal is the third book in the 'Millie' series and I was looking forward to catching up with Millie and her friends. Plus, the fact that the book is set mainly in New York was an added bonus! I really like the character of Millie. She's so down to earth and likeable and I could understand why she ended her relationship with James and could feel her disappointment when he announced he was moving to Singapore. After enduring his time away in Zurich, Millie is looking forward to having him home again. She wants to settle down and get married while James wants to concentrate of furthering his career. James isn't a bad person, but he does seem to put his job before Millie quite a lot.

 

Millie has some pretty wild friends, who return in this book, but there are some new characters to get to know too. I loved the scenes where Millie goes out with her friends, especially the karaoke bar scene.

 

Although Millie and The American Proposal is the third instalment, there are no gaps as all the relevant information is contained within the book. I thought Mille and The American Proposal is a fun, romantic book full of humour and great characters.

A Beginner's Guide To... Jared

Jared is new to H. Woods Vehicles, a bus and coach manufacturers where Ruth works. He meets Ruth in the tiny staff kitchen and they strike up a friendship. Jared has had a troubled past, though he is trying to put it all behind him and move on.
When Ruth needs help with her weight-loss, Jared is happy to help.

Jared comes from quite a large family, being the oldest of four. His mum and sisters are always trying to coax him into dating women they know (however vaguely) but he isn’t interested.


Here are a few quick facts about Jared

·         Full Name: Jared Williams

·         Age: 33

·         Job: Purchasing Manager

·         Hair colour: Blond

·         Eye colour: Blue

·         Favourite colour: Blue

·         Favourite film: Die Hard

·         Favourite food: Steak

·         Hobbies: Working out

·       Party trick: Can pull a coin out from behind your ear. Lame, but kids love it.

Ruth loves nothing more than curling up in front of the telly with a family-sized bar of chocolate. She doesn’t do diets and she certainly doesn’t do exercise. But all that changes when she’s invited to her school reunion.

Bullied at school for being overweight, Ruth’s first reaction is to rip the invitation into a million pieces. But then Ruth hatches a plan. She’ll lose the weight and arrive at the reunion looking gorgeous and glamorous, leaving her old classmates in awe. Especially her former crush, Zack O’Connell.

With the help of her friends and a new, unbelievably hot colleague, Ruth begins her transformation. With six months until the reunion, losing weight will be a piece of cake, right?

Amazon UK | Amazon US

Cover Reveal: A Girl Called Summer by Lucy Lord

Island life is just one step away…

A new start…

Bella and Andy have escaped the rat race for the sun-drenched, relaxed lifestyle on the island of Ibiza. But with a run-down house to make habitable and a distractingly gorgeous neighbour, is their island idyll all that it seems?

A holiday adventure…

Tamara Gold has been Hollywood’s most notorious car crash since she was a child star. Now clean and sober, and engaged to Tinseltown’s hottest leading man, it seems like she’s finally conquered her addictions, if not her bratty behaviour. But a summer in Europe with all the hedonistic lures of Ibiza beckons…

A girl called Summer…

Summer Larsson has always known Ibiza as home: a haven of hippies, yoga and healthy eating – and loneliness. But in Bella, she’s found the friend she always needed, and when Bella’s glamorous Hollywood friends come to visit, it looks like she might have found true love as well…

This could be the summer that everything changes…

 You can pre-order A Girl Called Summer from Amazon here and you can find out more about the author at http://www.lucylordauthor.com

How To Get A (Love) Life by Rosie Blake

 

 

Nicola Brown thinks her life is fine, no matter what those around her think. Her workmate and friend, Caroline is determined to push Nicola into dating. She wants Nicola to get out more, to be adventurous and maybe find love. Nicola doesn't see anything wrong with the fact she hasn't really dated in seven years and that she lives alone.

 

Nicola isn't lonely.

 

Or is she?

 

When Caroline sets Nicola the challenge of finding a date for Valentine's Day, she finds herself accepting. Nicola has been out of the dating game for a long time, but she's determined to find her perfect man.

 

How To Get A (Love) Life has everything I look for in chick lit; a good story with strong leading characters and a light, witty voice. The book is the perfect escape, a chance to immerse yourself in Nicola's life as she attempts to shed her old, boring life and create a much more vibrant one, hopefully with a dream boyfriend by her side. It was a lot of fun to witness some of the situations Nicola finds herself in as she ventures back into the world of dating.

 

I loved the setting of the agency Nicola works in with Caroline and their boss, James. The three have a brilliant rapport going, with a strong friendship as well as a working relationship. Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was Nicola's bond with her bat-loving brother, Mark. They tease each other but you can tell they're close and care about the other's happiness.

 

I really enjoyed reading How To Get A (Love) Life and thought it was a fun, humorous read.