#Tour! #Review – A Little Luck, A Lot of Faith by @LinnBHalton @Brookcottagebks @ChocLituk

Linn.B.Halton returns to TWG with her newest novel; A Little Luck, A Lot of Faith, published by Choc Lit UK in 2016. Linn first appeared on TWG with her previous novel, you can find my review for that one here:  Blog Tour! ‘A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love’ by Linn B Halton (@LinnBHalton) @BrookCottagebks.
I hope you enjoy my review for this book! Keep your eye out for a fab giveaway further down the page too!

Blurb.

When destiny calls, you need to pick up …

On the surface, Kristi Danielson has it all. She’s lifestyle coach to the rich and famous, has a bestselling book to her name and is described by her fans as “the veritable Queen of how to lead a fulfilling life”. But the harsh truth is that Kristi has never practiced what she preaches. Her home life is a mess, her relationship with artist boyfriend, Tom, not much better – and now she has to

redeem herself before all is lost.

At her wit’s end, Kristi is driven to seek out the help of Patrick Blakeslee, a tarot card reader and psychic medium, in an attempt to make sense of the mounting panic she’s feeling. But Patrick’s visits have an unexpected effect on Kristi, leaving her with more questions than answers – and a life-changing decision to make.

What does TWG think?

Having LOVED Linn’s previous novel; A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love, I had really high hopes for ‘A Little Luck, A Lot of Faith’, and I couldn’t wait to get stuck into it.

When we offer advice to others, the chances of us actually listening to our own advice is probably slim to none. We can help other people with their demons but as soon as our own demon comes knocking, we ignore our own advice and pretend the demon is really…chocolate (well I do, ahem). Luckily, it’s not just us readers that are like that! Take Kristi for example, a life coach who is at the top of her game when it comes to her career and offering life advice, yet when it comes to her OWN life and personal relationships, coaching herself isn’t top of her agenda.

I really, really wanted to fall in love with this book straight away; but for the first chapter or two, I couldn’t warm to it in a way I had hoped I would. I decided to put the book down to go and do something else for ten minutes, ensuring that I came back to the book fresh eyed. Well, that was the theory anyway. However after a mere few minutes, curiosity got the better of me and I found myself wondering what Kristi was up to, whether she was okay or whether Tom grown a pair yet. It turns out that I had warmed to the book and the storyline, it was just in a completely different way than before! From the moment the book was back in my hands, it stayed there until the words ‘The End’ appeared.

The issues that Kristi faced were exceptionally heart-warming and very relatable. In a matter of paragraphs she seemed to go from an icy character, to a character with a little naivety, and a lot of heart (see what I did there?). We were able to see a completely different side of her as a person, once she opened her eyes to her surroundings (and Tom). When the storyline introduced the psychic medium I really didn’t know what to think as I hadn’t really been in a position to think about, never had the need to. However, having never been involved with psychics in my own life, I couldn’t really form an opinion on the subject having never been in contact with it. That said, I loved absorbing the quirky topic and seeing how it fit in to Kristi’s life. Definitely opened my eyes to multiple possibilities, never say never!

As Linn has shown in the two novels that I have read of hers; her writing skill is one which oozes consistency and warmth. Despite the fact that Linn has written books about completely different situations, she still managed to hold my attention during the book and let her words do the talking without me feeling as though something was missing. A Little Luck, A Lot of Faith is definitely a book to curl up on the sofa with and just let Linn’s enchanting words pull you into the magic that is the story.

Linn.B.Halton is the type of author whose novels shout cosy and warm. I wish I could put my finger on exactly what it is that moves me about Linn and her novels, but I cannot put it into words. All I know is that if I need a hug or if I need to feel calm, I am confident to put my trust into Linn.B.Halton’s books to get just that.

If you haven’t read any of Linn.B.Halton’s books yet, you’re severely missing out.

Click this link to buy!

EXCERPT

I’m the middle child, sandwiched between my eldest brother, Luke, and the baby of the

family, Drew. My mother had three brothers and so, as the only two daughters in two

generations, we were always in the minority. That rather tends to shape the way you look at things and there are only two ways it can go. Either you are the one whose voice is seldom heard above the sea of testosterone around you, or you make yours the loudest voice of them all. You become the organiser; the one who leads – in short, my brothers accepted that I was in charge. Maybe it was because I had inherited the bossy gene, if such a thing exists. But, from a tender age, what I lacked in practical knowledge, I made up for with sheer common sense and the dubious ability to be believable.

I say dubious, because I learnt that I had the power to organise and control what went on

around me. I was a natural. What surprised me was the fact that people around me loved

being told what to do. They sought my advice, opening up to me and looking for guidance at every step of the way. As a teenager I felt I had a heady power and it gave me a sense of

confidence. At the time I didn’t understand that it was something to be treated with respect and a healthy dose of reality.

People simply lapped-up what I told them and that, I suppose,

was the blessing that has become a curse. When people are unsure about what to do next they look around for someone strong to advise them. In their desperation they are grateful and comforted and the person delivering the advice? Well, it’s addictive and each little success elevates you in their eyes, as well as in your own. The truth is that I am supremely confident when it comes to organising other people’s lives. I’m extremely proud of the fact that I can inspire others and encourage them to develop their full potential. When it comes to my own life, it’s held together with the emotional equivalent of string and Blu-tack. Simply put, I’m a fraud. Money and fame go hand-in- hand and there isn’t a chat show worth mentioning that hasn’t featured me at some point in the last few years. My name constantly crops up around the world and even in countries like the US, Japan, and Sweden, it’s instantly recognisable. Grab Life and Run With It is in its fourth season in the UK and I’ve just signed a contract for a further six episodes. My fan club is full of hopeful people, eager to share each of their milestones on Twitter, as they follow my celebrated Twelve Steps to Finding YOU plan.

To the world it appears I have all of the trappings of success. The harsh reality is that I

spend my time trying to cover the tracks of a life that has no balance. All I have is my work –

there is nothing else.

GIVEAWAY!!

CONTEST – OPEN INTERNATIONALLY – No Purchase necessary

Three signed copies of A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love paperbacks.

To enter the giveaway click: HERE.

About the author.

Bristol-born Linn B Halton lives on the edge of the small market town of Cinderford, in the Forest of  Dean, in the UK.

“I’m a hopeless romantic, self-confessed chocaholic, and lover of strong coffee. For me, life is about family, friends, writing … and house renovation! Oh, and the occasional glass of White Grenache”

An Amazon UK Top 100 best-selling author with A Cottage in the Country in November 2015, Under The Stars also became a best-seller in November 2016. Linn’s novels have been short-listed in the UK’s Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards. Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award.

Linn writes chick lit, women’s contemporary fiction and psychic romance for Choc Lit, Harper Impulse and Endeavour Press.

Facebook // Twitter // Goodreads Author Page // Website // Pinterest

#BlogTour #Guestpost from author of ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ @Laura_E_James @ChocLitUK

Absolutely thrilled to be today’s stop on the blog tour for Laura E James’ ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’, alongside other fabulous bloggers. Laura’s latest released was published by ChocLitUK on the 9th January and is currently sporting a whopping 42 five star reviews on Amazon (figure correct as of 12/01/17)! Before I share the guest post, here is a little bit more about the book, as well as the all important ‘to buy’ link:

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – but how strong can one person be?

Griff Hendry knows what it is to be strong. After a turbulent past, he’s dedicated himself to saving lives, working as a coastguard along the breath- taking shores of Dorset. It’s Griff’s belief that everyone is worth saving – which is why he can’t forgive his father, Logan, for what he did.

Griff’s future is plunged into uncertainty when his wife, Evie, tells him she wants a separation. The revelation is a shock and leads Griff to question what Evie could possibly be hiding – and she isn’t the only one holding back. Griff’s troubled stepdaughter, Tess, also harbours a dark secret.

As the truth is uncovered, Griff is forced to accept that perhaps he’s never understood what real strength is.

Buy from Amazon

Laura James has written a post especially for TWG, so without further ado, it gives me great pleasure to hand you over to the lady herself.

Griff – Getting To Know You.

Thank you so much for inviting me to The Writing Garnet to celebrate the launch of the paperback of my third novel in the Chesil Beach Books, What Doesn’t Kill You.

I was looking through the notebook in which I’d started writing What Doesn’t Kill You, as I remembered asking my main character, Griff Hendry, a series of questions, to fix his personality and backstory in my mind. I’d not used the technique before, but it’s interesting to look back a couple of years later to see if the answers given are relevant to the fully formed Griff and whether the technique worked.

This is what I discovered then: When Griff was a boy his bedroom was decorated with wallpaper depicting the history of planes, the main colours being blues, greys and greens. He suffered a broken ankle at the age of sixteen, and the film he watch repeatedly was Top Gun. The most disgusting food he’d ever eaten was octopus – the tentacles appeared to be alive. He liked to visit the remote Scottish Highlands although he hates snow, and he’s kept awake at night worrying about his wife’s emotional distance and his step-daughter’s deep disregard for him. He loves his dog, healthy food and his job – he works for HM Coastguard. Slackers annoy him, his star sign is Aries and he’s a natural leader.

What I know now: Not once in WDKY did Griff refer to his bedroom wallpaper, Top Gun, or eating octopus tentacles. His father, Logan, was born in Scotland, so that’s probably from where Griff’s love of the Highlands stems. He does lie awake at night worrying and trying to work out how on earth he can fix his relationship with his wife, Evie. The problem is Griff has no idea why or how it fractured. He’s a man who needs a dog, and his Old English sheepdog, Ozzy, is his best friend. Since the age of sixteen, Griff wanted to work for HM Coastguard and now holds a senior position. His natural leadership serves him well. His birthday is in April, and he falls under the sign of the ram – Aries.

Although Griff’s wallpaper doesn’t crop up in the novel, and until I wrote this post, he and I were the only ones who knew about the planes, it helped me get a handle on who Griff Hendry is.

I like to know my characters’ backstories and often have reams of paper with lists and spider diagrams detailing their strengths and weaknesses, their likes and dislikes, and their fears and anxieties. From that point I work out what’s happened to them to make them the way they are. What happened to Griff that made him want to be a coastguard? What makes him so keen to save everyone? Why does he carry the weight of responsibility on his shoulders? It’s important to me that the backstories are authentic. There has to be an element of, ‘Oh, that explains why he did that,’ rather than, ‘Well, that wouldn’t happen just because he …’

I research far more information than I put on the page. It might not be essential to the plot that Griff had the history of airplanes plastered around his childhood bedroom, but it gives me an important insight into his character which allows me to develop him as an adult. For me the wallpaper and his love of the film, Top Gun, indicates he has a sense of adventure, a sense of history, that he likes military order and precision, and that, perhaps, he likes the companionship and loyalty one gains when working in a team – that friendship, dependability and honesty are important to him in all areas of his life. I hope I’ve shown those values through Griff’s words and actions.

So, back to my original thought; are Griff’s answers to the interview questions, given at the early stages of his development, relevant to his much later and fully formed character? Yes. The interview technique worked for me and it’s been interesting looking back and seeing how Griff Hendry grew as a main character. It’s certainly something I will do again with new characters.

Now, would you like to know the state of Griff’s underwear drawer?

Interesting guest post, thank you Laura!

Make sure you check out the rest of the stops on the tour!

Blog Tour! ‘A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love’ by Linn B Halton (@LinnBHalton) @BrookCottagebks

Today it is my stop on the blog tour for Linn.B.Halton’s ‘ A Lot of Sugar, A Lot of Love’! There is also a giveaway at the end of the post, just incase you fancy your luck!

Blurb.

Life isn’t all love and cupcakes …

Katie has had her fair share of bad luck, but when she finally realises her dream of opening a bakery it seems things can only get better. But the reality of running a business hits Katie hard and whilst her partner, Steve, tries to help she begins to sense that the situation is driving them further apart. Could Katie be set to lose her relationship and her dream job?

Then, one winter’s day, a man walks into her shop – and, in the space of that moment, the course of Katie’s life is changed. But nobody finds happiness in the blink of an eye. Sometimes it takes two Christmases, three birthdays and a whole lot of cake to get there …

Previously released as Sweet Occasions by the author. Revised and edited by Choc Lit December 2015.

What does TWG think?

Absolutely thrilled to be part of this blog tour, courtesy of Brook Cottage Books! I was rather intrigued by the cover of this book as it didn’t give a lot away and the title itself made me want to find out more.

‘A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love’ is set in a bakery; a bakery that is being run from the heart and not by the amount of money that goes into the till daily. Katie adores her bakery, but as her partner is a businessman, all he sees are figures, overheads and a business that lacks yeast and not rising as much as he wants it to. Unfortunately, it turns out that Katie may be being swayed into her partners way of thinking as she’s too afraid to say ‘no’. It’s funny what guilt can do isn’t it?

I must admit, I found Katie and Steve’s relationship quite an absurd one at first as I could tell something wasn’t sitting quite right, I just didn’t know what. The further into the storyline that I got, the much clearer that things became, but I still couldn’t work out what Steve’s motives were. If he had any that is!

I absolutely adored how the authors wonderful writing managed to embrace the warmth and heart of the bakery, just by the description used. I could smell the baking, I could see the wonderful cakes that were being decorated, and I could feel the heart and soul that oozed from the bakery walls. I am in awe at how Linn managed to create that feeling within her book. Absolutely outstanding.

There was a rather poignant part of the storyline which made me overcome with emotion. Obviously I can’t say too much about that part as I don’t want to give anything away, but wow, completely and utterly unexpected. It opened my eyes to many, many things; especially the powerful force behind true love itself.

As this was the first book of Linn.B.Halton’s that I have ever read, I reserved judgement as I had no idea what to expect or where the authors words would take me. It did not disappoint at all as it is a book that has stayed in my head since I finished reading it. If this book was a cake, it would be the most beautiful, multiple layered, complex and outstanding cake ever to be made. Never mind a little sugar; Linn’s book gave me a lot of sugar and a lot of love. Brilliant.

Thank you Brook Cottage Books!

A Little Sugar, A Lot of Love by Linn.B.Halton, published by Choc Lit, is available to buy now from:

Amazon UK E-Book
Amazon UK Paperback
Amazon US E-Book
Amazon US Paperback

GIVEAWAY! If you are feeling a little bit lucky, you can enter the giveaway here. Good luck!

About the author.

“I’m a hopeless romantic, self-confessed chocaholic, and lover of coffee. For me, life is about family, friends, and writing. Oh, and the occasional glass of White Grenache…”

An Amazon UK Top 100 best-selling author with A Cottage in the Country in November 2015, Linn’s novels have been short-listed in the UK’s Festival of Romance and the eFestival of Words Book Awards. Linn won the 2013 UK Festival of Romance: Innovation in Romantic Fiction award. Linn writes chick lit, women’s contemporary fiction and psychic romance for Choc Lit, Harper Impulse and Endeavour Press.

Website/blog: http://linnbhalton.co.uk/

Twitter: @LinnBHalton FB: Linn B Halton Author

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/LittleSugarLotOfLove

TWG’s Don’t-Snooze-You’ll-Lose Deal Day With…

What better way to start off a Monday than with a TWG Deal Day. Today’s deal is a belter! I don’t have just ONE book for you, not even TWO books for you, how does a book deal containing THREE books sound?

Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking; ‘hurry up and tell us TWG’! The author behind the incredible deal is the very talented…..Sue Moorcroft!

Three e-books, one deal. How does 99p sound for all three?

Yes, you heard me right.

99p is all it will cost for you to get THREE Sue Moorcroft novels onto your kindle within minutes! This is one you definitely do NOT want to miss. Introducing ‘Three Hot Heroes’!

Three Hot Heroes contains: Starting Over, All That Mullarkey and Love and Freedom by Sue Moorcroft.

Starting Over:

New home, new friends, new love. Can starting over be that simple?
Tess Riddell reckons her beloved Freelander is more reliable than any man – especially her ex-fiancé, Olly Gray. She’s moving on from her old life and into the perfect cottage in the country.

Miles Rattenbury’s passions? Old cars and new women! Romance? He’s into fun rather than commitment. When Tess crashes the Freelander into his breakdown truck, they find that they’re nearly neighbours yet worlds apart.

Despite her overprotective parents and a suddenly attentive Olly, she discovers the joys of village life and even forms an unlikely friendship with Miles. Then, just as their relationship develops into something deeper, an old flame comes looking for him …

Is their love strong enough to overcome the past? Or will it take more than either of them is prepared to give?

All That Mullarkey:

Revenge and love: it’s a thin line…
The writing’s on the wall for Cleo and Gav. The bedroom wall, to be precise. And it says ‘This marriage is over.’ Wounded and furious, Cleo embarks on a night out with the girls, which turns into a glorious one night stand with…

Justin, centrefold material and irrepressibly irresponsible. He loves a little wildness in a woman and he’s in the right place at the right time to enjoy Cleo’s.

But it s Cleo who has to pick up the pieces of a marriage based on a lie and the lasting repercussions of that night. Torn between laid-back Justin and control freak Gav, she s a free spirit that life is trying to tie down.
But the rewards are worth it!

Love & Freedom:

New start, new love.
That’s what Honor Sontag needs after her life falls apart, leaving her reputation in tatters and her head all over the place. So she flees her native America and heads for Brighton, England. Honor’s hoping for a much-deserved break and the chance to find the mother who abandoned her as a baby. What she gets is an entanglement with a mysterious male whose family seems to have a finger in every pot in town.

Martyn Mayfair has sworn off women with strings attached, but is irresistibly drawn to Honor, the American who keeps popping up in his life. All he wants is an uncomplicated relationship built on honesty, but Honor’s past threatens to undermine everything.

Then secrets about her mother start to spill out … Honor has to make an agonising choice. Will she live up to her dutiful name and please others? Or will she choose freedom?

Love & Freedom won the 2011 Best Romantic Read Award from the Festival of Romance.

All novels are full length. Please note: this deal is on for a LIMITED TIME ONLY. I do not know when the deal will end at all so if you really don’t want to miss out, you’re better off buying them as soon as possible. It really is such an incredible and generous deal so please do take advantage while you can, and please do share in case anyone you know would like these books too! Order your books now from Amazon UK.

Social media links for Sue Moorcroft

Website
Blog
Facebook author page
Twitter – @suemoorcroft
Instagram

Blog Tour! The Sunflower Cottage Breakfast Club by Lynsey James – Review.

Blurb.

The perfect summer romance for a sunny afternoon and a picnic in the park.

Emily Reed is having a bad day. Devastated at losing her hard ­earned promotion to the ditz who’s sleeping with the boss, her mother drops a devastating bombshell—the dad she’s known and loved for twenty ­five years isn’t her biological father.

Now Emily needs answers and a month in Luna Bay should give her the time she needs to find her father, and land the difficult client at the Sunflower Cottage B&B which should put her back in the running for her coveted promotion. Setting up the Sunflower Cottage breakfast club should be a great way to meet the locals and maybe even find out who her father is! The only problem is that brooding and insanely gorgeous, Noah, is determined to make Emily’s stay perfectly uncomfortable. Finding out the truth was never going to be simple, but she never thought her heart would get in the way…

What does TWG think?

Thank you to Lynsey and NeverlandBT for inviting me on the tour for ‘The Sunflower Cottage’ and giving me an ARC in return for my honest thoughts.

You would be pretty annoyed if you had been promised a promotion after landing a big client, to then have it taken away by the colleague that thinks doing certain ‘favours’ makes her perfect for the promotion, right? Damn right you would be! Just when Emily thought her day couldn’t get any worse, it did, thanks to her mother. Will Emily be able to trust her mum and ‘dad’ again, or will things continue to turn sour?

‘The Sunflower Cottage’ is the second book in the ‘Luna Bay’ series, but it can be read as a standalone, which is ideal as I haven’t read the first book in the series myself. It was my first visit to Luna Bay and I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The name of the cottage had me rather intrigued! The bombshell that Emily’s mother dropped on her was a complete shock, however, I was surprised that Emily wasn’t more upset or devastated than she appeared to be.

I really enjoyed ‘looking’ around Sunflower Cottage. Lynsey described the cottage in such a way, I felt like I was walking along with Emily, and seeing everything that she saw. Such vivid description. I found the first part of the book a nice and easy read. However, as the book went on I found myself finding it TOO nice when it came to certain situations which then made the book lack depth a little. I felt as though Emily should have had more gusto instead of just saying ‘yes’ to everything, I mean, everyone in the Bay didn’t want her to leave and to stay, including Noah. But why should she have had to do all of the work?

I love the way Lynsey describes everything with such feeling. Her style of writing makes the places in her books come to life, that takes talent. Overall, I found ‘The Sunflower Cottage’ to be an easy-going and light read that made me question how to cook eggs! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the essence of the book, but there were several part of the book that weren’t for me. It’s a lovely book to cosy up with though, definitely! I am looking forward to Lynsey’s next book!!

The Sunflower Cottage by Lynsey James, published by Carina, is available to buy right now from Amazon UK.

About the author.

About Lynsey James

Lynsey James was born in Fife in 1991 and has been telling people how to spell her name ever since. She’s an incurable bookworm who loves nothing more than getting lost in a good story with memorable characters. She started writing when she was really young and credits her lovely Grandad­ and possibly a bump on the head from a Mr Frosty machine­ with her love of telling stories. She used to write her own episodes of Friends and act them out in front of her family (in fact she’s sure she put Ross and Rachel together first!)

A careers adviser at school once told Lynsey writing wasn’t a “good option” and for a few years, she believed her. She tried a little bit of everything, including make­up artistry, teaching and doing admin for a chocolate fountain company. The free chocolate was brilliant.
When Lynsey left her job a couple of years ago, she started writing full­time while she looked for another one. As soon as she started working on her story, Lynsey fell in love and decided to finally pursue her dream. She haven’t looked back since.

When Lynsey’s not writing, eating cake or drinking tea, she’s daydreaming about the day Dylan O’Brien FINALLY realises they’re meant to be together. It’ll happen one day…

Lynsey’s Twitter
Lynsey’s Facebook
Lynsey’s Blog.