Book Review: CINDERELLA'S NIGHT IN VENICE by Clare Connelly

       CINDERELLA'S NIGHT IN VENICE 

by 

Clare Connelly

Release Date: 27 April, 2021

*

This shy Cinderella will go to the ball…but will she end the night in the billionaire’s arms? Harlequin Presents author Clare Connelly enchants with this passionate and uplifting romance.

The most infuriating man she’s ever met.

The only man she’s ever wanted…

 

When Ares Lykaios insists that Bea Jones accompany him to a gala, she wants to refuse—if just to put the arrogant Greek in his place. Yet Ares is as gorgeous as he is commanding, and she can hardly say no to her PR firm’s biggest client. 

Bea is shy, awkward…and breathtaking in a ball gown. And one kiss proves her desire matches Ares’s own. So after the opportunity arises to finish what they started in Venice, resisting becomes the ultimate test of his strict self-control!

***

Buy Links:

Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335403605_cinderellas-night-in-venice.htm

Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=9781335403605&tag=hcg-02-20

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/cinderellas-night-in-venice/id1532219845

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Clare_Connelly_Cinderella_s_Night_in_Venice?id=7Kb9DwAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cinderella-s-night-in-venice

*

My Thoughts

Clare Connelly’s done a terrific job with CINDERELLA’S NIGHT IN VENICE. It’s a pleasant mix of an old-school category romance that still has a firm foot in the twenty-first century.

Ares Lykaios – a man with Midas qualities - comes with a typical poor background and a domineering attitude. His weak spot is his loyalty to his family, as well as his attraction to the heroine Beatrice (Bea ) Jones.

Both Ares and Bea’s pasts really their current lives. While Ares is quite a straightforward type of billionaire romance hero, it’s Bea that steals the show in this book. Her history is heartbreaking, and I admit to getting teary eyed several times. I appreciated that she was no pushover, and was not afraid to stand up to Ares. I also liked that even though they often butted heads, Ares and Bea did quit a good job at communicating with each other.

Being a short read, there’s not much room for extensive world building, and some decisions are made really quickly, but overall there’s enough to create a cohesive story.

This is my first Clare Connelly book but it certainly won’t be my last. 

Review copy courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher.

*
About the Author

Clare Connelly grew up in a small country town in Australia. Surrounded by rainforests, and rickety old timber houses, magic was thick in the air, and stories and storytelling were a huge part of her childhood. 

From early on in life, Clare realised her favourite books were romance stories, and read voraciously. Anything from Jane Austen to Georgette Heyer, to Mills & Boon and (more recently) the 50 Shades trilogy, Clare is a romance devotee. 

She first turned her hand to penning a novel at fifteen (if memory serves, it was something about a glamorous fashion model who fell foul of a high-end designer. Sparks flew, clothes flew faster, and love was born.) 

​In 2016, Clare Connelly accepted a book deal with Harlequin and now fulfils a life-long dream by writing romance that sets your soul on fire for the brand that the world trusts with its heart.

 

Author Links:
Website: https://clareconnelly.co.uk
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1160213.Clare_Connelly
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clarewriteslove/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarewriteslove
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarewriteslove/

New Release: THE BELLE AND THE BEARD by Kate Canterbary

The Belle and the Beard 

by
Kate Canterbary

is now live!

Jasper-Anne Cleary’s guide to salvaging your life when you find yourself publicly humiliated, out of work, and unemployable at 35—not to mention newly single:

1. Run away. Seriously, there’s no shame in disappearing. Go to that rustic old cottage your aunt left you. Look out for the colony of bats and the leaky roof. Oh, and the barrel-chested neighbor with shoulders like the broad side of a barn. Definitely look out for him.

2. Stop wallowing and stay busy. It doesn’t matter whether you know how to bake or fix things around the house. Do it anyway. Dust off your southern hospitality and feed that burly, bearded neighbor some pecan pie.

3. Meet new people. Chat up the grumpy man-bear, pretend to be his girlfriend when his mother puts you two on the spot, agree to go as his date to a big family party. Don’t worry—it’s only temporary.

4. Cry it out. Screwing up your life entitles you to wine, broody-moody music, and uninterrupted sobbing. 

5. Get over it all by getting under someone. Count on your fake boyfriend to deliver some very real action between the sheets. 

6. Move on. The disappearing act, the cottage, the faux beau—none of it can last forever. 

Linden Santillian’s guide to surviving the invasion when a hell-in-heels campaign strategist moves in next door:

1. Do not engage. There is no good reason you should chop her wood, haul her boxes, or pick her apples. 

2. Do not accept gifts, especially not the homemade ones. Disconnect the doorbell, toss your phone over a bridge, hide in the basement if you must, but do not eat her pie. 

3. Do not introduce her to your friends and family. They’ll favor her over you and never let you forget it.

4. Do not intervene when she’s crying on the back porch. Ignore every desire to fix the entire world for her. By no means should you take her into your arms and memorize her peach-sweet curves. 

5. Do not take her to bed, even if it’s just to get her out of your system.

6. Do not, under any circumstances, fall in love with her.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
https://geni.us/BATBam

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2YQv5Lj




Meet Kate




USA Today Bestseller Kate Canterbary writes smart, steamy contemporary romances loaded with heat, heart, and happy ever afters. Kate lives on the New England coast with her husband and daughter.
 
Connect with Kate
Website | www.katecanterbary.com
Goodreads | https://bit.ly/38egGxI
Amazon | https://amzn.to/3kL9fDi
Facebook | www.facebook.com/kcanterbary
Facebook Group | https://bit.ly/3edupsg
Instagram | www.instagram.com/katecanterbary
Twitter | https://bit.ly/38dyGIA
Bookbub | www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-canterbary
Pinterest | https://bit.ly/38acizB
Newsletter | https://bit.ly/3bk8PRh

Book Review: BOOK OF LOVE by Erin Satie

Author: Erin Satie

Book: Book Of Love

Series: Sweetness and Light    

Publication Day: 20 April 2021 

 

 She’s trying to make ends meet. He’s out for a bit of fun.

Cordelia is busy, focused, worried about the future of her fledgling bookbinding business. When a handsome man stops her on the street to pester her with questions, she gives him the consideration he deserves: none.

That handsome man happens to be the Duke of Stroud, and he finds Cordelia’s hostility hilarious. He gives chase, if only for the pleasure of provoking her again.

He thinks life is a game. She doesn’t play around.

Within days of meeting Cordelia, Stroud sets a marching band on a matchmaking mama, defaces a local monument, and ropes Cordelia into a round of his favorite game.

In that same time, Cordelia stitches together the complete works of Mary Wollstonecraft, enthusiastically devotes herself to a petition demanding expanded legal rights for married women, and beats Stroud at his own game.

She defies all expectations. So does he.

Most people dismiss Stroud as a fool—himself included. When Cordelia sees past his lighthearted facade, he’s terrified and also... in love?

Stroud barges into Cordelia’s life, offering her all the material and sensual temptations she’s learned to do without. She usually has willpower to spare, but turning him down takes all of it, and then some. He’s oddly irresistible.

Or maybe they’re perfect for one another.

Purchase Links: 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WQC7NFW

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book-of-love-erin-satie/1138833529

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/book-of-love-8

iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/book-of-love/id1553975656?itsct=books_toolbox&itscg=30200&ct=books_book_of_love&ls=1

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=XxMeEAAAQBAJ

***

My Thoughts

Erin Satie’s distinctive story telling once again shines in BOOK OF LOVE, book two in the Sweetness and Light series. I not only love Satie’s unique characters but how she weaves social history into the narrative.

Cordelia Kelly is alone and trying to forge her way in the world. To stay true to herself and her beliefs, she has left behind a comfortable but shackled life, and has been shunned by her family.  She is forced to turn her love of bookbinding into a job; she loves the art of it, but she also needs to survive, and this is not an easy task for a single female in Victorian London.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Alistair Chandos, Duke of Stroud. He lives a most advantageous life in many respects, yet he willingly acts the fool. As a large child and later adult, Alistair was keen for people to accept him, to not physically fear him. He has never shaken off his ‘fool’ persona and doesn’t recognise the wasted potential and opportunity he has as a titled person, and a duke at that.

This isn’t a romance about opposites attracting because Cordelia and Alistair are on different solar systems in terms of their circumstances, their beliefs and how they conduct themselves. What Satie has done so well is bringing to life these diverse characters, and letting them be themselves, warts and all. She allows them to communicate in their own way. It’s not always polite and the messages are hard to swallow at times, but Cordelia and Alistair get a better understanding of themselves based on these interactions. And I love that the changes these characters make is ultimately to better themselves, and not for the approval of others.  

This book is ideal for fans of original narratives, determined heroines, and an interest in the restrictions of Victorian life, especially for women. I’ve been waiting some time for this book and it was worth the wait.  

Review copy courtesy of Netgalley and Inkslinger PR

***

About the Author

Erin Satie is the author of the dark and elegant No Better Angels series, historical romances set in the early Victorian period. She’s currently hard at work on her upcoming series, Sweetness & Light, which should be just as elegant but not quite so dark. 

Erin is a California native who’s lived on the coasts and in the heartland, in tiny city apartments and on a working farm. She studied art history in both college and graduate school—research is always her favorite part of starting a new book. 

Her favorite part of finishing a book, whether reading or writing, is the happily ever after.

 

Author Links:  

Twitter: www.twitter.com/erinsatie

Instagram; www.instagram.com/erinsatieauthor

Facebook: facebook/erinsatie

Blog Tour & Book Review: THE HOUSE SWAP by Jo Lovett

   

Blog Tour

for

THE HOUSE SWAP

by

Jo Lovett

Author: Jo Lovett

Book: The House Swap

Publication Day: 19 April 2021 

 

Island house off coast of Maine, with private beach, sea views and the occasional farmyard animal, seeks super swanky Central London penthouse overlooking Holland Park, complete with concierge service and spurned ex-lovers…

When thirty-somethings Cassie and James find each other on a home swap website, it feels meant to be. City hotshot James needs a bolthole after a relationship goes sour and Cassie needs to leave the comfort of her little island to research her new book.

Soon, James is living in Cassie’s cute but ramshackle beachside cottage, and Cassie’s living in James’s luxurious London apartment. It’s the perfect solution.

Except James didn’t imagine he’d be sharing his home with eleven chickens and three alpacas, not to mention the unusually friendly neighbours, who seem to find any excuse to drop by. And Cassie is less than impressed when James’s ex-girlfriend turns up at his door, demanding to know where he’s gone.

The more Cassie and James talk, the more the tension between them mounts. But as the insults fly so do the sparks, and when the time finally comes to swap back, Cassie and James find they aren’t quite ready to give each other up.

But there’s more than just distance between them – and when Cassie makes a surprising discovery, the pair are forced to confront their feelings and decide what kind of life they really want.

An utterly heart-warming love story that will make you laugh and cry, fans of The Flatshare, The Hating Game and movies like The Holiday will fall head over heels for The House Swap.

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3da6FVl

Apple: https://apple.co/2LLYkvR

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3iqd1kh

Google: https://bit.ly/3sF99k0

***

My Thoughts

THE HOUSE SWAP by Jo Lovett is the story of James and Cassie who live on opposite sides of the world. Circumstances force them to seek accommodation far away from home. Serendipity sees them connecting via a house swapping website, and thus begins a not-quite-but-close-to enemies to lovers relationship.

A third ‘character’ and one that I enjoyed reading about was the diverse settings. We get to spend time in bustling, modern day London and a barely inhabited coastal island.

I have to admit that I needed to recalibrate my expectations about this book while reading it. It starts off amusingly enough, with a clueless James realising at the very wrong and very public moment that his current girlfriend is expecting a marriage proposal, then quickly moves to a heavy, often intense, journey of two people trying to move beyond emotional hardships they have been facing for many years.

I think Lovett did a commendable job in communicating the thoughts and feelings of James and Cassie. By the end, I knew both characters and their motivations much better. Admittedly, I never fully warmed up to James, but they found each other and they are happy. If they’re happy, I am happy.

I did enjoy Lovett’s overall writing style and would be happy to read her other work. 

Review copy courtesy of Netgalley and Bookouture

About the Author

Jo Lovett lives in London with her family.

She worked in Corporate Tax before taking a longer-than-expected career break to have more-than-expected children (five). She started writing romantic comedy when she realised that she was regularly begging her oldest son to let her do his English homework but she wasn't actually that interested in haunted houses or Macbeth. 

Jo was runner-up in the Good Housekeeping/ Orion First Novel Competition 2018 and shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Award 2019.

Her first novel, 'The First Time We Met', was published by Bookouture in November 2020 and her second, 'The House Swap', comes out in April 2021.

When she can escape from her laundry mountain, she enjoys reading, tennis and wine.

https://twitter.com/JoLovettWrites

Blog Tour

Blog Tour & Book Review: THE MUSEUM MURDER by Katie Gayle

  

Blog Tour

for

THE MUSEUM MURDER

by

Katie Gayle

Author: Katie Gayle

Book: The Museum Murder

Series: Epiphany Bloom Mysteries (Book 2)

Publication Day: 31 March 2021 

 

Dastardly deeds, daring deceptions and a dress to die for… Epiphany Bloom is back on the case!

Epiphany ‘Pip’ Bloom, would-be detective and London’s unluckiest woman, finds herself in a real costume drama when she unearths a theft at a fashion museum.

The missing dress is a proper piece of Hollywood history, worth a fortune. And as Pip investigates, she finds the museum staff all had reasons to want the garment gone. From fancy boutiques to sketchy back alleys, Pip discovers the fashion world is not all glitz and glamour as she hunts down her prize.

As if she doesn’t have enough on her plate, Pip also has her growing feelings for her housemate Tim to contend with, a family of cats to feed and her mother keeps phoning about a shipment of llamas arriving any day now from South America.

But there’s no time for distractions because Pip’s not the only one after the dress. And for the most dedicated collectors, a piece like this is worth any price – even murder…

A laugh-out-loud, light-hearted cozy mystery for fans of M.C. Beaton, T.E. Kinsey and Joanne Fluke, that will have you reading late into the night.

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3chaM1l

Apple: https://apple.co/3qzldlV

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3mTY1MV

Google: https://bit.ly/33QqdsO

***

My Thoughts

She’s back! Come and join Epiphany Bloom on her latest  comedy of errors … erm … adventure in THE MUSEUM MURDER.

We left Pip on a high after her first outing as a trainee private detective (The Kensington Kidnap) but things didn’t go as planned. We find Pip unemployed – again. But she’s got her kittens to play with and a flatmate to ogle, so life could be worse.

Never fear! With the help of sister Flis and some dissembling on her part, Pip is soon working at a vintage fashion and movie memorabilia museum. Stepping over the threshold on the first day, Pip discovers a famous movie dress has been stolen. It’s up to Pip to use her basic – let’s face it, beyond basic – detective skills to figure out where it’s gone. Was it a robbery or an inside job?

You wouldn’t think a sophisticated city like London would be a suitable setting for a cosy mystery, but Katie Gayle has made it work. The mysteries Pip is solving are not complex enough to make your brain hurt, but they are plotted well. Sure, you need to suspend some belief, but the books make for fun entertainment.    

 I like Pip. I like her inner monologues, her approach to her wacky family, her clumsiness and her uncertainty about her relationship status with her flatmate, Tim.

Add it to your list if you’re after an undemanding yet entertaining read.  

Review copy courtesy of Netgalley and Bookouture

About the Authors

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.

https://www.facebook.com/KatieGayleWriter

https://twitter.com/KatieGayleBooks

Blog Tour