Country Affairs

If you follow this blog, or my website or Facebook page, you'll know that besides books and writing, my other other passions are horses and dogs, and of course the countryside.  So when I found out about fellow Brit author Zara Stoneley's latest release, 'Country Affairs' I just had to invite her to my blog as part of her Brook Cottage Books tour.  Here's some more about the book.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Humour/ChickLit

Release Date: e-book 7 May 2015, Paperback 16 July 2015

Publisher:  HarperCollins (HarperImpulse)

COUNTRY AFFAIRS
'A great treat for readers who love their books jam-packed with sexy men and horses.' Bestselling author Fiona Walke. It’s time to get back in the saddle with the follow up to the deliciously naughty Stable Mates!

BLURB

Swapping her spurs for stilettoes and becoming Lady of the Manor is not on loveable, but scatty, Lottie’s life plan. Nor does she have the faintest idea how to rescue it from rack and ruin.

But with footballer’s wife Sam on the case, determined to bring glamour to the manor, and fun-loving eventer Rory egging them on, nothing can possibly go wrong, can it?

Todd never forgave himself for abandoning Lottie on a Barcelona beach, but now he’s tracked her down and he’s ready to kiss and make up. With a roving eye and his roguish grin he soon has more than one girl in Tippermere going weak at the knees, but why is he really there?

With wedding plans going awry, unexpected pregnancies and relationships starting to look rocky, will Lottie ever be ready to accept her inheritance and help Tipping House Estate move into the 21st Century?
 

Let's find out more about the super sexy hunks in her book. Over to you, Zara:

Here come the men!  Country Affairs

The great thing about sportsmen is that you can guarantee they’ll be fit, they’ll probably be pretty competitive and chances are they will love a challenge. And all the men of Tippermere pretty much fit the bill – so which one would you go for? (Check out my pinterest board for pics!)

Rory Steel – is a sexy three day eventer. He’ll do anything for a dare, is a bit of an adrenalin junkie and is the one man who is guaranteed to make Lottie laugh. He could be the guy for you if you like a challenge and having fun, and don’t mind his terriers and horses. Don’t expect him to sit still for longer than absolutely necessary though, like Tilly the terrier he’s always got a glint in his eye and is looking for trouble. And bear in mind his taste in girls might be similar to his taste in horses - he like them flighty, brave and slightly unpredictable, like Flash.

Todd Mitchell – is an Australian surfer who abandoned Lottie on the beach in Barcelona. He prefers the surf to the green grass of Cheshire and is far too tall for the Tippermere quaint cottages.   If you’re not desperate for a happy ever after (he’s not got a great track record), but do like wall to wall fun then Todd could be the one for you. And you are guaranteed that his fit body comes with an all over tan (not something you often get with a horse rider), as well as a six pack! With the exception of Lottie, he’s always had a thing for perfectly groomed blonds (girls not horses!), but he’s open to offers.

Mick O’Neal - dangerously sexy, deep thinker, Irish charmer, he’s ruggedly handsome in a dark and mysterious way but often has a twinkle in his eye. Do you like a guy who’s perceptive and protective? Mick could be for you, but he’s not been lucky in love and with his damaged heart might be a tricky customer. A farrier, not a competitive rider, he’s still a wonderful horseman so steer clear if you don’t like horses and the country life. But can any girl resist that steady gaze, and those warm, firm hands?

Dominic Stanthorpe – is a true aristocrat. He’s always striving for perfection, and has a strong sense of duty. This man is undemonstrative, but totally loyal and will do anything for the woman he loves (which can surprise even him). As a dressage rider he dislikes shoddy behaviour, flamboyance and surprises. If you like control and the best things in life then Dominic could be your perfect man, if you’re a tantrum type of girl then he might well be off at a gallop.

Bestselling author Zara Stoneley lives in deepest Cheshire surrounded by horses, dogs, cats and amazing countryside. When she's not visiting wine bars, artisan markets or admiring the scenery in her sexy high heels or green wellies, she can be found in flip flops on the beach in Barcelona, or more likely sampling the tapas! Zara writes hot romance and bonkbusters. Her latest novels, 'Stable Mates' and ‘Country Affairs’, are fun romps through the Cheshire countryside and combine some of her greatest loves - horses, dogs, hot men and strong women (and not forgetting champagne and fast cars)!
She writes for Harper Collins and Accent Press.

 Find out more about Zara:

Website      Twitter        Facebook        Google+

 
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The Bleikovat Event - The Cairns of Sainctuarie by Hawk MacKinney

BLURB:

Among the close-kin clans of western rural Malfesian Murians, farming and gelf ranches are long held traditions.  Times are good…full barns, fat gelf calves and large families thrive among the sprawling grain fields and hamlets and the river from which they derive their name—the Feldon.  Word comes with the trade caravans that times are not so good in the regions far to the east of the Feldon River:  tumultuous changes stir among the remote province of Bleikovia.  Old timer Feldovats shrug it off as one more squabble between clans over boundaries or water rights…too distant to affect the Feldovats.

The western clans learn too late, however, it is no local squabble.  Outnumbered and unprepared, Feldovats resist a hoard bent on plunder and conquest.  Days of battle along the Feldon River stain the riverbanks in green Murian blood.  In the finals days of exhausted fighting, Judikar Klarvko Celo, leader of the Clan Klarvkon and the Feldovats, is fatally stabbed with the slow-acting sevon poison.  The Judikar’s consort, Etikaa Klarvkaa, becomes Regentkaa, and with Celovat Field Commander Korvo Celo serving as her advisor, she leads the demoralized Feldovat survivors on a gruesome ill-prepared winter trek through high mountain passes of ice and blizzard snow in an attempt to elude the Green Dragon forces of the Bleikovats.

Etkaa’s only son, Klarvko Celo II, helps spirit Feldovat young across a remote mountain exodus to the west toward Eedov Province. The battered, starving Feldovats reach the Malfesian coast at Eedov City only to be confronted with their implacable enemy determined to destroy the remaining Klarvkon rabble.  Taking passage on crowded lumbering Maalonovion freighters, Feldovats and Malfesian refugees set sail.  On arrival in Maalon City they are welcomed among their Maalon hosts, and settle into a new life.

But famine and a pandemic pestilence stir old hates and nurse former ambitions.  The enraged Overseers of Bleikovia move against the Klarvkons, this time bringing bloodshed to Maalonovia.  The exiles from the Feldon must fight once again, but starvation and plague across the Planete Myr make it a different war from the battles along the Feldon…a na’ä blikovat…the Bleikovvat Phenomenon…an event with unexpected consequences and outcomes none could have foreseen.

Before the vendetta killing is exhausted, the Regentkaa Klarvkaa and her son are swept onto the Maalon throne, setting the Klarvkon Dynasty and the Murians toward an intergalactic golden age, and a star-flung destiny the once-agrarian Feldovats could never have envisaged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt 

The catafalque of the old Dowager Queen rested on the high rostrum of the Temple of the Goddess Myraa. There was little ceremony to the cremation of dead. Yet, all that had passed made this requiem for the Dowager Queen Klarvkaa Etkaa Bremanova Celovaa Bremanova a symbol of the changes which had swept so many lives. Long annuals before the ascendancy of The Klarvkon Dynasty, the massive wood and granite Temple to the Goddess Myraa had been destroyed in the firestorm which laid waste Eedov City. After the close of the Malfesian War the temple was rebuilt, but not the city. On the ashes of the old temple, immense columns rose above the sanctuary and vaults. Iridescent alabaster and polished marble greeted pilgrim supplicants who had come to the shoreline plains washed by the Green Sea.

Dowager Etkaa Klarvkaa—wife, myäat, founding matriarch of the Klarvkon Dynasty—gave hope from a time without hope. As was her wish, she would be cremated on the soil of her birth, her ashes to mingle with those of her consort, Klarvko Celo. Their son, His Imperial Majesty Klarvko Celo the Second, decreed it would be done. At the enormous base of the great temple in a spectacular vision never seen before and seldom since came an undulating ocean of banners. Some of them clans which no longer existed, even the once-hated Green Dragon of Bleikovia. Murians had taken her to their hearts and never relinquished her. Even in death, her shadow would reach across the centuries, and measure all who followed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

With postgraduate degrees and faculty appointments in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk has authored several works of fiction.

Hawk began writing mysteries for his school newspaper. His works of fiction, historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers are not genre-centered, but plot-character driven, and reflect his southwest upbringing in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his serial protagonist in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series. Vault of Secrets, the first book in the Ingram series, was followed by Nymrod Resurrection, Blood and Gold, and The Lady of Corpsewood Manor. All have received national attention.  Walking the Pet is Hawk’s latest release in the Ingram series. The first book in another mystery-thriller series is scheduled for release in 2015. The Bleikovat Event, the first volume in The Cairns of Sainctuarie science fiction series, was released in 2012. Its sequel, The Missing Planets, has just been released.

www.hawkmackinney.net

www.sagewordspublishing.com  

www.archebooks.com   

http://youtu.be/IFbsl36LTC8

http://youtu.be/-m-H8pfoh-A

http://youtu.be/OvV8gqls688

http://youtu.be/tLOOHlQ3IYs

www.amazon.com   

www.barnesandnoble.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Beyond Reach by Siobahn Davis - Review and Excerpt



This is my stop during the blog tour for Beyond Reach by Siobhan Davis. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 1 till 21 May, you can view the complete tour schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.
 
So far this series contains 2 books: True Calling (True Calling #1) and Beyond Reach (True Calling #2).


Beyond Reach (True Calling #2)
By Siobhan Davis
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian Romance
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: April 30, 2015

Blurb:
Back on Earth, Ariana is caught in a dangerous crossfire between clandestine rebel organization Clementia and the power-hungry government. Refusing to divulge the location of the secret information entrusted to her by her late father, she desperately tries to bargain for her Mom, Lily, and Cal’s rescue. She’s fighting a losing battle, and the clock is ticking.

Presented with evidence of her fiancé Cal’s apparent betrayal, she loyally defends him despite her concerns. With her emotions in turmoil, matters become even more complicated as she grows closer to her ex-boyfriend Zane.

When the stakes are raised, a succession of shocking revelations rocks her world, setting her on a path that will not only change her destiny but the fate of humanity.

Confronted by a memory so abhorrent comes a truth she would do anything to forget.

But some things just can’t be undone.

***

Beyond Reach is the gripping second novel in the True Calling trilogy, continuing the story of Ariana Skyee in the weeks after she arrives back on Earth.

The author is doing something cool this time around with the excerpt from Beyond Reach. Every blogger who has signed on for an excerpt stop will showcase a part of the story when it’s their turn. If you haven’t read the previous part yet, head over to https://booksandashes.wordpress.com/ to check it out and then re-join my blog to continue the story.

Excerpt: 

 As we round the next corner, a shot rings out behind me, ricocheting off the wall, narrowly missing me. “Holy crap! They’re behind us,” I shout out. Jax and Agent Leena fall back as I release Ben and position myself at the edge of the wall. “Can you help Zane with Ben, and Jax and I will hold them off,” I tell Agent Leena. Nodding, she wraps her arm around Ben. Zane’s face contorts inward. 
“I can handle myself, go. We’ll be right behind you.” His expression is still pained, but he subtly nods and continues forward.

“This is nice and cozy, doll,” Jax says, bending down beside me, his body flush against mine. He’s positioned himself at the very corner, effectively sheltering me.

I can’t help but roll my eyes. “Focus, please,” I chastise him.

His head whips around, and I gasp. A shot whirrs by us as he pulls back in. “There’s just two of them. We can easily manage this.”

 My mouth is hanging open. “Do you have a death wish or something?”

“No more than you, doll.” He grins as I shake my head. Twisting around, I scout for something to hide behind.

“There,” I whisper, pointing to a grotty-looking dumpster a few yards behind us. We hop up and sprint toward it, taking a corner each. “I’ll aim left; you take the one at the right,” I say. He salutes me with his hand, and my eyes roll heaven-bound of their own accord.

The Rangers are easy targets as they cautiously round the corner. I inhale and then exhale slowly as I fire the round. My aim is bang-on, and the Ranger falls to the ground in a crumpled heap. Jax has adequately dealt with his buddy. It’s never easy to take a life, and I know it won’t sit well with me later, but there’s no time to dwell on it now. We both take off running without delay.


The excerpt story starts on May 1^st and culminates on May 21^st. Make sure to follow each blog to continue the story The Excerpt schedule is as follows:

1 May Natural Bri - Pursuits of Life Paranormal Books 3 May Reading Addict 4 May Kimber Leigh Writes 5 May Word to Dreams 6 May Book Lovers Life 7 May Deal Sharing Aunt 8 May 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! 12 May MichaelSciFan 13 May T's Stuff 15 May Books Tea and Cats 16 May SoulCleverBooks 18 May Books and Ashes 20 May Romance that's 'Out Of This World' 21 May Love, Laughter, Friendship

*******
MY REVIEW
*******
Siobahn Davis does it again!

The first book in the series, 'True Calling' (reviewed on this blog on 15th April) really had me hooked and I was keen to find out what happened to Ari and who out of her two possible suitors she would end up with.

'True Calling' ended on a cliff hanger, and as 'Beyond Reach' opens, Arianna is apparently safe, back on earth with the rebel organizaition, Clementia. However her sister, fiance and mother are still on Novo and she is faced with bargaining for their lives, as she witholds vital information entrusted by her father.

There are so many twists and turns in this story, it almost leaves one breathless (in a good way.) It is difficult to know who Ari should trust, people and organizations who appear to be working for the 'greater good' and who you feel she is safe with, have a tendency to show another side and as the tension builds in the book, so does the excitement, and sense of danger.

The first and third parts of the book are told from Ari's point of view, and the middle is from Zane's.  Having had both points of view in the first book, I found it easier to adjust to the change this time and having Zane's point of view as well as Ari's certainly adds another dimension to the story.

As in the first book, one of the main strengths of 'Beyond Reach' is the characterization, and the author's ability to really make the reader feel they are 'living' the events on the page.  As well as Ari, Zane and Cal, there is a great cast of supporting characters. I still feel Ari is a bit naive, although she has certainly matured in this book, but I find it surprising that she has not yet put 'two and two' together about an event that happened while she was participating in 'The Calling', but there again I could be chasing a red herring myself!  The world building is effective and well drawn and had no trouble visualizing the various locations.

I kept fluctuating between Cal and Zane.  As fast as I felt she belonged with the one, I found myself rooting for the other.  Siobahn Davis has a knack of piling up one question after the other, and just as you think one question has been answered, something happens that makes you wonder if that's really the case. It takes a skilful writer to structure a novel with so many uncertainties, while still making the story flow seamlessly and and in a way that is perfectly believable.  Again the book ended on a cliffhanger, but I was more prepared for it this time and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

I received a copy of 'Beyond Reach' in exchange for an honest and unbiased review


You can find Beyond Reach on Goodreads
You can buy Beyond Reach here: - Amazon
- Amazon UK
- Amazon Canada
- Amazon Australia
- Amazon India
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- iBooks
 
First book in this series:
True Calling (True Calling #1)
By Siobhan Davis
Genre: Dystopian/Science Fiction/Romance
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: August 1, 2014

Blurb:
Planet Novo, nestled in space twelve hundred miles above the surface of the Earth, is the new home of 17-year-old Cadet Ariana Skyee. Confused by the government-sanctioned memory erase and distressed at her impending forced marriage and motherhood, Ariana’s plans for the future are thrown into complete disarray.

As the traumatic events within her family life enfold, Ariana grows increasingly alarmed at the authorities apparent pre-occupation with her and feels progressively more isolated and alone.

Her growing feelings for fellow Cadet Cal Remus intensify as the recently announced pageant, ‘The Calling’, gets underway. Struggling to comprehend the continuous, inexplicable dreams of the mysterious Zane, discovering the past helps shape her future, with devastating personal consequences.

You can find True Calling on Goodreads

You can buy True Calling here:
- Amazon USA
- Amazon UK
- Amazon Canada
- Amazon Australia
- Amazon India

About the Author:
Siobhan Davis is the author of YA science fiction romance series True Calling.
A self-diagnosed ‘teenager forever’—at least when it comes to books, music and movies; Siobhan is totally addicted to teen fiction and superhero/blockbuster movies. Siobhan loves baking, crime novels, shoes, bags, make-up, anti-wrinkle cream, anything pink, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and Robert Pattinson (definitely Team Edward).
Siobhan has forged a successful corporate career, in Human Resources, over the last twenty years.
A member of the IWI writers group, Siobhan resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
Contact Siobhan at: www.siobhandavis.com

You can find and contact Siobhan here:
- Website
- Author blog
- Book website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Google +
- Goodreads

Sample chapters, quotes, reviews and book excerpts are all available to download from the authors website

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Beyond Reach. These are the prizes you can win:
- 2 e-copies of Beyond Reach by Siobhan Davis
- 2 10$ amazon gift cards
Remember - the more blogs you visit and enter on, the greater your chances.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


 

Winner of the Merry May Blog hop

First of all,  thanks to everyone who entered the contest and took part in the Blog Hop.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  A special thanks to those who followed my Blog, I'll return the favour just as soon as I can.

I decided to award two copies of my book, so there are two winners.

FIRST PRIZE -  A download of my Fantasy Romance 'Dancing With Fate' and  a $5 Amazon voucher goes to TINA BECKER

The Runner up, also winning a download of 'Dancing With Fate'
is MARISSA

Congratulations to the winners - go to Roane Publishing to find out who one their contest.

Commiserations to those who didn 't win this time but it's always worth entering a contest - you never know, you could be a winner next time.

Have a great weekend!

Merry May Blog Hop and Giveaway

http://www.roanepublishing.com/merry-may-blog-hop.html

Welcome to my stop on the Roane Publishing Merry May Blog Hop

Roane Publishing will be giving away THREE e-titles as a Grand Prize!

Click the above link to go to their site

I'll also be offering a prize, details in the Rafflecopter form 
after this post.

(Daddy Duck, Mummy Duck, and you can just see Baby Duck at the reservoir- with a swan in the distance)

Between visits from the farrier, necessary shopping trips, gardening to take advantage of the fact that spring really seems to have arrived in the UK at last, oh - er- and yes, celebrating a contract for the third book in the series that started with 'Starquest' and will probably now be known as 'The Destiny Trilogy', it's been a hectic few weeks.


It's May - and when we get a little time to relax, the other half (Dave)and I love to walk with our 'rescue' dog, Choccy, enjoying the spring sunshine in the countryside around where we live. There is a reservoir with an abundance of wild waterfowl, and nearby woods where there is always a sea of bluebells. As a tribute to May and spring in general, I thought I'd share some pictures with you.





There is a variety of different species of trees in these woods, some of them are very old, and some of them just saplings.

The woods are carpeted with last year's fallen leaves, and in  between the trees, grass, ferns and other vegetation push their way through the leaves

Can you see to the right of the picture, rare 'white bluebells'!

Some of the trees  form strange, twisted patterns, twining round themselves.

                                                                            

The bluebells grow in drifts, looking almost like  pools of bright blue water in the distance

 

At the edge of the woods, we could see in the distance the Bridgewater Monument, erected in 1832 to the Duke of Bridgewater, in recognition of his pioneering canal development.

and this is the monument itself, with people walking and picnicking under the trees

Men were hard at work in one corner, carving out what will soon be
a natural childrens' play area.

Each season has its own delights, but I have to say Maytime in the woods can be quite magical! 

I hope you've enjoyed your walk around the bluebell woods with me. Please visit the other blogs on this blog hop by clicking on the banner at the top of this page.

 Have a great spring and summer, and before you leave don't forget  to enter my Rafflecopter contest below, to win a copy of my Greek muse novella 'Dancing With Fate' PLUS a $5 Amazon Gift Card.

When Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance, is assigned to revisit the land of Wales, her task seems simple enough.  She is unaware there is a hidden agenda.  Before she can return to Olympus her path crosses that of the mysterious Myrddin, and her heart is lost.

But Myrddin is promised to another.  His mind is set on the dangerous task that lies before him, and the woman he has sworn to save.  Nevertheless, he cannot deny the growing attraction between him and the beautiful stranger he meets along the way.   

  Terpsichore and Myrddin face a deadly force that threatens to part them forever.  Is she destined to lose the only man she has ever truly loved?  Is there nothing she can do to save him?  Finally, when all seems lost, in desperation she finds herself DANCING WITH FATE.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

'STARQUEST'    'CHILDREN OF THE MIST'  (A sequel to Starquest) DANCING WITH FATE     'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH DEATH