With Dr H having abandoned me (only for the week whilst he’s on an intensive Welsh language course) it was a real treat on Wednesday to head across to the Crown Hotel in nearby Stamford to meet up with four smashing authors, Adrienne Vaughan, Cara Clayton (Ros Rendle), Lizzie Lamb and Lorna Hunting.
We had a super lunch (even I couldn’t eat all my excellent fish and chips) with lots of chat, including celebrating a special anniversary of the day Adrienne and Lizzie became published authors which we toasted with a bottle of fizz – thanks Adrienne! I was thrilled when each of the ladies gave me a signed copy of one of their books.
As a thank you to the ladies for being so kind, inclusive and generous, I thought I’d share details of the books I was given here, as I’m certain many, many, readers would love them too but may not have discovered them yet.
They included:
Summer of Secrets by Adrienne Vaughan
Mia Flanagan has never been told who her father is and, aged ten, stopped asking. Now she keeps her own secrets.
But when the movie she’s working on ends in disaster, she flies home to discover her fiancé has a secret too; leaving her dreams crushed.
Broken-hearted, a lonely summer in London looms. Until family friend, Archie Fitzgerald, invites her to stay at his fading mansion on Ireland’s ancient east coast.For Archie also has a secret, and the longer Mia stays, the more she wonders if Archie really is her father after all…
Summer of Secrets is a tale of how the ghost of love can blight many lives. And how Mia, realising the past cannot hurt her, must make way for new love and the promise of happiness waiting in the wings.
Summer of Secrets is available for purchase here.
Mistress of the Manor by Cara Clayton
Life is wonderful at the manor … or is it?
1342, Lincolnshire, England
Clémence Masson has always yearned for more than her expected marriage to an apprentice or farmer’s son.
So when an opportunity arises at the nearby Grimsthorpe Manor House to be a companion to a newly-arrived bride-to-be, Clémence is excited by the opportunity.
The young bride is soon to be handfasted to the lord of the manor, Ruadhán Amundeville, who is recently returned from battles with the Scots.
Ruadhán’s uncle Aedric has been overseeing the estates in the young lord’s absence, and it soon becomes clear to Clémence that Aedric does not have Ruadhán’s best interests at heart.
But Clémence does. She has found herself falling for the charming lord of Grimsthorpe.
When Ruadhán leaves for war with the French, Clémence is left with Emma to deter Aedric’s unwanted advances.
And with the Black Death threatening, all of their lives could be at stake…
Will Clémence achieve her dream of rising above her station? Could Grimsthorpe hold the key to her happiness?
Or will the darkness surrounding the manor destroy everything in its grasp…?
Mistress of the Manor is available for purchase here.
Winter Star in the Scottish Highlands by Lizzie Lamb
This tale weaves together the magic of Scotland’s breathtaking scenery and the complexities of relationships, set against a natural, snowy wonderland.
As the harsh Lochaber winter approaches and with Halley expecting a baby, living in the converted Airstream caravan, Beag air Bheag, becomes impractical. Tor’s family home – Eagles Crag – offers shelter, but his mother’s inevitable meddling is holding them back from moving there. Instead, they find refuge in the Dower House and prepare for the arrival of their baby with optimism and hope, embracing the magic of a Highland Christmas, culminating in the Ghillies’ Ball on Hogmanay.
However, an old flame of Tor’s rents the nearby bothy threatening to disrupt their idyllic life . . .
Is their love strong enough to survive the trials of family, winter and a ghost from the past?
Winter Star in the Scottish Highlands is available for purchase here.
Farewell Vancouver Island by Lorna Hunting
In May 1858, English collier Sam Gray breaks his contract with the Hudson’s Bay Company on Vancouver Island and deserts to the mainland. He’s haunted by memories of his dead wife and a failed romance, and his dream is to make enough money in the Canadian goldfields to start a new life in San Francisco.
Forced to live under an assumed name to avoid arrest, Sam finds himself inhabiting a hard-hitting world of fellow diggers, gun-toters, card sharps and saloon gals.
Cheerful and resourceful, Kitty Muldoon has adapted to this hard life in Canada, but she has her own troubles looking after her hot-headed father, Frank. When Sam rescues Frank from trouble in a bar, it’s the start of something new for both of them.
A promising future seems to await the couple in San Francisco…
Farewell Vancouver Island is available for purchase here.
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So, you can see that I’m in for a real reading treat. Thank you very much ladies.
English (US) · 