Guest post by Carys Bray, author of The Museum of You

Welcome to Carys Bray, author of The Museum of You.  As part of her blog tour, Carys has kindly written a guest post about one of her favourite museums.

 

 

In my new novel The Museum of You, twelve year old Clover Quinn sorts through her mother’s belongings and curates an exhibition in the second bedroom of the house she shares with her Dad, Darren.

As part of The Museum of You blog tour, I’m writing about some of my favourite museums. In recent months it has been frustrating to read of the museum closures which appear to be disproportionately affecting the north of England. Museums are a great place to learn about our heritage; they’re often a testament to the efforts and dedication of working people, the men and women who built and made many of the things we take for granted today.

World Museum

When my children were small this was our favourite museum. It’s possible to spend a long afternoon there, even with several tiny, easy bored people in tow. It’s such a popular museum that the Liverpool Echo produced this handy guide for families who would like to visit.

I have a picture of my children, wide-eyed and rosy-cheeked, standing beside these dinosaur skeletons, but they wouldn’t let me use it.

The World Museum is full of exciting and creepy objects: a child mummy, a meteorite from Mars and Samurai armour. You can learn about space and see a display of clocks and watches from the 1500s onwards. There are over a million insects and other invertebrates at the museum. I love the drawers full of butterflies, moths and beautiful beetles; bees, wasps and ants. Each drawer opens like a beautiful surprise.

In the bug house there’s a giant model spider on the ceiling which wobbles every so often, as if it is about to climb down. One of my sons insists that frequent visits to the museum were the catalyst for my daughter’s terrible fear of spiders.

Sometimes the things we see in museums scare or discomfit us. Clover Quinn finds something unexpected in the bottom of the wardrobe in the second bedroom. An object with a sad story. That’s the thing with the past, once it is uncovered it may also need to be confronted.

 

Steel Hawk Blog Blitz!

Introducing STEEL HAWK – a company of alpha-honorable heroes and spirited and strong heroines…

Heart-pounding romantic suspense set in a world of high-tech security, feuding royals, and missing diamonds. Strap in for sizzling chemistry and fast-paced, thrilling action all the way!

It all starts with an historical romantic suspense set in the birthplace of great engineering and design, The Great Exhibition, London, 1851:

Blurb: To Love a Thief, Steel Hawk, Book 1, by Jane Beckenham BUY LINK: AMAZON

It's one thing to lose your heart. Quite another to have it stolen.

Years ago, notorious jewel thief “The Raven” vanished into the shadows. In 1851, Nathan Hawk emerges into a life of respectability, determined to make up for past sins.

He and his business partner are introducing a lock they’re so sure can’t be broken, they’re displaying a priceless diamond, the Pasha Star, at the Great Exhibition. It’s bad enough catching a light-fingered young man trying to steal the stone. Worse when he realizes it’s the daughter of his old mentor.

Rose Valetta’s father has been kidnapped, and she needs the Star to buy his freedom. She never expected to come nose-to-nose with Nathan. Their reunion is fraught with tension, especially when they discover the diamond in Nathan’s impregnable case is not the Pasha Star.

With Nathan’s reputation in tatters, they race to find the real stone before it’s too late for Rose’s father. Too late to save the empire from a usurper. And too late to keep from losing their hearts.

Product Warnings

Contains a woman who dreams of a world with a level playing field, and an ex-thief who can run from his past but can’t hide from it.  

And moves to present-day: Steel Hawk has prospered for 150 years, securing some of the world’s most treasured possessions. But now a secret from the past threatens to destroy the company and a new generation must take up the fight.

 

Blurb: Heart of Steel, Steel Hawk, Book 2, by Eve Devon BUY LINK: AMAZON

Colleague, friend, lover…beautiful liar?

Adam Steel is in crisis mode. A recent exposé claims a founder of Steel Hawk was actually The Raven, an infamous jewel thief. Amid the ensuing damage control, all eyes are on his ability to develop a prototype to secure and protect the royal Pasha Star diamond.

He’s further blindsided when he learns his assistant, Honeysuckle Hawk, has a sordid past he never knew about. Proving he never really knew her, never should have trusted her, and definitely shouldn’t start falling for her.

With her dirty laundry flapping in the media storm, Honeysuckle’s first instinct is to run. Two things make her stay: Adam’s insistence it’s better to show the world a united front, and her heart’s insistence by his side is where she belongs.

High stakes and long hours ignite passion…until the diamond is stolen and Adam’s own prototype shows Honeysuckle is a thief. Dare he trust her to help him expose the real criminal—before the mastermind wreaks havoc on the royal family?

Product Warnings

Contains an über-hot, alpha-geek who’s good with his hands, a sassy reformed-rebel determined to prove she’s not a flake, romantic castles, gorgeous jewels, sleek and sexy technology, heart-pounding suspense…oh, and nipple tassels!

But with the battle only half-won, STEEL HAWK is about to learn that trust has a price…

 

Blurb: Dangerous Illusions, Steel Hawk, Book 3, by Sarah Balance – publishing August

Keep your lovers close, your enemies closer. Especially if they’re one and the same.

With Steel Hawk still reeling from explosions at Zarrenburg Castle and at its own headquarters, company lawyer Edward Long’s legendary stoicism has been severely tested. It’s clearly an inside job, and no one is deeper inside than Edward—which leaves him squarely in the center of a frame.

Someone is using him to bring down the company he loves. Worse, the PI that Adam Hawk sends to investigate…there’s something off about her. And something that seriously turns him on.

Operating under an assumed name, Sophie Hawk aims to dig deeper into the company’s systems than any other investigator would dare. Especially with the prime suspect’s hot-chocolate gaze tracking her every move.

As their dueling intellects strike sparks, the rising heat threatens the trip wires Edward has set up around his heart—and the secret that ties him to a man who’ll stop at nothing to claim his right to rule the house of Zarrenburg. Or, if he can’t have it, destroy it—and everyone connected to it.

Product Warnings

Contains agonizingly sweet kisses, dirty thoughts, dirtier talk, mutual trust stretched to the limit, and criminal abuse of a thousand-dollar suit jacket.

About the STEEL HAWK Authors:

Take three authors from three different corners of the world…

Jane Beckenham writes historical and contemporary romance after falling for stories about love and hope. Inspired by happy ever afters she found her own true love and together they adopted and raised two daughters. She lives with her family in New Zealand where writing is her addiction – and sure beats housework!

WEBSITE                   FACEBOOK              TWITTER

Eve Devon writes romantic comedy, contemporary fiction and romantic suspense with sexy heroes, sassy heroines, and happily ever afters… She lives in leafy Surrey in the UK, a book-devouring, slightly melodramatic, romance-writing sassy heroine with her very own sexy-hero husband!

WEBSITE                   TWITTER                   FACEBOOK 

Sarah Ballance lives on the US mid-Atlantic coast with her husband and children. She writes in many genres and loves creating unforgettable stories while putting her characters through an unkind amount of torture—a hobby that has nothing to do with living with six children!

WEBSITE                   FACEBOOK              TWITTER                             

So if you love historical romance or contemporary romance, steam-punk elements, inventors, royalty, diamonds, bad-boys, alpha-geeks, co-workers-to-lovers, revenge, and psychological suspense with your mystery; then immerse yourself in the world of STEEL HAWK… and let the seduction begin.

STEEL HAWK – strong as Steel, watchful as a Hawk

 

Recently I've Read...A Whole Lot of Romance

I've read some fantastic romance lately!  Here are the books that have set my heart aflutter - perfect love stories for long summer nights.

 

The One with the Engagement Party - Erin Lawless

 

 

Nora and Harry have just got engaged and so of course, it's time to celebrate! With their friends by their side they can start planning for the big day, but they each have their own hurdles to overcome. Perfect summer reading which left me gagging for more. Heartwarming and humorous, The One with the Engagement Party is Erin Lawless at her best.

The Sunshine and Biscotti Club - Jenny Oliver

 

 

Jenny Oliver whisked me away to the sun with this story of a group of friends helping to set up a baking holiday resort. As ever Oliver's descriptions of the food - aroma, taste, texture - are fantastic. Each character grows as the story progresses which makes this a satisfying romantic read. The only reason I didn't give this 5* is that it took me a long time to differentiate between the characters, especially the males, which meant I was referring back to make sure I wasn't getting muddled. All in all, a delightful summer read.

The Little Bookshop on the Seine - Rebecca Raisin

 

 

I loved this book! A story of self discovery and long distance romance set in a Paris bookshop. Rebecca writes setting and description beautifully - and creates characters that are easy to relate to through common themes of friendship, love and trust. A comforting read which I quickly became engrossed in - Rebecca Raisin has come up trumps again!  

 

Give them a try - they're the perfect blend of uplifting fun and love-riddled angst.  They're all available NOW.                 

The Girl Who Lied - Sue Fortin BLOG TOUR

Sue Fortin is joining me today to talk about her love of mysteries as part of the blog tour for her new release The Girl Who Lied.  Follow the tour to find out more about both Sue and the novel! 

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My love of any sort of story with a mystery to it has always been a prominent factor when choosing a book to read, a TV programme to watch or a film to see at the cinema. I have to confess to being an adventure junkie, thrill seeker, code breaker, mystery solver, in fact, anything high-octane with suspense, but all from the safety of my armchair. In particular, is my love for any sort of story with a mystery to be solved.

I blame Enid Blyton for this.

I’ve always enjoyed reading and, like many people my age, I started with Enid Blyton, ‘The Mystery of …’ series being my favourite. I then went onto discover, Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, Minette Walters, Sue Grafton, James Patterson and so on. You can see the pattern.

This love of the mystery extended out into TV shows from gentle Murder She Wrote, Columbo, screen adaptations of Agatha Christie novels to Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, NYPD Blue, The Professionals, Spooks, CIS and more recently Line of Duty, Hinterland and The Bridge.

And, of course, the big screen, where I’m probably more drawn to the action films like Heat, Ronin, Lawless, Last of the Mohicans, Reverend … really the list is endless. Having said that, two of my most favourite mystery films are Sleuth (1972) and The Last of Shelia (1973).

It’s probably not surprising that all these different forms of storytelling have influenced my own writing. Although, initially I wrote a romance, I still couldn’t help bringing in a bit of intrigue and mystery and this is a trend that has seeped more and more into my writing as time has gone on.

My latest novel The Girl Who Lied has lots of secrets and suspense which filters through as the story unfolds. I thoroughly enjoyed writing it and loved adding the twists and turns along the way.

The Girl Who Lied is out now, published by Harper Impulse.

Extract from Danger, Sweetheart by MaryJanice Davidson

I'm delighted to be able to share an extract from MaryJanice Davidson's Danger, Sweetheart on my blog today. 

 

 

 

Natalie Lane watched the rented truck cover the last half mile to Heartbreak and was not impressed. This would be the first of what promised to be weeks of awful days, and not for the first time she wondered why she didn’t give up, give in, and get lost. Follow half the town out of town. Let Sweetheart die.

 

Not even if he stuck a gun in my ear. Because it wasn’t the town, it was never the town, it was always the people. Well. Most of the people. Garrett Hobbes, for example, could fuck right off. The world needed more golf courses like a diabetic needed a glucose drip.

 

The truck passed the last gate and pulled up between the farmhouse and Barn Main. The engine quit and she could see him in the driver’s seat, moving his hands, and was he . . . ? Was he patting the steering wheel? In a well done, mighty steed way? Yes. Yes he was.

 

Self-congratulation must run in that family, she mused. Oh, and look at this. He remembered to kick out the ladder this time. Too bad. She’d  have loved to see him on his ass in the dirt. Again.

 

“It’s you!” he said as he hopped down, having the balls-out nerve to sound excited. Except where did she get off ? Before she knew who he was, she’d have been happy to see him, too. If anything, she was more pissed because she had liked him on short acquaintance. What  if he’d never seen her in her other life? When would she have found out his terrible truth? Their first date? Their first month–aversary? Their wedding night?

 

Wedding night? Jeez, Natalie, get a grip.

 

“Hello again.” He stuck out his hand, which she definitely didn’t notice was large and looked strong, especially in contrast to her own teeny paws. Nor did she notice he had big hands and, as a glance at his shoes told her, big feet, and she definitely didn’t form a theory about his dick based solely on his sizeable mitts. She also didn’t notice how his smile took years from his face, or how his pricey clothes beautifully set off those long legs and wide shoulders, that  the color of his crisp button-down shirt was the same color as his dark blue eyes, that his tan slacks

(slacks? Seriously? Slacks?)

fit like they were made for him

(of course they were; guy’s probably got a fleet of tailors stashed somewhere)

and that his swimmer’s shoulders made his waist appreciably narrow in contrast.

 

He was still holding out his hand, and she gave it a brief listless shake, the limp kind with the bare tips of her fingers. “You’re late.”

 

Buy Danger Sweetheart from Amazon UK now

Love Song - Sophia Bennett

The Blurb

Seventeen-year-old Nina doesn't get why everyone's obsessed with The Point - but when she averts a backstage disaster and is offered a job on tour, she can hardly turn it down. She quickly learns that being with the hottest band on the planet isn't as easy as it looks: behind the scenes, the boys are on the verge of splitting up. Tasked with keeping an eye on four gorgeous but spoiled rock stars, Nina's determined to stick it out - and not fall for any of them ...

The Review

There are some book reviews that I dread writing.  This is one of them.  I just know that it'll be impossible to convey everything I loved about this book in a few short paragraphs, because as young adult fiction goes, Love Song is pretty darn perfect.

Nina is an ordinary seventeen year old - well, sort of.  All around her people are going crazy for hot band The Point, but she doesn't see the attraction.  In fact, she only goes to their gig to keep her sister, who's a big fan, company.  However, when by a twist of fate she's offered an opportunity to join them on tour she sees a different side to each of the boys and they're no longer celebrities staring out of a magazine but real people with real problems...

It's gently humorous and touching and I adored Nina - she's such a relatable character.  Although she's in an extraordinary situation she comes across as a normal, grounded young woman discovering who she is and what she wants from life, which sets this book apart from some of the other reads out there with a celebrity backdrop.  It was well written and engaging, and I genuinely couldn't stop reading it.  I actually fell asleep with it in my hand - that's how unwilling I was to put it down.

However, what I loved most about this book was the way it unflinchingly examined what it means to be a fan to the point of what some people might class as 'obsession'.  As a self-confessed fangirl I absolutely related to the hoards of fans who bonded over a shared love the band.  Sophia Bennett captured the essence of what it is to love a band, and more importantly be part of a fandom, perfectly.  I actually shared certain passages from this book on social media to try and explain that "Yes!  This is how it feels to be a fan!" to all those who have mocked and accused and been dismissive of what it means to be a part of a community of people who love the same thing.  Part of me hoped they'd see it and understand.  But there's a selfish part of me that didn't want them to, because it really feels that Love Song is for us die-hards, for those who've pressed F5 until their fingertips have gone numb on ticket release day, or those who've queued for eight hours for the doors to a gig to open. 

I hope all the other fangirls I know read this book and love it as much as I did.  Love Song is a book I know I'll reread again and again and again.

Love Song is out now, published by Chicken House books.

Darkmere - Helen Maslin

The Blurb

A castle. A curse. One dangerous holiday ...

Kate and her friends are spending the summer at Darkmere Castle in Devon which she thinks will be a perfect opportunity for her to get together with Leo. But instead, she s drawn into the dark story of an nineteenth-century girl who haunts the tunnels and towers of the house ... and whose curse now hangs over them all.

The Review

I'd heard so many wonderful things about Darkmere and as such was very excited to sink my teeth into this young adult novel.  With comparisons to Daphne du Maurier, whose work I absolutely adore, I began reading with a heart full of hope and just a smidge of trepidation - would it be able to live up to such huge accolades?

Helen Maslin has definitely taken the elements of a traditional gothic novel and twisted them to fit this dual narrative tale.  The contemporary element keeps it fresh and current, so teen readers will find themselves relating to Kate, Leo and the rest of the crew as they run from society and the constraints it imposes on them.  But it was the nineteenth century story of young wife Elinor which pulled at my heartstrings the most.  It definitely had a feel of Rebecca, with dark secrets and a protagonist who is unsure of what's happening with her own marriage.

I found myself holding my breath as the ghostly tale unfolded before me and the past and present entwined.  The castle of the title is a wonderful setting and the imagery created transported me into the building in both time periods. 

I'll definitely be looking out for more of Helen Maslin's work as the writing was fantastic and the novel as a whole was a breath of fresh air.  Chilling and captivating, Darkmere had my heart pounding in my chest for all the right reasons.

Darkmere is available in ebook and paperback format, published by Chicken House books.