Interview with Romance Author Rachel Brimble

Please welcome Rachel Brimble to the Nook today. Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. She started writing short stories about eight years ago but once her children were at school, she embarked on her first novel. It was published in 2007. Since then, she’s had several books published with small presses as well as securing her first contract with Harlequin Superromance in May 2012.
 

Represented by US agent Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency, Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family.  Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England. And in the evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused…

 

 

Bea: Hi Rachel, please tell us a little about your new release, “Finding Justice”. 

Rachel: Finding Justice is a romantic suspense story set in the fictional UK seaside town of Templeton Cove. When their childhood friend is murdered, the hero and heroine reunite to find her killer…and each other.

Bea: What was the inspiration for the series that “Finding Justice” is kicking off?

Rachel: The setting – even though Templeton Cove is fictional, I am writing about a real place where I used to holiday as a child. The setting is very clear in my mind and I’m finding as I write each book, something new is added and it is becoming a real community of characters too which is fabulous J

 

Bea: You write both contemporary and historical, what do you like about each era when writing? Do you prefer one?

Rachel: I love both – my ideal way to work is to alternate between the two because it keeps me interested, and hopefully, keeps my writing fresh for my readers. Historical is more of a challenge because of the research and the need to get the accuracy right. I tend to write about the emotions rather than the events of the Victorian era for fear of getting things wrong! I use the social etiquette, costume and political aspects of the age to add the Victorian ‘flavor’, but it’s all about the characters really and emotion is the same whatever the time or era.

Bea: When writing, do you outline or plan, or do you wing it? 

Rachel: I start with a 2-3 page outline and character sketches for the hero and heroine (also the villain if I have one) and then write the first draft from start to finish without looking back. Drafts two and three are where the hard work comes in!

Bea: What do you hope readers will take away when they read your books, what reaction are you aiming for with your stories?

Rachel: A satisfying and moving romance – the reaction I want is from people is for them to feel happy at the end of my books; to care about the characters and think about them long after they’ve finished reading. I want them to believe in real love and that all-important Happily Ever After.

Bea: What is it about romance that attracts you to the genre? Do you think you will ever write in a different genre?

Rachel: I love romance because it makes me feel good when I’m writing – there’s enough heartache and evil in the world and I think romance provides the ultimate escapism and leaves the reader feeling hopeful. What’s not to like?

The only other genre I’m drawn to but haven’t attempted yet is crime – As I write more and more romantic suspense, the need to write a police procedural or mystery is getting stronger.

 

Bea: What do you like best about writing? Your least favorite part?

Rachel: Best and easiest part for me is dialogue – I find it really liberating and more often than not, it feels like I’m taking dictation when my characters are interacting. My least favorite part is plotting and the dreaded ‘sagging middle’. Every book I write, I reach the 40,000 word mark and everything just grinds to a horrible halt. The only way to deal with it is to write through it and hope I can make something of the chaos on the next draft.

Bea: You mention on your site that short stories are an art form in themselves; do you think you might try your hand at writing one again?

Rachel: I might one day but I’m REALLY not very good at all at writing them – my novels come in at around 85-90,000 words and training myself to write a complete story in 1,500 words or less is beyond me! 

Bea: Does your family read your books?

Rachel: My mom and mom-in-law do but my husband doesn’t – my daughters are 14 and 12 so I suspect the eldest will soon…although she has told me she hopes the sex isn’t too ‘full on’, LOL!

Bea: Do you have a preference for ebooks or print books?

Rachel: I LOVE print books and nothing makes me happier than browsing for hours in a bookshop, but I also couldn’t be without my Kindle. Books are my passion and I love them in every format.

Bea: If you could be a character in a book – lead, sidekick, heroine, villain, etc. – what would it be?

Rachel: It would have to be the heroine – I live vicariously through all my heroines. I love their journeys and really believe in everything they do.

Bea: If you could have dinner with any author or authors, who would they be and why?

Rachel: Nora Roberts – and hope she shares her secret!

Margaret Mitchell – why didn’t she write a sequel?

Jodi Picoult – so I can tell her I want to write like her when I grow up J

Bea: What’s your guilty pleasure?

Rachel: I watch FAR too much TV! Especially love British period dramas and US crime dramas.

Bea: What are your favorite genres to read? Any favorite authors?

Rachel: Romance, crime and historical are my favorites – from each genre, Nora Roberts and Robyn Carr for romance. Tess Gerritsen and Tami Hoag for crime and Philippa Gregory and Jean Fullerton for historical.

Now for some fill in the blank questions:

1. 1) The first book you ever loved was - The Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton
   2)    My favorite meal is - chicken satay from our local Chinese takeaway
   3)    Books are important because - they educate, entertain and provide a much-needed escape from real life.
   4)    My favorite book is - anything by Nora Roberts
   5)    The book or author that inspired me to write is - Enid Blyton
   6)    The best advice I’ve ever received was - to give myself permission to write a ‘crappy’ first draft. So freeing!!
   7)     My dream man is -
   
   Kind, funny, romantic and interesting…and looks like Ryan Reynolds or Tom Hardy or Hugh Jackman or… ;)

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions and best of luck with “Finding Justice”. 

If you want to check out Rachel's new book, "Finding Justice", click here for an excerpt and for a chance to enter a signed print copy.

 

Review & Giveaway of Easter Bunny Murder by Leslie Meier

Publisher: Kensington Books
Series: Lucy Stone #19
Format Read: Hardcover
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

*May contain spoilers for earlier books*

Spring has sprung in Tinker's Cove, and Lucy Stone has a mile-long to-do list. From painting eggs with her grandson, to preparing the perfect Easter feast, to reviving her garden after a long, cold winter, she hardly has time to hunt for a killer with a deadly case of spring fever... Lucy has always loved covering the annual Easter egg hunt for the Pennysaver. Hosted by elderly socialite Vivian Van Vorst at Pine Point, her luxurious oceanfront estate, it's a swanky event where the grown-ups sip cocktails while their children search for eggs that are as likely to contain savings bonds as they are jelly beans. But when Lucy arrives with her three-year-old grandson, VV's normally welcoming gates are locked, and a man dressed as the Easter Bunny emerges only to drop dead moments later… Lucy discovers that the victim is Van Vorst Duff, VV's grandson, and soon learns that not all is as it seems at idyllic Pine Point, where the champagne and caviar seem to be running dry. Always a social butterfly, VV has been skipping lunch dates with friends, and her much-needed donations to local charities have stopped with no explanation. Maybe she's going senile, or maybe her heirs are getting a little too anxious to take over her estate… As Lucy gathers a basketful of suspects, she's convinced someone's been hunting for a lot more than eggs, and she'll have to chase the truth down a rabbit hole before the killer claims another victim…

Bea's Thoughts:  *May contain spoilers for earlier books*


"Easter Bunny Murder" kept me up late reading. It took me a while to get into it, something that's been happening to me a lot lately, but once I did, I was hooked. I've read one or two books from this series and was 'meh' about them but I read some reviews of this one that intrigued me and then I was offered a copy for review. Swayed by the reviews I'd read, I said 'yes' and I'm glad I did. 

I love cozies but sometimes they don't come across as real. The circumstances are unlikely, the ease in solving the murder is unbelievable, etc. While "Easter Bunny Murder" has a couple of unlikely coincidences, overall, the story is believable. I particularly enjoyed that it took place over a matter of months, matters weren't resolved in a few days. Meier weaves together the mystery of Van's death, related mysteries, and Lucy's personal life into an enjoyable, smooth, easy mix.

At first, Van's death seems like a tragic act of nature, but Lucy's suspicions are aroused when his former lover, and the mother of their daughter, starts throwing around accusations. Town officials and her boss at the newspaper are not convinced so in between her job as a reporter for the town paper and her jobs as wife, mother and grandmother, she begins her own investigation. There are ups and downs in her investigation, and at times her personal life takes precedence, but eventually she finds answers.



Lucy is kind, compassionate, persistent, occasionally harried but also feels like she could be one of my neighbors in the small town I live in. Meier does an excellent job of making her characters, major and minor, feel real and multi-dimensional. There's also a genuine feel to the settings, the small town feel and the New England feel. The story was relatable, the murder slightly unbelievable but cunning, the investigation and the various mysteries well-done, and the murder quite likeable. At first, it the murderer's identity seemed too convenient and out-of-the blue but looking back, the clues were there. "Easter Bunny Murder" is a very enjoyable way to spend several hours.

I received a hardcover from BookTrib for review.

Review of Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Publisher: Ace
Series: Mercy Thompson #7
Format Read: Hardcover
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

*Contains spoilers for the earlier books*

Shapeshifter Mercy Thompson's life is calming down, at least enough that she can focus on mundane matters like Black Friday sales. But on her return, Mercy is unable to contact her mate, Alpha Adam Hauptman, or the other members of their pack. All she knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam's disappearance may be related - and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from the most unlikely of allies: the vampire seethe.

Quote:

He also saw something else. Adam had a habit of keeping track of things in his environment - situational awareness. It had saved his butt more than once. He was especially aware of things that could be used as weapons.

One of the blades on the shelves was moving. He didn't catch it in actual motion, but when they'd first come into the room, it had been in the back corner of  the bottom shelf of the bookcase nearest the mirror. Now it was in the middle of  the shelf and had slid nearly off the edge. 

He wondered if it might be chasing Asil, if only very slowly.

Bea's Thoughts:  *May contain spoilers for earlier books*



Sigh, this was such a good book. While I liked "River Marked", it was just okay. The best part of it was Mercy learning about her father and connecting with  Coyote. Oh, and seeing Mercy and Adam on their honeymoon. :) This one was back home in the Tri-Cities with many of the usual gang. That was part of what I liked so much and Patty's writing was top-notch.

In "Frost Burned" Briggs picks up threads from previous stories - the movement against supernatural beings, Mercy's relationships with her garage assistants and their families as well as her evolving relationship with the pack, especially its females, the federal bureau Cantrip (Combined Nonhuman and Transhuman Relations Provisors), Marsilia's power play and subsequent falling out with Stefan, Mercy's gifts from Coyote, the fae's declaration of sovereignty - and mixes them all into a exciting, emotion-filled story that moves the series forward.

Although the action takes place over a few days, I wouldn't call this story fast or action packed, though it has plenty of action. An angry Adam is a scary, scary Adam. Not that Mercy is any softy when she's angry. As the blurb says, her pack and husband are missing, and Mercy isn't about to let anything get in her way of finding them. She enlists allies, friends, and former friends in her mission to find the pack. Naturally, finding the pack doesn't solve everything and there are twists and turns in typical Briggs fashion. I did NOT anticipate the last 70 or so pages.

There's humor, romance, action, character growth and development, and surprises. While some of the bad guys work for the government, Briggs doesn't take the easy way out of painting the entire government as evil or bad but portrays it realistically. For the Adam lovers, there are several chapters from his viewpoint. As much as I enjoyed those, I particularly enjoyed the scenes between him and Mercy. I love the relationship they have - respectful, caring, teasing, understanding. Mercy is a little softer than when the series began but she's still independent, feisty and loyal; she's more confident yet  aware (okay, sometimes :D) of her limitations (though Adam might disagree), still kicks ass, and still open to learning about her abilities as a Walker. Her relationship with Jesse, now her stepdaughter, is evolving too. I liked seeing Mercy as a responsible stepmother. It's a new side to her, one I like.

"Frost Burned" is an excellent addition to the series and I'm counting down until the next book.

MATH, Mercy's initials are MATH. Giggle.

I received a hardcover from the publisher for review.

Sunday Book Share #24

I'm participating in Feed My Reader Friday hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer,  The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. These  memes allow book bloggers the chance to share print and digital books they've received, and different posts and events at their blogs.

 

It was a long week at work, I'm really looking forward to having Monday off for President's Day. We still have lots of snow on the ground and are supposed to get more tonight. I'm very ready for spring! At least the days are staying light longer; I don't like all the darkness winter brings. 

 

It was busy on the blog last week, lots of blog tours and other events. This week should be quieter, though I do have some interviews lined up with romance authors Jessica Scott and Rachel Brimble, and maybe a giveaway or two. Be sure to stop back and join the fun!

The Week In Review

Reviews:  Guest Review of Frost by Taryn Kincaid (erotic paranormal romance)

Blog Tour Review of Rally 'Round the Corpse by Hy Conrad (mystery)

Jax Reviews Knitted Lingerie Style by Joan McGowan-Michael (arts and crafts)

Interview: Interview with mystery author G. Jay

Excerpts:  Frost by Taryn Kincaid (erotic paranormal romance)

Finding Justice by Rachel Brimble (romantic suspense)

The Green-eyed Doll by Jerrie Alexander (romantic suspense)

Girls and Monsters by Anne Michaud (horror)

Spotlight: The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff (general fiction)

Giveaways: $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash, ends Feb. 17th
1 copy of "The Green-Eyed Doll" by Jerrie Alexander, ends Feb. 19th 

 1 ebook copy of "Summer Spirit" by G. Jay, ends Feb. 20th
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash, ends Feb. 22nd
5 signed paperback copies of "Finding Justice" by Rachel Brimble, ends Feb. 25th 

Kindle Fire HD OR $199 Amazon Gift Card OR $199 PayPal Cash, ends Feb. 28th

 

News/info: Finding Free Ebooks

Meme:  Sunday Book Share #23

BOOKS

It was a quieter week for books, thank goodness. :)

Kindle Freebies

 

 

Astraea Press Freebies

Don't forget, they're giving away 2 free books every day this month. Check their blog daily for that day's free book and coupon codes.

Have a great week, stay safe and warm. Don't forget to leave a link to your sharing post.

Excerpt & Cover Reveal: Girls & Monsters by Anne Michaud

Author Anne Michaud has a new book coming out in April, a YA dark fantasy/horror anthology. Anne is another author from Kelley Armstrong's message board; that board sure does produce a lot of authors!

While Anne has had stories in other anthologies, this is the first one that is exclusively her own stories.
Anne is an author of many talents, especially getting distracted by depressing music and dark things. She likes to write and read everyday, and speak of herself in the third person.

Since her Master’s degree in Screenwriting from the University of London, England, Anne has written, directed and produced three short films, now distributed by Ouat! Media in Toronto, Canada. The lyric documentary Worth a Thousand Words (2006) can be seen here.

And then, after hundreds of hours spent on studying and making films, she changed her mind and started writing short stories, novelettes and novels. Some have been published, others will be soon enough.

Keep your eyes open, she’s behind you.

Find Anne online:


blog
twitter
facebook

Book Blurb (from goodreads)

This dark but uplifting collection of five Young Adult novellas includes:

Death Song: Liz is in love with Joe, but the monster of the lake has other plans for them.
Black Dog: Scarlet is engaged in a struggle for her sanity, but according to the voice in her head, she may be too late.

A Blue Story: When Katherine's beloved dog goes missing, she fears her strange new neighbor might be involved.

Dust Bunnies: Christiane faces her childhood arachnophobia and ends up confronting even greater fears in this test of sisterhood.

We Left at Night: Brooke and her family must abandon their home and their lives to make it out of a disease-plagued town overrun by zombies.

Girls & Monsters is for everyone who has ever been brave enough to confront their childhood fears...and lived to tell about it.

Publisher: DarkFuse
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Horror
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 30, 2013

I love the colors! So pretty and eye catching. Also, the top half of the book with the girls and the peppy pink color looks bright and cheery, then you move down the cover and the color becomes darker and gloomy with monsters and only one girl. It's a fantastic contrast, well done. What do you think?

And now, an  excerpt!

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Death Song Excerpt

Something catches in the back of my throat. I

hide my face in my hands to quiet the sobs. But then,

something ain’t right. Air moves around me and I

stop. I look between my fingers, but the blur of my

tears thickens everything: the bathtub, the towels,

and someone on the floor.

A woman’s in here with me, door still closed and

locked. An exhale, like after a deep swim, and a smell,

like the swamp close to my empty home. A chill runs

down my back, I wipe my eyes, rub and scratch them

to see more clearly. And I do.

Two gray hands scratch the floor tiles, nails green

with algae, putrid flesh sagging on her legs, arms

and torso, hair so long and wet and heavy, it drags

her down. Diluted, impossible to focus on, like little

waves rippling over her body from head to foot, seaweed

in the water. Scales and fins, mermaidlike, little

knives, those are. And they scrape the floor, like a

fork on a plate. It’s her—Limnade.

She opens her mouth of scissor-teeth and the rotten

smell of fish wraps around my throat like two

hands trying to choke me.

“You can’t be…” I don’t finish my breathless

thought and jump backward, knocking over the dish

of decorative soaps. Blurry waves, vision impaired,

out of focus, unreal. She crawls toward me, eyes unblinking,

lethal, hands inches from me: my legs refuse

to move, as my body feels like stone. Frozen,

hypnotized, a statue. Then I hear something coming

from within her…

A melody, reminding me of something lost, tickles

my ears. It drags on until the sweetness turns sickly,

vibrating into a full-on super-scream, hyenalike,

enough to pop my ears and make them bleed. Her

large mouth deforms her face into one gap of black,

the cry so high and strident, I scream from the pain.

Limnade stares at me, everything but her fades

away—Jo’s nice bathroom, Jo’s new life, Jo himself—

none of it matters anymore. Her fingers brush my

forehead, they’re cold and sticky like clams. And I let

the darkness take me away.

Finding Free Ebooks

As you know if you read my Sunday Book Share posts (ie book haul & blog news, The Sunday Post, Stacking the Shelves, etc). I download A LOT of kindle freebies. Several people have asked how I find them so I thought I'd share. While I download books for kindle, the methods and many of my sources are applicable regardless of your e-reader.

My book budget is abysmally tiny; some months it's non-existent. I currently have a gift card balance at Amazon so I've been able to purchase some print books and digital books but I'm trying to stretch it and make it last so I have been very picky about what I pay for. Freebies are my friend. :) The library is, and has been for years, a fantastic source. The downside of course is that I can't keep the books but I have to give them back. Still, it does let me read authors who are favorites but not on  my auto buy list, and it lets me try new authors. They also have ebooks, both kindle and ePub, and I have taken advantage of that as well. Free books are an excellent way to try a new-to-you author or genre; you're investing your time but not your money.

So, the library is one source for free books that I don't keep. For books that I want to keep, well, there are many sources. Have an author that you like? Join their mailing list, whether it's print or digital; follow them on twitter or facebook (or any other social media where you both are users), make a point of regularly visiting their website/blog/discussion board. All of these are ways to find out when your author has a book that is free or being given away. Are you on goodreads? Often authors will make a book free temporarily and invite their goodreads friends or post a book in the goodreads giveaway section. I'm not on shefari or librarything so I don't know if they have similar activities. Anybody know?

What else? Publishers. If you have a publisher that you're a fan of or that publishes a series or several series that you enjoy, sign up for their mailing list and visit their sites and blogs. Don't forget to follow them on twitter, facebook, etc. For instance, the publisher I work for is celebrating it's second birthday this month by giving away 2 books every day on their blog. Each day there are two different titles and coupon codes so you can download them for free. My publisher invited all staff who are on facebook, and everyone that liked their page as well as everyone who's part of their facebook book club. They've also been talking it up on twitter. They've also been encouraging people to share the news and spread the word.

Of course, the people that you interact with and follow are also sources. Talk to your blogging buddies, your tweeps, your facebook friends, etc. Know a deal or freebie? Share the news. Forward the email, write a blog post, share info and links on twitter and fb, etc. I get many of my freebies from reading other book sharing posts, the Sunday Post, Stacking the Shelves, IMMs, etc., particularly the Melissas - Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf and Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries & More. Now, sometimes by the time I read the book share posts, the freebie is no longer free but it might be on sale, reasonably priced, or a book I add to my watch list or see if my library has.  The Book Vixen regularly tweets freebies and deals. There are book blogs that post, either regularly or occasionally, freebies and deals. Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Reviews is one, there are others if you just look. I almost forgot! Both Dear Author and Smart Bitches have daily listings of romance titles that are either free or on sale and usually those are available in different formats, not just kindle.

So, the library is a source, stalking following authors and publishers on their sites and social media is another source, your social media buddies are a good resource, but your best bets, the ones that will give you the most options are sites and blogs that specialize in finding the freebies. There are dozens, heck probably hundreds, for kindle alone. I get a daily email, Latest Kindle Free Books, that collects free titles for kindle on Amazon and Smashwords. I found them by browsing Amazon, looking specifically for blogs and sites that collected free Kindle titles. Over on facebook I liked/friended several groups and pages: eReaderlove (which despite its name is primarily kindle titles), Chelsea's Free Ebook Finds and her other page, Chelsea's Cheap Paranormal Reads. There's also Free Today on Kindle and Beyond, which focuses on indie books that are free. Over on goodreads there are groups that specialize in free books; I belong to Booksy Cup Freebies and Bargains. ETA: D'oh! I forgot to mention that I found some of these groups via friends and others by searching facebook, and in goodreads groups, by entering "free kindle books" and variations on that phrase in the search bar on the respective sites. Obviously, you'll enter whatever e-reader you use in place of 'kindle'.

The freebies and deals are out there, if you're willing to put in some time and effort up front to find them.

Do you have a source for free or cheap books? Please put a link in the comments; it doesn't have to be for kindle but can be for any e-reader. Share the love!

Spotlight on The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff

 

International Best Selling author and Quill Award nominee Pam Jenoff is back with the long-awaited follow-up to "The Kommandant's Girl" and "The Diplomats Wife". 

Pam is the author of several novels, including "The Kommandant's Girl", which received widespread acclaim, earned her a nomination for a Quill Award and became an international bestseller. She previously served as a Foreign Service officer for the U.S. State Department in Europe, as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon and as a practicing attorney. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania, her master’s degree in history from Cambridge University and her bachelor’s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University. Pam lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.
 

******************************************************************************

Book Blurb ~

Paris, 1919. The world's leaders have gathered to rebuild from the ashes of the Great War. But for one woman, the City of Light harbors dark secrets and dangerous liaisons, for which many could pay dearly.

Brought to the peace conference by her father, a German diplomat, Margot Rosenthal initially resents being trapped in the congested French capital, where she is still looked upon as the enemy. But as she contemplates returning to Berlin and a life with Stefan, the wounded fiancé she hardly knows anymore, she decides that being in Paris is not so bad after all.

Bored and torn between duty and the desire to be free, Margot strikes up unlikely alliances: with Krysia, an accomplished musician with radical acquaintances and a secret to protect; and with Georg, the handsome, damaged naval officer who gives Margot a job—and also a reason to question everything she thought she knew about where her true loyalties should lie.

Against the backdrop of one of the most significant events of the century, a delicate web of lies obscures the line between the casualties of war and of the heart, making trust a luxury that no one can afford.

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Genre: General Fiction
Formats: paperback, ebook
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Book Depository

  
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How do you create a love story during times in history when love and lust were not discussed outside of marriage? Author Pam Jenoff has this to say ~ 

One thing that fascinates me as a writer of historical fiction is the commonalities in people, the way that women in differing time periods had the same feelings and doubts and desires as we do today.  So the love story feels much the same to me.  However, it is certainly true that the conversations were different.  I’m not sure they were often discussed inside marriage, much less outside.  But operating within those societal constraints creates a level of tension that can actually, if managed properly, be very useful in storytelling.

******************************************************************************

Mini Excerpt

“A moment later, I turn onto a side street and pull the bike up against the wall, which is covered in faded posters exhorting passersby to buy war bonds. A bell tinkles as I enter the bookshop. “Bonjour.” The owner, Monsieur Bartteau, accustomed to my frequent visits, nods but does not look up from the till. I squeeze down one of the narrow aisles and scan the packed shelves hungrily. When we first arrived in Paris weeks earlier, it was books that I missed the most: the dusty stacks of the college library at Magdalen, the bounty of the stalls at the Portobello Road market. Then one day I happened upon this shop.”

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 "The Ambassador's Daughter" is out now. If you like romances and fiction set during war times, and enjoy reading about other times and places, this is the book for you.