Tag: Blog Tour

Blog Tour: An Extract from The Perfect Girl by Kelly Golden

Today as a part of the blog tour, I am sharing an extract from The Perfect Girl by Kelly Golden. This one looks is right up my alley since it’s a thriller! I’m also currently reading it and was hoping to be able to share my review as well, but life happens! My review will come sometime this month! The Perfect Girl is available to purchase now!

Book Description:

He always said she was just a friend… What if she’d kill for more?

Sophie is perfect. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and when she smiles her teeth sparkle. And she cares; she’s passionate. Everybody loves her. So would I, except she’s my husband Mike’s best friend, and sometimes they seem a little too close for comfort.

This summer, Sophie is renting the grand house next door, bringing over fancy wine, offering to babysit our beautiful three-year-old daughter. It’s nice, actually. She’s smart and funny. Maybe the way she is with Mike – squeezing his arm, tilting her head when she laughs at his jokes – is just how she is with everybody.

But then she says something that sends a shiver down my spine – does she know something about me she shouldn’t?

And when her new husband arrives, looking slightly too familiar, I realise my time is running out. My baby girl and I are in terrible danger.

Sophie really is perfect. She has me perfectly trapped. And as my world begins to crumble, I start to wonder: does Sophie just want to steal my husband, or has she planned the perfect murder?

A completely unputdownable psychological thriller that will keep you flicking through your Kindle late into the night. Perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Guest List and anything by Louise Candlish, Erin Kelly or TM Logan.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK


A note on the extract from the author: 

This is a little way past the middle of the book with a couple of spoilers removed! Emma has come round to trusting Sophie and is trying to do the right thing, telling Mike, Emma’s husband, that she’s concerned Sophie might be being abused by her husband, Johnnie. Sophie’s reaction is predictably unpredictable.

Chapter 52 – Tuesday 19th July 2022

‘Why, oh why, would you tell Mike?’ Sophie is digging in her handbag and I can’t see her eyes behind her hair. The bag is the shape of a butterfly, black leather, brown velvet, shiny dots of red.

A field of cows flashes past. A cardboard sign advertises fresh eggs. The sun dazzles my eyes and I pull down the sunshade. ‘He’s your oldest friend. I thought you needed help.’

I need help?’ She laughs, bending forward slightly against the seatbelt and I feel myself tense. She keeps rummaging, pulls out a slender glass tube, unscrews the lid and rollers something onto her wrists then puts it back again.

The scent of jasmine fills the car. It reminds me that an hour ago I was in the surreal normality of my soap class. Freya showed me how to cut and pull a layered candle so it looked like an orchid.

‘You’re a puzzle, Emma. I thought you were good at this.’ Sophie gets the bottle out again and puts some on her neck, then more on her wrists.

I don’t know what she means. She seems unhinged. I’ve already had a very confusing morning. After my class I went to the doctor, but Maisie, the receptionist, said I’d called to change to the Monday and had missed the appointment and I had to rebook for the following week. I hadn’t called. But, of course, it was me who seemed crazy. Maisie’s look had confirmed it.

‘Good at what?’

‘Getting what you want.’

I wish I could look at her properly, but the bends in the road are too sharp and the hedges too high for me to take my eyes off it for long. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean, what happens now?’

I risk a longer glimpse at her and she stares at me intently with those turquoise eyes. I’m completely lost. I try to remember what she’s said. I have the feeling I’m missing something. Her jaw is clenched so tight.

‘Sophie? Are you okay? I’m sorry I told Mike, but I was really worried about you.’

‘Fine. Fine.’ She turns and stares out the window.

‘Are you sure he isn’t hurting you?’

‘We’re married. Of course he’s hurting me. That’s what we do to the people we love.’ She seems like she’s about to snap. Or maybe this is her snapping.

‘I don’t think that has to be true,’ I say.

‘That’s because you’ve got Mike.’

I realise I’m going too fast, and slow as we approach the bronze cow. Someone has hung a garland of orange flowers around its neck.

I’m too scared to ask her what she means again. I’m out of my depth. My stomach turns. What did she mean, that I was good at getting what I wanted? Does she just mean that my life has turned out nicely, or that she knows something about how I achieved it?


About the Author:

I’m the working mum of a bossy little girl and a bossier cat called Pesto. We live in the southwest of England and escape to the beach whenever we can. I’ve never stopped writing my whole life but this is the first time I’ve published a book! 

Contact Kelly:
Twitter: @
KellyGolden1234
Instagram:
@kellygoldenbooks

Blog Tour: Promo: The Family at No. 12 by Anita Waller

Today and I am helping to spread the word on The Family at No. 12 by Anita Waller. This one is available now and was just released! This one is a psychological thriller, so you know it will be right up my alley!

Book Description:

When Janette answers the door to a potential customer looking to board his dog, she never imagines he has nefarious plans.

But minutes later he’s dead and in her cellar.

Weeks later she realises she’s pregnant.

And so she becomes Mother and the baby Child, and a hidden life begins.

But all secrets come out eventually . . .

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

About the Author:

Anita Waller is the author of many bestselling psychological thrillers and the Kat and Mouse crime series. She lives in Sheffield, which continues to be the setting of many of her thrillers, and was first published by Bloodhound at the age of sixty-nine. Her first book for Boldwood was published in August 2022.

Contact Anita:
Facebook Profile
Twitter @anitamayw
Instagram @anitawallerauthor
BookBub
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Blog Tour: The Mistletoe Mixtape: The ‘Top 5’ Features from Jennifer Broham

I know we are in the middle of the scariest month of the year, but today I am taking part in a blog tour that is celebrating the joy of Christmas! I know, I know! For some, it can never be too early for Christmas! I am sharing a ‘Top 5 Features’ of The Mistletoe Mixtape written by Jennifer Broham. This one is available NOW and comprises 12 short stories to get you in that Christmas spirit! One song at a time!

There is also a giveaway going on for those of you lucky enough to be in The UK and Ireland!

Book Description:

Snuggle up for the holidays with 12 very different tales of love that will have you dancing under the mistletoe!

The Mistletoe Mixtape, the second anthology from The Christmas Collective, is a diverse and inclusive mix of stories, with more swoon-worthy characters, second chances and happy endings.

Amongst these twelve Christmas music inspired stories you will discover long lost love, festive fantasy, LGBTQ+ love stories, witty one liners and holiday romances. There really is a story to capture every reader’s festive spirit. So grab yourself a hot chocolate, pop on your favourite festive tunes and immerse yourself in the magic of The Mistletoe Mixtape.

Buy The Mistletoe Mixtape here!


Last month, I (Jennifer Broham) re-watched High Fidelity after many years. In case you haven’t seen it, it’s about a music-obsessed record shop owner who uses ‘Top 5’ lists to make sense of his life. After watching the film and thinking about the launch of The Mistletoe Mixtape, I thought it would be fun to write my own ‘Top 5’ to share with you. So here it goes, the ‘My Top 5 Features of The Mistletoe Mixtape’.

  1. The Festive Romance: Not many people can put their hand on their heart and say they’ve fallen in love twelve times in 2022, but this year, I can! The Christmas Collective authors have spent the last year developing plots and characters that have made me laugh, cry, and fall head-over-heels with each turn of the page. I have mostly worked on editing within the group, so I’ve read every story several times, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to know that now you’ll get the chance to experience true love, twelve times over too!
  2. The Settings: I don’t know about you, but while I love to travel, I’m a home-bird at Christmas. Luckily, the stories in The Mistletoe Mixtape span the globe, so we can enjoy visits to South Korea, Ireland, Wales, England and the USA. In Hayley-Jenifer Brennan’s story, Under The Mistletoe, her lead character suffers with home-sickness as she faces Christmas in South Korea, so far away from her Irish family. This resonated so strongly with me, having experienced this myself when I lived over there for three years. While the story brings back many happy memories of the wonderful country and culture, it also makes me appreciate how lucky I am to live closer to family again now … especially at Christmas! I love the fact that I can experience Hayley-Jenifer’s setting while sitting by my own Christmas tree, on my own snuggly sofa, with my own favourite mug of hot chocolate.
  3. The Diversity: I absolutely love this aspect of the book. It’s almost inevitable when I look at the diversity shared within The Christmas Collective itself. We are such a mix, and The Mistletoe Mixtape reflects this. In fact, possibly the only aspect of our diversity that isn’t reflected in any of the stories, is the fact that two of our authors are twin sisters! Within the pages, there are LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ stories, there are romantic leads in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, there are sweet love stories, contemporary romcoms, stories with a twist of magic, and even a Christmas-themed fantasy. Christmas is all about celebration and coming together, and I truly hope this comes across in the diversity of the book.
  4. The Playlist: This one has got to be in my Top 5. Every story in The Mistletoe Mixtape has the title of a Christmas song, and each plot is inspired by the lyrics. With classics like White Christmas, Santa Baby and A Winter’s Tale, I can’t wait to read the book with the playlist on in the background. I’ve already made the playlist – it’s ready and waiting – but I’m saving it for December 1st! I’m wondering if any of you will be able to pick out the scenes directly inspired from lyrics as you read. Some are easy to spot, but others are woven through more subtly. In fact, it would make a fun quiz for a reading group!
  5. Being part of your Christmas: I know that sounds corny, but the loveliest thing about being part of a Christmas anthology is knowing that our stories are going to weave into the real-life Christmases of our readers. Christmas is such a wonderful but hectic time for many of us, so finding time to read can be tricky, but short stories are so easy to dip into. I like to imagine there’ll be readers out there snatching moments to read our twelve stories over the twelve days of Christmas.

So, there it is, my High Fidelity inspired ‘Top 5’. Writing this has been so much fun, I’ve got a feeling I might have started something … What next? ‘Top 5 Christmas Foods’, ‘Top 5 Christmas Films’, ‘Top 5 Christmas Games’. It will all be inspiration for future Christmas stories!

But for now, I hope you enjoy The Mistletoe Mixtape and I wish you a very Merry Christmas.


The Christmas Collective is a group of twelve romance authors who came together when shortlisted for a festive romance competition. Together they have created two Christmas Romance anthologies, More Than Mistletoe (2021) and The Mistletoe Mixtape (2022).

The Christmas Collective authors are spread far and wide, across the UK, Ireland, Spain and South Korea, however, one thing connects them despite the distance: a love of romance and Christmas.

Website
Twitter @ChristmasCo2022
Instagram @ChristmasCO22
TikTok

**Giveaway to win a paperback copy for The UK and Ireland!**

Rafflecopter Givaway!

*Terms and Conditions –UK and Ireland entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

 

 

 

 

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