I’ve been enjoying some fantastic historical fiction this year so far and historian Juliet Nicholson’s debut novel sounds like another excellent read set in one of my favourite periods. The novel is released on June 7th so look out for a review soon!

England, 1936. After the recent death of George V, the nation has a new king, Edward VIII. But for all the confident pomp and ceremony of the accession, it is a turbulent time. Terrible poverty and unemployment affect many, but trouble few among the ruling elite; for others, Oswald Mosley’s New Party, which offers a version of the fascism on the rise in Germany, seems to offer the vision of the future.

Nineteen-year-old May Thomas has just disembarked at Liverpool Docks after making the long journey by steamer from Barbados to escape the constraints of her sugar-plantation childhood. Her first job as a secretary and chauffeuse to Sir Philip Blunt, Chief Whip in Baldwin’s Conservative government, will open her eyes to the upper echelons of British society…

The unlikely friendship she forms with Evangeline Nettlefold, American god-daughter of the Chief Whip’s wife and an old school friend of Wallis Simpson, will see her through family upheavals including the shocking, sudden loss of her mother; but more significant for May, the Blunts’ son Rupert has an Oxford University friend, Julian, a young man of conscience for whom, despite all barriers of class, she cannot help but fall.

Secrets, hidden truths, undeclared loves, unspoken sympathies and covert complicities are everywhere – biggest and most dangerous of them all, the truth about the new King’s relationship with a married woman, and the silent horror that few in Britain dare voice: the increasing inevitability of another world war…

Regular readers will know I’m a big fan of Ali’s books and I’m so excited about her next release which is a sequel to her debut From Notting Hill with Love … Actually. And the level of excitement and anticipation jumped a little higher when I saw the newly released cover image for From Notting Hill to New York … Actually and found the synopsis on the publisher website   Roll on November!

Scarlett O’Brien, utterly addicted to romantic films, has found her leading man. She’s convinced Sean is Mr Right, but the day-to-day reality of a relationship isn’t quite like the movies. With Sean constantly away on business, Scarlett and her new best friend Oscar decide to head to New York for the holiday of a lifetime.

From one famous landmark to the next, Scarlett and Oscar make many new friends during their adventure – including sailors in town for Fleet Week, a famous film star, and Jamie & Max, a TV reporter and cameraman. Scarlett finds herself strangely drawn to Jamie, they appear to have much in common: a love of films and Jamie’s search for a parent he never knew. But Scarlett has to ask herself why she is reacting like this to another man when she’s so in love with Sean . . .

Last month I posted about Daniela Sacerdoti’s new book Dreams. Thanks to Daniela’s lovely publishers I’m very excited to be able to share the first chapter of Dreams with you to get your Monday off to a good start!  Dreams is out now as an ebook and will be released in paperback on 17th May. Happy reading

Dreams Chapter One

Talli Roland’s latest newsletter included very exciting news about a new novel scheduled for release in November. The Pollyanna Plan sounds like another hit for Talli and I love the title and the cover.

Thirty-something Emma Beckett has always looked down on ‘the glass is half full’ optimists, believing it’s better to be realistic than delusional. But when she loses her high-powered job and fiancé in the same week, even Emma has difficulty keeping calm and carrying on.

With her world spinning out of control and bolstered by a challenge from her best friend, Emma makes a radical decision. For the next year, she’ll behave like Pollyanna: attempting to always see the upside, no matter how dire the situation.

Can adopting a positive attitude give Emma the courage to build a new life, or is finding the good in everything a very bad idea?

Thankfully we don’t have to wait until November for more from Talli. Her new novel, Construct a Couple, the sequel to the excellent Build a Man  is out as an ebook in June!

Find out more about Talli and her books at: http://talliroland.blogspot.co.uk

Over the last couple of weeks this book has been creating quite a buzz in my Twitter stream so I looked it up and immediately fell in love with the gorgeous cover. The story sounds fascinating too and from what I’ve heard, will need to be read with a box of tissues at hand. This is How it Ends will be released on 24th May.

Ireland . . .

America . . .

Family secrets . . .

Laughter . . .

Tragedy . . .

Swimming . . .

Dogs . . .

Big beaches . . .

Loneliness . . .

A story of unexpected,

life-changing love

I heard about The Circle for the first time last week and it went straight on to my wish list. A Swedish bestseller, this is the first book in a new paranormal trilogy where seven teenage witches are hunted by an ancient evil. The Circle will be released on 7th June and I can’t wait!

One night, when a strange red moon fills the sky, six school girls find themselves in an abandoned theme park, drawn there by a mysterious force. A student has just been found dead. Everyone suspects suicide. Everyone – except them.

In that derelict fairground an ancient prophecy is revealed. They are The Chosen Ones, a group of witches, bound together by a power, one which could destroy them all. But they soon learn that despite their differences they need each other in order to master the forces that have been awakened within them.

High school is now a matter of life and death. Because the killing has only just begun.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks has been re-released with a new cover to coincide with the release of the film version starring Zac Efron (out on 2nd May).

In more exciting news for UK based fans, it was announced yesterday that Nicholas Sparks will be appearing at Foyles, Charing Cross Road for a discussion of The Lucky One  and signing on 28th April. This is his first UK event for seven years and you can find out more on the Little Brown website and purchase tickets on the Foyles Website.

Is there really such a thing as a good luck charm? Ex-soldier Logan thinks he just might have found one. Haunted by memories of the friends he lost in Iraq, Logan knows how fortunate he is to be home. He believes that a photograph he carried with him, a picture of a smiling woman he’s never met, kept him safe. Even though he knows nothing about this woman, he hopes she might hold the key to his destiny.

Resolving to find her, Logan embarks on a journey of startling discovery. Beth, the woman whose picture he holds, is struggling with problems of her own: her volatile ex-husband won’t accept their relationship is over and threatens anyone who gets too close to her. And, despite a growing attraction between them, Logan has kept one explosive secret from Beth: how he came across her photograph in the first place . . .

Giveaway!

To celebrate the release I have one copy of the book to give away. To enter just leave a ‘pick me’ comment below and I’ll draw a winner using random.org after the closing date. This giveaway is open until midnight on Tuesday 24th April. UK entries only please. Good luck and look out for my review coming soon!

I’ve had this one on my wish list for a while and couldn’t resist posting the lovely cover. What I Did on My Holidays sounds like a fun and funny summer read and is released on 21st June.

Sophie Petworth can`t wait for her annual summer holiday. Not only will it be a week away from work, it will be a chance to reconnect with her boyfriend Callum.

So this upcoming trip to Majorca is a big deal. Sophie`s spent a lot of time getting ready. She`s bought a new wardrobe. She`s been waxed to within an inch of her life. She`s determined she and Callum will have the best time ever.

Then Callum dumps her, the night before they`re due to leave. In a show of bravery and independence, Sophie says she`ll go to Majorca alone – but in fact, she hides in her London flat. But when her friends, family, and even Callum seem so surprised and delighted at her single girl courage, Sophie decides to go all out and recreate the ultimate `fake break` . . . with hilarious results.

Dreams is the first book in the new Sarah Midnight Trilogy by Daniela Sacerdoti. I’m very intrigued by the synopsis and trailer and think the cover is great too. Dreams sounds quite different to anything I’ve read recently and I’m looking forward to reading it soon.

‘You’d never think it could happen to you. You’d never think that one day you’d stand in a graveyard, rain tapping on a sea of black umbrellas, watching your parents being lowered into the earth, never to come back. It’s happening to me. They said it was an accident. Only I know the truth. My parents were hunters, like their parents and grandparents before them, hundreds of years back, scores of ancestors behind me, fulfilling the same call. I must follow in their footsteps. I am the only one left to keep the promise. I can never give up the fight, this fight that has been handed down to me, thrust upon my unwilling shoulders. I’d rather be buried with my parents, my brave, fierce father and mother, who lived and died by the Midnight motto: Don’t Let Them Roam.’ 

Ever since her thirteenth birthday, seventeen-year-old Sarah Midnight’s dreams have been plagued by demons – but unlike most people’s nightmares, Sarah’s come true. Her dreams guide her parents’ hunt as Sarah remains in bed, terrified but safe, sheltered from the true horrors of the Midnight legacy. But all this is about to change. After the murder of her parents, she is cruelly thrust into a secret world of unimaginable danger as she is forced to take up their mission. Alone and unprepared for the fight that lies before her, Sarah must learn how to use the powers she’s inherited and decide whom to trust before it’s too late…

Dreams is released on 17th May and it’s already been chosen as a booksellers choice for Waterstones in Scotland for May!

You can find out more about Daniela and her writing on her website at: http://danielasacerdoti.com/en/

666 Park Avenue featured in my ‘Six most anticipated paranormal romance books of 2012‘ and I’m eagerly awaiting its UK release so I was excited to see the new cover which is very different to the US cover (I’ve shown them both below – UK first then US – and I honesty can’t decide which I like best!). The book will be released by Canvas (Constable and Robinson) on 19th July.