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

Does every relationship deserve a second chance?

When chief romantic Rose Delaney scores her dream job at London’s quirkiest new attraction, The Museum of Broken Hearts, she thinks she’s got it made. Sure, it’s a little depressing dealing with relics of failed relationships each day, but Rose is determined not to let it break her ‘love conquers all’ spirit. After discovering the museum’s handsome curator is nursing a broken heart of his own, Rose steps in to fix it. Can Rose heal the rift, or will this happy ending go awry?

Regular readers will know that I’m a big fan of Talli Roland’s novels so whilst I’m waiting eagerly for her next book to be released, I thought I’d read her novella Miracle at the Museum of Broken Hearts. For those who haven’t read any of Talli’s writing yet, this novella is the perfect opportunity to get a feel for her books. The story is full of Talli’s trademark warmth, humour and romance and I thought the idea of a Museum of Broken Hearts was quirky and original.

Rose is a hopeless romantic and very much an optimist and was a girl after my own heart from the beginning. As we meet her she’s working in the basement of the British Museum and thoroughly fed up with her fossil cataloguing job so when she sees the advert for a job at The Museum of Broken Hearts she has to apply! Despite the protestations of her best friend Mel who tells it like it is, Rose heads into the job full of enthusiasm and quickly decides that she needs to help her new (and very handsome) boss mend his own broken heart. Talli has created two lovely characters in Rose and Heath and the story is a clever take on both relationships and love with a couple of fab twists in the tale.

Some short stories are just that – a nice quick read but not much to them but I was impressed by the substance of this one. It’s an excellent read and very much worth the pennies that it cost to download.

*STOP PRESS* Miracle at the Museum of Broken Hearts is FREE to download on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com today so grab it quick!

You can find out more abou Talli and her books at: http://talliroland.blogspot.com/

Slave to the rich and the rude, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she’s a high-flying tabloid reporter. When she meets Jeremy Ritchie — the hang-dog man determined to be Britain’s Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between — Serenity knows she’s got a story no editor could resist.

With London’s biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy’s progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success. But when Jeremy’s surgery goes drastically wrong and she’s ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, Serenity must decide how far she really will go for her dream job.

Build A Man is Talli Roland’s third novel and although I’ve enjoyed them all, this is my favourite so far! I said in a previous review that I thought Talli had really found her niche in writing chick lit with an edge that is fun, modern and romantic and Build A Man is another brilliant example of this; the plot is original and fun but still manages to make you think, the hero and heroine are well developed and genuinely likeable but by no means perfect and the romance is spot on and actually believable.

I think Talli’s novels feel very ‘of the moment’ because they look at trends such as reality TV (The Hating Game), YouTube and the cult of celebrity (Watching Willow Watts) and Build A Man continues the theme by focusing on the tabliod press and cosmetic surgery. Leading lady Serenity Holland is the link between the two; she’s desperate to break into tabloid journalism and is handed the perfect story whilst working as a receptionist at the ‘Transforma Harley Street Clinic’.

When Jeremy Richie walks into the clinic determined to turn himself into a prize catch by changing everything about his appearance, Serenity leaps at the chance to make her tabloid dreams come true and unbeknown to Jeremy a tabloid star is born. The lengths Serenity goes to to keep Jeremy and her cosmetic surgeon boyfriend, Peter in the dark whilst gathering her story and juggling her clinic job and her new reporter role are inspired and make for a lot of humour in the early parts of the novel. Coupled with Serenity’s caustic thoughts on the clients at the clinic, Build a Man is a very funny novel.

But as well as fun and humour, there is a serious and as the novel progresses, dramatic darker side to the story. Talli balances the two perfectly resulting in a story that entertains and makes you think. As the drama unfolds, the romantic element to the story steps up a gear too and I found myself completely gripped wondering what the outcome would be. Both Serenity and Jeremy are very believable characters and I genuinely wanted a good outcome for both of them. Talli has also created an excellent supporting cast and the secondary storyline involving Talli’s best friend Kirsty had me just as engrossed as the main plot.

With Build A Man, Talli has firmly established herself as one of my ‘must read’ authors and I’m very much looking forward to the sequel Construct A Couple.

5/5

I’d like to thank Talli for providing a copy of Build A Man for review.

You can find out more about Talli and her novels at: http://www.talliroland.com/

Today I’d like you all to welcome Talli Roland to One More Page and help her to celebrate the official e-book launch of her latest novel Build a Man. Talli has three loves in her life: chick lit, coffee and wine! Talli’s debut novel, The Hating Game was an Amazon Top 100 bestseller and shortlisted for Best Romantic Read at the UK’s Festival of Romance, and her second, Watching Willow Watts was selected as a 2011 Amazon Customer Favourite. Welcome Talli!

In addition to your three novels, you also have a short story published in the Christmas anthology Madness Under the Mistletoe; please could you tell us a little about it?

I was inspired to write my short story ‘Miracle at the Museum of Broken Hearts’ after reading about Zagreb’s Museum of Broken Relationships in the Guardian. I thought it would make a fascinating setting! My story follows chief romantic Rose Delaney, who scores her dream job at the museum. She finds it a little depressing dealing with relics of failed relationships each day, but she’s determined not to let it break her ‘love conquers all’ spirit. After discovering the museum’s handsome curator is nursing a broken heart of his own, Rose steps in to fix it. Can Rose heal the rift in time for the holidays, or will this Christmas crush her fantasies forever?

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

If I’m in London, my husband and I always take a Christmas stroll along the South Bank, across the Millennium Bridge, and over to St Paul’s, stopping for mulled wine and roasted nuts along the way. If I’m visiting my relatives in Canada, Christmas afternoon is usually spent curled up with a new book in front of the fire. Bliss!

What is or would be the best book-related Christmas gift that Santa could deliver to you?

Oh, I would die for a Kindle Fire. But seeing as how they’re not in the UK yet, that’s probably not going to happen. Failing that, an Amazon gift certificate would be fantastic! My bank account and I would be very grateful.

What is your top tip for a happy Christmas/ for surviving the festive season?

Wine. When you’re feeling stressed, sit down and slurp a glass or three. In fact, that would be my top tip for any season! I’ll make that mulled wine for Christmastime.

Imagine you are settling down with a lovely Christmas read … what is your perfect Christmas reading setting/scenario?

I love reading in my parents’ house in Nova Scotia, in an old armchair right in front of the fire. Looking out onto the quiet street, with snowflakes drifting through the soft glow of the streetlight . . . it really couldn’t get better than that. Now I’m missing home!

Who is your favourite Christmas book/novel character and why?

Hmm, now this is a tough question. Can I cheat and pick a film character? I love Jamie, Colin Firth’s character in Love Actually. He gets kicked in the teeth when it comes to love, but he regroups on Christmas Eve and makes a spontaneous dash to propose to the real love of his life. I’m a giant sap, and that scene gets me in flood of tears every time.

What is your favourite Christmas song?

I love The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’. It captures Christmas perfectly and you can’t help jigging along to it.

And finally … what can readers look forward to next from Talli Roland?

Up next is Construct A Couple, the sequel to Build A Man. It will be released in Spring 2012, and I can’t wait!

Thank you Talli!

You can find out more about Talli and her novels on her blog at: http://talliroland.blogspot.com/

Talli is very generously providing TWO e-book copies of Build a Man for me to give away!

Slave to the rich, rude and deluded, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she’s a high-flying tabloid reporter. Unfortunately, every pitch she sends out disappears like her clients’ liposuctioned fat, never to be seen again. Then she meets Jeremy Ritchie — the hang-dog man determined to be Britain’s Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between — giving Serenity a story no editor could resist.

With London’s biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy’s progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success, even going undercover to gain intimate access to Jeremy’s life. But when Jeremy’s surgery goes drastically wrong and Serenity is ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, she must decide how far she really will go for her dream job.

To enter leave a comment in the box below telling me which celebrity would be your ‘perfect’ man (you can pick different bits of different celebrities if you really want to have fun with this and ‘Build  a Man’ )

I’ll draw two winners using random.org after the closing date.

This giveaway is open internationally. Entries will close at midnight on Friday 9th December. Good luck!

Just four books on my December wish list and I can’t wait to read them all!

Build a Man by Talli Roland
Released 7th December
Published by Notting Hill Press
Website: http://talliroland.blogspot.com/

This one is actually already out as an ebook but the official launch date is 7th December. It sounds like another fun read from Talli who has certainly been busy this year!

How far would you go to create the perfect partner?

Slave to the rich, rude and deluded, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she’s a high-flying tabloid reporter. Unfortunately, every pitch she sends out disappears like her clients’ liposuctioned fat, never to be seen again. Then she meets Jeremy Ritchie — the hang-dog man determined to be Britain’s Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between — giving Serenity a story no editor could resist.

With London’s biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy’s progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success, even going undercover to gain intimate access to Jeremy’s life. But when Jeremy’s surgery goes drastically wrong and Serenity is ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, she must decide how far she really will go for her dream job.

Build a Man is available for Kindle (link goes to amazon.co.uk)

Confessions of a Karaoke Queen by Ella Kingsley
Released 8th December
Published by Sphere
Website: http://www.littlebrown.co.uk/About/Imprints/Sphere

This one sounds like lots of fun and is Ella Kingsley’s debut.

Maddie Mulhern is suddenly in charge. Her parents – former 80s pop duo Pineapple Mist – have left for the summer on a nostalgia tour, entrusting her to manage their struggling karaoke bar, Sing It Back. Panicking over the dodgy finances, Maddie takes a gamble: she signs up for a fly-on-the-wall reality TV series. With her faithful staff (divalicious drag queen Ruby, shy barman Simon and wannabe actress Jasmine) she’ll transform the bar into a huge success. Simple. Right? Executive Producer Evan Bergman knows that scandal sells. It’s no coincidence that he hires cool, attractive Nick Craven as director. Evan wants drama on screen – and he’ll do anything to get it. As the series builds to a live finale, will Maddie see the truth in a Careless Whisper? Will Nick be able to keep his Poker Face? One thing’s for sure: we all do things at karaoke that we regret …

Confessions of a Karaoke Queen is available in paperback and for Kindle (links go to Amazon.co.uk)

I Heart Vegas by Lindsey Kelk
Released 8th December
Published by Harper
Website: http://www.iheartlindseykelk.com/

I’m a huge fan of this series and can’t wait to read the fourth installment of Angela’s adventures. Gorgeous cover too!

Angela Clark loves her life in New York. She a Brit who’s conquered the Big Apple. Unfortunately, she’s also a Brit who’s lost her job. And when, just a couple of weeks before Christmas, the immigration department gets wind of this, Angela needs to find a new job urgently. Or a husband. And she doesn’t think her boyfriend Alex will be keen.

A girls’ weekend in Vegas with her best friend Jenny seems the perfect way to forget her troubles. From the minute they arrive Angela is swept up in a whirl of cocktails, outrageous outfits, late nights and brushes with the chapel of love. But rather than escaping trouble, Angela is up to her neck in it….

But what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas – right?

I Heart Vegas is available in paperback and for Kindle (links go to Amazon.co.uk)

Manhattan by Ronni Cooper
Released 22nd December
Published by Sphere
Website: http://www.ronnicooper.com/

New York is my favourite city so this had to be on my list and it sounds like a real page turner!

Raine: Born in Brooklyn, the undisputed queen of the City, Raine owns the sexiest, starriest nightclub in New York – and no one is ever going to take her crown. Mei-Lin: The beautiful, enigmatic madam moves in all the right circles – but it wasn’t always that way. Now her American dream has become a nightmare and she may have to pay the ultimate price for freedom. Stevie: Once the lead singer of the biggest female rock band in the world, Stevie is now flying solo – but she has a secret that could destroy her. Now all three women are about to discover that payback is the biggest bitch of all…

Manhattan is available in paperback and for Kindle (links go to Amazon.co.uk)

Having really enjoyed Talli Roland’s September release Watching Willow Watts, I was very excited to see that she will be releasing another book in December! Build a Man, will be available as an e-book on December 7^th, and in paperback in the New Year.

Slave to the rich, rude and deluded, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she’s a high-flying tabloid reporter. Unfortunately, every pitch she sends out disappears like her clients’ liposuctioned fat, never to be seen again. Then she meets Jeremy Ritchie — the hang-dog man determined to be Britain’s Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between — giving Serenity a story no editor could resist.

With London’s biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy’s progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success, even going undercover to gain intimate access to Jeremy’s life. But when Jeremy’s surgery goes drastically wrong and Serenity is ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, she must decide how far she really will go for her dream job.

September has to be the quickest month to pass of the year so far. It was all a bit of a blur of sleepless nights and nappy changes for me but I did find time to read six books and post the odd review I also took part in Talli Roland’s If I Could Be Anyone, I’d Be…’ online launch party! and ran three giveaways!

The books I read were:

Book of the Month September

Star Struck by Jane Lovering

Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes by Sue Watson

Watching Willow Watts by Talli Roland

(Un)like A Virgin by Lucy-Anne Holmes

Persuade Me by Juliet Archer

Netherwood by Jane Sanderson

My book of the month for September is (Un)like a Virgin by Lucy-Anne Holmes because I absolutely loved lead character Gracie Flowers and her story left me with a big smile on my face!

The three most popular reviews in September were:

(Un)like A Virgin by Lucy-Anne Holmes, Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes by Sue Watson, Watching Willow Watts by Talli Roland

Searches bringing most people to One More Page were for Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance, From Notting Hill With Love …Actually by Ali McNamara and A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness which came out in paperback this month.

October is already flying by and I have a brilliant pile of books lined up to be read and reviewed including the latest and penultimate installment in the Blue Bloods series, Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz; the highly anticipated new novel from Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot and two gorgeous Christmas stories; The Night Before Christmas by debut author Scarlett Bailey and Wrapped up in You by Carole Matthews. I’m really excited to be taking part in the blog tour for Wrapped Up In You at the end of the month so look out for that!

Though it’s only October, I’m also starting to plan posts for my Countdown to Christmas which is my book blogger version of an advent calendar with a Christmas-themed post every day from December 1st to 24th. I did the countdown last year and it was great fun but I’m hoping to make it bigger and better this year. As well as reviews of Christmassy books I’ll have book-inspired gift suggestions, Christmas-themed interviews, giveaways and guest posts. I’m looking for contributors so if you are an author, publisher or fellow blogger and you’d like to take part, drop me an email at: onemorepageamanda@gmail.com

Happy autumn reading!

The winners are …

Carol Wyer and Amy

Congratulations! I have sent you both emails. Thanks to everyone who entered and don’t forget to enter the (Un)like a Virgin Giveaway that is currently running. Look out for more giveaways coming soon!

Earlier today I posted my review of Talli Roland’s fab second novel Watching Willow Watts. Talli is kindly providing two ebook copies of her novel for me to give away. This giveaway is open worldwide and will close at midnight (UK) on Sunday 18th September.

Today marked the official launch of Watching Willow Watts as an ebook and to celebrate Talli Roland organised an If I Could Be Anyone, I’d Be…’ online launch party! So to enter this giveaway just leave a comment in the box at the end of this post that completes the sentence, saying who you would be if you could be anyone for a day. I’ll draw two winners using random.org following the closing date. Good luck everyone!

For Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father’s antique shop and nights watching TV, as the pension-aged residents of Britain’s Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when a YouTube video of Willow’s epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation gets millions of hits after a viewer spots Marilyn’s ghostly image in a frame.

Instantly, Willow’s town is overrun with fans flocking to see the ‘new Marilyn’. Egged on by the villagers — whose shops and businesses are cashing in — Willow embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and ramming herself full of cakes to achieve Marilyn’s legendary curves.

But when a former flame returns seeking the old Willow, Willow must decide: can she risk her stardom and her village’s newfound fortune on love, or is being Marilyn her ticket to happiness?

For Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father’s antique shop and nights watching TV, as the pension-aged residents of Britain’s Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when a YouTube video of Willow’s epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation gets millions of hits after a viewer spots Marilyn’s ghostly image in a frame.

Instantly, Willow’s town is overrun with fans flocking to see the ‘new Marilyn’. Egged on by the villagers — whose shops and businesses are cashing in — Willow embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and ramming herself full of cakes to achieve Marilyn’s legendary curves.

But when a former flame returns seeking the old Willow, Willow must decide: can she risk her stardom and her village’s newfound fortune on love, or is being Marilyn her ticket to happiness?

Having loved Talli Roland’s reality TV based debut, The Hating Game I’ve been eagerly anticipating the publication of Watching Willow Watts and I’m pleased to say I wasn’t disappointed. Talli has once again tapped into a very modern media phenomenon – in this case the power of YouTube – to pen a fun but heartfelt novel that looks at the lure of celebrity and the true price of fame.

Willow Watts is an unassuming twenty-something girl living in the less than inspiring Cotswolds village of Belcherton. Willow has given up a burgeoning career as a florist in London to return home to look after her Father and his ailing antiques business following the death of her Mother. I liked Willow straight away – we meet her as she attends the village fair and it’s clear from the start that she wants to make people happy even if it is at the expense of her own desires.

As her best friend Paula talks her into donning a Marilyn Monroe costume at the ‘Be a Star’ stall, little does Willow know how much her life is about to change. In a strange but amusingly believable twist of fate, the video of Willow’s Marilyn impression is uploaded to YouTube and becomes an instant hit as Marilyn fans worldwide believe they see the image of their idol’s ghost endorsing Willow as the next big thing!

Willow is quickly pulled into the frenzy and as fans and the media descend on the village wanting to meet her she realises that being the new Marilyn might be the answer to all of her problems and a real boost for the village. It’s at this point that the story takes a turn for the more sinister as Willow falls for the promises of fame and fortune (not to mention the romantic attentions) of unscrupulous ‘agent’ Jay Bellamy. Jay is a fantastic villain and a character that readers will love to hate – I truly was wishing him the worst as I read! Thankfully there are some fab supporting characters to help keep Willow on track – her quirky best friend Paula and American Marilyn fanatic Betts were two of my favourites and I loved the sub-slot involving Betts as she makes her own life-changing decisions.

As with Talli’s previous novel, there are several romantic stories running under the main ‘celebrity’ plot and as Willow’s ex-boyfriend Alex comes back into the picture she has to decide who she really wants to be and what she wants from her future. Watching Willow Watts is a quick and engrossing read and I loved the ending to the story. Talli has definitely found her niche in writing chick lit with an edge that is fun, modern and romantic and I’m already looking forward to her next book!

4/5

Watching Willow Watts is out now in ebook format and the paperback version will be available on November 30th. I’d like to thank Talli for sending me a review copy.

You can find out more about Talli and her books at: http://www.talliroland.com/