A diamond isn’t forever…
Northern Book Blogger reviewing YA and Romance, forever looking for happy endings and heart-break.
22 June 2020
Book Review: Marrying His Runaway Heiress by Therese Beharrie
A diamond isn’t forever…
17 June 2020
Book Review: Blood & Sand by CV Wyk
5 Word Review: Power, strength, survival, attraction, freedom, rebellion.
15 June 2020
Book Review: To Win His Highland Wife by Elisabeth Hobbes
As the future Laird of Lochmore, Hamish Lochmore needs a wife.
5 Word Review: Family, responsibility, secrets, escape, pride.
10 June 2020
Book Review: A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell
5 Word Review: Hope, magic, power, survival, resistance.
08 June 2020
Book Review: Wedding His Takeover Target by Emilie Rose

5 Word Review: Family, responsibility, business, love, belonging.
I've been reading the stories in this bind-up back to back, and it's been such a fantastic experience. I love the setting so much, and Wedding His Takeover Target added a whole new layer. I liked seeing a different side of Aspen.
Each book in the series, and the anthology, can absolutely be read as a standalone even as it follows the family.
This is the sweetest story from The Jarrods, and it made me all giddy. It's filled with soft, romantic moments and was so lovely to read.
03 June 2020
Q&A with Kate Mallinder
Today I am lucky enough to be doing a Q&A with Kate Mallinder as part of the blog tour for Asking For A Friend, the author's second book. I think it's fascinating to see how authors write and how they got their inspiration.
Asking For A Friend comes out tomorrow, and I am very excited - it sounds excellent.
Q&A with Kate Mallinder
Can you describe Asking For A Friend in five words?
Heart-warming, satisfying, holiday, feel-good, friendship
What inspired you to write the Asking For A Friend?
A variety of things collided. Firefly were interested in me writing something ‘the same but different’ which makes sense as it builds on people’s enjoyment of my debut. I tried to distil what it was that made Summer of No Regrets what it was and which bits should be the same and which bits different. I got tangled in that for quite a while. At the same time I was doing a part-time MA in Writing for Young People and a writing prompt helped me to write what is now the opening chapter and it introduced me to Agnes and Hattie. It’s changed a lot but those two characters are essentially the same as when I first wrote them. I wrote three or four versions of the first six or so chapters with synopsis permutations until I found the story both I and Firefly liked. I think second books are written with more of an eye on the market but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Which of your characters would you most like to sit down and have a cuppa with?
Oh that is HARD! I think as soon as I put myself into those relationships then all the dynamics change, and while my focus is on the individual characters, I’m endlessly fascinated by how people act and react in different groups. Having said that, I would love to tell Jake that it will all be okay, to tell Hattie she already has the strength, she just has to find it and to tell Agnes she is awesome and to carry on being true to herself.
Where would you most like to go on a 'study break'?
Wow, this is extra-specially loaded at the moment when we can’t go anywhere! I’ve been daydreaming about going to loads of different places. I think if I was actually intending to study I’d like to go to the Bodleian Library in Oxford or the Tianjin Binhai Library in China or go back in time to the amazing old public library of Cincinnati. But if I was planning to ‘study’ then somewhere warm, sunny and interesting. I went to Lanzarote a few months ago, not expecting to be fascinated by the landscape. I brought home a pebble of volcanic rock and have it on my desk and it makes me smile just seeing it.
Are you a planner or a pantser?
I used to be a pantser but now I plot a lot more, mainly through necessity and a desire not to waste time. I know you’re not supposed to think of it as wasting time. I like to think of it as trying to streamline the process, though it’s still a messy, tangled jumble. I usually write multiple drafts of the opening chapters, then write the whole thing, then edit. There is crying and chocolate.
What is your favourite thing about writing?
You know when you read, you can have ‘meh’ sessions when you don’t fully engage with the story, and then sometimes you immerse in what you’re reading so completely that you don’t notice time passing and you forget to eat or sleep and it feels the best and you buzz with the story? Well writing is very like that. A lot of the time it’s turning up, doing your best and putting in the work, but every now and then your story completely devours you, and it feels more real than life. That feeling is awesome. I’ve heard Chris Vick talk about that feeling. He describes it as crack cocaine. It feels like you’re flying.
Finally, what are you working on now? What can we expect from you in the future?
There are several stories at different stages: some ideas, some finished and one new and shiny one that I’m writing for my MA. I’m aware that just because I’ve had books published in the past, doesn’t guarantee anything in the future and that along with publishers pushing back titles and the shops being closed, the possibility decreases. Let’s say I’m hopeful but pragmatic.
Will you be reading Asking for a Friend by Kate Mallinder?
01 June 2020
Book Review: Falling for His Proper Mistress by Tessa Radley

5 Word Review: Family, responsibility, jealousy, wine, love.
Reading Falling for His Proper Mistress, especially so soon after Claiming Her Billion-Dollar Birthright, made me fall even more in love with Jarrod Ridge. Honestly, this place is paradise and I love feeling like I am there in the luxury resort or in the wilds near Aspen, even if I'm really just sat in my garden. These books and their setting are pure escapism.
Avery and Guy have an excellent back-and-forth and the chemistry is incredible. One thing I didn't like, weirdly, was Guy himself. He's quick to judge (and usually wrong), very arrogant, and has a bad habit of Not-Like-Other-Girls-ing Avery. It's one of my pet hates when someone has to put someone else down in order to raise someone up. That's not how compliments work, Guy. There were a lot of red flags with him if I'm honest, and it meant that this story was probably my least favourite in the collection.
Each book in the series, and the anthology, can absolutely be read as a standalone even as it follows the family.
This story wasn't my favourite of The Jarrods, but it was entertaining, and I loved the back and forth between Avery and Guy.