Chat About Books

…..Week ending 24th April.

From Netgalley…..

Publication date – 28th July 2016 (Ebury Digital)

Description

Today I am delighted to be the next stop on Steven Scaffardi’s #LadLitBlogTour.

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your books please?

Hi Kerry, I certainly can, and thank you for having me on your blog by the way. I’m a fairly standard thirty-something bloke (38 in case you really want to know – thirty-something just sounds a lot better than two years off 40!); a husband, father and ex-journalist. Oh and I used to do a bit of stand-up comedy as well.

I’ve written two books – both part of the Sex, Love & Dating Disasters series, which has often been called lad lit or chick lit for men. To be honest, as long as people laugh at my books, you can call it whatever you like!

The Drought was my first novel, chronicling the trials and tribulations of Dan Hilles as he attempts to re-enter the dating game after breaking up with his girlfriend of three years. The title of the book is a bit of a clue to how things turn out for poor Dan as he struggles to adjust back into the life of a single man.

The second novel is a follow-up to The Drought called The Flood. This time Dan finds himself with the opposite problem – having to juggle multiple women all at once after making a drunken bet with his friends that he could date four girls all at the same time. It doesn’t quite go according to plan for poor old Dan.

If I was to try and explain to someone what my books are like I would say The Inbetweeners meets Bridget Jones.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Sometimes I take personal experiences or those told to me by friends and exaggerate them for comedy value. Sometimes I unfortunately don’t have to exaggerate those experiences because my group of friends and I seem to have got ourselves into some fairly ridiculous scrapes over the years, although those days are all over now of course. We’re responsible adults now. Most of the time.

Other ideas just pop into my head at random times. I could be sitting on the train or out jogging and I’ll just see something or think of something and my mind takes over. I also find listening to music helps as different songs will remind me of certain things. I often create a playlist for the book I’m writing in the same way a movie has a soundtrack. I find that can really help fire up the one or two creative brain cells I have.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

Yes, they are. The four main characters are based on friends or combinations of friends, although they have taken on a life of their own now. It helped at the start to base them on people I knew because I would immediately know how they would react in certain situations.

Maybe that’s why I’m so fond of the four main characters, because I know them so well, and they’re the main reason I wrote a follow-up and decided to create a series. I never set out to write a series but I love these characters so much that I just wanted to write about adventures about them.

How do you pick your character’s names?

I go through the same process a parent goes through when trying to name their unborn child. I just keep throwing names out there until one sticks.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I tend to cram it in where I can! My day job keeps me very busy and I have to travel around the world quite a lot, so I tend to take advantage of any long flights I might have to get lots of writing done. Other than that it’s maybe a couple of hours in the evening or on the weekends, although the arrival of my daughter 11 months ago has somewhat thrown a spanner in the works, because when the choice is between seeing that little smile and tapping away at the keypad, she has already got her daddy wrapped around her little finger.

Do you have a favourite author?

That’s a tough one. I’m a fan of other lad lit authors like Nick Hornby, Danny Wallace, Mike Gayle and Nick Spalding. I would pretty much pick up anything written by Ben Mezrich or Jeff Abbott, but right now I have a book crush on the anonymous author of The Bourbon Kid series. I love Quentin Tarantino films and this author is pretty much the Tarantino of the literary world. If you like that sort of thing, then go pick up a copy of The Book With No Name. You won’t be disappointed.

Were you a big reader as a child?

I wasn’t really, unless you count the Beano which I read religiously! I was too interested in going outside and playing. The funny thing is I loved to write stories as a kid. I remember when I was about seven I wrote a short story in class called The Time Machine with my own illustrations. My teacher thought it was so good she got the local library to put it in the children’s section. But it wasn’t until my late teens that I really discovered a love for reading and since then nothing has really changed.

When did you start to write?

As I mentioned, I enjoyed writing at school. Eventually I ended up studying journalism at university and I worked as a journalist for three years. But the writing bug never left me and like a lot of people, I always thought I had that one book inside me.

Five years ago that book came out of me, not literally, obviously, like a baby. That would be weird. But after always ‘thinking’ about it, I finally got around to just bloody ‘doing’ it and after three months The Drought was born.

Brilliant, I somehow made it sound like giving birth again.

What are you working on right now?

I have just finished my second novel The Flood. It is with the proofreader as we speak and as long as everything goes to plan, the eBook will be available on April 30 and the paperback will be published on May 19. You can actually pre-order the eBook now on Amazon for just 99p!

When can we look forward to a new release?

I’d love to say that I’ll have the third instalment of the Sex, Love & Dating Disasters series out by the end of the year, but that gorgeous little girl with the cutest little smile I mentioned earlier might just have a thing or two to say about that.

But the good news is I already have the outline for the third book planned. The working title is The Pact and sees the boys travel to Latvia where they bump into a number of unsavoury characters including a mafia don, a sleazy hotel boss and his strange wife, a pimp who works with two drag queens, a stripper, two corrupt cops and a henchman who calls himself Ray the Local. It’s a little bit different to the first two books, but it’s still lad lit and is (hopefully) going to be very funny.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I normally arrange a little get together at mine the last Thursday of every month. All of my biggest fans turn up; Gary from number 32, old lad Linda, one-leg Dev, little Jimmy two-shoes, Big Babs and Tony the postman.

I’m kidding of course. Tony the postman hasn’t been over since the incident with the donkey. I told him it wasn’t my fault the donkey ended up in the shower with him, but he wouldn’t listen. Anyway, you or your good readers probably don’t want to hear about that.

Instead readers can keep in touch via my blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, Amazon and on Goodreads. All the usual suspects really. I try to keep myself active on social media as much as possible, but not on the new ones all the kids are using these days like Snapchat. I finally realised that I’m getting old when the younger people in my office tell me about these social media platforms I’ve never heard of before. I’d only just got the hang of blogging and then vlogging was the new thing. I can’t keep up – just email me, it’s much easier!

Sex, Love & Dating Disasters: The Drought is available to download for free at Amazon for five days between April 28 – May 2 in the Lad Lit Blog Tour Bank Holiday weekend giveaway!

Many thanks to Steven for inviting me to be a part of his #LadLitBlogTour and for answering my questions. Needless to say The Drought and The Flood are high on my TBR list!

The Drought

Steven Scaffardi’s The Drought is the laugh-out-loud tale of one man’s quest to overcome the throes of a sexual drought. After the stormy break-up with his girlfriend of three years, Dan Hilles is faced with the daunting task of throwing himself back into the life of a single man. With the help of his three best pals, Dan is desperate and determined to get his leg-over with hilarious consequences!

Dan Hilles is a pretty regular kind of guy – regular job, regular bunch of mates, regular male aversion to shopping. But following his break-up with long-term girlfriend, Stacey, he finds himself single again. He’s been out of the game for a while and is a little out of practice. Soon, the very irregular and increasingly worrying issue in Dan’s life is the extended drought he finds himself suffering. And we’re not talking the climate change, scorched earth, God I’m parched variety.

You’ve got to hand it to Dan though – it certainly isn’t from a lack of trying. With stalwart mates Ollie, Jack and Rob on hand to lend their collective pearls of male wisdom and arrange the odd road trip, you’d think Dan’s days of languishing in a sexual wilderness would be numbered. You’d think…

Even best friends can’t help prevent the kind of surreal holes Dan just can’t seem to help digging himself into. And with each failed attempt, his self-esteem plummets to the point where he wonders if ‘little Dan’ will ever work again.

Good job he has Kelly, his reliable and sympathetic colleague, to confide in. As a woman, she can perhaps shed some female light on why he’s failing so miserably with the opposite sex, balancing out the testosterone-fuelled ‘advice’ from the lads. Surely Dan can’t go wrong with Kelly teaching him the various intricacies of a woman’s mind. You’d think…

Steven Scaffardi’s first novel will have every guy laughing out loud in recognition and every girl secretly worrying – is this how men really think? A new talent to watch out for on the ‘lad-lit’ scene.

Reviews

“Steven Scaffardi’s first novel is absolutely hilarious and will leave every reader, male or female, laughing out loud.”
Chick Lit Plus

“A pleasantly darker alternative to the offerings of Mike Gayle. All hail the arrival of Steven Scaffardi.”
Ortis Deley | Television & Radio Presenter

“I laughed so much I spat my tea out!”
BestBooksToRead.com

“The Drought is like an adult Inbetweeners that will have you laughing all the way through!”
Luke Dolan | TV Producer

“WARNING – This book will make you cry… with laughter! The perfect gift for the lad in your life!”
BCF Book Review

“Witty, well-written, and pulls no punches. Scaffardi has an imaginative mind that needs to be unleashed!”
Angellica Bell | Television & Radio Presenter

The Flood

One bet, four girls, eight weeks, multiple dates. What could possibly go wrong?

Following his traumatic eight month dry spell, Dan Hilles is back in the driving seat and ready to put his dating disasters behind him.

But if only it were that simple.

After a drunken afternoon in the pub, fuelled by the confidence of alcohol, Dan makes a bet with his three best pals that will complicate his love-life more than ever when he brazenly declares that he could juggle multiple women all at the same time.

With just eight weeks to prove his point, Dan is about to find out how hard it is to date a flood of women without them all finding out about each other, especially when they come in the shape of an ex-girlfriend, a stalker, the office ice queen and the one that got away.

The Flood is the hilarious follow-up to The Drought by lad lit author Steven Scaffardi, chronicling the adventures of unlucky-in-love Dan Hilles.

#LadLitSunday

#LadLitSunday is a social media hashtag I created to encourage more readers to discuss, debate and celebrate great lad lit novels.

Lad Lit is a subject and genre I have written about on many occasions, and is indeed very close to my own literary heart as my comedy book series Sex, Love and Dating Disasters has often been dubbed chick lit for men, or lad lit.

The genre is awash with British talent from undisputed kings Nick Hornby and Tony Parsons, to men’s magazine favourites Danny Wallace and Mike Gayle, and best-selling self-published authors Nick Spalding and Jon Rance.

In an interview with Matt Dunn, I asked him how male writers tackle the genre differently to their female chick lit counterparts, and he said: “I think we just tell it how it is from our point of view. Or rather, how we see it. Which is kind of how it is, if you believe all that ‘perception is reality’ bollocks. Which I do, obviously.”

To me lad lit does not stop with books about relationships from a man’s point of view. Lad lit can be thrillers or crime stories with a strong male lead character, with pages full to the brim with testosterone! It’s lad humour, lad emotions, lad heroes!

Over the last few years I have met a number of really cool authors and readers on the internet on sites like Goodreads, and I honestly believe there is a place for lad lit at the top literary table. A number of total strangers who have read my books and really enjoyed them having never even heard of lad lit before testifies to that. Hopefully #LadLitSunday can help in a small way make raise the profile.

To take part in #LadLitSunday simply use the hashtag when posting a comment on your social media feeds and I will do my best to mention all of the best comments here on my blog.

Make sure you follow the #LadLitBlogTour

Publisher: Penguin (5th May 2016)

5/5*

First of all, many thanks to the Publisher for approving my request for an ARC via Netgalley.

The Last Days Of Summer will be released on 5^th May 2016.

This book had my attention from the very beginning and held it until the very end. Not an easy read by any means, given the subject matter, but well written and thought provoking. I found myself wondering what I would do in the same situation. I guess you never know until you’re faced with such decisions.

Jasper finds himself a free man after serving ten years in prison for a horrific crime. We’re not told what that crime is for quite a while though. There are hints along the way and you know it’s going to be horrendous, but you’re not quite sure.

Jasper’s Sister, Lizzie, has decided Jasper should move back home with her as the house is half his anyway since their mother died. However, Lizzie has two daughters, a teenager Katie, and 11 year old Joanne. Everyone in the town thinks she must be mad to have him living with them, including the Vicar. She worries she might be making a mistake herself, but he is her brother after all. She doesn’t truly believe he would be a danger to her or her daughters, but hopes he doesn’t prove her wrong. She has given up on praying.

Jasper insists he is done with trouble, but needless to say he isn’t welcomed back with open arms and it isn’t long before people are seeking their revenge. I thought I knew where the story was leading, as it’s obvious the town folk aren’t going to just get used to Jasper being back, but I was horrified by just how far they were willing to go to seek their revenge!

I found this story gripping, quite disturbing in places, but also quite emotional. It’s a very descriptive book. I could totally picture myself sat on Lizzie’s porch, overlooking the prairie watching the sun set. I wouldn’t like to find myself in her shoes though.

You can pre-order your copy of The Last Days Of Summer HERE

Description –

She can forgive. They can’t forget.

After ten years in the Huntsville State Penitentiary, Jasper Curtis returns home to live with his sister and her two daughters. Lizzie does not know who she’s letting into her home: the brother she grew up loving or the monster he became.

Teenage Katie distrusts this strange man in their home but eleven-year-old Joanne is just intrigued by her new uncle.

Jasper says he’s all done with trouble, but in a forgotten prairie town that knows no forgiveness, it does not take long for trouble to arrive at their door …

‘A gripping piece of storytelling, a debut written with the empathy and authority more usually encountered in the work of an established novelist. Vanessa Ronan is a considerable talent.’ Joseph O’Connor

‘A powerful, formidable debut. Vanessa is a natural storyteller and what a gripping, dark, compelling story this is.’ Donal Ryan

‘… Written with poetry and vision. With a blistering ending that leaves you racing to its conclusion … an exciting new talent.’ Stylist

About the Author

Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.

Staffordshire villagers, concerned at the development of the HS2 rail link, attend a protest meeting. Next day one of their opponents is shot dead having cancelled an important meeting.
DCI Timothy heads up the case, while juggling turmoil at home when his young sister-in-law comes to stay.

You can purchase your copy HERE

This is Alison’s fifth book in the DCI Timothy series. You could enjoy it as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the books in order as some of the main character’s stories naturally progress as the series develops.

I have read the first two so far which have both been 5* reads for me. Needless to say the others are high up on my TBR list!

Here is the series in order, with the relevant links…..

Portal To Murder

This is a story of the use and misuse of the internet.
Angela is a bored, middle-aged spinster approached on the internet by an ex schoolfriend Kevin.
Concerned that her boring existence will not hold his interest, she weaves a fabric of lies, becoming more and more obsessed with her fantasy life.
But Kevin too is not who he claims to be, and the relationship between the two of them leads to death and destruction.

I read this first one before I started blogging.

The Bridport Dagger

This is the second novel to feature DI Christopher Timothy. On the night upon which Chris and his wife Pippa arrive in Dorset on holiday, two deaths occur in separate parts of the country.
With the holiday interrupted, DI Timothy works alongside an unknown team to investigate the local death. He has to delve back over forty years, and expose a further tragedy, in order to make sense of the mysterious events.

If you haven’t already and would like to, you can read my review HERE

A Wild Kind Of Justice

When a survey is ordered on a building site over a defunct coal mine in north Staffordshire, part of a human body is unearthed.
Christopher Timothy, now a Detective Chief Inspector, is put in charge of the investigation, until murder comes calling too close to home, when it stalks through his property and touches an old acquaintance.

Stains Of Suspicion

Ben Hanchurch gave the shroud a professional flick, to reveal the face. For a moment they thought Clive was overcome with emotion, but then he said decisively, ‘That’s not my sister.’
So who is the mystery woman in the morgue? How and why did she die? And what has happened to Clive Boulstridge’s sister?
DCI Christopher Timothy, back at work part-time after an attack left him unconscious for months, comes into conflict with his partner as he tries to make sense of these riddles, and his new place within the team.

About the Author

Purchased/downloaded…..

 Home is where the heart is…

Jessica McAdams has never belonged anywhere; never truly felt at home. Of course, what did she expect from parents who never made her feel welcome in her own house? Leaving her life in London to return home to the charming country village of Bluebell Hill is harder than she thought. Especially as she never considered she’d be returning under such heart wrenching circumstances…

Clearing out the stunning and imposing Bluebell House after her parents’ death is difficult for Jessica—they never had the best relationship and now it’s too late. Yet spending time in the house that was never a home, having afternoon tea with dear old friend Esme—and sharing hot, sizzling kisses with delectable gardener Rueben!—opens Jessica’s eyes to the potential of Bluebell House… Could this big old, beautiful manor really be her forever home? Is Bluebell Hill where her heart is, has always been?

Jessica soon dares to dream of her very own home with delicious Rueben by her side. But when a deep, dark secret of Bluebell House is unearthed, Jessica’s world is turned upside down…

Will Jessica ever find where her heart truly lies?

A free digital short story from the author of Falling and Hidden.

Featuring Selena and Ed Cole, from Emma Kavanagh’s new novel The Missing Hours out April 2016.

When Elliot, the son of an electronics corporation CEO, is kidnapped and held for ransom, Selena and Ed are brought in to act as liasons. To make sure things run smoothly. To make sure Elliot comes home.

But when Selena discovers that Elliot’s biological mother was recently released from prison, things soon become more complicated, and more deadly, than they can possibly imagine …

Get this psychological suspense novella FREE!

Matthew Stanyer fears the worst when he reports his parents missing. His father, Joseph Stanyer, has been struggling to cope with his wife Evie, whose dementia is rapidly worsening. When their bodies are found close to Blackwater Lake, a local beauty spot, the inquest rules the deaths as a murder-suicide. A conclusion that’s supported by the note Joseph leaves for his son.

Grief-stricken, Matthew begins to clear his parents’ house of decades of compulsive hoarding, only to discover the dark enigmas hidden within its walls. Ones that lead Matthew to ask: why did his father choose Blackwater Lake to end his life? What other secrets do its waters conceal?

A short (25,000-words) novella, Blackwater Lake examines one man’s determination to uncover his family’s troubled past.

Don’t miss this chance to sample Maggie James’s fiction for free!

Added to my Wish List….

Today I am very happy to welcome Richard Gardner to my blog.

We met via Goodreads.com 🙂

For those who don’t know already could you tell us about yourself and your books please?

Publisher: Grosvenor House Publishing (28th  January 2014)

Sequel to ‘Righteous Release’, ‘Iniquitous Lives’ picks up on the life of David Chambers eight years on. He is now a history teacher in a secondary school, but still haunted by his strict religious upbringing. He is happily married to Alison until beautiful Sophie Duncan enters his life. Suddenly, David’s world is thrown into confusion when his loyalty to his wife is severely tested. Alison’s ex-partner also has problems. Deep in debt, he is forced into hiding to escape two ruthless loan sharks. This is a novel that is entertaining, at times exciting, yet also thought provoking.

You can purchase your copy HERE

Publisher: The Borough Press (21st April 2016)

3/5*

When I requested this book on Netgalley a while back I really thought it was one I was going to thoroughly enjoy, but I have to say that it didn’t grip me as much as I thought it would. I can’t really put my finger on why though.

The story is told from the point of view of eight year old Rona who is one of five children who have been left on a remote Scottish Island to fend for themselves after a mysterious outbreak which seems to have killed almost everyone. There is also Elizabeth, who has been their leader since the last adult died, six year old Alex and the MacNeil brothers, Duncan and Calum Ian.

We follow the children as they battle to survive. They have no choice but to raid the empty houses for food and supplies, although not all are empty as they often come across dead people, dogs and cats. To add to their horror, Alex is diabetic and running out of insulin. What do they do when they run out? When they realise no-one is coming to rescue them they have no choice but to try to get themselves to the mainland. Unfortunately things don’t go to plan.

This is a heart-breaking story, but one which didn’t flow well for me. I wish I could say I loved it, but it lacked something for me. I’m just not sure what exactly. I’ll be interested to see what others think of it as it may just be me. I’m sure other readers will love it. I wish the author and publisher every success with it.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for approving my request via Netgalley.

Description (Amazon UK):

‘A story about the strength and fragility of human nature.
Rob Ewing’s writing is powerful, compassionate and brilliant.
I absolutely loved it’ JOANNA CANNON, the author
of THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP

‘Bleak, beautiful, gripping’ IAN RANKIN, on Twitter

The island is quiet now.

On a remote Scottish island, five children are the only ones left. Since the Last Adult died, sensible Elizabeth has been the group leader, testing for a radio signal, playing teacher and keeping an eye on Alex, the littlest, whose insulin can only last so long.

There is ‘shopping’ to do in the houses they haven’t yet searched and wrong smells to avoid. For eight-year-old Rona each day brings fresh hope that someone will come back for them, tempered by the reality of their dwindling supplies.

With no adults to rebel against, squabbles threaten the fragile family they have formed. And when brothers Calum Ian and Duncan attempt to thwart Elizabeth’s leadership, it prompts a chain of events that will endanger Alex’s life and test them all in unimaginable ways.

Reminiscent of The Lord of the Flies and The Cement Garden, The Last of Us is a powerful and heartbreaking novel of aftershock, courage and survival.

The Last Of Us will be published on 21st April 2016. You can pre-order your copy HERE

About the Author

I am over the moon to be todays stop on Marcie Steele’s, The Second Chance Shoe Shop, Blog Tour!

Marcie (aka Mel Sherratt) very kindly agreed to an author interview to mark the occasion 🙂

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your books please?

I write under the name of Marcie Steele and I write crime thrillers under my own name, Mel Sherratt. As Marcie, I write books set in the fictional town of Hedworth. All the books are set in establishments. Stirred with Love is set in a coffee shop, That’s What Friends are For is based in an indoor market and The Second Chance Shoe Shop speaks for itself.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Everywhere. I only have to hear a snippet of conversation, or a song on the radio. Also, I read the problems pages in women’s magazines.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

No, never. The characters just come to me and I make them into what I need for each story. I think if I based them on anyone, it might dictate how the story goes rather than it evolving how it should. Although I do think there is a bit of me in each character…

How do you pick your character’s names?

There is a great story around Riley’s name. I was originally going to write under the pen name of Ruby Flynn instead of Marcie Steele. I don’t know why I changed my mind but when I started writing The Second Chance Shoe Shop, and named Riley Ruby Flynn, a book came out called Ruby Flynn! So I had to change her name to Riley. I’m so pleased though because I love the name Riley Flynn now.

I also have a book of baby names that I go through and names pop out at me. I also read through the local newspaper, The Sentinel, to get names from there – usually from the births, deaths and marriages.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I’m an early riser so I try to either write or edit 2000 words early on. Often it doesn’t work this way if I have a lot of emails or admin to do, so sometimes if it is niggling at me, I’ll do some of that and then write between nine and twelve. Afternoons are then for admin and social media, blog posts and general things that pop in each day. If I am on a deadline however, I will write or edit from morning until noon, everything else gets pushed to one side and I have to catch up when I’ve finished.

Do you have a favourite author?

Eek – what a question! I have lots but my favourite women’s fiction author is perhaps Lisa Jewell. I love how her books have changed throughout the years, too.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes, I always had my nose in a book. I loved reading Enid Blyton, The Magic Faraway Tree and the Famous Five and the Secret Seven.

When did you start to write?

I really can’t recall a time I didn’t want to write, but I started to write my first book way back in 1999.

What are you working on right now?

As Marcie Steele is my pen name, right now I’m working on a crime novel under my own name. It’s called Lock up Your Daughter and will be out in the autumn.

When can we look forward to a new release?

It will depend on how well The Second Chance Shoe Shop is received. I’m really not sure!

How can readers keep in touch with you?

You can find me at any of these places online:

Twitter https://twitter.com/Marcie_Steele

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MarcieSteeleauthor/

Blog/Website https://marciesteele.wordpress.com

Many thanks to Marcie for inviting me to take part in her fabulous blog tour and for answering my questions. Many thanks also to Kim at Bookouture.

If you haven’t read The Second Chance Shoe Shop yet, why ever not!?? 😉

It was released on 8th April 2016 by Bookouture and you can purchase your copy HERE 

Description:

‘The Second Chance Shoe Shop is that rarest of treats, a story filled with warm and wonderful characters who feel like your best friends from the first page.’ Tilly Tennant

All Riley Flynn wants is to meet someone who makes her happy. But attracting the right kind of man is not easy, and with her heart still hurting from her last break-up, Riley believes she’ll never find love again.

A year ago, Sadie Stewart’s whole world was shattered when her husband, Ross, died. She has struggled to keep herself together for the sake of their young daughter, but with the anniversary of his death approaching, Sadie finds herself overwhelmed by grief.

Sadie and Riley work at Chandlers shoe shop, in the charming town of Hedworth. But when Chandlers is threatened with closure, the friends are confronted with the loss of not only their jobs, but also their support network – the glue that holds them together when they are close to breaking.

As they put together a plan to save their beloved shop, Sadie realises that she might just be learning to live again. Could it be that new beginnings are just round the corner? The campaign also finds Riley unexpectedly crossing paths with charming photographer, Ethan. Maybe her second chance at love is right under her feet …

A delightfully romantic tale of love, friendship and putting your best foot forward, for fans of Carole Matthews and Amanda Prowse.

If you haven’t already and would like to, you can read my 5* review HERE

Be sure to follow the rest of The Second Chance Shoe Shop blog tour!

#shoelove

Starts 19th April!

I’m very much looking forward to being part of it 🙂

Watch this space for my Q&A with Steven Scaffardi.

#LadLitBlogTour