Friday 31 October 2014

Guest Post: Rebecca Raisin Plans Her Own (Fictional) Christmas Wedding

Thank you for inviting me here today, Sam!

I’ve had far too much fun planning a fictional wedding for Lil and Damon in Christmas Wedding at the Gingerbread Café! I lost DAYS on Pinterest, the complete time-suck that it is, but it’s such a great site for wedding planning!

If I was to design my own Christmas Wedding that would be the very first place I’d go for ideas, and creative things you can do on any budget.

I live in Australia so my Christmas Wedding would be markedly different to Lil’s! In Ashford, Connecticut it’s snowing, and the middle of a very cold winter. In Australia, Christmas is our summer time…

So with that in mind, I’d probably plan for a wedding close to the beach! Temperatures tend to be high 30c here in December.

The first thing I’d do is find a venue. I’d lean towards a holiday spot, so our guests could all have a few days off in a stunning location. In the top of my state there’s an idyllic place called Broome. The beach spans for miles and it’s always hot there. It’s not very busy considering it’s such a stunning place. So that would be my first choice of venue. This picture sums up Broome perfectly! Tourists flock back to the beach at sunset to go on a camel ride and watch the sunk sink into the sea. I can imagine being married on the beach would be such a relaxed, fun way to do it.















Picture taken from www.outbackspirittours.com.au

Next would be the dress! Being married in such a place, I’d go for something simple because of the heat and the sand.

I love this style! Simple and elegant!
Picture from www.baliagustailor.com

I’d probably go for a bouquet of frangipanis because they seem so suited to the beach, but I do love roses, so I’d have to toss a coin to decide that! I think, if my bridesmaids liked the colour, I’d have them in a very light yellow dress.

I like the idea that because it would be a destination wedding, everyone gets to join in on holiday. So for wedding favours, I’d make the guests something beachy, that they could use on holiday. So maybe a beach bag with magazines, a brightly coloured towel, sun cream, a funky water bottle, books!

I’d also like to celebrate with friends and family for the rest of the time they were in Broome, so I think I’d organise things like a boat cruise, and dinner so we could meet up once a day and hang out together, before everyone jets home and we settle down for our honeymoon!


Thanks for having me here today, Sam! Bec xxx

Author Bio


Rebecca Raisin is a true bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. She's been widely published in short story anthologies, and in fiction magazines. And now she is focusing on writing romance.

Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships and believe in true love.

Author Links


Thursday 30 October 2014

Coming Soon: Rebecca Raisin Is On Tour



Did you know that Rebecca Raisin, author of the fabulous Gingerbread Cafe series is on tour? She is celebrating the release of the latest book in the series Christmas Wedding At The Gingerbread Cafe which was published by Carina on the 15th October.

The tour looks to be action packed with plenty of reviews, extracts, interviews and much more. My stop is tomorrow & Rebecca will be sharing with us her plans for her own (fictional) Christmas Wedding. Check out who else is having Rebecca stop by.



About The Book


You are invited to the wedding of the year!

Snow is falling thick and fast outside the Gingerbread Café and inside, its owner Lily is planning the wedding of the year. Her wedding! She never dreamt it would happen, but this Christmas, she’ll be marrying the man of her dreams - in a Christmas-card-perfect ceremony!

The gingerbread is baking, the dress is fitted and the mistletoe’s in place – for once, everything’s going to plan. That is until her mother-in-law arrives... 

Suddenly, Lily’s famous cool is being tested like never before and her dream wedding is crumbling before her eyes.

In the blink of a fairylight, the Gingerbread Café has been thrown into chaos! Lily thought she had this wedding wrapped up, but with so much to do before she says ‘I do’, can Lily get to the church on time – and make this Christmas sparkle after all?

Book Links


Wednesday 22 October 2014

Review: Dead Gorgeous by Elizabeth Flynn

**** 4 Stars


Dead Gorgeous, is the second book in the D.I. Costello series by Elizabeth Flynn. I loved this cover, it sets up the book perfectly and gives readers an insight to what might be inside. I was also really pleased to be invited to be a part of Elizabeth Flynn's blog tour because I do love a crime series.


The Blurb


 As the in-house model for the Ivano King Fashion House and girlfriend of Ian King, the man behind the label, Kirsty Manners believes she is well on her way to stardom. But Kirsty is found dead in her flat one Sunday afternoon and D.I. Angela Costello is called to the scene.   
At first enquiries centre on the local gym where Kirsty, her dangerous ex-boyfriend Darren Carpenter and her jealous flatmate Sandra Hodges worked out. But things are more complicated. Ian King is considered to have lost his edge. Why then is he so buoyant about his latest collection for London Fashion Week? What about his new girlfriend, Eleanor Chandler, who openly admits to having a reason to wish Kirsty dead?   
Behind the gleaming smiles and flawless make-up of the glamourous fashion world, Angela’s enquiries uncover theft, drug-addiction, prostitution and imprisonment - and suddenly her own life could be in danger… 

My Thoughts


Angela Costello, recently promoted to D.I. is once again called upon to solve a murder. This time the victim is the unknown, Kirsty Manners who is found dead in her flat. Kirsty Manners is an assistant working for Ivano King, a well known fashion house, up there with the likes of Gucci, Prada & Valentino. She is also the one time girlfriend of Ian King, the man behind the Ivano King name. Although Mr King will have you believe that his relationship with Kirsty was merely a dalliance. Kirsty was an attractive young woman, in the prime of her life with high aspirations for her future. So who would want her dead? Who did Kirsty get on the wrong side of? Did she stumble across something that she shouldn't?

Elizabeth Flynn presents us with numerous suspects all with plausible motives. We have Ian King's newest girlfriend and Kirsty's work colleague, Eleanor, then there is Kirsty's jealous flatmate who has her eye on Kirsty's on & off again boyfriend Darren. 

Darren is totally besotted by Kirsty & has developed some stalker like tendencies when it comes to her. He has a tough guy image and spends a lot of time at the gym but would he really harm the woman he claims to love. Kirsty does appear to be stringing Darren along, she is the kind of woman who seems to need a man in her life until someone better comes along. The even better man is someone who can help elevate Kirsty to better things. She sees much bigger things on horizon.

There is another story running along side Kirsty's murder investigation. Angie's local priest, Father Martin is worried about a young woman who begs for his help. He bumps into this vulnerable and frightened Eastern European woman when she runs into his church fleeing from a man she is clearly scared of. Father Martin, takes his worries to Angie & her husband Patrick. The stories begin to overlap and lead D.I Costello & her team into a world of drugs and prostitution.

I read a lot of crime novels and must admit I do prefer my crime gritty & set in the United States however every now & then I prefer something a little lighter but still a crime novel. Dead Gorgeous definitely gave me that something lighter. I feel Elizabeth Flynn's D.I Costello series is settling in very nicely between the cosy mysteries I don't admit to reading and the darker crime novels that keep me awake. 

I am beginning to really like Angie as a character. She has a real warmth about her, she clearly has a good relationship with her team and I am loving the bond that is forming between her and young detective, Gary. It was great to see a little more of her personal life in this book and get to meet her step-daughter, Maddie who is moving in with Angie & her husband. Playing step-mum to Maddie allows us to see Angie in a slightly different light.

I can see real progress in Flynn's writing style, her characters are beginning to develop, her plot has far more pace and the tension builds well as the book comes to a close. What I loved most about this book is that were are given so many suspects that I just couldn't decide who had murdered Kirsty. That for me is the mark of a good crime novel & I feel as this series grows were are going to see really great things from Elizabeth Flynn.

Dead Gorgeous is out now & available to buy from Amazon

About The Author

Elizabeth Flynn is a Londoner of Anglo-Irish parentage. She has a background in the theatre both as an actress and in stage management, and has experience in broadcasting. She has more recently worked as a hospital bereavement officer and managed a mortuary so she ‘knows the drill’ and has used some of this experience in her writing. This is her second novel and the second in the series: A Mystery for D.I. Costello. The first book in the series is Game Set and Murder.  




Sunday 19 October 2014

Bumper Book Haul #5

I've been really neglecting my book hauls recently so this one is going to be a bumper issue so that I can get caught up. I think I might need a book ban & to stay away from NetGalley for a little while. Oops!

Books Read


* Mexican Kimono by Billie Jones

* Return To Mandalay by Rosanna Ley

* Side Swiped by Lia Riley

* Saving Grace by Jane Green

* Before You Say Yes by Amy Griffin

* Trust In Me by Sophie McKenzie

* Forbidden Ground by Karen Harper

* Made In Nashville by Mandy Baggot

* The Missing Place by Sophie Littlefield


Approved on NetGalley


* What I Love About You by Rachel Gibson

* The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce

* Hostage by Kristina Ohlsson

* Shadows Over Paradise by Isabel Wolff

* Second To Cry by Carys Jones

* The Buried by Shelley Coriell

* Not Forgetting The Whale by John Ironmonger

* Coming Home To You by Liesel Schmidt

* Can't Find My Way Home by Carlene Thompson

* Fear The Darkness by Becky Masterman

*Christmas Wedding At The Gingerbread Cafe by Rebecca Raisin

* The Look Of Love by Sarah Jio

* Wicked Ways by Lisa Jackson & Nancy Bush

* The Perfect Murder by Nina Darnton

* Forever His Darling by Sarah Randall

* Closer Than You Think by Karen Rose

* The Extraordinary Life Of Lara Craft by Lola Salt


Books Bought


* Beneath The Moon & The Stars by Amelia Thorne

* A Little Love by Amanda Prowse

* Security by Mandy Baggot

* Keep Me Still by Caisey Quinn

* Last Resort by Kate Roth

* The Coroner by M R Hall

* Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

* Rage Against The Dying by Becky Masterman

* The Gift Of Darkness by V M Giambanco

* Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

* The Villa In Italy by Elizabeth Edmondson

* Someone For Me by Addison Moore

* Everything To Lose by Andrew Gross


Received In The Post


* Game, Set & Murder by Elizabeth Flynn

* Dead Gorgeous by Elizabeth Flynn

* The Twilight Hour by Nicci Gerrard

* If I Knew You Were Going To Be This Beautiful I      Never Would Have Let You Go by Judy Chicurel

* The Heart of Winter by Emma Hannigan

* The Geography Of You & Me by Jennifer E Smith

* Don't Stand So Close by Luana Lewis

Saturday 18 October 2014

Review: Made In Nashville by Mandy Baggot Plus Giveaway (Blog Tour)

**** 4 Stars


I always like to challenge myself when it comes to my reading habits and try to read things that take me out of my comfort zone. That is why I decided to take part in the blog tour for Made In Nashville as reading a book set against a country music back drop was totally out of my comfort zone. Boy am I glad I took that step.

The Blurb


An on-stage attack left Honor Blackwood with more scars than just the one on her face. It’s been ten years since she left her spot as Nashville’s brightest country music star. Is now the time to return? And is she brave enough to do it?

Country rebel and rock star, Jared ‘Jed’ Marshall is hot property on the Tennessee music scene in more ways than one. He’s wild, he’s sexy and everybody wants a piece of him. But when he sets his sights on Honor, is it pure attraction or just distraction on his mind?

Honor’s record label sign the ex-boyfriend that dumped her and suddenly going back to her old life is harder than she thought. Can she get a new contract? Will she get to perform at the Marlon Festival? Or will Dan Steele destroy everything?

When a secret from the past becomes public knowledge it’s no longer just about the music. Are all the people in her life lying to her to get what they want? And who is really behind the anonymous gifts she keeps getting sent?

Join the country scene to find out!

My Thoughts


I was hooked from the opening pages as Mandy Baggot throws you right into the action starting with the 2004 attack on stage that scarred main character, Honor Blackwood.

At just 18 years old, Honor was quickly making a name for herself, she had the voice of angel and was all set to become a big star on the Country Music scene. Everything changed for her in a split second when a crazed fan attacks her on stage scarring her for life. To make matters worse her boyfriend dumps her leaving her an emotional mess, scarred on both the inside and the outside.

The Jared 'Jed' Marshall walks into her life and a return to the big time looks to be just around the corner. Jared is the bad boy of the country music scene and he is looking for a support act for his upcoming tour, after hearing Honor's voice on the radio his sights are firmly set on her to be his new support act.

Honor has spent the last 10 years hiding away, avoiding the country music scene as much as she could. Then one day, Jared walks into her life and his persistence is just enough to give her the push she needs and allow her to refind herself and her voice.

The story is told from both Honor and Jed's points of view, I love this as you get a better feel for the characters and develop a deeper understanding of them. There is an undeniable attraction between Jed & Honor and the chemistry sizzles between them. I love Honor's vulnerability, she finds it hard to trust anyone and really puts herself out there with Jared. She is one of those characters that you just find yourself rooting for, you want her to be able to final live her dream and to find her voice again.

Jared is incredibly hot-headed and wears his bad boy persona well, his anger is really brought to the forefront when he is around rival, Dan Steele. Jared is very likeable even with his temper especially when he is happy to take a back seat when it comes to Honor. There is a wonderful air of mystery around Jed, why does he wear that cap? Why did he end up in juvie years ago?What is the big secret from his past that he is so desperate to protect?

I couldn't put Made In Nashville down and Mandy left me craving country music and reaching for the controller to find season one of Nashville. Mandy builds great tension and the book has a couple of fantastic plot twists. The plot was solid and as well as the romance between Honor & Jed you have the mystery surrounding not only Jed's past but also the person who has been sending Honor gifts. Honor's & Jed's passion for music shines through in Mandy's writing and I feel that there is more story to tell here. So Mandy ever think you might revisit Nashville?


Buy now from Amazon


Author Bio


Mandy Baggot is an award-winning romantic fiction author, writing hot heroes and emotional reads.

Represented by Kate Nash of the Kate Nash Literary Agency she is also a contributor to writing blogs, magazines and short story anthologies and regularly takes part in fiction festivals and literary events.

Mandy loves mashed potato, white wine, country music, Corfu, shoes and handbags. She has appeared on ITV1’s Who Dares Sings and auditioned for The X-Factor.

Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband, two daughters and cats, Kravitz and Springsteen.


Author links:




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Friday 17 October 2014

Sneak Peak: Beneath The Moon & The Stars by Amelia Thorne - Chapter 3

Beneath The Moon & The Stars, the debut novel by Amelia Thorne is out tomorrow. If your finger is still hovering over the keyboard to buy it on Amazon then read chapter three & I'm sure that you will be won over.


Chapter Three


Finn was standing at the bottom of his garden, staring at the heather covered hills that swept up from his back fence. It was early morning and the sun, if it had bothered to come out at all, was currently hiding behind heavy rain clouds. He had never minded the rain. In fact he loved it, it was always so peaceful. The only noise he could hear was the soft thud of raindrops hitting his hood. That was until he heard a wailing behind him.

He turned quickly, wondering if someone had been hurt, and immediately saw Joy dancing around in her bedroom window, seemingly singing or rather shrieking her version of ‘It’s Raining Men’. She was wrapped only in a towel, a tangle of red wet hair hanging down her back. She spun around and as she did the towel fell away. His eyes drank her in. In a flash, his hands were caressing her pale, milky skin, feeling the fire of her hair between his fingers, pulling her warm body against his.

Unashamed, she carried on dancing. If it could be called that. Every part of her seemed to be wiggling as if she was attached to strings and controlled by a very drunk puppeteer. Her arms were punching up and down, her hips going side to side and her knees knocking together. But none of this detracted from the incredibly beautiful body. The innocent enthusiasm was incredibly endearing.

After the night before, he expected her to be moping around, but it seemed nothing could keep Joy in a bad mood. He couldn’t help but smile at her.

The music obviously changed, because the next thing she was screaming along to ‘Lady Marmalade’ by All Saints. He didn’t need to be fluent in French to know the lyrics meant ‘Do you want to sleep with me tonight.’ Every teenage boy on his university trip to France made sure they knew those words if nothing else. 

The terrible dancing had changed too. It was still terrible but was now what could only be classed as provocative, as she ground her hips round in slow circles.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. What an absolute creep he was. But no matter how much he despised himself, he could do nothing to stop it.

Suddenly anger flooded through him. She knew he was out here, that’s why she was dancing like this. How could she not see him? He was wearing a bright yellow hoodie; it’d be pretty hard to miss. She was either trying to turn him on, or she was just teasing him to wind him up.

Either option was not pleasing in his book.

He stormed back into the house, out onto the street and hammered on her front door.

It took a few moments for her to answer, when she did she was thankfully wrapped in a white robe. Her face was flushed with happiness, which immediately vanished as soon as she saw him.

‘Let’s get one thing straight, I don’t like you, and I certainly don’t fancy you. That little show you’ve just put on for my benefit only made you look ridiculous.’

Her mouth fell open, her face going a bright shade of red. She’d clearly had no idea he was out there. But he’d started now, so he was damned sure he was going to finish.

‘I suggest if you want to dance, badly may I just point out, that you put some bloody clothes on or draw the curtains. That way I won’t see something I really don’t want to see.’

With that he marched back to his house.

But she was hot on his heels.

‘You arrogant, conceited, jumped up little shit. I was not dancing for you. I didn’t even know you were there. And you know what, if I want to dance naked in the privacy of my own home, I will. I suggest if you are offended by my nudity, you look away, instead of perving on me like the disgusting creep that you are.’

She flounced away.

He caught her arm and span her round.

‘Hey!’ came Zach’s voice, protectively, though he was wise enough not to come any closer.

Finn stared down at Joy, his jaw clenched. Her eyes, currently filled with hatred, were an intense olive green, tiny freckles covered her nose and shoulders. Her lips…

He let her go, taking a step back before he closed the gap between them and kissed her. What was wrong with him? She infuriated him; he certainly didn’t like her in that way.

He flashed Zach an obligatory filthy look, looked back to Joy, at her wet hair dripping down her neck, at the swell of her breast that was peeping out the top of her robe, and then stormed back into his own house.

*

Joy watched him go, her heart pounding.

‘You ok?’ Zach stepped up to her a fraction too late.

She nodded, aware that her hands were shaking.

‘What was that about?’

‘Er…’ she tore her eyes away from Finn’s front door and looked at Zach instead. ‘Just Finn making it very clear he doesn’t like me.’

‘Oh that. Don’t take it personally, he doesn’t like anyone.’

She noticed Zach’s eyes travelling down her body, his pupils widening with lust. She looked down to see that her wet hair was making the robe damp and see-through. Folding her arms across her chest she moved back towards the house.

‘I’ll see you later.’

His face fell slightly as she closed the door.

How strange to be so desired and so hated within a matter of seconds. Her heart was still pounding furiously. In part it was down to anger at Finn’s arrogance and comments, but she knew mainly it was down to a wave of desire and need that had crashed over her when he had grabbed her and spun her around. If he had thrown her over his shoulder and carried her back to his cave right then, she would have only protested out of principle.

Suddenly a disgusting smell hit her nose. She looked around to find the source and saw a piece of paper, with what could only be dog poo on it. Scrawled across the paper in large angry capital letters was the word BITCH. It had clearly been posted through her letterbox that morning, but because she had opened the door, she had dislodged half the poo and it had mushed into the carpet and underneath the door.

Retribution for Mrs Kemblewick was swift indeed. She stomped into the kitchen to get a bowl of hot soapy water to clean up the mess and knew she would have to come up with a plan and quick.

*

Casey let himself through Finn’s back door and helped himself to a bottle of beer from the fridge before moving through to the front room. Finn was sprawled out on his sofa, reading a book and he looked at Casey over the top of it when he walked in.

‘Could have got one for me while you’re raiding my fridge,’ Finn said, marking his place in his book and throwing it onto the coffee table. He stood up and stretched, showing the toned muscles in his stomach for a brief second. If Casey didn’t know better, he’d think Finn was deliberately torturing him.

Casey sat down, picking up the book as Finn went to get a beer for himself.

‘Any good?’ he waved the book in the air as Finn returned.

‘I have no idea,’ Finn sighed.

Casey smiled. ‘Yeah, I thought you might say that. Are you doing ok?’

‘Not really.’

‘Joy’s incredibly beautiful.’

‘She’s not my type.’

‘Oh come on, are you saying that to convince me or yourself?’

Finn sat down. ‘Me, obviously. If I say it enough, I might start to believe it.’
Casey stroked the head of Billy, Finn’s straggly dog. His heart went out to Finn. For him to have his heart broken twice by the same woman must have been horrendous. Finn’s child would have been a year old now and Casey wondered how often Finn must think about that.

‘Admittedly Joy has red hair like Pippa but that’s where the similarities end. She’s lovely. You’d really like her if you gave her a chance.’

Finn stared at Casey as if he’d just suggested he should chop off his own head.

‘I can’t do a relationship again, I just can’t. Pippa hurt me spectacularly and I never want to be hurt like that again.’

‘Mate, I’m not suggesting you marry her or even jump into bed with her, I’m just saying be nice. Don’t treat her like scum just because she has the same hair colour as your ex-wife. She’s had a bit of a rough life…’ He hesitated in telling Finn about Joy’s parents, but there was a vulnerability in Joy that he wanted to protect. ‘Her parents were killed when she was a kid. I feel like she’s come here for a fresh start and now the villagers are all giving her grief over this stupid Mrs Kemblewick fiasco – which has nothing to do with her, by the way. Her landlord is Joe Carter, the man that kicked Mrs Kemblewick out, she just has a similar name.’

‘You’re kidding?’

‘No, she has no idea who Mrs Kemblewick is. Look, she needs a friend and if you can’t manage that, then at least be civil to her.’

Casey put the empty bottle of beer on the table. ‘I’m going next door to see if she’s ok after last night. Anything you want me to say to her?’

Finn shook his head as he stared at the floor. Casey smiled sympathetically at him. Finn had gone through a rough time too, but Casey was damned sure he wasn’t going to let Finn take his anger out on Joy just because he was still messed up over his own heartbreak.

*

Finn watched Casey go and groaned. Joy’s parents were dead. That made things so much worse. He had this innate need to protect, to comfort. That was how he had met Pippa. She had driven her car into a ditch at the side of the road and although she was unhurt, she was very shaken and tearful when he had pulled over to see if he could help. Her tears, her clinging to him as he held her, was what had done it. He had been lost, beyond redemption from that point on.

Now he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms round Joy and hold her.

An orphan. She could only be about thirty and she had lost both parents. He would be distraught if he lost his, he couldn’t even begin to think what that would feel like. And she had moved here and the welcome party was well and truly out.

He would have to try to be civil to her from now on. He wouldn’t be friends with her, that would lead to trouble, but at least he could be polite.

*
There was a knock on her door as Joy was knee deep in tissue paper and pretty lilac notelets. The kitchen smelt delicious and Darcy had moved downstairs in the hope of scrounging some morsels. She should have taken poor Darcy for a walk ages ago, though she seemed happy to sleep on the cool tiles of the kitchen floor at the moment.

She hurried to the door; Casey was standing there, looking lovely and dishevelled.

‘Hi, how you feeling today?’

‘I’m good, come in, you can help me.’ She turned back down towards the kitchen and Casey followed her.

She watched him look at the chaos and mess across the breakfast table and then at her with amusement. She tried to look at it through his eyes; the desperation of a mad woman.

‘What are you doing?’

‘These are my friendship cakes. I’ve made one for each house in the village. I’m wrapping them in tissue paper and putting a note in with each one explaining who I am and inviting them all to a housewarming barbeque this Sunday. Here, read the note and tell me what you think.’

He picked up one of the lilac notelets and read it. It explained that she was Joy Cartier and was renting from Joe Carter, that though their names were similar she was not related to him or the previous owner. It said she was very sorry for what had happened to Mrs Kemblewick, but it really had nothing to do with her.

It was brief, friendly but to the point, and had taken her hours to construct those few little lines.

‘It’s fine,’ Casey said. ‘But I don’t know if it will work. They seemed to be quite irate when I was in the village shop this morning. I tried to explain to them who you were, but they practically shooed me out of the shop, telling me it was village business and as such was none of mine.’

She stopped in the middle of wrapping up another cake in red tissue paper. ‘You don’t live here?’

‘No, I live in Ashton Woods, the next village.’

‘Oh.’ This bothered her more than it should. She thought that she had at least two friends in the village, now it was down to only one – and Zach was only friends with her because he wanted to sleep with her. ‘Well, it’s clear they’re never going to be my best friends but maybe I can persuade them not to push me in the pond again or post dog poo through my letterbox.’

‘What?’ Casey’s eyes widened as he picked up one of the cakes and artfully arranged the tissue paper around it in a way that she could never achieve.

‘Found it this morning, with a note telling me I’m a bitch.’

He shook his head. ‘Well then, you certainly can’t make it any worse. I’ll give you a hand.’

They worked diligently between them for a while until all the cakes were wrapped.

She sat down, her back aching a bit, and looked out the window at the rain that hadn’t stopped all morning. The hills looked dramatic, silhouetted against the grey sky.

‘It needs to stop raining by tonight, I really need to go out to work,’ she said, then wished she hadn’t as that was bound to lead to questions.

‘A lady of the night are you?’ Casey’s eyes gleamed with excitement. ‘A prostitute? A spy?’

‘Yes to both. Spying doesn’t pay well, so I supplement it with a bit of prostitution.’

‘Noble.’

‘I thought so. Oh that’s what I meant to ask you,’ she quickly changed the subject. ‘When Chloe was threatening me to keep away from Zach, she also said that I couldn’t have you because you were with one of her friends.’

Casey picked up a crumb of cake from the baking tray. ‘Umm… yes, Arielle.’

She waited for more details but clearly none were forthcoming. ‘You’re dating a girl?’

‘Yeah, well not really dating, sort of…’

There was another knock on the door, interrupting what Casey was clearly finding embarrassing to tell her. She presumed it was Finn or Zach and found herself straightening her hair as she moved to answer it, then cursed herself for doing it.

Opening the door, Joy came face to face with a spaghetti thin blonde, her hair scraped back in a very severe looking French roll. She was dressed in a very expensive, very short dress with matching jacket and her face had that look of someone who had sucked a lemon. She was pretty, Joy supposed, and would be even prettier without the excessive makeup and angry pursed lips. She was holding an umbrella over her that matched the colour of her dress suit exactly.

‘Is my fiancé in there with you?’

Joy felt like she’d just received a smack to the face with that news, but quickly collected herself. Clearly this woman had come to the wrong house.

‘Arielle, hi,’ came Casey’s voice behind her.

There was a silence as Joy processed this information and Arielle cast her beady eye over her.

‘This is Joy, she’s just moved in next to Zach,’ Casey said.

‘Evidently,’ said Arielle, icily.

‘Er…’ Casey fumbled for something to say. Gone was the happy, relaxed Casey – he had rapidly been replaced by someone who was clumsy, awkward and clearly petrified of his fiancé. ‘Joy is my cousin. Remember me telling you about Uncle Raymond, well this is his daughter.’

Arielle stared at Joy vacantly for a moment as well she might. Joy was feeling equally confused. Finally Arielle nodded and stretched out her hand for a delicate and formal handshake. ‘Of course, Cousin Joy, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. You’ll be coming to the wedding next week?’

‘Yes, we invited her ages ago, she RSVP’d straightaway. We were quite close growing up.’ Casey squeezed past Joy who seemed to be frozen in the hallway.

Arielle cast her eyes over her again. ‘Of course, well if I don’t see you before, we’ll see you then. Casey do come along, we must meet with Jules to discuss the flowers. Apparently I can’t change the roses to daffodils as they aren’t in season. You need to talk to her.’

Without waiting for an answer, Arielle marched down the path to a little red convertible that was gleaming on the street. Casey glanced at Joy as he followed.

‘I can explain, I promise,’ he said and hurried after Arielle.

‘I can’t wait,’ Joy shouted after him.

But whether he heard or not, she didn’t know because her voice was lost in the noise of the engine as the car roared up the road.

*

Joy delivered the cakes to each doorstep in the village, though she hadn’t quite been brave enough to knock on the doors. Then it was time to take Darcy for a walk.

She intended to trek along the hill range past Menton Hall. She had a job to do there that night, if the rain stopped, and she wanted to get an idea of the lay of the land.

That’s what she was telling herself, it wasn’t at all because the hills held sentimental attachment to her.

When one of Alex’s friends had mentioned that his cousin was doing up a place in the country with a view to renting, Joy had taken it as a sign that it was time to move on from the busy town of Milton Keynes. She had been a face in the crowd there and had no more than a nodding acquaintance with her neighbours of three months.

It was only as she had driven round to see the house that the village names started to sound familiar. She had rounded a corner and was suddenly met with the striking hills that bordered the cluster of villages, the same hills that she had trekked over every weekend with her dad, right up until the weekend before he died.

Even before she saw the house, she knew she was going to say yes. Maybe she could never go back home, but maybe walking these hills with Darcy, as she had done many years before with her dad, would be all she needed to feel at home.

Joy sighed as Darcy left her side and went galloping up to greet Finn’s straggly dog. Seemingly, in the dog world, you just had to shove your nose up the other dog’s bum and you were best friends for life. She wondered what Finn’s reaction to that would be if she tried it. She hung back a little, hoping Finn would try to avoid her, but he was obviously on his way home now, so their paths had to cross if she intended taking Darcy on the walk she had planned. Finn called his dog away from Darcy, but Billy, tongue hanging out, stupid grin in place, was very interested in her. He had that demented look about him when a dog smells a bitch in heat. Damn it. Darcy had been a bit listless the day before, but Joy had put it down to the move. Still they wouldn’t be here long enough for Billy to get lucky. Hopefully Finn would pass without a single word.

He drew closer. He always looked so cool, even today tramping over the rain sodden fields with his dog, he looked like he’d just stepped out of a clothes commercial. He was wearing a simple baseball cap and a waterproof hoodie, but he still looked sexy. And also, as he drew closer, she saw he was wearing a sneer just for her. Her heart sank. Well attack was sometimes the best form of defence.

She marched up to him. ‘Why is it you hate me so much? It can’t possibly be about the ice cream, that would be unbelievably petty. And as you don’t get involved with village matters it can’t be about Mrs Kemblewick either, which by the way had nothing to do with me. So it’s either like Casey said, you hate me because I have red hair, which would be very shallow and small minded or it’s just that you’re a bastard for no other reason than you like to make people’s lives a misery. So tell me, which is it?’

He glared at her but when there was clearly no answer forthcoming, she turned away from him. ‘I’ll take that as the latter then. Darcy, heel!’

She walked away from him, her hands clenched into fists in her pockets, and refused to look back.

*

Damn it. Finn watched her go, his hand on Billy’s collar, who seemed very keen to follow them. Just like his owner. She was right, he was a bastard. He felt beyond guilty for shouting at her that morning just for singing and dancing – and then as she walked towards him, he had been appalled by how turned on he was after seeing Joy dressed in her waxed jacket and cap. It was a waxed jacket and cap, how could it be sexy? The black dress she had worn the day before was sexy. Not a waxed jacket and a pair of battered walking boots. He was determined to be polite, regardless of these insane feelings for her slamming through him. He was going to say hello, that was as good a start as any but as his emotions clawed away inside him his face must have been a picture as he battled with a sudden fear of redheads, a fear of intimacy and a fear of what might happen if they got too close. And whatever she had seen in his face had not been good, going on the defence before he attacked her again.

So now not only did he have to be polite to a woman, a redhead none the less, but he was going to have to work on his facial expressions too. He practiced a smile, the feeling of his mouth turning upwards felt alien to him. He looked down at Billy with the rictus grin stuck on his face, Billy glanced up at him and whined with something akin to fear. Finn sighed and headed for home.

*

The sun finally decided to make an appearance late afternoon as Joy came back home from her walk.

Though would it ever be the place she could finally call home? She would give Bramble Hill a chance, just like all the other places she had tried over the years. Joe, her landlord, had said if she wanted to stay, permanently, he would sell the place to her, but he was quite happy to rent in the meantime. She could easily afford the asking price if she decided to buy it; her job paid her ridiculously well. But as with the other places, she rented first, in a “try before you buy” type way. So far, she’d not found anywhere that she had wanted to buy.

As she drew close to her house, she noticed a collection of flies and wasps around her front door. More dog poo? But then the wasps wouldn’t be interested in that.

She moved closer and realised, with a crashing wave of disappointment, that many, if not all, of her lovingly made friendship cakes had been deposited on her doorstep. Some had seemingly been stamped on and some had even been forcibly shoved through her letterbox. They either hadn’t bothered to read the notes once they spotted it was from her, or hadn’t believed the declaration that she’d had nothing to do with the ousting of Mrs Kemblewick. It did seem slightly implausible that she was Joy Cartier and her landlord was Joe Carter; she and Joe had laughed about it when they had first met. It was much more believable that she was lying about who she was.

She couldn’t even get through the front door, there were so many wasps. She had legal access to her back garden through Finn’s garden. There was a side gate that allowed her to walk through his garden and into hers. She hadn’t used it yet, though she had every right to do so. She thought that it would be the polite thing to do to check with Finn before she strolled across his land. But since the man was an arse, she certainly wasn’t going to extend that courtesy to him.

She opened his back gate, which legally had to be kept unlocked, and walked purposefully towards her own gate, biting her lip as she hoped she could get past unnoticed. She would just walk across his garden as if she had every right to do so, which of course she did. Five metres away, four, three… and if he had noticed her he hadn’t come out and yelled at her yet. Suddenly something in Finn’s downstairs window caught her eye, and despite her best intentions to be in and out in mere seconds, she couldn’t help but look.

There was Finn, stark naked, drying his wet hair with a towel.

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