Thursday, 28 March 2024

✪ The Grazier's Son ✪ Cathryn Hein ✪

 

Release date

 
When taking up an unexpected inheritance with an unhappy past, newcomer Stirling is daunted to find a town set against him. Except, perhaps, for one sassy, big-hearted woman, who is willing to give him a chance to prove he belongs. Pitch-perfect rural romance from popular Australian author Cathryn Hein.

When helicopter pilot Stirling Hawley travels to Grassmoor in Victoria's lush Western District to claim an inheritance, he doesn't expect to face a town that hates him.

Nor does he anticipate being saved from near-death by glamorous vintage clothing designer Darcy Sloane. Or that she'll take a personal interest in his recovery. But Grassmoor and Westwind, the historic mansion Stirling inherited from the father he never knew, prove full of surprises.

The more Stirling digs into his father's life, the more uneasy he becomes. Behind Dougal Kildare's respectable stock agent and farmer veneer was a man of secrets. While the fraud that devastated the community and led to Dougal's tragic death is one, there are others. And such things never stay buried forever...

As Stirling's suspicions about Dougal's death grow, danger creeps ever closer. Until it's not only Stirling's life in peril but the woman he's come to love.
 
 
 
 ARC received from Harper Collins Australia for an honest review

Let me first say that I am not usually that big on rural romances - been the city girl who moved to a small country town, got the tshirt to prove it - but there was something about the blurb that made me want to dive right in.

And also, as Cathryn Hein is a new to me author, I went in with no expectations at all.

However I really enjoyed The Grazier's Son.  

As a blow in to a new town, I totally got the vibe of walking into the pub or store and having everyone look at you (not with the vitriol that Stirling copped, but I get it).

And Darcy is just like my friend in town, who wasn't a friend at the time, but knew I was moving to town, and drove past my house every day to see if I was here yet, and now is one of my most wonderful friends.  You get those people who just don't care what everyone else says and makes up their own mind.

And I gotta say, this small of Grassmoor did an amazing job of keeping secrets haha.  That, I will say, does not happen in small towns.  The gossip and rumour mills run rife, just like the did in Grassmoor.  But then, they also gather around and protect their own, just like the do in Grassmoor.

I just get the vibe of the whole place.

I enjoyed Darcy and Stirling's journey, liked how they worked things out with what had happened with his father. Thought the way that their found family had each other's backs.

And loved that they loved.  Loved how they loved. 

I really did thoroughly enjoy their story, and would like more of the secondary characters.

And I will be reading more Cathryn Hein in the future.

 

 

Tuesday, 26 March 2024

πŸ’™ THE TRAIL OF LOST HEARTS 🧑 Tracey Garvis Graves πŸ’œ

 ©  Bianca ✰  





• 26 March 2024
★★★★★
4.9 Stars

New York Times bestselling author Tracey Garvis Graves takes readers on a life affirming journey, where two lost souls find the unexpected courage to love again.

Thirty-four-year-old Wren Waters believes that if you pay attention, the universe will send you exactly what you need. But her worldview shatters when the universe delivers two life-altering blows she didn’t see coming, and all she wants to do is put the whole heartbreaking mess behind her. No one is more surprised than Wren when she discovers that geocaching—the outdoor activity of using GPS to look for hidden objects—is the only thing getting her out of bed and out of her head. She decides that a weeklong solo quest geocaching in Oregon is exactly what she needs to take back control of her life.

Enter Marshall Hendricks, a psychologist searching for distraction as he struggles with a life-altering blow of his own. Though Wren initially rebuffs Marshall’s attempt at hiker small talk, she’s beyond grateful when he rescues her from a horrifying encounter farther down the trail. In the interest of safety, Marshall suggests partnering up to look for additional caches. Wren’s no longer quite so trusting of the universe—or men in general—but her inner circle might argue that a smart, charismatic psychologist isn’t the worst thing the universe could place in her path.

What begins as a platonic road trip gradually blossoms into something deeper, and the more Wren learns about Marshall, the more she wants to know. Now all she can do is hope that the universe gets it right this time.





Wren + Marshall

Life hasn't been very kind to Wren these last few months.
And instead of spending more time all sad in bed she decides to go on a Geocache mission to Oregon.
That's where we meet Marshall. He's kinda also on the run from his life. Even though he should know how to deal with things because he's a psychologist. 

Will these two lost souls find a new happily ever after together?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!
 



I loved this.

I'm a fall/autumn girl and this book has this rainy gloomy mood and I just loved it. It's all so sad and heartbreaking. But also not. Because Wren got out of bed and she's trying to find some fun again in life. Marshall is just the perfect person to be with her in that time. They're both the perfect person for each other.
But we just don't know if we'll get a happy end for them - together. Or if life is not yet done hurting them.
I just loved reading this. I might have cried a bit here and there!
And I'm so here for the movie or series! GIMMEE!

A tiny little thing. I love the cover - but it could be a bit misleading. A reader might think that the person with the hat in the front is a little girl - which she is not - she's our 34 year old heroine Wren!

THE TRAIL OF LOST HEARTS was such a wonderful book! Sad, heartbreaking, rainy, hopeless but also so very sweet and funny and full of life and friendship and hope and love and all the things! Just beautiful! READ IT!




 LINKS TO THE BOOK AND AUTHOR 
 



 



  







Tracey Garvis Graves is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, On the Island, spent 9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into thirty-one languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film. She is also the author of Uncharted, Covet, Every Time I Think of You, Cherish, Heart-Shaped Hack, White-Hot Hack, and The Girl He Used to Know. She is hard at work on her next book.

Monday, 25 March 2024

🏳️‍🌈 French Fancy (The Model Agency Book 2) 🏳️‍🌈Lily Morton 🏳️‍🌈 Audio Tour and giveaway 🏳️‍🌈

 

FF Banner

Audio Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway:
French Fancy
By Lily Morton

 

French Fancy Audio Cover

The Model Agency, Book 2

Pip Simmonds is the twinkiest twink in London. He’s loud, proud, and packed to the brim with sass. But when he’s laid low by illness, even his hotpants lose their sparkle and his worried boss sends him to the South of France to recuperate in his holiday home.

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is beautiful, and the periwinkle-blue villa is luxurious, but the real draw for Pip is the villa’s other resident—his boss’s younger brother, Olivier Durand.

Olivier owns a perfume empire and has spent his whole life running from any other form of commitment. He’s worldly, carefree, wild, and the perfect choice for a holiday fling.

Drawn together by proximity, the two men become lovers and friends and then something more. Something special. But will their special bond hold true after summer’s end, when they both must return to their real lives?

This is the second book in the bestselling Model Agency series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Audio US Link

Audio UK Link

Audio CA Link

Universal Link

 

   
Copy received via Gay Romance Reviews for an honest review

I haven't read or listened to the first book in the Moden Agency series, but that did not affect my enjoyment of French Fancy at all.

Firstly, I am all about Joel, so listening to this one was a no brainer. I have listened to many of Joel and Lily's collabs, so I knew it was going to be good.

Pip and Olivier's story, just sigh. Yes, we have all seen it before. Was it a bit predictable? Sure. Was the obscene wealth a bit ick? Yeah, a bit. And the villain was a bit eyeroll worthy.

It makes it sound like I didn't like it, doesn't it?

But Leslie's telling of the story just had me enjoying it. Morton's books are ones that I pick up on and off every year, more often than not listening to a Joel Leslie narration.

A bit of flirty fun, this was a fine way to spend a car ride.

FF Teaser Audio (2)


Excerpt:

A brilliant idea occurs to me. “And you’d better go now because the owner is here. He’s inside.”

I still can’t see his face, but somehow, I know he’s amused. My impression is confirmed when he says, “Really?” with a great deal of lively scepticism.

“Oh yes.” I shift from one foot to the other rather awkwardly. I’m used to being naked in front of men, but more pleasurable things are usually on the agenda. “He’s my lover, and he’s gone to make drinks. Then he’ll be out here, and there’ll be hell to play.”

“Oh, dear. That does sound worrying. Is he dangerous?”

His beautiful French accent lingers on the last word, and I’m lost for a second. Then I rally.

“Oh, very,” I say airily. “He’ll kill anyone who looks twice at me.”

“He must be a very busy man.”

The compliment disarms me. “Oh well, of course,” I say, regaining my composure. “Thank you. You’re quite right, stranger who is not an axe man.”

“I am definitely not that. I don’t think I could fit an axe in my shorts’ pockets, no?”

“You’d be surprised. I’ve met a few men who’ve got enough room down there to stock the contents of B and Q,” I say unthinkingly.

He throws his head back, laughing. It’s a very attractive sound.

“You should go,” I say wistfully. This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me since my ex shagged me in a glass lift.

“Ah, because your lover will emerge soon, yes?”

I nod.

“And your lover is?” he asks.

“Oh.” My thoughts immediately spin towards the enigmatic brother of my boss. “He’s Olivier Durand.”

“Really?”

I raise my eyebrow. “He’s insanely possessive of me.” I wave a hand down my body. “And who can blame him?”

“Indeed.”

I narrow my eyes. “I can’t help feeling you don’t believe me, stranger danger.”

He steps forward, and a torch sheds light on his face. I stiffen. It’s a face I last saw in a photo in the kitchen—the picture that showed him smiling with my boss’s arm over his shoulders.

“Shit,” I say morosely.

Olivier Durand chuckles, his eyes dancing. “I do believe you. You are incredibly convincing, but now I am in a quandary.”

“Sounds painful.”

So painful, because I’m afraid I will now have to visit a doctor.”

“Why?” I ask faintly.

“For my memory loss, of course. Here was I thinking myself a hale, fairly hearty, and very single young man, when pouf, I am the victim of amnesia and cannot remember the name of my beautiful young lover. And after that, I shall have to get my shotgun ready to begin shooting your many suitors in a fit of insane rage.”

“Oh dear.”

He starts to laugh again. “It is Pip, yes?”

I put my hands on my hips. “Who else?”

FF Teaser Audio (1)


Enter the Giveaway:

To celebrate the AUDIO release of French Fancy, we are giving you a chance to win your choice of any book from Lily’s backlist! Three winners will be chosen!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway


FF Teaser (3)


Check out Book 1 of The Model Agency with The Sunny Side

The Sunny Side

Jonas Durand is successful, rich, and controlled. He owns a prestigious modelling agency and has the world at his fingertips, but a turbulent childhood has taught him to be focused and never deviate from a plan.

Dean Jacobs threatens that stance. He’s one of the world’s most sought-after supermodels, but he’s also laidback and lighthearted and free in a way that Jonas has never quite managed.

Dean has always been interested in Jonas and has never made any secret of his admiration, but from the beginning, Jonas put him in a neat little box labelled, “Don’t touch,” turned the key, and never looked back.

However, the universe seems determined to thwart Jonas’s plans. Over the course of one hot summer, the two men come together, and Jonas’s well-ordered life becomes something a whole lot wilder.

Moving from the glamorous worlds of London and Paris Fashion Weeks to the sleepy South of France, Jonas finds himself liberating partridges, chasing his supermodel, and falling in love.

From bestselling author, Lily Morton, comes a romantic comedy set in the fast-paced and snarky world of modelling. This is the first book in the Model Agency series.

Universal Link

Goodreads

TheSunnySide-Teaser1


LilyMorton-Logo-TaglineAbout Lily:

Lily is a bestselling gay romance author. She writes love stories filled with heat and humour.

She lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven't had a proper conversation with her since she got her Kindle.

Lily has spent her life with her head full of daydreams, and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else would she get to spend her time with hot and funny men?

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations - Chocolate Baileys.

Connect with Lily:
Facebook | Lily's Snark Squad Facebook Group
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