Boot Camp Bride – Book Birthday Blitz
Boot Camp Bride is five years old this month. Recently I re-visited Norfolk and the sites which inspired the novel. I’d love to share them with you and, hopefully, remind you of what a great romcom Boot Camp Bride is. There’s a chance to win a paperback copy (UK only) or a mobi. download (worldwide) – details at the end of this blog, so join in the fun and you could be a winner.
Blurb? I’ll allow one of my latest reviews to do the talking for me –
“Charlee is forced to attend a boot camp to get a scoop for the magazine she works for. I adored the situation set up for this story – such fun! The author is very clever at painting her characters and adding poignant brushstrokes of humour and vulnerability. Oh my, Charlee’s anecdotes will chase away the winter blues! Charlee guided me through her adventure, and I could not stop laughing. How does Lizzie Lamb manage to combine humour, adventure and romance? Charlee was feisty, fun, intelligent and clumsy – perfect. Undeterred by the alpha male, she managed to fight him with wit and stubbornness. Lizzie Lamb’s characters and style of writing sparkle in Boot Camp Bride. This romantic comedy is classic gold: it is the equivalent of comfort food and a good night out with friends.”
As the tagline says – meet Charlee Montague – your new best friend. This is how I imagined her and delicious alpha hero, Raphael Fonseca Ffinch (aka Rafa) . . .
Noel Coward was not a great fan of the county and quipped: awfully flat, Norfolk. That’s what I thought the first couple of times I visited Thornham where the novel is set. But after a time, I started to understand the appeal of this beautiful landscape. Here’s what Charlee thinks as she looks out across the marshes for the first time, Rafa at her side.
Now she was out of the wind and the sun had come out, the marshes didn’t look so grim after all. There was a stripped back beauty to them, she could see that, and the flocks of birds heading for the feeding grounds down by the shoreline ensured the view was ever changing. And she had to admit, just sitting there, eyes closed, face soaking up the weak January sun, was the perfect antidote to the last couple of manic weeks. When she glanced at Ffinch he was scanning the marshes through his binoculars, his cup of hot chocolate untouched on the bench beside him. Why did she get the impression it wasn’t the birds he was watching so intently? ‘What’s out there?’ Charlee asked, slipping on her sunglasses against the almost overwhelming expanse of bright blue sky that filled three quarters of the landscape. ‘The Wash. And over there you can see the wind turbines on the shoreline at Skegness.’ Charlee followed his pointing finger and squinted at the distant shore where almost a hundred huge turbines were turning like quiet ghosts.
Boot Camp Bride is set in Thornham, near Hunstanton. The Lifeboat Inn, an alleged haunt of smugglers, doubles for The Ship in the novel. This is where Rafa and Charlee spend their first night together – strictly business, natch – very much aware of a growing physical attraction.
“Charlee and Ffinch climbed the stairs to their respective bedrooms. Charlee was rather unsteady, a combination of vertiginous heels and the quantity of wine she’d consumed. She pulled a face and groaned, thinking of the hangover she would wake up with and the windswept salt marshes dashing ice-cold rain and sleet into her face. Ffinch walked up the stairs behind her, his hand resting lightly on her waist as if keeping a loving eye on her, whereas in reality he was holding her upright. Bidding the other guests goodnight, he whispered in her ear. ‘Smile, for goodness sake. You look as if you’re going to your doom, not a night of passion in The Ship’s best room. Stay in role.’ ‘I’m concentrating on my balance, if you must know, and,’ Charlee whipped round as his words sank in, almost falling backwards into his arms. ‘A night of passion, now hold it right there, mate. It’d take more than two glasses of champagne -’ ‘Half a bottle of Rioja, a sticky with your pudding and cognac with coffee – to do what? Make the thought of sleeping with me more palatable?’ Although he kept a straight face, Charlee detected banked down humour there.”
My friend Joan and I sitting in the hall of The Lifeboat Inn. It was at her and husband Roger’s place in Thornham that the idea of Boot Camp Bride first took shape.
It was easy to imagine Thornham Manor as the phoney Boot Camp for Brides – the front for drug smuggling on the marshes. At high tide it would be easy to land contraband on the nearby quay without arousing suspicion. You can also read an extract HERE
Boot Camp Bride is also available as a paperback and would make an ideal Christmas/ birthday present for someone who enjoys reading romance with a light sprinkling of humour and quick fire dialogue. Oh, and there’s a classic VW Camper Van featured in it, too. What’s not to like?
If you’d like to enter Boot Camp’s Brides Birthday Competition, all you have to do it FOLLOW my blog and/or share this post on any of the links below. The winner will be notified by email.
And, finally – If you’d like to read more about Rafa and Charlee’s adventures, download a copy of Boot Camp Bride – It’s 99p/99c from Wednesday 21st November for one week.
Posted on November 20, 2018, in Lizzie's Scribbles and tagged blogging, bookbirthday, BootCampBride, giveaway, humour, LizzieLamb, Norfolk, prizes, research, writing. Bookmark the permalink. 14 Comments.
What a fabulous book Boot Camp Bride was! Thank you for sharing the photos with us! And happy birthday! LOL
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Thanks Isabella. It’s been great fun putting this blog together- I think the Charlie and Ffinch made a great team.
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Lovely post, Lizzie – and great reminder of the book (Feel like getting on my bike and pedalling over to Thornham!)
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Thanks June, Thornham is a very special place. Those Norfolk marshes are so atmospheric – you could imagine anything happening there.
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What a brilliant reminder of how much I loved reading Boot Camp Bride. Can’t believe five years have passed since its release. Great post & pics, Lizzie. xx
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Thanks Jan, I remember laughing together over the scene with the model’s Russian minder (!)
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Ha! Oh yes. The woman-mountain Valentina. Hilarious! Xx
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I enjoyed writing that scene!!
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I loved this book, totally! And having been a rookie reporter myself it sang to my old hack heart! As it happens a trip to Norfolk is on the cards for my birthday treat! Who knows what it will inspire … can I persuade you to write a sequel??? X
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Well, I think I would like to know what became if Charlie and Ffinch 💗
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Happy Birthday to Boot Camp Bride! Just shared on Twitter.
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Thanks Sally 🌟 thanks fir sharing .
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Lizzie perfectly captures the haunting beauty and mystery of the North Norfolk marshes in this fabulous adventure story. I had great pleasure in spending some time with her as she researched her book. If you haven’t read it, you are missing a real treat!
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Thanks Joan, Thornham holds a very special place in my heart. Many happy memories……
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