Summer of Secrets
GUEST BLOG – Adrienne Vaughan
Award winning Author & Poet
Adrienne Vaughan writes spellbinding, page-turning romantic suspense.
Her Heartfelt Series − The Hollow Heart, A Change of Heart and Secrets of the Heart – is set on an island off Ireland’s west coast and features a feisty investigative journalist, and her irresistible West Highland terrier. (Adrienne studied at the Dublin College of Journalism and loves animals, especially dogs.)
Her collection of short stories and poetry, Fur Coat & No Knickers was shortlisted for the Irish Carousel Prize for Anthology and her WWII short story, Dodo’s Portrait, was shortlisted for the Colm Toíbín International Short Story Award at the Wexford Literary Festival.
Summer of Secrets is the first in a series of sweeping family dramas, each with a touch of Irish magic.
All her books are heart-warming, uplifting reads, featuring her trademark gripping style, and laugh out loud moments.
Adrienne, husband Jonathan, and two cocker spaniels divide their time between rural Leicestershire, the Wicklow mountains, and coastal South Devon. Agatha Christie – the cat – (and Lorraine) take care of things while they are away.
Summer of Secrets – blurb
Mia Flanagan has never been told who her father is and, aged ten, stopped asking.
Now she keeps her own secrets.
But when the movie she’s working on ends in disaster, she flies home to discover her fiancé has a secret too; leaving her dreams crushed.
Broken-hearted, a lonely summer in London looms. Until, family friend, Archie Fitzgerald, invites her to stay at his fading mansion on Ireland’s ancient east coast.
For Archie also has a secret, and the longer Mia stays, the more she wonders if Archie really is her father after all.
Some images of Ireland so beautifully evoked by Ms Vaughan in Summer of Secrets
My review – Goodreads – This novel has it in spades: stunning Irish setting (a character in its own right), a grand but decaying family home (Galty House), glamour in the form of acclaimed actors Archie Fitzgerald and Fenella Flanagan, American hotel owner Ross and the cute, but not too cute, Pearl who melts your heart. The novel contains all of Ms Vaughan’s trademarks: glamour, secrets, intrigues, and adventure. How could it fail to please? At the centre of it is Mia, the wardrobe mistress whom I immediately bonded with and wanted to have a happy ending. However, life isn’t easy for Mia who lives in the shadow of her famous mother Fenella and, although she is surrounded by people who love her, is held back by long-buried personal secrets of the past. Is she Archie Fitzgerald’s daughter? The answer to that alone kept me turning the pages. I agree with other reviewers that Archie dominates every scene, and it isn’t until he vacates centre stage that Mia can have her moment in the spotlight and we learn the truth about who she is. There was a lot to absorb in this novel and many of the answers lay in the past and were the remit of some of the secondary characters who gave the novel a sense of community. I was particularly impressed by the authors use of flashbacks to give the reader the information they needed to understand the motivation of all the characters – and to guess the identity of Mia’s father. In the end, all is resolved and – without giving too much away, I was happy at the way the author tied up all the loose ends to bring the novel to a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading the sequel when it is published.
The perfect beach read this summer
Where to find Adrienne Vaughan on social media
The one where I interview – or should that be interrogate? – Sharon Booth
A brilliant blog post by two expeprienced and talented authors. I wish I’d known half of this when I became an indie all those years ago. Great books and sound advice.
Anyone who reads my blog or follows me on social media will know that my bestie is also an author – Sharon Booth. We first met a decade ago and have navigated the (sometimes) crazy world of publishing ever since. Sharon’s books are absolutely gorgeous and I have read every single one of them so far, with her latest on my TBR pile for as soon as I’ve finished my current read.
I’ve been saying for ages (years!) that I’d have Sharon as a guest on my blog and I finally got my act together and sent some questions over to Sharon. I put something on my notes to her which she said I had to keep in because it’s funny so here we go…
Thank you very much for agreeing to appear as my first guest in what willnotbe a regular slot on my website as I…
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The Secrets We Keep
Jo Lambert’s latest novel
After her father’s tragic death, abandoning thoughts of university, Hayley has supported her mother with the day to day running of the Estuary House Hotel in Kingswater. Now, she is ready to return to her studies, but before that there’s a summer to enjoy.
Hayley has no idea how much the two young men she is about to meet will influence her future. Adam Davenport, wealthy and entitled, arrives on his father’s luxury motor yacht, livening up the quiet town with his on-board parties. But it’s photographer Nick Pallister, staying at the hotel while working on an assignment for the Cornish Tourist Board, who captures her heart.
As the end of summer approaches, Nick unexpectedly checks out, taking steps to make sure he cannot be traced, leaving Hayley to face the fact she has merely been a summer fling. Days later, Adam takes a taxi into Truro and disappears. Despite an extensive police search, he is never found.
Six years later Hayley is settled and happy with a small daughter, Amelie. Nick Pallister’s unexpected arrival at the hotel, takes her by surprise, dredging up unwanted memories. Why did he leave so suddenly? And did it have anything to do with Adam’s disappearance? But there’s the danger Nick could have questions of his own, ones that might jeopardise the new life she has built for herself and her daughter.
Jo Lambert,
Author, Reviewer and Blogger
Writer of West Country Contemporary Sagas
Member of the Romantic Novelists Association
BOOK WEBSITE AND BLOG: https://www.jolambertauthor.website
TWITTER: @Jolambertwriter
FACEBOOK:https://www.facebook.com/jolambert185
I am a great fan of Jo’s books and am happy to feature her on my blog on publication day. By now, a copy of The Secrets We Keep will have found its way on to my Kindle. I look forward to reading and reviewing it.
The Collaborator’s Daughter
GUEST BLOG – EVA GLYN
CHARACTERS OF A CERTAIN AGE
I have always liked people and I have always liked wine, firmly believing that both are more interesting as they mature. So why does so much romantic fiction feature characters in the first (or, at a push, second) bloom of youth, when those in the third age are largely ignored?
After all I have friends in their sixties who have fallen in love, and why wouldn’t they? For so many retirement is an opportunity to change things around, whether they are single through circumstance or choice. A time of excitement, of new beginnings. And of downright terror about what might lie ahead.
This is where Fran Thomson, my protagonist in The Collaborator’s Daughter, finds herself. She quit her job to care for her stepfather, but now he has died, and when she looks the future in the face it’s rather too shapeless and empty. Not only that, but the past shifts under her feet as well, when she discovers the birth father she always believed died a hero, was executed as a Nazi collaborator.
Fran somehow finds the courage to travel to Dubrovnik to try to find out what happened. I am not altogether sure I would have had the guts, but then she’s a romantic heroine and I am not.
A romantic heroine who, by her own admission, is carrying a few too many pounds and hasn’t a clue how to apply clever make up. So she is more than surprised when Jadran Novak, a Croatian silver fox who was roped into helping her find out about her father by his nephew, begins to take a more than friendly interest and suggests a research trip:
Fran gazed at the clothes spread out on the bed. They were going for three nights, that was all. Why was she making such a meal of it? Her denim skirt would do for the evenings, and she knew Jadran liked her embroidered cardigan, so she’d take that as well.
Despite the difficulties of packing, there was a frisson of something about the trip that took her back to being a girl again, back to the shared house in Parsons Green. This was what they’d do before a night on the town; lay potential outfits on their beds, then run from room to room in their underwear, giggling and squealing, borrowing a skirt here, a pair of tights there …
Oh my god. Underwear. Hers was utilitarian to say the least. Sensible cotton knickers and well-constructed bras. But it didn’t matter. It wasn’t as though anyone was going to see them. Were they?
Fumbling her phone she checked Jadran’s text again. He had booked them rooms, plural. Her slightly tatty and greying knickers would remain her secret. As would the folds of flesh they strained to hide. Honestly, she could have at least tried to diet while she was here, but what with a glass or two of wine every night, and baking cakes for Jadran … But it was fine. He’d booked two rooms. Clearly his intentions weren’t sexual at all.
The tiny lurch of disappointment surprised her. Yes, it was a lovely fantasy to want to be kissed and held in his arms, but the reality of going any further was frankly appalling. But that wasn’t entirely true either. A tiny part of her, a part that had been hidden for so long she had almost forgotten it existed, wanted more. Alone in her bed at night, all sorts of more. But in the cold light of day even the thought absolutely terrified her.
Eva Glyn writes relationship-driven fiction set in Croatia for One More Chapter, and she’s rather close to sixty herself. Find out more at www.evaglynauthor.com.
Want to read on? Then follow my lead and download this fabulous novel …….. review to follow in the fullness of time.
Buy link for The Collaborator’s Daughter:
https://mybook.to/CollaboratorsDaughter
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO
When I started writing Dark, Highland Skies I thought long and hard about the hero: Hector Strachan, known as ‘Tor. I’d already created heroes with typical highlander colouring: dark hair, blue eyes and fair skin that blisters at the first touch of the summer sun. (see Ruairi Urquhart in Tall, Dark and Kilted). Some of my choices were influenced by Jamie Frazer in Outlander – who could resist the combination of auburn hair and blue-grey eyes. Then I thought, no, Tor is going to be more like his Viking ancestors who harried the west coast of Scotland and left their DNA behind: tall, blonde – the image of a young Robert Redford sprang to mind. Well, a girl can dream, can’t she!
It appears that readers and reviewers have fallen for Tor, too. Here’s what they’ve said …
It’s great to see our military heroes so well understood, with life changing injury and post traumatic stress explored sympathetically (in Tor’s case)
It is not just the story itself which I loved but also the description of all the locations and in many cases the history behind it, I would say it was all extremely well researched
I must say I rather fell for Tor – not only because he looked like my kind of guy but because of his infinite patience and gentleness, too.
The chemistry between astrophysicist Halley Dunbar and veteran Tor Strachan, a soldier suffering from PTSD and veteran Tor Strachan simply sizzles.
A former career soldier, he was invalided out of the army following horrific wounds sustained in a dreadful incident in Afghanistan
An extract from Dark Highland Skies
‘Look.’ Tor pointed skywards to where a golden eagle was circling above them, its wing tips spread open like fingers, yellow talons tucked neatly into its body. It turned its head and looked down on them, as if demanding to know what they were doing on its land. Its high chirruping cry cut through the bright, still air, drawing everyone’s gaze away from the coffin and heavenward. ‘It’s a sign that Tam is ready to leave us and that all will be well,’ Tor murmured, bending his head close so only Halley could hear.
Dark Highland Skies ~ (Lizzie’s Scottish Romances)Dark Highland Skies ~ #Scottish Historical Romance #Review @lizzie_lamb
Another smashing review for Dark Highland Skies. Thank you to Jaye and Anita for taking the time to read my novel and to write such a smashing review.
Astrophysicist Halley Dunbar has spent her career searching for the one-in-a-billion exoplanet outside our solar system capable of sustaining life. Required to travel to Lochaber, Scotland to arrange her great-uncle’s funeral, she leaves the world she knows behind and encounters people who make her realise there’s more to life than searching for something that might not exist.
Laird’s son, Tor Strachan rocks up, and she discovers the one man capable of making her happy. However, there are obstacles in the way, and it becomes clear that Afghan veteran Tor must confront his demons before he can be the man Halley deserves. As for Halley, she has secrets of her own; ones she can’t share with anyone – not even Tor.
A good man is hard to find.
Early Reviews for Dark Highland Skies
“I knew by the end of Chapter One that Halley Dunbar was another of Lizzie Lamb’s fabulous…
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DARK HIGHLAND SKIES
Graphic courtesy of Sharon Booth – writer – sharonboothwriter.com
Halley Dunbar has always loved the stars. As a doctor of astrophysics, she knows more about them than most. But she also has a secret, one that could change everything. When Halley returns to Scotland to arrange her great-uncle’s funeral, she meets Tor Strachan. Tor is haunted by the past. He was a soldier in Afghanistan, where he witnessed a tragedy that scarred him for life. He suffers from PTSD and flashbacks that make him feel like he’s back in the war zone.
Their encounter on the silver sands of Morar sparks a connection that neither of them expected and they find themselves drawn to each other, despite their differences and fears. Can they overcome the obstacles that stand in their way? Or are they doomed forever to remain star-crossed lovers?
Find out in this beautifully written, romantic novel set that will take you on a journey of love, loss and hope.
WHAT REVIEWERS HAVE SAID ABOUT DARK HIGHLAND SKIES
I have enjoyed this author’s previous novels but with this one I can’t help feeling that with Dark Highland Skies
she has risen to another level.
I loved the blisteringly hot chemistry between Halley and gorgeous leading man, ex-soldier and hugely charismatic Tor Strachan, who has his own demons to face
Both Halley and Tor have demons to face, and falling in love was never part of the plan for either of them, but the sparks between them are soon flying, and their electricity positively crackles on the page.
It had a mixture of feelings including love, loss, grief, regret, longing, desire, oh the list is long! Full of family dynamics, a past full of regret, shame and secrecy
The Characters, each and every one, were portrayed in a most believable way that had me absorbed all the way. Don’t miss this one! You won’t be disappointed.
I loved the main characters and their interaction, the dialogue was so lovely and realistic. I really enjoyed the plot, I felt quite emotional reading parts of it which is down to the skill of Ms Lamb.
Wondering if this novel is right for you?
Why I Write by Lizzie Lamb
Manythanks to Morton Gray for hposting me on her fabulous blog today. I really like how Morton arrnaged the page, giving me and my books the best chance of reaching new readers and writers,.
I am delighted this week to welcome Lizzie Lamb, author of Dark Highland Skies to my blog. Today, Lizzie is going to talk about why she writes Scottish contemporary romance. Over to Lizzie …
I write to escape from the here and now. This was especially true during Covid when I hid away in my study and travelled every day to the mythical, magical west coast of Scotland in my imagination. The result was Dark Highland Skies which was published on Valentine’s Day 2023 and been well-received by readers and followers. (See blurb and extract below)
Why the west coast of Scotland and contemporary romance?
Let me explain . . .
I was born in the Central Belt of Scotland and all I knew of the highlands was what I had seen on video:The Ghost Goes West,I Know Where I’m GoingandLocal Hero; or read in…
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Five on Friday with Lizzie Lamb @lizzie_lamb #RespectRomFic
Thanks to Jill for having me on her fabulous blog. I especially like how she found videos of my fav pieces of music. If you have time, go over and read the whole blog, it’s amazing.
Today I’m delighted to feature author Lizzie Lamb who writes romantic, feel good novels largely set in her beloved homeland of Scotland.
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Dark Highland Skies by Lizzie Lamb #NewRelease #Romance
Very thrilled to have LizAnne review my novel and post on Amazon. I hope you will take a moment to check out her review and to download my latest novel. Thank you.
Astrophysicist Halley Dunbar has spent her career searching for the one-in-a-billion exoplanet outside our solar system capable of sustaining life. Required to travel to Lochaber, Scotland to arrange her great-uncle’s funeral, she leaves the world she knows behind and encounters people who make her realise there’s more to life than searching for something that might not exist.
Laird’s son, Tor Strachan rocks up, and she discovers the one man capable of making her happy. However, there are obstacles in the way, and it becomes clear that Afghan veteran Tor must confront his demons before he can be the man Halley deserves. As for Halley, she has secrets of her own; ones she can’t share with anyone – not even Tor.
My Review
The best thing about Lizzie Lamb’s Scottish romances are the strong characters featured. In Dark Highland Skies, successful astrophysicist Halley Dunbar travels from her home in Hawaii…
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Lizzie Lamb - author 