Today, I am thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for Karen Louise Hollis’s most recent book, The Whitlock Close Weddings!
It’s 1982 and the residents of Whitlock Close have an exciting few months ahead of them. The Lincolnshire village is looking forward to two weddings! Former school teacher Sarah Willington is set to marry Mark Thomas, guitarist of the successful boy band The Unflappables, and no expense is being spared. The second wedding will be a quieter one, but who exactly is Norman marrying – Nora or Mabel? Twelve-year-old Louise has to decide about her gymnastics career, following a shocking development with her friend Jayne’s health. Plus what on earth is going on with her boyfriend Toby? Meanwhile, there are people moving in and moving out, cats going missing and a big Christmas trip away to the new Silver Sands Holiday Camp. It’s going to be another eventful few months for the residents of the eight semi- detached houses in Whitlock Close.
My first foray to Whitlock Close, and the 80s setting gave me a real nostalgic blast from the past! It’s like Neighbours, in book form, as we move from house to house, learning all that is happening in the different families. What lovely community spirit shown within!
About the author Karen Louise Hollis was born in Lincoln, England in 1969. She began writing from an early age, being the daughter of two journalists. She is a mum to five children and has three grandchildren. She has had over twenty-five books published and has written about a variety of topics including motherhood, poetry, Doctor Who and gymnastics. The Whitlock Close Weddings is her fourth novel, following Welcome to Whitlock Close (2022), Starting Again in Silver Sands Bay (2023) and Over The Garden Fence (2023).
Please join me on the blog tour for The One Before The One by Emma Cooper.
When Liv’s boyfriend Kit disappeared on a hike, seven years earlier, she thought her life was over. But with the help of their family and friends, she’s pushed her way through the grief, and now, miraculously, she’s found a way to love again.
Until the morning of her wedding, when Liv steps through a doorway, and finds herself, somehow, back at the flat she shared with seven years earlier, six days before he left. Now, Liv has a chance to live those six days over, and change everything. If she gets this right, she can find out why Kit leaves and stop him.
But can she save him? And if she does, how will she choose, between the man she loved then, and the one she loves now?
OMG, where do I start with this book? First, I want to review with no spoilers, but that will be sooo hard to squeal about the twists and turns without giving things away! So, can you imagine having the chance to go back to a ‘better’ time in the past and making some changes that could change the trajectory of your life? Liv finds herself in that same situation, except on the eve of her wedding. After losing her fiance, Kit, tragically, it has taken her years to come to terms with his disappearance finally. She has taken steps to move forward and seems happy until a freak moment takes her back seven years to the week before Kit’s disappearance. This is where the story takes off. There is a dual POV and a shifting timeline. Short chapters take us through Liv’s experiences as she relives a week where she is not sure she can change anything, but she learns a lot about her own life that she had no idea about. And the experiences of one who left in the days after his disappearance. I don’t want to be cryptic, but I can’t say too much other than I was gripped and confused in a good way. This romantic mystery, as I think it should be tagged, had many twists, which made me double-check things. It was so cleverly written that I didn’t know what was going on for a while! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
Author Bio
Emma Cooper is the author of highly acclaimed book club fiction, including The Songs of Us, which was shortlisted for the RNA Contemporary Novel Award. Previously published by Headline PG, Emma will publish emotional book club novels with Boldwood.
Today, I am thrilled to welcome amazing author Susan Buchanan to my blog for a cuppa and a chat about all things writerly, especially her latest release, Leap Year Proposal.
Thank you so much for having me Ritu.
Hello, and welcome to But I Smile Anyway, Susan! Let’s get you set with a drink first. Would you prefer a coffee, a cup of tea, or, to be brave, traditional homemade Indian masala tea?
Thanks for having me, Ritu. Lovely to be here. Normally, I’d go for a latte or even a hot chocolate (loaded, of course!), but I like to embrace my inner adventurer, so let’s have some of that homemade masala tea, please.
If we’re having masala tea, I can make samosas and pakoras (fried potato and vegetable fritters), but I also have homemade shortbread cookies!
You may have to win me over on having those with tea, to be honest, but I do like them – usually with a glass of milk on the side actually! And, c’mon, I’m Scottish. Of course, I like Shortbread! If I’m superb, can I have both?!
Absolutely!
Now, it’s so lovely to have you on my blog, Susan! And this visit hits a bit differently since we met in person at the 2024 RNA Conference last year. I don’t often get to say that I have sat alongside many of my Book and a Brew friends! How has writing life been treating you since August?
Yes, it was lovely to meet you and what a gorgeous location for the conference at Royal Holloway. Writing life has calmed down a little now as I switch my focus to the business side of writing given the launch of The Leap Year Proposal and the launch in a few months’ time of You Can’t Hurry Love. But when we last met, I hadn’t even decided to write A Little Christmas Spirit yet so September onwards was pretty intense, although mostly in a good way. I’m actually trying to carve out some time between launches to work on the next two books. I live in hope!
Where do you like to write? Do you have a writing room at home, or are you a nomadic writer, taking your notebook and pen or laptop to different places?
I think where I like to write and where I do write are not actually necessarily the same place! If I could, I’d be in a café (which I have done in the past) being supplied with copious amounts of hot chocolate and cheese toasties when needed, so I could simply focus on writing. (Idyllic!) However, when the kids are at school, I tend to write on my laptop on a lapdesk in my living room, on my recliner sofa, with my Labrador, Benji, taking up 90% of the sofa. When the kids are home, I either do the same and put headphones on (!) or I retire to my office. I don’t like writing in bed. I have to say I have, in the past done a lot of my writing in bed!
Are there any of your books with a special place in your heart? I know that is a toughie, as they are all our book babies, aren’t they?
Prior to this year, I’d have said no, as, as you rightly say, they are all our book babies. However, given the impact The Christmas Spirit and indeed the Christmas Spirit series has had on so many readers, and the amount of positive feedback I’ve had from readers about that book, telling me how it made them find their Christmas spirit when they weren’t feeling it, how they’d wanted to ignore Christmas this year, or how it just gave them a lift, I’d have to say The Christmas Spirit. What wonderful feedback to have had!
Correct me if I am wrong, but is this your tenth book now?
Yep, book 10. Kinda exciting, actually. It’s also funny how it wasn’t the tenth book I wrote. For various reasons, books aren’t always released in the order you write them! Apart from The Leap Year Proposal, I have two series and two other stand alones.
Let’s return to your latest release, Leap Year Proposal. I love romance, and you had three very different relationships within this book. How easy was it to weave the three stories together to make one book?
Well, to be honest, that’s what I love the most. And for anyone who has read my Christmas Spirit books, they’ll know that having multiple points of view is something I enjoy writing. However, this book has had so many permutations – a couple of publishers asked for quite major changes. Some I made, some I didn’t. But the one thing I would not back down on was the three female protagonists. To do otherwise would have been a different book.
I have to admit that I am one who loves to both read and write multi-POV stories. My series all have at least three POVs, and it really helped me create the characters which my readers then develop feelings for, and they want to know more. I think it’s why the first book became a series, because I had so many people asking me about the other characters!
I may well release chapters of the original to my subscribers at some point as I cut/changed a lot of the original book. Secondary characters were cut, locations were changed and even occupations. I loved the original book too, but I do love this version.
What was the inspiration for the whole leap-year proposal idea? It seems archaic, now, for women to wait for 4 years before they can officially propose to a man!
Ha! Now there’s a story, so I’ll give you the short version. Years ago, I remember hearing of it and thinking it was romantic. Nine years ago, I remember hearing it on the radio and thinking, ‘Aw, that’s nice.’ Fast-forward 4 hours and I’d proposed! My proposal and our story has nothing to do with the book, but it gave me the germ of the idea for the story. And of course, women can propose whenever they like, but I think 29 February is a special day, simply because that day only exists once every four years!
What a brilliant story! I love it! You old romantic, you!
Jess being a dog walker, I also got my fair share of furry buddies being mentioned! Do you have a pet, at all? I love animals, and we have two cats here who are equal parts love and mischief!
Yes, the crazy Labrador, Benji. He’s actually part polar bear. He’s enormous. But a big teddy! And greedy as heck!
Gorgeous! We have big cat and little cat, Sonu Singh, who is 11 and Minnie Kaur aka The Minx, who is one next month!
I must tell you I devoured your latest offering in pretty much a day, because I really enjoyed the premise of the story. Plus it was based in Scotland! I’ve never been before. Are all your stories set there?
Aw, thank you. I’m so glad you liked it. I can’t believe you’ve never been to Scotland. Get up here! No, in actual fact, my first book, Sign of the Times, is set in Scotland, Switzerland and Italy; my second book, The Dating Game, is set in Scotland and Spain (Barcelona, where I used to live); two of my Just One Day series books are set in Scotland, and Italy and Spain (Bergamo and Madrid) and the other two are set solely in Scotland, and two of my Christmas Spirit series are set in Scotland. The Leap Year Proposal has a section in Italy, and my next book is set in Costa Rica, and the one after that in France. Did I mention I love travelling?! Readers can also expect many more books set in European and faraway locations!
Well, I’m going to have to get up there, somehow, aren’t I? And yes, I can definitely tell you love your travel!
And what is next for Susan Buchanan?
Ah, that’s what I get for jumping the gun – see above! My next book will be out on 6th May, the one in Costa Rica. It’s set in a sloth sanctuary – which I visited and loved, many years ago. The title is You Can’t Hurry Love, which appealed to my sense of humour since sloths are not known for their speed on land! There will be another Christmas Spirit book in 2025 and possibly A N Other book, but I haven’t decided which yet, or indeed if I can manage the timescales. Suffice to say, there will be at least 3 books from me in 2025!
That sounds amazing! You are one busy lady!
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful writing world with us, Susan!
Thank you so much for having me today. 😊
Good luck with your latest release!
The Blurb
Three women. One crazy hen weekend. A life-changing decision.
When three women meet on a mutual friend’s hen weekend on the Scottish island of Arran, they get more than they bargained for when one of them has the genius idea of proposing on 29 February, like the age-old Irish tradition.
High-flying businesswoman Anouska and boyfriend Zach are deliriously happy and madly in love. If only they had more time together. But now she’s pregnant and doesn’t know how to tell him since having kids hadn’t featured in their plans.
Dog walker Jess lives with her childhood sweetheart, but they’re already like an old married couple, without the romance, or the wedding, or the ring. When Mark doesn’t propose on New Year’s Eve, Jess is gutted and decides to take matters into her own hands.
Ellie and Scott still live apart after six years, and his lack of commitment is a sore point. She’s up for a huge promotion which involves moving country. It’s make-or-break time. She needs to know he’s worth turning down the job for.
The women meet weekly, helping each other with decisions big and small, becoming each other’s support system in the run-up to ‘the big ask’.
Will love conquer all or will their hopes and dreams come crashing down around them?
I love romance, and it’s a treat to have three tied into one book, along with a little tradition that they decide to see through. Three women, strangers to one another, all in relationships but very different situations, meet at a mutual friend’s hen weekend and, for whatever reason, decide that they will all propose to their partners on February 29th, as it is a Leap Year, and the woman proposing on that day is an age-old tradition. Split into three POVs, the story follows Anouska, Jess, and Ellie over a couple of months as they build their friendship and experience the trials of planning secret proposals. The thing is, nothing is going to go smoothly, is it? Especially when there are little secrets, doubts and confusion in the mix! I read this story in about one day, thoroughly enjoying each woman’s story. I also loved the blossoming friendships that developed throughout the book. Another Scottish-based book makes me want to visit all the more! Many thanks to the Author and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing an ARC
About the Author
Susan Buchanan writes romantic comedy, contemporary romance and women’s fiction, usually featuring travel, food, family, friendship, community – also Christmas!
Her books are Sign of the Times, The Dating Game, The Christmas Spirit, Return of the Christmas Spirit, A Little Christmas Spirit and Just One Day – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.
As a freelance developmental editor, copyeditor and proofreader, if she’s not reading, editing or writing, she’s thinking about it.
She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
She lives near Glasgow with her husband, two children and a crazy Labrador.
When she’s not editing, writing, reading or caring for her two delightful cherubs, she likes going to the theatre, playing board games, watching quiz shows and eating out, and she has recently discovered a love of writing retreats.
Giveaway to Win a signed paperback of The Leap Year Proposal (Open to UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “spoonful.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
Okay, so, I’m sat here writing this from my sick bed, on my phone, as I’m still not 100%.
I’ve had more than a spoonful of cough mixtures over the last week. It’s still not shifting…
Anyway, as soon as I read the prompt, good old Mary Poppins came to mind.
We all love that classic, A Spoonful Of Sugar, don’t we?
To be honest, a lot of the medicines right now, are sweet enough, but hey, it doesn’t stop a Disney fan from wanting to sing it, everything I have to give, or take, medicine!
Now, I thought I’d share the cat antics of this morning.
I was in bed (my recent abode of the last week) when, at around 10am, I heard a bang.
I knew Minnie Kaur the Minx was on the loose. She’d obviously gone and pushed something off somewhere.
Little did I know it was a little bit more than a something…
The Living Room TV was off its stand, face down, awkwardly balancing on a pointed tissue box cover on the coffee table.
This didn’t look good!
With Lil Princess’s help, we got the TV back up, but I could see the dents in the screen. This did not look promising. What would our resident TV fab, Hubby Dearest, say?
I switched it on.
Yup.
Not good.
It looks like she tried to climb up onto the radiator cover behind the TV, where she usually sits to watch the world go by. The cover somehow moved and fell, knocking the TV over.
And there you have it. The #DarkDestroyer strikes!
And in other calmer #caturday news, #SonuSingh has rediscovered my office beanbag and is peacefully chilling out.
Unlike the Dark Destroyer, #MinnieKaurTheMinx , who offered to start her own #OnlyCats fan page to fund the new TV, to replace what she spectacularly destroyed! (Image censored to protect our lil girl’s modesty!) I had to remind her she’s not even 1, yet, and will need to make sure her #catmum reviews her online activity. How are kitten ready knows these things, I don’t know, but she was all for showing of her lil black beans and cute paws!
And there you have our morning, so far!
I think I need a spoonful of something to get over the excitement/shock!
Disclaimer: no cats were harmed, injured or allowed to post on OnlyCats, during the xompising of this post. 😝
And so it begins, doesn’t it? A new year means a new Goodreads challenge and lots of lovely books to read.
One thing I know for sure is that I am not making any big promises.
I won’t say no arcs because I know myself. I won’t say only my TBR books because I know that won’t happen!
I’ll just enjoy the stories that come to me, and let you know what I think!
So, I read 13 books – unlucky for some, but not for me! Lots of lovely stories. Some to be released, some from my TBR, and lots for blog tours! (I went a bit mad saying yes to things before Christmas!)
A February Blog Tour Review
A February Blog Tour and Book and a Brew appearance!
I read Seven Summers last year, and knew Paige Toon was one of those authors who would hook me with pretty much whatever she wrote. What If I Never Get Over You absolutely hooked me, reeling me in so much that I read the whole book in a day! Set in three parts, the story is told by Ellie. We start a few years previously, where she is nearing the end of what should have been an adventure of a lifetime, inter-railling around Europe. Only circumstances are much sadder than she expected. As she gets ready to finish the trip, and plod into the family business, continuing to bow to the demands of her parents, she meets Ash, a young Welsh guy, who has the free soul she years to have, too. And he’s hot. Fighting attraction is always tough, especially in these circumstances, but they forge a connection through shared situations and mutual attraction. Only plans don’t always work out. After losing touch, the second part shows Elli happy in her new life. She’s not totally forgotten Ash, having taken some of his life advice, and is forging ahead with her dream job as a gardener. Ash comes bounding back into her life unexpectedly, causing turmoil and even more attraction. The third part jumps ahead again, drawing the story to a rocky, but ultimately heartwarming conclusion. Oh goodness, I loved this, so much! The book explores many themes, including grief, dealing with parental expectations, conforming to societal norms, and not feeling good enough. Was the conclusion a surprise? Not really, but that’s not a bad thing. There are many rocky moments before we reach that point of satisfaction! A very good read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House, Cornerstone for an ARC.
It is a beautiful romance laced with Gujerati culture, set in 1980s Britain, specifically the Midlands. Reena is from a simple Gujerati family and attends Warwick University. Her father is unhappy that she is leaving home, but she has hopes and dreams. She literally bumps into Nikesh, a rich boy from a London-based Gujerati family, and though there are sparks, she tries to ignore them because nothing can come of their union. However, Nikesh never relents in his efforts. So we follow the next few years of their tumultuous relationship as they overcome certain social taboos, meet each other’s families, and face difficulties laced with spice from their cultural backgrounds while living the life of Western-brought-up young people. Nikesh and Reena have their own familial burdens to carry, as well as the cultural expectations and these provide the barriers they have to overcome to be together. This book caught my attention from the off, as I am a Midlands girl, myself, and British Asian, so there are many parallels I could identify with. I am a little younger than the MCs, but I could understand the pull of independence and university life, that covert relationship status, and the disapproval of certain family members. I recognised and loved reading about specific locations, such as Leicester, certain roads and shops, and even Warwick University, which I visited as a schoolgirl on various trips. Reading about Nikesh’s aunt, and her obsession with astrology, following her Guru blindly, felt very accurate. There are still folk who allow their lives to be governed by the words of soothsayers, and this is not always for the better. A wonderfully written story with huge elements that were relatable and many topics covered would speak to readers of a particular demographic and educate those from others.
I began to read this book straight after the first in the series, My Heart Sings Your Song, to follow the journey of Reena and Nikesh, a British Gujerati couple who, against many odds, have come together in marriage and are now at the next stage of their relationship, becoming parents. Whereas the first book was a romance with cultural threads, this story is much more hard-hitting, as it has a tragic theme. There is a love story within, but it is not lighthearted. Reena and Nikesh are blessed with a beautiful son, Amar, but it becomes apparent that Amar has enormous difficulties and a limited lifespan. As the story develops, we see how the support of family and friends can help a couple through tough times and how these challenging times can affect the couple themselves. Again, there is the cultural theme of astrology, and some families blindly follow the words of their Guru, hoping to reverse whatever ‘bad luck’ has befallen the family. However, there is also the stigma of what previous readings have shown and how that affects relationships. There is sadness, but there is hope, and love does win, after all. With the author threading her personal experiences of having a profoundly disabled child through the story, this is deeply emotional. And so many of these situations are relatable. Taboos surrounding infertility and loss, are still here, and echo the sentiments in this book, though the time of the story is decades before the present.
I’m not quite sure where to place this book, if someone were to ask me to pinpoint a genre. There are so many elements to it. Yes, it’s a sapphic romance, but that’s not the entirety of it. There is friendship, loss and grief, discovery and some pretty tough cultural topics raised throughout. Jade and Nia are two-thirds of a friendship group. Three years previously, the third friend, Michal, died after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. There were things left undone and unsaid at the time, and misunderstandings, along with grief, meant their friendship fractured. With the help of letters written by Michal before she died, the two friends, along with Jonah, Jade’s twin brother and boyfriend of Michal, embark upon a painful but ultimately eye-opening road trip that had been planned by the three friends way before. They explore their Jewish heritage and learn disturbing facts about their ancestor’s history, facts that were never taught in school. Because of their mixed heritage backgrounds, they encounter other barriers. And then, there is the elephant in the room. Unspoken feelings that have not been discussed. It was an education, an emotional ride and a good read all in one.
I enjoyed Ronali Collings’s first book, so I was eager to read this second offering, and it did not disappoint. Ingrid is a woman in her 40s, trapped in a loveless marriage with an absent husband, a young daughter and a mother with very high expectations. She works hard to keep her family in the manner they are accustomed to until her husband reappears, having had the ultimate midlife crisis, and asks for a divorce. The story follows Ingrid, who is shell-shocked by the request. However, as she processes what her new life will look like, she discovers more about her character and realises she needs to change, not just in her personal life but also in her work life. And some of those changes aren’t looked upon favourably by certain members of her family and community. It is a journey of change and development for more than one throughout. And there is romance. It is an age-gap romance, and seeing as how much of a nasty character her husband is, Jacob is the knight in shining armour. He’s hot, caring, considerate, hot, and good with her daughter and family. Did I mention hot?! Idealistic? Maybe. But then again, why do we read stories? For the happy ending, and I definitely felt the feel-good factor once I finished this. Releasing 11th February, 2025
Not a love triangle, but a love SQUARE in this one! Laila is a clinical scientist, and she has been working hard to secure a promotion at work, putting in the hours, as well as looking after her mother, who suffered a fall and is incapacitated. Things take a downturn at work at the same time as her two closest friends decide to stage a Love Intervention for their friend, knowing that relationships are very low on her priority list. Laila finds herself on a trip to the US and beyond, under the guise of work, to meet three men from her past, to see if they might just be her one, but things are never that simple, are they? I did enjoy the story, though not sure that planning to meet and possibly hook up with three different men, knowing there may be emotions attached, was the best play, however I know which of the three was my favourite from the off, and Laila definitely has fun as she meets each one, with a bit of sizzle and spice (And sometimes a lot!) included. There are different factors in Laila’s past, including her estranged father and her mother, who won’t talk openly about many things, given her background, that also come up during the trip, just to add some more seasoning to an already spicy story! An easy, fun read. Many thanks to Canelo Books for an ARC.
What a brilliantly written story. I loved it! The Mountain Between Us is a story set in the gold rush era around San Francisco and California in the 1800s. Grace Randolph and her husband, James, have just travelled far, to get to her brother’s home in Oregon hoping to settle when news comes of gold being found. Eager to be among the first, James plans to leave to join the Argonauts already there, and Grace accompanies him, begrudgingly leaving her brothers to be with her husband. The tale details the hardships they face along the way, the successes they savour and the tragedies. They forge new friendships ,and unfortunately make new enemies, as well as welcoming faces of old. During one period of hardship, Grace is left alone, with another woman and her family, as the menfolk go to find more gold to support their families, and James is captured. It is not the story of just one woman’s bravery, but of several, in their own way, forging a path that rescues the captured men, and begins to create justice in a lawless society. Grace is a tough woman, who I admired. Ling Mei, a Chinese immigrant, brings her own calm and knowledge to their story. And I did love Cora, one of a pair of French sisters, originally brought over as courtesans to work in a saloon, but who show their own strength of character as they build their own business. I read this pretty quickly, eager to know how it ended, and I’m mighty glad that there is already a book detailing how James and Grace met, which I was unaware of. Many thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an ARC.
Releasing 18th February, 2025
Blog tour post coming in Feb!
Blog Tour post coming in March for full review!
So, tell me what you have been reading, and what caught your eye from the above!
But I Smile Anyway... 