Wednesday, 16 March 2011

Tea for Two by Trish Perry

Milly's Tea Shop offers the perfect environment for counsellor Tina Milano to run her group sessions with women...and to check out the "hot produce man" nicknamed by her group, who delivers fresh fruit and vegetables for Milly's delectable cakes and savouries.

Unaware of his new nickname, Zack Cooper, is bewildered and frustrated by the behaviour of his teenage son and daughter but intrigued by the first pull of attraction he has felt in years. Parenting solo since his wife's desertion, Zack believes he is managing okay until his son rings from the police station and his daughter deceives him.


At Milly's urging, Zack teams up with Tina in an effort to save his teens from further self-destruction yet keeping their relationship professional soon becomes a difficulty neither Zack or Tina envisaged.


The second installment in Trish Perry's Tea Shop series, following on from The Perfect Blend, Tea for Two is an endearing and delightful contemporary romance, with two relationship shy people brought together by circumstance and the nudging of friends. Amidst Milly's sweet treats, tender attraction and the antics of Tina's therapy group, Trish beefs up her tale with the trials and challenges of parenting teens, coping with divorce and death and the fear of risking it all over again. Zack is a great character, with fears and weaknesses alongside his finer qualities. Tina's back story adds depth to her character and explains her difficulties in moving on, despite the wisdom she offers others as a counsellor. Add in a couple of feisty teens in Dylan and Sherry, Tina's good friend Edie, an opinionated support group and a cop out for revenge and you have a recipe for humour, conflict, angst and desire. So pour your favourite cuppa and sit down to an engaging story any lover of sweet romance will devour with ease.

As seen at TitleTrakk.com

With thanks to TitleTrakk for my review copy


Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Beach Dreams

Character spotlight on Beach Dreams' Jeremy & Tiffany

Visit Trish's website

Buy Trish's books at Amazon or Koorong

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Coming soon from Thomas Nelson ~ YA, SpecFic & more

Here's some covers for you to enjoy from Thomas Nelson and not a bonnet or gown in sight - LOL!

I can't wait to read Finley's story after meeting her in Jenny's Save the Date and Lis Wiehl's Waking Hours and Ross Lawhead's The Realms Thereunder look enthralling. Nothing like a good suspense to get the blood flowing!

How about you?

And don't worry, I'll have some Thomas Nelson frills coming your way soon ;-)



There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B Jones

In a small cottage house in rural Ireland, Finley discovers she can no longer outrun the past.


When Finley travels to Ireland as a foreign exchange student, she hopes to create a new identity and get some answers from the God who took her brother away and seems to have left her high and dry.


But from the moment she boards the plane and sits by Beckett Rush, teen star of the hottest vampire flicks, nothing goes according to Finley’s plan.


When she gets too close to Beckett, a classmate goes on a mission to make sure Finley packs her bags, departs Ireland—and leaves Beckett alone.


Finley tries to balance it all—disasters on the set of Beckett's new movie, the demands of school, and her growing romance with one actor who is not what he seems. Yet Finley is also not who she portrays to Beckett and her friends.


For the first time in her life, Finley must get honest with herself to get right with God.


October, 2011




The Truth of the Matter by Andrew Klavan


"Never give in."


Ever since he woke up in a terrorist torture chamber—with a year of his life erased from his mind—Charlie West has been on the run. He has one desperate hope of getting his life back: track down the mysterious agent named Waterman. But in fact, reaching Waterman—and recovering the secrets lost in his own memory—will only increase his danger. Because a team of ruthless killers is rapidly closing in on him, determined to stop him from finding the answers. And the truth of the matter is more incredible . . . and more deadly . . . than he could ever imagine.


November, 2011





Invasion by Jon S. Lewis


He didn't ask for the job, but now all that stands between us and chaos . . . is Colt.


Colt McAlister was having the summer of his life. He spent his days surfing and his nights playing guitar on the beach with friends. He even met a girl and got his first car. But everything changes when his parents are killed in a freak accident.


He's forced to leave his old life behind and move to Arizona with his grandfather. The only person he knows at the new high school is a childhood friend named Dani. And Oz, a guy he's sure he's never met but who is strangely familiar.


But what if his parents' death wasn't an accident? His mother, and investigative reporter, was going to expose a secret mind-control program run by one of the world's largest companies. Before she could release the story, what if agents from Trident Biotech made sure she couldn't go public?


Vowing to uncover truth, Colt gets drawn into a secret world of aliens, shapeshifters, flying motorcycles, and invisible getaways.


The invasion has begun.


November, 2011




King Raven by Stephen Lawhead


A completely re-imagined epic of the man known as Robin Hood—available in one volume for the first time.


Hood—Hunted like an animal by Norman invaders, Bran ap Brychan, heir to the throne of Elfael, has abandoned his father's kingdom and fled to the greenwood. There, in the primeval forest of the Welsh borders, danger surrounds him—for this woodland is a living, breathing entity with mysterious powers and secrets, and Bran must find a way to make it his own if he is to survive.


Scarlet—After losing everything he owns, forester Will Scarlet embarks on a search for King Raven. After fulfilling his quest—and proving himself a skilled and loyal companion—Will joins the heroic archer and his men. From deep in the forest they form a daring plan for deliverance, knowing that failure means death for them all.


Tuck—King Raven has brought hope to the oppressed people of Wales—and fear to their Norman overlords. Deceived by the self-serving King William, Rhi Bran is forced again to take matters into his own hands as King Raven.


Aided by Tuck and his small but determined band of forest-dwelling outlaws, Rhi Bran ignites a rebellion that spreads through the Welsh valleys.


April, 2011





The Realms Thereunder by Ross Lawhead


Uncover a land that has been hidden for over a thousand years.


Beneath the land of Britain, a great army is sleeping. On a visit to an old church, Daniel Tully and Freya Reynolds awaken two ancient knights from a centuries-old slumber. They are kidnapped and taken to an underground city that stands in peril, besieged in all directions by a vicious warhost. Nidergeard is the only thing protecting the upper world's blissful ignorance of mythical forces that have been held at bay since the creation of the world. In order to return home, Daniel and Freya must strike at the heart of the opposer's power.


Fast forward eight years. Daniel, now homeless, still wages what he believes to be a righteous war against those he judges to be evil. Freya has tried to put the past behind her and concentrate on getting an education, a job, and a life. When they reconnect in Oxford, unseen forces begin to ally against them. Daniel is pulled through a portal and into another world. Freya is abducted by someone—some thing—posing as her professor and drugged to keep her in a delusional state. After they finally break free, neither can deny the truth . . . they must return to Nidergeard and resume the battle.


With a thrilling narrative that draws heavily upon British mythology, The Realms Thereunder will quickly establish Ross Lawhead as a major new voice in fantasy.


September, 2011




The Bone House by Stephen Lawhead


Kit is on a quest for the ultimate treasure. But are his travels in time changing history for better or worse?


When Kit Livingstone’s great grandfather appeared to him in a deserted alley during a London rainstorm, he revealed an incredible story: the ley lines throughout Britain are not merely the stuff of legend but are in fact pathways to other worlds. An intricate code—a map of bizarre symbols—is the roadmap they need to navigate the multi-layered universe. But the five pieces have gone missing.


Braving constant danger, Kit accepts his place in the adventure—though he has no idea just how critical a role he’ll play. As he comes closer to finding pieces of the missing map, his enemies—and the scope of his mission—increase exponentially. In The Bone House, Kit races through Egyptian tombs, prehistoric realities, and strange variations of our own time. And in each, he finds both allies and enemies to spare.


The Bright Empires series—from acclaimed author Stephen Lawhead—is a unique blending of epic treasure hunt, alternate realities, cutting-edge physics, philosophy, and mystery. A pulse-pounding, page-turning series unlike any other.


September, 2011





Waking Hours by Lis Wiehl with Pete Nelson


All towns have secrets. Some have demons.


Welcome to East Salem. A sleepy town with a history older than America where things are just a bit off. Where the supernatural bleeds into the everyday.


And where a tragic murder mystery is underway. A high school girl is found dead in the town park. And where forensic psychiatrist Dani Harris wants answers. All the suspects are teenagers who were at the party with her the night before—but who woke up the next morning with no memory of what transpired. Even though evidence confirms they were all at the scene of the crime.


Former pro-football linebacker—and local celebrity—Tommy Gunderson finds himself drawn to the case. And to Dani—who he last spoke with on their one high school date forever ago. Yet his celebrity status opens doors barred to Dani—so they form an awkward alliance.


They soon realize that there’s more to the mystery than murder. And more to the evil they are facing than a mere human killer.


The supernatural series awakens this fall— with an official street date of October 4, 2011.


October, 2011





The Baker’s Wife by Erin Healy


If what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, why is Audrey growing weaker by the day?


It’s been a tough year for Audrey's family. Her husband Geoff, a pastor, lost his job after a scandal rocked their congregation.


Audrey's never lost faith. She's held her family together. Their attempt to resurrect a failing bakery is an effort to heal the family wounds and restore their place in the community.


Late to the bakery one dim, foggy morning, Audrey strikes a vehicle that she can’t see even after the collision settles. Emerging from her car into the fog, she discovers she’s hit a motor scooter. There’s no rider in sight. There’s blood, though, so much that she slips in it, injuring her wrists.


The absence of the scooter driver is a mystery, especially to Sergeant Jack Mansfield, the detective and church member who drove Geoff from his pulpit. The scooter belongs to Jack’s wife, Julie, a teacher at the local high school. She has vanished like morning fog.


Though there is no evidence to support Jack’s growing suspicion that Audrey and Geoff were involved in Julie’s disappearance, the detective is convinced of their guilt. Jack’s ability to reason slips as the leads on his wife dry up.


When Jack takes the tiny bakery and its patrons hostage, Audrey must find Julie and unravel the secret of her own mysterious suffering before Jack comes undone.


October, 2011

Monday, 14 March 2011

Character Spotlight ~ Robin Caroll's Layla Taylor & Maddox Bishop

Layla & Maddox


If you are looking for great romantic suspense with issues that touch our lives today, grab hold of Robin's books including her latest, In The Shadow of Evil.

Enjoy this insight into a contractor and a cop! Over to you, Robin:!



Brief physical description

Layla Taylor: Dirty blond, curly, shoulder-length hair with green eyes and sports a muscular build.


Maddox Bishop: Black, short hair with bright, bright blue eyes, 6'1" and sporting a physically muscular build

Actor/famous person


For Layla, think Kyra Sedgewick and for Maddox, think Rob Estes


Strengths and weaknesses


Layla: outgoing personality....loyal


Maddox: loveable rogue

Quirk (if any)

Both Layla and Maddox have specific phrases that are their quirks


Your inspiration for the character


I love spunky female protagonists who are working in a male-dominated profession. Thus was my inspiration for Layla.

Background to the story

A romantic suspense in south Louisiana in which the modern day issue of building rebound scamming is exposed, leading a homicide detective to lose his heart to a building contractor.

Thanks Robin ~ good to have you back again for a visit!


Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of Fear No Evil, Deliver Us From Evil & In The Shadow of Evil

Character spotlights on Roark & Brannon and Lincoln & Jade

Visit Robin's website and blog

View the book trailer and hear Robin talk about her books

Buy Robin's books at Amazon or Koorong

The winners are....


The Brotherhood ~ Becky G

In the Shadow of Evil ~ Leola & Julie H (AUS) and Sally B & Leica M (USA)


Congratulations ~
be looking out for an email.

Sunday, 13 March 2011

Coming soon from Revell

As a birthday treat from me (yes, I am a year older!) here's one of my favourite posts to do ~ previewing upcoming fiction!

Enjoy this look at Revell's offerings for later this year. Which ones have you been waiting on?



Hello, Hollywood! by Janice Thompson

Athena Pappas is the head writer on one of the most popular sitcoms in television history. But when Vegas comedian Stephen Cosse is brought in to beef up the show's suddenly sagging ratings, she starts to worry about her
job. Sparks fly as the competition--and attraction--between the two writers heats up. Athena has never had a problem scripting the romances of her characters. So why is her own love life so hard to script?

With humor and a Holly
wood-insider viewpoint, Hello, Hollywood! delivers lots of laughs as the characters discover that not being in control of the plot of their lives might just be the best thing that ever happened to them.

September, 2011




A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their m
arried life as most couples do--in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But four years later they've drifted apart and are almost ready to call it quits.

Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for--news that a baby was on the way. But as usual, she is disappointed. The holidays bring an acute awareness to Mattie that her dream of a big family isn't likely to become a reality.

Then a winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home--and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different w
orlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?

With her trademark plot twists and attention to detail, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers readers a beautiful Christmas story of love, forgiveness, and what truly matters in life.

September, 2011




A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman

Ten years ago, Emma Malloy fled Dublin for Boston as a battered woman, escaping the husband who scarred her beautiful face. The physical and emotional wounds have faded with time, and her life is finally full of purpose and free from the pain of her past. But when she falls for her friend Charity's handsome and charming brother, Sean O'Connor, fear and shame threaten to destroy her. Could Sean and Emma ever have a future together? Or is Emma doomed to live out the rest of her life denying the only true love she's ever known?

Filled with intense passion and longing, deception and revelation, A Heart Revealed will hold readers in its grip until the very last page.

September, 2011




Deeply Devoted by Maggie Brendan

When Catharine Olsen leaves Holland for America as a mail-order bride, she brings along some extra baggage: two sisters, her mother's set of Blue Willow china, and a tragic past. When she arrives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, she promptly marries Peter Andersen and dreams of starting life over in this rugged land. Peter is kind and patient with Catharine and accommodating to her sisters. His mother, however, is not. When she begins a campaign to sabotage Peter's marriage, Catharine is distraught, worried that her secret past will be discovered. Will her life end up as nothing but broken pieces? Or will these trials make her stronger?

Readers will love negotiating the clash of cultures and class as a highborn European and a Western wheat farmer learn to love one another and trust God with both the past and the future.

September, 2011




Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon

As a social worker, Alison Taylor has a passion for protecting children and seeing that justice is served on their behalf. But when she starts getting harassing phone calls and bizarre "gifts," it seems she may be the one in need of protection. When her tormentor's attentions take a violent turn, her brother Cole comes to her aid, along with his new partner, Detective Mitch Morgan. As her relentless stalker turns up the heat, Mitch takes a p

ersonal interest in the case. Protecting Alison has become more than just a job--because his own happiness now depends on keeping her safe.

Chock full of nail-biting suspense and heart-melting romance, Deadly Pursuit is Irene Hannon's storytelling at its very best. Fans old and new will not want to miss the next story in this series starring siblings fighting for justice.

September, 2011




The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson

The small town of Parrish Springs is no
t ready for Matilda Honeycutt. A strange older woman with scraggly gray hair and jewelry that jangles as she walks, Matilda is certainly not the most likely person to buy the old Barton Building on the town's quaint main street. When it becomes apparent that her new shop doesn't fit the expectations of Parrish Springs residents, a brouhaha erupts. After all, Christmas is approaching, and the last thing the town needs is a junky shop run by someone who looks and acts like a gypsy. But as townsfolk venture into the strange store, they discover that old memories can bring new life and healing.

Once again, Melody Carlson delivers a Christmas story that will touch hearts and delight the senses. Sure to be a classic, The Christmas Shoppe is filled with the special magic the best Christmas stories share--that intangible mixture of nostalgia, joy, and a little bit of magic.

September, 2011




A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes

When young widow Lady Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreamed he would turn up in her parlor. But just as the London Season is getting under way, there he is, along with a few other questionable personages. While she should be focused on helping her headstrong younger sister prepare for her entrance

Readers will enjoy being drawn into this world of elegance and intrigue, balls and masquerades. Author Laurie Alice Eakes whisks readers through the drawing rooms of London amid the sound of rustling gowns on this exciting quest to let the past stay in the past and let love guide the future.

October, 2011




The Measure of Katie Calloway by Serena Miller

The Civil War has ended, but in Katie Calloway's Georgia home conflict still rages. To protect herself and her young brother from her violent and unstable husband, she flees north, finding anonymity and sanctuary as the cook in a Northwoods lumber camp. The camp owner, Robert Foster, wonders if the lovely woman he's hired has the grit to survive the never-ending work and harsh conditions of a remote pine forest in winter. Katie wonders if she can keep her past a secret from a man she is slowly growing to love.

With grace and skill, Serena Miller brings to life a bygone era. From the ethereal, snowy forest and the warm cookstove to the rowdy shanty boys and the jagged edges of the saw, every detail is perfectly rendered, transporting the reader back to the time when pine was king, men were made of iron, and rivers were choked with logs on the way to the sawmills. Readers will have a hard time leaving the Northwoods when they turn the last page.

October, 2011

Saturday, 12 March 2011

Book trailer for Jim Rubart's The Chair

Jim Rubart is an exceptional writer and I can't wait to read his next book, The Chair, releasing this September from B&H Publishing.

How about you?



Friday, 11 March 2011

Character Spotlight ~ Jim Ware's Morgan Izaak & Ely Ariello

Morgan & Ely


Jim Ware's novel for children will appeal to those who love reading fantasy with a spiritual message.

Enjoy this insight into Morgan & Ely:~


Morgan Izaak (main protagonist)

Brief physical description

Morgan is about 12 years old; skinny, freckled, with a pointy nose and a shock of unruly straw-colored hair; small and physically unimpressive; uncoordinated and unable to excel in the games and sports that are the key to “coolness” and social acceptability in Middle School. He also wears braces. Other kids at school make fun of him, call him “robot mouth,” and say that he looks like a “scarecrow.”

Actor/famous person

I can’t think of an actor who looks like Morgan, but illustrator Luke Flowers has done a great job of portraying him on the cover of the b
ook (see above – I know this image isn’t very clear, but perhaps it gives you a general idea). Think of Wart (the young King Arthur) in T. H. White’s The Sword in the Stone (and the Disney animated version of the same).

Strengths and weaknesses

Morgan is highly intelligent, inventive, quick on the uptake, but sometimes gets into trouble as a result of his unorthodox endeavors and experiments – similar in this way to the young Tom Edison. He is lonely and keeps to himself. Except for Eny Ariello, he has few friends. But he also has a genuinely sensitive and compassionate heart, largely because of the misfortunes and rejections he has experienced in his short life. Below the surface, he is a good and likeable person with widely varied interests and a multi-faceted personality. His love for and loyalty toward his mother, who is dying of cancer, are fierce and indefatigable.

Quirk (if any)

Following in the footsteps of his father (who has mysteriously disappeared), Morgan has developed an inordinately keen interest in the medieval “science” of alc
hemy – not as a greedy and shallow-minded “gold cook,” but as a serious devotee of the philosophy and metaphysics of alchemical thought. He wants desperately to confect the fabled Philosopher’s Stone or Elixir Vitae (Elixir of Life). In pursuit of this goal, he has set up a laboratory/study at the top of the Gothic tower of St. Halistan’s church across the street from his house, where he carries on experiments. In the beginning, his desire is primarily to gain power with which to throw off the yoke of his oppressors (bullies at school). But as the story progresses, his main interest shifts: when he learns that his mother is dying, his aim is to use the Elixir to save her life.

Your inspiration for the character

In some ways Morgan is a
utobiographical. But he’s also a compilation of many other “underdog”-type characters that I’ve met in classic fairy tales and favorite works of fiction.

Eny Ariello

Brief physical description

Eny (pronounced Enny or like the word “any”; > Irish Eithne) is the 11-year-old daughter of George and Moira Ariello, custodians/caretakers of St. Halistan’s church. George is Hispanic, Moira Irish. In terms of physical appearance, Eny is a blend of these two ethnic strains. She is petite, pretty, and bronze-skinned. On the whole she looks distinctly Hispanic except for the coppery-reddish tint of her hair. Perhaps the most striking thing about Eny the fact that she’s heterochromic – her right eye is brown, her left eye blue. Eny has been Morgan’s best friend since toddlerhood.

Actor/famous person

Once again, Luke Flowers has done a great job of picturing Eny, but I don’t have access to his drawing. A portrait of her appears in the top left-hand corner of Luke’s map of Santa Piedra, California, Morgan and Eny’s hometown. Maybe it would be helpful to think of a Hispanic-looking young Lindsay Lohan – i.e., as Lindsay appeared in The Parent Trap.

Strengths and weaknesses

In tempera
ment, Eny is honest, forthright, straightforward, even bold in a sweet and innocent way. She speaks only when she has something to say, is usually poker-faced, very matter-of-fact about what she considers to be the obvious truth. She is guileless and outspoken when necessary, always telling the truth as she sees it. On the other hand, she can be distant and dreamy. She’s otherworldly, spiritually precocious, tends to be a loner, and is a natural mystic. Eny has what the Celts call the “Second Sight,” and can perceive unseen realities that are not visible to other people.

Quirk (if any)

Eny’s mystical bent might fit into the category of “quirks.” It makes her highly
imaginative and extremely sensitive to everything that goes on around her. Eny loves stories and music. She plays the fiddle and has a special affinity for Irish reels, jigs, and airs. As the child of her parents, she is heir both to her father’s stories about the Mission, the Church, Old California, the Indians, the Spaniards, and the treasures brought from Galicia; and to her mother’s tales of Ireland, the Fairy Folk, and the legendary Stone of Destiny. In an important sense, Eny wants to live the stories – to experience their reality for herself.

Your inspiration for the character


I have always been fascinated with the character of the innocent child who is also a sort of prodigy and a prophet or seer – like George MacDonald’s Sir Gibbie. Eny is this type of person. She’s also a figure whom I have been able to invest with my own love of folk music, folklore, and mythology.

Background to the story

Lia Fail, Ireland’s fabled “Stone of Destiny” – originally the Stone that Jacob slept on at Bethel – has for centuries been making its way inexorably toward Inisfail, “the land of the sun’s going” in the uttermost west. For the time being, it has come to rest in St. Halistan’s church in the town of Santa Piedra on the northern California coast. As of yet, only one man knows this; but supernatural beings, both good and evil, are desperately seeking the Stone and its power. John Izaak, linguist and amateur alchemist, has disappeared for reasons that no one can explain. The truth is that he has been spirited out of the world by powers who want the information that only he can provide about this Stone.

Young Morgan Izaak has reasons of his own for desiring extraordinary power: among other things, his mother is dying of cancer. Morgan and his friend Eny Ariello get caught up in the quest for the Stone and are drawn into a cosmic drama that involves mythical beings such as the Tuatha De Dannan (Ireland’s Fairy Folk), the Fomorians (a race of giants), the Fir Bolg (“Bag Men”), and an evil enchantress known as the Morrigu.

The Morrigu, disguised as Madame Medea, keeper of an alchemical supply shop, enlists Morgan’s help in her own search for the Stone, hinting that she will help him cure his mother if they are successful; but Eny, who through a series of circumstances makes a journey into the Sidhe (Faerie), encounters the Fir Bolg and learns of the Morrigu’s designs. With the help of Simon Brach, a man of the De Dannan disguised as a church custodian, they discover Lia Fail in the tower of St. Halistan’s church. Simon tells them that he has been sent by the De Dannan to take the Stone to its final resting place. From that point forward Morgan and Eny join forces with Simon in an attempt to foil enchantress’s designs.

Thanks Jim ~ I think a couple of my daughters will be keen to read your story :)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Buy Jim's book at Amazon or Koorong


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