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Christmas on Fifth Avenue by Julie Caplin #Review #Christmas EscapesBook1

  Today I am delighted to be featuring this gorgeous festive romance, the first in the new Christmas Escapes series.  Ch ristmas on Fifth Avenue  by  Julie Caplin  was published on October 23rd by One More Chapter .  . Welcome to New York, where the Christmas lights dazzle, the snow is falling and love is just around the corner… Evie Green's Christmas dream turns into a nightmare when a viral video makes her the laughing stock of the internet. But then a 5 star hotel sees a PR opportunity and invites her to New York for a Christmas she’ll remember forever. Enter Noah Sanderson, a disgraced soccer star seeking anonymity. Forced to fake a festive romance for the cameras, sparks fly – but not the twinkling Christmas kind! As Fifth Avenue sparkles in all its holiday glory, can The City that Never Sleeps show these two frosted hearts that, maybe, the best love stories are the ones you never see coming. Don't miss this cozy Christmas spin off series f...

Jake's Progress by David Simmonds #Review #JakesProgress


I am delighted to feature Jake's Progress on the blog today. David Simmonds' novel is published on February 2019. Here's a little about the book:
 
It’s 1968: Jake Nash, fresh out of university, is leaving his London home, and a rapidly cooling love affair with the beautiful Amanda, to start his career as a journalist with a newspaper in the South Wales valleys. But his dreams of glory as an ace reporter are bedevilled by encounters with two inept freedom fighters, a sinister Minister with murder in mind and the very obvious attractions of a beautiful colleague.

A darkly comic tale of romance, revenge and reporting that comes to an explosive climax.

My Thoughts



David Simmonds' experience as a journalist on a weekly newspaper in Wales shines through in this gently amusing depiction of Welsh provincial life in 1968. The novel has a great cast of characters who all have their own backstory and who all breath life into the story. 
 
    Jake arrives from London to take up his new job on the local paper and is immediately involved in the local politics. It is written with a light touch with some wry humour as Jake comes to terms with life away from London. There is a real affection in the writing for the community described and you get an authentic feel for life in the late sixties throughout. Jake's innocence as he wanders into some dangerous situations adds to the humour and I am sure there is more mileage to be had from his life in the Welsh valleys. 
 
In short: A well written, amusing debut which rings with authenticity.  

                                                                    About the Author


David Simmonds was born in North London and went to what was then the University College of North Wales, Bangor. After a failed attempt at teaching (six weeks), he spent a year working and travelling in Canada and America before returning to train as a journalist with weekly newspapers in the South Wales valleys. He spent most of his working life with BBC Wales in Cardiff as a radio and television producer and director.

He began writing fiction after taking early retirement. His work has been published in magazines and on-line, and in 2017 he won the Writers’ and Artists’ Short Story competition. ‘Jake’s Progress’, based on his time as a trainee reporter in the valleys, is his first novel.

David now lives in Penarth, just outside Cardiff, with his wife Mary and an irascible cat, Mrs Grumpy. Much of his time is spent in the service of his two daughters and three grandsons or rowing on the River Taff.




You can follow David here: Twitter

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to David Simmonds and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Check out the rest of the tour! 

 


Comments

  1. Thank you Pam, it's been wonderful to see how well this book was received by Bloggers x

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