I'm so excited to be able to share with you the trailer for the box-set Magical Weddings (I have the full trailer on my Home page - the music that accompanies it is bliss, so make sure you have your speakers turned on) and the cover of my book in the box-set: The Dress.

From the moment I was invited to contribute towards the box-set, I knew that, to match the theme of Magical Weddings there was a good chance I'd be writing in a completely new genre for me. My research and plotting definitely took me in a new direction, and I ended up stitching historical romance and contemporary romance together. I know! Why write in one when you could write in two!

Here's the cover and then I'll tell you a bit about the book...

Blurb: The Dress
Venice, 1615 and instead of the man her father wants her to marry, lacemaker Caterina dreams of Matheo. But when she dabbles with magical lace, she falls foul of the ruling family, altering not only her destiny, but Matheo’s too, and now imprisoned, Caterina must design a way to entwine their fates again.

England, 2015 and when Cait bumps into Matthew, back from his travels for their friends’ wedding, the spark between them flares instantly. But is it another case of the right place at the wrong time for this bridesmaid and best man, or can a dress from Cait’s lace exhibition at the Museum of Fashion weave its magic through the fabric of time, and unite their destinies, too?
Magical Weddings:

Blurb: Magical Weddings: 15 Enchanting Romances
Whether real or only in the hearts of the bride and groom, the magic of weddings is undeniable. And irresistible! As these 15 enchanting happily-ever-afters by bestselling and award-winning authors prove.

From sweet to spicy, the romances bundled into this set, 14 of them new releases, cross time and unite hearts, cast spells of laughter, battle wedding jitters and fight back tears, while weaving love’s hopeful magic throughout 1400 pages.
Buy Links:
Magical Weddings is available to pre-order and releases on June 16th.
Amazon:
http://smarturl.it/MagicalWeddings
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1SrS6us
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1emycBp
iTunes/Apple: http://apple.co/1RcL2Ai 

I hope you love readings these 15 stories all based around Magical Weddings.

Yay! We get to go back to Tippermere...

With just a few days to go until the release of the lovely Zara Stoneley's follow up to Stable Mates, 
 Country Affairs, she's very kindly popped over to chat about some of her true loves...
Take it away Zara:

My horses

One of the wonderful things about ‘Stable Mates’ and ‘Country Affairs’ is that I’ve been able to write about some of the things I really love: horses, dogs and the countryside. And as there is never a dull moment with horses, inspiration wasn’t hard to come by. Here’s how my love affair with them started (and once you’re hooked there is no escape).  

·         I’ve loved horses since I was little, and ‘Black Beauty’ was a favourite read.

·         I wanted to be Elizabeth Taylor in the film National Velvet.

·         As a teenager the local riding school was my second home at weekends, but I was much older before I had a horse of my own.

·         My first horse was a Dales X Welsh Cob, I was still hacking her out (gently) two weeks before my son was born. She was a clever mare who knew how to look after me, but would also quickly put any rider in their place if they got too big for their boots. She was incredibly sweet though. I used to take my son with me to do the horses from when he was a baby, and as soon as he could toddle he wanted to sit on her back when I led her in from the field.

·         The cutest pony I had was a rescue, we fed her up and brought her on before finding her a forever home. I was so proud when she left, confident and pretty.

·         The most challenging horse I had was an Arab cross who was gorgeous to handle on the ground, as handsome as they come, but what you might term a sharp ride!

·         My most talented horse was one I spotted as a foal. Sadly as he grew he was far too big for me, but has had a very successful eventing career with somebody else.

·         And the naughtiest horse I’ve had was a Section D who was incredible fun and a brilliant all-rounder, he just liked to behave like a naughty teenager at times. Stopping to have a massive (it went on forever, or so it seemed) wee in front of a show judge was not his finest moment, though he did then pick up second place! And galloping across a park and depositing me in the middle of a family out for a picnic was a memory that will stay with me for quite some time…

Country Affairs:
'A great treat for readers who love their books jam-packed with sexy men and horses.' Bestselling author Fiona Walker

Welcome back to Tippermere for the wedding of the year…

Scatty but loveable Lottie Brinkley is famous throughout the village for her disorganised personality so when she steps up to plan the perfect wedding the only likely outcome is disaster.

And when her globetrotting, love cheat of an ex, Todd, literally crashes the wedding on a not-so-noble steed things definitely look set to take a turn for the scandalous! As rumours of why he’s back spread through the village quicker than the stable girl can drop her knickers, is Lottie's future with sexy eventer Rory Steel about to fall at the next fence?

With a wave of unexpected pregnancies, steamy shenanigans in the hay and a farrier with more than shoeing horses on his mind, will Lottie ever be ready to take on the coveted title of Lady of the Manor and restore the Estate to its former glory?

As the heart of the village, Tipping House Estate, makes its move into the 21st Century, pulses start to race in a novel packed full of charm, hunky stallions (the guys that is), and a daring plan that just has to succeed...
Buy links:
Amazon (UK)    Amazon (COM)   Amazon (paperback)
Foyles  Waterstones   iTunes    Google Play     Blackwells 

So for the last week of the #HIFortnight I was on holiday. But, being as I was on holiday in England, naturally, it rained every day!

The completely brilliant thing about the rain though, was that it meant that I could actually get around to some reading. Yes, I know, authors are supposed to read a lot. And I do. But it tends to be all or nothing. I'm either so busy with writing and edits that I can only sneak a few pages here and there, or, I'm on a break between projects and get to indulge in a readathon!

As we're coming to the end of #HIFortnight, I thought I'd post some of my reviews for HI books I read a while ago and HI books I read this holiday.

Made in Nashville is written with a sweet-southern style that drew me in left me feeling thoroughly charmed. It’s a relaxed, easy and warm read but with enough plot-twists to keep it from being too sugary. If you love the TV show Made in Nashville, or simply just love the Nashville music scene, you’re going to love this page-turner, but you don’t have to be an ardent fan of either to enjoy the book. Jed Marshal ticked all my bad-boy, tattooed-musician boxes and I absolutely loved that the sweetness in Honor cleverly highlighted all her strengths.

I love, love, love super-hero books and if you love your super-heroes portrayed in a very grown-up/gritty/sharply-observed/dark/scarred way, then you too will love this urban-fantasy superhero book.
It’s a high-octane, roller-coaster of a ride, with absolutely no let-up along the way. The descriptions are poetical, the humour wry, snarky and very dark, the characters deliciously flawed and the plot well developed. Incredibly impressive. Loved!

Friends-to-lovers trope is my favourite, so I was always going to want to read this one. Also, having read the prequel “Santa Wore Leathers” and LOVED it, I was doubly excited.  
There is a lot of wonderful plot in this book and it reads more of a hot romantic suspense, than a contemporary romance, but as I love the romantic suspense genre, I was doing the happy reading dance. Plus: Hello? What is not to like about ex-military AND firemen!
At times I felt Cassie and Quinn’s relationship yo-yo’d and I found the over-use of one particular word that a lot of women find offensive quite difficult because it did pull me out of the story. I also didn’t get why the heroine—who also found the word offensive—felt like she had to become okay with saying it, but this is my personal reaction. It doesn’t put me off reading the rest of the series because I really enjoy the author’s wonderfully hard-hitting yet humorous writing style. I appreciated the deliciously-yummy-angsty-dark issues Cassie and Quinn faced, and loved how the family bonds came through so strong. Prepare for wild-fire fast pacing that blazes through to the ending.

Harper Impulse has a great catalogue that encompasses a wide variety of genres and writing styles. It's easy to find something to enjoy and I hope during this fortnight you find a new author or genre to fall in love with.