Headstrong Books One and Two by Melanie Rachel - Excerpt and Giveaway

Today I'm welcoming Melanie Rachel back to the blog with her latest Austenesque novels. She's written a three part story, and the first two parts are already available with the third to follow later this month. Unlike Melanie's earlier books, this latest series, Headstrong, is a contemporary story. Let's look at the blurbs of both books, and then you can enjoy an excerpt from book one, Headstrong Book One: Improvise. Melanie has also brought a giveaway for one of you!

Book Description - Headstrong Book One: Improvise

A few months after teaming up with Major Richard Fitzwilliam to thwart a terrorist attack in Europe, USMC Staff Sergeant Elizabeth Bennet is back in the States as a civilian. Her training in cyber-security makes finding work easy, and she’s learning to fit into her new life. But there is lingering fallout both from the attack and her life before it that she's not yet prepared to face. Complicating matters is the major’s handsome cousin.

Co-owner of Darcy Acquisitions, CEO of FORGE, and guardian to his younger sister, Will Darcy is stretched to his limits. When Richard sets up an interview at FORGE for his friend Elizabeth Bennet, Will insults her instead of hiring her. In making amends, Will falls for the witty, troubled Marine with long legs and fine eyes.

Falling in love is easy, but do these two very different people have what it takes to make love last?

Book Description - Headstrong: Book Two: Adapt

The holidays are approaching, and Will Darcy has a lot to be thankful for. His cousin Richard is coming home from the Marines, his sister Georgiana is flying back from university for a visit, and he’s in love with Elizabeth Bennet.

But his well-ordered life is about to be turned on its head.

There's a prank war being waged between Elizabeth and Richard, which might be funny if he weren't constantly caught in the middle. Georgiana's hostility to Elizabeth is puzzling--how can she have it out for somebody she's never met? And just when Elizabeth is starting to trust Will with the truth about her difficult past, someone from his own reappears to cause havoc.

Strange things are happening all around, and Elizabeth seems to be in the middle of it all. Is she involved? A target? Or is she just caught in the crossfire of someone conspiring against his own family?

My Pick of the Year 2018

Well the Earth has orbited the Sun another time and we've reached the end of the year. For me, it's been a very busy year in work and at home, with a new job, plus some major building work, which is still not entirely complete (gaaaah!). Unfortunately this has impacted on my mental energy and reading time. I got far less read this year than I'd like, and didn't review everything. However, I still had some good reads, and here is my pick of them.

Drawing Mr Darcy: Sketching His Character (Book One) by Melanie Rachel - Review and Giveaway

Today I'm happy to be welcoming Melanie Rachel back to the blog. Melanie has written a Pride & Prejudice variation; Drawing Mr Darcy: Sketching His Character, which is published in two parts due to the length of the story. I have read part one and will be sharing my review of it here. Melanie is also offering a giveaway of the book! Read on for more details.

Book Description

When Thomas Bennet's childless aunt and uncle ask that one of his five daughters come to stay with them, he knows just which girl to send. Bright, energetic, and endlessly inquisitive, his little Lizzy is poised to become the apple of her father’s eye and the target of her mother’s fears. Neither will promote family harmony.

When she returns to Longbourn as a young woman, Elizabeth Bennet Russell has had an unconventional upbringing. She is in possession of an important name, a fine education, a good fortune, and a love of drawing. When her parents ask her not to use her Russell surname while she is home, she reluctantly agrees. After all, nobody she knows will meet her in Hertfordshire.

She’s mostly right.

Drawing helps Elizabeth to literally sketch people’s character, and she’s become rather good at it. But she’s about to face her greatest challenge yet. Netherfield Park is let at last, and her good friend's much older brother--whom she has yet to meet--has arrived as a guest.

It will take Elizabeth more than a drawing to help her understand Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Winner of Melanie Rachel - Courage Rises and Courage Requires Giveaway

Recently I welcomed Melanie Rachel to the blog with an excerpt of her Pride & Prejudice continuation, 'Courage Rises', and the sequel to that, 'Courage Requires'. Melanie was kindly offering to give away the winner's choice of either book to a commenter on her guest post. A winner was selected at random, and that person is...

J W Garrett

Congratulations to you, Jeanne! I will be in touch.

Thank you so much to everybody who visited the guest post, and especially to those who left comments.

Both of these books are available to buy now! Amazon UK / Amazon US

Courage Requires by Melanie Rachel - Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Melanie Rachel to the blog. Melanie has written a book picking up at the end of 'Pride & Prejudice' called 'Courage Rises', and she has just released a sequel to this, 'Courage Requires'. Melanie has written us a guest post, which I'm pleased to bring you, and she's also giving away a book to one of you, either the first or the second in the series. I'll hand over to Melanie now for her guest post and an excerpt from each of the books.

Planned Reading for May 2017

Hello everybody. It's May! I don't quite know how that happened. Each new month always takes me by surprise, I always seem to feel so busy. I am sure I have told you before but I love the spring. It makes me so happy to see all the plants coming into bloom, and the weather getting warmer. My tree in the back garden has decided that it's springtime too. Most days aren't suitable for outdoor reading yet, but we are getting there. I have still been listening to audio books and am currently listening to 'The Secret Garden'. This was a childhood favourite of mine so I'm enjoying it very much, and it's all about a garden coming alive, which of course is what's happening in the wider world so it's quite seasonal reading.

So, what do I have planned this month? well I will tell you :) I have the potential for some extra reading time this week. I'm staffing a polling station as we have local elections here. Now on the one hand of course I want lots of people to come in and vote, but if there is a quiet period I might be able to get some reading done, which would be good. I'll have to make sure my kindle is charged!

I have a few visitors to the blog planned in for this month. Firstly, Melanie Rachel will be joining me. Melanie wrote 'Courage Rises', which is a P&P continuation, and she has written a further book in the series, 'Courage Requires', which is already getting excellent reviews.

I will also be welcoming Lory Lilian, with her latest P&P variation, 'A Man With Faults'. In 'Pride & Prejudice', Darcy describes himself thus:

"I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too little yielding -- certainly too little for the convenience of the world. I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their offences against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost is lost for ever."

Lory's novel looks at how a resentful Darcy might react to a plea for help from Elizabeth to find her sister in London. This is another book that is being really well-received so far :)

Late in the month, I'm expecting Sara Marks to drop in. Sara is an author that's new to me. She has written a book called 'Modern Persuasion', which moves Austen's story to the modern day, in the world of publishing. The book is coming out at the end of the month.

Also at the end of the month I am off to a talk. As this year marks the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's death there are some additional events planned. Historian Lucy Worsley is touring to promote her new book, 'Jane Austen at Home', and the tour is coming near enough for me to go. I bought a ticket that includes a copy of the book, which looks pretty gorgeous.

As for what I plan to read, I am hoping to do some catching up on books that people have kindly given me for review. I have unfortunately got quite a stack, both physical and electronic. Whenever people give me books I have every intention of reading them, but if I don't manage to get to them they slip further and further down the pile and then I forget about them, so I'd like to read a few of those.

What do you have planned for May? Is it outdoor reading season for you yet? Have you read anything recently that you'd really recommend? Let us know in the comments :)