One Of Those Days by Samna Ghani - touching, funny, tender rom-com.

This is a charming, beautifully written, funny romance that cheered my heart immensely, Elizabeth, a gorgeous young woman, smart but clumsy advertising agent bumps into a handsome man, Neil, as she is on her way to present her latest advertising campaign. To say much more would be giving the story away, so let me focus on this story's appeal. It is warm and witty and very touching. It is a romance that is preceded by disaster at every turn, as Elizabeth is very accident prone. The story has a huge heart and highlights how compassion, sincerity, and old fashioned romantic values can turn peoples' lives around. Indeed, it explores the true route to happiness and how delightful it is to have one of those days...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Those-Days-Samna-Ghani-ebook/dp/B00T4XEEU6/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_5

Crazy On You - the transatlantic rom-com!

Just imagine if you will for a moment. An English comedy-thriller writer and a popular American romance-suspense writer, write a novel together over the internet! We are now good friends but at the beginning we didn't know each other. But because I love a challenge and one that was most compelling in concept, I jumped instantly at the chance. I wrote the chapters Archie Pope, the tough but soft and sweet-natured London gangster, narrates, using the UK English dictionary and J Kahele wrote for the captive and heartbroken Isabella Commarata, the evil Mafia Don's daughter. The chapters Isabella narrates use the American-English dictionary. So a daring challenge was set in motion...

We found we got on well and were absolutely delighted by the other's writing. We shared a common vision. We wanted an explosive gangster plot, full of mind blowing wars erupting between the London mob and the New York Mafia. We also wanted an uplifting story depicting the beautiful love shared between Archie and Isabella. We wanted comedy and there are plenty of laughs. We also wanted seductive and sizzling sex but touching and driven by deep love.

We exceeded our expectations. We were delighted by our gangster rom-com, that according to readers, brought forth a whole avalanche of emotions. They loved it and were effusive in letting us know about it! What we accomplished was, really, nothing short of a miracle. We only requested small changes in the other's writing, I wanted a character of mine to be less aggressive and J Kahele wanted a character of hers to be more aggressive! We absolutely loved our novel and the collaboration that brought out a new writer in each of us. As you can imagine our joint project is very special to us and working together such a joy; there is to be a sequel.

We would love for you to read our book and to hear your own personal opinion. Because I can promise you one thing. Crazy For You is a rollercoaster ride that will keep you entertained and never bored!

http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-You-Archie-Isabella-Book-ebook/dp/B00SXOLIE2/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1

Review of The Blood and the Raven by John Hennessy

As someone not overly familiar with the vampire genre, apart from a few movies, I have to say that this was a highly impressive, intriguing, not to say eerie introduction to the world of vampires. John Hennessy is something of an authority on the true essence of vampires and points out that this story is strictly in the tradition of vampires as cold-blooded killers, as depicted by Bram Stoker's Dracula, rejecting later misrepresentations of vampires as seductive romancers.

For those who love their horror starkly terrifying and dark, you won't find a better exponent of this art of story telling than Mr Hennessy.

It begins with a group of teenagers attempting to scare the living daylights out of one another in the creepy setting of a priory. They are failing miserably until it's Seth turn and two candles are ominously extinguished as he begins his forbidding tale...

A peevish man and his young wife are travelling through the Midlands by horse and carriage in torrential rain. They take respite in an inn called the Blood and the Raven. A savage raven does indeed reside there. The couple find the beautiful landlady, Mariana and her daughter Juliana most alluring and welcoming, however, the locals are strange and sniggering, making disturbing comments about blood and the raven. Then the landlady offers them separate rooms due to some strange custom. The man is angry and he and his wife leave. They are however forced back to the inn by the broken road. Upon entering, some really blood chilling events occur. There is more to Mariana and her daughter than meets the eye...it's truly disturbing.

What is so amazing about Hennessy's writing is that he manages to draw you completely into the world he has created. He creates a dismal, horrifying, claustrophobic world with atmospheric writing that conveys a terror and evil that reign supreme. I was also surprised by some of the twists and turns - testament to highly skilful writing, why should I be surprised when I should guess what is coming in a vampire tale entitled The Blood and the Raven?

I was perturbed by this story and scared and the part of me that enjoys being perturbed and scared very much enjoyed this clever tale.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24189135-the-blood-and-the-raven?ac=1

Review Of It Starts With A Kiss.

Jennifer Green is a middle-aged woman, trapped in a dull, soul-sapping marriage with accountant, Greg. To make matters worse, Greg has had an affair with a much younger woman. Jennifer has reached breaking point and contemplates and then actually attempts suicide.

From this event, with the irresistible allure of a feel-good fantasy, Jennifer embarks on an incredible journey. An unwholesome kiss with a magical hobo transforms her into a gorgeous 25 year old woman. She becomes an uber glamorous celebrity and is able to befriend and help her daughter along the way.

This is a very funny story. The razor-sharp observations about the shallowness and ruthlessness of celebrity and the TV industry, the lust of men and women alike, and the challenge of accepting one's self in a world that worships perfection, bring a grounding truth and reality to this fantastical tale.

I am sure that many women will be able to identify with Jennifer. This is one of those books that warms the soul and lightens the heart because the message it conveys is one that validates that living an “ordinary” life can be wonderful and fulfilling if one chooses it to be. It challenges the empty values and extraordinary lives that the media programmes us to be constantly seeking.
Above all, a very funny and entertaining read.

http://www.amazon.com/It-Starts-Kiss-SN-Weddle-ebook/dp/B00KYX31WM/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1

Crazy On You - the gangster rom-com now available on Amazon!

This is a collaboration between one of America's greatest romance writer's and myself; a writer of comedy and thrillers. Archie Pope, a London gangster falls for the beautiful Isabella Commarata. The problem is that Isabella is the daughter of one Giovanni Commarata, the evil Mafia Don, who controls New York. There's romance and comedy but also some serious warfare going on between two rival gangs. It's a book to both thrill and warm the heart!http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-You-Archie-Isabella-Book-ebook/dp/B00SXOLIE2/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1

Death Of A Diva - an intriguing spin on murder-mystery noire

Stella Berger, revered star of stage and screen in Germany, is just completing a successful run on Broadway. She fled to America as the Nazi's tightened their genocidal grip on Europe. She is found strangled by a violin string in her dressing room. The prime suspect is an emigrant violin-playing street musician. What follows, however, is more twists than on a 1960's London dance floor. Narrated by another Jewish emigrant, Misha Safron, she is working in the theatre at the time and it was she, taking pity on the man, who let the street musician into the theatre. Because of this, she is initially accused of complicity in the murder. She is easy to relate to, very likeable, and she is taken on a strange journey with Anti-Semitism lurking around every corner.

Worthy in its own right as classic 1930's murder-mystery noire, author, Brigitte Goldstein, brilliantly weaves into the tale, the experience of being Jewish, with a beleaguered history, never just accepted and allowed to be, no matter the continent they are citizen of.

I was taken on a journey through a world where nothing is what it at first appears. Misia Safran and the street musician and other characters vividly describe Jewish life in Germany and Eastern Europe. We are treated to their cultural and diverse lifestyles, the bustling and heady Jewish communities that existed in all forms of the arts – theatre, cabaret, movies. Many of them thrive until brutal Nazi Anti-Semitism rears its ugly head. Stella Berger had always been an outspoken adversary of the Nazis right up to her untimely death. The history of this era is impeccably researched and integral to the plot.

This is an entrancing piece of work, that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you like murder-mysteries with astonishing twists then this book is for you based on that preference alone. But it is also an antidote to generations of Anti-Semitism that continues to this day. You meet regular Jews – lovable, complex, frustrating, fascinating...you know, just like any race. History is corroded by persecution and genocide inflicted by one race on another. This book sets the record straight on Jewishness it redresses the balance of all the perverse ideas out there about racial, religious, cultural superiority.

Highly enjoyable read. Please check out for yourself.  

Humanity's Way Forward by Seth Mullins - Review

This is a wonderful book that worked on two levels for me: Not only was it a thoroughly engaging account of a young rock band with integrity who begin achieving success, it was also an uplifting essay on spiritual renewal.

It resonated deeply with me, as the main character Brandon Chane wrestles with coming to terms with the meaning of life and how to live it, reflects my own struggles. I grew up feeling like an outcast and a misfit who struggled to find meaning in this competitive, shallow, corporate, often random and cruel world. Lead singer Brandon writes lyrics and creates music with his band The Edge Of The Known, that resonates with a myriad lost souls around the world.

As the band's popularity accelerates, the media thrusts upon him the image of a mystical shamanic saviour, whilst he still struggling to resolve deep conflicts within him. He is wounded by the death of his father; a man he was in conflict with and only just getting to know as a human being and his counsellor Seth has his work cut out, trying to help Brandon find a world-view that makes sense and carries true substance.

 It is an enthralling tale, one that enriched me spiritually. I feel that the conclusions that the book draws about life and the spiritual reality underlying everything that we do and experience to parallel and expand the conclusions I have drawn. It is very moving at times, the beauty of it is that it tenderly champions the importance of human connection, that many of us feel lost and alone. Together we can make sense and create a life that is fulfilling and can bring the world together to a warm and compassionate place, where we find answers to our questions.

 It was a truly wonderful experience reading this book and one that I eagerly recommend. Highly enjoyable read. Please check out for yourself.