Monday 29 February 2016

COVER REVEAL - Country Rivals (Tippermere #3) by Zara Stoneley

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Today we’re revealing the gorgeous cover for COUNTRY RIVALS the third book in ZARA STONELEY’S Tippermere series, which will be released in May 2016.


Country Rivals eBook
Country Rivals by Zara Stoneley Series: Tippermere #3 Published by Harper Impulse on May 2016 Genres: Chicklit, Humour, Love & Romance GoodReads, Amazon
Note from the author – Hi, I’m really excited to be working with Star Crossed Tours for my cover reveal, and thrilled with the new look that HarperCollins have come up with for my Tippermere books. I’ve always loved the covers of the first two books in the series, STABLE MATES and COUNTRY AFFAIRS, but this third one is quite different and extra special. I think it really gives you a sense of where Lottie comes from, and what the story is about. I hope you love it as much as I do! Zara x
ATA

ZaraStoneley_authorpic  Bestselling author Zara Stoneley lives in deepest Cheshire surrounded by horses, dogs, cats and amazing countryside. When she’s not visiting wine bars, artisan markets or admiring the scenery in her sexy high heels or green wellies, she can be found in flip flops on the beach in Barcelona, or more likely sampling the tapas! Zara writes hot romance and bonkbusters. Her latest novel, ‘Stable Mates’, is a fun romp through the Cheshire countryside and combines some of her greatest loves – horses, dogs, hot men and strong women (and not forgetting champagne and fast cars)! She writes for Harper Collins and Accent Press.
 

Sunday 28 February 2016

Fix You – by Carrie Elks

Original Cover
My own copy

The blurb:

You've found the one, but what if life has other plans?

London, 31st December 1999
At a party to toast the new millennium, Hanna meets Richard. He is a gorgeous, wealthy New Yorker. She is a self-assured, beautiful Londoner with no interest in clean-cut American men. They are from different worlds and have nothing in common... except for their instant - and mutual - attraction to one another.
As the clocks chime midnight it is a new year and the beginning of a wonderful romance.

New York, 12th May 2012
Hanna, the girl who broke Richard's heart, walks into his Wall Street office - and back into his life - to reveal an explosive secret.

He was sure they were meant to be together forever, but she broke his heart so completely the last time, can he find a way to let her mend the pieces?

Warm, witty and a perfect piece of modern romance, Fix You is a love story to melt your heart.

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Can we just take a moment to look at this gorgeous cover?! Love it!

They way this book starts and especially the way the prologue ends are just perfect. I got hooked instantly and that never changed!!!

The shocking things Hanna reveals at the end of of the prologue made me really excited to find out what lead to that situation and of course I wanted to know how Richard would react!!!

Hanna and Richard meet New Year’s Eve 1999. Sparks fly from the first second, their attraction towards each other is deep and strong. It takes a while before they get together. And there is one big issue, she lives in London and he lives in New York.

A lot of misunderstandings, time apart and family issues make their story exciting and interesting. It’s not a normal love story, which is great! Yes, I wanted them to be together, but all these twists and turns brought to story on a new level.

I loved that the novel was set in the years after millennium. No mention of facebook or Twitter, but other significant events like 9/11 are covered.

The changes both Hannah and Richard go through are huge, but they never lose the love for each other, which was amazing to see.

We get to read both perspectives, Hanna and Richard take turns and I really liked it. Although the novel was spread over a lot of years, the storyline flowed beautifully and this book is just so well written.
The characters are very relatable, I instantly warmed to both Hanna and Richard.

Carrie created a wonderful book, her writing is realistic, authentic, gripping and very passionate. This story shows that love isn’t always easy and that you have to fight for it. Sometimes a real happy end needs time. Oh btw, I just adored the epilogue.

Rating:




 




My possible cast:

Hanna: Dominique Piek
















Richard: Chris Pine
















































Carrie on Twitter: @CarrieElks

Saturday 27 February 2016

Why My First Class Will Always Be Special To Me


The school year of 2015/2016 is my second year as a primary school teacher. I graduated from uni in 2014 and started working at a bilingual elementary school in 2014. I was teaching 5th and 6th grade in my first year and I was also classroom advisor for grade 6.

I started out the school year with 9 students and ended it with 13. They were my first, so they will always have a special place in my heart. Here is why...

Starting something new is always special. My first job, my first salary and most importantly my first class. The children in grade 6 are 11 or 12 years old. I had five boys and eight girls. All of them very very special and unique and that’s what makes teaching so great. The children come in, with their personalities and learning styles and they form a very heterogeneous group. A great mixture of kids and each and every one of them had their special quality.

Since it was my first year of teaching, they were kind of my guinea pigs. I tried to make my lessons very divers and fun, I always include a game in the beginning, sometimes connected to the topic we are talking about, something not. With group work, different level works, presentations and much more, the lessons were interesting and also challenging for the kids. The feedback I got from colleagues, parents and most importantly from the kids was wonderful and it always motivates me even more.

I was able to build a relationship to every single one of my students, getting to know them and helping them in the ways they needed it. 6th grade is the end of primary school in Switzerland, so it was for me, the children and the parents to decide about the future of the kids. That brought me even closer to them.

A wonderful and fun bunch, that made my first year of teaching special and unique. I have to be honest, I still miss them. Thankfully the school also has a high school, so I see most of them every day.

I decided to write more posts about teaching, so if there is anything you’d like to know and want me to write about, let me know.