Lucy Mitchell's Blog, page 59

A Romance Book Blogger’s Top 10 Fictional Male Crushes #Romance #Books ❤️

As a romantic book blogger I come into daily contact with some attractive fictional men. I have more fictional crushes with book characters in a week than you have hot dinners. It is a tough but very rewarding pastime.

So, it is time to compile my top 10 fictional male crushes.

This top 10 chart is based on:

The number of hot flushes a book character has given me.
Whether a book character has entered my dreams at night.
The power level on my electric fan I went up to while reading about them. For noting my electric fan has three levels; cooling, moderate & full blast.

Okay here we go in REVERSE order:

10. Bruce from Alix Kelso’s The Perfect Moment. With his thick dark hair, his grey-blue eyes and his great smile, he also made me think of the way the sky clears after a storm. When Alix’s character Laura said, Bruce, you make it hard for me not to fall in love with you, even though I already have, I was agreeing with Laura, dabbing my sweaty brow and muttering, ‘move aside, Laura.’

9. Ash from Sue McDonagh’s Summer at the Art Cafe. When Sue’s main character, Lucy, says, Ash, just take me to bed, will you? I was so jealous. With his lean torso, muscular arms, the urgency in his groin and his love of motorbikes, it is hard to read about Ash without an electric fan. As the main character shares my name, day dreaming about Ash was not difficult.

8. Josh from Sandy Barker’s One Summer in Santorini.  This handsome American did things for me. With his boyish good looks, his biceps and his scarily good dance moves, I was reaching for my electric fan and pushing it up a notch. There is one kiss which I enjoyed very much, the one where he looks at Sarah with such intensity that her breath caught and the tears spilt onto her face. The kiss was slow and sweet and perfect. 

7. Will from Zoe May’s As Luck Would Have It. Will Brimble is one of my fictional love interests. With his exotic eyes that inspired forlorn poetry and self indulgent angsty diary entries, his chest covered in a light dusting of hair I found myself wanting to swap places with Natalie. I loved how he made Natalie feel girlish and self-conscious all over again. Will – I am having lustful butterflies!

6.  Rupert from Rachel Burton’s The Pieces of You and Me. Oh Rupert Tremayne, please lean over me and whisper ‘what if?’ in my ear? We haven’t got any history but I could make some up just so that you can say that to me. My love for Rupert is strong. He brings coffee and croissants up to bed, he’s a good listener, likes clandestine meetings in an apple orchard (oh the dreams I had about this) and he’s always wrapping his arms around the love of his life.

5. Ethan from Victoria Cooke’s  A Summer to Remember. Oh my goodness, Ethan, what did you do to me! This fictional hunk smells all citrusy and delicious, has a honey tan and a mischievous grin. He’s so adorable I had dancing butterflies when he came onto a page. He heals Sam’s pain as well as his own, and in the bus journey scene he so wonderful and sexy I was an emotional hot mess. Heal me, Ethan!

4. Josh from Marian Keyes’s The Break. I had such a THING for Josh. With his low voice being full of sauce, his long, hard and passionate kisses,  this naughty male character who has a fling with Amy took me to new heights of book pleasure. He never seemed to hold back with his emotions, I loved him, his crumpled shirts, his wild eyes, which conjured up all sorts of things in my head, and his constant hunger for passion.

Okay so here are my top 3:

3. David from Anstey Harris’s The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton. I know he’s married to someone else in the book, I know he’s forbidden fruit and I know his morals are questionable, but David did things to me. In the book Grace talks about how David can bring things to life that she doesn’t know are missing and I totally agree! When David spoke about the coup de fondre – the lightning bolt. The French reckon it will hit everyone once in a lifetime. It could be someone you see on the other side of the street, maybe one time….your life is never the same again. It is an appointment with destiny, I was a HOT MESS! He is my coup de fondre with his dark lashes, his penchant for forehead kisses and the way he says, darling girl, Even though he’s a naughty character, David has a well deserved no. 3 spot.

2. Jakob from Pernille Hughes’s Probably The Best Kiss In The World. Jakob gave me one hell of a fictional crush! I went wild at the low growl he made while kissing, I could visualise the pure want in his face and his powerful and sensual kiss made Jess, the main character drop her Tupperware box. Actually it was his Tupperware box containing her phone. He’d put in rice after she’d dropped it in water, but I totally got why she dropped it. There’s something very sexy about a man who is in touch with his Tupperware side. I loved how the ghost of his aftershave lingered on her sheets, his shortish hair was rebelling, his eyes were a soft cornflower blue and his lips tasted of beer and soya sauce.

And my overall hot male character is …

1. Josh in Nicola May’s Cockleberry Bay series. I loved the character of rugby playing Josh right from the start. Even when he was Rosa’s landlord with benefits, I found him so attractive. He’s handsome in a big bear way and larger than life in personality. He’s got a way with words and says things like, get your beautiful little being up those stairs and I was thinking the other day just how beautiful our babies are going to be. His cheekiness, his humour, the way he bursts into Rosa’s shop to see her and his hunky frame makes him such a sexy male character.

Okay, I am now a hot mess after reliving my time with all those fictional men.

My thanks to all the authors above who created such fabulous male characters.

Take it easy, readers.

Lucy x

A Romance Book Blogger’s Top 10 Fictional Male Crushes #Romance #Books ❤️

As a romantic book blogger I come into daily contact with some attractive fictional men. I have more fictional crushes with book characters in a week than you have hot dinners. It is a tough but very rewarding pastime.

So, it is time to compile my top 10 fictional male crushes.

This top 10 chart is based on:

The number of hot flushes a book character has given me.
Whether a book character has entered my dreams at night.
The power level on my electric fan I went up to while reading about them. For noting my electric fan has three levels; cooling, moderate & full blast.

Okay here we go in REVERSE order:

10. Bruce from Alix Kelso’s The Perfect Moment. With his thick dark hair, his grey-blue eyes and his great smile, he also made me think of the way the sky clears after a storm. When Alix’s character Laura said, Bruce, you make it hard for me not to fall in love with you, even though I already have, I was agreeing with Laura, dabbing my sweaty brow and muttering, ‘move aside, Laura.’

9. Ash from Sue McDonagh’s Summer at the Art Cafe. When Sue’s main character, Lucy, says, Ash, just take me to bed, will you? I was so jealous. With his lean torso, muscular arms, the urgency in his groin and his love of motorbikes, it is hard to read about Ash without an electric fan. As the main character shares my name, day dreaming about Ash was not difficult.

8. Josh from Sandy Barker’s One Summer in Santorini.  This handsome American did things for me. With his boyish good looks, his biceps and his scarily good dance moves, I was reaching for my electric fan and pushing it up a notch. There is one kiss which I enjoyed very much, the one where he looks at Sarah with such intensity that her breath caught and the tears spilt onto her face. The kiss was slow and sweet and perfect. 

7. Will from Zoe May’s As Luck Would Have It. Will Brimble is one of my fictional love interests. With his exotic eyes that inspired forlorn poetry and self indulgent angsty diary entries, his chest covered in a light dusting of hair I found myself wanting to swap places with Natalie. I loved how he made Natalie feel girlish and self-conscious all over again. Will – I am having lustful butterflies!

6.  Rupert from Rachel Burton’s The Pieces of You and Me. Oh Rupert Tremayne, please lean over me and whisper ‘what if?’ in my ear? We haven’t got any history but I could make some up just so that you can say that to me. My love for Rupert is strong. He brings coffee and croissants up to bed, he’s a good listener, likes clandestine meetings in an apple orchard (oh the dreams I had about this) and he’s always wrapping his arms around the love of his life.

5. Ethan from Victoria Cooke’s  A Summer to Remember. Oh my goodness, Ethan, what did you do to me! This fictional hunk smells all citrusy and delicious, has a honey tan and a mischievous grin. He’s so adorable I had dancing butterflies when he came onto a page. He heals Sam’s pain as well as his own, and in the bus journey scene he so wonderful and sexy I was an emotional hot mess. Heal me, Ethan!

4. Josh from Marian Keyes’s The Break. I had such a THING for Josh. With his low voice being full of sauce, his long, hard and passionate kisses,  this naughty male character who has a fling with Amy took me to new heights of book pleasure. He never seemed to hold back with his emotions, I loved him, his crumpled shirts, his wild eyes, which conjured up all sorts of things in my head, and his constant hunger for passion.

Okay so here are my top 3:

3. David from Anstey Harris’s The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton. I know he’s married to someone else in the book, I know he’s forbidden fruit and I know his morals are questionable, but David did things to me. In the book Grace talks about how David can bring things to life that she doesn’t know are missing and I totally agree! When David spoke about the coup de fondre – the lightning bolt. The French reckon it will hit everyone once in a lifetime. It could be someone you see on the other side of the street, maybe one time….your life is never the same again. It is an appointment with destiny, I was a HOT MESS! He is my coup de fondre with his dark lashes, his penchant for forehead kisses and the way he says, darling girl, Even though he’s a naughty character, David has a well deserved no. 3 spot.

2. Jakob from Pernille Hughes’s Probably The Best Kiss In The World. Jakob gave me one hell of a fictional crush! I went wild at the low growl he made while kissing, I could visualise the pure want in his face and his powerful and sensual kiss made Jess, the main character drop her Tupperware box. Actually it was his Tupperware box containing her phone. He’d put in rice after she’d dropped it in water, but I totally got why she dropped it. There’s something very sexy about a man who is in touch with his Tupperware side. I loved how the ghost of his aftershave lingered on her sheets, his shortish hair was rebelling, his eyes were a soft cornflower blue and his lips tasted of beer and soya sauce.

And my overall hot male character is …

1. Josh in Nicola May’s Cockleberry Bay series. I loved the character of rugby playing Josh right from the start. Even when he was Rosa’s landlord with benefits, I found him so attractive. He’s handsome in a big bear way and larger than life in personality. He’s got a way with words and says things like, get your beautiful little being up those stairs and I was thinking the other day just how beautiful our babies are going to be. His cheekiness, his humour, the way he bursts into Rosa’s shop to see her and his hunky frame makes him such a sexy male character.

Okay, I am now a hot mess after reliving my time with all those fictional men.

My thanks to all the authors above who created such fabulous male characters.

Take it easy, readers.

Lucy x

A Romance Book Blogger’s Top 10 Fictional Male Crushes #Romance #Books ❤️

As a romantic book blogger I come into daily contact with some attractive fictional men. I have more fictional crushes with book characters in a week than you have hot dinners. It is a tough but very rewarding pastime.

So, it is time to compile my top 10 fictional male crushes.

This top 10 chart is based on:

The number of hot flushes a book character has given me.
Whether a book character has entered my dreams at night.
The power level on my electric fan I went up to while reading about them. For noting my electric fan has three levels; cooling, moderate & full blast.

Okay here we go in REVERSE order:

10. Bruce from Alix Kelso’s The Perfect Moment. With his thick dark hair, his grey-blue eyes and his great smile, he also made me think of the way the sky clears after a storm. When Alix’s character Laura said, Bruce, you make it hard for me not to fall in love with you, even though I already have, I was agreeing with Laura, dabbing my sweaty brow and muttering, ‘move aside, Laura.’

9. Ash from Sue McDonagh’s Summer at the Art Cafe. When Sue’s main character, Lucy, says, Ash, just take me to bed, will you? I was so jealous. With his lean torso, muscular arms, the urgency in his groin and his love of motorbikes, it is hard to read about Ash without an electric fan. As the main character shares my name, day dreaming about Ash was not difficult.

8. Josh from Sandy Barker’s One Summer in Santorini.  This handsome American did things for me. With his boyish good looks, his biceps and his scarily good dance moves, I was reaching for my electric fan and pushing it up a notch. There is one kiss which I enjoyed very much, the one where he looks at Sarah with such intensity that her breath caught and the tears spilt onto her face. The kiss was slow and sweet and perfect. 

7. Will from Zoe May’s As Luck Would Have It. Will Brimble is one of my fictional love interests. With his exotic eyes that inspired forlorn poetry and self indulgent angsty diary entries, his chest covered in a light dusting of hair I found myself wanting to swap places with Natalie. I loved how he made Natalie feel girlish and self-conscious all over again. Will – I am having lustful butterflies!

6.  Rupert from Rachel Burton’s The Pieces of You and Me. Oh Rupert Tremayne, please lean over me and whisper ‘what if?’ in my ear? We haven’t got any history but I could make some up just so that you can say that to me. My love for Rupert is strong. He brings coffee and croissants up to bed, he’s a good listener, likes clandestine meetings in an apple orchard (oh the dreams I had about this) and he’s always wrapping his arms around the love of his life.

5. Ethan from Victoria Cooke’s  A Summer to Remember. Oh my goodness, Ethan, what did you do to me! This fictional hunk smells all citrusy and delicious, has a honey tan and a mischievous grin. He’s so adorable I had dancing butterflies when he came onto a page. He heals Sam’s pain as well as his own, and in the bus journey scene he so wonderful and sexy I was an emotional hot mess. Heal me, Ethan!

4. Josh from Marian Keyes’s The Break. I had such a THING for Josh. With his low voice being full of sauce, his long, hard and passionate kisses,  this naughty male character who has a fling with Amy took me to new heights of book pleasure. He never seemed to hold back with his emotions, I loved him, his crumpled shirts, his wild eyes, which conjured up all sorts of things in my head, and his constant hunger for passion.

Okay so here are my top 3:

3. David from Anstey Harris’s The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton. I know he’s married to someone else in the book, I know he’s forbidden fruit and I know his morals are questionable, but David did things to me. In the book Grace talks about how David can bring things to life that she doesn’t know are missing and I totally agree! When David spoke about the coup de fondre – the lightning bolt. The French reckon it will hit everyone once in a lifetime. It could be someone you see on the other side of the street, maybe one time….your life is never the same again. It is an appointment with destiny, I was a HOT MESS! He is my coup de fondre with his dark lashes, his penchant for forehead kisses and the way he says, darling girl, Even though he’s a naughty character, David has a well deserved no. 3 spot.

2. Jakob from Pernille Hughes’s Probably The Best Kiss In The World. Jakob gave me one hell of a fictional crush! I went wild at the low growl he made while kissing, I could visualise the pure want in his face and his powerful and sensual kiss made Jess, the main character drop her Tupperware box. Actually it was his Tupperware box containing her phone. He’d put in rice after she’d dropped it in water, but I totally got why she dropped it. There’s something very sexy about a man who is in touch with his Tupperware side. I loved how the ghost of his aftershave lingered on her sheets, his shortish hair was rebelling, his eyes were a soft cornflower blue and his lips tasted of beer and soya sauce.

And my overall hot male character is …

1. Josh in Nicola May’s Cockleberry Bay series. I loved the character of rugby playing Josh right from the start. Even when he was Rosa’s landlord with benefits, I found him so attractive. He’s handsome in a big bear way and larger than life in personality. He’s got a way with words and says things like, get your beautiful little being up those stairs and I was thinking the other day just how beautiful our babies are going to be. His cheekiness, his humour, the way he bursts into Rosa’s shop to see her and his hunky frame makes him such a sexy male character.

Okay, I am now a hot mess after reliving my time with all those fictional men.

My thanks to all the authors above who created such fabulous male characters.

Take it easy, readers.

Lucy x

A Romance Book Blogger’s Top 10 Fictional Male Crushes #Romance #Books ❤️

As a romantic book blogger I come into daily contact with some attractive fictional men. I have more fictional crushes with book characters in a week than you have hot dinners. It is a tough but very rewarding pastime.

So, it is time to compile my top 10 fictional male crushes.

This top 10 chart is based on:

The number of hot flushes a book character has given me.
Whether a book character has entered my dreams at night.
The power level on my electric fan I went up to while reading about them. For noting my electric fan has three levels; cooling, moderate & full blast.

Okay here we go in REVERSE order:

10. Bruce from Alix Kelso’s The Perfect Moment. With his thick dark hair, his grey-blue eyes and his great smile, he also made me think of the way the sky clears after a storm. When Alix’s character Laura said, Bruce, you make it hard for me not to fall in love with you, even though I already have, I was agreeing with Laura, dabbing my sweaty brow and muttering, ‘move aside, Laura.’

9. Ash from Sue McDonagh’s Summer at the Art Cafe. When Sue’s main character, Lucy, says, Ash, just take me to bed, will you? I was so jealous. With his lean torso, muscular arms, the urgency in his groin and his love of motorbikes, it is hard to read about Ash without an electric fan. As the main character shares my name, day dreaming about Ash was not difficult.

8. Josh from Sandy Barker’s One Summer in Santorini.  This handsome American did things for me. With his boyish good looks, his biceps and his scarily good dance moves, I was reaching for my electric fan and pushing it up a notch. There is one kiss which I enjoyed very much, the one where he looks at Sarah with such intensity that her breath caught and the tears spilt onto her face. The kiss was slow and sweet and perfect. 

7. Will from Zoe May’s As Luck Would Have It. Will Brimble is one of my fictional love interests. With his exotic eyes that inspired forlorn poetry and self indulgent angsty diary entries, his chest covered in a light dusting of hair I found myself wanting to swap places with Natalie. I loved how he made Natalie feel girlish and self-conscious all over again. Will – I am having lustful butterflies!

6.  Rupert from Rachel Burton’s The Pieces of You and Me. Oh Rupert Tremayne, please lean over me and whisper ‘what if?’ in my ear? We haven’t got any history but I could make some up just so that you can say that to me. My love for Rupert is strong. He brings coffee and croissants up to bed, he’s a good listener, likes clandestine meetings in an apple orchard (oh the dreams I had about this) and he’s always wrapping his arms around the love of his life.

5. Ethan from Victoria Cooke’s  A Summer to Remember. Oh my goodness, Ethan, what did you do to me! This fictional hunk smells all citrusy and delicious, has a honey tan and a mischievous grin. He’s so adorable I had dancing butterflies when he came onto a page. He heals Sam’s pain as well as his own, and in the bus journey scene he so wonderful and sexy I was an emotional hot mess. Heal me, Ethan!

4. Josh from Marian Keyes’s The Break. I had such a THING for Josh. With his low voice being full of sauce, his long, hard and passionate kisses,  this naughty male character who has a fling with Amy took me to new heights of book pleasure. He never seemed to hold back with his emotions, I loved him, his crumpled shirts, his wild eyes, which conjured up all sorts of things in my head, and his constant hunger for passion.

Okay so here are my top 3:

3. David from Anstey Harris’s The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton. I know he’s married to someone else in the book, I know he’s forbidden fruit and I know his morals are questionable, but David did things to me. In the book Grace talks about how David can bring things to life that she doesn’t know are missing and I totally agree! When David spoke about the coup de fondre – the lightning bolt. The French reckon it will hit everyone once in a lifetime. It could be someone you see on the other side of the street, maybe one time….your life is never the same again. It is an appointment with destiny, I was a HOT MESS! He is my coup de fondre with his dark lashes, his penchant for forehead kisses and the way he says, darling girl, Even though he’s a naughty character, David has a well deserved no. 3 spot.

2. Jakob from Pernille Hughes’s Probably The Best Kiss In The World. Jakob gave me one hell of a fictional crush! I went wild at the low growl he made while kissing, I could visualise the pure want in his face and his powerful and sensual kiss made Jess, the main character drop her Tupperware box. Actually it was his Tupperware box containing her phone. He’d put in rice after she’d dropped it in water, but I totally got why she dropped it. There’s something very sexy about a man who is in touch with his Tupperware side. I loved how the ghost of his aftershave lingered on her sheets, his shortish hair was rebelling, his eyes were a soft cornflower blue and his lips tasted of beer and soya sauce.

And my overall hot male character is …

1. Josh in Nicola May’s Cockleberry Bay series. I loved the character of rugby playing Josh right from the start. Even when he was Rosa’s landlord with benefits, I found him so attractive. He’s handsome in a big bear way and larger than life in personality. He’s got a way with words and says things like, get your beautiful little being up those stairs and I was thinking the other day just how beautiful our babies are going to be. His cheekiness, his humour, the way he bursts into Rosa’s shop to see her and his hunky frame makes him such a sexy male character.

Okay, I am now a hot mess after reliving my time with all those fictional men.

My thanks to all the authors above who created such fabulous male characters.

Take it easy, readers.

Lucy x

A Romance Book Blogger’s Top 10 Fictional Male Crushes #Romance #Books ❤️

As a romantic book blogger I come into daily contact with some attractive fictional men. I have more fictional crushes with book characters in a week than you have hot dinners. It is a tough but very rewarding pastime.

So, it is time to compile my top 10 fictional male crushes.

This top 10 chart is based on:

The number of hot flushes a book character has given me.
Whether a book character has entered my dreams at night.
The power level on my electric fan I went up to while reading about them. For noting my electric fan has three levels; cooling, moderate & full blast.

Okay here we go in REVERSE order:

10. Bruce from Alix Kelso’s The Perfect Moment. With his thick dark hair, his grey-blue eyes and his great smile, he also made me think of the way the sky clears after a storm. When Alix’s character Laura said, Bruce, you make it hard for me not to fall in love with you, even though I already have, I was agreeing with Laura, dabbing my sweaty brow and muttering, ‘move aside, Laura.’

9. Ash from Sue McDonagh’s Summer at the Art Cafe. When Sue’s main character, Lucy, says, Ash, just take me to bed, will you? I was so jealous. With his lean torso, muscular arms, the urgency in his groin and his love of motorbikes, it is hard to read about Ash without an electric fan. As the main character shares my name, day dreaming about Ash was not difficult.

8. Josh from Sandy Barker’s One Summer in Santorini.  This handsome American did things for me. With his boyish good looks, his biceps and his scarily good dance moves, I was reaching for my electric fan and pushing it up a notch. There is one kiss which I enjoyed very much, the one where he looks at Sarah with such intensity that her breath caught and the tears spilt onto her face. The kiss was slow and sweet and perfect. 

7. Will from Zoe May’s As Luck Would Have It. Will Brimble is one of my fictional love interests. With his exotic eyes that inspired forlorn poetry and self indulgent angsty diary entries, his chest covered in a light dusting of hair I found myself wanting to swap places with Natalie. I loved how he made Natalie feel girlish and self-conscious all over again. Will – I am having lustful butterflies!

6.  Rupert from Rachel Burton’s The Pieces of You and Me. Oh Rupert Tremayne, please lean over me and whisper ‘what if?’ in my ear? We haven’t got any history but I could make some up just so that you can say that to me. My love for Rupert is strong. He brings coffee and croissants up to bed, he’s a good listener, likes clandestine meetings in an apple orchard (oh the dreams I had about this) and he’s always wrapping his arms around the love of his life.

5. Ethan from Victoria Cooke’s  A Summer to Remember. Oh my goodness, Ethan, what did you do to me! This fictional hunk smells all citrusy and delicious, has a honey tan and a mischievous grin. He’s so adorable I had dancing butterflies when he came onto a page. He heals Sam’s pain as well as his own, and in the bus journey scene he so wonderful and sexy I was an emotional hot mess. Heal me, Ethan!

4. Josh from Marian Keyes’s The Break. I had such a THING for Josh. With his low voice being full of sauce, his long, hard and passionate kisses,  this naughty male character who has a fling with Amy took me to new heights of book pleasure. He never seemed to hold back with his emotions, I loved him, his crumpled shirts, his wild eyes, which conjured up all sorts of things in my head, and his constant hunger for passion.

Okay so here are my top 3:

3. David from Anstey Harris’s The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton. I know he’s married to someone else in the book, I know he’s forbidden fruit and I know his morals are questionable, but David did things to me. In the book Grace talks about how David can bring things to life that she doesn’t know are missing and I totally agree! When David spoke about the coup de fondre – the lightning bolt. The French reckon it will hit everyone once in a lifetime. It could be someone you see on the other side of the street, maybe one time….your life is never the same again. It is an appointment with destiny, I was a HOT MESS! He is my coup de fondre with his dark lashes, his penchant for forehead kisses and the way he says, darling girl, Even though he’s a naughty character, David has a well deserved no. 3 spot.

2. Jakob from Pernille Hughes’s Probably The Best Kiss In The World. Jakob gave me one hell of a fictional crush! I went wild at the low growl he made while kissing, I could visualise the pure want in his face and his powerful and sensual kiss made Jess, the main character drop her Tupperware box. Actually it was his Tupperware box containing her phone. He’d put in rice after she’d dropped it in water, but I totally got why she dropped it. There’s something very sexy about a man who is in touch with his Tupperware side. I loved how the ghost of his aftershave lingered on her sheets, his shortish hair was rebelling, his eyes were a soft cornflower blue and his lips tasted of beer and soya sauce.

And my overall hot male character is …

1. Josh in Nicola May’s Cockleberry Bay series. I loved the character of rugby playing Josh right from the start. Even when he was Rosa’s landlord with benefits, I found him so attractive. He’s handsome in a big bear way and larger than life in personality. He’s got a way with words and says things like, get your beautiful little being up those stairs and I was thinking the other day just how beautiful our babies are going to be. His cheekiness, his humour, the way he bursts into Rosa’s shop to see her and his hunky frame makes him such a sexy male character.

Okay, I am now a hot mess after reliving my time with all those fictional men.

My thanks to all the authors above who created such fabulous male characters.

Take it easy, readers.

Lucy x

A Romance Book Blogger’s Top 10 Fictional Male Crushes #Romance #Books ❤️

As a romantic book blogger I come into daily contact with some attractive fictional men. I have more fictional crushes with book characters in a week than you have hot dinners. It is a tough but very rewarding pastime.

So, it is time to compile my top 10 fictional male crushes.

This top 10 chart is based on:

The number of hot flushes a book character has given me.
Whether a book character has entered my dreams at night.
The power level on my electric fan I went up to while reading about them. For noting my electric fan has three levels; cooling, moderate & full blast.

Okay here we go in REVERSE order:

10. Bruce from Alix Kelso’s The Perfect Moment. With his thick dark hair, his grey-blue eyes and his great smile, he also made me think of the way the sky clears after a storm. When Alix’s character Laura said, Bruce, you make it hard for me not to fall in love with you, even though I already have, I was agreeing with Laura, dabbing my sweaty brow and muttering, ‘move aside, Laura.’

9. Ash from Sue McDonagh’s Summer at the Art Cafe. When Sue’s main character, Lucy, says, Ash, just take me to bed, will you? I was so jealous. With his lean torso, muscular arms, the urgency in his groin and his love of motorbikes, it is hard to read about Ash without an electric fan. As the main character shares my name, day dreaming about Ash was not difficult.

8. Josh from Sandy Barker’s One Summer in Santorini.  This handsome American did things for me. With his boyish good looks, his biceps and his scarily good dance moves, I was reaching for my electric fan and pushing it up a notch. There is one kiss which I enjoyed very much, the one where he looks at Sarah with such intensity that her breath caught and the tears spilt onto her face. The kiss was slow and sweet and perfect. 

7. Will from Zoe May’s As Luck Would Have It. Will Brimble is one of my fictional love interests. With his exotic eyes that inspired forlorn poetry and self indulgent angsty diary entries, his chest covered in a light dusting of hair I found myself wanting to swap places with Natalie. I loved how he made Natalie feel girlish and self-conscious all over again. Will – I am having lustful butterflies!

6.  Rupert from Rachel Burton’s The Pieces of You and Me. Oh Rupert Tremayne, please lean over me and whisper ‘what if?’ in my ear? We haven’t got any history but I could make some up just so that you can say that to me. My love for Rupert is strong. He brings coffee and croissants up to bed, he’s a good listener, likes clandestine meetings in an apple orchard (oh the dreams I had about this) and he’s always wrapping his arms around the love of his life.

5. Ethan from Victoria Cooke’s  A Summer to Remember. Oh my goodness, Ethan, what did you do to me! This fictional hunk smells all citrusy and delicious, has a honey tan and a mischievous grin. He’s so adorable I had dancing butterflies when he came onto a page. He heals Sam’s pain as well as his own, and in the bus journey scene he so wonderful and sexy I was an emotional hot mess. Heal me, Ethan!

4. Josh from Marian Keyes’s The Break. I had such a THING for Josh. With his low voice being full of sauce, his long, hard and passionate kisses,  this naughty male character who has a fling with Amy took me to new heights of book pleasure. He never seemed to hold back with his emotions, I loved him, his crumpled shirts, his wild eyes, which conjured up all sorts of things in my head, and his constant hunger for passion.

Okay so here are my top 3:

3. David from Anstey Harris’s The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton. I know he’s married to someone else in the book, I know he’s forbidden fruit and I know his morals are questionable, but David did things to me. In the book Grace talks about how David can bring things to life that she doesn’t know are missing and I totally agree! When David spoke about the coup de fondre – the lightning bolt. The French reckon it will hit everyone once in a lifetime. It could be someone you see on the other side of the street, maybe one time….your life is never the same again. It is an appointment with destiny, I was a HOT MESS! He is my coup de fondre with his dark lashes, his penchant for forehead kisses and the way he says, darling girl, Even though he’s a naughty character, David has a well deserved no. 3 spot.

2. Jakob from Pernille Hughes’s Probably The Best Kiss In The World. Jakob gave me one hell of a fictional crush! I went wild at the low growl he made while kissing, I could visualise the pure want in his face and his powerful and sensual kiss made Jess, the main character drop her Tupperware box. Actually it was his Tupperware box containing her phone. He’d put in rice after she’d dropped it in water, but I totally got why she dropped it. There’s something very sexy about a man who is in touch with his Tupperware side. I loved how the ghost of his aftershave lingered on her sheets, his shortish hair was rebelling, his eyes were a soft cornflower blue and his lips tasted of beer and soya sauce.

And my overall hot male character is …

1. Josh in Nicola May’s Cockleberry Bay series. I loved the character of rugby playing Josh right from the start. Even when he was Rosa’s landlord with benefits, I found him so attractive. He’s handsome in a big bear way and larger than life in personality. He’s got a way with words and says things like, get your beautiful little being up those stairs and I was thinking the other day just how beautiful our babies are going to be. His cheekiness, his humour, the way he bursts into Rosa’s shop to see her and his hunky frame makes him such a sexy male character.

Okay, I am now a hot mess after reliving my time with all those fictional men.

My thanks to all the authors above who created such fabulous male characters.

Take it easy, readers.

Lucy x

A Romance Book Blogger’s Top 10 Fictional Male Crushes #Romance #Books ❤️

As a romantic book blogger I come into daily contact with some attractive fictional men. I have more fictional crushes with book characters in a week than you have hot dinners. It is a tough but very rewarding pastime.

So, it is time to compile my top 10 fictional male crushes.

This top 10 chart is based on:

The number of hot flushes a book character has given me.
Whether a book character has entered my dreams at night.
The power level on my electric fan I went up to while reading about them. For noting my electric fan has three levels; cooling, moderate & full blast.

Okay here we go in REVERSE order:

10. Bruce from Alix Kelso’s The Perfect Moment. With his thick dark hair, his grey-blue eyes and his great smile, he also made me think of the way the sky clears after a storm. When Alix’s character Laura said, Bruce, you make it hard for me not to fall in love with you, even though I already have, I was agreeing with Laura, dabbing my sweaty brow and muttering, ‘move aside, Laura.’

9. Ash from Sue McDonagh’s Summer at the Art Cafe. When Sue’s main character, Lucy, says, Ash, just take me to bed, will you? I was so jealous. With his lean torso, muscular arms, the urgency in his groin and his love of motorbikes, it is hard to read about Ash without an electric fan. As the main character shares my name, day dreaming about Ash was not difficult.

8. Josh from Sandy Barker’s One Summer in Santorini.  This handsome American did things for me. With his boyish good looks, his biceps and his scarily good dance moves, I was reaching for my electric fan and pushing it up a notch. There is one kiss which I enjoyed very much, the one where he looks at Sarah with such intensity that her breath caught and the tears spilt onto her face. The kiss was slow and sweet and perfect. 

7. Will from Zoe May’s As Luck Would Have It. Will Brimble is one of my fictional love interests. With his exotic eyes that inspired forlorn poetry and self indulgent angsty diary entries, his chest covered in a light dusting of hair I found myself wanting to swap places with Natalie. I loved how he made Natalie feel girlish and self-conscious all over again. Will – I am having lustful butterflies!

6.  Rupert from Rachel Burton’s The Pieces of You and Me. Oh Rupert Tremayne, please lean over me and whisper ‘what if?’ in my ear? We haven’t got any history but I could make some up just so that you can say that to me. My love for Rupert is strong. He brings coffee and croissants up to bed, he’s a good listener, likes clandestine meetings in an apple orchard (oh the dreams I had about this) and he’s always wrapping his arms around the love of his life.

5. Ethan from Victoria Cooke’s  A Summer to Remember. Oh my goodness, Ethan, what did you do to me! This fictional hunk smells all citrusy and delicious, has a honey tan and a mischievous grin. He’s so adorable I had dancing butterflies when he came onto a page. He heals Sam’s pain as well as his own, and in the bus journey scene he so wonderful and sexy I was an emotional hot mess. Heal me, Ethan!

4. Josh from Marian Keyes’s The Break. I had such a THING for Josh. With his low voice being full of sauce, his long, hard and passionate kisses,  this naughty male character who has a fling with Amy took me to new heights of book pleasure. He never seemed to hold back with his emotions, I loved him, his crumpled shirts, his wild eyes, which conjured up all sorts of things in my head, and his constant hunger for passion.

Okay so here are my top 3:

3. David from Anstey Harris’s The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton. I know he’s married to someone else in the book, I know he’s forbidden fruit and I know his morals are questionable, but David did things to me. In the book Grace talks about how David can bring things to life that she doesn’t know are missing and I totally agree! When David spoke about the coup de fondre – the lightning bolt. The French reckon it will hit everyone once in a lifetime. It could be someone you see on the other side of the street, maybe one time….your life is never the same again. It is an appointment with destiny, I was a HOT MESS! He is my coup de fondre with his dark lashes, his penchant for forehead kisses and the way he says, darling girl, Even though he’s a naughty character, David has a well deserved no. 3 spot.

2. Jakob from Pernille Hughes’s Probably The Best Kiss In The World. Jakob gave me one hell of a fictional crush! I went wild at the low growl he made while kissing, I could visualise the pure want in his face and his powerful and sensual kiss made Jess, the main character drop her Tupperware box. Actually it was his Tupperware box containing her phone. He’d put in rice after she’d dropped it in water, but I totally got why she dropped it. There’s something very sexy about a man who is in touch with his Tupperware side. I loved how the ghost of his aftershave lingered on her sheets, his shortish hair was rebelling, his eyes were a soft cornflower blue and his lips tasted of beer and soya sauce.

And my overall hot male character is …

1. Josh in Nicola May’s Cockleberry Bay series. I loved the character of rugby playing Josh right from the start. Even when he was Rosa’s landlord with benefits, I found him so attractive. He’s handsome in a big bear way and larger than life in personality. He’s got a way with words and says things like, get your beautiful little being up those stairs and I was thinking the other day just how beautiful our babies are going to be. His cheekiness, his humour, the way he bursts into Rosa’s shop to see her and his hunky frame makes him such a sexy male character.

Okay, I am now a hot mess after reliving my time with all those fictional men.

My thanks to all the authors above who created such fabulous male characters.

Take it easy, readers.

Lucy x

An Overthinker’s Guide To Writing Your First Book #Writer

I overthink everything. I over analyse past, current and future situations. I obsess about the reactions from others, sometimes even strangers.

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When people say that I look like I have a lot on my mind, I laugh and say, ‘I have a lot on my mind ALL the time.’

Back in June I published my first novel after years of overthinking the act of writing a book.

So, I now feel it’s time to share what I have learnt.

If your mind loves to overthink stuff and you are keen to write your first book, here’s your handy guide from an experienced overthinker.

In bold are the statements from the overthinker:

What will my family and friends think about me writing a book?

I struggled with this and tried to keep my writing separate from friends and family due to an excessive amount of overthinking

What will they think about me writing a book?

Will they laugh at the prospect of me writing a book?

Do they secretly think I am a crap writer?

Seriously I overthought the hell out of this.

The long and short of it is that the majority of people will respect you for pursuing a life dream. There will be a few who might think they are the world’s funniest comedian and make a few terrible jokes – but that’s it!

I have also found people lead busy lives and believe it or not they don’t spend their supermarket shop wandering down the confectionary aisle wondering what sort of book you will write.

I now wish I had just told everyone and got it over and done with. I reckon a good six months were wasted by me sat stewing over what the world reaction was going to be to me writing a book.

I haven’t got time to write a book as it would mean sacrificing valuable family time.

This is a tough one and normally comes with a bucket load of guilt. I overthought this to death.

My kids will start performing badly at school if I spend an hour every evening writing my book.

How will my family cope if I did something for myself a few evenings a week?

I feel so selfish for sitting at the kitchen table and writing while the kids are playing.

Here’s the deal. Your kids and loved ones will not be psychologically traumatised by you carving out a bit of time a few times a week to write.

I found I was a happier mummy after working on my novel. Once you start getting to know other writers you will see that we all make it work, somehow.

Getting my first piece of negative feedback will be the end of me, so I can’t write a book.

I used to sit and visualise strangers reading my writing and making faces of disgust. I imagined them chucking it on a bonfire or running away screaming from my pile of literary wrongs. Hours were wasted overthinking negative feedback on a book I had not even written.

They will hate what I have written.

I think I will die if someone criticises my work.

I can’t do this because someone will hate my work.

Everyone gets negative feedback. It’s a given.

You will weep over some feedback, you will cry with joy, you will cartwheel around the back garden and then run into the street to hug a neighbour after other feedback. You want to quit at times and you will spend days moping. All natural and we have all been there.

It’s only words on a page. You will still be alive after reading it. It will sting but it’s up to you with how you deal with it.

In my experience eat some tasty sweets while reading any sort of feedback. I really like eating fizzy cola bottles. Negative feedback will sting for a few days but like an insect sting in a few days the pain wears off.

Here’s the game changer for me. Taking the emotion out of the negative feedback I have received and using it constructively has been where my writing has changed. You will enter this weird hunger for pain because it’s this stuff which can make you a better writer.

I haven’t been a journalist or have a degree in creative writing so I can’t write a book.

I overthought this subject to death.

I only got a C at English A Level

I have spent years working on insurance, I don’t have the skills to write a book.

I didn’t study journalism.

I am not qualified to write.

Believe it or not some of the best authors I know haven’t got journalism degrees or creative writing qualifications. They still produce amazing stuff.

This is just an excuse not to write. I used this for years before I started my blog. I overthought not having a degree in journalism so much I wasted time. What you need is writing experience and the motivation to write.

I don’t know any other writers so I can’t write a book.

I can’t do this when no one else writes.

I need writing friends.

I don’t belong to a writing group.

After months of overthinking this, I finally took the plunge and started my blog. It was my way of reaching out to fellow writers. I didn’t know anyone.

You don’t need to know writers when you first start, you just need to write.

You don’t even need to start a blog. Simply go on Twitter and interact with other writers. Everyone is so nice and encouraging.

I haven’t got any good ideas so I can’t write a book.

I had a field day with this and overthinking.

To be a writer you need to have good ideas.

I find thinking up my shopping list a challenge so I can’t write a book.

All the good ideas have been taken.

Ideas come to you when you are not thinking about writing a book. They come to you at bizarre and sometimes inconvenient moments.

The more you work on an idea the deeper you will go. They are like doors in that they open up to new worlds and people.

The more you practice writing the more susceptible you will be to new ideas.

It will be crap so I won’t bother writing a book.

My brain went to town on this from the age of twenty to forty. What a waste of time overthinking!

I just know what I write will be rubbish.

Everyone will laugh at me.

I will end up binning it after the first chapter.

Your first ever draft probably will be rubbish. You might as well except this. Editing and rewriting are where things change.

Overthinking gets you nowhere and makes you waste precious time. Stop thinking about all the possible outcomes and write your book!

Believe me, it’s one of the most fulfilling things you will ever do!

I hope this post encourages one overthinker somewhere to start writing

Things we Worry About When Our Favourite Book is Turned Into a Film #Books #Bookish

You read the rumours on social media. There’s an unexplained buzz in the office. In the coffee shop queue everyone is talking about it: your favourite novel is being turned into a film.

At first you are filled with a giddy happiness. It will be great to see it made into a film…and then, the worry sets in.

The casting directors won’t get the casting right. In your head you know who should play the lead roles and your casting choices involve some big Hollywood names. You don’t want to be disappointed. Excuses such as the small film budget will impact casting is not acceptable.
The film will not stay true to the plot. Last year you gave your friend a reassuring hug after the film version of her favourite book did not stay true to the plot. It was nothing like the book she loved to read, there were extra scenes and new characters. You told yourself that this would never happen to you. Now you are facing the same challenge. How will you cope if those film directors choose to cut up your beloved book? Or even worse…add new bits to the story? Gasp!
Friends will get to the cinema or Netflix first and watch the film before you.  Your friends know how much you go on about this book so surely they should respect your wishes to be…the first person from your social group who watches the film. Wouldn’t it be terrible if a friend of yours watched the film before you and gave something vital away about on Facebook?
The film will dampen your fictional character crush. If those casting directors make the wrong choice for that lead role it could be the end of your crush. Once you have watched the film, shaken your head in disapproval and muttered stuff about the unattractive lead character there will be no going back to your crush. What will you daydream about now, whilst stood in the queue at the supermarket?
The film will intensify your fictional character crush. The book left you with a huge crush on the lead character. Life has not been the same since you read that book. If those film directors get the casting right and manage to attract that big Hollywood star, that you have had your eye on, you might have to take some accessories into the cinema; a handheld fan, an ice pack and some facial wet wipes.  Temperatures are going to rise.
The wait for the film to come out could get unbearable. You will find yourself enduring some serious frustration. It will be tough trying to detach yourself from the online rumours from filming. Hours are going to be wasted watching the author’s twitter feed as you hope they have a say in how things are going to play out on the big screen. You are going to have sleepless nights hoping the author doesn’t get carried away with all the champagne popping, the celebratory tweets and choosing their film premiere outfit. This will mean the film company will do what they want.
The minor character cull will be severe. We all know that when a book is turned into a movie there is a minor character cull. Sometimes this cull is needed as there were a cast of thousands in the book. However, with your favourite book, things are very different! You love all the minor characters in the book and it will be heart breaking to see some not make the film cut. They are like an extended family to you.
Soundtrack hell. You will have your own ideas about your favourite book’s soundtrack and you know that it will be different to what comes out. You will find yourself muttering, “please don’t make a song I hate the film’s soundtrack.”
Everyone will say the film is better than the book and you will spend a lifetime correcting them. This is torture for a book lover. People you know who make this silly comment will be crossed off your Xmas newsletter mailing list.
You won’t want be able to watch the film in the future without arguing with someone. This is your special book and people who haven’t read the book should not be watching the film.

I hope you have a great day!

Book reviews will be back next week once I am back from:

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Have you checked out my debut novel yet?

The perfect beach read

Things I Consider When Writing Fictional Friendships In Romance Books #writing #amwritingromance

This post is based on my learnings from writing my debut romcom; Instructions For Falling In Love Again, everything I gleaned from working with two editors and reading a ton of contemporary romcom books featuring fictional friendships through my book blogging.

I am going to be honest here. Until I started working with my editors, the fictional friendships in my stories were not given enough focus or attention. I got so carried away with writing the romance I didn’t appreciate the importance of fictional friendships.

Fictional friendships need to be believable and relatable. When I say fictional friends I mean those minor characters who support your main heroine or hero. They can be male or female. I did try to find a pic for this blog post showing both men and women but I couldn’t find one. Will try harder next time.

So, as a romance reader I want to fall in love with one of your main characters, I want to get close to my electric fan when reading intimate scenes, I want to discover pieces of me buried deep inside characters and I want be reminded of my own friendships. All this is the magical reader glue which will stick me to your novel.

Up until my editors got hold of my novel the minor characters who were friends with my heroine, Pippa, were a bit wooden. Both Emma and Mel had similar traits and you couldn’t distinguish between them.

The game changing moment for me writing fictional friendships was when Emma Mitchell, from Creating Perfection said to me (down the phone in her wonderful Northern accent), ‘why would Pippa be friends with these two?’

She then made me think about how things play out in real life. I stepped away from my novel and started making notes on friendships and supportive friends during the dating years.

My notes looked something like this:

Friends can influence our thinking and point us in a different dating direction…after one drunken night out with cocktails and a lot of dancing.
Friends know about our dating past. They know where the skeletons are buried and have funny and embarrassing stories to tell. Over a glass of wine and a bowl of nibbles they will point out where you went wrong with your disastrous relationship with that sixth former, why the crush on the postman never materialised into anything and how your steamy holiday romance changed you as a person.
Friends also have busy schedules, careers, families, life poop to deal with and bad days.


Dates will be dissected on Whats App, Messenger, texts and email by friends.
Chatting with friends usually involves talking about shared memories.
We act differently when we are with friends as opposed to a interest.
Friends can discuss a wide and extensive range of topics in less than half an hour.

So, with Emma’s help, I pulled together some key things I think should be considered when creating fictional friendships:

Friends need history too. As a reader I want to know how long your characters have been friends, where they met, some interesting memories and I want to know what is going on in their lives. In my novel, Pippa, Emma and Mel have been friends since school. Mel has just been fired from her job as a flight attendant due to her affair with a pilot and Emma has reached the end of her dating bucket list. These three have shared history as they grew up with Pippa and are godmothers to her kids. In my revised draft I started to bring this out more in their conversations and actions.
Focus on WHY these characters are friends. As I said above this was a game changer for me. You have to imagine these characters in real life and ask yourself – HONESTLY – why would they be friends? Is your main character someone who would have a best mate like your fictional friend? The big thing for me was why would Pippa be mates with Emma and Mel, who on the surface seem so different. This is when I started to think properly about my characters. As a result Emma and Mel changed. I needed to create imperfect characters who have good reasons to admire and spend time together.


Share information. If you think about your own friendships you will know that there is a constant flow of information going back and forth. When we are with friends we ask about each other’s lives, we seek out info, we share stories from our daily life and we give info away. This sharing of info is not one way.
Life poop. Your fictional friends cannot lead perfect existences with no life poop to sort out – this is unrealistic. We are all sorting out life poop in our daily lives. We are either creating life poop through mistakes, bad choices, disasters etc. Clearing up life poop by taking control of our lives, dealing with problems etc or we are ignoring life poop.
Friends don’t just talk romance. Knowing this I have gone back through several old stories and seen the error of my ways on this. My goodness some of my novels contained fictional friends who were solely focused on the heroine’s love life. Again unrealistic.
Friends have different views on relationships, marriage, dating and potential love interests. No one has a group of friends who are like little nodding dogs and agree with everything you say.

 

The best piece of advice I can give you if you are tackling fictional friendship is think about real life.