Ally Blake's Blog, page 20

I'm Reading... Sophie Kinsella

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?
Thefirst Shopaholic book - Confessions of a Shopaholic - had me in stitches.  I'dbe reading in bed at all hours and wake my poor sleeping husband with a snortor a bark or a raucous guffaw.  Becauseit's so...damn...funny.  Twenties Girl isjust as good, and perhaps even stronger.
With CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET? , she justkeeps on being ridiculously heavenly wonderful!  As she does so beautifully well here she weaves a lovely romance between a regular girl and a fantasy hero in a way that's completely believable while being just a little nutty.  Throw in a good dollop of family issues, winsome and odd friends, a smattering of true to life workmates and the story has a rich context that makes the story as much about the girl finding herself as the girl finding the one.  And did I mention its funny?  IT'S BLOODY HILARIOUS!
Can You Keep a Secret? is warm, lovable, clever, and laugh out loud funny, just like anything Sophie Kinsella writes, methinks.  Keeper?  Wish I'd written it?  You bet!
More about the author here.  Buy Can You Keep a Secret? here.  Grab Confessions of a Shopaholic.  Get Twenties Girl too!
Next I'm reading...Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl.  What are you reading?  Which book MUST I read this year?  Find the other books I've enjoyed in my "I'm reading..." series this year here!  Or join me at Goodreads.

ebook of the month...the city

Firstpublished in April 2007Boardroom Hotshots collection eBook outnow!


GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS ::  ebook

The city:
   Melbourne has played a huge part in the tone and feel of many of my books and this one was no exception.  Melbourne has such an easy elegance, a cosmopolitan charisma.  The hero, Flynn, fit it like a glove.
The excerpt: 

Two hours later Abbey and Flynn stood leaning their forearms on a bridgerail overlooking the Yarra River as decorativeflames did their hourly dance, leaping high into the air from the watersoutside the Crown Casino complex.Abbey let out a sigh as the warmth from the latestburst of flame cooled on her cheeks.'What are you thinking?' Flynn asked. Abbey laughed. In the real world that was meant to be her line.  If this was a real date.  If she wasn't Clarissa Parrish's uptightgranddaughter and he wasn't Flynn Granger, the playboy of the western world.'You say you've read Chic Magazine,' she said, grinning up at him.'I have, on occasion,' he said, spinning to lean hisback against the rail so he could see her better.She breathed in deep through her nose and looked outtowards Flinders Streettrain station slumbering along the other bank of the river.  Better that than finding herself further lostin those hard planes, and that titling smile, and those eyes.'Then you should know that's the one thing you neverask on a date,' she said.  'Especially afirst.  Or it will definitely be thelast.''So are you suggesting that before I made that tinyfaux pas, there was the possibility of more?' he asked.  She gave in and glanced his way in time tosee him lift one perfect dark brown eyebrow.'Did I convince you, even a little?So she'd had a little too much white wine.  So she'd laughed so hard during their maincourse her cheeks still hurt.  So she'dactually been bowled over when from nowhere he'd pulled out a fluffy toygoldfish, the kind to be found in the Aquarium gift shop, wrapped in a bluesatin bow and presented it to her.  Soshe'd felt like she was walking on air as Flynn had held her hand protectivelyin the crook of his arm as they'd ambled the length of Southbank to walk offdinner. She still knew the best thing to do, the best thing forthe column and for her self was to not admit a lick of it.  To say she was utterly unmoved.  To say he'd tried to prove his point andfailed and that the battle would continue.But the truth was, he'd gone out of his way to try toshow her how nice it felt to be on the receiving end of romance and gentlemanlybehaviour, and instead of being unimpressed and indifferent, she'd turned intoa completely gooey female and fallen for it hook line and sinker. Falling, falling, falling, she thought, bending further over the rail to look down into theswirling black depths of the river.Re-released as part of the Boardroom Hot-shots collection.
Paperback.  Buy the eBook.  Buy from iTunes.  More about the book

My favourite...movies I'd happily watch every day

Marley and Me ... love the family stuff.  Love their houses.  Love how real it all is.  Gets better with every watch. 
Tangled... and I pretty much do...every day.  Yay me for the foresight of having daughters!

Notting Hill...if this comes on TV, it never gets switched off!  Ditto Love Actually, actually.

16 Candles ...I pretty much could have just written "John Hughes".

The Devil Wears Prada
...gotta love a good make-over tale!  And the fashion, it just doesn't date.


Field of Dreams...I'm a complete sucker for a good baseball movie.   For the Love of the Game.  Eight Men Out.  Moneyball.  Heaven!  But Field of Dreams is magic.



Easy A... I wanna be Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson when I grow up!
Dan in Real Life
... glorious gorgeous honest lovely romance about grown-ups.

Any I need to be adding to the list?  More of my favourites here.

I'm reading... Nora Roberts

[image error] THE NEXT ALWAYS

I read my first official Nora Roberts book only a couple of months back after my mum shoved the first of the Bride Quartet into my hands and said "Read them now!"  Loved them to pieces.  Lovely, warm, inclusive reads. (She'd loaned them from the library.  Needless to say she got the box set for Christmas ;).)
So the minute The Next Always - the first in her new Inn Boonsboro trilogy -- came out, I pounced.  As before it was a warm romantic read, though I have to say I warmed to the Bride girls a little more.  Deeper conflict perhaps?
A little bit of trivia on this one for ya!  The books are set in Robert's home town and take place inside places close to her heart some of which she even owns in real life!  There is even a very sneaky reference to Eve and Roarke, written by Nora's alter ego JD Robb.  Cheeky ;).
THE NEXT ALWAYS by Nora Roberts is warm and friendly with a slew of lovely characters to whom you can't wait to see what happens next!

More about the author here.  Buy the book here.
Next I'm reading... CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET? by Sophie Kinsella.  What are youreading?  Which book MUST I read thisyear?  Find the other books I've enjoyed in my "I'm reading..." series this year here!  Or join me at Goodreads.

ebook of the month...the hero

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS ::  ebook
Firstpublished in April 2007Boardroom Hotshots collection eBook outnow!


The hero:
   As an author one of the hardships is needing to spend many fruitful hours scouring the internet for pictures of hero-worthy men.  As such, by the time Ic ame to write this book, I had amassed a comfortable selection of photos of one Jeremy Northam.

Flynn Granger is beautiful, charming, and just a little jaded with the kind of dark haired dark eyed thing I could write each and every time I put fingers to keyboard! So when I needed to pin him down a little more specifically in my mind Jeremy did just fine ;).
The excerpt: 
He held out the page. She pushed away from the kitchen bench and cautiously came to him totake it as he had known she would.She reached out to take the page and he pulled itcloser.  Her brow furrowed and sheglanced up at him, her sweet blue eyes confused, not having yet caught onto thefact that he's just changed the rules of the game. She reached out again and he hid the page behind hisback so that as she reached for it she stumbled closer until they were mereinches apart.  So close he could smellthe soft apple scent of her hairspray. He could see a faint darkness in the delicate skin below her eyes thattold of too many late nights.  He couldsee a small raised patch of dark pink skin where she had overly worried herbottom lip.His mouth watered at the thought of going there,tasting her, spending hour upon hour just drinking in all that softness.'Flynn,' she said, a warning tone in her voice.'Abbey,' he said parroting her tone. 'Give me back the page,' she said.'What's the magic word?' he asked.'Please?' she said between gritted teeth, holding outher hand, palm up, her eyes glittering, animated by the excitement of battle.He flicked the page from one hand to the other behindhis back.  If she wanted it she was goingto have to come and get it.  The minuteshe made the final lunge he tucked the page quickly into the back of his trousers,and grabbed a hold of her thrusting hand.'Hey!' she called out.'Hey yourself,' he murmured.She blinked once, but didn't pull away.  And that was all the encouragement Flynnneeded.  He turned her hand over and ranhis thumb along the faint blue lines snaking up her delicate wrist.  So pale. So soft.Her eyes fluttered downward, and her brow crinkled asshe watched his hypnotic caress.  But shecouldn't hide the fact that her pupils expanded.  Or that her breaths grew unnaturally shallow.  Or that the hairs on her arms stood onend.  Her reaction to him was so swiftand so pronounced Flynn felt his legs go weak as all of his blood rushed north. He brought her hand towards his lips, her soft warmsmall hand.  If she allowed him to kissher palm, if she let him get that close, he'd know that despite her views abouthis views, despite their working relationship, he had her -- Re-released as part of the Boardroom Hot-shots collection.
Paperback.  Buy the eBook.  Buy from iTunes.  More about the book

my favourite...tv shows I can watch over and over

ArrestedDevelopment.  OMGa movie is finally on its way!!!  I musthave watched the announcement on Youtube a hundred times. 
Gilmoregirls.  I watch it beginningto end at least once a year.  Love lovelove the snappy dialogue, the charming setting, the heavenly relationships, theromance...  Sigh... 
TheWest Wing. Aaron Sorkin is a genius.
TheCloser.  We've watched thisfrom beginning to end again of late and the character development is subtle,true and enchanting.  And as for acharismatic, complicated lead, Brenda is up there with the best of them.
Sexand the City. The final season is one of the best seasons of television ever.  What the writers put those women through, andhow they came out the other end so incandescent, is quite simply magnificent.  And talk about a great last line.  I reckon it speaks to the heart of what romance novels are all about.

"...the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous."

valentines afterglow

Here are a couple of lovely Valentines gifts given to me by...people who are not my husband!!! 
First up, the lovely Deb, who always brings gooey luscious treats for my salivating girls when she comes to visit.  "I love Deb," they tell me ten times a day.  And no wonder!  Look at this donut.  And yes it tastes exactly as pink as it looks.
Next up, the lovely mob at Harlequin Australia.  Evey year they make me think my husband has been all tricksy and sent me something in the mail.  But no.  'Tis them.  These were melt in your mouth delicious.  And gone in a day.
Sigh...my cupboard's now looking terribly bare. 

I'm reading... liz fielding

FLIRTING WITH ITALIAN
Liz's latest romance, Flirting with Italian is right now up for the RoNA Rose award which is a super big deal in the UK.   And no wonder.   The heroine, a teacher who has run away to Rome after a big break-up, is fun lovely and true, and the hero an Italian Count.  As fantasies go, it's a good 'un!

One of the things I loved best bit that stayed was Sarah's blog.  Asked by her Principal back home to write a blog about her Roman adventure for her students, Sarah smartly knows her students couldn't be bothered reading such a thing!  So she uses the blog as a rich, luscious, experiential and more honest retelling of her time.  And as another way for us to feel her growing feelings for the hero Matteo it's an absolute delight.


Flirting with Italian is a delicious, warm, slow burn of a love story.   And will make you yearn to sit under the Italian sun with the lazy buzz of bees and grape juice pooling beneath your tongue.  And if that isn't reason enough to read a book I don't know what is!

More about the author here.  Buy Flirting with Italian here.  And find out more about Liz's faaaabulous new book Liz Fielding's Little Book of Writing Romance here .

Next I'm reading...The Next Always by Nora Roberts.  What are you reading?  Which book MUST I read this year?  Find the other books I've enjoyed in my "I'm reading..." series this year here!  Or join me at Goodreads.

ebook of the month...the idea

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS ::  ebook
Firstpublished in April 2007Boardroom Hotshots collection eBook outnow!



The idea:
   I love a good magazine quiz.  Half of me thinks it would be fun to see where I fit, the other half desperately wants to fake the thing to get the best result!  (I don't play fair in Monopoly either ;)).

Anyhoo, the idea of the magazine quiz is where this idea began.   In fact each chapter begins with a run down of the TOP TEN WAYS to get your man, all of which at some point my heroine - a journalist - has written.


But then I made sure that while my heroine Abbey wrote such lists, she wouldn't deign to follow one if her life depended on it.   I gave her a famously rampant feminist for a grandmother, one whose influence couldn't easily be shed.  I then threw her in the path of Flynn Granger, a playboy of the highest order.  And made sure the only way for eaither of the to get what they wanted most was with one another's help.

Then all I had to do was sit back and watch the spark ;).

The excerpt: 
Abbey put a finger over her lips and gingerly pickedup the phone and pressed it to her ear.'Alpha Magazine,' she said, putting on hermost sultry voice to the poor wrong number on the other end, while Beckygiggled in the background.  'To whom mayI connect you to?'After a pause, in which Abbey was sure the caller hadrealised his mistake and hung up, a deep familiar voice drawled, 'This is FlynnGranger for Abbey Parrish.'Abbey slammed her hand over the mouthpiece.  It's Flynn,she mouthed and Becky slapped her own hand over her mouth, before removing itand flapping it at Abbey and mouthing back, Talkto him!Abbey banged the phone on the desk a couple of times.'What are you doing?' Becky whispered, her eyes roundas dishes.'Making it sound like I'm connecting him,' Abbey said,her voice sounding as panicked as she felt. Why had she allowed Becky to ply her with Bacardi?  Or make her wear such a tight skirt insteadof her favoured loose fisherman pants? Or choose her as a best friend in ninth grade and make her play hookyfrom high school to drool over Brad Pitt at the movies?  Or –A faraway voice called out, 'Hello?' and Abbeyrealised it was coming from the other end of the phone. She cleared her throat, pressed the phone back to herear, and said with as much finesse as she could muster,  'Abbey Parrish speaking.''Abbey, it's Flynn Granger.''Flynn,' she said with great verve as though they werelong lost friends.  Becky snorted withlaughter and Abbey had to look away.'Whoever you've hired as your receptionist, she's akeeper,' he said.  'Rousing telephonemanner.''If Alphagets up and running she'll be here through it all.  You can count on it,' she said, shushingBecky with a madly flapping hand.'Mmmm.  Especiallyconsidering she's working still at nine o'clock at night.  Not easyto find such dedicated help nowadays.''Right,' Abbey said, now hitting her forehead over andover with the palm of her hand.  'Howright you are.  What can I do for you,Flynn?''I'm interested,' he said, and Abbey's head slappingand heart stopped as one.  She literallyhad to thump her ribs to get the latter back up and running again.'Interested?' she repeated, nodding furiously at Beckywho was now kneeling in the middle of the room with her hands clasped inprayer.Flynn laughed, an intimate rumble that tickled atAbbey's ear, sending a shiver all down her left side.  'I'm keen on your proposal,' he said.  'Though I do have some follow up questions.' 'Okay, of course you do.  That's very sensible of you,' Abbey said, hermind spinning that this was actually happening. The eleven cents a minute she was paying on her Southbank officessuddenly didn't feel like such a tight squeeze. Heck she might even turn on a desk lamp before the night was out!    Re-released as part of the Boardroom Hot-shots collection.
Paperback.  Buy the eBook.  Buy from iTunes.  More about the book.

a song, or two, for my valentine

In the spirit of all things lovey dovey, I'm going to tellyou all about our song.  Or moreprecisely, our songs.  Because my husbandand I have two.
[image error] First up, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME.
On our six month anniversary I took my then boyfriend on adate to a secret location.  Giving himdirections as we drove from his place until we ended up in my parents'driveway.  Naturally the guy wassurprised ;).  Even more so when wewalked down the path to the front door where a make-shift sign read "CaféBalke" (a family joke that would take too much explaining!)  Upon knocking, a cute blonde waitress (my then17 year old sister) opened the door in black skirt and white shirt, andescorted us to our table for two, set up out on my parents' deck, glowing underthe light of the moon, a hundred fairy lights and a candle.
The chef – my mum – whipped up a feast of my favourites -beef stroganoff and chocolate pudding - and then retired to the other end of thehouse.   
And as the musical strains of Gershwinpoured from my old stereo through the open louvers of the sunroom and out overthe deck, he asked me to dance, or maybe I asked him, I can'tremember.  But I do remember the song wasSomeone to Watch Over Me.  And while weslow danced on my childhood deck, with my family holed up watching the small TVin mum's room, it felt like we were the only two people in the world.
Our second song is MAKIN' WHOOPEE.
Because the amaaaazing Frank Sinatra impersonator at theBrown Derby in Vegas, Bobby Barrett ,  dedicated it to us on our wedding night.  Again we danced.  With the black and white checkered floorunder foot, our favourite people laid back in elegant dark brown tub chairsaround us, and that voice.  Magical. 
So what's your song?  I'd love to know!