Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 25

Intermediate Thermodynamics by Susannah Nix

Intermediate Thermodynamics by Susannah Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read the first book in this series and loved it, so it’ll be no surprise to you that I love this one too.
Ester is splendidly prickly. She decides to interfere in her friend Jinny’s life by trying to set her up with her (Ester’s) annoying neighbour Jonathan. In return, she must help him fix his film scripts.

The gradual change from being irritated by everything Jonathan says and does to falling hopelessly in love with him i...

The Secrets You Hide by Kate Helm (@katewritesbooks)

The Secrets You Hide: A gripping, emotional thriller with a twist that will take your breath away… by Kate Helm
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book in one day (small hours of the morning still count as the night before). It was intriguing, interesting, scary and in places, sad … all in the same package.

Georgia is a court artist and feels she can read people. Her drawings subtly affect the public’s perception of those in the dock. It’s not much, but it’s all she can do to help justice ta...

Book review: All That Was Lost by Alison May

All That Was Lost by Alison May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All That Was Lost is an exploration of loss and grief and the lies that we have to tell ourselves to get through the days afterwards. There is a running theme of untruths – Patience learns to lie and slowly discovers about the lies that keep wheels turning in her family, Patrice’s whole life is a lie, Leo lies in tiny ways at first, Louise’s life revolves around the untrue belief. Running alongside is the thread about loss.
The character...

New Release announcement! Belonging is out now!

Belonging is finally out in the world! It’s on Kindle only at the moment and it’s on spesh for 99p/99c for a few days. It’s more women’s fiction than rom com, this book, although there are a couple of jokes in it (as always). I hope you enjoy it.

 

It’s only been out a few hours, but here’s what people are saying about it:[image error]

“As well as being a lovely romance with a HEA it is also a very good story about family, love and honesty.” Amazon review

“There’s so much heart in this little story of sec...

Book review: Take Off Your Pants by Libbie Hawker

Take Off Your Pants! Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked this up because so many people (including my agent!) recommended it to me. I’m a pantser. I genuinely didn’t think I could be a plotter – I’ve tried, I’ve even plotted one book, but I find it really hard. This book gives you a way of outlining a book and reducing the number of dead ends you wander down at the drafting stage.

As I read it, I realised that I already did this when...

The Queen’s Wing by Jessica Thorne (@JessThorneBooks)

The Queen’s Wing by Jessica Thorne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When a terrible attack on their royal family make Bel’s father the king, Bel finds herself unexpectedly made a Princess. Part of her duty includes being sent off to marry the King of another planet. She is allowed to take her personal guards with her, the captain of whom is Shae… the man she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember.
Con is recently widowed. He’s the ruler of his world, but he would really rather be an engin...

Book review: Linked by Imogen Howson (@imogenhowson)

Linked by Imogen Howson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Elissa keeps having these weird nightmares and wakes up covered in bruises. She feels like she’s someone else sometimes. But when she realises that the visions belong to the real life of her twin Lin, Elissa has to question everything she’s ever believed in.

I was completely hooked from the first chapter. The world building is thorough and intriguing. Elissa is, at first, the girl who has it all. Her response to meeting Lin and the way she deals...

The Bestseller Experiment and RNAConf2018

Sometime last year I started listening to The Bestseller Experiment – a podcast run by two guys called Mark, about how they were going to try and write, publish and market a bestseller in just one year. A weeks after I started listening, they had Bryan Cranston on the show and it all got huge. I remained a fan of the show and chatted to them and the rest of the community that formed around the show on Twitter.

So, when I got the chance to chat to one of the Marks at the RNA conference, I was...

Book review: Sweatpants at Tiffanies by Pernille Hughes (@pernillehughes)

Sweatpants at Tiffanie’s by Pernille Hughes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just as all her life plans are unravelling, Tiff unexpectedly inherits a boxing ring. Everyone, including her ex boyfriend (git) and the club’s trainer (another git) thinks she should sell up, or let a man run it. Tiff decides to make a go of it herself.
In the meantime, Mikey, who broke her heart when she was a teenager (not a git) comes back to town.

I read this book over a weekend. I liked Tiff and the way she failed to re...

Cover Reveal! Belonging is coming out soon

In between writing books about Royal Weddings, I’ve been popping back to my characters in Trewton Royd to see how they were getting on. I’ve finally finished Belonging and intend to release it next month.

Belonging is about Harriet (those of you who’ve read Snowed In will recognise her as the drunk woman from the corner shop vying for Vinnie’s attention). I wondered why she drank so much. The result was a whole novella about her, poor love. Some of the characters in Snowed In and Pat’s Pantry...