Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 7

A ghost In Shining Armour by Therese Beharrie

This was a fun book. Gemma can see ghosts. She has to help them finish their unfinished business so that they can pass on to wherever it is they go after that. If she acknowledges them openly, then other people can see and hear them (they appear to be normal people, apart from they know that they’re dead).
When she accidentally kisses the ghost Levi, she’s surprised to find that he’s been sent to help her, rather than needing her help himself.
Levi wants to get back to his old life, so that he...

Canva for authors – graphics for the bewildered

I started a YouTube channel! No, really. At the moment, it focuses mainly on Canva tutorials for writers – these are step by step walk throughs. There are also several quickfire reviews of the creative writing teaching books that I own. I have a whole shelf full of them, so I figured I may as well tell you which ones are useful for what.

The first tutorial is a very basic introduction to Canva for beginners. What is Canva good for? Well, it’s a graphic design package that’s designed specific...

Canva for authors

I started a YouTube channel! No, really. At the moment, it focuses mainly on Canva tutorials for writers – these are step by step walk throughs. There are also several quickfire reviews of the creative writing teaching books that I own. I have a whole shelf full of them, so I figured I may as well tell you which ones are useful for what.

The first tutorial is a very basic introduction to Canva for beginners. What is Canva good for? Well, it’s a graphic design package that’s designed specific...

Terry PRatchett- A life with Footnotes

I was given this as a Christmas present. I wasn’t sure what I would make of it, because I’m a fan of Terry Pratchett’s books and when he died, I felt palpable grief for this guy I’d never met, but had heard in my head for decades. When I read A Slip of The Keyboard, I cried.
This is a biography, written by Rob Wilkins who DID know and work closely with Terry Pratchett. If you thought Pratchett was a twinkly cuddly person, you’re in for a surprise (but if you’ve seen any of the programs abou...

A Season For Love by Ally Sinclair

I enjoyed this book a lot.
Emma Love is trying to revitalise her mother’s dating agency by adding an old fashioned twist – A season, where people meet potential partners face to face, eschewing the digital dating app and going to actual conversations and fun instead. Will it work? Will everyone get paired off?
There are four couples in this story – Annie, Lydia and Jane – all of whom are Emma’s clients and Emma herself. They all get their own stories, complete with happy endings.
There’s a defi...

There’s No Place Like Home by Jane Lovering

Izzy is part of a reality TV show, where a bunch of people are sent out on the freezing moors trying to find evidence of a big cat (which half of them don’t believe even exists). The contestants are all there for their own reasons – for some it’s money, for others it’s family guilt or a chance to prove something.
This is a fairly quiet book, the story is almost entirely character driven. There were some bits which were genuinely laugh out loud funny (especially the bit with the Portaloo – it ...

Exciting News

I have signed a new contract with HQ Stories to write two more book for them. These will both be romcoms (written as Jeevani Charika), set in the same ‘world’ as Playing For Love and Picture Perfect. If you’ve read those two books, you’ll recognise some of the background characters.

Here’s a link to the tweet announcing the deal (with apologies for my giant face).

I guess I should get back to writing now!

We are beyond thrilled to have two more gorgeous and uplifting rom-coms coming ...

Book review: Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron

This book made me so hungry!
Reena loves to bake. She doesn’t particularly love being out of work though, or the fact that her parents are trying to set her up with a husband. Again. Only this time, he lives across the landing from her and the first time she met him (before she knew her parents were intending for her to marry him), she liked him.
Nadim likes a lot of things. Reena, for one. Also, bread. He really likes food.
When Reena’s career hits a snag, she spots a cooking competition that ...

Book review: The Library at Wagtail Ridge by Janet Gover

Lou was happy living in Sydney with the adopted parents. She rarely gave a thought to the birth mother who gave her up. Until her mother, Luca, dies and leaves Lou an unusual inheritance. A small cottage in the rural village of Wagtail Ridge and a mobile library.
Luca also left her friends, particularly handsome and kind Jake, instructions. A set of letters which force Lou to take the library out to the rural towns and villages. As Lou learns more about the library and the people it serves, s...

Book review: A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

I’ve really enjoyed every book in this series so far, so when I spotted this on Netgalley I pounced on it immediately.

Colton Wheeler is a very handsome and very famous country and western star. Gretchen Winthrop is human rights lawyer who defends people who are being deported and separated from their families. She’s the grumpy one, he’s the sunshiney one. Opposites attract etc.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Colton’s not my favourite of the bros – that’s Vlad – but he’s fun. It was nice t...