Victoria Walters's Blog, page 29

Summer at the Kindness Cafe

I’m thrilled to announce that my four-part serial Random Acts Of Kindness is being published all together in one book with a new name and a gorgeous cover! You can pre-order the eBook now for just £2.99 (the paperback will follow next year) HERE

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‘Be kind to yourself and snuggle up with this treat! Summer at the Kindness Cafe ticks all the feel-good boxes’ Holly Hepburn, author of A Year at the Star and Sixpence

Escape to the beautiful town of Littlewood in an exciting new novel from Victoria Walters

**previously published in serial as Random Acts of Kindness**

Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Holly Hepburn and Jo Thomas.

Welcome to Littlewood, a small town community with a big heart…

Abbie has fled London and the humiliation of not being able to make rent after being made redundant. Louise, unlucky in love, has thrown herself into her career at the local hospital. And Eszter, who has travelled from Hungary with her daughter Zoe, hoping to fulfill her husband’s dying wish… to reunite his family.

Can a little bit of kindness really change your life? Three very different women are about to find out when they make a pact to be kinder to others and to themselves…

‘A really lovely story – heart-warming and life affirming’ Jo Thomas, author of The Honey Farm on the Hill

‘An entertaining and timely reminder that a random act of kindness can change not only someone’s day, but also someone’s life’ Penny Parkes, author of Best Practice

‘Such an uplifting, warm story, with characters I already feel like I know. I loved every minute of it!’ Cressida McLaughlin, author of The House of Birds and Butterflies

‘A heart-warming read – cosy and comforting. I loved it!’ Heidi Swain, author of Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square

‘Victoria Walters has such a wonderful, fresh voice and the characters really do leap off the page. The perfect pick-me-up, and a timely reminder of the importance of kindness in every part of life’ Phoebe Morgan, author of The Doll House

So – what do you think of the cover? I think it really represents the cosy, countryside setting of the book and, of course, the cafe called Brew where the main characters decide to make a Kindness pact. I’m so excited that you can now read my story as a full book and I hope you’ll all enjoy reading it!

Please do share the cover and don’t forget to pre-order your copy!

Victoria

xoxo

Books read in … July 2018

This month I only managed to read three books as one of them was so long!

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My first read was The Favourite Sister – a thriller set around a reality TV show where one of the participants is murdered. A great premise and I loved the author’s debut but this one didn’t end up grabbing me as much, which was a shame.

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My next book was Colleen Hoover’s Without Merit. I love this author’s books and have read most of them. This was typically intense with lots of dark issues and a romance thread to it. Hasn’t knocked off my favourite of hers (that’s Slammed) but it was an easy, compelling read.

My favourite book this month was The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher.

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This is a classic English novel about a family who own a special painting. It spans the generations and is a compelling and cosy saga that was hard to put down even though it’s over 600 pages long. I can see why it’s been so popular for so long, I loved all the characters and couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen to them. A book to curl up with and savour.

What did you enjoy reading in July?

Victoria

xoxo

What I read in … June 2018

We are currently in the midst of a heatwave over here in the UK so this month I have been able to do a lot of reading in the garden, which is always a good thing. Here are the books I read this month:

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I didn’t read any non-fiction this month but went for a pretty eclectic mix of novels.

Vox is a dystopian novel about America being taken over by the Pure movement. Women have been sent back to the kitchens and are only allowed to speak 10 words a day.

The Summer Of Impossible Things is about a woman who discovers she can travel through time, and sets out to save her mother from taking her own life.

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Sunshine and Sweet Peas is about a woman who moves to Nightingale Square after her divorce and discovers a community and a handsome newcomer to heal her.

The Witchfinder’s Daughter is a historical novel about witch hunts in Essex told from the point of view of the sister of the man in charge of it all.

My favourite read this month though was The Hate You Give:

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This story gripped me right from the start. It’s about a sixteen year old girl called Starr who is the only witness when a white police officer shoots her unarmed friend.

It’s such a topical book, the voice of Start is spot on, and I loved how unflinching and compelling the story is. Its hard hitting but also hopeful and uplifting at the same time, and I would definitely recommend picking it up.

What did you enjoy reading in June?

Victoria

xoxo

Random Acts Of Kindness: The Full Story

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Today, the final instalment of my four-part women’s fiction serial Random Acts Of Kindness is published! You can now read the FULL story hurrah! All four-parts are available to download on Amazon, iBooks and Kobo.

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Here’s what the story is all about:

Welcome to Littlewood, a small town community with a big heart…

Abbie has fled London and the humiliation of not being able to make rent after being made redundant. Louise, unlucky in love, has thrown herself into her career at the local hospital. And Eszter, who has travelled from Hungary with her daughter Zoe, hopes to fulfill her husband’s dying wish… to reunite his family.

Can a little bit of kindness really change your life? Three very different women are about to find out when they make a promise to be kinder to others and to themselves…

Praise for the Random Acts of Kindness series:

‘A really lovely story – heart-warming and life affirming’ Jo Thomas, author of The Honey Farm on the Hill

‘An entertaining and timely reminder that a Random Act of Kindness can change not only someone’s day, but also someone’s life’ Penny Parkes, author of Practice Makes Perfect

‘Such an uplifting, warm story, with characters I already feel like I know. I loved every minute of it!’ Cressida McLaughlin, author of THE CANAL BOAT CAFÉ series

‘A heart-warming read – cosy and comforting. I loved it!’ Heidi Swain, author of Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair

‘Be kind to yourself and snuggle up with this treat of a series! Random Acts of Kindness ticks all the feel-good boxes’ Holly Hepburn, author of the Star and Sixpence series

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I would love to know what you guys think of the serial so please do pop up a review online as it really helps people discover the book!

Thanks everyone who has told me how much they’re enjoying reading the serial, I hope you like the ending.

Victoria

xoxo

What I read in … May 2018

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This month, I read four novels and one memoir. Firstly, The Lido is a story of two very different women thrown together when they try to save their local lido from being shut. A good summery read.

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Leah on the Offbeat is the latest teen romance from the author of Simon vs the Homosapiens, which I adored. It’s another cute love story that I raced through.

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The Glass Castle is a memoir about a woman’s family life, which was often horrific but is also told with warmth and humour. It’s pretty bleak at times but the way the author turns her life around is inspiring too.

Never Greener is written by an actress and is essentially a story of an affair and the consequences for all involved. It was difficult to root for the characters in this one to be honest.

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My favourite book this month was Dear Mrs Bird. Set in the wartime London, it’s charming, funny and moving and has a great main character voice. I loved this one and would really recommend it!

What did you enjoy reading in May?

Victoria

xoxo

What I read in … April 2018

Here are the books I read in April:

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I also read this but gave my copy to someone to read before I could take a photo of it! So total was four novels plus one non-fiction book (This Is Going To Hurt)

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is a cosy read about a writer who decides to start writing about the German occupation of Guernsey after starting corresponding with members of a book group there. It’s written as a series of letters which isn’t my my favourite style of novel as I do like a plot usually alongside it but I really enjoyed reading it and will definitely watch the film.

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My favourite book though was another YA book – I seem to be reading some great ones at the moment! Letters to the Lost is a lovely story – essentially a romance between a girl and boy struggling with grief and demons from the past. I couldn’t put it down and I fell in love with the characters and rooted for them from the start. It was one of those books that swept me away and I was both desperate to finish and didn’t want it to end!

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What did you guys read recently that you loved?

Victoria

xoxo

What I read in … March 2018

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Last month I read three YA novels, two standalones plus the third book in the Red Queen series, one thriller, Force Of Nature, and an adult fiction book The Keeper Of Lost Things.

I really enjoyed reading One Of Us Is Lying and would really recommend it – it’s The Breakfast Club with a murder mystery and a gripping, enjoyable read but my favourite of the books I read in March is this one:

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Having watched and enjoyed the film based on her debut, Everything Everything, I eagerly picked up Nicola Yoon’s second book. It’s a contemporary teen romance set over a single day about a girl who has to leave America and is thrown into the path of a boy struggling to decide what future he wants.

Once I started this book, it was hard to put down. I love a good romance and I was rooting for the main characters from the start. It was also an interesting look at how immigrants feel in their new country and how people you meet have a story that you don’t know but who can have a powerful changing effect on your own fate.

This book is being made into a film too and I can’t wait to see it!

What did you enjoy reading in March?

Victoria

xoxo

The story continues

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You can now read part three of my Random Acts Of Kindness serialised novel hurrah! If you haven’t started the book part one is free to download. And if you have, don’t forget to pop up a review on Amazon to let me know what you think.

Here’s the link to download:

http://amzn.to/2ivgEL2

I’ve had some lovely messages from readers who are enjoying the serial and that makes this author very happy. A few have asked how you can spread the word about a book that you love so I thought I’d link back to an older blog post I wrote about that to help:

https://victoria-writes.com/2016/02/05/how-can-i-support-a-book/

And if you’re reading Random Acts Of Kindness why not listen along to the Spotify playlist:

Victoria

xoxo

What I Read In … February 2018

Here are the books I read in February. I didn’t manage to make a dent in my non-fiction pile, I ended up sticking to all novels this month.

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I read two women’s fiction novels, continued the fun supernatural series from Charlaine Harris, and read two YA books. After reading Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda because I liked the look of the film trailer, I dived straight into Becky Albertalli’s other book as I just loved it so much. Sometimes you just need some cute teen romance in your life.

So, I think you can guess what my favourite read in February was …

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I loved Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda – it’s cute, funny and romantic and was just the easy read with a happy ending I was looking for! Now I can’t wait for the film and I keep scanning my shelves for more teen love stories to binge on so let me know if you recommend any.

What did you enjoy reading this month?

Victoria

xoxo

My First Primark Haul

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I thought I’d try a new kind of blog post. I love seeing what people buy so I’m going to do my first haul post and see what you guys think! I have bought things in Primark before but without one that close by, I’ve never really spent much time in there. This week though a brand new store opened in my closest town and I came away with some excellent buys.

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I don’t think you can ever have too many pairs of pyjamas! I love Beauty and the Beast and the Chip mug I got this Christmas is one of my favourite things so when I saw these, they had to come home with me!

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I was so excited to see a top with a Kindness slogan on! Perfect for advertising my book. I also got these pretty pink cardigan to wear over dresses.

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Primark also have some good value home pieces too. I found this rose gold plant and this grey fluffy cushion which looks great with my recent duvet cover purchase. They also had a grey heart cushion that I was wish I had got too do I’ll have to go back for it!

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I also found this lounge outfit to either wear in bed or on Sunday’s when I just want to curl up with a film. I love the slogan on it! The grey fluffy socks were a must have – so cosy and cheap.

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Finally, I picked up this denim jacket, which I think is my favourite buy. It’s perfect for spring and was only £12! Now all we need is the weather to cheer up so I can actually wear it.

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So, this was my first Primark haul and I think I found some great bargains. You definitely need to spend time in there to sort through and find the best bits. I am looking forward to going back and hopefully next time I can find some Harry Potter bits as I always see people coming away with them on social media.

What do you think of my haul? Are you a Primark fan?

Victoria

xoxo