Janet Laurence's Winner!

I have a winner to announce  -  one lucky commenter has won a copy of Janet laurence's Deadly Inheritance.

And the winner  is -

Princess Fiona with her comment about Poirot -

But for purity of purpose, the one person who could never be swayed by anything but the truth, I would have to say Poirot. His simple statement "I do not approve of murder" may seem trite but it covers a philosophy that is proven in book after book that murder not only destroys the victim but the soul of the murderer.

Congratulations, Fiona - please send me your postal address so  I can send it on to Janet.   
Oh - and Janet asks me to tell you that Deadly Inheritance is now available on Kindle  so it's a quick and easy download  for anyone.

This is  a little late but I just received this great review for The Devil and Miss Jones from Julie at Cataromance so, as it made me feel like a winner too, I thought  I'd share with you -


Kate Walker continues to affirm her standing as one of category romance’s most talented stars with her sixtieth novel for Harlequin Presents: The Devil and Miss Jones.

Martha Jones has spent months planning her dream wedding. Having spared no expense to make all of her dreams a reality, Martha had been looking forward to walking down the aisle towards her Prince Charming and spending the rest of her life living happily ever after. However, Martha’s hopes and dreams were dashed by devastating lies and cruel deceit. Just moments before her ceremony, Martha had overheard her husband to be admitting to her bridesmaid that he was in love with her and that he was only marrying Martha for her money. With her pride in tatters and humiliated beyond belief, a broken-hearted Martha had decided to flee the ceremony and to seek sanctuary elsewhere. With no car or money, Martha had stood on the side of the road and hoped that a kind stranger would take pity on her and take her away from this nightmare. But Martha hadn’t anticipated that her knight errant would be a devilishly attractive man who called himself Diablo…
Tall, dark and handsome Diablo does not look like the sort of man Martha usually runs into in the streets of her small Yorkshire town. Even though she doesn’t know anything about him, Martha finds herself drawn to her enigmatic rescuer, and when she is taken to safety by Diablo, she finds herself acting on her attraction towards her brooding savior and giving in to the desire that sizzles between them. Martha is well aware that their night of love can never be repeated, but she is unable to resist Diablo’s tempting kisses and tantalizing caresses…

Carlos Ortega had learned from a very young age to keep his heart under lock and key. Used to giving emotions and relationships a very wide berth, Carlos had surprised himself when he had found himself stopping by the side of the road and giving a vulnerable Martha a lift back to safety. Passion had flared from the very first moment they laid eyes on one another, but Carlos has neither the time nor the inclination for a relationships. Many months had passed since that fateful night, but Carlos cannot forget the beautiful woman who had stolen his heart…

But when fate pushes the two of them together again, Carlos gets the shock of his life when Martha tells him about the repercussions of their night of passion…

Passionate, provocative and absolutely impossible to put down, The Devil and Miss Jones is another classic tale of searing emotions, powerful drama and heart-stopping romance by the consistently wonderful Kate Walker! Written straight from the heart and guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats, The Devil and Miss Jones is a spellbinding romance that pits a courageous and resilient heroine against a wickedly saturnine Alpha hero Harlequin Presents readers will simply adore.

A first-rate contemporary romance from a true mistress of the genre, The Devil and Miss Jones is the latest mesmerizing page-turner by Kate Walker

Thank you so much Julie!
If you missed The Devil and Miss Jones when it was out in the UK  in March or America in April - or even Australia in  the  Mothers' Day pack  - it's still availble on the M&B site in UK and Australia,  the Harlequin site, and of course in ebook form.

Thursday??

Are you sure?

Is it really Thursday? I could have sworn that it was only another Thursday - the previous one - just . . . well, it feels like yesterday!

But no, life is what happens when you're busy doing other things and here it is Thursday again.

In the case of this past few days, the 'other things' have been preparing the weekend workshop for Fishguard Writing Weekend and sending out the preparatory work for it. I'm so looking forward to this and to meeting up with friends from past courses and of course making new ones. (Yes Caroline - this includes you!)

On Monday when I got home from the Hull workshop there was a note from my editor saying could I please 'just' write her a short article for M&B's Romance Magazine the goes out to all their Direct customer. This was to be about the next book I have coming up - the one based on a modernisation (or perhaps seeing as it's for Modern Romance that should be a Modernisation) of one of the Greek Myths - The Good Greek Wife? So I had that to write as an extra.

Oh, and I also got a confirmed USA publication date for that book - A Good Greek Wife will be out in one of the special Presents EXTRA collections in October 2010.

But of course before that, the next book The Konstantos Marriage Demand (the one that won a Romantic Times Top Pick) is now available on the eharlequin site as a print book or as an ebook publication.

Another thing that happened yesterday was that I received a fabulous review for it from Julie over on CataRomance:

For the past 25 years, international best-selling author Kate Walker has been entertaining audiences worldwide with her intensely passionate, highly dramatic and immensely absorbing romances for Harlequin Mills and Boon. In her latest release, The Konstantos Marriage Demand, this outstanding writer of romantic fiction has written a captivating and enthralling tale of forbidden passion, illicit secrets and powerful romance that is guaranteed to leave you breathless!

The Konstantos Marriage Demand is romantic storytelling at its most mesmerizing! Kate Walker peppers her highly emotional and fabulously dramatic tale with heart-wrenching intensity, searing passion, powerful tension and tempestuous seduction. No sooner will readers read the first page of her sensational new novel that they will find themselves unable to put down and unwilling to forget the latest gripping Modern Romance from the stupendous pen of this much-loved author of romantic novels: Kate Walker!

And Julie gave it another 4.5 stars. Thank you so much Julie - you made my (rather hectic) day!

Then there was the unexpected interview with the Hull Daily Mail (Waves to Joanne - please look out for this for me. It might be in for Valentine's Day - or some time later in the week). And Allison, if you've dropped by the web site looking for those extra details - welcome - and thank you for the great interview!

I've also been planning my contribution to the Brenda Novak Auction for Diabetes Research. As my own father died of problems that were the result of diabetes and I'm always being tested to make sure that I haven't developed this problem, this is a cause that I believe in very much. Last year I donated a Readers and Writers' Basket and this time I'm doing the same - details to follow. But this year I'm also donating a critique aimed at would-be Modern Romance/Harlequin Presents authors. And I know that a lot of you out there fall into that category. So I'll let you know when the details go up and you can offer a bid.

Now it's Thursday again. The Babe Magnet is heading out the door to go and teach the last of his Writing Crime course in Oxford, hoping that the snow won't cause any problems - yes it's back again! - and I'm going to stay nice and warm and hopefully get to grips with my sexy - and currently un co-operative - Sicili9an hero.

Or try to because the other thing on the agenda today is that the plumber is supposed to be coming to replace the toilet and the sink in the downstairs cloakroom - and guess where that is - right beside my office door!

The life of a romance novelist is full of these little contrasts!

PS It's Scary Kate's (Kate Hardy) birthday today so why not go and wish her a very happy day. She'll probably have written another book by the time you get there!

Reviews and Fan Mail

I've had visitors staying so my time to reach the computer has been limited but everyone's still asleep so I'm catching up a bit.

I'll start with the fan mail - no, not fan mail for me but . . . well, you know A Certain Cat who has a purrsonality all of his own and who tends to be a Star in this blog? The one who picks all the prize winners? Yes Sid the Cat - a Cat of Superior Breeding. Well, he receieved a parcel yesterday. A parcel of goodies from his biggest fan in the whole world - his favourite Lady Across the Pond Anne McAllister.

Anne had found the most appropriate gift for ACOSB - a food bowl. In fact, as Sid himself would say, it was A Bowl of Substance. And what's more, if bore the label ' Bad to the Bone'. Obviously describing The Cat himself.

Sid is delighted with this - particualarly because if is a bowl that will take a sunstantial amount of food. He defends it from all comers, particularly The Floozie and is happy to eat his meals from it.

Thank you again Anne!

The review however was mine - a lovely review for Kept For Her Baby that was sent to me from Cataromance and written by the lovely Julie Bonello. Julie has been a reader and reviewer of my books for so many years that I'm always slightly nervous when I send her a new novel. I would hate to disappoint her! But luckily she loved Kept For Her Baby and she wrote a fabulous review of it. Here's just a little bit of it:

Kate Walker's latest Modern Romance, Kept for Her Baby, is a superbly emotional and highly poignant tale of unforgettable passion and devastating choices that, once again, kept me in thrall from beginning to end! In Kept for Her Baby, Kate Walker has written a powerful tale imbued with sensuality and pathos that had me reaching for the tissues and kept me engrossed and frantically turning the pages in the early hours of the morning.

Kate Walker’s name on a book cover is a surefire guarantee of high quality romantic fiction and her legions of readers will certainly lap up this enthralling tale from one of Mills and Boon’s most outstanding writers!

You can read the rest of the review here.

Thank you so much Julie! I'm as delighted with the review as Sid is with his bowl.

Blizzard Thoughts

I wrote this yesterday and tried to post it then but Blogger was having none of it. So let's hope that they've got over their problems now and this posts today.

One of my resolutions for this year has been that, before I BICHOK - Bum in chair, hands on keyboard - every working day, I really should do some BOOC, LIM - Bum out of chair, legs in motion - ie some sort of exercise so that I can 'earn' my hours sitting and working.

And if I don't do that before I start my working day, then I know I'll never get to do it. So I've been 'walking to work' - setting out as if I was heading for an out of the house office and walking . . . Luckily there's a lovely big park nearby and I walk round that before heading back to my desk.

But yesterday there was a heavy, wild snowstorm - a real blizzrd that descended while I was walking. It was a real experience walking through it. I could barely see a few metres ahead of me, and the snow was coming down so heavily that within minutes, it seemed, all the recognisable landmarks disappeared, the paths vanished, and I could barely find my way out of what was a very familiar landscape.

And it was as I was trying to find my way that I started thinking that really the wild winter storm was very like writing romance - in several ways.

For one thing, the route I take on my walk is pretty regular. There are lots and lots of paths through the park so I can take various different ways, but they are all in the park, and they all start from one point and end up at a particular destination - coming home.

Which is very much like writing romance. You start with the meeting, the conflict and work towards the happy ever after ending. There are only so many ways to get there, but if you choose a different combination of approaches and walks then you can end up with what seems like a different journey every time - or one that's different enough not to get bored.

And every day the scenery is very slightly different. Or, as in yesterday's case, totally different. Today after the storm where everything had been 'whited out', prisitine and clean and monochrome, there was a blend of dingy dull grey-brown, of molten ice and swirling water. It was so much the same as when I walked there the day before and yet some very different touches had made it a completely different plpace. Just as when I'm writing a novel, I know that the basic 'journey' is going to be so similar and familliar, but I try to sdd in things that can make it look so very different.

That journey in the wild storm was somethign that i also try to put my hero and heroine through - an emotional storm though, rather than a physical one. One in which the surroundings and liveds they knew suddenly changed because something happened to make them different and dangerous, strange and unfamiliar. The emotional storm means that for a time they lose their way, get blown off course, and have to fight to find their way back to the peace and security they once knew. My winter storm even had a moment of sudden peace - of clear blue skies and dropping wind - just before the real 'black moment' when the clouds closed in again and the snow almost blinded me, so that I felt it worst for having a brief respite.

Finally, my whole journey turned into a metaphor for writing - the way that I an set out on the 'journey' of a book thinking that this is all a familar landscape to me - that I kow where I'm going, what paths I'm choosing this time, what my route and the scenery will be. And then some emotional storm between my characters descends and they and the book get blown off coourse. The lanmdmarks that I thought would see me along my way are almost obliterated and for a while I think I'll never find my way to the end. But I just keep on going, adapting to the new conditons, changing as I need to, and keeping my eye on a few fixed points that I know are important. (In the snow bound park, these were the benches scattered all around the place. They marked the lines of the paths even when the paths were snowed in and no longer visible.)

And I hope that when my readers get to the end of the book they will have enjoyed the storms and emotions that suddenly sprung up. And that they, like me, when I finally got back inside my home and out of the fury of the weather, will feel invigorated and excited by what they've just been through. Happy to be in the peace and quiet again but feeling that they wouldn;t have missed the drama for the world.

That's what I'm aiming for anyway. And I'm thrilled to know that with this latest review of Cordero's Forced Bride, for one reader at least I've succeeded in that.

Here's what Julie Bonello of Cata-Romance has to say about Cordero's Forced Bride which she personally described as - "a gloriously intense and wonderfully romantic story"

Kate Walker’s legion of readers will not be disappointed with her latest tale of torrid passion and heart wrenching emotion: Cordero’s Forced Bride.

. . .when Santos kisses his shy English bride, he is not prepared for the sheer power of his desire for her and when wild passion leads to a love which neither of them can deny, Santos cannot help but wonder whether his convenient bride will ever consent to being his wife for real…

Kate Walker's name is synonymous with unforgettable romantic novels that stay with the reader long after the last page is turned and Cordero’s Forced Bride is the latest in a long line of captivating tales from this most talented of storytellers. Fast-paced, passionate, intensely emotional and gripping from start to finish, high quality romantic fiction does not get any better than this!

Thank you so much Julie! Your review made all that time in the 'blizzard' of emotion of writing Cordero's Forced Bride so worthwhile.

You can read the rest of her great review here on the CataRomance site .

PS And while I was out walking in the blizzard, the sensible ones in the family were curled up safe and snug like this

From the writing cave . . .

I'm deep in the process of getting this book done - finding a picture of 'Ricardo' seems to have helped a lot - so I'll be concentrating on that for a while.

But I just had to dash in and tell you that I had my first review for Bedded By The Greek Tycoon (I don't like that title any better - no matter how many times I use it!)

This is my first official review - but lovely friends have already commented on this book - wonderful friends like Anne McAllister who thought it was 'dynamite' (waving to Anne across the pond) and Duck says she thinks it's my 'best novel to date' (waving to Senora Duck over in Madrid) I love it when my friends enjoy what I write!

And here is the review from Julie at CataRomance and this one really made my day -

As a teenager, Jessica Marshall had been head over heels in love with her father’s stable hand, Angelos Rousakis, a gorgeous Greek who had turned the head of every girl in Jessica’s village. Jessica was determined to seduce Angelos, but when he rebuffed her advances, she vowed to make him pay and her revenge resulted in Angelos getting fired from his job and kicked out of her stepfather’s estate.

Now a grown woman, Jessica is mourning the loss of her beloved stepfather and wondering just how she is going to survive without the only father she has ever known, when suddenly, in walks Angelos, looking as gorgeous as ever, who delights in announcing to Jessica that her beloved stepfather had gambled away her entire inheritance and that the estate and her home now belong to him! Jessica is shocked when she realizes that she’s now homeless and destitute. Appealing to the Greek billionaire’s better nature seems to be a fruitless exercise and Jessica begins to pack her bags to leave the estate. But the ruthless Angelos is not prepared to let the woman who, seven years ago, had cost him everything to leave his new life unscathed. Angelos wants to finish off what Jessica started seven years ago. But his plans for ruthless seduction only serve to leave him wanting more…

Jessica is disgusted with herself for succumbing to Angelos so easily. She knows that she should hate him for all that he had done to her and her stepfather. But resisting the gorgeous Greek is easily said than done. A master between the sheets and an expert in the bedroom, Angelos has taken Jessica to paradise. But she’s still unsure about how he feels about her outside the bedroom!

Can Jessica ever hope to have a relationship with Angelos outside the bedroom? Does he feel the same way about her as she does about him? Or has too much water gone under the bridge for the two of them to ever be together?

Sexy, dramatic, passionate, emotional and gloriously intense, Bedded by the Greek Billionaire, is Kate Walker at her most mesmerizing. Immensely well-written, superbly crafted and sprinkled with plenty of heart, this engrossing tale is the reason why millions of women all around the world read category romance!

As Harlequin Mills and Boon celebrate 100 years of exceptional romantic fiction, readers can rest assured that with writers like Kate Walker writing for the company, category romance will keep on thriving and enriching the lives of women everywhere!

Thank you so much Julie. (Julie has been reading my books for years so I'm always keen to know what she thinks of the newest title - I would hate to disappoint her!)

Contest news - I'm still waiting for Michelle Reid to get in touch with me about her winner. I think she's having trouble talking to Saffy the labrador on the phone to get her to pick the winner. But Sid has done his job and just as soon as I hear from Michelle we will announce the winners.

Meanwhile if you want to contribute to the discussion on heroes from the previous post that's still open and Sid would like a few more contributionsto make up a few more crunchies!

Holed up

So today's the day.

I'm sitting here in the one room in the house that has any curtains up - my office. The plan is that this room will be the last one to have the windows done, hopefully when I have to be out anyway.

Everywhere else, the curtains are down, the furniture moved and covered and I am holed up in the office with Sid and Flora (Dylan is out patrolling the grounds) waiting for the window men to arrive.

I'm just thankful that the weather has calmed down since yesterday, the wind and lashing rain seem to have eased for now and the sky is bright clear blue. Hopefully this will allow for good and fast progress with the window replacements. Perhaps I should have said that I'm here with Sid, Flora and the awkward so and so Santos who I am hope is going to be a little more cooperative so as to distract me from the thumps and bangs and crashes in the rest of the house.

Other news is that I had my first review for Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife yesterday. This came from lovely Julie Bonello who reviews for Cata Romance and she gave this book a fabulous write-up:

If you want to read the very best in category romantic fiction, then pick up Kate Walker’s latest Modern Romance, Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife.

Alannah Redfern wasn’t looking for love when she fell for Spanish aristocrat Raul Marcin, but pretty soon the virginal English girl found herself enraptured by the gorgeous Marquez’s charm and sophistication. However, as an ordinary girl, Alannah knew that she was no match for a titled billionaire, so reluctantly she left Raul and Spain and returned to England to nurse her broken heart and to try and move on with her life. But fate had other plans for Alannah and Raul because two years later, they meet once again…

Raul is shocked when he claps eyes on Alannah again. Two years may have passed, but his attraction towards her hasn’t waned. However, Raul cannot trust Alannah again – not after she dumped him without a backward glance. Still, that doesn’t prevent him from seducing her all over again…

Alannah knows that she should reject his advances, but she has never been attracted to someone in the same way that she was attracted to Raul. Sexy, charismatic, rich and absolutely gorgeous, Raul is like no man she has ever known before, and the only thing that she wants to do, is to lose herself in his embrace and let him make love to her all night long.

But has too much water gone under the bridge for the two of them to pick up from where they left off? Is theirs destined to be merely a convenient sexual arrangement? Or will this reunion bring them closer together in and out of the bedroom?

Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife is Kate Walker at her mesmerizing and absolute best!

Gripping, dramatic and written straight from the heart, Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife is an emotional rollercoaster ride written by a novelist who is at the very height of her powers.
Compelling, absorbing and enthralling, Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife is a stirring contemporary romantic novel by a novelist readers all over the world just cannot get enough of!

4.5 stars Jullie BonelloCataromance.com

Thank you so much Julie! Your review had me smiling all day long yesterday

One other bit of news - I was working hard on a different project at the weekend, one that will be interesting for all would-be authors reading this. I'll be posting over at Tote Bags 'n' Blogs tomorrow when, ion my regular 12 Points on the 12th, I shall have more news on this . And this ----->

If you're interested in writing romance you'll want to check this out as I have news of a week long Writers' Special coming up soon to mark a special celebration.

Time to Vote

What was your favourite romance of 2007?

CataRomance is asking for nominations and votes for your favourite reads of the past year. You can nominate a book as your overall favourite of 2007 - and you can also nominate your favourite reads from all the lines over the past 12 Month.

So if you have a favourite Harlequin Presents, Romance, Medical, Historical . . . and what about the Silhouette lines as well? . . why not head over to the Voting Booth on CataRomance.com and nominate your winner - or vote if someone else has already nominated it?

Make sure you scroll down - because right now, the only nominations have been for the book of the year and there are plenty of other lines to add in your favourites. It's not a real poll unless lots of readers join in! So why not make sure that your favourite is nominated.

Busy day

I'm dashing in quickly because I'm supposed to be talking contracts with my editor this morning (the tweaks on the Greek Black Angel book were fine and that has now been accepted) and then we're supposed to go and - hopefully - complete the Christmas shopping.



Yes, maybe I am early with this but with friends and family in Australia and America, their gifts need to go in the mail, and the BM starts his new job on Monday which will mean there'll be very little to no time free to browse the shops. Tomorrow is the delightful combination of hairdresser and dentist (not both at the same time and the latter, thankfully, just for a check-up) and on Friday I'm meeting a friend for lunch. Saturday the BM and the Offspring are going to a football match together so if we want to choose any gifts together then it has to be today.

So if I don't get back in here today, then here's something for you to read while I'm gone -



The lovely Julie Bonello did and interview with me for CataRomance and she emailed me this morning to let me know that the result is posted on the site now.



I'm talking about my writing, The Greek Tycoon's Unwilling Wife and my plans and publishing schedule for next year. So if you're interested, you can read the interview here.

A Kate Bit

I've been planning another blog of my own on the writers' weekend and the
50th book celebration that last weekend - was it really almost a week ago? But
a. The post is longer than I'd anticipated
and
b. I've been so busy - it's been all I can do to keep posting my guests' contributions. (It's great that they keep sending them as otherwise the blog might be a little empty)

But I recieved an email today that reminded me of what all this celebrating is about - with a review of The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge by the fabulous Jullie from Cata Romance. So I thought I'd post that for you to see.

Thank you Julie - it's a fantastic review and as you've been reviewing my books for so long (watch this space for more info on that!) I'm thrilled to know that you've enjoyed the 50th as much as the others.

The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge by Kate Walker
Mills and Boon Modern Romance
June 2007
4.5 Stars

Kate Walker celebrates fifty books with The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge, a captivating romance that just took my breath away! Heart-wrenching, passionate and intense, this is Kate Walker at her unputdownable best!

After being duped by a gold digger, Italian billionaire Vito Corsentino vowed never to give his heart to another woman ever again. But when he decided to leave Italy behind and to try and lead a normal life as an ordinary man in England, little did Vito know that he was going to forget all about his vows and promises after a chance encounter with Emily Lawton.

English rose Emily is beautiful, stunning and absolutely irresistible. When the two make love, Vito thinks that it’s the start of a passionate relationship, but when revelations come to light, Vito realizes that he’s been lied to again and leaves Emily distraught after he declared that he never wanted to see her again.

But Vito couldn’t get Emily out of his mind and when he returns to England intent on seducing her, he finds out that Emily has got another secret to reveal – she’s having his baby!

Vito is determined that no child of his will ever be born out of wedlock, but will Emily consent to a marriage of convenience? Or does she want the real thing?

The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge is simply outstanding! Dramatic, romantic and moving, international best-selling author Kate Walker never disappoints and in her fiftieth novel for Mills and Boon, she takes her readers on an emotional rollercoaster where they shall be reaching for the tissues and crying their eyes out as they get swept away by Vito and Emily’s tumultuous relationship.

Kate Walker is a jewel in Mills and Boon’s crown and her legions of fans will devour The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge in a single sitting!

Julie Bonello,
Cataromance Reviews,


Don't forget to read Abby Green's contribution to the blog party - and I'll soon be posting the details of Heidi Rice's winner.

I just had to share

I'm busy - I forgot that the proofs had to be in to my editor - so please talk amongst yourselves while I deal with them . . .

But to fill I space, I just have to share two wonderful reviews that have been written about Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride - they've made my day - my week!

This one is from Alyson at We Write Romance:

If I could give this book a 10, I definitely would! What a fabulous read!
Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride is wonderful, passionate and full of
seduction to the greatest degree! And I expected no less from a Kate Walker
book!

Kate has a way of making you fall in love with even the most stubborn,
strong willed men, and Guido Corsentino is no exception. He’s Sicilian, he’s
sexy as sin, and he’s got this way about him that makes you want to see him get
his bride...and keep her!

Though I didn't enjoy the heroine, Amber, quite as much as I did Guido,
she's still sweet and easy to relate to in so far as her confusion over their
marriage and why she'd think the marriage wasn't real/legal. Overall, she's one
lucky gal in my opinion!

And while I enjoyed just about every part of this book, I especially
loved the way Guido convinces Amber they’re meant to be together. The way he
works his way around to letting her know he loves her is sweet and endearing. He
might have started out to ruin her ‘bigamist’ wedding for revenge, but the truth
can be seen in his actions...he went after the wife he loved!

What I love most about this review apart is the fact that Alyson has read my hero exactly as I created him and wanted my readers to see him. It really is the best feeling for an author when you know that a book has worked for a reader in just the way you wanted it to.

And this one is from Julie at CataRomance:

International best-selling author Kate Walker keeps raising the bar with her
wonderfully passionate romantic novels and her latest Mills and Boon Modern
Romance, Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride, is another
emotional rollercoaster ride which will keep you reading all night long!

All her life, Amber Wellesley has tried – but failed – to please her social climbing mother and after a lifetime of feeling unloved and unappreciated by her, Amber finally thinks that she’d done something right in her mother’s eyes – she’s marrying a rich English aristocrat. However, fate has other plans for Amber for just as Amber is about to say ‘I do’, Italian billionaire Guido Corsentino interrupts the ceremony and announces to the entire congregation that Amber is already married – to him! . .
.

Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride is a spellbinding romantic novel which you will not be able to put down! Kate Walker’s storytelling powers entrance you from the very first page and you’ll be so captivated by her story that you’ll just keep on turning the pages until you reach the heartwarming conclusion.

Mills and Boon Modern Romances do not get any better than this! Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride is a book that has everything you could possibly want in a romance novel – a gorgeous Alpha male, a strong heroine, poignant romance and dramatic moments which will bring a tear to your eye.

Julie has just started her own blog - about the books she reads and her thoughts on them. And believe me, Julie reads a lot. So I'm going to be interested in what she has to say.

Right - back to the proofs - but just looking at those reviews has put a smile on my face.

Thank you Julie and Alyson!