Art on Ice 2017 - Review

Art on Ice is a yearly show put on in three cities in Switzerland. It obviously contains a lot of figure skating, but there are also acrobats, dancers and even a clown kind kf person. Every year to big cats from the showbiz are invited to sing their songs and add some music bits. This year there were James Morrison and Chaka Khan.

When one of my colleagues ask, if we would join her, I was sold at James Morrison, I just love him as a singer/songwriter and his songs are just amazing. I am not big on figure skating, but I thought I'd give it a go.

What I loved most about this show, next to James Morrison, was the mixture of elements. The theme of the show was New York, so the light and picture projections were were based around the sights of the Big Apple. Having been there recently made it very special for me. We had screens to watch the show, the actual stage and the ice, sometimes it was hard to figure out, where the people actually stood and who it was. It was clever though, because the transitions between acts was always very smoth and all the different elements together were very fascinating.

There was a story behind ut all and everyone was in included in it, the dancers, the skaters etc. The figur skaters were great, they always get the best of the world and it looks so easy when they are on the ice. Some even combined it with acrobatic elements and some were also hanging jn the air from time to time.

My oersonal highlight was James Morrison obviously. He sang my favourite songs, all of them life of course. He put a lot of feelings in the songs and he was grat interacting with the audience. Chaka Khan on theother hand didn't impress me too much. She sounded a bit off in the first songand in the others she just stood there and sang. No emotions, no interaction and on top of that: Her outfits were terrible!

So all in all, I really enjoyed the show and I'm glad I went. I will never become a big figure skating fan, but they really know hiw to put in a show and the mixture of elements was fabulous!
More info about the show: http://www.artonice.com/en/

Release Day Blitz - Never The Bride by Charlotte Fallowfield

Abbie Carter felt doomed as she clutched her bouquet and started walking up the aisle. Again. She felt like she was stuck in some kind of Groundhog Day wedding nightmare. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Eight dresses, most of them hideous, were already stuffed in her attic space. She had more bridesmaid dresses than relationships. Was she really that unlucky in love? She despaired of ever finding her soul mate and was convinced that if she packed away dress thirteen in her attic, she’d never get to wear the coveted white one and have her happy ever after.

That was until she locked eyes with one of the handsome ushers, whose wink turned her elegant and well-practiced glide up the aisle into a flailing Bambi-on-ice spectacle. Miller Davis was the first man in forever to make her heart skip a beat, as well as her legs turn to jelly. And, for once, her interest in a man didn’t seem to be one-sided. It was just a shame that the Atlantic Ocean separated them. Abbie couldn’t even make a relationship with her elderly fat pooch, Sumo, work, so what chance did she have with a permanent New Yorker? Her best friend, Georgie, told her to ignore the miles that separated her from Miller and to go for it, saying that true love knew no bounds.

Was Abbie fated to always be the bridesmaid, or would her wish for the perfect day with the man of her dreams ever come true? 

While Never The Bride will be a standalone story, it's the first in the Dilbury Village series of romantic comedy novels. All of them will be set in the quaint, fictitious English hamlet in the Shropshire countryside, but feature a different village couple’s story. 

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Bride-Dilbury-Village-1-ebook/dp/B01N6B96FL

US: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Bride-Dilbury-Village-1-ebook/dp/B01N6B96FL

Charlotte Butterfield Guest Blog - Creating a female lead you want to be your friend…

It’s quite rare for me to enjoy a book where I don’t really care about the characters. That’s probably why I steer away from psychological thrillers and dark, twisted tales of woe. I like to feel invested in the characters’ future, I want to root for them, cry for them, laugh with them and cheer loudly when they get their much yearned for happy-after-after. And I can’t really do any of that if I don’t like them in the first place!

            When I think about it, every book I’ve ever loved had a strong, sassy female character in it – Sense and Sensibility, my favourite Austen novel hands down had the brilliant double act of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood; Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You had bumblebee-tights-wearing Louisa Clark, and of course there will always be a special place in my heart for teenage super sleuth Nancy Drew!

            When I was creating Jayne Brady, my heroine in Me, You and Tiramisu, I wanted to make her as real as possible, even down to her short-sightedness, clumsiness and fondness for general silliness like walrus impressions using chopsticks. But I also wanted to make her incredibly kind, loyal, and laugh-out-loud funny. I wanted to create a strong female lead that wasn’t a size zero, or who even wanted to be, but instead someone that ate garlic bread with lasagne followed by tiramisu and loved every mouthful.

Jayne is the voice of reason throughout Will’s rise to fame, she keeps him grounded, and is a constant source of fun and reality checks. When Will’s notoriety starts spiralling and Jayne becomes embroiled in the fame game herself, I genuinely felt concerned for her – how on earth was this country girl from South Devon going to cope with it all? Jayne’s the type of best friend we’d all want, she’s dependable, a bit daft, but genuinely blinkin’ lovely, and I think that’s the key to creating a character people warm to. I’d certainly like to invite her round for a cold bottle of Pinot Grigio and a takeaway!

The blurb

It all started with a table for two…

Life for self-confessed bookworm Jayne Brady couldn’t be better – she has a twin sister she adores, a cosy little flat above a deli and now she’s found love with her childhood crush, gorgeous chef Will.

But when Will becomes a Youtube sensation, thanks to his delicious cookery demos (both the food and his smile!), their life of contentment come crashing down around them. Can Jayne have her Tiramisu and eat it?

Amazon UK

About the author

Former magazine editor Charlotte Butterfield was born in Bristol in 1977. She studied English at Royal Holloway University and an MPhil in Gender and Women’s Studies at Birmingham University before becoming a journalist and copywriter. She moved to Dubai in 2005 and lives with her husband and three children.

https://twitter.com/charliejayneb

https://www.facebook.com/charlottebutterfieldauthor/

Cover Reveal - The Collective by R.S. Williams

Blurb:

Matilda Peters never knew a world outside hers existed, that is until Harvey comes along and shows her something beyond her imagination. All that is on Tilly’s mind is finishing her dissertation, getting her degree, and spending time with her friends before the end of the school year. 

But everything changes when she meets Gabby, an agent of a secret society, and nothing prepared either of them for the adventure they are about to endure. Under the pressures of surviving, their friendship grows and they find friends in the most unlikely of places, and betrayal just around the corner.

Will they both be able to stop him before he tears Gabby’s society to the ground?

Author Bio: Rhianne Williams, formally known as RS Williams, writes Fantasy, Adventure and Romance novels. As an avid reader Rhianne has always been in love with the written word and the emotions a good story can create.

Discovering she had a knack for creating stories as a teenager, she started work on her first story. However, at 16 the mundane adult world called her back to an admin job and Rhianne put writing on the back burner until she turned 20. Rediscovering her fascination with writing and creating Rhianne then threw herself back into her writing in 2014.

When she isn't catching plot bunnies, typing up her creations or writing on her blog, you'll find her in front of the television watching her favourite shows, spending time with her family and getting lost in others fictional worlds. 

Author Links:

Author Page - http://www.littlenovelist.com/rswilliams

Blog - http://www.littlenovelist.com/blog/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/lilnovelist

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/littlenovelist/

Fashion Corner - Black Beauty

Black is in the focus for this Fashion Corner. The shirt is one of my faves!

The shirt is from mate one of my fave brands, it's actually from last season. I just love the lace detail in it. I combined it with my sparkly skinny jeans from Miss Sixty. 

Then I added my fave black flats. I bought these at a market in Ital a few years ago. The brand is called Pascucci. 

- Shirt: maje (similar, mine is from last year)

- Jeans: Miss Sixty (similar)

- Shoes: couldn't find similar ones, band is Pascucci. 

The Little Teashop of Broken Hearts – by Jennifer Joyce

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

A deliciously charming romance, perfect for fans of Caroline Roberts, Jane Linfoot and Debbie Johnson.

From fairy cakes to first dates!

Maddie Lamington’s dreams are crumbling around her. If she doesn’t come up with a plan to save her little teashop on Sweet Street soon, it might be too late…

So when she sees how the perfect apple crumble brings together her lonely father and faithful customer Birdie, inspiration strikes: she’ll set up a dating night involving all her sweetest bakes.

Luckily, seriously gorgeous Caleb is on hand to help sprinkle a little magic – and a lot of sugar! Could one night of scrumptious first dates fix Maddie’s heartbreak and save her beloved teashop, too?

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The story follows Maddie, who owns a a little teashop. However, things are not going so well and she struggles to keep it up.

Inspired by some guests and family she comes up with the idea to combine (speed) dating with sweets and baked goodies. Her father and a well known customer get to know each other overran apple crumble.

Maddie developes the idea, does a try out session and together with her friends, she sees things looking up.

Birdie comes with a grandson called Caleb and he is quite something, in a positive way of course. I liked him from the start, because he is gorgeous, caring, sweet and much more. He also has a little daughter called Cara, who just adds some sparks.

Both Maddie and Caleb have gone through a lot in their past when it comes to relationships and love. So it’s understandable that they are both very careful when it comes to dating. There is a definite spark between them though and that was carried through the whole story. I kind of felt that things progressed a little slowly at times, but in the end, the storyline was round and within a great flow.

This book is a wonderful, heart-warming, vivid and adorable story, full of love, friendship, family and passion.

The characters were all so lovely. I loved, how they were all there for each other and they were also really authentic. JenniferJoyce captured their relationships beautifully, without letting go of the storyline.

Rating:

My possible cast:

Maddie

Caleb

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

About the author

Jennifer Joyce is a writer of romantic comedies who lives in Manchester with her husband and their two daughters. Her novels A Beginner’s Guide To Salad, Everything Changes But You, The Mince Pie Mix-Up and The Wedding Date are out now. The Little Teashop of Broken Hearts will be published by HQ Digital (HarperCollins) on 8^th February 2017.

Jennifer is available for guest posts and interview.

Contact jenniferjoycewrites@gmail.com

www.jenniferjoycewrites.co.uk

www.facebook.com/jenniferjoycewrites @writer_jenn