#forfeit by Caroline Batten – Guest Post

I am BEYOND excited. Finally, Ms Caroline Batten is publishing her ace book, #Forfeit on 31st July 2014. I’ve been reading drafts of this for some time and she’s super talented, so I’m chuffed to have her on the blog for a quick Q & A. Without any further ado, I give you:

Forfeit Advert_Beige

Give us a quick introduction to your lead characters?

Daisy’s 25 years-old and into dance music, up-cycling old leather jackets handbags into couture handbags and increasing her high heel collection. She’s teaching overconfident posh kids at a private school in the Lakes. It’s hardly her dream job, but she’s got bugger all option after Finn, her actor husband, threw her out.

Xander is our eye candy. He’s a trained chef, but is currently working as a glorified holiday rep.

Visual representation of the characters?

Daisy’s 5’2” with white blonde curly hair and isn’t what she would call, conventionally pretty. Oh, she has a tiny diamond nose-piercing. In the movie, I’d love Juno Temple to play her.

Forfeit Advert_Daisy_nodate

Xander’s 22, 6’1”, dark blond hair with brown eyes. He’s a total piece of ass and a veritable Knight-In-Shining-Cricket-Pads. 🙂 6-pack abs, fabulous smile… the stereotypical hero. Max Irons could so play him.

Forfeit Advert_Xander_nodate

What gets them out of bed in the mornings?

Daisy has to get up to walk her dog, Birkin (named after her dream handbag) and if it’s not a school day, then she’ll be sanding skirting boards in the house she’s renovating.

Xander gets out of bed because Daisy’s not in it.

What do we need to know about them?

At a party, they and three friends, play Forfeit, the ultimate game of dares. Daisy’s dare is to kiss Xander and the simple kiss ignites their relationship. But £25,000 is up for grabs and the game’s called Forfeit for good reason.

What do the both of they keep in their pockets/purses?

Her: Phone, lip balm, ball for Birkin, purse with £20 in it on a good day, cigarettes, I ♥ Ibiza lighter. And her Forfeit dare card.

Him: Phone, wallet (which has a dried daisy stashed inside – a memento from the day they met). And his Forfeit dare card.

What’s your favourite line from the book?

‘I want my own restaurant and I want… you.’ He glanced back at her, shaking his head. ‘Seriously, I don’t know what you’ve done, but it’s killing me. The other week I actually stood in Boots smelling shampoos, trying to find the one you use. It’s coconut and lime, right?’

What can we expect from the sequel/your next book?    

When Patrick’s photographed in flagrante with a local beauty queen, his father delivers an ultimatum: one more newspaper scandal and Patrick will be disowned – no house and no job at the family veterinary practice. Desperate not to lose his easy life in the country, Patrick needs to avoid trouble – and girls like ex-ballerina, Libby. She’s cast a Wicca spell to summon a new love: good-looking, honest, non-brown eyes, English, likes animals… in a nutshell, Patrick. But fighting Libby’s love spell will be the least of Patrick’s problems when an old lady dies from a ketamine overdose. The drug was stolen from his surgery and she’s the third woman to die in as many months. Tongues will wag.

Distraction is set in the same village as #Forfeit, so fans can expect familiar faces to pop up. It’s due for publication in February 2015.

Eek. I’m a huge fan of this #Forfeit (and Distraction – I’m a lucky girl having read it already 🙂 ) You can download #forfeit from 31st July, and you can also get in touch with Caroline on the following links. Go spread the world!

www.carolinebatten.co.uk

Twitter: @daisy_fitz

http://www.wattpad.com/user/DaisyFitz

 

Review: The Forever Girl by Rebecca Hamilton

So, I was a bit slack with this one, given that it was around from my days on Authonomy, BUT, I’ve finally gotten round to reading The Forever Girl by the multi-talented, mind-blowingly-always-busy Rebecca Hamilton. And here’s what I thought:

TheForeverGirl

The Forever Girl

by Rebecca Hamilton

A Cult. A Murder. A Curse. 

At twenty-two, practicing Wiccan Sophia Parsons is scratching out a living waiting tables in her Rocky Mountain hometown, a pariah after a string of unsolved murders with only one thing in common: her. 

Sophia can imagine lots of ways to improve her life, but she’d settle for just getting rid of the buzzing noise in her head. When the spell she casts goes wrong, the static turns into voices. Her personal demons get company, and the newcomers are dangerous. 

One of them is a man named Charles, who Sophia falls for despite her better judgment. He has connections that might help her unveil the mystery surrounding her ancestor’s hanging, but she gets more than she bargains for when she finally decides to trust him. 

The Forever Girl is a full-length Paranormal Fantasy novel that will appeal to lovers of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, witches, vampires, ghosts, paranormal mystery, and paranormal horror.

Buy it now!

So, what did I think?

I don’t usually read fantasy or paranormal books – simply because I don’t know where to start, there are so many. I started reading this way, way back in 2011, before it was even published I think, but I’ve only just got round to reading the published version properly. I’m a bit annoyed with myself that I waited so long.

What I loved about this, was that it wasn’t angsty. Sure, there’s tension between Sophia and Charles from the outset, but it’s NOT a Bella/Edward style romance. Sophia isn’t a sap, she’s assertive, she’s smart. She’s real. And as for Charles? Swoon.

I liked the different aspects to this – the wicca in particular. It’s the first time I’ve read a book with a Wiccan element that was close to the truth of what the practice, religion, whatever you want to call it, is. It took me back to my teens anyway. I must admit, I did start to worry when vampires and the like were introduced, but luckily, it wasn’t overpowering.

I can totally see why this has been optioned for film, and I really hope it goes that far. It would be awesome to see it translated to the big screen.

Five stars and highly recommended.

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 Call Sign Karma

by Jamie Rae

Tinklee Pinkerton is the first female pilot chosen to fly the F-35, the same jet that killed her brother. She’s on a mission to prove his death wasn’t due to pilot error and to fly her heart away from anyone who might get through her walls. Then she meets Locke Sinclair, a handsome stranger that makes her heart soar and her world dive into a dangerous no fly zone…

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Books up for grabs from our sponsors

Embers at Galdrilene

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Together Apart

Let Me Go

Captured Again

Rise of the Goddess: Divine Awakenings

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The Forever Girl

Summoned

Chasing Azrael

The Forgotten Ones

The Reading Lessons

The Making of Nebraska Brown

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