Book Review: The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst

The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was one HOT read. The author had the heroine and hero sizzling.

It's the perfect marriage of convenience story, where they fall in love in the end. I just love this plot, with relationships where they think they are acting on a lie - it's my favourite kind, and this story echoed ideas I've put in my own novel - although I fear that Jennifer Probst has written it better than me!

If I had one nit pick, I felt that sometimes what the characters were wearing was over described at times. But it's romance, so I accepted it. It's not that annoying that you won't enjoy the book. 

But I love Nick for being this sexy, strong man, determined not to let Alexa get to him. And fail.

There is some great passion and sexual tension in this book. Loved it. Hated putting it down.

If only men like Nick existed in the real world. *sigh*


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I bought this book after reading a blog post that Rachel Lyndhurst shared. A very inspirational tale by Jennifer Probst. I recommend all aspiring writers to read. Can't promise we'll all be that lucky, but it's a nice carrot to wave in front of us.

Glad To Be Back Writing

Last night I started working on Perfect Isn't An Option - my second novel. I've read through what I've written so far and liked it! (Can I really be that clever? Well, I think it's clever :D)

My next Writers' Bureau assignment is either to send off the first chapter of a novel or a short story, so I thought I would send off a first chapter of this novel and get a professional opinion for it. (It's about time I sent off another assignment, too!) This is the novel I do want to send to the RNA New Writers' Scheme too.

I am rather excited about this novel. I really like the concept for it, and just hope everyone else does too. It's sort of Clark Kent meets Notting Hill. It's about a developing relationship of a sister and brother as well as finding love. But the hero has to hide his true identity to do it (hence the Clark Kent). I don't know, I've just got a good feeling about this story - I just hope I can pull it off and do it justice.

Tomorrow night I'm also dead excited about, as I will be going to my very first RNA Chapter meeting, which is organised by Rachel Brimble. I met Rachel last year at the conference (we were on the same dorm), and can't wait to catch up with her and fellow RNA members. 

So next steps? Once this chapter is sent off to my WB tutor (which is hopefully tonight), I will start trying to write 1000-1200 words a day towards finishing this manuscript. Can I do it by the end of April?

I just thought I'd share that it feels great to be writing again. I know how some writers love the editing stage, I much prefer the writing part. I find it much easier to make time to write and bash a thousand words out. But don't panic, I haven't forgotten about The Wedding Favour. I will load that on to my Kindle and start reading through after this weekend and look to submitting very soon. I need to give it a bit of a break so that I've got fresh eyes looking over it. It's too easy to skim when you're so fed up with the damn text!

Steve - doing a photo shoot for a magazine

It's really hard not to feel positive while the sun is out. Are you enjoying the weather or stuck in writing? This is the downside to being a writer...

Lucky Seven

Cherie Nicholls tagged me for this Lucky Seven Meme and I thought I'd play along.

Here are the rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS

2. Go to line 7

3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they’re written. No cheating.

4. Tag 7 other authors

So as I don't have Perfect Isn't An Option in chapters yet, I've just bashed out the first 33,000 words, I thought I would take this from The Wedding Favour. So here goes. 

(Typically, page 77 is the end of a chapter, and as I then put a page break in... I'll take from page 78 - imagining no page break - which is funnily enough chapter 7. I've taken from the 7th paragraph, rather than line - not sure if that's right or not lol!). 

He was glad she’d insisted on him sleeping in this comfortable bed; it was large enough he'd felt like he had it to himself. A first, too - sleeping with a woman and not expected to perform, even if she had made a joke about it. Maybe that was why he’d slept so well.

She looked pretty and peaceful sleeping. He studied her face more than he'd have to dared if she were awake. Her long, dark eyelashes, and her brown eyes hidden. His mind travelled back to their kiss.

And my seven are (and only play along if you want to), in no particular order: 

1. Rachel Lyndhurst
2. Morton Gray
3. Annalisa Crawford
4. Sarah Pearson
5. Becky Black
6. Sally Quilford
7. Talli Roland

One Novel Down

By Jove, I think I've only gone and done it!

Yes, I've finished editing The Wedding Favour! There is probably more work that could be done to it, but it could go on and on forever. And I've got to the point, it's polished, let's see if someone actually likes it - I'll be glad to see the back of it! If it is successful, I'm pretty sure an editor will want their say in some of the editing. I think I've taken it as far as I can basically.

Sort of Adam... I've found it harder to find a visual

So now?

Well, I'm going to let it rest for a couple of weeks, then put it onto my Kindle (very useful for writers are ereaders!) and give it one more read through. Just to make sure I've crossed all the T's and dotted the I's. Then I will start submitting. (I'm very nervous about this bit). I've listed and looked at some publishers that I think it fits. It's a contemporary romance. There are a couple of sex scenes, but the heat level is nowhere near erotica.

I know that it will get rejections, and I am fearing this. Maybe mainly, with everything else going on in my life, I really would like to achieve something with my writing, to know that I'm on the right path, I'm doing the right thing, and my future will seem a whole lot brighter. This might be that light at the end of the tunnel I really need to see.

Steve - Perfect Isn't An Option

In the mean time I will carry on writing Perfect Isn't An Option (which I'm rather excited about), targeting myself 1000 words a day. If I start 26th March latest (as I have my son's birthday coming up this weekend, I need to focus on that - plus it gives me time to read through what I've already written), then to add another 45-47,000 words to my so far 33,000 word total, should take me to beginning of May.  So watch the counter to the right, I'll be updating again with my word count as it increases!

This is the novel I want to send to the RNA NWS - so it will have to get polished up, in making sure it reads well by end of August. But I might go with the approach of "chucking it all at the wall, and seeing what sticks."

Gosh, I feel like I want to crack open the champagne just for finishing a novel. But I'm saving that bottle in the fridge for my first paid published piece. Will it be The Wedding Favour?

Book Review: Lexy's Little Matchmaker by Lynda Sandoval

Sorry! Another book review, but I've just finished this one rather quickly. (It was only 210 pages).

Lexy's Little Matchmaker by Lynda Sandoval

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm in two minds about this book. Although I did enjoy it, and the conflict in it was different, I wasn't sure if I liked the hero and heroine not always being on the same page together.

I'll let it off at the start, (Drew and his son Ian are hiking, and an accident happens, Lexy is the person who answers the 911 call and helps Ian save Drew's life) because it's how they become acquainted. But I think I would have liked to have seen more of them on the page together than I did, and their relationship grow that way.

It did put a lump in my throat at times during the end of the book, so I'm giving it three stars. Two feels a bit mean.

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But this quick read has put me back on target with my 40 a year challenge - Yay!