What Evie is Reading
This month my books are all debuts from three incredible new authors! Our heroines are a Victorian lady scientist, a Kiwi carpenter, and a young woman on the run who finds safety and solace in a tattoo parlour. Written by first time authors from America, New Zealand, and the UK, I was blown away by these stories and can’t wait to share them with you!
A Lady’s Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett
I’m a sucker for Lisa Kleypas’s historical romances, and was thrilled when one of my fabulous author friends recommended this book for me to read. A Lady’s Formula for Love is the debut by Elizabeth Everett, and the first book in The Secret Scientists of London series. It centres around a London club for ladies, that encourages its members to pursue science in all its forms in secret. There are tarantulas, explosions, rudimentary aerosols, and experimental hair lacquer. However, there’s also something more sinister going on, and someone is out to destroy Violet and her work to find an antidote for a toxic gas that’s been weaponised.
Enter close protection officer, Arthur Kneland. Brought in to keep Violet safe, his closed off heart is broken open by her brilliance. He’s got his own secrets to hide, and is so below her station, a relationship is impossible. However, the attraction is as explosive as the bombs going off all around them.
A Lady’s Formula for Love is funny, poignant, blisteringly hot, and an absolute romp of a read. If you’re into stoic heroes, fiery and independent women, history and comedy then you’ll absolutely love this book!
Official Book Blurb
What is a Victorian lady’s formula for love? Mix one brilliant noblewoman and her enigmatic protection officer. Add in a measure of danger and attraction. Heat over the warmth of humor and friendship, and the result is more than simple chemistry–it’s elemental.
Lady Violet is keeping secrets. First, she founded a clandestine sanctuary for England’s most brilliant female scientists. Second, she is using her genius on a confidential mission for the Crown. But the biggest secret of all? Her feelings for protection officer Arthur Kneland.
Solitary and reserved, Arthur learned the hard way to put duty first. But the more time he spends in the company of Violet and the eccentric club members, the more his best intentions go up in flames. Literally.
When a shadowy threat infiltrates Violet’s laboratories, endangering her life and her work, scientist and bodyguard will find all their theories put to the test — and learn that the most important discoveries are those of the heart.
Want a sneak peek inside A Lady’s Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett? Click on the image below!
And follow Elizabeth’s work through her website and social media channels
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What We Deserve by Lizzie Stanley
One Saturday night, I got into an Instagram chat with a book blogger about tropes that needed to die already, and it morphed into a conversation about books we would recommend. She told me I had to read the debut novel by British author, Lizzie Stanley, titled ‘What we Deserve’. I downloaded it, intending to have an early night, read a couple of chapters, and see what it was all about. Three hours later, I was still awake, it was officially the next day, and I didn’t want to put the book down. After a fitful night dreaming about the characters, I woke at six am, grabbed my kindle and started reading until I’d finished it. Then I needed a nap…
‘What we Deserve’ is a fabulously written story with engaging characters, and difficult situations handled sensitively. Emily is on the run from an abusive ex boyfriend, and takes a job as a receptionist at a tattoo parlour run by American born Leo, and his cousins Eli and Dean, along with Brit firecracker, Sadie. Eli’s damaged by his vicious ex wife and doesn’t ever see himself in a relationship. Until he meets Emily… The book is a slow burn but keeps you hooked with the characters being utterly believable and likeable. There are some fabulous group text conversations between Leo, Sadie and Dean as they try and help the two reluctant lovebirds get together, and every situation, even if it’s just a drink at the local pub, is written so beautifully, you feel like you’re there too.
In addition, there are some completely unexpected laugh out loud moments of humour that I just adored. My favourite was a description of Leo dancing at a nightclub, an image that was so evocative, it entered my dreams… For a first time author, Lizzie’s writing just blew me away. She writes from multiple perspectives, and each voice is unique. Her writing is mature, nuanced, and engaging. I’m absolutely desperate to read more about Dean, Leo and Sadie’s stories next, and hope you love this What we Deserve as much as I do!
Official Book Blurb
I’m used to being alone, until she changed everything…
When my ex-wife left, she said the cruelest words she could think of, and I took them all to heart.
Now I work at my loveable bastard cousin’s tattoo parlor and keep most people at arm’s length. I have the occasional one night stand to take the edge off, but there can never be anything more than that for me.
I don’t let myself think about how lonely I am. At least I’m not ruining anyone’s life, right?
Then Emily walks into Wishbone Tattoos, asking about the receptionist job. And this shy, smiling, kindhearted woman is everything I’ve ever wanted.
I can’t help falling for her, even though I know I mustn’t, for both our sakes.
But there’s something about Emily I don’t know. Something that will make her the exception to my hard and fast rule…
She’s battle scarred herself, and running scared from a dark past which snaps at her heels, but I’m not going to let anyone hurt her ever again, I swear to god.
And maybe, if we’re lucky and we both want it hard enough, the two of us will finally get what we deserve.
Want a sneak peek inside What We Deserve by Lizzie Stanley? Click on the image below!
And follow Lizzie’s work through her website and social media channels
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The Year of the Fox by Merren Tait
As I was researching cover designers, I came across Bailey McGinn and commissioned her to do the covers for my series. One of her covers was for kiwi author Merren Tait, and I decided to read the book as I loved the premise.
Nancy is looking for a new start in the country after being dumped for someone fifteen years younger. She buys a plot of land in the New Zealand countryside and sets about building her own home. She quickly realises she doesn’t have enough money, and so does odd jobs, whilst trying to build up her carpentry business. The book spans a year as she gets to know the neighbours, including a very hot one, and also deals with her struggles to get over her ex.
The Year of the Fox is just brilliant. It’s painfully funny, emotionally raw, and completely engaging. So often in stories, the side characters are given ‘quirks’ just for the sake of it. In Merren’s story there are lots of side characters and all of them feel unique and real. I just loved this book. It’s fabulously written, incredibly evocative, and wonderfully funny. I fell in love with Nancy and New Zealand and can’t wait to read more from Merren!
Official Book Blurb
I started My New Life with a wild leap of faith and a screwdriver in my back pocket. Turns out I needed a power tool arsenal…
Nancy Myers is having a hard time. She’s broken-hearted, homeless and unemployed. And she’s just turned forty. But Nancy has a secret weapon. Desperation.
Relying solely on her finely-honed ability to make stuff up as she goes along and the battery life of her cordless drill, she’s determined to make a fresh start (one that on no account features men of the falling-in-love-with variety).
After purchasing a rural property on a whim at the foot of the Southern Alps in New Zealand, Nancy attempts to settle into country life. She finds the vista of the mountains healing. She also finds a tall, dark and gumbooted stranger (who proves to be therapeutic in other ways).
But when she discovers her precious view is about to be taken away, Nancy faces a hard choice. Should she play saboteur to protect her own happiness, even if it means losing the man who just might possibly be the key to it?
Maybe her fresh start is actually a false start. Or maybe she’s learning a thing or two about how to be a kick-arse, self-reliant woman.
The Year of the Fox is the first of four stand-alone novels in the wildly funny Good Life series.
Want a sneak peek inside The Year of the Fox by Merren Tait? Click on the image below!
And follow Merren’s work through her website and social media channels
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So there you go – three debut authors and three fabulous reads. I’d love to know your thoughts. Have you read any of these books yet, and if so, what did you think? Get in touch via email or social media. And don’t forget, if you have any reading recommendations for me then I’d love to hear them!
Big love, Evie x
