A Little Bit of Madness
Sheryl Browne
Contemporary Romance/Humor/Women's Fiction
Synopsis:
Celia
Summers, intrepid mother of two, loves her work as an art therapist at
The Harbour Rest Home. She’s proud of her elderly independents’
artwork, even if her partner, Martin, is disparaging of their efforts.
But then, Martin is preoccupied, trying to get his hands on his
mother’s home, Charlton Hall, to bail himself out of debt. To which
end, he has to get Celia on side with a fabrication of lies.
Meanwhile,
Celia fights to keep The Harbour from being closed. She’s ready to
abseil from a church steeple to bring attention to the plight of her old
people, no matter that she might fall and end up splattered all over
the flagstones. When she does fall, however, it’s much more painfully.
Police Constable Alex Burrows, son of Colonel Burrows, is considerate,
caring and chivalrous. He has a wicked sense of humour, which makes
Celia laugh, though when she learns of the circumstances surrounding his
disabled daughter, she wants to cry. Alex also has a reputation as a
womaniser, which Celia tries to ignore. His trying to influence his
father’s Will though, she can’t. Alex, who little by little has stolen
her heart, appears to be just as much a liar as Martin.
Will
Alex be able redeem himself? Or is evicting Celia from Charlton Hall,
which she and her elderlies have laid siege to, the final straw?
My Review:
This was the most humorous read and I found myself chuckling throughout the entire book! Ms Browne's characters were rich and lively and the elderly had much to offer. Celia knew they had a lot of life left and that they were capable of making decisions about their futures and how they wanted to live out their remaining days. Her heart was in tune with those of her elderly independents. She was dedicated to doing everything possible to provide the best care possible for them. Unfortunately, that would lead her down the path to a criminal and illegal deeds!!This was a very heartwarming read with characters who became very real and believable as well as lovable. There are themes of friendship, romance, heart break, family and values and several surprises along the way. I mostly enjoyed the witty humour between character conversations and thoughts...not all of which was kind. The storyline was well thought out and the writing easy to read, flowing smoothly to the ending your heart will desire. I give this read 5 Winks, it's just a delightful and fun read!
Author Bio:
Now
residing in Worcestershire, Sheryl Browne grew up in Birmingham, UK,
where she studied Art & Design. She wears many hats: a partner in
her own business, a mother, and a foster parent to disabled dogs.
Creative in spirit, Sheryl has always had a passion for writing. A
member of the Romantic Novelists' Association, she has previously been
published in the US and writes Romantic Comedy because, as she puts it,
"life is just too short to be miserable."
Sheryl's
debut novel, RECIPES FOR DISASTER - combining deliciously different and
fun recipes with sexilicious romantic comedy, is garnering some
fabulous reviews! Sheryl has also been offered a further three-book
contract under the Safkhet Publishing Soul imprint. SOMEBODY TO LOVE, a
romantic comedy centring around a single policeman father’s search for
love, his autistic little boy and the boy’s Autism Assistance Dog,
launched July 1 with an immediate 5* review. WARRANT FOR LOVE, bringing
together three couples in a twisting story that resolves perfectly,
released August 1, and A LITTLE BIT OF MADNESS releases on Valentine’s
Day 2013.
Twitter: @sherylbrowne
Excerpt:
‘I think I might be able to assist. Excuse me, dears.’ May squeezed
between them, potty in hand. ‘There,’ she said, opening the window and chucking
the contents out. ‘That should cool their ardour.’
‘Oh my God.’ Celia gawked. ‘May, I can’t believe you just did that!’
Eleanor laughed. ‘Relax, Celia. He hasn’t been assaulted quite as
rudely as you think. It’s tea, not pee.’
‘I’ve been practising.’ May nodded importantly. ‘It’s not as easy as
it looks, you know, making huge potfuls and getting it right, especially when
it’s orgasmic.’
‘Organic, May.’
‘Oh, don’t be such a baby,’ Celia shouted through the window, as
Martin gave an outraged screech and clutched his shirt from his chest. ‘It was
tea, not pee.’
‘It was bloody hot!’ Martin looked up, po-faced. Appropriately,
Celia thought. ‘She could have seriously injured me, the silly cow. Come on,
Celia, see sense and come out before something awful happens.’
‘It already did, Martin. You happened.’
‘Fine. Have it your own way,’ Martin snapped, ‘let’s see if the
police can persuade you, shall we?’ With great fanfare, he flicked open his new
mobile, and whoosh, in an instant it was gone—swept away on a cloud of fire
extinguisher foam.
‘Yessss!’ Celia did a little twirl on the landing. ‘Well done,
Eleanor!’
‘That is it!’ Martin shouted through a face-full of suds. ‘I’m
going to find a public telephone. The police will be here in minutes, Celia. You’d
better get out under your own steam, while you still can!’
‘Do what you like, Martin,’ she called, as the two men in suits
climbed from their vehicle, now parked behind Martin’s Jaguar. They’d had the good sense to stay out of the line of fire
until now. ‘We’re not budging. We’re not even prepared to talk until we get
assurances no contracts have been exchanged!’
Let him chew on that for a while, Celia thought as she turned
away. Damn! The bailiffs! She realised they could split up at any moment and bolted
downstairs, missing the last step from the bottom to land in a heap.
‘Ooh bloody, bloody Martin.’ Celia crawled up the banister
and limped on, sure at least one of the bailiffs would be trying to gain entry
at the back by now. ‘Batten down the hatches,’ she shouted, stumbling into the
kitchen.
‘All battened m’dear. Blighters won’t get in here,’ the colonel
assured her, walking stick ready to thrash any hand that might nudge through
the cat-flap.
‘Mum,’ Luke yelled from the front hall, ‘it’s Alex.’
Oh no. Celia’s heart plummeted. Why, why, why, if he cared about any
of them, couldn’t he have turned a blind eye, bunked off work, done anything
but be involved in their eviction?
‘Where?’ She raced back toward the front hall, ready to dish out the
same treatment to him as they had Martin, except, um, it seemed someone already
had.
‘Here,’ said Alex, meeting her in the hall looking disarmingly Colin
Firth-ish. Shirt plastered to his chest, his new shoes sloshing water as he
walked, his expression one of total exasperation.
‘Who let you in?!’ Celia
stared at him flabbergasted.
‘Luke,’ Alex supplied. ‘On the condition I told the bailiffs to back
off and in the hope I wouldn’t drown, I imagine.’
‘Good God!’ The colonel blinked his monocle-free eye. ‘Not raining
is it, lad?’
Alex sighed. ‘Torrentially. You might want to point out to May that
hosing down policemen isn’t the best way to proceed if she wants to avoid a
visit to the station.’
For additional perspectives, follow the tour below:
February 14- Reading Addiction Blog Tours - Meet and Greet
February 15 - Jen McConnel - PROMO
February 16 -
February 17 - Reading With Anacrasia - Guest Post/PROMO
February 18 - Laurie's Interviews - Interview/PROMO
February 19 -
February 20 - Inside BJ's Head - Guest Post/PROMO
February 21 - Beth Art From the Heart - Review/Interview
February 22 - Melina's Book Blog - Review/Interview
February 23 -
February 24 - A Dream Within a Dream - PROMO
February 25 -
February 26 - Books Fore Me - Review
February 27 -
February 28 - Stressed Rach - Review
March 1 - My Cozie Corner - Review
March 2 - Sab the Book Eater - Review/Interview
March 3 - Books For Me - Review
March 4 - Jersey Girl Book Reviews - Review/Guest Post
March 5 - Love in a Book - Review/Guest Post
March 6 -
March 7 - The Book Diva's Read - Review/Guest Post
March 8 -
March 9 - Andi's Book Reviews- Guest Post/PROMO
March 10 - Kaisy Daisy's Blog - Review
March 11 - My Devotional Thoughts - Review/Guest Post
March 12 -
March 13 - My Reading Addiction - Review
March 14 -
March 15 - RABT Reviews - Review
Disclosure
of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a
copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have
been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in
exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with
those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This
disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part
255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*
5 comments:
Awww, Beth! Thank you soooo much! What an absolutely fabulous review! I am really thrilled to bits - particularly as the launch of this book was saddened a little by the loss of someone very special who was a huge part of the inspiration behind it. You have done her (and me proud). BIG Smiles! :) xx
You are so welcome Sheryl! I will review for you anytime!
Thank you! You're an angel! :) xx
Fabulous review, huge congrats to Sheryl and thanks to Beth for sharing her thoughts!!! I can't wait to get reading, have my Kindle loaded and it's next on my TBR. Rock on!
Thank you so much for stopping by and your lovely comment, Nicky. Truly appreciated! :) xx
Post a Comment