BLOG TOUR: Reach for a Star - Kathryn Freeman

It's a Rachel's Random Resources Blog Tour today so that means there's a fabulous giveaway!  After reading my review of Reach for a Star, you can enter to win a paperback copy of Oh Crumbs by Kathryn Freeman and this is a book I absolutely loved so do make sure you enter!  Good Luck!

What if your dreams were so close you could reach out and touch them? 

How could anyone resist Michael Tennant, with his hypnotic blue eyes and voice like molten chocolate? Jessie Simmons certainly can’t. But Jessie’s a single mum who can’t sing to save her life – there’s no way she’ll ever cross paths with the star tenor. 

At least that’s what she thinks until she’s unexpectedly invited to take part in a new reality TV show. The premise? Professional singers teach hopeless amateurs how to sing. The surprise? Jessie’s partner is none other than Michael Tennant!

As she becomes better acquainted with the man behind the voice, will Jessie find out the hard way that you should never meet your idols? Or will she get more than she bargained for?

What did I think?

My reading tastes have changed over the years and I rarely read romantic fiction or chick-lit these days, however, I always make an exception for certain authors and Kathryn Freeman is one of them.  It's nice to have a change of pace from psychological thrillers and bloodthirsty crime and with her comforting, heartwarming romantic fiction Kathryn Freeman certainly fits the bill.

In Reach for a Star, pharmacist and divorcee, Jessie, is secretly entered into a TV singing competition by her two sons; not because she is a good singer, but because she can't sing at all.  The TV show teams members of the public with professional singers from various music genres in an attempt to teach them to sing.  With only one week to do it, it seems like an impossible task so it's not the best but the most improved singer who will win.  Jessie can't believe her luck when she is partnered with her idol, Michael Tennant, but their meeting doesn't go as perfectly as she imagined as Michael is at his most snappy with trying to squeeze this reality show in right before an upcoming world tour.

As you would expect after spending a lot of time with somebody over an intense week, Michael's shell begins to crack and he starts to fall for Jessie.  Michael has had his heart broken once before and he's worried that Jessie is more in love with Michael Tennant the tenor than Michael the man.  With so many insecurities, misunderstandings and prior commitments getting in the way, not to mention a PA who has her own sights set on Michael, the pair have to survive being apart during Michael's world tour.  If it's meant to be, they'll find a way.

Kathryn Freeman writes a prescription for pure unadulterated escapism in Reach for a Star.  Side effects are a warm heart, damp eyes, inability to prevent your mouth from smiling and an overall feeling of happiness.  Seriously, I wish you could bottle this stuff!  For any girl who has ever fallen in love with her idol (and let's face it, who hasn't?), Reach for a Star brings that dream to life; this sparkling, utterly fabulous book will not just warm your heart, it will warm your soul.  

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:
Amazon UK
Amazon US



About the author:

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.

Social Media Links –

Website:  http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/kathrynfreeman

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KathrynFreeman1

GIVEAWAY!!!

Giveaway to Win a PB copy of Oh Crumbs by Kathryn Freeman (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Follow the tour:

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir - Jennifer Ryan

Kent, 1940.

In the idyllic village of Chilbury change is afoot. Hearts are breaking as sons and husbands leave to fight, and when the Vicar decides to close the choir until the men return, all seems lost.

But coming together in song is just what the women of Chilbury need in these dark hours, and they are ready to sing. With a little fighting spirit and the arrival of a new musical resident, the charismatic Miss Primrose Trent, the choir is reborn.

Some see the choir as a chance to forget their troubles, others the chance to shine. Though for one villager, the choir is the perfect cover to destroy Chilbury’s new-found harmony.

Uplifting and profoundly moving, THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR explores how a village can endure the onslaught of war, how monumental history affects small lives and how survival is as much about friendship as it is about courage.

What did I think?

I had my eye on The Chilbury Ladies' Choir when I saw it being published and I had barely added it to my wishlist before I was fortunate enough to win a beautiful hardback copy.  As a careful reader I always remove the dustjacket from a hardback whilst reading and I have to say that I got a really pleasant surprise to find a printed cover underneath of the village of Chilbury.  Full marks to The Borough Press and HarperCollins for making The Chilbury Ladies' Choir as beautiful outside as it is inside.

On turning the first page we are greeted with a notice that the village choir has closed as all the men have gone to war.  Throughout the forthcoming pages, comprising personal journal entries and letters, we meet the ladies of Chilbury who don't see why their choir has to close just because they are short of a few male voices.  So The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is born and through tears and laughter, personal challenges and German bombings, the ladies draw strength from each other.  You could certainly apply the phrase 'Keep Calm and Carry On' to Chilbury as they face each day with a song in their heart.

I loved the way this book was written with letters and journal entries of the main characters.  It surprised me how easily it flowed and I often forgot that I was reading what you would define as excerpts rather than chapters.  They are so very personal at times that we really get into the heart of the characters, warts and all.

We often hear stories of the Battle of Britain and the Normandy Landings but what about the Home Front?  The women who kept Britain running whilst the men went off to war.  I am proud to say that my maternal Grandad was part of the Normandy invasion, but what I often forget, yet remain equally proud of, is that my paternal Grandmother turned her hand to driving cranes in a munitions factory during the war.  It was said that Mary Ryles could pick up a threepenny bit with her crane.  Jennifer Ryan has subtly reminded us of the huge part played by the brave ladies of war-torn Britain and her book is dedicated, very fittingly, to her Grandmother and all the women of the Home Front.

So if you're looking to snuggle up with a good book, look no further than The Chilbury Ladies' Choir.  Read about the privileged lives and secrets of Venetia and Kitty Winthrop, the battle of the midwives: Mrs. Tilling and Miss. Paltry, but most of all the strength and camaraderie of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir.  A superb debut novel filled with tears and laughter, based on real life as told to Jennifer Ryan by her Grandmother.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon