Take me, I'm Yours
Written by Lizzie Lamb
Published by New Romantics Press (24 July 2018)Genre Contemporary Romance
Pages 349
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My thanks to author Lizzie Lamb and Rachel, of Rachel's Random Resources, for the invitation to join the blog tour and a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
You'll find a short extract after my review, which I'm sure you'll enjoy! Follow the tour to find out more.
The blurb:
India Buchanan
plans to set up an English-Style bed and breakfast establishment in her
great-aunt’s home, MacFarlane’s Landing, Wisconsin. But she’s reckoned without
opposition from Logan MacFarlane whose family once owned her aunt’s house and
now want it back.
MacFarlane is in no mood to be denied. His grandfather’s living on borrowed time and Logan has vowed to ensure the old man sees out his days in their former home. India’s great-aunt has other ideas and has threatened to burn the house to the ground before she lets a MacFarlane set foot in it. There’s a story here. One the family elders aren’t prepared to share.
When India finds herself in Logan’s debt, her feelings towards him change. However, the past casts a long shadow and events conspire to deny them the love and happiness they both deserve. Can India and Logan’s love overcome all odds? Or is history about to repeat itself?
MacFarlane is in no mood to be denied. His grandfather’s living on borrowed time and Logan has vowed to ensure the old man sees out his days in their former home. India’s great-aunt has other ideas and has threatened to burn the house to the ground before she lets a MacFarlane set foot in it. There’s a story here. One the family elders aren’t prepared to share.
When India finds herself in Logan’s debt, her feelings towards him change. However, the past casts a long shadow and events conspire to deny them the love and happiness they both deserve. Can India and Logan’s love overcome all odds? Or is history about to repeat itself?
My thoughts:
The cover did nothing for me, and I had not previously read anything by Lizzie Lamb, but I was persuaded to sign up for this blog tour because I was intrigued by the blurb and the title. And I was not to be disappointed in the slightest with this lovely story.
This is a well-written tale of feuding down the centuries causing hostile relations between the members of the two families - the MacFarlanes and the Buchanans. Every generation carries on the feud, and now it is India Buchanan and Logan MacFarlane's turn. I lived their journey with them, as India and Logan experienced a rush of emotions from loathing to love, and everything in between.
I was hooked from the moment India picked up the monkey wrench, determined to defend herself, if necessary, from the bullying Logan - and I did not want to put it down. I thought all of the characters were totally believable, and the plot twists and turns kept me reading, long into the night.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking out for more in this series.
Author Bio –
After
teaching her 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large
primary school, Lizzie decided to pursue her first love: writing.
She joined
the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, wrote Tall,
Dark and Kilted (2012), quickly followed by Boot
Camp Bride.
She went on to publish Scotch
on the Rocks, which achieved Best Seller status
within two weeks of appearing on Amazon and her next novel, Girl
in the Castle, reached #3 in the Amazon charts.
Lizzie is a founder member of indie publishing group – New Romantics Press, and
has co-hosted author events at Aspinall, St Pancras and Waterstones,
Kensington, talking about the research which underpins her novels.
Lizzie's latest romance Take Me, I’m Yours is set in Wisconsin, a part of the USA which she adores.
She has further Scottish-themed romances planned and has just returned from a
tour of the Scottish Highlands in her caravan researching men in kilts. What’s
not to like?
As for the years she spent as a teacher, they haven’t quite gone
to waste. She is building a reputation as a go-to speaker on indie publishing,
and how to plan, write, and publish a debut novel.
Lizzie lives in
Leicestershire (UK) with her husband, David.
She
loves to hear from readers, so do get in touch . . .
Enjoy this short extract from Chapter 3
Context: In this extract the reader gets to know the
heroine (India Buchanan) and her background. We see her through the eyes of her
newly acquired friend - Lotte - and learn how she’s adjusting to life in
MacFarlane’s Landing after living in big cities like New York and London.
Although the two women are relaxing, India can’t stop thinking about Logan
MacFarlane who she’d just met and the feud between their families which
threatens to destroy her future happiness.
They walked through the open plan house and onto
to the raised cedar wood deck at the rear which overlooked the lake. Steps from
the deck led down to the swimming pool,
gloriously cool in the scorching summer heat. Even the chemical smell of the
chlorine was inviting and the water reflected the cloudless sky, making India
feel she was in Tuscany or somewhere more exotic than Door County, Wisconsin.
At
the back of the property a lighthouse cast its long shadow over the pool and
dominated the shoreline. Door County was
famous for its historic lighthouses and this one, joined to her aunt’s
ramshackle Victorian house like a Siamese twin, was one of the oldest. Its
shaft acted like the gnomon on a sundial, marking the hours on different parts
of India’s great-aunt’s property as the sun wheeled across the sky. India was
becoming expert at guessing the hour from where the shadow fell at different
times of day, and that pleased her. It made her feel part of the place, as if
she truly belonged, and that there was more to her than simply being an intern
in a fancy-schmancy New York art auction house.
‘Do
you and the children want to stay for tea?’ India asked, shrugging off her
introspection and suddenly in the mood for uncomplicated company; something to
distract her from thoughts of MacFarlane, and her great-aunt’s illness.
Lotte
laughed. ‘I love the way you say that. TEA. It’s so British. TEA.’ She
pronounced, imitating India’s accent. ‘Like the Queen.’
‘Know
her well, do you? And I love the way you say Bir-tish and not Brit-ish.’
‘Just
adorable,’ they chimed together,
India mimicking Lotte’s Wisconsin accent.
‘Well,
do you wanna?’ India asked. She’d never considered herself exotic - just
ordinary. A girl with an American father and an English mother, someone who’d
graduated summa cum laude in History of Art at Vassar. Her English accent had
gone unremarked upon in cosmopolitan New York, but fascinated the inhabitants
of this narrow peninsula jutting out into Lake Michigan. It marked her out,
made her seem different from the rest.
Lotte
glanced at her watch and sighed.
‘Better
not. After their swim, the kids’ll want
to watch their favourite shows. And I don’t wanna be the one to tell them you
haven’t got a TV. Time you got one, by the way, then I could stay longer. For
tea - and other such quaint English customs. Scones and - crumpets?’ She tried
the words, experimentally and they both laughed. ‘We’ve got a spare TV in the
den, I’ll get Gerry to bring it over after work some night. Honest to God I
don’t know how you survive without a television, dishwasher or air
conditioning, Indy.’
‘There
speaks a pioneer woman. I suppose you wouldn’t have embarked on the Oregon
Trail without finding out if cable had made it to the west coast ahead of your
wagon train.’ India laughed and fetched towels from the cupboard for the
children to dry themselves.
‘Sassy,’
Lotte remarked, tapping India’s cheek good-naturedly
before retrieving a dog-eared handbill from the pocket of her maternity shorts.
‘Damned hormones - nearly made me forget. There’s a picnic at the Laurenson’s
Saturday week in aid of the Children’s Hospice. It could be my last public
appearance before Junior’s debut so I hope you’ll come. All the ladies have to dress
up a picnic basket to be auctioned off to raise funds for the Hospice.’
India
pulled a face. She knew that by the weekend MacFarlane’s visit would be the
talk of the neighbourhood and she wasn’t in the mood for jokes made at her
expense. No matter how good humoured. Everyone knew chapter and verse of the
feud between the two families and were, metaphorically speaking, queuing up to
buy ringside seats to watch them slug it out - while they took sides.
Social Media Links –
Email: lizzielambwriter@gmail.com
Website: www.lizzielamb.co.uk
Newsletter - http://tinyurl.com/ELNL-2016
Linked
in: uk.linkedin.com/pub/lizzie-lamb/18/194/202/
Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/cbla48d
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lizzielamb/
Author Bio –
After
teaching her 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large
primary school, Lizzie decided to pursue her first love: writing.
She joined
the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, wrote Tall,
Dark and Kilted (2012), quickly followed by Boot
Camp Bride.
She went on to publish Scotch
on the Rocks, which achieved Best Seller status
within two weeks of appearing on Amazon and her next novel, Girl
in the Castle, reached #3 in the Amazon charts.
Lizzie is a founder member of indie publishing group – New Romantics Press, and
has co-hosted author events at Aspinall, St Pancras and Waterstones,
Kensington, talking about the research which underpins her novels.
Lizzie's latest romance Take Me, I’m Yours is set in Wisconsin, a part of the USA which she adores.
She has further Scottish-themed romances planned and has just returned from a
tour of the Scottish Highlands in her caravan researching men in kilts. What’s
not to like?
As for the years she spent as a teacher, they haven’t quite gone
to waste. She is building a reputation as a go-to speaker on indie publishing,
and how to plan, write, and publish a debut novel.
Lizzie lives in
Leicestershire (UK) with her husband, David.
She
loves to hear from readers, so do get in touch . . .
Enjoy this short extract from Chapter 3
Context: In this extract the reader gets to know the
heroine (India Buchanan) and her background. We see her through the eyes of her
newly acquired friend - Lotte - and learn how she’s adjusting to life in
MacFarlane’s Landing after living in big cities like New York and London.
Although the two women are relaxing, India can’t stop thinking about Logan
MacFarlane who she’d just met and the feud between their families which
threatens to destroy her future happiness.
They walked through the open plan house and onto
to the raised cedar wood deck at the rear which overlooked the lake. Steps from
the deck led down to the swimming pool,
gloriously cool in the scorching summer heat. Even the chemical smell of the
chlorine was inviting and the water reflected the cloudless sky, making India
feel she was in Tuscany or somewhere more exotic than Door County, Wisconsin.
At
the back of the property a lighthouse cast its long shadow over the pool and
dominated the shoreline. Door County was
famous for its historic lighthouses and this one, joined to her aunt’s
ramshackle Victorian house like a Siamese twin, was one of the oldest. Its
shaft acted like the gnomon on a sundial, marking the hours on different parts
of India’s great-aunt’s property as the sun wheeled across the sky. India was
becoming expert at guessing the hour from where the shadow fell at different
times of day, and that pleased her. It made her feel part of the place, as if
she truly belonged, and that there was more to her than simply being an intern
in a fancy-schmancy New York art auction house.
‘Do
you and the children want to stay for tea?’ India asked, shrugging off her
introspection and suddenly in the mood for uncomplicated company; something to
distract her from thoughts of MacFarlane, and her great-aunt’s illness.
Lotte
laughed. ‘I love the way you say that. TEA. It’s so British. TEA.’ She
pronounced, imitating India’s accent. ‘Like the Queen.’
‘Know
her well, do you? And I love the way you say Bir-tish and not Brit-ish.’
‘Just
adorable,’ they chimed together,
India mimicking Lotte’s Wisconsin accent.
‘Well,
do you wanna?’ India asked. She’d never considered herself exotic - just
ordinary. A girl with an American father and an English mother, someone who’d
graduated summa cum laude in History of Art at Vassar. Her English accent had
gone unremarked upon in cosmopolitan New York, but fascinated the inhabitants
of this narrow peninsula jutting out into Lake Michigan. It marked her out,
made her seem different from the rest.
Lotte
glanced at her watch and sighed.
‘Better
not. After their swim, the kids’ll want
to watch their favourite shows. And I don’t wanna be the one to tell them you
haven’t got a TV. Time you got one, by the way, then I could stay longer. For
tea - and other such quaint English customs. Scones and - crumpets?’ She tried
the words, experimentally and they both laughed. ‘We’ve got a spare TV in the
den, I’ll get Gerry to bring it over after work some night. Honest to God I
don’t know how you survive without a television, dishwasher or air
conditioning, Indy.’
‘There
speaks a pioneer woman. I suppose you wouldn’t have embarked on the Oregon
Trail without finding out if cable had made it to the west coast ahead of your
wagon train.’ India laughed and fetched towels from the cupboard for the
children to dry themselves.
‘Sassy,’
Lotte remarked, tapping India’s cheek good-naturedly
before retrieving a dog-eared handbill from the pocket of her maternity shorts.
‘Damned hormones - nearly made me forget. There’s a picnic at the Laurenson’s
Saturday week in aid of the Children’s Hospice. It could be my last public
appearance before Junior’s debut so I hope you’ll come. All the ladies have to dress
up a picnic basket to be auctioned off to raise funds for the Hospice.’
India
pulled a face. She knew that by the weekend MacFarlane’s visit would be the
talk of the neighbourhood and she wasn’t in the mood for jokes made at her
expense. No matter how good humoured. Everyone knew chapter and verse of the
feud between the two families and were, metaphorically speaking, queuing up to
buy ringside seats to watch them slug it out - while they took sides.
Lotte glanced at her watch and sighed.
Social Media Links –
Email: lizzielambwriter@gmail.com
Website: www.lizzielamb.co.uk
Newsletter - http://tinyurl.com/ELNL-2016
Linked in: uk.linkedin.com/pub/lizzie-lamb/18/194/202/
Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/cbla48d
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lizzielamb/
Thanks for the super review and the way you've presented my books and I on your blog, Deborah. I know how much time it takes tpo read, review and blogabout books so I am always grateful to bloggers who go the extra mile. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteNo problem, Lizzie. Thank you for such a wonderful story. I look forward to reading more of your novels in the future.
ReplyDelete