Thursday, September 19, 2019

RRR presents... A SUMMER TO REMEMBER by Victoria Cooke - EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.


Today, we're joining Rachel's Random Resources for a stop along their current tour featuring a new Romantic Comedy/Chick-Lit offering AVAILABLE NOW via HQ Digital!  It stars a single woman who's found a way to love her new life that's about to have things SHAKEN not stirred.  Sound good?  Oh, it gets better!  Ladies and gents, make way as today's title in the spotlight take the stage...


by
Victoria Cooke
HQ Digital

About the book...
 Sam lives by the mantra that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. 

After the tragic loss of her husband, Sam built a new life around friends, her cat Coco and a career she loves. Fending off frequent set-ups and well-meaning advice to ‘move on’, Sam is resolutely happy being single.

  But when Sam gets seconded to her firm’s Boston office for the summer, it is more than her career that is in for a shake-up. A spur of the moment decision to visit the idyllic beaches of Cape Cod could end up changing her life forever.






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~~~ EXCERPT ~~~

This is Sam’s first day in her dream secondment that she’d worked hard for. It doesn’t quite go to plan. . .

The next morning, I hit the ground running. Yesterday’s arsehole is today’s motivation to be professional and great at my job. Oh, who am I kidding? Ninety-nine per cent of my confidence was bought from Hobbs in the form of the smart black skirt and burgundy blouse I’m currently wearing. For added oomph, I’m carrying my ‘special occasion only’ black Marc Jacobs handbag in an attempt to feel every bit the city girl.
As I negotiate the revolving door to the office, my insides are jelly. The receptionist takes me up to the boardroom where I’ll meet the team. Four of them are my English colleagues, who left the apartment earlier than me because they wanted to go to Starbucks, and I wasn’t ready. They, being mostly bald men, had considerably less hair to dry than I did.
As we approach the glass-walled boardroom, I glance at them all sat around the table. My inner fire dies a little when it registers that they’re all dressed casually. The receptionist is smart in her cropped houndstooth pants and purple sweater, so it makes no sense, unless we’re kicking off with some practical hands-on work.
‘Hi,’ I say, feeling a little sick. ‘So, do you do casual Friday on a Monday here?’ I mean it as a joke to laugh off my blunder but soon realise that my British accent and power dressing probably made it sound like more of an underhand dig, a notion affirmed by a few raised eyebrows and a bit of uncomfortable throat clearing.
‘We always dress like this. Do you have a problem with that, ma’am?’ the man at the top of the table asks. I’m assuming he’s Patrick, the boss.
‘Er, no. No problem at all. I was j—’
‘Good,’ he says, before turning back to the rest of the table. I slip into a chair and take out my file. That wasn’t a great start, but I’m determined to make a good impression.
‘As I was saying before Victoria Beckham over here interrupted—’ he jabs his thumb in my direction, as if anyone was in any doubt, and heat rises up the back of my neck ‘—Rocks needs an international campaign for their sneakers, so we really need to our heads in the game. This isn’t a rebrand, this is a new brand so we have to get it just right.’
I glance at my watch and it’s only 8.55 a.m. My chest tightens. I can’t believe they started without me. How rude! I look around the table. Tony, Dave, Carl and Steve – my British colleagues – are all dressed down and look completely mortified by my intrusion. The other four men are the Americans; I’ve yet to learn names but they’re all equally unimpressed. But they started without me.
I keep my mouth shut for the rest of the day. Maybe it’s first day nerves or perhaps I’m still knocked by that awful man I met yesterday but I can’t seem to unravel the knot in my stomach. When the clock strikes five, I almost race out of the door. Tony catches me up. ‘Sorry, Sam, I thought you knew it was a casual office – I’d have said this morning if I saw you.’ He looks genuinely sorry.
‘It’s fine.’ I brush my hand through the air. ‘Nobody mentioned it, that’s all.’
‘It was in the itinerary email.’ He pulls out his phone and begins scrolling through.
‘Really, it’s fine.’ I don’t need him to prove it, I need him to drop it. I’m mortified enough as it is.
He looks up. ‘Here it is. “And remember, the Boston office is CW.” Casualwear.’
‘What? Give me that.’ I take the phone from his hand and read it for myself. ‘I had this email, but how was I supposed to know CW meant casualwear? I thought it was a direction, like “central west” or something.’
He furrows his brow. ‘I’m sorry. We all knew. At least you do now, and tomorrow is a new day. We’re going for beers; do you want to join us?’
‘No, thanks. I have some shopping to do.’



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About the author...


Victoria Cooke grew up in the city of Manchester before crossing the Pennines in pursuit of a career in education. She now lives in Huddersfield with her husband and two young daughters and when she’s not at home writing by the fire with a cup of coffee in hand, she loves working out in the gym and travelling. Victoria was first published at the tender age of eight by her classroom teacher who saw potential in a six-page story about an invisible man. Since then she’s always had a passion for reading and writing, undertaking several writers’ courses before completing her first novel, 'The Secret to Falling in Love,' in 2016.

Her third novel, Who Needs Men Anyway? became a digital bestseller in 2018.

GOODREADS  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK  |  INSTAGRAM



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UP FOR GRABS...


A Summer to Remember by Victoria Cooke and Chocolates!
(UK Only)

*Terms and Conditions –UK 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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Special thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is AVAILABLE NOW via HQ Digital, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today!  Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!



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