 |
| Rachel's Random Resources Book Tours |
 |
| Welcome to my Blog! Wander through worlds real and fictional, meet interesting people, visit exciting places and find good books to enjoy along the way! |
 |
| About the Book |
Love and Loss at the Beach Hotel
Can true love win the day?
Hetty Affleck is working as a maid at the prestigious Beach Hotel in Littlehampton. Her beau, Lorcan, is away at war and has recently stopped replying to her letters but she is determined to keep her spirits up. When she meets wealthy shipbuilder's son Victor Perryman, they pass the time of day and they both feel a connection but she can’t allow herself to think anything more of it - not only does she have Lorcan to think of, but she and Victor are divided by wealth and class.
Yet they meet again and Hetty is charmed and intrigued by Victor and his openness towards her. It becomes harder to ignore the attachment growing between them.
When Lorcan comes back on leave, Hetty is forced to face her true feelings. Who does she really love, and can that love conquer everything in its path?
Purchase Links
Amazon:
Kobo:
Apple:
Waterstones:
Author Bio –
Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child. Born in Worthing and brought up in Littlehampton in Sussex, she was largely influenced by a Welsh mother who loved to tell improvised stories. A history graduate and qualified teacher, she decided to turn her writing hobby into something more in 2006, when she joined a writing class.
Writing as both Francesca Capaldi and Francesca Burgess, she has had many short stories published in magazines in the UK and abroad, along with several pocket novels published by DC Thomson.
Her Welsh World War 1 sagas were inspired by the discovery of the war record of her great grandfather, a miner in South Wales. Heartbreak in the Valleys was a finalist in the Historical Romance category of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards (RoNAs) in 2021. Her latest series, The Beach Hotel, is set in her own childhood town, where her Italian father had a café on the riverside. The first in that series, A New Start at the Beach Hotel, won the Romantic Saga Award in the RoNAs in 2024.
Francesca is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. She currently lives on the North Downs in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.
Social Media Links –
Website & Blog:
Facebook Author Page:
Twitter/X:
Instagram:
TikTok:
 |
| Read An Excerpt |
Hetty Affleck is taking a walk out with her friend Phoebe, telling her about the recent blowing up of the river.
They made their way down to the eastern end of South Terrace and walked up the road to the promenade, to avoid walking across the mucky common.
‘My goodness,’ Phoebe said as they headed towards the pier. ‘It is a mess. It’s amazing how far the mud got thrown. It’s a good job it wasn’t summer with plenty of people about.’
‘Would you rather we went elsewhere?’
‘No, I like walking by the sea here. And it’ll be interesting to see exactly what’s happened.’
Hetty gave her a rundown of the day of the explosions. She always felt comfortable in Phoebe’s company, like she could tell her anything. She was in two minds about revealing her relationship with Victor though.
They came towards the end of the promenade and turned the corner to walk next to the river, passing the gun battery mound.
‘Oh dear, it really is a mess here,’ said Phoebe, pointing towards the river mouth.
‘You said they did it to widen it for the war ships?’
‘That’s right. I’m not sure how much good they did. Major Thomas reckons it’ll soon be silted up again because that’s what the River Arun does.’
‘The whole thing must have been terrifying for you, and for everyone in the town. It was lucky nobody was hurt.’
‘There were a lot of complaints, according to the Littlehampton Gazette,’ said Hetty. ‘They reckon they should have dredged it.’
‘I’m not surprised.’
They stopped outside the Casino Theatre, looking at the posters there, advertising shows, including a couple of Christmas events.
‘Still seems to be a few things going on here,’ said Phoebe. ‘Perhaps another time we could go to a performance. Are they doing any Christmas activities at the hotel this year?’
‘Yes. We’re raising money for the Christmas boxes for the men abroad, and for the local children. There’s a concert and a meal for the ordinary town folk. We’re doing an event for the children and Lili’s leading the hotel choir again on Christmas Eve.’
‘That is something I’m looking forward to when I come back, Christmas at the hotel.’
Hetty was only half listening now, for she’d noticed four men walking close to the river’s shore, by the shingle edge, smartly dressed in dark suits. Two of them were Victor and his father, who was wagging his finger as if annoyed about something. Victor noticed her, staring for a moment, but quickly looked away. Luckily, neither the other men, nor Phoebe, seemed to have noticed.
‘Would you like to—’ Hetty began, but she wasn’t able to finish her sentence.
There was a terrific boom, and the next thing she knew, she and Phoebe were cowering on the ground.
Hetty sat up, moaning. She’d landed on her wounded hand, and it hurt like the devil. ‘Phoebe?’
Her friend roused herself. ‘What happened?’
‘I think it was another explo— oh my goodness.’ She struggled to get up, so Phoebe helped her. She flung her head round to look at where Victor had been standing, her heart racing. ‘Oh no! The men are all on the ground.’
(note: Helen has not yet read this title)
scroll down to bottom of page
to leave a comment
*
Follow Helen On:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick
Bluesky: @HelenHollick - http://helenhollick.bsky.social/
(and I'm on Twitter @HelenHollick but for marketing only)
*
You might also like
books written by Helen Hollick
Website: https://helenhollick.net/
Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
*
 |
The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries set in the 1970s |
*
The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy
*
THE SAXON SERIES
 |
| The story of the events that led to The Battle of Hastings in 1066 Harold the King (UK edition) I Am The Chosen King (US edition) 1066 Turned Upside Down an anthology of 'What If'' tales |
 |
| The Forever Queen (US edition) a USA TODAY BESTSELLER A Hollow Crown (UK edition) |
*
KING ARTHUR
The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy
The Boy Who became a Man:
Who became a King:
Who became a Legend...
 |
THE PENDRAGON's BANNER TRILOGY |
 |
| US editions |
*
 |
Historical Stories of Exile by 13 popular authors Cryssa Bazos, Anna Belfrage, Elizabeth Chadwick, Cathie Dunn, J.G. Harlond, Helen Hollick, Loretta Livingstone, Amy Maroney Alison Morton, Charlene Newcomb, Elizabeth St.John, Marian L Thorpe, Annie Whitehead. With an introduction by Deborah Swift |
*
 |
| Amazon: FREE ebook! |
*
*
NON-FICTION
*
 | |
|
*
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for leaving a comment - it should appear soon. If you are having problems, contact me on author AT helenhollick DOT net and I will post your comment for you. That said ...SPAMMERS or rudeness will be composted or turned into toads.
Helen