Author Guest Post
Sisterly Love
I always wanted a sister. Never got one. Just brothers. Maybe that’s why my sisters-in-law are so special to me. They’re always there to be a listening ear and to rejoice with me over my little triumphs in life. Girlfriends are important, too, especially for those of us who never had sisters. Sisters of the heart, we share common interests and good times.
Those relationships with other women are important, aren’t they? But that sibling bond, whether with brothers or sisters, is really important. You all grew up together, united against a common enemy (your parents!). You played together and fought off bullies for each other and you sometimes fought with each other over everything from clothes to boys. Especially boys. In fact, one of my best buddies actually stole her sister’s guy and wound up marrying him. At the time her sis wasn’t very happy about that, but today both sisters laugh about it.
Maybe that’s where I got the idea to have the Sterling sisters find themselves fighting over a man in The Tea Shop On Lavender Lane. Bailey and Cecily Sterling are devoted sisters, and when Bailey comes home to rebuild her life and build a new business Cecily is all for it. Until Bailey goes into partnership with the man Cecily has started seeing. So, how devoted are they? When it comes to men, do sisters share?
How about you? Have you ever fought with a sister or best girlfriend over a guy? There’s sibling love and there’s true love. Is there a way a woman can have both? Neither of my Sterling sisters think so and we’ve got trouble in Icicle Falls. And, I must confess, I sure had fun stirring up that trouble!
About The Author
Writing since 1989, Sheila’s books have been printed in several different languages and have been chosen for book clubs such as Doubleday as well as for Readers Digest Condensed books. Her best-selling novel On Strike For Christmas was made into a movie and appeared on the Lifetime Movie Network, and her novel The Nine Lives Of Christmas has just been optioned for film and is slated to be a Hallmark movie later this year. Her novel Angel Lane was named one of Amazon’s Top Ten Romances for 2009.
When she's not making public appearances or playing with her friends, she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women's hearts: family, friends, and chocolate. You can visit Sheila at her website, www.sheilasplace.com.
Her latest book is the women’s fiction/romance, The Tea Shop On Lavender Lane.
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Book Review
The Tea Shop On Lavender Lane by Sheila Roberts
Book 5: Life in Icicle Falls Series
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Publication Date: June 24, 2014
Format: Paperback - 352 pages
Kindle - 899 KB
Nook - 741 KB
ISBN: 978-0778316183
ASIN: B00I66BQJE
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women's Fiction
BUY THE BOOK: The Tea Shop On Lavender Lane
BUY THE SERIES: Life in Icicle Falls
Book 0.5: Summer In A Small Town: Welcome To Icicle Falls
Book 1: Better Than Chocolate
Book 2: Merry Ex-Mas
Book 3: What She Wants
Book 4: The Cottage On Juniper Ridge
Book 5: The Tea Shop On Lavender Lane
Book 6: The Lodge On Holly Road (Publication Date: October 28, 2014)
Discuss the book at PUYB Virtual Book Club on Goodreads
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Pump Up Your Book Tours.
Book Description:
When it comes to men, sisters don't share!
After a fake food poisoning incident in L.A., Bailey Sterling's dreams of becoming a caterer to the stars collapse faster than a soufflé. Now Bailey's face is in all the gossip rags and her business is in ruins. But the Sterling women close ranks and bring her back to Icicle Falls, where she'll stay with her sister Cecily.
All goes well between the sisters until Bailey comes up with a new business idea—a tea shop on a charming street called Lavender Lane. She's going into partnership with Todd Black, who—it turns out—is the man Cecily's started dating. It looks to Cecily as if there's more than tea brewing in that cute little shop. And she's not pleased.
Wait! Isn't Cecily seeing Luke Goodman? He's a widower with an adorable little girl, and yes, Cecily does care about him. But Todd's the one who sends her zing-o-meter off the charts. So now what? Should you have to choose between your sister and the man you love (or think you love)?
Book Excerpt:
The party was going perfectly until the hostess clutched her stomach with an agonized cry and crumpled to the floor in a heap.
Rory Rourke, her boyfriend and star of the new TV series Man Handled, knelt by her side and barked, “Someone, call 911.”
“Call her doctor,” said someone else.
“Call The Star Reporter,” the victim said faintly.
And that was when Bailey Sterling knew she was in trouble.
She’d been so excited to land this gig catering Samba Barrett’s party. Samba wasn’t an Emma Stone or Kristen Stewart but she was .... someone. Sort of. And with her catlike green eyes and red hair everyone said she was on her way up, like the rest of her party guests. And surely that had meant Bailey was on her way up, too. The West Hollywood apartment had been packed with hot young actors and actresses. As she’d slipped among them bearing trays of goodies she’d heard more than one person rave about the food and had envisioned a whole string of catering gigs after this one.
The shrimp salsa in Phyllo cups had been an especially big hit. “Oh, my God, this is to die for,” America Winston (from the new reality show Hard Ass) had raved. Bailey had smiled modestly and kept circulating, while her assistant Giorgio served up stuffed mushrooms. She’d been working hard for the last three years to earn a reputation as caterer to the stars and things were finally starting to happen.
Except now here was Samba Barrett, writhing on her living room floor, groaning in agony. Only twenty minutes ago she’d been eating those shrimp cups and laughing. Did she have food allergies she hadn’t told Bailey about? Samba had gone over the menu with Bailey, approved everything. How could this have happened? Was Bailey going to be known as killer of the stars?
Thirty people gathered around the actress, some offering advice, some taking pictures with their cell phones, others texting wildly. Bailey stood on the fringe and nervously downed one of her own appetizers.
“You’ll be okay, baby,” Rory Rourke assured Samba.
“I think I ate something bad,” she whimpered.
“Oh, no, that’s not possible,” Bailey protested and everyone turned to look at her. One woman aimed her cell phone at Bailey, capturing her miserable expression. This couldn’t be happening.
But it could. And it did. Now Bailey felt sick. She lost her grip on the tray of canapes she was carrying and down they went, the tray landing on a Jimmy Choos of one of the party guests who was busy recording her hostess’s misery on her cell phone.
The woman let out a yelp and jumped back, then glared at Bailey.
“Sorry,” Bailey muttered, and bent to scoop the mess onto the tray. In the process she managed to get in the way of another guest, nearly tripping him.
He didn’t settle for glaring. He swore at her.
Caterer hell, that was what this was. Bailey bolted for the kitchen and hid out, watching the drama unfold from behind the counter.
Rory Rourke, her boyfriend and star of the new TV series Man Handled, knelt by her side and barked, “Someone, call 911.”
“Call her doctor,” said someone else.
“Call The Star Reporter,” the victim said faintly.
And that was when Bailey Sterling knew she was in trouble.
She’d been so excited to land this gig catering Samba Barrett’s party. Samba wasn’t an Emma Stone or Kristen Stewart but she was .... someone. Sort of. And with her catlike green eyes and red hair everyone said she was on her way up, like the rest of her party guests. And surely that had meant Bailey was on her way up, too. The West Hollywood apartment had been packed with hot young actors and actresses. As she’d slipped among them bearing trays of goodies she’d heard more than one person rave about the food and had envisioned a whole string of catering gigs after this one.
The shrimp salsa in Phyllo cups had been an especially big hit. “Oh, my God, this is to die for,” America Winston (from the new reality show Hard Ass) had raved. Bailey had smiled modestly and kept circulating, while her assistant Giorgio served up stuffed mushrooms. She’d been working hard for the last three years to earn a reputation as caterer to the stars and things were finally starting to happen.
Except now here was Samba Barrett, writhing on her living room floor, groaning in agony. Only twenty minutes ago she’d been eating those shrimp cups and laughing. Did she have food allergies she hadn’t told Bailey about? Samba had gone over the menu with Bailey, approved everything. How could this have happened? Was Bailey going to be known as killer of the stars?
Thirty people gathered around the actress, some offering advice, some taking pictures with their cell phones, others texting wildly. Bailey stood on the fringe and nervously downed one of her own appetizers.
“You’ll be okay, baby,” Rory Rourke assured Samba.
“I think I ate something bad,” she whimpered.
“Oh, no, that’s not possible,” Bailey protested and everyone turned to look at her. One woman aimed her cell phone at Bailey, capturing her miserable expression. This couldn’t be happening.
But it could. And it did. Now Bailey felt sick. She lost her grip on the tray of canapes she was carrying and down they went, the tray landing on a Jimmy Choos of one of the party guests who was busy recording her hostess’s misery on her cell phone.
The woman let out a yelp and jumped back, then glared at Bailey.
“Sorry,” Bailey muttered, and bent to scoop the mess onto the tray. In the process she managed to get in the way of another guest, nearly tripping him.
He didn’t settle for glaring. He swore at her.
Caterer hell, that was what this was. Bailey bolted for the kitchen and hid out, watching the drama unfold from behind the counter.
My Book Review:
Welcome back to picturesque Icicle Falls, Washington! In the fifth installment of the Life in Icicle Falls series, author Sheila Roberts provides her readers with a tale of romance and sisterly bonds.
In true Sheila Roberts fashion, The Tea Shop On Lavender Lane is told in the third person narrative that alternates between sisters Bailey and Cecily Sterling as they struggle to maintain their sisterly bonds when bad boy tavern owner Todd Black complicates their lives with a mixture of business and pleasure!
The reader is transported back to the picturesque Bavarian style small mountain town of Icicle Falls, Washington, which is nestled in the Cascade Mountains, where they catch up with all the familiar townspeople from the previous books in the series, as well as meeting new lovable characters.
This series is simply delightful, the storyline picks up where the last book left off, it flows seamlessly and is so entertaining that you can't help but become captivated and invested in the lives that inhabit Icicle Falls. The reader easily gets drawn into this story about family, friendship, support, and finding love. Through the laughter, smile, and tears, you'll find yourself cheering on Bailey and Cecily as they each overcome lifestyle obstacles, insecurities, family drama, and strive to find joy and love in their lives.
With a wonderful cast of characters who are realistic and lovable, humorous dialogues and interactions, and a richly detailed description of the town of Icicle Falls, The Tea Shop On Lavender Lane is a lighthearted romance story full of love, laughter, friendship, family, and living a good life, that will leave you wanting to return to Icicle Falls for another enjoyable visit. I love, love, love this series!
The Tea Shop On Lavender Lane is the fifth book in the Life in Icicle Falls series.
RATING: 5 STARS
Virtual Book Tour Schedule
Tour Schedule:
Book Featured at Confessions of a Reader
Tuesday, June 17
Book Review at Books Reviews, ETC
Wednesday, June 18
Book Review at Kimberly’s Bookshelf
Thursday, June 19
Book Review at I Hope You Dance
Monday, June 23
Book Review at Book Club Sisters
Wednesday, June 25
Book Review at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Thursday, June 26
Book Review at Book By Book
Monday, July 7
Book Review at Reading Reality
Book Review at A Simple Life, Really?
Tuesday, July 8
Interview at Acting Balanced
Wednesday, July 9
Book Review at My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews
Thursday, July 10
Book Featured at Booklover Sue
Monday, July 14
Book Review at Turning the Pages
Tuesday, July 15
Book Review & Guest Blogging at Always With a Book
Thursday, July 17
Book Review at Curling Up By the Fire
Monday, July 21
Book Featured at Sapphyria’s Book Reviews
Tuesday, July 22
Book Review at Laurie Here-Contemporary Fiction and More-Book Reviews
Wednesday, July 23
Book Review at Kaisy Daisy’s Corner
Thursday, July 24
Book Review at Doing Some Reading
Monday, July 28
Book Review at Under the Boardwalk
Book Review at Ashley’s Bookshelf
Tuesday, July 29
Book Review at Thoughts in Progress
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Book Review at Brooke Blogs
Book Review at Mary’s Cup of Tea
Thursday, July 31
Book Review & Guest Blogging at Jersey Girl Book Reviews
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