Stephanie Cage - Writer

What Belongs to Her by Rachel Brimble My rating: 4 of 5 stars      I thoroughly enjoyed returning to Templeton Cove for the story of Sasha Todd, manager of the fairground once owned by her family. This clearly isn't an easy situation for her, and it only gets worse when John Jordon, estranged son of the current owner, appears to take up the reins. It's obvious from the start that there is chemistry between Sasha and John, and equally obvious that neither of them will easily accept their attraction to the other.      Rachel Brimble excels at depicting the dance of a developing relationship, with all the cautious steps forward and scurries backward, and in Sasha and John she's created two people with a great many reasons to dance around each other, including Sasha's painful past and John's father's dubious business practices.      'What Belongs to Her' is an apt title in so many ways. Sasha's initial belief is that the fairground shoul...

What a Woman Desires by Rachel Brimble My rating: 5 of 5 stars So nice to read a historical novel with a heroine who's strong and gutsy, without being insanely anachronistic. Monica Danes left Biddestone for the bright lights of Bath's Theatre Royal after a distressing incident with an unsuitable suitor. She's vowed never to go back, and the only thing that could change her mind is the knowledge that after her father's death, her mother and sister desperately need her help. Still, she plans to make her visit as brief as possible, but fate has other plans for her. Her mother's illness, her sister's loneliness, and the terms of her father's will conspire to tie her to the village, and then of course there's Thomas, her father's former groom and right-hand man, who's so obviously destined for Monica that the question is not whether, but how, the couple can breach society's carefully constructed walls to be together. While Monica is a li...

Christmas at the Cove by Rachel Brimble My rating: 4 of 5 stars I always enjoy a visit to Templeton Cove, Rachel Brimble's imaginary - but oh-so-real - seaside town. This visit had me on tenterhooks as sensible Carrie returned to the scene of her totally out-of-character one night stand on a mission to track down the father of her child. Bring on Scott, the sexy garage owner with a massive (but entirely understandable) case of commitment phobia, and the scene is set for a hugely emotional trip. The Christmas setting adds another emotional dimension, as does Scott's endearing attempt to rescue his entire household of female relatives, including his mother, whose reunion with Scott's absent father looks set to end in trouble. All in all, Christmas at the Cove is a tear-jerker with just the right amount of humour, some hot romance to warm the cold winter nights, and some important life lessons, all wrapped up in a pretty, seasonal package. View all my reviews

A Man Like Him by Rachel Brimble My rating: 5 of 5 stars 'A Man Like Him' is an exciting read, balancing plenty of drama with a truly lovely romance storyline. I fell in love with Templeton Cove in 'Finding Justice' and in 'A Man Like Him' we get to learn more about the people in this charming seaside village, and to see what happens to Cat and Jay after the end of their story. Chris, Cat's brother, is a perfectly believable character and a perfect hero: strong and powerful yet damaged by his broken relationship, and not yet living up to his full potential. Angela, the manager of Templeton Cove's holiday park, is so clearly the person who brings out the best in him, but their relationship is convincingly threatened by her stalker ex-husband. Everything about this story was believable and exciting (with the possible exception of how easy it was for Angela to keep a gun, and how unfussed the police seemed to be by the fact that she was prepared to d...

Finding Justice by Rachel Brimble My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love Rachel Brimble's writing, and I quickly fell in love with the setting and characters in Finding Justice too. Cat Forrester is a strong woman with major trust issues - not surprising considering the mess that her family life has turned into since her father's death as a result of a drink-driving incident and her mother's descent into alcoholism. Jay Garrett is an attractive, successful businessman and an old friend of Cat's who also just happens to be a recovering drug addict and a suspect in the murder of their mutual friend, Sarah. The investigation takes Cat back to Templeton Cove and reminds her of what Jay once was to her, but there are huge challenges that both of them must overcome if they are to build any kind of future. Both Cat and Jay's feelings for each other, and their doubts about their future, came across strongly, and the twists and turns of the investigation kept me guessing to ...

Yesterday I was at Doncaster Central Library with the Doncaster Writers' Group as part of the ' Turn the Page ' festival, about which I'm sure you'll hear more as it continues for another week.  We were asked to introduce ourselves and the genres we wrote, which prompted me to put together this quick list of my favourite romance authors and books for anyone who wanted to know more.  It's hugely personal and idiosyncratic, but if you read romance, do have a look and see if you've missed any treasures, and I'd love to hear if you agree or disagree with my choices.  You can use the comment space below, or comment privately through the 'contact me' page of my website.  Louise Bagshawe – I love ‘The Movie’ and ‘Tall Poppies’ – contemporary chick-lit from another Oxford-educated author.   I’m also a fan of some of her later books, ‘Passion’ and ‘Desire’, which are more romantic suspense.   I've mentioned 'The Movie' in a previous po...

Today I'm delighted to be welcoming prolific romance author Rachel Brimble to my blog.  Based near the beautiful city of Bath, where I studied for my MA, Rachel has written a number of books for The Wild Rose Press and is now also published by romance giants Harlequin.  I'm in awe of Rachel's diligence and versatility, and excited to be finding out more about how she does it! Rachel, you write both historicals and contemporaries – do you find the process of writing varies depending on what kind of story you’re writing? Interestingly, not for me – I write character sketches for my hero, heroine and villain, followed by a two to three page synopsis. Throughout this process this tends to reveal the goal, motivation and conflict of the three main characters, which gives me the basis of the story. I write the first draft from start to finish, without looking back and then the hard work comes in drafts two and three. The only difference with my historicals is the ...

So... a friend asked on facebook today for advice about how to write a book blurb.  Being a former marketer, amongst (many) other things, I thought I ought to have something to say, so I sat down to try and write a few pointers.  When the few pointers turned into something of an essay, I decided this was worth making more public than a private message in facebook.  So, for any writers who have ever struggled with the question of just how much to give away on the back cover, here are my thoughts... 1) Don't give too much away. You are not writing a blurb to give your reader every detail about your characters, world and back story.  They will find that out when they read the book, and too much detail in the short space of a blurb makes most of us dizzy!  You don't have to tell the reader everything now.  The blurb just needs to give the core facts which tell them whether this is a book they will want to buy.  In most cases that means the genre, the ge...