Ally Aldridge Book Genre, Books, LGBT, Review, Romance, Second Chance

Book Review: Duet Rubato

Author: Claerie Kavanaugh

Duet Rubato

I was fortunate enough to get an ARC copy of this book thanks to meeting Claerie through World Indie Authors.

Duet Rubato by Claerie Kavanaugh

What is the book about?

This is a second chance romance. I had never read one of these before but it means that two people with history meet up and fall in love again. This was also my first lesbian romance.

The book is told from both characters perspectives and alternates between them with new chapters. There is Catherine, the single mum and struggling to find work and there is Adaline who works as an assistant director at a struggling theatre.

How it starts

The book starts by us seeing Catherine navigating her childcare arrangements with her ex and feeling bad about still not getting her big break. Her ex, Grayson, encouraged her to go for a job at the theatre for a part he knows she would be perfect for. Due to an accident that damaged her leg and ruined her career, Catherine had reservations and fear sets in.

We then get to see the two women meeting for the first time since they went their separate ways as the audition is at the theatre where Adaline works. Of course the Director loves Catherine and offers her the part, forcing the two women to work together.

The middle

Due to the girls history there is a lot of old wounds that were never tended to. It creates a lot of drama, misunderstandings and heartache. It was like reading about a car wreck, you could see the damage and the pain but you could not look away. It was gripping.

Both of the girls have fears that they need to overcome. As Catherine’s fear is affecting her ability to deliver her role, Adaline is assigned to help her overcome this. It comes to light that Adaline is an amazing singer and due to her own fears has given up on letting herself shine on stage, resigning herself to backstage duties.

How it ends

Without spoiling it, the two women get themselves in a real pickle but through love they manage to pull themselves together, overcome their fears.

What did I think

I really enjoyed the conflict from their unresolved history and the ending left me with happy vibes. There were some strong feels throughout the book as the couple went through highs and plenty of lows as they made their way to their long awaited Happy Ever After.

I think this novel will appeals to fans of these genres but also anyone who loves the theatre as there are references to famous plays made between the characters and inside jokes.

I would consider reading more second chance or lesbian romances again and more novels by Claerie Kavanaugh.

You can find out more about Claerie and her books by visiting her website or connecting with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube.

If you enjoyed this, you will also love:

Why I Love World Indie Warriors

Felixstowe Book Festival and My White Knight

Book Review: Lion’s Share

Book Review: Red Queen

Also, don’t forget to click here to sign up to my newsletter.

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Ally Aldridge Books, Goals, Tips, Writing

Why I Love World Indie Warriors

First you need to know who World Indie Warriors is.

World Indie Warriors is a collaborative group of indie creatives.

Indie creatives are people who created something and decided to put their product out into the world themselves. Creatives can be writers, artists, musicians, singers, actors, designers, etc. The list is endless.

For these creatives to make their product they need resources, knowledge, experience. The vision of WIW is that together we can help each other grow.

Why am I part of this?

It’s true, for years I’ve dreamt of being traditionally published but as I’ve met more brilliant talented authors that are self published, I’ve started to ask ”Why wait for someone else to say yes, when I can say yes right now.”

Being part of WIW has enabled me to see how self publishing could be a reality. One of my fears was that I had no idea where to start. The answer is WIW.

The group shares what works, what doesn’t work and offers guidance and encouragement.

At first I wondered what I could bring to the group. All the other members are more experienced and I felt inferior in comparison. But, those beliefs were my own. The members never treated me as less important and always value everyones contribution. It is a truly inclusive and diverse group.

What do I get out of it?

Initially I joined for the wealth of information. Whenever someone is willing to help me, I’m always very grateful. However, I quickly found myself part of something much bigger.

Being part of WIW is much more than just a knowledge source. They have become my author friends and together we empower each others creativity to become more than we could alone.

We support each other with marketing so we don’t get lost in the noise of social media. We collaborated to create a giveaway with an incredible prize of signed books and merchandise for our first winner. I got to be part of the Claerie Kavana’s Duet Rubato ARC (review coming soon).

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Thank you to everyone who took part in our #wiwjulychallenge , we had so much fun getting to know you. . So without further ado, the gold star contributor and winner of our super duper giveaway is @sarahneofield !! ? . Sarah walks away with a large collection of prizes from indie authors, including signed books, so please contact us with your mailing details! . For your chance to be a winner, follow us and #worldindiewarriors ,and keep your eyes peeled for future challenges. . . #worldindiewarriors #wiw #indiepoet #indieart #indiemusic #writer #indieauthor #authorsofinstagram #author #iwrite  #indiewriter #selfpublishing #indiewritersofinstagram #fellowcreativeminds #indiecreative #writingcommunity #amwriting #readersheart #everyonehasastory #everystoryhasahome

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Over the next few months, I plan to share more with you about the WIW members and activities.

Anyone can join WIW. If you want to be part of the group, here is where to find World Indie Warriors:

If you enjoyed this you will like:

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Ally Aldridge Book Genre, Books, Festival, Fiction, Review

Felixstowe Book Festival and My White Knight

Sometimes in life people surprise you and this is a true story about a stranger paying it forward.

Ferry Car Park

I arrived at the Ferry Car Park for Phoebe Morgan’s talk on The Publishing Industry. I made sure I had change on me to pay for my car park ticket. But, the machine was more expensive than I anticipated. I was short by a pound.

I searched the car for any stray coins but came up empty. I tried following the instructions to pay by phone but the automated message kept asking me for a code from a fine letter. I started to contemplate whether I should risk buying a ticket knowing it would run out before the talk is over or if I should leave and return late to the talk but have a fully paid ticket.

A stranger noticed my distress and asked what what was going on? I explained my dilemma and he kindly offered me the money I was short by without expecting anything in return. He was gone before I could ask his name or how to pay him back.

Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club

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Quite like these #oldboats #boat #closeup #ferry

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Due to the car park drama, I was one of the last to take a seat in the Sailing Club conference room. As luck would have it, I found myself sitting next to my white knight. We didn’t get much opportunity to talk but I found out he is an author and he was going to The Scribblers & OWL event in the afternoon. The same event I was booked on to.

The Orwell Hotel

In the afternoon, I arrived at the Orwell Hotel for the event being hosted by the local writers group Felixstowe Scriblers and Orwell League Writers. Once again, I found myself sitting next to my hero.

This time, we got the opportunity to talk and I learned that his name is David F Burrows and he has two books published. We chatted about his books and I was entertained by the Jack the Flasher book (book 2). I was taking note of the titles as I wanted to support him as he was such a wonderful man. Then, David offered to sign them for me.

I have read the first chapter of Fish Bone Alley (book 1) and flew through it. I easily could have carried on but stopped myself as I am midway through another novel at the moment. These books will hold a special place in my heart due to the kindness of the man that wrote them.

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There will be a blog post coming soon to explain how I became the owner of these two #crimecomedy books. These are not my usual read but I've already read the first chapter of Fish Bone Alley and flew through it – very entertaining. I need to finish my other books first – lol. Does anyone else find themselves reading multiple books at once? #TBR #toberead #localauthor #indieauthor #supportingindieauthors #wiw #worldindiewarriors #fishbonealley #felixstowebookfestival #felixstowebookfestival2019 #blogpost #blogpostcomingsoon #bookstagram #books #toomanybooks #bookdistraction #comedynovel #satire #crimenovel #everystoryhasahome #indieauthorsofinstagram #jacktheripper #jacktheflasher #readersheart #bookreview #bookblogger

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If you enjoy dark comedy go check these novels out (click here). Not only will they make you laugh (or smirk) but you will also be supporting a writer with a heart of gold. In addition, visit his website and follow his blog here.

Don’t you love it when you meet an author that is easy to talk to and a truly lovely person? Tell me about an amazing author you have met?

If you like this, you would enjoy:

Book Review: Save the Cat – Writes a Novel

Do you keep notebooks of story ideas?

How I edited my novel – 12 tips for self editing

Reflecting on Camp NaNo July 2019

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