If your a regular reader or frequent visitor of Jorie Loves A Story, you know I’ve been smitten with the novelists who publish their relationship-based Romances with ChocLitUK for a good two years now! I love being on the cusp of learning about a ‘new release’ whilst I remain patient to see if the Digital First new ChocLit novel will make it to a print release further down the road of it’s lifetime. I don’t mind the gaps between the ebooks and the print editions – as it’s always given me the pleasure of balancing my ‘next ChocLit reads’ to include both Front List and Back List offerings. Thus, I am enjoying being a member of the Reveal Team at ChocLit whilst it gives me a chance to introduce my readers to a variety of sub-genres within Romance I appreciate picking up to read!
On my new position as a ChocLit Star member: Whilst I am part of the ChocLit Reviewers having brought reviews & guest author features to Jorie Loves A Story for the past two years, I have recently become a part of the Cover Reveal Team, as disclosed when I hosted the first Reveal on behalf of Sheryl Browne’s ‘Learning to Love’. This new team works with ChocLit providing honest feedback on ‘projects’ such as title & book cover design choices as well projects in development on behalf of the publisher. I accepted being a ChocLit Star as I felt my love of the stories would be a good fit to give in-depth responses to the projects pitched to the Stars. Therefore, this Cover Reveal is the first where my input as a ChocLit Star helped the reveal become possible!
Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
Guess what time it is? A new ChocLit novel is on the horizon!
I am featuring a *NEW!* book cover I help select via the ChocLit Stars programme, as I had a feeling this was going to be the cover which was selected even though I tipped my hat in favour of another one. The reason I felt the jade cover might win over the other covers is simply because this style of cover art has become the author’s trademark with her ChocLit covers – if you consider that most of her covers feature silhouettes.
I honestly felt this would be the winner even though I opted for another cover initially, as I could sense there was a direction of intent in why this jade cover might have been placed within our queue of choices. I am quite thrilled for Ms Britnell to have this cover, as I remarked the following about it:
I will say, if the jade cover is picked, I would be equally delighted as it’s nearly growing towards being the ‘author’s trademark’ cover and the placement of the cover’s features is keying you into the fact two people randomly met and might have found they connected.
What if you didn’t want to fake it any more?
When Sarah, a teacher from Cornwall, and Matt, a businessman from Nashville, meet on a European coach tour, they soon find themselves in a relationship…
Except it’s a fake relationship. Because Matt is too busy for romance, and Sarah is only trying to make her cheating ex-husband jealous… isn’t she?
As Matt and Sarah complete their tour of Europe, they do all the things real couples are supposed to do – from visiting fairy-tale castles in Germany to recreating the scene from Romeo and Juliet in Verona. And, of course, for every picturesque destination there’s a loved-up selfie and Facebook post to match.
But as their holiday comes to an end, Sarah and Matt realise that they’re not happy with their pretend relationship. They want the real thing.
Places to find the book:
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)
RELEASE DATE: 13th September, 2016 – this is a Digital First release
Cover Designed by: Berni Stevens Site | @Berni_Stevens1
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance | Unexpected Love
Converse via: #AngelaBritnell & #ChocLit
About Angela Britnell
Angela was born in St. Stephen, Cornwall, England. After completing her A-Levels she worked as a Naval Secretary. She met her husband, a US Naval Flight Officer while being based at a small NATO Headquarters on the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark. They lived together in Denmark, Sicily, California, southern Maryland and London before settling in Franklin, Tennessee.
Angela took a creative writing course in 2000 and loved it so much that she has barely put her pen down since. She has had short stories and novels published in the US. Her novel Sugar & Spice, won Choc Lit’s Search for an American Star competition and is her UK debut.
I have oft felt it is quite wicked one of the ChocLit authors I’ve not yet had the pleasure of reading is actually living on this side of the Pond with me! She’s stateside in Tennessee – a state I’ve travelled through on different occasions, so I know a bit about her ‘neck of the woods’ as they say! The wicked sweet part is I have a feeling she loves calling Tennessee home as she has a entire series set in and around Nashville, which is her Nashville Connections series! Unfortunately for me, they are currently only released digitally.
The reason I am bringing up the Nashville series is the memo I had written about this particular new release’s cover art! As you can see on the art for What Happens in Nashville & The Wedding Reject Table – the manner in which the covers are laid out and situated with the silhouettes being prominent are definitely her ‘trademark’!
I truly loved how there are different silhouettes at play on You’re the One that I Want – as the Eiffel Tower is a bit more muted (almost a watermark) and the bird is observing the couple directly, whilst the rest of the scene fades in or out between the foreground and background. Everything fit together and gave the resonation that this story was about two people coming to terms with falling in love at such an unexpected moment in their lives!
This is what my initial reaction was to the premise:
The premise reminds me of “Under the Tuscan Sun” but with a built-in boyfriend and potential husband. The bit that reminded me the most is the touring bus & the holiday elsewhere from home, whilst life unexpectedly takes you by a surprise and gives you a new route to entertain experiencing. Love those types of stories!
There is something about being swept away on a holiday, never thinking your going to randomly meet-up with someone who could be your equal, your partner and your match. I love the folly behind the match, too! How they are playing that ‘should they or shouldn’t they’ stay together gambit, whilst sorting through their emotions. The funny thing is that for every Rom-Com (esp in movies on television) that sets up a couple in this fashion – where they are faking a relationship, inevitably they realise their error and remain together.
The best bit for me is seeing how they come to this realisation – what was the impetus of changing their minds!? How did they realise that this ‘random something’ was worth taking a risk of a chance on and turning it into a romantic forevermore? I love seeing how they put it all together – weigh the odds and somehow realise that life affords us a lot choices, but sometimes the hardest thing to influence your choice is the one thing that ‘feels right’ in the moment where your life surprises you with something you hadn’t expected to find. At least not in the timing it’s being presented. There is an allure of that beautiful reverie of romance inching itself forward into your life when your focus is on everything *except!* falling in love! Laughs. Of course, that’s *exactly!* when love walks in through the door you never realised you left open!
I am hoping more of Ms Britnell’s stories will be releasing into print editions – as this is surely the one I’d love to start-off reading! It has a lot of what I enjoy about Contemporary Roms with the added bonus of an alternative variant of a thematic I could see over and over again! There is just something special about these kinds of Romances. I could never soon tire of reading them as they each have a uniqueness about them!
Besides – I dearly want to know what the hot air balloon signifies! If it’s on the cover, it must be hinting towards a special moment or exchange between the two?
What do you think!?
This cover reveal is courtesy of: ChocLitUK
Missed seeing my latest ChocLit Reviews?
You Think You Know Me | No. 1 of the London & Cambridge Mysteries | by Claire Chase (review)
The Golden Chain | No. 2 of Charton Minster series (see No.1) | by Margaret James (review)
Some Veil Did Fall | No.1 of the Rossetti Mysteries | by Kirsty Ferry (review)
Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers.
{SOURCES: Cover art of “You’re the One I Want”, Author Biography, Author Photography of Angela Britnell, Book Synopsis and ChocLit Star badge were provided by ChocLitUK and were used by permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.
Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Writerly Topics Banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2016.
Comments on Twitter:
Happily revealling #coverart of @AngelaBritnell's #newbook You're the One I Want Share your comment via https://t.co/XGsO7AHIRg
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) August 16, 2016
Thanks for the lovely cover reveal post and your help in choosing it – this was my favourite!
— Angela Britnell (@AngelaBritnell) August 16, 2016
#CoverReveal | "You're the One I Want" by Angela Britnell #amreading https://t.co/aAIvPujwiT via @joriestory
— Christina Philippou (@CPhilippou123) August 16, 2016
Hop to #CoverReveal convo happening via https://t.co/IQbCBL842y where we're discussing plot & cover designer @Berni_Stevens1 :)
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) August 16, 2016
I love your interesting observations, Jorie, and it hadn’t occured to me about the silhouettes before now! This was the cover I leaned towards partly for the colour and cleanliness of the design. I hope more of my books do come out in print so you can read them!
Hallo, Hallo Ms Britnell!!
*waves!* I’m so happy I could have you on my blog! :) I’m very patient, trust me! I’ll wait however long necessary to read your lovely ChocLit novels! Ooh, this is wicked wonderful! I hadn’t realised you didn’t see that similarity beforehand? I thought it was planned or intentional to show linkage across your collective works! Quite clever, too. As each time it’s been used the covers are sophisticated in telling a portion of the synopsis in a way that entices you into the story-line! Always wicked good! :) Blessed you’ve dropped by today! Happy Reveal Day!!
Bernii is such a great cover artist and always captures the story so perfectly – we’re very lucky!
Yes! You definitely are blessed by the artistic eye of Ms Stevens! I am constantly amazed by how accurate her covers are and how revealling they are to hug you so close into the heart of the stories she’s illustrating through design! I love singing her praises as she’s on my short-list for favourite cover designers/illustrators who genuinely take the concern to have covers equally match the story they are describing visually! :)