What's Left Behind [Trailer]

Free From Today! Black Diamonds on Kindle!

From today, my historical romance novel, Black Diamonds is being offered free on Kindle [for the next five days!] Black Diamonds is the first book in the 'Seasons of Change' series. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

Download it here:

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Diamonds-Seasons-Change-Book-ebook/dp/B00ZOW4IK2

US:  http://www.amazon.com/Black-Diamonds-Seasons-Change-Book-ebook/dp/B00ZOW4IK2

A tale of passion and compassion and most of all, one woman's brave heart.

Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, 1865. When Lily Jenkin begins her first day working for the Morgans at their corner shop in the little village of Abercanaid, she has no idea of the calamity that lies ahead of that fateful day.

It is a day of tragedy at the Gethin Coal Pit that brings her into contact with the new handsome, chapel minister, Evan Davies, for the first time.

Although a dark cloud of death passes over the village, Lily and Evan draw close to one another as they help the villagers deal with the tragedy, forming a bond which could lead to love. However, there is a gossiping old crone in the village who will do her best to cause trouble for the pair by hook or by crook.

Lily has the opportunity to escape the valley of the shadow of death to make a new home for herself in Great Salt Lake, America. Will she take the chance to go to ‘Zion’, following her Mormon relatives, and more importantly, will Evan, a Welsh Baptist minister, go with her?

The Seasons of Change Series:

1. Black Diamonds
2. White Roses
3. Blue Skies
4. Red Poppies

Sunday's Novel Exerpt: Return to Winter [Celtic Heart Book # 2]

Find novel excerpt here:
http://askdavid.com/preview/13055

When Stephanie Baynham returns home from Italy to Wales, there's someone waiting at the airport for her. Someone she isn't expecting to see in a million years, fashion designer, Dylan Pryce-Jones. He's the man she ran out on months ago on the afternoon of Matt and Sandy's wedding after they'd made love for the first time, so he's expecting answers!

Dylan has bought a castle where he holds wedding receptions and having nowhere else to stay, he takes Stephanie there, where she begins to work for him. Unfortunately, someone is scaring her half to death, she finds the words, 'You're dead!" scrawled on her mirror and fears for her life.

Who would want to see her dead? And will things that started out so well with Dylan at Matt and Sandy's wedding, ever become revived once again? Or is it all over between the pair of former lovers?

This book is a follow up to the novel, It Happened One Summer. and the second in the 'Celtic Heart' series of books.

Thursday's Book Excerpt: The Sicilian's Proposition

Read excerpt here: http://askdavid.com/preview/13026

Joanne Smith is a renowned journalist for Life Today magazine. Her latest assignment is to interview Dante Alphonso. He is trying to get positive publicity for his pet charity, an organization that grants wishes to dying children. What he didn't plan on was to be attracted to the beautiful Joanne. He invites her to go to Sicily with him at his expense to visit his vineyards and see the other parts of his life. He even takes along one of the magazine's photographers. Things start to get hot and spicy between Dante and Joanne as he shows her the beautiful things the island has to offer. Then Dante is betrayed and he places the blame on Joanne. Can their relationship ever recover?

---

Reviews:

• "This is a very emotional book that will leave haunting memories well after the story is finished!" — Ind'tale Magazine

• "This story is also very emotional and touching with everything that happens. The emotions that they feel are expressed beautifully." — Long and Short Reviews

Mondays excerpt: Black Diamonds [Season of Change book #1]

Monday's Excerpt: Black Diamonds [Seasons of Change book #1] can be read here:
http://askdavid.com/preview/12294

I'm very interested in local history and wrote Black Diamonds after discovering something interesting in my own family history. A skeleton if you like. I'd never realised before but one of my ancestors from my home town was a pioneer Mormon who emigrated to Great Salt Lake in 1871 and who had opposition from other family members, one of whom was his wife as she refused to follow him to 'Zion', so he left her behind and remarried bigamously there, and had further children.

Life was much better for him in Utah with the clean open spaces and fresh air, unlike the dirty grey industrial town he left behind.

Preachers like Dan Jones who made many converts in Merthyr Tydfil often encouraged people to move to Utah. The Church was keen to utilise the mining skills of the Welsh Brethren in Salt Lake City. But the 'Saint's who preached on the streets of Merthyr were stoned and treated badly.

I realise how brave my ancestor, William Harman, was as he was offered the chance to be sole beneficiary in the will of rich Uncle Edmund Harman if he chose to renounce his religion. But instead he chose his faith and Utah, his 'Zion'.

The population of Merthyr had exploded due to the iron works at Cyfarthfa, Dowlais and Plymouth. What had once been a small farming community became a heaving metropolis where Iron was king and coal its Queen.

It got me wondering what life would have been like in Merthyr Tydfil at that time.

During that sort of time period there was also a coal mining explosion at Gethin Pit which killed 34 men and boys in Abercanaid, Merthyr Tydfil. It happened just before Christmas of 1865, and this got me wondering what life in the village would have been like after that.

How would people cope during such a tragedy?

I began to write and research and discovered some amazing facts. Although this is a work of fiction, it's set around real life events that actually happened in the town.

The protagonist is Lily Jenkin, a spirited young woman, who has just begun working at the local shop when she discovers both her twin brothers have been involved in the explosion. She fears for their safety and it's while she's waiting to hear the news that she encounters handsome minister, Evan Davies. They join forces to do what they can for the injured and their families in the village.

It's a tale of passion and compassion and most of all one woman's brave heart.

White Roses [Historical Romance] now available on Amazon Kindle!

White Roses, the follow up to Black Diamonds is now available on Amazon Kindle!

Blurb

Merthyr Tydfil 1867 

There’s a new emerging star of the stage, called, ‘Kathleen O’Hara’. 

Unfortunately for Irish-born, Kathleen, although she’s described as having the ‘Voice of an Angel’, as she successfully performs on the stage at The Temperance Hall, Merthyr Tydfil, it’s not plain sailing. She has the wrath and jealousy of operatic diva, Bella Montovani, to contend with. Up until now, Bella, has had top-billing at the theatre, but she views Kathleen as competition. The young Irish woman is better looking and her voice draws an appreciative audience, whilst Bella’s popularity wanes. 

Newly-married Kathleen, also has opposition from her own husband to contend with. He’s just landed a job with the Glamorgan Constabulary, whilst she has the chance to head for the London stage, causing conflict between the pair. 

Will Kathleen pursue her dream and head for London without her husband or stay put on the Merthyr stage?

Available here now:

UK Readers: Amazon.co.uk!

US Readers: Amazon.com!

FREE Kindle Promo of 'It Happened One Summer!!

From the 26th of April I'll be offering the Kindle version of 'It Happened One Summer' absolutely free for five days.

It's a Romantic Suspense novel that's very close to my heart as it was originally released in paperback to raise funds for a local charity.  I have such lovely memories of that first book.

Here's the back cover blurb:

When Sandy Perkins encounters an awkward customer, sparks fly. Making matters worse, the 'customer' later reveals himself to her as new boss, Matt Walker. Can Matt heal the rift with Sandy to help thwart the evil stalker threatening her life? Will Sandy finally allow herself to fall in love again?

Previous Reviews:

"This is a comforting book, and I sensed that from the first page. Reading it is like curling up in a window seat on a cold gloomy day, with a fire crackling on the hearth, and a good book in your lap! The reader just instinctively knows that there will be a happily-ever-after conclusion, and instinctively that propels one forward through the book, with trust and optimism. Top recommendations for this one, and I anticipate future stories from this wonderful author!"

Reviewer: Annie Euro-Reviews 5 star excellent!

"Ms. Rees instills characters that leave a lasting impression with wonderful dialogue that enhances the story. The secondary characters are a welcome addition to the storyline. Ms. Rees knows how to hook the reader and fascinate in this compelling page-turner. It Happened One Summer is a phenomenal read that should not be missed."

~ The Romance Studio 5 hearts ~

"Ms. Rees fashions a tender romance with quick conversation that keeps everything flowing smoothly. The secondary characters are well-rounded and lend dimension to the story. She weaves a compelling story mixed with jealously, greed and betrayal that grabs the reader. This most refreshing read makes one feel good all the way down to the toes. This is one book that is truly a recommended read."

~ Fallen Angel Reviews, 5 Angels, Recommended Read ~

Purchase book here:

Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/kg3j35c

Amazon Com: http://tinyurl.com/kguzxwq

St. David's Day!

Today, the first of March, is St. David's Day. We Welsh are a patriotic bunch!

I took my mother out for a meal lunch time as a precursor to Mother's Day tomorrow. We went to the Castle Hotel. They must have a new chef as the meals have been fantastic recently. Not just the taste but the presentation as well.

Then we did a little shopping as we always do around the town on a Saturday afternoon. As I came out of one shop I heard someone belting out 'Mama Told Me Not to Come' on the microphone at the bottom of the escalator. It turned out to be a Tom Jones impersonator, who sounded so good, for a split second I wondered if it was the old boyo himself! He did look a lot like him but unless Tom has been on a diet lately, then it couldn't have been him. Just kidding -- I've seen Tom Jones on stage a couple of times. Of course, I knew it wasn't him but there was a faint possibility as he was born just 12 miles away from here.

This week I joined a women's crime writing organisation called, Sisters in Crime. After my fiasco with the Crime Writers' Association, I was pleased to find somewhere that wasn't up it's own backside!

See previous post about my dealings with the CWA here:

Writing Association Snobbery!

The Sisters in Crime newsletter is very interesting.

I read a book this week written by a member [although I didn't realise she was a member when I read it]. The book is called Evan's Gate and the author, Rhys Bowen. I absolutely loved the book. I couldn't put it down and it had a special interest for me as it's set in Wales, so I knew most of the location and the protagonist has the same name as my great great grandfather, Evan Evans.

Isn't it great when you read a book and you don't want to put it down?

I also made one of my favourite Welsh meals this week, Leek and Potato Bake. It's so easy to make and very tasty too. There are lots of variations of this recipe and I suppose you can adapt it to suit yourself.

So, this has been a very Welsh week for me, which is pertinent really as it's St. David's Day today!

A new review for A Taste of Honey

I just opened my e-mail to find a nice message from the reviewer of my book at Two Lips Reviews named Lindy. She sent me the link to this review:

Title: A Taste of HoneyAuthor: Lynette ReesPublisher: Samhain PublishingGenre: Contemporary Romantic ComedyPublication date: April 2007ISBN: 1-59998-071-1Pages: 155Series:

Heat Level: Rating:

Fran works for the Peace of Mind agency, setting “honey traps” to catch cheating husbands in compromising situations. Unfortunately, she’s not very good at her job. She really doesn’t want her family to know where she’s moonlighting, especially her overprotective brothers. She’s on assignment when she meets Travis and publicly accuses him of cheating, but it’s a case of mistaken identity. For unlucky Travis this is just one more piece of bad luck in along string of unfortunate events. When Travis is hired as head chef in her family’s Italian restaurant, the situation is uncomfortable but Travis is pretty desperate for a job. Fran is dealing with problems of her own, including a scheming ex-fiancé who betrayed her with her best friend. Travis may be just what Fran needs: a real-life knight in shining armor. Can she trust him to protect her secret? And what about her heart? This is a very sweet love story of difficult times, family loyalty and building trust. Travis is the ultimate underdog; his luck goes from bad to worse, and you just want to hug the poor guy. Fran needs some help in the luck department too, so when they finally get together, you’ll really be cheering them on. Lynette Rees has done a fantastic job of portraying a couple learning to trust each other, and she creates a solidly heroic character in Travis. As an interesting aside, this story is full of idioms and local flavor that’s a real treat for American readers. An excellent read, very highly recommended. ** For anyone interested, you can purchase the e-book here:http://tinyurl.com/2vth8t