The Dating Game - Sandy Barker

 

‘Hilarious and highly original’

Julie Houston, bestselling author of A Village Affair

Once upon a time, twelve women joined the hottest reality TV show looking for love. Except one had a secret identity . . .

Abby Jones is a serious writer. Or at least she will be, one day. Right now, she spends her time writing recaps of reality television under a secret identity.

When a recap for The Stag – the must-watch dating show – goes viral, her editor thinks she should be on set, writing the drama as it happens. The good news: the next season will be filmed in Sydney. Sun, sea and a glamorous trip abroad, this could be Abby’s big break.

The bad news: the producers don’t just want Abby to write the recaps, they want her to be on the show. Abby can’t think of anything worse than being undercover and followed around by cameras. But her career depends on it, and when she meets gorgeous producer Jack, Abby begins to wonder if this job might not be so bad after all . . .

My Review:
Sandy Barker always gives us such interesting, fun reads. They are brilliant!

Abby, writer and scathing critic of a reality dating show finds herself as a contestant on that very programme so to ensure her witty reviews score even more publicity for the show. Reluctant is not the word to describe how she feels about this but we see her take it on and fair play she handles everything far better than I would.

Her hilarious recaps of the show are what really kept me entertained throughout. I enjoyed seeing how Abby developed as a character, unsure at first the more she settled into the more she seemed to discover herself.

What a bunch of characters though; some to love and some most certainly to hate. They are all very well written and part of the fun!

I liked how the romance element was slow and steady, who would have thought in this nightmare scenario she would end up falling up for one of the show’s producers. Could love to put a spanner in her dream career plans?

Full of fun, wit and laughter. A great read, very well written. Highly recommended. 

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dating-Game-romantic-comedy-Santorini-ebook/dp/B096TBRT6B/

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-dating-game/id1571261358

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sandy_Barker_The_Dating_Game?id=iwQyEAAAQBAJ

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dating-game-sandy-barker/1139650830

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/the-dating-game-30

Author Bio

Sandy is a writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list, and many of her travel adventures have found homes in her novels. She’s also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob. She lives in Melbourne Australia with her partner, Ben, who she met while travelling in Greece. Their real-life love story inspired Sandy’s debut novel One Summer in Santorini, the first in the Holiday Romance series with One More Chapter, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Follow Sandy:

https://twitter.com/sandybarker

https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthor

https://sandybarker.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sandybarkerauthor/

Q&A with Sandy Barker

  Welcome to The Comfy Chair blog... Sandy Barker, author of 'The Christmas Swap.' 

About Sandy:

I call myself a hopeful romantic. I’m also a lifelong traveller, self-confessed coffee snob, and devourer of cooking shows, especially The Great British Bakeoff.

For more visit: https://sandybarker.com/

1.      What did you read as a child? 

I was obsessed with reading as a child and at ten or eleven, I precociously devoured Mills & Boon books. By the time I was twelve, I’d move onto Shirley Conran and Jackie Collins. But I also had more ‘age appropriate’ tastes and loved the Sweet Dreams and Sweet Valley High books too.

 

2.      What inspired you to start writing and how long has it taken you to get to this point? 

I started writing a travel biography in 2001 about my year spent as a Contiki Tour Manager. I tried to fictionalise it in 2012-2013. An agent, who liked my pitch, read it and said, ‘It’s not your first novel. Too many characters, multi narratives. You’re not Liane Moriarty (yet). Go away and write a simple, linear story.”

 

And I did. I wrote what became One Summer in Santorini. I self-published that and (what is now) A Sunset in Sydney, and wrote (what is now) That Night in Paris. Before I could self-publish my third book, I heard from Avon Books and they wanted to publish me! That was early 2019 and I have had four books published since then (I’m now with One More Chapter, another imprint of HarperCollins UK).

 

3.      Describe your writing space - neat and ordered or creative chaos? 

I’m a neat freak and I have also been working from home for nine months, so my writing space is dual purpose, and everything is in its place. I do the official ‘switch over’ twice a day. I write in the mornings, then ‘go to work’, then switch back to author mode in the evenings – different laptops, different notebooks…

 

4.      What is the easiest and hardest part of the writing process? 

The easiest part is when I am in the flow of a story and it is pouring out of me. The ideas are coming fast and thick (I only plan a loose outline and character arcs) and I end up writing whole chapters in a single sitting – I love that.

 

Copy edits are the hardest because it is not just about tweaking small sections. You then need to go back through the whole manuscript to make sure you haven’t ‘upset’ the rest of the story – or even its flow – with the edits.

 

5.      Which other authors are you influenced by?

I read widely in my genre, and there are some incredible authors out there writing the most clever/beautiful/hilarious stories. But the author whose career I most aspire to emulate is Lindsey Kelk. She is so brilliantly funny and her characters live and breathe in your mind. She’s also written two series as well as standalones and I am planning to do the same. I’ve already written the next in the Holiday Romance series and I am now writing book 6, a standalone, which may become a series!

 

6.      What does literary success “look” like to you?

When I can stop working in a ‘day job’ and just write fulltime. I have SO MANY stories inside me – most romantic comedies, some darker contemporary fiction, a thriller, a fairy tale. I just want to write fulltime.

 

7.      How do you select the names of your characters?

Maybe this is the hardest part of writing. I have a list of names I like, and I’ll draw from that, or I (lazily) borrow from friends and family. If I am writing the antagonist, I’ll go to my other list – names I don’t like, or I think of people who have irked me. And I use Google! ‘Popular girls’ names from 1990’ – searches of that nature are very helpful. But a name has to fit the character and sometimes, my characters get renamed as I write.

 

8.      Do you hide any secret ‘messages’ in your book that only a few people will understand? 

Not so much messages, but I will give my close friends ‘cameos’ where I’ve named a minor character after them. I also have ‘stolen’ a few travel stories/anecdotes that some people will recognise.

 

9.      If your book was to be made into a film/TV programme, which actors would play which role? 

I typically do an ‘inspiration image search’ when I am writing something new, so I usually know what my characters look like and often their appearance is based on specific actors. For Lucy in The Christmas Swap, I’d love Eleanor Tomlinson – she’d be perfect – and for her love interest, Will, Ansel Elgort.

 

10.  What do you hope your readers take away from your book?

That you can choose your family – those lifelong friends we have – they are our family as much as our parents, siblings, cousins, etc. Family is love, acceptance, honesty, generosity, and support.

 

 

Lastly, Jenn (The Comfy Chair) likes to enjoy a good read snuggled up with a cup of tea and piece of cake... what cake or sweet treat would you suggest to accompany your book? 

 

Christmas cake (drowning in sherry), hot chocolate, bubbly – anything that you associate with Christmas.

The Christmas Swap

Ebook is out now on all platforms, and the print book will be available from the end of November.

Christmas is coming and best friends Chloe, Jules, and Lucy are needing change… so swapping homes for the holidays could be the perfect present for all of them! Join them in snowy Colorado, sunny Melbourne and cosy Oxfordshire for love, laughter, friendship and romance.

Amazon:

AU https://amzn.to/3kx7xEO
US https://amzn.to/2PBrtbH
UK https://amzn.to/2RrbmhP
CA https://amzn.to/2HzrUCk

Apple: https://apple.co/3cCVRgy

GooglePlay: https://bit.ly/3cAJhhI

 

Sandy Barker's Social media:

https://twitter.com/sandybarker

https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthor

https://sandybarker.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sandybarkerauthor/

A Sunset in Sydney - Sandy Barker

How far would you go in the name of love?

Sarah Parsons has a choice ahead of her. After the trip of a lifetime she’s somehow returned home with TWO handsome men wanting to whisk her away into the sunset.

Pulled in two directions across the globe, it’s making life trickier than it sounds. Her gorgeous American, Josh, wants to meet Sarah in Hawaii for a holiday to remember. Meanwhile silver fox, James, plans to wine and dine her in London.

It’s a lot to handle for this Aussie girl, who had totally sworn off men!

Join Sarah after her adventure in One Summer in Santorini, for the heart-warming and uplifting third novel in The Holiday Romance series.

My Review: 


I have read the previous two books in this series and was delighted that we would now get to find out which way Sarah would finally decide to go. Her previous adventures have been fun and matters of the heart left her in quite a predicament.

You could read this as a standalone, it covers in brief detail what has previously happened but I would recommend reading the other books, they are really good and take you on such fun adventures.

In this third instalment we follow Sarah, figuring her way through an international love triangle. This book will have you rooting for one man over the other – will you be a James or Josh fan?

Split into three parts you get to see Sarah spend time with James. He is older, successful, wealthy, and keen to commit to Sarah; he is also in London and Sarah lives in Sydney. I admit I was not overly keen on James at all. He seemed full of himself, overly confident and just, in my mind, a bit smarmy.

You then get a part that is Sarah meeting Josh for New Years in Hawaii. Now this was my favourite part. Great locations wonderfully described so you can imagine being right there. Josh is younger than Sarah but has the same adventurous spirit. The trouble is he does not seem in a rush to commit, and Sarah doesn’t really know where she stands.

Oh, to be in Sarah’s position; two gorgeous men chasing her! I won’t spoil anything, but she does have to decide at some point... where will her heart take her?

Well written, with fun characters you can’t help but adore. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of this series and the adventures Sandy has taken us on.

I highly recommend this fab summer read, perfect for some escapism right now.

Purchase Links

AmazonUK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sunset-Sydney-totally-uplifting-holiday-ebook/dp/B081MSC5S3

Google play: https://bit.ly/3dLjJxU

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-sunset-in-sydney/sandy-barker/9780008390020

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/a-sunset-in-sydney-the-holiday-romance-book-3

About the Author:

Sandy Barker is an Australian writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list

and a cheeky sense of humour. She’s also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob.
Many of Sandy’s travel adventures have found homes in her writing, including her debut novel, a contemporary romance set in Greece, which was inspired by her true-life love story.

Social Media Links –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandybarker
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandybarkerauthor/
Blog: https://sandybarker.com/

That Night in Paris - Sandy Barker

Note to self: don’t sleep with your flatmate after a curry and three bottles of wine… especially if he’s secretly in love with you and wants you to meet his mum.

Cat Parsons is on the run. She doesn’t do relationships. After ten years of singlehood even the hint of the ‘L’ word is enough to get Cat packing her bags and booking herself onto a two-week holiday.

A European bus tour feels like a stroke of genius to dodge awkward conversations at home. But little does Cat realise that the first stop will be Paris, the city of love itself.

Joined by new friends, Cat has got two weeks, eight countries and a hell of a lot of wine ahead of her. As they discover hidden treasures and the camaraderie of life on the road, will Cat find a new way of looking at love?

Discover the beauty of Europe’s most romantic cities in this uplifting and laugh-out-loud novel for fans of Samantha Parks, Alex Brown and Mandy Baggot

My Review:A brilliant, whistle-stop tour of some of Europe’s iconic destinations. Main character Cat signs up to a packed coach trip across Europe – rather her than me! Although she makes amazing friends along the way, I must admit some of the places they had to stay would be like torture to me, so I am very pleased to live this experience through these characters. Cat has run away on this coach trip after sleeping with her flatmate – he wants more, and Cat does not. Cat’s a nice character, she is decisive, opinionated and funny, although at times immature and quite bitchy. She is a right little horny devil though, it was a bit excessive at times for me – I mean calm it down love, we get it you fancy the bloke! In the end I found it funny really. I do like how she and bus buddy Lou decided to make the most of all the time they had in each place.Cat and friends bump into the gorgeous French man who is someone Cat used to know well, and the trip really starts to get exciting for Cat then. I don’t want to say to much about the story but it’s fun, the friends she makes on the coach each have their own reasons for being there, all running away from something. Their friendship was the winning element of the story for me – it was nice she found kindred spirits!
I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and iconic places with each city, we had more from some cities than others, but I guess that is in-keeping with the amount of time the coach tour had in each place.
A fun filled, laugh out loud read that is a wonderful escape. A great summer read to get stuck into. 

About the Author:

Sandy Barker is an Australian writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list and a cheeky sense of humour.

Many of Sandy’s travel adventures have found homes in her writing, including her debut novel, a contemporary romance set in Greece, which was inspired by her true-life love story.

Follow Sandy on Twitter: @sandybarker

BLOGTOUR - One Summer in Santorini - Sandy Barker

About 'One Summer in Santorini'
There was something in the air that night. . .

Sarah has had enough of men. It’s time to rekindle her first true love – travel – so she books a sailing trip around the Greek islands with a group of strangers.

The very last thing Sarah wants is to meet someone new… But then a gorgeous American man boards her yacht and she knows she’s in trouble. And when she also encounters a handsome silver fox who promises her the world, she realises that trouble really does come in twos.

Will Sarah dive into a holiday fling, embark on a relationship, or stick to her plan – steer clear of men, continue her love affair with feta, and find her own way after all?

PURCHASE HERE

My Review:

I love a book that can whisk me off to a glorious, sun filled destination and Sandy Barker didn’t let me down.

One Summer in Santorini is a fun story with relationships and friendships at its heart as well as embracing the culture and surroundings of wherever you may roam.  I felt like I’ve been on adventure; Santorini is like a dream destination of mine so getting to hear these well written, idyllic descriptions were fantastic.

Sarah is our leading lady; she is strong and independent and realising she lost a bit of herself within her last relationship she seizes the opportunity to travel again and chooses this 10 day yacht adventure to find herself again.

It took me a little while to get used to Sarah, I can’t put my finger on why… I liked her but I thought she was going to be hard work – I’m glad I wrong, she turns out to be smart, kind and caring, considerate and a wonderful friend to those around her.

She meets and is attracted to a fellow passenger, he is different, younger and her feelings seem pretty instant, she does try to fight them, but I was urging her on. I thought it was a perfect coupling from the start, definitely what she needed. I can appreciate the temptation with the silver fox, but I wasn’t rooting for him at all. He isn’t what she should have been looking for in my opinion.

I loved the beautiful cast of characters, some very quirky, temperamental and I feel I would have loved to explore their stories a little more too. For example, what was Patricia all about, what happened next with her etc?

Sandys passion for Santorini and travelling is abundantly clear and is a real pleasure to read.  I laughed, I ‘arghed’ and I enjoyed. It’s a great read for the summer. 

Author Bio:

Sandy Barker is an Australian writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list and a cheeky sense of humour.

Many of Sandy’s travel adventures have found homes in her writing, including her debut novel, a contemporary romance set in Greece, which was inspired by her true-life love story.

Follow her on Twitter @sandybarker