BooksChatter: ☀☄ Christmas at Pennington's: Pennington's [3]

Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for Christmas at Pennington's, an Edwardian Historical Romance by Rachel Brimble (19 September 2019, Aria, 402 pages).

This is the third book in the Pennington's series.

PREVIEW: Check out the book's synopsis, the Kindle Cloud Reader Preview, and the Exclusive Excerpt below (introduced by the author), as well as full details of the series.

Christmas at Pennington's is FREE on Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owner's Lending Library.

Author Rachel Brimble will be awarding a $15 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀), interviews (ℚ), reviews (✍) and guest blog posts (✉).

|| Synopsis || Teaser: KCR Preview || Teaser: Exclusive Excerpt || The Series || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

Synopsis

Gripping drama as Pennington's department store prepares for a glittering Christmas in 1911, but a killer stalks the women of Bath.

Christmas sees Pennington's at its most glorious, thronged with shoppers, its grand staircase and balcony adorned with holly, mistletoe, tinsel and lights. It should be the happiest time, but dramas are seething beneath the surface.

For Cornelia Culford, in charge of jewellery, a divorce hearing looms, where she could lose custody of her young sons to her overbearing and unfaithful husband.

For Stephen Gower, being head of security at Pennington's is the perfect refuge from a tragic past at Scotland Yard. But soon the past will call him back, as Joseph Carter and Elizabeth Pennington beg him to help solve the murder of Joseph's first wife, now that it seems as if the killer has struck again.

For Joseph and Elizabeth, their marriage depends on exorcising the past. But can it ever be laid to rest?

Teaser: KCR Preview

Teaser: Exclusive Excerpt

The following is a scene where Stephen (our hero) is edging closer to finding a killer he has been on the trail of throughout the book – he and his sidekick, a vagrant named Herman, have accosted a man they think is withholding vital information. Fingers crossed, this confrontation will bring Stephen another step closer to uncovering the truth… Rachel Brimble

‘So, you have no idea who killed her?’ Stephen took a step forward, brushing past Herman. ‘Seems wrong to me that any man should raise his hand to a woman, let alone stab her and leave her to die in a place where she was trying to do some good.’
The man’s eyes narrowed. ‘You’re talking like you actually care about her. All women got motives. There’s was no more charity in Lillian Carter than the rest of the do-gooders who come around here, handing out bread and water as though they’ll get themselves a better place in heaven than the rest of us. Shit-stirrers, the lot of them.’
It was all Stephen needed to hear.
His blood pumping, he lunged for the man, drew him up by his coat collar and slammed him against the slimy, wet wall. Once, twice, three times, until the man’s breath rushed from him between cracked lips, his head swaying from side to side in his drunkenness.
Stephen clenched his teeth. ‘Who killed her? Give me a name. I mean it or, so help me God, I won’t be responsible for what happens next.’
‘Piss off.’
Before Stephen could do anything, a fist whistled past his face and smacked into the vagrant’s cheek. His head snapped back, hitting the wall with a crack.
‘Goddamn it.’ Herman shook out his fingers. ‘Just cough it up, man. Who killed her?’
Stephen shook the man again. ‘A name. Now.’
‘I don’t know his bloody name, all right?’ The man’s bloodshot eyes burned with anger. ‘He lives in Victoria Park, but you’ll never get to him. He’s got a gang. A whole load of them who watch his back. You’re wasting your bloody time.’
‘What does he look like?’
‘Big, broad fella. Menacing. Hair as black as night and his eyes…’ The vagrant shook his head. ‘Are eyes no man or woman wants to look at. You’ll know him when you see him, trust me. He’s a bloody giant among thieves.’
Revulsion twisted Stephen’s stomach. To think of a man of this described size preying on women was more than he could stand. How in God’s name had he managed to get away with killing? Not once, but three times. Were people so afraid of him they would rather turn a blind eye than help take him off the streets?
Stephen loosened his grip and shoved the man again. He looked at Herman.
Before Stephen could so much as open his mouth, the other man’s fist caught him on the jaw, the strength of the blow vibrating through his teeth. As he shook the pain from his head and the stars from his eyes, the man shoved past them, sending Herman stumbling backwards and Stephen lurching to the side.
He was out from the cover of the trees and away.
‘Goddamn it.’ Stephen rubbed his jaw. ‘We’ve got no chance of catching up with him. He probably knows the shortcuts from here to oblivion better than we ever will.’
‘Maybe, but at least you’re another step closer in your investigation.’ Herman smiled. ‘Even if you’ve got a bruised jaw and ego to go with it.’
Stephen took off his cap and pushed his hair back from his forehead. ‘Funny, Herman. Really bloody funny.’

There's drama and magic at Pennington's This Christmas

Christmas at Pennington's
Available NOW!

The Series: Pennington's

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Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.

The Mistress of Pennington's [1]

1910 – A compelling tale of female empowerment in Bath's leading department store. Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridge and The Paradise. Elizabeth Pennington should be the rightful heir of Bath's premier department store through her enterprising schemes and dogged hard work. Her father, Edward Pennington believes his daughter lacks the business acumen to run his empire and is resolute a man will succeed him.

Determined to break from her father's iron-clad hold and prove she is worthy of inheriting the store, Elizabeth forms an unlikely alliance with ambitious and charismatic master glove-maker Joseph Carter. United they forge forward to bring Pennington's into a new decade, embracing woman's equality and progression whilst trying not to mix business and pleasure.

Can this dream team thwart Edward Pennington's plans for the store? Or will Edward prove himself an unshakeable force who will ultimately ruin both Elizabeth and Joseph?

[Published 1 July 2018, 454 pages]

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A Rebel at Pennington's [2]

Don't miss our guest post by author Rachel Brimble: "Female Empowerment & The Pennington’s Department Store Series". One woman's journey to find herself and help secure the vote. Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridge and The Paradise.

1911 Bath. Banished from her ancestral home, passionate suffrage campaigner Esther Stanbury works as a window dresser in Pennington's Department Store. She has hopes and dreams for women's progression and will do anything to help secure the vote.
Owner of the prestigious Phoenix Hotel, Lawrence Culford has what most would view as a successful life. But Lawrence is harbouring shame, resentment and an anger that threatens his future happiness.

When Esther and Lawrence meet, their mutual understanding of life's challenges unites them and they are drawn to the possibility of a life of love that neither thought existed.
With the Coronation of King-Emperor George V looming, the atmosphere in Bath is building to fever pitch, as is the suffragists' determination to secure the vote.

Will Esther's rebellious nature lead her to ruin or can they overcome their pasts and look to build a future together?

[Published 5 February 2019, 436 pages]

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About the Author

Rachel lives with her husband and their two daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.

Since 2007, she has had several novels published by small US presses, eight books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical.

In January 2018, she signed a four-book deal with Aria Fiction for a new Edwardian series set in Bath’s finest department store. The first book, The Mistress of Pennington’s released July 2018, A Rebel At Pennington’s February 2019 and Christmas At Pennington’s September 2019.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America and has thousands of social media followers from all over the world.

To sign up for her quarterly and new release newsletter, visit her website.

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