Guest Post & Giveaway - Emily Harvale's Love of Greece - Greek Week

Thanks so much, Rachel, for including me in your ‘Greek week’. I love Greece: the scorching sun, mouth-watering food and breath-taking scenery, not to mention the glorious, sandy beaches, the history…and the hot men. What’s not to like? 

I’ve been to the islands several times but I think one of my favourite trips was a sailing holiday in Porto Heli, a small seaside town in the Argolida district of mainland Greece, where fishing boats were tied up alongside luxury yachts, and quaint, white-washed, flower-draped homes nestled between gleaming glass frontages of a scattering of hotels.

My then-boyfriend and I, spent several fun-filled days on the water, sailing and windsurfing; rippling muscles on tanned, toned bodies were everywhere we looked. And I don’t just mean the men, either! This is me on a Hobi – sensibly wearing a T-shirt so that my back didn’t get burnt…again. I wish I’d been that sensible on day one!

Porto Heli is surrounded by hills and stunning scenery, so on one of the days we cycled through groves of lemon, orange, and olive trees, the fragrance filling our nostrils and tempting our taste buds, then wound our way down to a taverna on the shore for meze and a glass or two of ouzo before heading back to the hotel for a pre-dinner cocktail. 

Most evenings we sat on the terrace beneath perfumed bougainvillea, sipping coffee as dark as molasses and knocking back Metaxa brandy, sharing snippets of action-packed days with our fellow holidaymakers. Some spent their day with the heroes of the past, soaking up the myths and legends. Ancient Epidaurus, Poros, Ermioni, Mycenae and Nafplion were all within easy reach by car. Some travelled by boat to one of the many secluded coves, sheltered by lush green pine trees and rocky crags. They sunbathed on sparkling sand then cooled off in crystal-clear water. One found her very own, Adonis – although his name was Nico, I seem to recall, and I don’t think I should tell you how she spent her days…and nights, after that. The rest of us laughed and drank into the early hours…and I got bitten alive by mosquitoes despite the jungle formula insect repellent! But I absolutely loved that holiday.

One of my novels, Sailing Solo is set in Greece, and is very loosely based on my trip – although it was written a long time afterwards and mine wasn’t a singles holiday… unfortunately. In the book, Willa runs sailing holidays for singles, from her base at the beautiful, Argolis Bay Hotel. Like us, Willa and her best friend, Blossom enjoy a drink and that got me thinking. To help promote that book, I decided to have a cocktail invented for Willa. This was back in July 2013 and I carried out extensive research, let me tell you, and wrote about it at the time in a blog post called: Cocktail, anyone?

Luckily for me, the delightful, Tom and the lovely, Holly at my local cocktail bar, ‘Walkers’, helped me. After narrowing it down to two, the cocktail on the right was the winner.

Then I had to think of a name for it and after careful deliberation (and more sampling of the product) I came up with, Willashewon'tshe. You'll understand why if you read, Sailing Solo.

In the spirit of sharing and because the, Willashewon'tshe, is just so divine, I'm giving you the recipe:

Equal measures of:

Crème de cacao (chocolate liqueur)

Crème de banane (banana liqueur)

Liqueur de menthe verte (peppermint liqueur)

Shake, pour into your favourite cocktail glass then sprinkle finely grated chocolate on the top

Drink, and repeat the process (or just make a lot the first time!)

Do let me know if you try a Willashewon'tshe, and please feel free to share this recipe with your friends.   Perhaps I’ll see you in Porto Heli. After writing this post, I’m longing to go back and see if it’s still as wonderful as it was, all those years ago.

Well Emily if you do go back, please take me with you it sounds like a fabulous trip. Love the look of the cocktail but can we please swap the banana for something else! Thanks so much for taking part in Greek Week, and for the giveaway (below) too.

Emily Harvale 

To see more of Emily Harvale please check out her links:

www.emilyharvale.com
www.facebook.com/emilyharvalewriter
twitter.com/emilyharvale
www.amazon.co.uk/Emily-Harvale/e/B007BKQ1SW
www.amazon.com/author/emilyharvale

Giveaway - Win a signed copy of Sailing Solo  (Open Internationally)

I’m giving away a signed paperback copy of Sailing Solo, thanks to the wonderful Emily. 

Giveaway open Internationally, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 4/6/2016. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner.  Good luck everyone.

Win a signed copy of Sailing Solo (Open Internationally)

Book Review - Sailing Solo by Emily Harvale - Rachel Reads Randomly Book #23

Amazon UK

Title: Sailing Solo

Author: Emily Harvale

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Crescent Gate Publishing

Publication Date: 21st July 2013

Rating: 5 Stars

Love isn’t always plain sailing. 

Willa Daventry knows what she wants. She’s thirty-two, single and determined to make her singles sailing holidays a successful part of her family’s travel business. 

She doesn’t usually mix business with pleasure but the attentions of three handsome men under the blazing Greek sun are enough to turn any girl’s head. Should she keep things professional, or risk a little flirting and get what she wants into the bargain? 

She needs to negotiate a new deal with Greek hotel owner, Aristaios Nikolades. Advertising executive, Harry ‘Banner’ Bullen’s skills could prove useful, and a five-star review from award-winning, travel writer, Mark Thornton would be a dream come true. 

Unbeknown to Willa, the three men make a drunken wager to see which of them can get a date with her. Aristaios and Harry don’t play fair but Mark is determined to win. He’ll have to keep sex-mad Pilates instructor, Blossom Appleyard and divorcée, Suki Thane at bay though, if he is to stand a chance of sailing off into the sunset with Willa. 

When Willa learns of the bet will she decide to play the men at their own game and teach them a lesson they won’t forget, or … will she just feel she’s better off sailing solo?

Well I'm single, I love Greece, holidays and sexy men, and I don't mind sitting on a boat while someone sails, so a Sailing Solo holiday would be a fantastic fit for me. Based on what I was reading I would have loved every second of my trip, had I really gone on one of these holidays. 

Willa runs the singles sailing holidays and wants to make it a successful part of her family business, despite her father not letting her forget an incident from her first summer season when she was 18 years old. She generally won't mix business and pleasure, unlike her good friend and colleague Blossom. 

However this is the summer where things change, and within the first week of the season, there are three men all so determined to date Willa, that they make a bet. Needless to say it isn't exactly all fun and games for Willa, although it is for the reader, as we see the men compete for her attentions. 

I had strong feelings towards one of the men right from the start, and there is a clear connection between them even if they are both determined to mask their true feelings with large amounts of witty banter. There are a lot of laughs to be had in Sailing Solo, and I definitely felt transported to the coast of mainland Greece. 

There is great Greek food, lovely scenery and sexy greek men, in addition to the other fantastic looking men. Although there isn't a whole deal of sex in the story, there is a large amount of suggestion, and flirting.  I felt utterly transported to the scene of these singles holidays including the magnificent hotel that was being used as a base, and the writing was very descriptive and a joy to read. 

This is another superb book by the very talented Emily Harvale and I loved every minute of it. 

Thank you so much to those of you who voted for Sailing Solo to win. I honestly thought when the choices came up last week that the Freya North would probably win, possibly by a landslide, so I'm very impressed that this was the winner. Incredibly enjoyable book, and please if you take part again this week, see if you can pick something I will enjoy just as much (or not if you are feeling mean!).