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The Price of Love Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

"This writer is a natural; her prose is effortless and evocative, her dialogue very natural." Amazon reviewer

Stephen Firth is handsome, rich and ruthless. Jilting his bride-to-be, he flies to Crete, where memories of an idyllic childhood come alive. But he is immune to nostalgic sentimentality.

A free spirit, living for the here and now. He takes what he wants and moves on.

Which of the women he meets will change his point of view?

And how will the formidable Joyce Shackleton, his father’s secretary, turn everyone's world upside down?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Just when you think you understand what's going on, there's a twist. I especially enjoyed the contrast of urban/suburban London with sun-drenched Greece. Both locales were drawn in fine detail--down to the flavors of the meals and the smells in the alleyways." Top Amazon reviewer

" 'A Good Day for Jumping' is the third book I've read by this author. I had high expectations and I wasn't disappointed. It's extremely well written with an intriguing plot and I particularly love the way the characters are developed layer by layer as the story progresses." Amazon reviewer

" This clever story twists and turns, moving from Greece to London and back again, and is full of surprises. The wonderfully well drawn character of Joyce Shackleton will make you gasp." Amazon reviewer

From the Author

I spent two years living and working on the island of Crete and got to know the north coast around Rethymnon, which is the setting for a large part of the action in "A Good Day for Jumping".  I wanted to give a feeling of authenticity not only of place but also of the character of the people who live there.  Kookis and his family are fictional characters, but are based on my experience of the people I met and grew close to while I taught English at a private school near the park in Rethymnon.

Like all my writing, this story is character-driven.  One of my strongest female protagonists is Joyce Shackleton, who turns out to be full of surprises.  I enjoy building layers and, in Joyce, there are many, which are revealed little by little.

Not all of my characters are likeable; I write about real people, with real faults.  Stephen Firth is handsome and rich.  He is also confused.  Although we may think him egotistical and callous, he has difficult choices to make and is not in possession of all the facts.  I like to cut him a little slack, even if he is probably the villain of the piece.

Part of the action takes place in Afghanistan.  For this, I communicated with soldiers who had served there and who provided me with invaluable information and insights, so that Andy, my character, would have depth and credibility.

The cover design is Clifton Bridge in Bristol.  And the title is taken from a line spoken by one of my characters.  I can't give any more away than that.  Suffice it to say, that there is far more to the story than you would at first imagine.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ALIV3MA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ B A Spicer (January 2, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 2, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1530 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 308 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

About the author

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Bev Spicer
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Bev Spicer is the author of numerous ebooks and paperbacks. She also writes under the pen name B. A. Spicer.

Bev was born in a small market town in the Midlands, daughter to an observer for the Royal Air Force and her mother, a local beauty queen.

She was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge and became a lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University in 1997 moving to live in France with her husband and two of her children ten years later, where she writes full-time.

She is widely read and has travelled extensively, living in Crete, where she taught English and learned to speak Greek, and in the Seychelles, where she worked for the government and co-designed materials which were used to teach at secondary school level.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
17 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2013
    A perfect book for a rainy Sunday. I couldn't put this book down, wondering where the story would take me. Touches of Ian McEwen?
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2013
    To begin with, there didn't seem to be much of a plot, just some well drawn characters, but as the story unfolded, the interactions became clear, and the loose threads wove themselves into an enticing tease. I didn't guess where it would end, or even what would happen on the way to the end. An entertaining read from start to finish, with lovable characters, for all their beautifully detailed faults.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2016
    A Good Day for Jumping is a brilliantly written book. The story plants itself, like a strong vine in fertile soil, sending out powerful tendrils of character and sub-plot which wrap themselves round the reader’s imagination, bud, flower and finally fruit, bringing forth a satisfying harvest.
    Initially, we are confronted by Steve, a man returning to his roots in Crete, alone for some reason we do not know. He drifts without purpose from one bar to another, walks aimlessly up hills and finally makes a connection with a bar owner and his extended family. Their stories are grafted seamlessly onto Steve’s. They, like we, assess his character and his situation. Who is he? What is he doing here? What is he running away from?
    Meanwhile, back in the UK, Sarah takes up a new secretarial position in an advertising agency. Her story weaves itself into Steve’s, as, in turn, does that of her brother in Afghanistan. Then we meet Joyce, the woman Sarah is replacing, Joyce’s part-time lover and her querulous mother. The story moves backwards and forwards in time. It all becomes enmeshed into the first root-stock, colouring it, adding light and shade, perfume, flavour. One might argue that perhaps there are too many side-stories, some of them don’t add directly to the leader. On the other hand the character I most wanted to meet - Steve’s mother - was absent altogether. Some of the time-shifts are a little abrupt and bewildering but I like a book which demands something of me as a reader. I was kept on my toes.
    Always, in my mind, was the book’s title. Who is going to jump? What from? Why? And although in the end this proves to be not quite what I anticipated, it maintained a tension like a taut wire as the narrative unfurled.
    Steve is an intriguing character; not a hero, but not a villain either. He is what many young men finding themselves in his position would be; feckless, selfish, lost, endearingly honest about his own failings.
    This writer is a natural; her prose is effortless and evocative, her dialogue very natural. She tells her story entirely from the points of view of her many characters, keeping herself aloof and her secrets close to her chest. Some of the insights offered by peripheral characters could have been filled in by a strong narrative voice; arguably, this might have made the text tighter, perhaps? But I am picking unnecessary holes, here. This is a very good book.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016
    An interesting and well written book. I found it frustrating with the time changes, as I prefer a linear storyline, however that is a personal opinion and does not change the fact that the characters are well developed and the descriptions of places and people are excellent. I wil be reading more by this writer.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2014
    A Good Day For Jumping is one of those books where, at first, seemingly unconnected people go about their lives--whether that's working hard or wrecking emotional havoc--and it's only little by little, detail upon detail, that you see these individuals are actually on a collision course. Every character has a hidden agenda, something they are either desperate to hide or waiting for the right (most damaging) moment to reveal. No one is innocent and no one gets out unscathed.

    Stephen Firth seems like your average ne'er-do-well rich boy. He abandons his emotionally fragile fiance even as their guests arrive at the church and runs to his maternal homeland of Greece. But there are realities that can't be escaped. Stephen thinks he's taken back control of his future. He has no idea that there's someone behind the scenes pulling strings and keeping secrets.

    Joyce Shackleton is a force to be reckoned with in the tiny professional kingdom she's created for herself over the past two decades. Her co-workers would say that her job is her life. In truth, it's only one of her lives. Despite Joyce's best efforts, her separate worlds collide in a way that she cannot ignore.

    Spicer does a great job playing these and her other characters off of one another. She parses out facts in little tidbits, that may or may not mean what you think they do. This builds plenty of tension. Just when you think you understand what's going on, there's a twist. I especially enjoyed the contrast of urban/suburban London with sun-drenched Greece. Both locales were drawn in fine detail--down to the flavors of the meals and the smells in the alleyways.

    A great read for those who don't necessarily need their fiction to end tied in a neat bow.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • JD HUGHES
    5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully observed novel with great characters involved in many twists ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2017
    A beautifully observed novel with great characters involved in many twists and unexpected events. Lovely writing and, with all ends tied up, it is well worth a read. Excellent as always from the redoubtable Ms Spicer. Bravo!
  • Clement
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2013
    The characters were well drawn, from Joyce to Steve and May and Sarah and Roula. All very different and well described. I liked the way the story was written, jumping from one viewpoint to another. A good way of keeping the suspense going. However I was slightly puzzled by the ending (???)
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Totally absorbing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2012
    " This clever story twists and turns, moving from Greece to London and back again, and is full of surprises.The wonderfully well drawn character of Joyce Shackleton will make you gasp. I became completely absorbed in the plot and couldn't put the book down."
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Just bought my amazon fire and this is the second book i've read what a great book i've
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2016
    Spent several holidays in the Greek islands and this book took me back there. I shall be reading more of Bev Spicers books !!

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