Sophie’s Run visits Hamburg

Come on Tour with Sophie and Dan… Discover the Hanseatic city of Hamburg!

Sophie’s Run

Her famous star remains her rock while life takes her on a little detour…

Who says that the road towards true love is straight and even?  Sophie is certainly discovering that it is anything but.

So she has finally found the man of her dreams! Well… she knows who he is, even though she hasn’t actually quite met him yet.  But she misses her opportunity, and then her life goes crazy.  Rock star and ex-fiancé, Dan, keeps getting in the way of her new romance—even if he is just trying to be helpful.  A fire, an impromptu mini-trip with Dan, and a dreaded wedding later, Sophie is still struggling to meet the love of her life. Then, just as she is getting it together with her perfect man, best friend Rachel commits an act of unspeakable betrayal.

Sophie has had enough. Confused and distraught, she decides that it is time for radical change.  Surprising herself and shocking her friends, she embarks on a secret journey and eventually gets her life back on track.

Sophie’s Run is now available in Kindle edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and in Paperback edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. You can also get the paperback at Barnes & Noble, or download Sophie’s Run onto your Nook (coming soon).

My Review of Sophie’s Run

I have been looking forward to reading Sophie’s Run after having so much fun following Sophie’s adventures in the prequel, Sophie’s Turn. It was great to catch up with Sophie again, not to mention the utterly gorgeous Dan. Rachel, BBF, is still there and we get to meet some new faces too.

I found that Sophie’s Run, while in keeping with the style and fun element of Sophie’s Turn, it does perhaps go a bit deeper but in a way that is in keeping with the genre. The characters really develop and mature. There are some big emotional moments, some moments that are great fun and other moments that are beautifully and romantically touching.

I loved the settings, can’t say too much without spoiling the plot, but afterwards I could almost convince myself I had been to a couple of new locations.

A great read, one that I would thoroughly recommend.

Today, Sophie gives you the lowdown on Hamburg, a city that she was passing through but that captured her imagination and made her stay a few days longer than she thought.

Nicky: Hi, Sophie, thanks for joining us here today on Sue’s lovely blog.
Sophie: It’s fab to be here, thanks, Sue, for inviting me.
Nicky: So… Hamburg. Tell us about Hamburg.
Sophie: *chuckles* Where to begin?
Nicky: Well, this is what you tell us in Sophie’s Run. *flicks through pages until she hits the right spot; clears throat.* And I quote: ‘So, I booked myself on a flight to Hamburg the next day. I stayed there for a couple of days while I figured out arrangements…’
Sophie: Yup, that’s right.
Nicky: That sounds like you hadn’t planned to stay in the city for any length of time, though.
Sophie: I hadn’t. I was a woman on the run, a woman with a mission, en route to someplace else. However, when I got there… well, it was just so beautiful. It was very much a city to my liking and I found I couldn’t just pass through. I extended my stay to take a closer look.
Nicky: Amazing. Very … blown with the wind.’
Sophie: Exactly. And Hamburg is a great place. Take a look at this picture of the Town Hall. The small image doesn’t do it justice, but it’s totally overwhelming when you’re stood in front of it. The place is full of history and there are dozens of little stone carvings telling the story of the city. I’m not a sightseeing buff but this had me captivated.

Rathaus
NB: ‘Rat’ in German means ‘Council.’ Rather than… well, rather than what you might have thought upon seeing this word.

Source: By Daniel Schwen (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Sophie: But it’s the maritime side of the city that really captured me. This is a photo of St Pauli Landungsbrücken… the historic departure point for cruise liners. The harbor is tidal in the extreme… I forget now what the tidal difference is, but it’s huge. And this landing stage, it’s all on pontoons so the whole thing sways with the river. It’s weird and wonderful and I could just imagine boarding a big cruise liner there in the olden days and sailing across the sea.
Nicky: *sighs* That sounds so romantic!
Sophie: It is. My biggest problem was that I was all on my own when I visited Hamburg so I had no one to share the dream with! Maybe one day…

Landungsbrücken

Source: By Ingo Weschke (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Nicky: What’s going on in the picture below?
Sophie: Ah, that’s the famous Fish Market. It wasn’t exactly on my list of things to do but I had terrible insomnia and my hotel wasn’t far from there, so the concierge recommended a look-see. My God, it was worth it. The hustle and bustle and all the fish! I nearly went crazy with frustration that I couldn’t splash out on some fresh seafood to cook at home, but I had some cooked prawns in a roll, and I even bought a lobster that I stored in the hotel mini bar and had for lunch later that day. I had to wipe the mini bar out with baby wipes to stop it from smelling!

Fish Market by Night

Source: By Frank Spakowski (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-2.0-de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/de/deed.en)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Sophie: That same day, I took a harbor cruise. I know, that sounds a bit dorky, but it’s not, I assure you. It was absolutely fascinating. It took me all through the historic warehouse section and I got to see the working harbor. You wouldn’t believe the size of some of those container ships—
Nicky: *interrupts, looking stunned* Really? I mean, really? I didn’t have you down as a tonnage kind of nerd! *smiles*
Sophie: *bursts out laughing* No, me neither, I surprised myself, but it was totally worth doing. There’s lots of stuff I didn’t get to see as I had to leave the next day but I would do that harbor cruise again in a heartbeat. Maybe with my lovely heartthrob next to me next time…
Nicky: *has ears on red alert* Ah, now you’re talking. Heartthrob… tell us more!
Sophie: *laughs coyly* You’ll just have to read Sophie’s Run….

Hafen/Harbor

Source: By Vwpolonia75 (Jens K. Müller) (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Wait, wait, wait, there’s more: Introducing the Sophie’s Run Give Away!

Sophie’s Run GIVEAWAYS

1) Standard Giveaway

Nicky Wells is giving away one delicious chocolate gift to a lucky winner in the UK or North America!

The small print: This Gift prize is a product of Unique Chocolate. The Gift prize is subject to availability in your country. If the Gift prize is not available in your country, Nicky Wells reserves the right to offer a substitute gift prize of a similar nature at her discretion. Nicky Wells will require the winner’s postal address for shipping purposes.

Rafflecopter Links:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/OTI2ZmY2ZjlkMzQ0YzMxZGFhOTJkMzFjZjBhY2Q2OjA=/

2. Bonus Giveaway

Nicky Wells offers a giveaway of one Amazon gift voucher worth $20/£15 for one lucky winner. To enter, simply share your thoughts on Sophie’s Run with Nicky. Email your comment to nickywells@sapphirestarpublishing.com and your name will be entered into the draw. Competition closes 1 May 2013.

About Nicky Wells: Romance that Rocks Your World!

Rock On! Nicky Wells writes fun and glamorous contemporary romance featuring a rock star and the girl next door.  A signed author with U.S. publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing, Nicky is in the throes of publishing her Rock Star Romance Trilogy. Nicky loves rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters.  When she’s not writing, Nicky is a wife, mother, and occasional teaching assistant.

Originally born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993, and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys. In a previous professional life, Nicky worked as a researcher and project manager for an international Human Resources research firm based in London and Washington, D.C.

Visit Nicky on her blog where you can find articles, interviews, radio interviews and, of course, an ongoing update on her work in progress. You can also follow Nicky on Twitter and find her on Facebook. Nicky is a featured author on the innovative reader/author project, loveahappyending.com and has joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Nicky also has author pages at Sapphire Star Publishing, Amazon and, of course, Goodreads.

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