• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Tahlia Newland

Editor, Author & Artist

  • Editing Services
  • Me & My Creative Life
    • My Books
      • Metaphysical Fiction
    • My Poetry
    • My Masks
    • My Hats
    • Permaculture, Forest & Garden
    • Performing Arts
  • Blog
  • Contact

A fine writer & a lovely romance: ‘Love or Money’ by Peter McAra

September 26, 2013 by Tahlia Newland

Love Or Money by Peter McAra

Peter McAra is a fine writer. His prose flows crisp and clear, and his characters are real and endearing. This story is about a children’s author Erin and a greenie lawyer Hamish. Erin’s grandmother has left her her property in a sleepy seaside town. Erin goes to the property with the idea of working out what needs to be done in order to prepare it for sale. Erin doesn’t want to sell the old cottage, but she has to because her mother needs a heart transplant and this is the only way they can pay for it.

However, she hadn’t bet on meeting someone like Hamish. As you’d expect on a romance, Hamish is a handsome devil, and he has a dark secret that means that Erin had best keep her desires in check. The third wheel in the relationship stakes here is Erin’s ex, a rather sleazy money hungry chap who won’t accept that their relationship in OVER. His persistence is creepy, and later in the book even hints of danger. He also has clients, a Japanese corporation, that want to wood-chip the area behind the beachside town, something that Hamish and other green-minded people in the community will battle with every breath they have. When it appears to Hamish that Todd’s  relationship with Erin isn’t over, it also makes Erin’s purpose in the town a little suspicious, thus throwing another spanner in the romantic works.

But, despite a few rocky bits, the relationship between Hamish and Erin grows until Erin realises that he is the kind of man that she would be happy to spend the rest of her life with. She can even see them having babies, but if she sells her grandmother’s house, she’ll probably lose Hamish.

The big question is, how will they work it out? Is there any hope of them getting together when the need for money stands in the way? This skilful author finds a way and brings the book to a very satisfactory, if somewhat cliched, ending – but it is a romance. All up, this is a light, entertaining read with a green theme.

I was surprised to find a couple of issues with the editing. As a reviewer for the Awesome Indies, I am often asking independent authors to correct their usage of various elements of grammar and punctuation before their book is accepted for inclusion on the Awesome Indies list, but that a mainstream publisher is guilty of the same faults is of concern to those of us who are trying to maintain standards. The editor for this book needs to check the rules for use of ellipses and em-dashes, because they have used them incorrectly.

Granted there are different conventions for ellipses internationally, but the Australian style guide says, ‘Always separate the ellipsis and any preceding or following text with a space’. This book has no space at either end.

About the em dash, the style guide says, ‘Insert a hairline space before and after an em dash if your publishing process supports it, otherwise omit spaces altogether either side of an em dash.’ The digital format does not permit hairline spaces, so there should be no gap either side. As it is, there is a full space either side of the em dashes. Both these editing errors look pretty tacky. As a message to the publisher, the book loses a star for this oversight.  Sorry Peter, this is no reflection on your lovely book.

Of course, this doesn’t alter the fact that this is an excellent book, but neither does that fact excuse the publisher for poor editing.

Interested in a sweet romance? Buy now
US Kindle store.

Escape Publishing

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: Australian style guide, Peter McAra, Poor mainstream editing

« A book fantasy fans shouldn’t miss: Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani
Don’t miss this moving short story about facing death: It’s FREE until the end of the month »

Search

Recent Posts

  • Fantasy Book Review: The High Priestess by Val Tobin
  • Book Genres – What you Need to Know.
  • How to See Edits in Word Documents
  • Finding an Editor You Can Trust
  • Review of ‘The Guild Codex Spellbound Series’ by Annette Marie

View Posts by Category

Writing a novel? Feeling overwhelmed? Get new insight and inspiration with my FREE Novel Revision Checklist. 

DOWNLOAD  NOW

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Free Book Download  
Get Lethal Inheritance free when you sign up to my new release email list.  I won’t share your details and you can unsubscribe at any time.

My Latest Books

  • Fallout: Recovering from Abuse in Tibetan Buddhism
  • The Elements of Active Prose: Writing Tips to Make Your Prose Shine
  • The Locksmith's Secret
    Rated 5.00 out of 5

Alliance of Independent Authors

Alliance of Independent Authors

Click HERE to see all my books.

Books
Reviews, Writing, Cats & Contemplation
Editing

Click HERE to subscribe to my newsletter and get my fantasy novel Lethal Inheritance FREE. 

How to Meditate – the crucial points

See more

Hi I’m Tahlia Newland

I can help you express yourself and share your story with the world.

 

Do you want to write a really good story and have it professionally polished and published?

As an editor, I help you be the best writer you can possibly be. I strengthen your voice, support your vision and can assist you all the way to publication.

On my blog you’ll find book reviews, writer’s tips, contemplative articles on meditation and working with your mind, and occaisonally pictures of my Burmese cats.

If you’re interested mostly in my contemplative articles then  Sign up to the Living in Peace & Clarity Newsletter to get those articles delivered by email. And check out the resources on my Living in Peace and Clarity Page.

I do a lot of community work involving blogging and general support for Buddhist students processing revelations of abuse in their spiritual communities.  Please consider supporting me to continue this work.

Occiasonally, when inspired and not too busy with community work, I make masks.

All my books are

Visit my Mask & Steampunk Accessories Shop

2015-03-19 15.46.12
Blue Burmese
Like cats in stories? Check out my books. And click the photo to read the cat colomn.

Click Here for More Articles in This Series

Book reviews – sci fi, fantasy, literary fiction, Buddhist fiction and related non-fiction

Fantasy Book Review: The High Priestess by Val Tobin

Fantasy Book Review: The High Priestess by Val Tobin

The High Priestess: Persephone’s Return is the third book in Val Tobin’s Tales from the Unmasqued World Series, and in it she deepens and expands the stories from the previous two book. The book has two central story arcs based around characters we’ve met before. One arc follows Kelsey (a human) who is with Josh […]

More Posts from this Category

My gorgeous Burmese cats

Renovated Website & Cute Cat Series

Renovated Website & Cute Cat Series

Yesterday I did a photoshoot for my renovated website. Take a look around, particulary at the home page (Click on my name at the top to go there). It’s designed for editing clients with my books secondary because I need to focus on the part of this publishing business that actually earns me more than […]

More Posts from this Category

Seven of my novels have an Awesome Indies Seal of Excellence

Four of my books earned BRAG Medallions

I abide by the ethical author code

I'm an Ethical Author
Alliance of Independent Authors

Copyright

All material on this website is under copyright to Tahlia Newland and cannot be shared without written permission.

  • Editing Services
  • About Me
  • My Books
  • My Masks
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · Amoré Theme by Oh, Hello Designs on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

FREE Novel Revision Checklist

Written a book? Need some help reviewing and revising it? Download my Novel Revision Checklist for step by step guidance.  

DOWNLOAD NOW

no thanks

{"cookieName":"wBounce","isAggressive":false,"isSitewide":true,"hesitation":"120","openAnimation":false,"exitAnimation":false,"timer":"","sensitivity":"","cookieExpire":"7","cookieDomain":"","autoFire":"","isAnalyticsEnabled":false}

Please note: I am closed for holidays from Christmas day until Jan 30th 2023. Dismiss