Front Page Fridays Week-26
Front Page Fridays Week-26
Welcome to Front Page Fridays Week-26. On Fridays I highlight a recently published book by showcasing the first page.
My Front Page Fridays Week-26 guest is Natalie Kleinman and her brand-new feel-good happy-ever-after romance, A Walk in the Park.
Here’s the opening:
CHAPTER ONE
A person would have to be mad to go out in such weather. But Daisy Shepherd knew she was mad, and in any case Oscar needed a walk and she was paid to take him. By the time they reached Greenwich Park, her jacket was soaked and rainwater was running off the end of her nose. All it needed now was…
“Whoa!” Daisy tripped over her own feet and staggered as the huge dog, still attached to his lead, attempted to give chase to a squirrel that had leapt from a tree and landed right in front of him. The squirrel, sensing danger, took off with the dog in hot pursuit, Daisy determinedly hanging on until she landed in the mud on her knees. She could already feel the bruises. Relinquishing the chase, Oscar turned his attention to Daisy. Her head was now level with his, and he chose to express his concern for her welfare by licking her face.
“It’s a bit late, but thank you.”
She scrambled to her feet and removed the lead from his collar, but instead of racing off again he nudged the pocket where she kept his ball.
“Oh, so now you want to play, do you?” she said, and obligingly threw it with all her might.
After their game, Daisy walked Oscar home and left him in the garden while she let herself into the house through the front and removed her dirty boots and coat. With towels at the ready, she opened the back door into the kitchen and Oscar barged past her, skidding to a halt on the tiled floor. Rubbing him down wasn’t the easiest job in the world. He had a habit of rolling onto his back and demanding she rub his tummy, and a Bernese mountain dog has a lot of tummy. Daisy obliged. It was the part of the job she loved best.
“My God, you’re smelly.”
Oscar faced her square on. He didn’t appear to have taken exception.
“Okay, it’s time for your breakfast. What’s Gloria left for you today? Ooh yummy. There you go then.”
Daisy fed him, threw the dirty towels into the washing machine and made a token sweep of the floor, all the while keeping up a one-sided conversation until Oscar, exhausted and replete, curled up in his basket in the corner. She’d met the cleaning lady a couple of times, and Irena had told her not to bother with the cupboard doors where Oscar usually shed much of his dirt with an almighty shake.
“I used to come earlier, but there’s no point. I clean the kitchen. He makes it dirty. Better to come after his walk.”
Daisy often wondered what Oscar’s owner Gloria did in her office all day, but she was willing to bet it didn’t involve getting her hands dirty. She’d never met her husband, Arnold, though the photo in the lounge showed him to be as well-groomed as his wife. Occasionally she amused herself picturing the two of them walking Oscar at the weekends. At least she hoped they walked him. Daisy kissed the top of his wet head and said, “You’re still smelly, but I love you. See you tomorrow.” She smiled as she retrieved her belongings, unable to imagine either ‘parent’ appearing bedraggled and with an assortment of black, white and tan-coloured hairs on their clothing. How they’d ended up with such a labour-intensive dog she didn’t know, but somebody groomed him, that was for sure. Daisy locked up and went home.
A Walk in the Park was published on St Valentine’s Day by Sapere Books.
About the Book:
Daisy’s life is about to change forever…
Ever since she was a teenager, twenty-nine-year-old Daisy Shepherd has been thrilled to be able to walk dogs for a living. And with a supportive mother and stepfather, she thinks she has everything she needs. But when her birth father, James, asks to meet her, her idyllic lifestyle is turned upside down.
Having been abandoned by James as a baby, Daisy has no desire to get to know him. However, she is delighted to learn that she has two half-siblings, Charlie and Kirsty, with whom she forms a warm friendship. With a newly expanded family, Daisy’s happiness should be complete. But as she spends more and more time with Charlie and Kirsty, her feelings grow more complex. And with her heart pulling her in one direction and her head in another, she begins to wonder how she can protect her relationship with her siblings while preserving her peace of mind…
Will Daisy be able to work through her feelings? Can she keep her newfound family in her life? Or are they destined to be pulled apart?
About the Author:
Natalie Kleinman began her writing career with short stories, of which some fifty have been published in magazines in the UK and internationally. She was winner of the Christmas-themed John Walter Salver Competition 2021 run by the SWWJ. Her first three novels were contemporary romantic fiction before she moved to Regency historical romance. She now has seven books published in this genre and has returned in 2025 to contemporary romance.
When she isn’t writing, Natalie enjoys lunching with friends and spending time
outside. She also goes to the gym three times a week. Whether or not she enjoys that is still up for discussion.
A lifelong resident of London, she has been able to take advantage of all the culture and entertainment that amazing city has to offer, with visits to museums and the theatre being a top priority.
Natalie is a member of the Society of Women Writers and Journalists
Links:
Amazon: getbook.at/AWalkInThePark
Website: https://nataliekleinman.com/
Twitter: https://x.com/NatKleinman
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nataliekleinman.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatalieKleinmanAuthor/
I hope you enjoyed reading Front Page Fridays Week-26. Please come back next time when I’ll be featuring a different author and the first page of their book.
And please take a look at books already featured on Front Page Fridays:
1. Blood Ribbons by Lin Le Versha – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-1/
2. Fatal Blow by Brian Price – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-2/
3. Can I Trust You? by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-3 – Rachel Sargeant
4. The Last Bird of Paradise by AJ Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-4 – Rachel Sargeant
5. Never Forgive You by Hilly Barmby – Front Page Fridays Week-5 – Rachel Sargeant
6. The Mists of Pencarrack Moor by Terri Nixon – Front Page Fridays Week-6 - Rachel Sargeant
7. The Thief of Joy by Stacey Murray – Front Page Fridays Week-7 - Rachel Sargeant
8. Edge of the Land by Malcolm Hollingdrake – Front Page Fridays Week-8 - Rachel Sargeant
9. The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood - https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-9/
10. The Midnight Man by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-10 - Rachel Sargeant
11. Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler – Front Page Fridays Week-11 - Rachel Sargeant
12. Her Charming Man by Rachel Sargeant – Front Page Fridays Week-12 - Rachel Sargeant
13. Wedding Bells at the Lakeside Hotel by Linda Huber – Front Page Fridays Week-13 - Rachel Sargeant
14. Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey – Front Page Fridays Week-14 - Rachel Sargeant
15. The Shame by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-15 - Rachel Sargeant
16. Dead Mile by Jo Furniss – Front Page Fridays Week-16 — Rachel Sargeant
17. The Violin and Candlestick by David Jarvis – Front Page Fridays Week-17 — Rachel Sargeant
18. New Memories by S.E. Shepherd – Front Page Fridays Week-18 — Rachel Sargeant
19. Young Blood by Victoria Gemmell – Front Page Fridays Week-19 — Rachel Sargeant
20. Private Investigations by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-20 — Rachel Sargeant
21. The Car Horn revolution by A.J. Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-21 — Rachel Sargeant
22. What Lies Beneath by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-22 — Rachel Sargeant
23. A Safe Place by Stephanie Carty – Front Page Fridays Week-23 — Rachel Sargeant
24. Fatal Image by Brian Price – Front Page Fridays Week-24 — Rachel Sargeant
25. Run For Your Lies by A.A. Abbott – Front Page Fridays Week-25 — Rachel Sargeant