Game More, Pay Less
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Millions of titles. Learn more
Read now
OR
£0.00

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon Media EU S.à r.l..
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will pre-order your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships and Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Mark David Green
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Travel Auction: THE ULTIMATE BLIND DATE! A quirky and original laugh-out-loud feel-good romantic comedy (Same Name New Flame Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Mark David Green (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 1,041 ratings
Kate Thornley had heard about the crazy guy advertising an all expenses paid trip of a lifetime, but she'd dismissed it as a hoax.

But according to her best friend, Maria, it was all over social media. Apparently, Jonathan Cork had discovered his girlfriend cheating with the local plumber just days before they were due to fly out to South America. With no chance of a refund and too late to change the name on the spare ticket, he'd advertised for a new travel companion with the same name as his ex.

When Maria replies to the ad on Kate's behalf, Jonathan has no idea what he’s letting himself in for – certainly not a gorgeous former nurse with a feisty attitude and plenty of her own baggage, not to mention one tiny little detail Kate should probably have mentioned before they met...

“How on earth did a bloke write so well about what a woman thinks? Highly recommend this for a good giggle.”

“Cleverly written with lovely touches of humour and emotion.”

“A lovely, funny, sad, brilliant book!”
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Book 1 of 4
    Same Name New Flame
  2. Print length
    342 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    7 Nov. 2013
  6. File size
    570 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
  Report an issue with this product

Shop this series

 See full series
There are 4 books in this series.

Product description

About the Author

Mark David Green is the writer of The Travel Auction series of books. He lives with his wife in Poole, on the UK's south coast. They spend much of their time aboard their small sailing boat, either port-hopping or at anchor, enjoying the freedom of a life less complicated.

Mark spends his writing time wedged in the boat's tiny forward cabin - the smallest, most magical study in the world. If he could have one dream come true, it would be to see his first book adapted into a big screen romantic comedy.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008Y1VNCQ
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 7 Nov. 2013
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 570 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 342 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 4 ‏ : ‎ Same Name New Flame
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 1,041 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Mark David Green

Mark David Green

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Mark David Green is the writer of The Travel Auction series of books. He lives with his wife in Poole, on the UK's south coast. They spend much of their time aboard their small sailing boat, either port-hopping or at anchor, enjoying the freedom of a life less complicated.

Mark spends his writing time wedged in the boat's tiny forward cabin - the smallest, most magical study in the world. If he could have one dream come true, it would be to see his first book adapted into a big screen romantic comedy.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
1,041 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find this romantic comedy to be a fantastic first-time novel with a charming storyline and excellent twists and turns. The book features vivid descriptions of the places visited and a relationship that develops between the two main characters, while maintaining a good pace that holds interest. Customers describe it as a heartwarming read that makes them think, with genuine laugh-out-loud moments that make them giggle out loud on several occasions.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

320 customers mention ‘Readability’306 positive14 negative

Customers find the book to be a wonderful and fantastic first-time novel, with one customer noting it's really well written and another mentioning it's excellent for keeping the reader engaged.

"...to places they have never seen before so we get a lot of colourful imagery which is beautiful especially right now considering we are mostly still..." Read more

"...be able to say this is a book that remains as exciting and readable from start to finish...." Read more

"...The book didn't disappoint, you feel like you are right with them on their adventure and the descriptions of the places made me want to get on a..." Read more

"...A wonderful read that I would have no hesitation in recommending and a story that I could not see which direction the story would finish in...." Read more

249 customers mention ‘Enjoyment’249 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and funny, describing it as a good lighthearted read with plenty of good laugh-out-loud moments.

"...She is outspoken, brave and overall a very positive person, a opposite to Jonathan who is feeling especially downtrodden at the moment...." Read more

"...So it's wonderful to be able to say this is a book that remains as exciting and readable from start to finish...." Read more

"Unusual idea brilliantly made in to a great page turner - ideal for holiday...." Read more

"...rom-com genre, characters who you are able to root for, and it made me laugh out loud and made me want to cry at different parts of the story...." Read more

213 customers mention ‘Story quality’192 positive21 negative

Customers enjoy the story's twists and turns, describing it as an amazing adventure.

"...been gravitating a lot towards fantasy books so this was a nice break from the dramatics that they tend to come with...." Read more

"Unusual idea brilliantly made in to a great page turner - ideal for holiday...." Read more

"...enjoy the book to a point, some humorous bits and some interesting pieces about their travels, good atmosphere for the places...." Read more

"...The story was original, interesting and different. It didn't follow any of the usual plots used in romantic fiction, which made a welcome change...." Read more

142 customers mention ‘Description quality’142 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's vivid descriptions of the places visited and how the writing style fits the plot perfectly.

"...This book is very descriptive as they are travelling to places they have never seen before so we get a lot of colourful imagery which is beautiful..." Read more

"...Mark Green's writing is deceptively straight-forward and the story rattles along at the perfect pace...." Read more

"...The descriptive passages are inspiring, I could not physically tackle the Inca Trail, but in my mind's eye I already have!..." Read more

"...all though I really enjoyed the book and found Mark Green to be a good writer. I would certainly recommend The Travel Auction." Read more

116 customers mention ‘Heartwarming’116 positive0 negative

Customers find the book heartwarming and inspiring, with one review noting how it brings to life the highs and lows of the journey, while another mentions it made their heart race in places.

"...She is outspoken, brave and overall a very positive person, a opposite to Jonathan who is feeling especially downtrodden at the moment...." Read more

"...This is an entertaining and amusing read that never outstays its welcome." Read more

"...the main characters to tell the story helped to add depth, making the book more personal like you were there reading their thoughts and of course..." Read more

"...That said, there shouldn't be a sequel- it is a great love story in itself and brings out the message that there is good in all of us, even the..." Read more

82 customers mention ‘Character development’75 positive7 negative

Customers enjoy the characters in this romantic comedy, particularly appreciating the relationship development between the two main characters and their chemistry, with one customer noting the realistic tension between them.

"...Plenty of laugh out loud moments, characters you can warm to and relate with..." Read more

"...the story has an original take on the rom-com genre, characters who you are able to root for, and it made me laugh out loud and made me want to cry..." Read more

"...This book has all the ingredients for a wonderful movie, characters to love, humour, dilemmas galore, enduring friendships and sensational..." Read more

"...Both characters are relatable, kind-hearted and realistic. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!" Read more

37 customers mention ‘Pacing’31 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, noting that it moves along quickly enough to hold interest and is at times very moving, with one customer describing it as a rollicking good ride.

"...'s writing is deceptively straight-forward and the story rattles along at the perfect pace...." Read more

"...it doesn't claim to be an action adventure and it moves along quickly enough to hold your interest...." Read more

"...Both characters are fun, frustrating, daft, infuriating...and great company. I loved it and hope you do too." Read more

"...It's well written, good round characters and enough action to give a good pace to the story-line...." Read more

26 customers mention ‘Emotional content’26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book emotionally engaging, with genuine laugh-out-loud moments and giggling out loud on several occasions, though some mention it can be sad at times.

"...stars and would recommend it as a good read with some genuinely laugh out loud sections to season the more serious aspects of the story...." Read more

"I choose 5 Star rating because it was excellent. It was funny and sad, I don't want to give too much away, you will have to read it yourself, from..." Read more

"...made me laugh in places, made my heart race in places and made me teary in places. A thoroughly good read, holiday or otherwise...." Read more

"...There are funny bits, sad bits and gritty bits...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Sainabou Saye
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This book is very different from what I’ve been reading these past few months; I seem to have been gravitating a lot towards fantasy books so this was a nice break from the dramatics that they tend to come with.

    Jonathan Cork has planned a three month back packing trip with his girlfriend and they are days away from their departure date when Jonathan catches her in the act with the plumber. With the tickets being non refundable and him having already quit his job, Jonathan puts the tickets up on eBay advertising for a travel buddy with the same name as his ex. He has a severe peanut allergy and cannot travel alone.

    Enter Angel, stage left, as his travel buddy who is not at all what Jonathan is expecting. She is outspoken, brave and overall a very positive person, a opposite to Jonathan who is feeling especially downtrodden at the moment.

    They do not get along at all to begin with; they are very different with Jonathan being very analytical and Angel a person that tends to go with the flow so they clash a lot which came sometimes with hilarious consequences.

    This book is very descriptive as they are travelling to places they have never seen before so we get a lot of colourful imagery which is beautiful especially right now considering we are mostly still stuck in the UK. I was very much living vicariously through them.

    Drama did ensue as it was very obvious that it would with strangers travelling together; it gave me a lot of belly laughs as well as huge smiles on my face. Some of it is not as funny though but I will let you discover that for yourself. We also meet a lot of interesting people that I wouldn’t mind getting to know a bit more about as well.

    Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and it’s exciting to know there are more books in the series to sink my teeth into.

    Happy reading everyone x
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • David Wailing
    4.0 out of 5 stars A funny and fast-moving romantic adventure
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2013
    Verified Purchase
    After dumping his cheating girlfriend, Jonathan advertises on eBay for a new travel companion on his three month journey around South America. The only catch being that to use the flight tickets, the new girl must have the same name as his ex!

    The initial premise of The Travel Auction is so strong that you expect the rest of the novel to inevitably drop in quality. So it's wonderful to be able to say this is a book that remains as exciting and readable from start to finish.

    The characterisation of Jonathan and 'Kate Thornly the 2nd' drives this story, particluarly the will-they-won't-they romantic undertones of all the crazy escapades they get involved with. Mark Green's writing is deceptively straight-forward and the story rattles along at the perfect pace. He reserves his long-winded descriptions for those scenes where the beauty of South America is being specifically described, and otherwise keeps his writing refreshingly to the point.

    This is an entertaining and amusing read that never outstays its welcome.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Heth
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 August 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Unusual idea brilliantly made in to a great page turner - ideal for holiday.

    The concept of the book intrigued me being from two different points of view and the subject of travel was a really big pull.

    Alternating between the main characters to tell the story helped to add depth, making the book more personal like you were there reading their thoughts and of course show the way us girls think differently to guys!

    The book didn't disappoint, you feel like you are right with them on their adventure and the descriptions of the places made me want to get on a plane and see the sights for myself.

    Plenty of laugh out loud moments, characters you can warm to and relate with (okay so some bits you need a bit of imagination but thats why they call it fiction).

    I have recommended this to my other half who wouldn't read rom com for the travel and humour and to my friends who like a good modern romance so a bit of something for everyone.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Katie85
    5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, funny and heartwarming
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 August 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed this story - the story has an original take on the rom-com genre, characters who you are able to root for, and it made me laugh out loud and made me want to cry at different parts of the story.

    I won't say that I was unsure of how I would feel about this story, because I genuinely like romances and stories with some travel in, but I was not expecting to get so invested in the story, the characters and their surroundings. I am not familiar with South America, but the vivid and detailed descriptions of Jonathan and Kate's locations made me feel that I was there with them sharing their adventures. Sometimes, a lot of detail can make a story drag on a bit, but in this case, I felt that it added something and I found that the story took me a bit longer than I originally anticipated because I was soaking in the details. The story does jump between Jonathan and Kate's views quite regularly, often several times each in one chapter, but once I got used to it, I felt that it almost had to be done like that.

    A wonderful read that I would have no hesitation in recommending and a story that I could not see which direction the story would finish in. Partly I think that's because I was enjoying it too much to think about the story ending, but also because there are plenty of things happening even towards the end. I got this when this was free, but would have been more than happy to pay for this.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Just great from beginning to end!
    Reviewed in France on 4 September 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Full of humour, insight into human foibles and would make a terrific film - a really good read, thank you Mark Green.
    Report
  • Jeannette A.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Surprises throughout!
    Reviewed in the United States on 18 July 2020
    Verified Purchase
    A well written and contemporary story with the internet providing everything a person needs and much more! I enjoyed the writing style and the quirky humor, the great escape from the reality TV torture and many more of the experiences within the story. Well done Mark for the pleasurable read.
    Report
  • Alison Peat
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Travel Auction by Mark Green
    Reviewed in France on 25 September 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Wonderful, funny, descriptive a great laugh out loud book. Brilliant, read it in one day couldn't get enough of it.
    Report
  • Alina
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good fun
    Reviewed in the United States on 11 February 2014
    Verified Purchase
    It's good fun. The topic is quite unique in its way and it's written at an alert pace. You won't get bored. The only minus is that lots of things seem to happen to these people in a very short time span and some of the actions seem a bit too "fictional" to me but then again it's a fiction book...
    Report
  • LauraTheSinger
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Rom-Com Romp
    Reviewed in the United States on 26 August 2013
    Verified Purchase
    "I have to say this book is perfectly suited for a very sweet, blockbuster rom-com. The premise and writing is uproariously funny, the characters are perfectly fleshed out and charismatic, but it's also refreshingly insightful and surprisingly heartfelt. Think Once (the film with Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová) meets The Out-of-Towners meets Roman Holiday.

    British, former pencil pushing analyst, Jonathan Cork has a problem. The trip of a lifetime, a three month jaunt through South America he planned with his girlfriend is a week away in in danger of not happening. With just a week until the trip, Jonathan finds his girlfriend, Kate Thornly, in a compromising position with the plumber, unfortunately there's no way he can go on his trip alone due to a severe peanut allergy and, he cannot change the names on all of the travel documents. So he places an eBay ad for another Kate Thornly to be his travel partner.

    Kate (Angel) Thornly's well meaning friends dupe her into going on the trip. Everything, on the surface seems to be perfect for Jonathan with the new Kate Thornly: she's a trained nurse, pretty and upbeat...until they actually meet. There's a pretty MAJOR plot point revealed in the beginning that will blow your mind and take, what starts out as a predictably sweet novel to a whole other place.

    Kate and Jonathan, both are incredibly three dimensional. While overall I loved them both, there were moments when I wanted to slap them for their stupidity and stubbornness. There was so much conflict, but artfully spun so it didn't feel melodramatic. It did, at times, feel like the trip from hell, but that's a realistic depiction of what happens when you travel.

    What I can't get over is how intimately romantic this book was. Because Jonathan and Kate have to be so physically close throughout the novel, because he has to murmur descriptions of everything he sees to her, it gives new meaning to the term "life-partner". It has the most poignant quiet moments without being preachy or cheesy.

    Were there problems? Being a first novel and a self-pub, of course there were rookie mistakes. The most glaring was the misspelling of the word "traveling" throughout the novel, but at least Green was consistent because it is misspelled every. Single. Time. Also, I wasn't a fan of the gratuitous use of exclamation points, it made the writing seem a bit juvenile in certain spots. The book is written in alternating first-person POVs but every Jonathan chapter is titled "me" and then the Kate chapters have her name. This got to be very confusing. But these are so minor and easily fixed on a next edition that they're hardly worth mentioning. The only reason I do is to demonstrate how nearly freaking perfect this book is.

    I do not have enough good things to say about this book. I really hope someone with connections reads it and options the movie rights, because it is truly one of the sweetest, most heartfelt books I've read in a long time."
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report