As you might have recalled, Flight to Coorah Creek was one of my favourite ChocLit reads of the past year, as I started reading novels by ChocLitUK authors in January of 2014. As I enter into my second year of reading ChocLitUK, I am overjoyed at the journey I’ve taken through their backlist and new releases thus far along, inasmuch as I have a wicked lovely ‘ChocLit Next Reads list‘ which continues to grow each month I find there is another ‘must read’ ChocLit novel being released!
A year ago, most new releases were available in print, however, in 2015 they are debuting in ebook versions prior to audiobook and print, which will follow suit in latter months. Imagine my wicked sweet surprise in being contacted by Ms Gover to host a special ‘book announcement’ and series spotlight on my blog overnight!? I had become enchanted with Coorah Creek for it’s representation of ‘small towne Romance’ and hearty fiction set within a Western / Outback world!
One of my happily devoured sections of Romance are the stories set in small townes, such as Serenity where we greet the women who make up the Sweet Magnolia’s (a sisterhood friendship amongst career women at different stages of their lives; sharing life, love, memories, and a lot of sweet tea!) penned by Sherryl Woods. Woods has a way of endearing you with realistic themes and compelling drama inside a series that remains true to itself per each new installment of the women who live in Serenity.
Cedar Cove came into my life years before the tv series came to Hallmark Channel, as I honestly encouraged Ms MacComber to pitch the series and her Angel stories to the network as I felt even back in the early 2000s, MacComber would be a ‘good fit’ for Hallmark’s collection of sweet romances and quality television in a sex crazy world where relationships are rarely seen on film. I loved Cedar Cove for it’s Pacific Northwest setting as much as I loved the familiarity of the characters from novel to novel. I am unsure of the translation of it to tv, as I missed the 1st season as it aired.
Coorah Creek wooed me with it’s rugged outback location, it’s salt of the earth quirky characters, and it’s willingness to not only become a safe harbour for someone seeking solace from the world at large, but a place of a new beginning where you can put down roots and carve out your own destiny. Coorah Creek has the beauty of a close-knitted community you find within small townes, against the eloquently vivid backdrop of the Outback; where horses, humans, and wild blue skies greet each other. Gover had me so over the moon for Coorah Creek, even as I read Flight to Coorah Creek I was envisioning myself returning; yet that felt strange, how do you return if a sequel isn’t even known?
There are other small townes and other writers who pen compelling instances of what I consider a wicked good read for small towne life, community connectiveness, nature and wildlife in close proximity to where you lay your hat, and the beauty of not being clogged inside the wheel of chaos each time you want to step outside your door as most larger areas give you the impression of whilst your there. I was bourne and bred in the city, but I had a chance to exchange it for the country; now my heart is half-tethered to both worlds; seeking a way to find balance between convenience and serenity of spirit. Not to mention a slower pace and a calming rhythm of being connected with neighbours, community members, and the natural world.
The news originally broke inside a #ChocLitSaturdays chat (prior to when I changed our tag) that Coorah Creek was not singularly defined by Flight to Coorah Creek but merely a first greeting in which to become acquainted and book our residence for a long-term stay at the only Inn in towne (it’s above the ‘better’ bar; smiles). A place where you can happily snuggle into jeans, boots, and a fedora whilst embracing the freedom of riding horses, kicking up dust in jeeps, and being there for your neighbours.
I was overjoyed to throw a Pub Party for Ms Gover on #ChocLitSaturday today! The details of which will partially be revealed on this post, but will also alight when I write up the compliment blog post for today’s convo! It was a happy hour full of #booklove, #bookjoy, and the camaraderie amongst friends who’ve only known each other for just shy of a year! At least, I’ve only known the ChocLit’ers for the twelvemonths I’ve been hosting the chat, as we’ve had the chance to get to know each other off-blog and out in life. The convos are the blissful happy moments I cherish, and to celebrate a new release by an author I already smashingly love reading, wells, what could be better?!
The Wild One {Coorah Creek No.2 } by Janet Gover
Previously I read and reviewed Flight to Coorah Creek
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK), 3 April 2015 (PRE-ORDER time!)
Available Formats: Ebook; more formats forthcoming!
Converse via: #ChocLit & #CoorahCreek
Illustrated By: Berni Stevens
@circleoflebanon | Writer | Illustrator
Genre(s): Fiction | Romance | Small Towne Fiction
the Australian Outback | Second Chances
Book Synopsis:
Coorah Creek, No.1 | Flight to Coorah Creek
What happens when you can fly,
but you just can’t hide?
Only Jessica Pearson knows the truth when the press portray her as the woman who betrayed her lover to escape prosecution. But will her new job flying an outback air ambulance help her sleep at night or atone for a lost life?
Doctor Adam Gilmore touches the lives of his patients, but his own scars mean he can never let a woman touch his heart.
Runaway Ellen Parkes wants to build a safe future for her two children. Without a man – not even one as gentle as Jack North.
In Coorah Creek, a town on the edge of nowhere, you’re judged by what you do, not what people say about you. But when the harshest judge is the one you see in the mirror, there’s nowhere left to hide.
Book Synopsis: Coorah Creek, No.2 | The Wild One
Can four wounded souls find love?
Iraq war veteran Dan Mitchell once disobeyed an order – and it nearly destroyed him. Now a national park ranger in the Australian outback, he’s faced with another order he is unwilling to obey…
Photographer Rachel Quinn seeks out beauty in unlikely places. Her work comforted Dan in his darkest days. But Quinn knows darkness too – and Dan soon realises she needs his help as much as he needs hers.
Carrie Bryant was a talented jockey until a racing accident broke her nerve. Now Dan and Quinn need her expertise, but can she face her fear? And could horse breeder, Justin Fraser, a man fighting to save his own heritage, be the man to help put that fear to rest?
The wounds you can’t see are the hardest to heal…
About Janet Gover
Janet lives in Surrey with her English husband but grew up in the Australian outback surrounded by books. She solved mysteries with Sherlock Holmes, explored jungles with Edgar Rice Burroughs and shot to the stars with Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury. After studying journalism at Queensland University she became a television journalist, first in Australia, then in Asia and Europe. During her career Janet saw and did a lot of unusual things. She met one Pope, at least three Prime Ministers, a few movie stars and a dolphin. Janet now works in television production and travels extensively with her job.
Janet’s first short story, The Last Dragon, was published in 2002. Since then she has published numerous short stories, one of which won the Elizabeth Goudge Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She has previously published three novels with Little Black Dress, Flight to Coorah Creek is her debut with Choc Lit and Bring Me Sunshine her first Choc Lit Lite ebook novella.
Remember why Jorie *loved!* reading an Outback novel?!
The Bush | Outback as a setting from Australia:
I suppose you could say that I am not unlike most Americans who are deeply curious about the Australian Outback and life ‘Down Under’ as it was regularly referred to in my youth. I grew up on hearty Australian classics such as “Crocodile Dundee” and my beloved horse dramas “The Man from Snowy River” and “Return to Snowy River”; all of which left a deep impression on a young girl’s heart. I always wanted to seek out more Australian Literature, and despite a few start/stops to unearthing authors who penned stories set there and/or were Australian authors outright, I never did get the proper chance to read their stories! One of the goals I had set out for myself as a book blogger was to sort out a way to read all the lovely stories in fiction that had excited my heart and lit a fire inside my imagination. The best gift whilst being a reviewer for ChocLit, is that they have writers submitting stories from different regions of the world. This particular story is a case-in-point as much as my previous readings of The Reluctant Bride (by an Australian author) and Close to the Wind (by an New Zealand author).
The stark and ominous setting of the story is the Outback itself — a holds no bar locale, where even the strongest bloke and gal might find a bit beguiling to encroach a living out of. The Outback is a lot like the American West, a land who never fully gave itself into being civilised anymore than it stopped being wild. The animals and natural make-up of the land has survived without hardly any interference from man nor man’s pursuit of his own endeavours which led him to go there. For myself, I especially love how the Outback was left to it’s natural graces and natural inclinations of evolving into what it was destined to be without the touch of man to muddle it. There are so many beautiful places that we have the tendency to wreck simply by overtaking what is not meant to be conquered that the few places which can shine as their naturally allowed is a celebration to me. I always had a conservation mind-set, and a determined passion for preservation, which is why soaking into this novel was such a leap of joy; to read the passages in the opening sequences where Jess and Adam are flying further into the remote bits of the Outback to save a life.
Visually Gover does a stunning job of descriptive narrative and lends an eye for sight for those of us who have not yet been blessed to visit Australia. She pulls the setting of the locale forward through her story and creates a tangible vortex of an experience for the reader to directly integrate into ‘where’ Flight to Coorah Creek takes them. The reddening of the soil, however, flickered back inside my own memory to the soil I found in Alabama. An enriched red clay that was never beloved by locals but was quite the curious discovery for a girl who grew up on sandy beaches within the breath of the Gulf States!
I love any writer who can fuse drama, heart, and medicine together in such a way as to leave you quite on pins to not only turnt the page forward in a story but to give your heart a quick pulse of excitement about what is going to be greeting you in the next chapter! The animated tension of the dusk flight to a remote outpost and the landing of a plane on a strip that was barely a blink on a screen of sight gave me a full score adventure and I was only within the opening arm of the novel! By the time you arch yourself into the full scope of the story, your in for a particularly wicked treat of aeroplane action sequences interspersed with the beauty of small towne living on the edge of nowhere! The Outback is painted with an effervescent glow of raw and untamed land bowing to the few dots of civilisation that can be carved at its edge.
My initial reactions to the new center lead character:
(or how Jorie re-read bits and passages of Book 1 to remember Dan Mitchell!)
I was very much consumed by this novel when I originally read it, I had trouble remembering *exactly!* who Dan Mitchell was within the story itself inasmuch as when he made his presence known. Therefore, I decided to dig back inside seeking out “Dan” and reminding myself not only of his character but how his character had an effect on the characters in Flight to Coorah Creek!
I should mention when I first saw the cover for The Wild One, I had to agree with a comment my Mum made lateron when she saw it as well; the woman on the front reminds me of myself! A snapshot if you will of a future time where I can get back into wearing my jeans, boots, and fedora whilst riding horses regularly! I was a horse girl as a child, captured by the joy of riding thoroughbreds in an English saddle and seat; I did not compete in Dressage but my favourite mode of riding was that of an ‘exercise rider’ where your hugging close to the mane, and both you and the horse feel slightly ‘freer’ for riding against the wind.
I miss riding something fierce, but one of the best gifts I think for horse girls are horse dramas and Western stories! I have a personal affinity for seeking out stories in fiction inasmuch as motion picture, and along the way, I’ve learnt more about Dressage and Endurance Racing! It was a nice revelation to know some of the ChoclitSaturdayers are riders too (such as Ms Liz Harris and Ms Janet Gover), as it is an incredible bond you get to share with a horse when your an equestrian.
When I first read the synopsis for The Wild One, I was happily curious about the main characters, as they each have such a uniquely different background as well as field of career! In a few short weeks, I’ll be expanding on talking about my personal love of photography and how being a self-educated nature and wildlife photographer uplifts my soul to capture a stilled reminder of the birds of prey and water fowl I’ve captured on film; until then, seeing a photographer has a keen role to play in this novel left me in smiles. Throw in a bit of drama with jockeys and horse trainers, and the difficulties of serving whilst unsure if you agree with your orders; wells, this novel sounded like one I could soak inside quite easily!
Part of me was a bit curious about where Jess, Adam, Jack, and Ellen fit into the background of Coorah Creek, as much as I wanted to seek a few new secondary characters who would give me a wink and a smile as I read The Wild One! Not surprisingly, when Ms Gover disclosed (during #ChocLitSaturday) the horse is as charming as the hero or even a bit moreso in appeal to a reader, I knew it was settled right then and there: this was most definitely a ‘must read’ of mine! Laughs. I have only met one horse I did not warm too and outside of that rare experience, I find horses are old souls whose pride of character and personality make them most endearing of all. They knit together a connection with humans that is unspoken yet felt with your heart, sensed by your soul, and celebrated through your joy of experiencing a place you can both explore together.
In Chapter Twenty One (or on page 218!), Dan Mitchell takes charge of the scene where a trapped girl in a cave has her life in the balance. It was a scene I remember quite fondly, especially as I knew Adam was not used to having someone take away his control of a situation. It was one character flaw I appreciated in Adam, as he likes to keep a bit of order in his life by understanding what he can handle and knowing how to find resolutions out of extreme emergencies. Leaning on others isn’t part of his make-up, even though in time he learnt that by letting others help you doesn’t lesson your personal strength or bravery, but rather enhances it. He had his own reasons for not giving himself over to vulnerability amongst others, but I sensed Dan was a bit defensive for his own reasons.
I can sense my return to Coorah Creek
will be as wicked sweet as when I went back to Snowy River!
And, who could forget when I stated this:
Creating a realistic impression of the Australian Outback is Janet Gover’s gift:
I honestly could not stop reading Flight to Coorah Creek, and in doing so, left myself at a bit of a loss as to how to properly leave behind my esteem and love of the story! I simply did not want to leave my comfy chair and make my way to my keyboard! I absorbed myself so fully into this story, as I had ached to get into the heart of it for most of Spring & Summer, that by the time I found the pages flying past my fingers, there simply was not one second to spare! I was thankful to soak into a light medical drama which did not affect me as medical dramas generally do these days (ooh, how I miss reading them!), as I was quite fascinated with Gover’s ability to take research & first hand experience (as she had disclosed in a #ChocLitSaturdays : chat on Twitter that she had experienced an air ambulance service) and turnt it into such a believable and commendable tale of second chances, new beginnings, and atonement!
The subtle way she included what I would generally think of as a ‘third’ character: the Australian Outback itself was an alarming treat for your senses! And, how interesting that most of what was spoken about are part of the natural beauty I appreciate myself, even if the frying in the laser sharp heat of the sun might not be as keen, it was how she turnt the natural world into a visual backdrop I appreciated the most. The Outback was also quite the character, as the winds would shift and reveal a few things about where all of these lovely characters had settled into a sense of home and stability of calm. I honestly cannot wait to read another novel where she takes me on another epic journey of an adventure!
I have seen many a motion picture which involves drama on a plane, but I must say, Gover had me on the very edge of my seat and I nearly forgot to breathe whilst reading the passages where the flying was anything but routine!
This book cover reveal and announcement is courtesy of: Janet Gover.
On how I know Ms Gover: I’ve had the honour of getting to know Janet Gover through the meet-ups and conversations we’ve happily exchanged through #ChocLitSaturdays, which is the weekly Romance Chat I created in order to give readers and writers of Romance a chance to interact with each other in a safe environment where the open exchange of reading, writing, and the joy of seeking out characters within the genre of Romance could be shared by all.
I was inspired to seek out a way to bridge the gap between the writers of ChocLit novels and the readers like myself who were finding their stories, as much as hoping to find the Tasters who help bring these stories to print, as they are the Early Readers who greet the novels before the reviewers like me pick them up after their published. Extending past this initial spark of inspiration, I wanted to have all writers of Romance feel welcome to join us, and as a result #ChocLitSaturdays has defined itself as a sisterhood of like-minded souls who enjoy the friendship which has united us.
Ms Gover contacted me about hosting this special *pub birthday party* during #ChocLitSaturday and I offered to anchour it with a special post on my blog. This is something I have wanted to start doing on a regular basis, as there are a heap of lovelies coming out this year, I’d love to help inspire readers to find!
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Gover through our respective love & passion of reading inside the twitterverse whilst I host #ChocLitSaturday the chat; I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. In this instance, I had only just begun to know Ms Gover when I read Flight to Coorah Creek; and now I am genuinely wicked happy to know her a bit better and celebrate the sequel to my beloved Coorah Creek!
on behalf of ChocLitUK,
Thank you for reading my retrospective on behalf of the Coorah Creek series, as I am keenly bent on reading The Wild One as soon as it is available! I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on behalf of this series, or how dearly attached you are to seeking out relationship-based Romance by authors who know how to write narratives which uplift your heart and leave you wanton for more of their stories!
Remember to re-visit the full review for Flight to Coorah Creek!
I honestly am thankful to ChocLit for providing stimulating character-centered stories, grounded in honest narratives set in either our modern Contemporary world or the Historical past where we can dig inside romantic comedies and dramas built-on friendship and relationship-based Romances which give us a hearty story to remain pensive about long after we’ve devoured their novels!
They seek out writers who appreciate not all of us want a ‘quick snog and shag’ of a Romantic romp to read; no, we want Romance that is keenly honest about life and the situations in which we meet people. To settle inside a ChocLit novel is it a bit like going home, you know your in for a refreshing respite from your harried world with settings and stories that upturnt your day into a mirth of happiness as you read.
Mark your calendars by visiting my:
Stay tuned! I am archiving #ChocLitSaturday which featured The Wild One
pub birthday party! I cannot wait to share the festivities and the conversations!
In case you’ve missed my last three ChocLit reviews, I had the happy joy of sorting out Amanda Jame’s theory of time travel in A Stitch in Time; embraced the suspenseful and shocking tale found within Somewhere Beyond the Sea; and felt my bones rejoice finding a new voice for Romantic Suspense as I dug inside Up Close! Coming up next will be my impressions of my first romance vampire story as I sink my teeth into Dance Until Dawn!
For those who are unware of #ChocLitSaturdays, the chat, we meet regular @ 11am EST / 4pm London on #Nurph in 2015: http://nurph.com/choclitsaturday! I created the chat to encourage new readers to discover not only the ChocLit novels I am showcasing & reading through my blog feature of the same name, but to help draw a close knit group of Romance book-lovers, writers, and appreciators together for an hour of solid friendship and wicked sweet conversation!
All are welcome to attend! Tweet me or leave a comment in this thread for further details!
NOTE:
Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers.
{SOURCES: Author photograph, Author Biography, Book Synopsis, and Book Cover for “Flight to Coorah Creek” were provided by ChocLitUK and were used by permission. “The Wild One” Book Cover and Synopsis provided by the author Janet Gover and used with permission. Stories Sailing Into View Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Comment Box Banner made by Jorie in Canva. Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Excerpts were taken from my review of Flight to Coorah Creek whilst adding new content to celebrate The Wild One.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2015.
I love to tweet my #bookjoy and #booklove on behalf of stories I am enthused to read:
{ favourite & Re-tweet if inspired to share }
Exciting News which had me wicked happy: (the original tweet!)
.@janet_gover @PiaCCourtenay Oooh,ooh my! Leaping lizards! What wickedly smashing news! Esp #booklovers of #FlightToCoorahCreek! @ChocLituk
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) August 17, 2014
During #ChocLitSaturday, 21 March 2015:
The two Coorah Creek book covers look great together. #choclitsaturday pic.twitter.com/KZxIwKuNjG
— janetgover (@janet_gover) March 21, 2015
@janet_gover I cannot wait to dip inside #CoorahCreek No2 and see what I'll find inside the towne! :) Smashing #bookcovers! #ChocLitSaturday
— #SatBookChat (@SatBookChat) March 21, 2015
@universeinwords @janet_gover You haven't read #FlightToCoorahCreek!? Ooh, dear you must Juli! :) Then pick up Harris's! :) #ChocLitSaturday
— #SatBookChat (@SatBookChat) March 21, 2015
@janet_gover Choc Lit do do great covers, don't you think? #ChocLitSaturday
— Jane Lovering (same height as Sir Tony) (@janelovering) March 21, 2015
@janelovering Yes they do. Love them. #ChocLitSaturday
— janetgover (@janet_gover) March 21, 2015
Hey everyone – wonderful webmaster John has just updated my site for The Wild One – check it out!!! http://t.co/sdglKG5WGO #ChocLitSaturday
— janetgover (@janet_gover) March 21, 2015
@janet_gover The new banner is wicked awesome! And the info page is a great landing spot for #readers! @ChocLitUK <3 it all #ChocLitSaturday
— #SatBookChat (@SatBookChat) March 21, 2015
Ooh, boy! Jorie is having one happy #CoorahCreek day! :)#amblogging a surprise for Ms Gover & my readers alike
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) March 21, 2015
Comments via Twitter:
@JLovesAStory Wonderful! :-) Wish I hadn't missed it on Sat, but great to read your lovely post! @janet_gover @sarah_tranter
— Clare Chase (@ClareChase_) March 22, 2015
@JLovesAStory @ChocLituk looking forward to it!
— Helen Rolfe (@HJRolfe) March 22, 2015
@JLovesAStory I love a good Aussie story :-)
— Helen Rolfe (@HJRolfe) March 22, 2015
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