Cover Reveal | #DarkChocLit embraces ‘Immortals of London’ series by Berni Stevens with the second of the series “Revenge is Sweet” Vampires, anyone?

Posted Friday, 10 June, 2016 by jorielov , , , , 1 Comment

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If your a regular reader or frequent visitor of Jorie Loves A Story, you know I’ve been smitten with the novelists who publish their relationship-based Romances with ChocLitUK for a good two years now! I love being on the cusp of learning about a ‘new release’ whilst I remain patient to see if the Digital First new ChocLit novel will make it to a print release further down the road of it’s lifetime. I don’t mind the gaps between the ebooks and the print editions – as it’s always given me the pleasure of balancing my ‘next ChocLit reads’ to include both Front List and Back List offerings. Thus, I am enjoying being a member of the Reveal Team at ChocLit whilst it gives me a chance to introduce my readers to a variety of sub-genres within Romance I appreciate picking up to read!

On my new position as a ChocLit Star member: Whilst I am part of the ChocLit Reviewers having brought reviews & guest author features to Jorie Loves A Story for the past two years, I have recently become a part of the Cover Reveal Team, as disclosed when I hosted the first Reveal on behalf of Sheryl Browne’s ‘Learning to Love’. This new team works with ChocLit providing honest feedback on ‘projects’ such as title & book cover design choices as well projects in development on behalf of the publisher. I accepted being a ChocLit Star as I felt my love of the stories would be a good fit to give in-depth responses to the projects pitched to the Stars. Therefore, this Cover Reveal is the first where my input as a ChocLit Star helped the reveal become possible!

Dance Until Dawn by Berni Stevens

The Immortals of London in sequence:

(previously called: the London Vampire Chronicles)

Dance Until Dawn | No.1 (review) (key excerpts are from this review)

Revenge is Sweet | No. 2

Follow Will Austen on Twitter!

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I had such a profound pleasure of joy reading ‘Dance Until Dawn’ as it simply caught me unawares – I was on such pins to read it, as I am not the traditional reader for #VampireRomance nor one who is readily inclined towards reading a heap of PNR (as I have the tendency to prefer ‘cosier’ story-lines which does not oft yield to be included in the same thread of thought of the ‘paranormal’); yet, from the moment I first picked up this particular novel, I was smitten! So much so, the novel was awarded one of my 2nd Annual Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards! It was that incredible and unputdownable! Even for a girl who is shy about PNR and has the tendency to run in opposite circles from vampires & immortal creatures of the dark!

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Let me illustrate my point by sharing key excerpts from my first reading of ‘Dance Until Dawn’:

My love of the setting:

I love lush depictions of a setting inside of a novel, and getting to know Hampstead (a northern corridor of a suburb to London) was quite a smashing find! I liked how it echoed a reminder to me of the East Village in NYC with the Heath being a bit like Central Park; this natural oasis in a highly dense metro city where you would not fathom to find such natural beauty amongst the city dwellers! I like finding places within well-known cities which take you a step outside the normal route of exploration; digging inside a little hidden niche where time and place were curated with care. I could definitely understand why Will wanted to take Ellie here, it was a way of giving her back a part of her soul.

On how Will Austen made a reader become emphatic to his cause:

Stevens has a keen sense on how to present Will in a way that is not quite attractive in the beginning yet gives you time to warm to him whilst reading what he is scribbling into his journal. He’s a bit like a newfound father trying to capture all the moments of a young babe’s life, as he’s quite protective of his ‘fledging’ as he refers to Ellie during her transition from human to vampire. It is through this incubator period both of them are seen in their raw emotional and most inquisitive states. A brilliant move on Stevens to give us something to chew on whilst we’re sorting out how we feel about Will!

The moment I knew I was hooked on Will Austen & Ellie’s story:

Whilst Will first took Ellie out and about under the cover of night, I started to warm up to him as a character because his brute exterior was starting to melt a bit more. He’s a complicated character because he’s brooding behind a past he doesn’t want to yield to Ellie, even if it means he is to become misunderstand by the reader at the same time. How this reminds me dearly of Buffy and Angel; how vampires by nature are private creatures who’d rather not show their inner selves to anyone, lest the person they believe has overtaken their heart. Despite a few flutterings of recognition, what I appreciated was the refreshing newness to Dance Until Dawn, as I don’t want to spoilt it but let’s just say by most vampire standards Ellie is lacking two key elements to her survival and this made me appreciate her even more!

The main takeaway I shared as a ChocLit Star was this: I liked how unpredictable her [Berni Stevens] characters are as they truly are going through personal growth and exploring who they are whilst we’re meeting them during times of crisis or change in their lives. It’s a clever style and one that won my heart!

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You can see then, why I was quite happily gobsmacked my first project as a ChocLit Star advisor was to comment on behalf of the potential title and cover design for the pending sequel of a novel that quite bewitched me!

I do want to share with you why I favoured the title ‘Revenge is Sweet’, as it speaks to why this series opener left such an impression on me a full year after I first read it!

The title that stood out to me most is “Revenge is Sweet” because it’s more encompassing than focusing on the heart of Ellie & Will’s relationship which is cornerstone to the series, but it has a more evolving concept past where their union of hearts can lead the reader. It would make sense Will would fight to the death to protect Ellie – as his bravery was well placed in Dance Until Dawn where you could tell when it comes to Ellie, Will Austen will do anything he can to not only protect her but to declare her as his to anyone who tries to go against him or her.

He’s obsessive that way! I could justify him taking revenge on anyone who questions or puts into jeopardy the order he’s tried to keep for himself, his friends and the order of vampires/immortals he considers ‘under his charge’ as it hints towards his personality and controlling complex.

I am keen, dear hearts, to hear what your thoughts are on behalf of the layout of the cover’s design and the title which was selected to aptly depict the heart of this sequel? Do you think those of us who are ChocLit Stars helped pin-point what to focus on? Have you read ‘Dance Until Dawn’? If so, what do you think on my justification on behalf of Will’s temperament? If you haven’t yet read the series, does this spotlight on the sequel intrigue you to begin reading it?

On 28 May #ChocLitSaturday celebrated Berni Steven’s upcoming PNR release (now known as ‘Revenge is Sweet’) to continue where Dance Until Dawn left off!

Replay the Chat via Nurph!

I am so wicked excited for this forthcoming title I cannot contain myself!

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On my connection to Ms Stevens:

Similar to my previous thoughts I shared about Ms Courtenay, Ms Harris, and Ms Gover, I have come to appreciate chatting with Ms Stevens, either through #ChocLitSaturday chats or privately. We have been lightly talking about Gothic Lit and Vampire fiction since I first attempted to read Dance Until Dawn during Horror October 2014! I must say, it was through these conversations I garnished a newfound respect for Gothic Lit and even started to form a curiosity about reading Dracula as I had previously felt the novel was something completely different than it is! I find conversations like these quite the blessing, because you get to find like-minded persons who share your interests whilst endeavouring to expand your horizons in literature at the same time!

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Stevens through our respective love & passion of reading inside the twitterverse whilst I host #ChocLitSaturday the chat as well as privately; 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. This is also true when I follow-up with them on future releases and celebrate the book birthdays that come after their initial publication.

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Cover Reveal | #DarkChocLit embraces ‘Immortals of London’ series by Berni Stevens with the second of the series “Revenge is Sweet” Vampires, anyone?Revenge is Sweet Cover Reveal

Hell hath no fury like a vampire seeking revenge…

Life hasn’t been exactly normal for Ellie since she became a vampire. Although joining the legion of the undead was always going to take some getting used to, even if you are the partner of Will Austen, the Elder of London.

But when Daniel, a fifteen-year-old fledgling vampire, unexpectedly turns up at Ellie’s and Will’s Highgate home, things start getting very strange – and more than a little scary.

Events take a devastating turn as a mystery troublemaker leaves behind a trail of carnage – and it soon becomes clear they will stop at nothing to get the Elder’s attention, even if it involves hurting the person he cherishes the most …

But when it comes to Ellie, Will Austen is the wrong vampire to mess with.

The second book in the Immortals of London series.


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Book Page on World Weaver Press

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)

RELEASE DATE: July, 2016 – ebook version

Formats Available: this is a Digital First release! print and audio should follow next!

Converse via: #ChocLit & #DarkChocLit

Read about my exclusive conversation & reveal for DarkChocLit

About Berni Stevens

Berni Stevens lives in a four-hundred-year-old cottage in Hertfordshire, England, with her husband, son and black cat. She trained in graphic design and has worked as a book cover designer for more than twenty years.
Books and art remain her passion, and her love of the paranormal began when she first read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, aged fourteen. She is now on both the committee and the book panel of the Dracula Society, a society for fans of gothic literature and film.

Berni has had several short stories published, and her first novel, Fledgling, – a paranormal romance – was published in the US. This is Berni’s debut novel with Choc Lit and the first in a series of three.

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This is one upcoming release I want to be blissfully ‘blind’ to pre-reflection on behalf of what I will find inside it’s chapters! I had such a riveting hug-your-seat experience with Dance Until Dawn, I honestly do not want to even let my mind dwell on what I may or may not find inside it’s sequel! It would be quite easy for me to speculate on what might be coming up next, as there is enough of a plausible hinting towards what we shall find coming along next for both Will & Ellie; but sometimes, a girl just wants to remain in the dark and let the story ripple through her imagination as she meets it against the printed page!

I do hope I’ve helped my readers sort out for themselves if this could be a comfort zone jumper title for them to entreat inside as much as it was for me originally! It’s not oft you find a writer who convinces you to read a title in a genre your not entirely sure floats your boat whilst endearing you to a series whose heart of narrative is what wins over any other thoughts to contradict your joy! Ms Stevens has simply found a way to re-clue me into the kind of romance I appreciated celebrating between Angel and Buffy! I think that is truly what made the difference, besides keeping me on my toes at each turning of a page, and enough paranormal suspense to keep me itching to know more about what happens ‘next’ for each of her characters; including the supporting cast!

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This Cover Reveal is courtesy of: ChocLitUK

Choc Lit Star Badge provided by ChocLitUK.

My ChocLit readings this May & June 2016:

The Legend of the Gypsy Hawk | by Sally Malcolm (review)
You Think You Know Me | No. 1 of the London & Cambridge Mysteries | by Claire Chase (review)
The Golden Chain | No. 2 of Charton Minster series (see No.1) | by Margaret James
Some Veil Did Fall | No.1 of the Rossetti Mysteries | by Kirsty Ferry*Part of my focus on serial ChocLit Fiction!*And, visit my ChocLit Next Reads List on Riffle
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Follow my bookish journey:
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{more ways to subscribe in my blog’s footer}Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

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.

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Reader Interactive Question:

What do you seek out from PNR stories (feat. a variety of immortal characters) and most specifically out of Vampire Romances!? What do you how to find within them?

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{SOURCES: Book cover for “Dance Until Dawn” and “Revenge is Sweet” as well as the book synopsis, author photograph of Berni Stevens, author biography and Choc Lit Star Badge were provided by ChocLitUK and used with permission. Stories Sailing into View banner created by Jorie in Canva. Post dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Comment Box Banner made by Jorie in Canva. Tweets embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2016.

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About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

read more >> | Visit my Story Vault of Book Reviews | Policies & Review Requests | Contact Jorie

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Posted Friday, 10 June, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Book Spotlight, ChocLitUK, Gothic Romance, Indie Author, Romance Fiction, Vampire Romance




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One response to “Cover Reveal | #DarkChocLit embraces ‘Immortals of London’ series by Berni Stevens with the second of the series “Revenge is Sweet” Vampires, anyone?

  1. Fascinating blog post and am glad to hear you are a Choc Lit Star too – only the best people are!! ;) I need to learn to read quicker so I can make my way through all these wonderful books!! Especially when they feature Vampires!! More to be added to the TBR pile!! :)

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