Category: 18th Century

Blog Book Tour | “Starving Hearts” and “Never Past Hope” by Janine Mendenhall

Posted Friday, 14 December, 2018 by jorielov , , , , , 0 Comments

#SaturdaysAreBookish created by Jorie in Canva.

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In keeping with the change of name for my Romance & Women’s Fiction Twitter chat [@SatBookChat previously known as @ChocLitSaturday] – I am announcing a change of features here on Jorie Loves A Story. Since January, 2014 I carved out a niche of focus which I named #ChocLitSaturdays as I have felt the best time to read romantic and dramatic stories are the weekends. This spun into a Twitter chat featuring the authors of ChocLit whilst I supplied weekly topics which would appeal to readers, writers and book bloggers alike. We grew into our own Saturday tribe of chatters – then, somewhere round the time of my father’s stroke in late [2016] and the forthcoming year of [2017] I started to feel less inspired to host the chat.

I had new plans to re-invent the chat in its new incantation as @SatBookChat but I also wanted to re-invent the complimentary showcases on my blog which would reflect the diversity of stories, authors and publishers I would be featuring on the chat itself. As at the root and heart of #ChocLitSaturday the chat were the stories I was reading which complimented the conversations.

After a difficult year for [personal health & wellness] this 2018, I began anew this Autumn – selecting the stories to resume where I left off featuring the Romance & Women’s Fiction authors I am discovering to read whilst highlighting a story by the author I am chatting with during #SatBookChat. Every (forthcoming) Saturday will feature a different author who writes either Romance or Women’s Fiction – wherein I concluded the year of hosting @SatBook during October & November featuring special guest authors whose stories I have either read, were reading or had hoped to read in the future if their newer releases. Going forward, the reviews on Saturdays might inspire the topics in the forthcoming chats or they might be directly connected to the current guest author.

Our holiday break for the month of December will find us resuming #SatBookChat the week after New Year’s, 2019 where new guests and new stories will lay down the foundation of inspiring the topics, the conversations and the bookish recommendations towards promoting Romance & Women’s Fiction.

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Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Acquired Book By: I started hosting with Prism Book Tours at the end of [2017], having noticed the badge on Tressa’s blog (Wishful Endings) whilst I was visiting as we would partake in the same blog tours and/or book blogosphere memes. I had to put the memes on hold for several months (until I started to resume them (with Top Ten Tuesday) in January 2018). When I enquried about hosting for Prism, I found I liked the niche of authors and stories they were featuring regularly. I am unsure how many books I’ll review for them as most are offered digitally rather than in print but this happily marks one of the blog tours where I could receive a print book for review purposes. Oft-times you’ll find Prism Book Tours alighting on my blog through the series of guest features and spotlights with notes I’ll be hosting on behalf of their authors.

I received a complimentary copy of “Starving Hearts” direct from the author Janine Mendenhall in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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Why I wanted to read “Starving Hearts” & “Never Past Hope”
and why life didn’t seem to want to give me a break in order to read them:

I have penchant for reading INSPY Fiction – I’ve been a hybrid reader of mainstream and INSPY Fiction since I was a young girl, finding myself attracted to both branches of literature, as to me they are two halves of a whole rather than two seemingly separate enterprises concurrently releasing titles each year. I try to keep a ready eye out on #newtomeauthors of INSPY narratives I feel are either a) going to be uplifting to read or b) are going to give me a wicked good thrill of a read! This is why in July I had such a heap of fun talking about what I was reading during the Christian & Clean Fiction Reading Safari as I was reading authors who publish under the #LoveINSPIRED Suspense imprint from Harlequin! I read a bit outside that imprint as well – but what I loved most was the chilling reading atmospheres of the novels! They had just enough wicked thrills to leave me on the edge of my seat but they pulled back just ‘enough’ to where I felt more uplifted than fatigued reading them! I also loved the fact they were writ under an INSPY imprint and were dearly free of any other concerns I might have had due to content issues.

Shortly after the novels arrived however, my life turnt a bit upside down. To the brink where I lost too many hours to read both novels for the tour and had to reschedule my stop on the tour! My Mum came down with one of those naughty viruses going round – whilst my Dad had a medical emergency the week of the tour spending time in the ER where I consumed copious amounts of cookies (courtesy of the volunteer staff who watch over families/individuals waiting in ERs) and a few cuppas of coffee. I, tried to dodge the virus as best as I could but I was fatigued and exhausted by battling it which is why I was resting quite a heap in the week prior to the tour beginning. On top of all this, our car had a bad tire due to a road hazard and that became a slight nightmare in of itself to resolve which is why my hopes of reading both stories on Thursday (the 13th) flew out the window as I needed to help my parents transition through the week’s unexpected woes instead.

I was able to get back on my blog and settled into my reading chair late into the night on Thursday which in reality was really (early!) on Friday morning! Until, unfortunately life caught up with me – I had a migraine which felt dearly impossible to shake and it made reading extremely difficult. I took a long rest and by the time I woke up, I had to battle through heavy rains and high winds to help my parents with a few necessary errands late in the afternoon / early evening of Friday. I’m accustomed to rainshowers they go with the region, however, what I’m never experienced before are these kind of freezing rains as it proved to be too much for my system to handle! It was late on Friday night when I could finally resume my readings of Starving Hearts though sadly the virus was overtaking rather quickly! You really can catch a cold out in the rain! Or, at least in my case, if your trying to hope not to catch a virus its not the best way to avoid one! I threw in the towel when the heat in the house wasn’t enough to warm me and I felt like my whole body was in shock!

I know it sounds horrid – but what I really wanted to do was have a bit of normalcy in my life – just to get a chance to sit and think about characters and a story felt rather ideal as my emotions were a wreck as much as I was exhausted by life. You know how you just reach your fill and need some downtime? This is why I kept trying to read the stories whilst trying to get through life’s emergencies this week. Unfortunately, I had to take care of myself before I could read Starving Hearts in full and I do regret I basically missed the blog tour as a result.

Thereby, I’m trying to read these stories back to back – releasing my thoughts on behalf of Starving Hearts on Saturday (part of my #SaturdaysAreBookish feature) and posting my thoughts on behalf of Never Past Hope on Sunday/Monday (depends on how I feel) – due to this, I’ll be featuring a few snippets of insight from the rest of the tour below this review as Saturday is the day we’re celebrating the tour itself where everyone gets to have a light shine on their blogs for one final go round! I do apologise if you’ve been following the tour and wondered ‘where is Jorie?’ – let’s just say Jorie ‘had a week’ to end all weeks and is thankful she can have a relaxing bookish weekend!

Specifically what interested me though is the fact this is another release and author originating from a publisher I’ve come to trust as one of my favourites for INSPY Fiction! As you might remember my passion for the series Jennifer Lamont Leo is publishing with them! It is wonderful when you can find new stories by a publisher you’ve come to trust and look forward with anticipation for reading the next new author who might become another beloved favourite!

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Blog Book Tour | “Starving Hearts” and “Never Past Hope” by Janine MendenhallStarving Hearts
Subtitle: Triangular Trade Trilogy
by Janine Mendenhall
Source: Author via Prism Book Tours

Carol Award Finalist | Selah Award Finalist

Plagued by nightmares, Annette yearns to find her anonymous rescuer — the man who saved her life from a near deadly assault. Deep inside she is starving for companionship and a mutually respectful relationship. When Mr. Peter Adsley, an abolitionist pastor dealing with his own emotional baggage, agrees to a clandestine meeting, the event appears providential. But self-doubt, deception, and the schemes of a mutual enemy threaten to keep the pair apart. A phantom adversary will stop at nothing to win Annette’s dowry for himself, even if it means killing Peter.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781938499845

Published by Heritage Beacon Fiction

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 290

Published by: Heritage Beacon Fiction

an imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas (@LPCTweets)

Formats Available: Ebook and Paperback

Triangular Trade Trilogy:

Starving Hearts by Janine MendenhallNever Past Hope by Janine Mendenhall

Converse via: #INSPYbooks, #INSPY, #HistRom

About Janine Mendenhall

Janine Mendenhall Photo Credit: https://www.photosbycassie.com/

I love losing myself somewhere in time with Downton Abbey, Pride and Prejudice or a number of other classics like Jane Eyre and Redeeming Love. I cry over most things Nicholas Sparks (because they usually end sadly) and Amazing Grace,, both the movie and the hymn, because they lead to the Ultimate happily ever after.

Photo Credit: Photos by Cassie

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Friday, 14 December, 2018 by jorielov in #SaturdaysAreBookish, 18th Century, Agnostic (Questioning & Searching or Unsure), Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Content Note, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction | Non-Fiction, Prism Book Tours, Questioning Faith as a Teen, Romance Fiction

Book Spotlight | “The Traitor” (Book Two: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga) by T.J. London

Posted Friday, 16 November, 2018 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Book Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! I received a complimentary copy of “The Traitor” direct from the author T.J. London in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

The parts which resonated with me from “The Tory”:

London takes her time settling you into the re-constructed glimmer of Revolutionary American life – she wants you to make a connection to her lead character, John Carlisle first – as he is a crucial part of the saga’s arc – it is his journey that is what launches the tales into the height of seeing the #RevWar from a behind-the-scenes angle of insight. His is not a life easily lived; he takes risks and he challenges himself to improve his life even if he falters with carry through towards those newfound ideals. He sees the present more than the future but hasn’t found a way to purge the past. In essence, he’s conflicted, complicated and has a war within himself which is just as important to win as the one he is currently fighting.

We arrive on scene in 1776 – for history buffs you’ll denote immediately how important it is to dropped into History’s time capsule inside this particular year. The British have a gallant pride in believing themselves to be the true champions of the war, even without proof of knowing if they could succeed. Whereas Washington’s spies and allies are making their own headway towards defeating the British. Told mostly from the perceptive of where the Brits are in the war, we get to re-tunnel through the lens where our prior knowledge of this era left off and where we were hoping to take our knowledge further if we were to research the particulars again.

I, for one enjoyed how she went the character route of inclusiveness – to anchour history to characters you want to read about and see what becomes of them. They might act or behave in ways that are in-line with their generation and peers, but it is the story they have to share – about their roles in History and the actions they took to carve out the historical records we still have now that makes reading period specific Historical Fiction such as this one so dearly fascinating!

London strives to give her novel the kind of pacing where you don’t stop to let it drag between intervals of informational sequences about what is happening away from her focus on John and his high command or with his women friends; instead, she pauses long enough to fill in the gaps within our education and pulls the lens wide to show what else is shaping this war.

-quoted from my review of The Tory

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I felt conflicted about what I found inside the pages of “The Tory” and what I had hoped to have found instead – as the bits which put me at a disadvantage to read the story in full were the grisly gritty sequences where you truly do not have a lot of separation between what is visually being described and what is laid out on the pages – for me personally, I like a bit of a distance between those kinds of scenes and the page. I know every writer has their own personal style and approach, but when it gets to be visually graphic – as a reader, I tend to feel myself pulling out of the context of the story-line.

It was a bit complicated because it was violence against women and it involved a scalping which by definition is brutal in of itself. I honestly just was hoping for ‘less than more’ and had to put “The Tory” down from continuing as I was a bit discomforted by what I found. I was also worried about the direction of the story-line as it was shifting in tone and how it was being delivered. A bit more intensive on the side of being a different kind of story than I perceived it to be before reading it and thereby, when it came to the sequel, I was unsure how to approach it.

I decided to see if I could read even a partial amount of the sequel “The Traitor” – not just to confirm or speculate on what happened ‘after’ I felt uncomfortable reading “The Tory” but to also, see if in this part of the story-line where the characters have moved forward. I know there is a bit of distance between John & Dellis – naturally, as just by the synopsis alone you can gleam this much foresight but in regards to where they personally stand in regards of feelings and thoughts, I was curious how they each found themselves ‘now’.

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Book Spotlight | “The Traitor” (Book Two: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga) by T.J. LondonThe Traitor
by T.J. London
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Spy. Liar. Scoundrel. Redcoat.

Provocateur and spy for His Majesty, Captain John Carlisle returns to Fort Niagara with the secrets he stole in the arms of the beautiful Oneida innkeeper, Dellis McKesson. Determined to complete his mission and clear his name, he’ll see justice done—and damn the consequences. Now, he finds himself drawn into political intrigue as the British prepare to launch a three-pronged attack that will bring the Rebels and the Mohawk River Valley to its knees.

A dangerous revelation finds Dellis as whispers of intrigue insinuate her beloved is not all that he seems. Unwilling to wait for her lover’s return, she sets out in search of the truth as the Onieda begin negotiations with the Rebels, breaking the neutrality agreement with the crown. A bold move that will stoke a fire between the brother tribes and lead to a bloody inter-confederacy war—one Dellis predicted, and one John incited.

While war between the colonies and the King smolders, the punishing winter of 1777 allows the perfect opportunity for old enemies to settle scores, lying in wait, ready to exploit John’s one weakness—his heart. John is not an innocent man. The truth he’s long tried to hide from can no longer be ignored, the ghosts of the past seeking justice, and karma wanting payment for sins so dark they cannot be forgiven.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, War Drama



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-0692197479

Also by this author: The Tory

Also in this series: The Tory


Published by Self Published

on 24th October, 2018

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 505

The Rebels & Redcoats Saga:

The Tory by TJ LondonThe Traitor by T.J. London

The Tory (book one) | (see also Review)

The Traitor (book two)

Converse via: #RebelsAndRedCoatsSaga + #RevWar
#HistFic or #HistNov

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

About T.J. London

T.J. London

T.J. London is a rebel, liberal, lover, fighter, diehard punk, and pharmacist-turned-author who loves history. As an author her goal is to fill in the gaps, writing stories about missing history, those little places that are so interesting yet sadly forgotten. Her favorite time periods to write in are first and foremost the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, the French and Indian War, the Russian Revolution and the Victorian Era.

Her passions are traveling, writing, reading, barre, and sharing a glass of wine with her friends, while she collects experiences in this drama called life. She is a native of Metropolitan Detroit (but secretly dreams of being a Londoner) and resides there with her husband Fred and her beloved cat and writing partner Mickey.

Read More

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Posted Friday, 16 November, 2018 by jorielov in 18th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Feminine Heroism, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Revolutionary War era, War Drama

Blog Book Tour | “The Tory” (Book One: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga) by T.J. London

Posted Tuesday, 13 November, 2018 by jorielov , , , 7 Comments

Book Review badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! I received a complimentary copy of “The Tory” direct from the author T.J. London in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

On reading about the #RevWar:

I, personally inherited my love of the Revolutionary War era from my Mum – who inspired me to start to take stock & notice of this lovely niche of Historical Fiction out of her love of researching John & Abigail Adams! Over the years I have stumbled across stories set either just ahead of the #RevWar beginning, during the war itself (war dramas are a personal preference of readerly joy) or shortly thereafter. I also appreciate Early Colonial era stories or any story set during a period of time which hugs close to either eras in general.

The reason I love stories set around early Americana history is because it was quite the exciting time during my country’s initial years of foundation and formulation. These were quite exciting times to be living – even if it brought with it a lot of harrowing trials where we needed strong people to either see us through the rougher patches or we needed heroes & heroines alike to help lead us forward into a better tomorrow where we could overcome the things which set out to delay our progresses.

One of my favourite films is “1776” (1972) which is a musical about the Declaration of Independence – it is an unique spin on History and I love the cast who brings this film to life. I felt it had such a clever view into the lives and hearts of the men who were striving for a better America during the Colonial era – which is the kind of drama I enjoy finding in Historical Fiction.

Aside from this film, I’ve become aware of Roseanna M. White’s The Cupler Ring series and Alex Myers “Revolutionary” – two writers I am keenly interested in reading at some point as I held off starting the first as it is a series and the second, as after I read a similar story set during the Civil War, I wasn’t sure if my heart was ready (at the time) to read a second one set during a different war. I might love reading war dramas but sometimes I find the storylines push me a bit for what I can handle reading.

-quoted from my spotlight of The Petticoat Letters

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Over the years as a book blogger, I have had the chance to read a few stories set during the #RevWar era whilst I have also been gathering a list together for stories I wish to be reading in the future. It is a curious chapter in our country’s history and it is oft overshadowed by the war dramas situated during the Great War eras of the 20th Century or the Civil War; the latter of which I am less enthused to read or explore.

The novel I discovered ahead of this blog tour was “The Petticoat Letters” which appealled to me due to the nature of how it was penned with a bent towards embracing what I endearingly refer to as Feminist Historical Fiction.

In [2016] I discovered “Becoming George Washington” by Stephen Yoch, which found to be a rather personal account of Washington’s life and gave us deeper insight into the man behind what is generally known about him. He had quite the incredible life and I enjoyed the style in which Yoch delivered this keen insight into Washington.

It is not often I get to read a story during the #RevWar – which is why I took a chance on reading both “The Tory” and “The Traitor” – with the hopefulness of a reader who appreciates realistic historical dramas & the backdrop of a historical romance. I wasn’t sure what I would find exactly within these novels – as each writer who approaches crafting their vision and voice for a highly well-known era has their own choices to make for authenticity and the continuity they wish to maintain; all I knew, is that it sounded like one incredible story.

And, for me, as a reader inasmuch as a book blogger – it all begins with the curiosity about ‘a story’,…

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Blog Book Tour | “The Tory” (Book One: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga) by T.J. LondonThe Tory
by T.J. London
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

It is the winter of 1776, and Captain John Carlisle, one of His Majesty’s not-so-finest, has gone back to the scene of the crime to right a wrong so dark it left a permanent stain on what was once an illustrious career and left a man broken, defeated, in search of justice…

In an effort to win back his commission, he must discover the true nature of the relationship between the Six Nations of the Iroquois and the Colonial Army. Undercover as a war profiteer, John travels to the treacherous Mohawk River Valley and infiltrates local society, making friends with those he’s come to betray.

But a chance meeting with a beautiful half Oneida innkeeper, whose tragic history is integrally linked to his own, will provide him with the intelligence he needs to complete his mission—and devastate her people.

Now, as the flames of war threaten to consume the Mohawk Valley, John has the chance to not only serve King and country, but to clear his name. When the truth he uncovers ties his own secrets to those in the highest positions of the British military and threatens the very life of the woman he’s come to love, he will be forced to make a choice…

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, War Drama



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780692061282

Also by this author: The Traitor

Also in this series: The Traitor


Published by Self Published

on 11th April, 2018

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 458

The Rebels & Redcoats Saga:

The Tory by TJ LondonThe Traitor by T.J. London

The Tory (book one)

The Traitor (book two)

four-half-flames

I’ve been adding flames to those stories of Romance which have extra heat inside them and are more intensively written than others. This one definitely qualifies as there are certain interludes within John’s relationships. I hadn’t earmarked this as a #HistRom until the books arrived and I saw the cover art a bit differently than I had when I first requested the series. I didn’t really notice the art then as I was focused more on the context of the story-line but on arrival, I thought, hmm, this might be going in a secondary direction than I first realised.

Converse via: #RebelsAndRedCoatsSaga + #RevWar
#HistFic or #HistNov

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

About T.J. London

T.J. London

T.J. London is a rebel, liberal, lover, fighter, diehard punk, and pharmacist-turned-author who loves history. As an author her goal is to fill in the gaps, writing stories about missing history, those little places that are so interesting yet sadly forgotten. Her favorite time periods to write in are first and foremost the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, the French and Indian War, the Russian Revolution and the Victorian Era.

Her passions are traveling, writing, reading, barre, and sharing a glass of wine with her friends, while she collects experiences in this drama called life. She is a native of Metropolitan Detroit (but secretly dreams of being a Londoner) and resides there with her husband Fred and her beloved cat and writing partner Mickey.

Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

Divider

Posted Tuesday, 13 November, 2018 by jorielov in 18th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Content Note, Excessive Violence in Literature, Feminine Heroism, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Revolutionary War era, War Drama

Book Spotlight w/ Notes | “The Petticoat Letters: Rebels of the Revolution” by Kelly Lyman

Posted Tuesday, 16 October, 2018 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

Stories in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I, personally inherited my love of the Revolutionary War era from my Mum – who inspired me to start to take stock & notice of this lovely niche of Historical Fiction out of her love of researching John & Abigail Adams! Over the years I have stumbled across stories set either just ahead of the #RevWar beginning, during the war itself (war dramas are a personal preference of readerly joy) or shortly thereafter. I also appreciate Early Colonial era stories or any story set during a period of time which hugs close to either eras in general.

The reason I love stories set around early Americana history is because it was quite the exciting time during my country’s initial years of foundation and formulation. These were quite exciting times to be living – even if it brought with it a lot of harrowing trials where we needed strong people to either see us through the rougher patches or we needed heroes & heroines alike to help lead us forward into a better tomorrow where we could overcome the things which set out to delay our progresses.

One of my favourite films is “1776” (1972) which is a musical about the Declaration of Independence – it is an unique spin on History and I love the cast who brings this film to life. I felt it had such a clever view into the lives and hearts of the men who were striving for a better America during the Colonial era – which is the kind of drama I enjoy finding in Historical Fiction.

Aside from this film, I’ve become aware of Roseanna M. White’s The Cupler Ring series and Alex Myers “Revolutionary” – two writers I am keenly interested in reading at some point as I held off starting the first as it is a series and the second, as after I read a similar story set during the Civil War, I wasn’t sure if my heart was ready (at the time) to read a second one set during a different war. I might love reading war dramas but sometimes I find the storylines push me a bit for what I can handle reading.

When I first saw this promo tour available, I knew I wanted to become a part of it – as the premise itself is what caught my attention the most! I was hoping to feature an extract or an author Q&A – however, in lieu of both, I simply wanted to help cheer this novel on to other readers who might be seeking a similar story within their Historical wanderings!

I personally have an attachment to reading #FeministHistoricalFiction & this one surely felt like a selection which befits the category! Especially as it requires fortitude of mind and heart to place yourself in danger in order to either save yourself, your family or to defend your country – it is hard to know how you’d react in the same situation but you would hope you’d have even a small ounce of courage Ms Lyman’s character had within her to circumvent the events now erupting through her life!

As you read about what this novel involves, I hope I might have perchance tipped your hat towards wanting to read a new #RevWar novel and discover a delightfully new Indie Author to boot! I look forward to your reactions & thoughts in the *threads below and hope you have a bookishly lovely Tuesday!Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Book Spotlight w/ Notes | “The Petticoat Letters: Rebels of the Revolution” by Kelly LymanThe Petticoat Letters (Spotlight)
by Kelly Lyman

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary war, Nora Bishop’s home is burned to the ground—along with her dreams, plans and all her family members except one. At 20-years-old and still unmarried, she moves to Manhattan to live with her Loyalist uncle, hoping to find her brother who has joined the Patriot cause against her late family’s wishes. But, battle breaks out and she finds herself at the mercy of one American ranger, Alex Foster, who is the only person in a position to bring her to safety.

Her growing feelings toward Alex and his passion for freedom help her reevaluate her stance on the case for independence and makes her question her loyalties further. When she is asked to spy for the rebels, she agrees. But can she partake in the act of treason and do what is asked of her when the sadistic Captain William Roth seems to watch her every move and threatens the life of her brother who has been captured? And how can she grow closer to Alex when the war threatens to tear them apart?

Genres: Feminist Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical Thriller Suspense, War Drama



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781986903035

Published by Blue Tulip Publishing

on 25th March, 2018

 Published By: Blue Tulip Publishing

Converse via: #PetticoatLetters + #RevWar

#HistRom, #RomSusp & #HistFic or #HistNov
Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

About Kelly Lyman

Kelly Lyman

Kelly Lyman is a dreamer, a planner and a doer. Her favorite mantra is: “Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.”

She writes adult historical romance and YA paranormal/fantasy. She has a degree in education from West Chester University and taught 5th grade before deciding to stay home full time. She loves, loves, loves history and can usually be found daydreaming about people who lived centuries ago…that is, when she’s not taking care of her four kids. Traveling to Scotland, England, and Ireland are on her bucket list. Skydiving is not.

She’s mildly obsessed with mint chocolate chip ice cream, peanut butter M&MS, drinking coffee (cream only), and thinks chips and salsa is a perfectly acceptable dinner option. Her favorite color is green and if she could, she would sit on the beach and read all day long.

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Posted Tuesday, 16 October, 2018 by jorielov in 18th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Blitz, Book Spotlight, Feminine Heroism, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Revolutionary War era, War Drama

#WaitingOnWednesday No.6 | Book Review | “The Bloody Black Flag” (Book One: of the Spider John Mysteries) by Steve Goble

Posted Wednesday, 29 August, 2018 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

a word about ‘waiting on Wednesday’:

#WaitingOnWednesday badge created in Canva by Jorie using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

I have decided to start participating in this book blogsphere meme with a few small changes of how it’s regularly blogged about by my fellow book bloggers. I will either be introducing my current reads of upcoming releases as I am in the process of reading them and/or I might be releasing a book review about a forthcoming title by which I had been blessed to read ahead of publication. The main purpose behind the meme is to encourage readers and your fellow book bloggers to become aware of new books being released which caught your eye and which held your interest to read. Sometimes if your still in the process of reading the books, its the titles which encouraged your bookish heart. I look forward to spending the next seasons of the year, talking about the books I have on hand to read, the books I’ve been reading and the books I might not even have a copy to read but which are of wicked sweet interest to become a #nextread of mine.

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Book Review badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

Borrowed Book By: I am a reviewer for Prometheus Books and their imprints starting in [2016] as I contacted them through their Edelweiss catalogues and Twitter. I appreciated the diversity of titles across genre and literary explorations – especially focusing on Historical Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction and Scientific Topics in Non-Fiction.

Whilst I was browsing through upcoming titles this Autumn [2018] I spied a #piratefiction title I had overlooked last year [2017]!! The sequel is forthcoming this September which is why I quickly checked to see if I could ILL (inter-library loan) this through my local library and happily found I could! I had to remain patient whilst this title was fetched from an out-of-state library and then, had the wicked anticipation of hoping it would be a) as quirky as watching Captain Jack Sparrow in the film series ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ whilst b) owning to the genre it befits and would give me a sweet swashbuckling adventure!

The copy of “The Bloody Black Flag” I borrowed via interlibrary loan through my local library was not a title I was obligated to post a review as I am doing so for my own edification as a reader who loves to share her readerly life. I was not compensated for my thoughts shared herein.

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Why a #PirateFiction title sounded wicked good!

Ever since I was quite young, I’ve been fascinated with stories of Pirates! It started when I saw my *first!* Gabriel Bryne film where he was of course, a ‘pirate’ and his character felt real enough to scare me during the scenes he was featured! Fast forward to when Johnny Depp portrayed ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ and you could say, it was all down-hill from there! There quirkiness of Cap’t Jack, the heart of the film series for me was inter-connected to Sparrow’s character – I went to the theater *four!* times to see the first one, twice for the second & at least three times for the third whilst only one viewing of the fourth – yet, by the time the fifth came out I was worried the integrity had left – thus, it remains the ONLY one I’ve not seen!!

I am unsure how this particular series slipped past me – as I have found *Seventh Street Books* to be publishing the kind of Historical Mysteries I can find myself curled inside more oft than other publishers – they are publishing my current favourites you see! You’ve most likely have seen my gushing praise over the Hiro Hattori, Anna Blanc, Samuel Craddock and my beloved Marjorie Trumaine series – two of these are dramatic crime series & the other two are what I refer to as ‘Cosy Historical Mysteries’ – where the focus isn’t on the grittiness of where a crime story could alight you but rather, the historical backdrop in which we alight to walk beside the lead characters!

This ‘Waiting on Wednesday’ is about discovering a #newtomeauthor and getting caught up inside the first novel of a new series which whet a thirst of curiosity to be reading ahead of the second installment’s release!

Part of me was slightly concerned this title might become a bit ‘too much’ for me – as when it comes to ‘pirates’ & #piratefiction, I will definitely be the girl whose more into the glossing over the rougher bits than to have any of the stories (by book or film) to be more graphically explicit. Still. There was something uniquely alluring about ‘attempting to read outside my comfort zone’ which is where the #SpiderJohn Mysteries fall under for a girl who loves high seas adventures but sometimes falls a bit short of fully embracing the cutthroat lifestyles therein!

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#WaitingOnWednesday No.6 | Book Review | “The Bloody Black Flag” (Book One: of the Spider John Mysteries) by Steve GobleThe Bloody Black Flag
Subtitle: A Spider John Mystery
by Steve Goble
Source: Borrowed from local library (ILL)

Agatha Christie meets Patrick O’Brian in the first book in a new series of swashbuckling historical mysteries featuring Spider John Rush, a most reluctant pirate.

1722—aboard a pirate ship off the American Colonial Coast.

Spider John Rush never wanted to be a pirate, but it had happened and he’d learned to survive in the world of cut and thrust, fight or die. He and his friend Ezra knew that death could come at any moment, from grapeshot or storm winds or the end of a noose. But when Ezra is murdered in cold blood by a shipmate, Spider vows revenge.

On a ship where every man is a killer many times over, how can Spider find the man who killed his friend? There is no law here, so if justice is to be done, he must do it. He will have to solve the crime and exact revenge himself.

One wrong step will lead to certain death, but Spider is determined to look into the dying eyes of the man who killed his friend, even if it means his own death.

Genres: Action & Adventure Fiction, Amateur Detective, Crime Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, Pirate Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781633883598

Published by Seventh Street Books

on 12th September, 2017

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 237

Published By: Seventh Street Books (@SeventhStBooks)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook

About Steve Goble

Steve Goble is the author of The Bloody Black Flag and The Devil’s Wind in the Spider John mystery series. A former journalist, Goble now works in communications for a cybersecurity firm. Previously, he wrote a weekly craft-beer column called Brewologist, which appeared on USA Today Network–Ohio websites.

The Spider John Mysteries:

Series Overview: Historical mystery series featuring a reluctant pirate who doubles as an amateur sleuth whilst setting sail on the high seas.

The Bloody Jack Flag by Steve GobleThe Devil's Wind by Steve Goble

The Bloody Black Flag | Book One

The Devil’s Wind | Book Two | Synopsis ← forthcoming release 11th September, 2018!

Converse via: #SpiderJohnMysteries OR #SpiderJohn + #HistoricalMystery and #piratefiction

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Wednesday, 29 August, 2018 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 18th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Bookish Memes, Boston, Colonial America, Content Note, Crime Fiction, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Pirates and Swashbucklers, Prometheus Books, Vulgarity in Literature, Waiting on Wednesday