Posted Sunday, 24 May, 2015 by jorielov Cedar Fort Inc, Heidi Jo Doxey, Liam Darcy I Loathe You, Sweetwater Books, The Jane Journals series 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Liam Darcy, I Loathe You” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I was keenly interested in reading this novel:
I was curious about how she came up with such a lovely new idea when the sequel Austen section is getting so full of new stories. This one has potential because of the premise and what it could inspire from it. I couldn’t wait to put in a request to be on the blog tour, which gave me the motivation to create a topic for Ms Doxey to respond to as a preliminary step towards sorting out her own inspirations to writing a novel I was about to engage in reading! I am oft curious how writers gather their thoughts about a story and when it comes to Austen Sequel authors there is *such a large net of potential* it is quite daunting at times for a Janeite like myself to sort through the offerings and find the writers who truly pay homage to the original author and the canon she left behind!
I am approaching reading Jane Austen in a rather unique fashion, because I honestly read Pride & Prejudice twice! whilst following it with a reading of only a partial amount of Jane Austen and the Unpleasantness of Scargrave Manor before I tackled Sense & Sensibility: A Latter Day Tale and this brings me full circle back inside Liam Darcy, I Loathe You! I am fully planning to be a more active participant of #AustenInAugust 2015 (I’ve just learnt has a new tag! signups start in 10 days!) however til then, I am simply happy with the stories I’ve met thus far along!
I know one day I’ll be re-reading both Jamison’s novel and Doxey’s too, as I believe I will start to pick up different nuances of inclusions I might have missed the first time round as I was not as familiar with everything contained within the originals. Evenso, for me the beauty lies in the discovery and the joy of following Jane Austen and her Janeites where the written word leads us to travel.
Liam Darcy, I Loathe You
by Heidi Jo Doxey
Source: Direct from Publisher
This brings me to another point. Why do all the guys around here call each other by their last names? It's weird, right? I mean, it's never "Hey what's up, Jack?" or 'How's it going, Sam?" Everything's Elton this, Willoughby that. This makes it extra confusing when you get a couple of brothers who by the same name. Like the Tilneys or the Kulkarnis. Whatever.
I'm just saying, it's not like all of us girls go by Bennet. That would be complete chaos.
Lizzie's family is big and crazy. Nila's best friend just moved to England. Fiona's good at school and nothing else. Alice and Vivian are two sisters who couldn't be more opposite. And Catherine reads vampire novels. What do these six girls have in common?
They all attend Pemberley Prep, where their English teacher, Ms Elliott, has just given them a year-long assignment to write down everything that happens to them - beach trips and boys to picking out ball gowns.
Quirky and cute, this is Jane Austen with a modern makeover. Set in a Northern California prep school, it's a laugh-out loud read that will reunite Austen's fans with their favourite characters and send the younger set straight to the classics to find out what happened next!
Genres: After Canons, Classical Literature, Contemporary Romance Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Also by this author:
Series: The Jane Journals, No.1
Also in this series: Intangible, Beneath Creek Waters
Published by Sweetwater Books
on 12th May, 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Converse via: #TheJaneJournals, #LiamDarcy OR #PemberleyPrep
#YALit and #AustenSequels
About Heidi Jo Doxey
Heidi Jo Doxey has written five books in the Tiny Talks series. She graduated from BYU with a BA in English and a minor in editing. When she’s not writing or reading, she loves riding her bike, going for walks, spending time with family and friends, and being outside. She currently lives in Utah, where she works in publishing, but she still calls the San Francisco Bay Area home.
Doxey on Pin(terest)
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Extra Bits I found quite charming:
Before you enter the novel, you are first introduced to the story via the book cover art, of which I must confess did not quite float my boat at first sight. I honestly didn’t ‘get it’ at first because it felt a bit disconnected from the story’s premise. Either that, or as a thirty-something reader I’m forgetting something that would have appealed to me as a teenager. The cover art notwithstanding as it’s the synopsis that convinced me to read the book (as it always does) I happily found a scrapbook inspired layout to the internal pages where doodles and swirls and little stars populate themselves between the text passages! It truly has the appearance of a personal diary and this is quite impressive! Read More
Posted Sunday, 24 May, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, After the Canon, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Coming-Of Age, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Indie Author, Inspired By Author OR Book, Jane Austen Sequel, Modern Day, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Sequel Authors, Spin-Off Authors, Story in Diary-Style Format, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Saturday, 23 May, 2015 by jorielov Cedar Fort Inc, Heidi Jo Doxey, Liam Darcy I Loathe You, Sweetwater Books, The Jane Journals series 0 Comments
What does a Janeite book blogger do whose spent two years attempting to be wrapped up inside Austen novels (during #AustenInAugust: Year 1, Year 2) and finds her life is ever so more complicated than any Austen character to the brink, she barely had time to read *1!* story vs the full grace of devouring the ones she projected to read!? IF your Jorie, you celebrate the fact your at least attempting to bring Ms Austen into your life and enjoying the small bits of her legacy you get to breathe into your heart!
However, with being a book blogger who reviews for Cedar Fort, you get the added wicked sweet joy in discovering *sequel authors!* who pay homage to Austen whilst giving you a stimulating brilliant read! Last year, it was a newly spun story for *Sense & Sensibility*! This May, it’s ALL the Austen books combined into one: *Liam Darcy, I Loathe You!*
Sometimes contemporary life mirrors a Jane Austen novel: where ordinary strife and the complexities of living in the 21st Century are as varied and wrought with extraordinary circumstances as any Austen novel could possibly explore! Austen brought with her a keen edge of insight into commoner life which befit her age so eloquently as to become a legacy of a time capsule of literary style, voice, and sociological perspectives each generation after her could personally relate too.
There is something to be said for the mannerisms she conveyed and the socioeconomic convergences she expertly knitted into her stories, where her observant eyes left nothing untouched that did not add to her character’s depth of perception and understanding of their local environs. Austen had a way of convincing you to become attached to her settings and characters by appreciating what each character had to learn within their own story’s arc. She brought together cheeky humour and convicting drama in a way that reads as deftly accurate now as it did then.
The timelessness of her collective works have been admired by afar for years, and it wasn’t until #AustenInAugust hosted by @RoofBeamReader in 2013, where I felt I could finally settle my mind inside Austen’s legacy. Cedar Fort has re-inspired me to pick up contemporary stories set within the metrics and structure of an Austen novel, re-envisioned with modern twists and compelling characters who give you a hearty measure of their Austenite counterparts.
Hence why I am thrilled to peaches to welcome Heidi Jo Doxey to Jorie Loves A Story! Let’s talk about Austen & her sequel novel, shall we!?
Book Synopsis | Book No.1 of The Jane Journals series: Liam Darcy, I Loathe You!
This brings me to another point. Why do all the guys around here call each other by their last names? It’s weird, right? I mean, it’s never “Hey what’s up, Jack?” or ‘How’s it going, Sam?” Everything’s Elton this, Willoughby that. This makes it extra confusing when you get a couple of brothers who by the same name. Like the Tilneys or the Kulkarnis. Whatever.
I’m just saying, it’s not like all of us girls go by Bennet. That would be complete chaos.
Lizzie’s family is big and crazy. Nila’s best friend just moved to England. Fiona’s good at school 
and nothing else. Alice and Vivian are two sisters who couldn’t be more opposite. And Catherine reads vampire novels. What do these six girls have in common?
They all attend Pemberley Prep, where their English teacher, Ms Elliott, has just given them a year-long assignment to write down everything that happens to them – beach trips and boys to picking out ball gowns.
Quirky and cute, this is Jane Austen with a modern makeover. Set in a Northern California prep school, it’s a laugh-out loud read that will reunite Austen’s fans with their favourite characters and send the younger set straight to the classics to find out what happened next!
Read More
Posted Saturday, 23 May, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, After the Canon, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Coming-Of Age, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Indie Author, Inspired By Author OR Book, Jane Austen Sequel, Modern Day, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Sequel Authors, Spin-Off Authors, Story in Diary-Style Format, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Thursday, 21 May, 2015 by jorielov Anaiah Press, Angela Schroeder, Love Overcomes 2 Comments
Acquired Samplers By:
Chapter Samplers for her Contemporary Romance “Love Overcomes” was provided for free download by the author, Angela Schroeder via her Smashwords Author’s Page. The samplers are complimentary of the author, Ms Schroeder to encourage readers to become familiar with her writing style for Contemporary Romance ahead of purchase. I was not obligated to post a review nor share my opinions of the chapter samplers I downloaded; as I elected to do this for my own edification. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Love Overcomes” book blitz through Lola’s Blog Tours. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
If you spend a bit of time with me on Jorie Loves A Story, you’ll find a heap of commentary on my bookish blog reflecting my hybrid readings and adventures taking me across literary divides whilst enveloping me inside both mainstream and INSPY markets. It is quite the happy day when you can discover not only a ‘new-to-me’ author but one who knits together a sweeter side of a genre I personally have loved for absolute ages!
I love relationship-based Romances (irregardless of which section of the genre they take up a niche inside) and when I first read the synopsis for this one, I felt as if it was a bit unique in it’s conception and a read that would interest me if it were available in print. I have started to become a bit more organised with how I present the Digital First book releases of whom I showcase time after time as a measure of joy ahead of being able to devour the books in their physical formats! It took a bit for me to realise how to navigate this changing tide of the pub world, as I originally felt that perhaps a traditional reader like me might be left behind but happily I was mistaken!
Instead, I am finding a lot of readerly love from Digital First publishers, as I regularly host releases by ChocLitUK and Month9Books where I split the bookjoy between reading print editions of the Romance novels via ChocLit whilst focusing on guest author features by Month9. I do host a weekly Romance chat on Saturdays @ChocLitSaturday (all writers and readers of Romance are welcome to drop-in!) which was directly inspired by ChocLitUK inasmuch as I try to host their authors for special events and guest features as often as I can. In this unique world of publishing even traditional readers can navigate the changing tides and find a heap of joy in the stories they gravitate towards reading regularly.
I am grateful Lola started to feature authors by Anaiah Press as I might not have found them otherwise, and this to me is one of the benefits of hosting blog tours, author guest features, and even Book Blitzes! For me hosting a Book Blitz is more about an ‘introductory announcement’ of a book I am seeking to read whilst giving my readers an impression of how the novel interested me at first sight. With Chapter Samplers, I am finding myself quite wicked happy authors are giving readers a snippet of a glimpse into their stories — not only to help us decide to pick up the novels themselves but to be allowed to blog about the beginnings as we elect to reach out to those who follow us about a new story we’re happy to have found.
You’ll notice this isn’t my first Chapter Sampler impression I’ve blogged as I am only just getting started to bringing to my readers attention the samplers I am finding (both in ePub or audio formats)! I do list these posts in my Story Vault, because to be truthful they are my first encounter with the stories ahead of further reading.
Love Overcomes
by Angela Schroeder
Source: Author via Lola's Blog Tours
Going to Hollywood was supposed to be something that would change Clara Mackenzie’s life forever.
Her younger sister, single mother Arabella, never imagined that going to California with her sister would have such a huge impact on her life. Now, she needs to try to overcome her past and try to trust again or be doomed to be single forever.
Arabella Mackenzie and her son Liam have never wanted or needed anyone other than their family. When Arabella meets Jeremy Fowlis she begins to have feelings for a man for the first time since before her son was born. Shy, Clara begins to fall for an actor of her own when she meets dashing Jake.
Jeremy is not use to women who do not want to date him because he is an in-demand actor let alone a woman who does not even recognize him. He finds he wants to know more about her but is not sure if he can handle the fact that she is a single mother and has a past that seems to be shrouded in mystery.
Can Arabella and Jeremy both overcome their doubts, fears and past in order to find love?
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Sweet Romance Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
Published by Anaiah Press
on 14th November, 2014
Format: eBook
Published By: Anaiah Romance {an imprint of} Anaiah Press (@anaiahpress)
{ a Digital First Christian Indie Publisher }
Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook
Converse on Twitter via: #LoveOvercomes, #AngelaSchroeder,
#INSPY or #ChristFic & #AnaiahPress
About Angela Schroeder
Angela was born and raised in Iowa, in a river town known for its pearl buttons. Having four siblings, she never lacked for someone to play with. As she grew older, she found herself pulled into books and writing more and more. Her parents are her heroes, her siblings her confidants and tormentors, and her children her wonderful blessings.
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Read More
Posted Thursday, 21 May, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Contemporary Romance, Dating & Humour Therein, Family Life, Fathers and Daughters, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction | Non-Fiction, Lola's Blog Tours, Modern Day, Romance Fiction, Single Mothers, Singletons & Commitment, Small Towne USA, Sweet Romance
Posted Monday, 18 May, 2015 by jorielov Cedar Fort Inc, CFI (imprint) Cedar Fort Inc, Enslaved to Saved, W. Reid Litchfield 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Enslaved to Saved” direct from the publisher CFI (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On why I elected to read Enslaved to Saved:
The title of this book implored me outright to become interested in reading it as I have had a curiosity to uncover more about Christ (as a man as much as the Son of God) in regards to who He was whilst He lived on earth and how the legacy of His teachings left behind for us to find after He left. On a similar vein, Mum and I have wanted to dig inside the women of the Bible, to uncover more biographical bits about who they were and the lives they lived because too often we only get to know fragmented pieces about the men and women who lived centuries ago yet who have such a crucial part of our shared religious history. As far as the women go, I know we want to seek out Biblical Historical fiction as a gateway, but when I saw this non-fiction release about Christ, it was definitely a moment where I felt as if I had stumbled across a book I was meant to read ‘at this moment in time’.
– excerpt taken from my explanation on the top anchour of Litchfield’s Guest Post
Enslaved to Saved: The Metaphor of Christ as our Master
by W. Reid Litchfield
Source: Direct from Publisher
Who is your Master: Sin or the SAVIOR?
This thought-provoking book examines the cultural and political background of slavery during the time of Christ and what it means to our modern-day commitment to the Lord.
Where our King James New Testament reads "servant of Christ", the original Greek translates to "slave of Christ." This nuance will change how you read the New Testament.
*Unlock the deeper meanings of the Savior's most beloved parables
*Discover how the early Saints viewed their relationship to Christ
*Explore the difference between servitude and slavery in several well-known verses
Reid Litchfield, a Harvard-trained endocrinologist and longtime gospel scholar, shows how you can become a slave to Christ and paradoxically free yourself from the captivity of sin and death.
Genres: Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Spirituality & Metaphysics Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Also by this author: Guest Post by W. Reid Litchfield
Published by CFI (imprint) Cedar Fort Inc
on 12th May, 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 160
Published By: CFI (imprint) of Cedar Fort Inc (@CedarFortBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse on Twitter via:
#EnslavedToSaved, #ChristCentered, #BibleStudy & #ChristianNonFiction
About W. Reid Litchfield
W. Reid Litchfield is an endocrinologist from Henderson, Nevada. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University (B.S.) and University of Calgary (M.D.) and completed his endocrinology fellowship at Harvard Medical School. In addition to a number of scientific publications he has published medical history papers entitled On The Physical Death Of Jesus Christ and The Bittersweet Demise of Herod the Great. He is the recipient of numerous Top Doctor awards as well as professional awards for leadership in his community and medical society.
Website | Facebook | Goodreads
Posted Monday, 18 May, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Adoption, Ancient Civilisation, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Biblical History, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Catholicism, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Christianity, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Equality In Literature, Good vs. Evil, History, Important Figures of Ancient Times, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Judiasm, Lessons from Scripture, Modern Day, Mormonism, Non-Fiction, Passionate Researcher, Philosophy, Political Narrative & Modern Topics, Religious History, Short Stories or Essays, Social Change, Sociological Behavior, Spirituality & Metaphysics, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, The Deep South, World Religions
Posted Monday, 11 May, 2015 by jorielov Advantage Media Group, BookBaby, On the Edge, Safe & Sound, Self Published, T.S. Krupa, TS Krupa LLC 2 Comments
One my favourite novels of [2014] as a 1st Year Book Blogger was Safe & Sound because it broke through a few literary barriers and told an honest story from a contemporary point of view whilst giving you a hearty Romance and a narrative that owned itself to it’s own living truth inside the world Krupa created. I appreciated the fact the equality in lit inclusion of a happily engaged couple proved that when you seek out diversity and stories of equality, there can be a softness to the inclusion to where everything feels quite natural and organic, rather than purposely included to be ‘different’.
I like honest stories and especially Romances rooted in relationships, as these are my favourite kinds to read and thereby the ones I seek out the most to devour! On the contemporary and modern side of the ledger, since I read Safe & Sound and even a bit before, there is a bit of a gap in my reading life as I recently mentioned on a post I’m still composing to publish (it’s my first attempt to release a ’10 Bookish and Not Bookish Thoughts’ meme!) as much as I related a bit about this on my review of Robin’s Reward.
My initial reaction to hearing about the premise of On the Edge proves my wicked good cheer to celebrate Krupa’s sophomore release:
I’m focusing on military stories in June, and the week of Flag Day has two highlighted already (Meant to Be by Jessica James and Those Who Remain by Ruth Crocker), so if I were to mark down the 20th of June (that Saturday) it would be a full week of military stories! :) I love war dramas, which you may or may not have known, and therefore I have a soft spot for military families and stories of war widows. Another contemporary author whose approached this is Mary McNear with her Butternut Lake series; I reviewed the first two novels (Up on Butternut Lake | Butternut Summer) and upcoming at the end of May will be the third.
I’ve been itching to know where you were going to take us next and this story, wow. It’s aces for me, because your talking about topics and subjects that are right up my alley! And, snowboarding!? Did you catch my Winter Olympic & X-Games tweeting!? I *LOVE!* snowboarding events! It’s one of the most viewed sports in my family! Wicked awesome!
I feel if you can take a modern day setting and domestic situations to knit a compelling drama out of a story any reader can feel attached to by the novel’s central heart, than your a novelist who has an ace in the hole such as Krupa because she writes the stories that are both convicting as much as they are inspiring. You feel uplifted by the emotional journey you’ve taken with her characters, and I can only foresee this happening again as I get to know those who inhabit On the Edge.
Drama is best written when the reader feels as if they’ve transitioned through the story’s arc and come out the opposite end in much the same fashion as the character they’ve lived the experience alongside; to me, this is one reason I actively seek out Romantic dramas a bit more than Romantic comedies; although I appreciate both equally, the dramas simply speak to me in a way that pull your heart closer to the humanity threaded throughout all of literature.
It’s an honour to welcome back Ms Krupa for her Cover Reveal and Book Birthday Announcement on behalf of ‘On the Edge’ because I truly am wicked happy to see her new release a year after her debut! I hope that each of my readers have taken stock of her stories as they alight on my blog, and have settled into Safe & Sound knowing they will have a new favourite writer to read and follow.
Don’t be shy —
leave Ms Krupa a comment or question in the threads below this post OR tweet her directly @TS_Krupa!
Biography for T.S. Krupa:
T.S. Krupa was born in New Haven, Connecticut. Raised in a Polish household with a blended American culture, she is fluent in Polish. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Franklin Pierce University, where she also played field hockey. She earned her Master’s from Texas Tech University and recently graduated with her Doctor of Education from North Carolina State University. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and her dog.
In 2014, T.S. Krupa published her award-winning debut novel Safe & Sound. On The Edge is her second novel.
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Posted Monday, 11 May, 2015 by jorielov in Author Found me On Twitter, Bookish Discussions, Contemporary Romance, Equality In Literature, Family Drama, Family Life, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Life Shift, Military Families of the Deployed, Military Fiction, Modern Day, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Royal Social Media, Self-Published Author, Single Mothers, Snowboarding | Half Pipe OR Slope, The Olympic Games (Winter or Summer), Widows & Widowers, Women's Fiction
