Posted Thursday, 29 October, 2015 by jorielov Decorum, Karren Christopherson, Kensington Books, Kensington Publishing Corp. 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Decorum” virtual book tour through HFVBT: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Kaaren Christopherson, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Note of Gratitude to the author:
I was happily surprised by what came in the Post for me when Decorum arrived because the author included a few extras for me to enjoy finding tucked inside with my copy of the book! I was very grateful to her for being thoughtful enough to make this book one of my ‘book surprise parcels’ as whenever an author or publisher includes a few unknown extras for me to find in their parcels, it’s a wonderful gift of random joy for me on the other end! Finding the copy was autographed was a true delight, too! I tend to forget to mention this on previous reviews, but seeing the author’s handwritten note or signature is a mark of joy for me! Especially if they sign an ARC not just a finished copy, as it connects the moment of discovering their novel with the moment I’m reading it for the first time! Little bits of joy like these do a world of good for a book blogger who doesn’t expect to find anything except the book she’s reviewing!
Note on the Cover Art: I was captured by the image of this woman from the moment I first laid eyes upon the cover art. Not merely for reasons of sorting out if it followed the timescape of the novel but there was something ‘curious’ about her pose and the manner in which she held herself in this portrait. I love studying Art History and this particular portrait reminded me of that passion I have for classical artists and the confluence of period specific portraiture giving us a lens backwards into the historical past. The author has more info on her site.
Decorum
Kaaren Christopherson’s brilliantly observed novel captures the glamour and grit of one of the world’s most dazzling cities during one of its most tumultuous eras–as seen through the eyes of a singularly captivating heroine…
In 1890s New York, beautiful, wealthy Francesca Lund is an intriguing prospect for worthy suitors and fortune hunters alike. Recently orphaned, she copes by working with the poor in the city’s settlement movement. But a young woman of means can’t shun society for long, and Francesca’s long-standing acquaintance with dashing Edmund Tracey eventually leads to engagement. Yet her sheltered upbringing doesn’t blind her to the indiscretions of the well-to-do…
Among the fashionable circle that gathers around her there are mistresses, scandals, and gentlemen of ruthless ambition. And there is Connor O’Casey–an entirely new kind of New Yorker. A self-made millionaire of Irish stock, Connor wants more than riches. He wants to create a legacy in the form of a luxury Madison Avenue hotel–and he wants Francesca by his side as he does it. In a quest that will take her from impeccable Manhattan salons to the wild Canadian Rockies, Francesca must choose not only between two vastly different men, but between convention and her own emerging self-reliance.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781617735219
on 31st March 2015
Pages: 417
Published By: Kensington Publishing Corp. ()
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and E-book
Converse via: #KaarenChristopherson OR #DecorumBlogTour
About Kaaren Christopherson
Kaaren Christopherson is the author of Decorum—a novel about Gilded Age New York—that began taking form in 1999 during a course on writing historical fiction. From that moment, Connor O’Casey (who had been rattling around in her brain for months) finally appeared one night and said, “All right, woman. Here I am. What are you going to do about my story?”
So she began to put his words on paper, and he hasn’t kept quiet since. Soon Francesca, Blanche, Tracey, Vinnie, and the rest of the characters began arguing, gossiping, loving, and forming themselves into Kaaren’s first novel.
Kaaren has had a professional career writing and editing for over 30 years and is a senior editor for an international development nonprofit organization in Washington, DC.
She has written fiction since her school days, story poems, children’s books, historical fiction, and time travel, and continues to be active in writer’s groups and writing workshops. In addition to her career as a writer, Kaaren was the owner of a decorative painting business. She loves to travel and prowl through historical sites, galleries, and museums. She is active in several churches in DC and in her local Northern Virginia community, where she shares her home with feline brothers, Archie and Sammy.
A Michigan native, Kaaren received her BA in history and art and her MA in educational administration from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
Photo Credit: Pat Everett Photography
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Thursday, 29 October, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 19th Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Bookish Discussions, British Literature, Clever Turns of Phrase, Death of a Sibling, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Novel, Family Drama, Family Life, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, Honeymoons & Weddings, Indie Author, Inheritance & Identity, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Life Shift, New York City, Orphans & Guardians, Passionate Researcher, Unexpected Inheritance, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Monday, 12 October, 2015 by jorielov A Thomas Donne Book, Avelynn, MacMillian Publishers, Marissa Campbell, St. Martin's Griffin, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Publishing Group 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Avelynn” virtual book tour through HFVBT: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the book direct from the publisher St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
There is something about the Vikings:
Ever since I was a young girl who enjoyed her history lessons in grammar school, you could say I had a healthy fascination with the Vikings. They were painted quite the brogue and rough turnt bunch of warriors of whom you wouldn’t seek to cross if you had any sense of mind about your well being; yet within those whim-some chapters of text about who they were and who they weren’t (as let’s be honest, textbooks rarely were the tell-all place to find truth out of history) a curiosity of mind developed.
I yearned to read more about them and to uncover fact from fiction inasmuch as find a way to seek out stories about them that perhaps softened their plight and plunder on history’s fabled chapters. I wouldn’t have minded a romanticised view of their lives but I would have appreciated truism if it wasn’t brokered to be bent towards violent gore nor of brutality for the sake of it rather than for the authenticity. Vikings at mere mention stroke the coals of memories most of us have about what we were taught vs what we might have learnt on our own accords.
Whether or not, I knew enough about them prior to reading Avelynn is not in question but to have a curiosity about a community of people who enticed me to find stories set around their lives is worthwhile because it is something I was wondering if others were curious about too. I know this only my first foray into Viking fiction, as the only other story I can lay thought upon having seen prior to reading this story is How to Train Your Dragon Parts I & II where the Vikings are seen in all their familiar glory! Lest, I mention how wicked awesome those films were!?
Avelynn
by Marissa Campbell
Source: Publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
One extraordinary Saxon noblewoman and one fearless Viking warrior find passion and danger in this dazzling and sensuous debut.
Marissa Campbell’s debut novel is a winning combination of romance, history, and adventure sure to appeal to fans of Diana Gabaldon.
It is 869. For eighteen years, Avelynn, the beautiful and secretly pagan daughter of the Eadlorman of Somerset has lived in an environment of love and acceptance. She hasn’t yet found a man to make her heart race, but her father has not pressured her to get married. Until now. With whispers of war threatening their land, her father forces Avelynn into a betrothal with Demas, a man who only covets her wealth and status. The dreaded marriage looming, she turns to her faith, searching for answers in an ancient ritual along the coast, only to find Alrik the Blood-Axe and sixty Viking berserkers have landed.
Alrik is unlike any man she has ever known, strong and intriguing. Likewise, he instantly falls for her beauty and courage. The two stumble into a passionate love affair, but it’s more than just a greedy suitor who will try to keep them apart.
As the Saxons and Vikings go to war, Avelynn and Alrik find themselves caught in the throes of fate. Can they be true to their people as well as to each other?
Genres: Feminist Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Spirituality & Metaphysics Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 978-1250063939
Also by this author: Avelynn
Published by St. Martin's Griffin
on 8th September 2015
Format: Paperback ARC
Pages: 320
Published By: St. Martin’s Griffin via St. Martin’s Press
imprints of St. Martin’s Publishing Group,
which is now a part of MacMillian Publishers
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #Avelynn
About Marissa Campbell
Marissa Campbell is a published freelance author, and co-author of the award-winning, spiritual self-help book Life: Living in Fulfillment Every Day.
Her debut historical fiction AVELYNN, was published through St. Martin’s Press, September 2015. She self-published her sophmore release Avelynn: The Edge of Faith. She is a proud member of the Historical Novel Society, Romance Writers of America, Writer’s Community of Durham Region, and local critique group B7.
When she is not writing, she is busy looking after her wonderful children, spending time with her fantastic husband, hanging out with her awesome friends, teaching yoga, dancing, laughing, and having fun!
Author's biography updated October 2016.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr | LibraryThing
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Monday, 12 October, 2015 by jorielov in 9th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, ARC | Galley Copy, Arthurian Legend, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Trailer, Bookish Discussions, Bookish Films, British Literature, Brothers and Sisters, Canadian Literature, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Crime Fiction, Debut Author, Debut in United States, Debut Novel, Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, England, Equality In Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Gods & Goddesses, Heroic Bloodshed, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Mystery, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Marriage Rituals, Passionate Researcher, Reader Submitted Q&A, Rituals for the Afterlife, Saxon | Viking History, Siblings, Superstitions & Old World Beliefs, Warfare & Power Realignment, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Saturday, 10 October, 2015 by jorielov Amy Stewart, Girl Waits With Gun, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1 Comment
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Girl Waits With Gun” virtual book tour through HFVBT: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the book direct from the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On why this book sparked an interest to read:
I must admit, I had regretted not being able to read The Drunken Botanist when I had initially found a copy of it at my local library – mostly, because it stood out to me as being quite altogether different than what I might usually pick up to read. For starters, I love Herbology (plants used for alternative/natural medicines) and I love how you can grow an apothecarist garden. This previous release of hers takes it a step further and dictates how plants can be used in mixology to produce different drinks and a fetching taste whilst you blend together elements you might not have felt worked well together.
When it was announced Girl Waits With Gun was going to be going on tour, I didn’t want to be sidelined again with an author who drew a line of curiosity into my brow to read!
Note on the Cover Art: Cover art by itself never leads me to reading a novel, however, snazzy sharp cover art might implore me to read the synopsis and if within those small ounces of text I find a murmuring of a focus about a story that might yield itself to being warranted to reading, odds are in favour I will do exactly that. Otherwise to me, cover art becomes another medium of art to be admired solely for that purpose. In this instance, it was the combination that intrigued me but to focus on the artwork a moment: how can this not garish interest? It’s quite catching!
Girl Waits With Gun
by Amy Stewart
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Drunken Botanist comes an enthralling debut novel based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation’s first female deputy sheriffs.
Constance Kopp doesn’t quite fit the mold. She towers over most men, has no interest in marriage or domestic affairs, and has been isolated from the world since a family secret sent her and her sisters into hiding fifteen years ago. One day a belligerent and powerful silk factory owner runs down their buggy, and a dispute over damages turns into a war of bricks, bullets, and threats as he unleashes his gang on their family farm. When the sheriff enlists her help in convicting the men, Constance is forced to confront her past and defend her family — and she does it in a way that few women of 1914 would have dared.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9780544409910
on 1st September 2015
Pages: 416
Published By: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, (@HMHCo)
Available Formats: Hardback, Audiobook, Paperback & E-Book
Converse via: #GirlWaitsWithGun
About Amy Stewart
Amy Stewart is the author of seven books. Her latest, Girl Waits With Gun, is a novel based on a true story. She has also written six nonfiction books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world, including four New York Times bestsellers: The Drunken Botanist, Wicked Bugs, Wicked Plants, and Flower Confidential. She lives in Eureka, California, with her husband Scott Brown, who is a rare book dealer. They own a bookstore called Eureka Books. The store is housed in a classic nineteenth-century Victorian building that Amy very much hopes is haunted.
Stewart has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and many other newspapers and magazines, and has appeared frequently on National Public Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, and–just once–on TLC’s Cake Boss. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, the American Horticulture Society’s Book Award, and an International Association of Culinary Professionals Food Writing Award.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Saturday, 10 October, 2015 by jorielov in 20th Century, ARC | Galley Copy, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Bookish Discussions, Constance Kopp, Crime Fiction, Debut Novel, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Mystery, Lady Detective Fiction, Passionate Researcher, Reader Submitted Q&A, Siblings, Sisters & the Bond Between Them, Women's Rights, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Tuesday, 29 September, 2015 by jorielov Jeanne Mackin, New American Library, Penguin Group (USA), Penguin Random House LLC, The Beautiful American 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “The Beautiful American” virtual book tour through HFVBT: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Jeanne Mackin, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I felt I might fancy this novel:
I have a personal penchant for what I refer to as ‘Biographical Historical Fiction’ wherein the historical persons who lived are aptly portrayed through a historical treatment of their lives by a novelist who has a flaire for bringing their lives so fully to life, we feel as though we’ve met them in person. You’ll find that I have read quite a hearty array of historicals which befit this category and am always quite in full search of new writers who can lead me back through the corridors of the past and introduce me to someone who will bring history alive to me in all it’s glory and heartache. As for each life told, there is a happy balance of joy and strife, such is a well-rounded life well lived and told thereafter the person has passed on.
I personally find joy in this section of historical stories because the past becomes fiercely alive through the voices of the authors who pen these kinds of stories. We get to take an up close and personal voyage back through the tides of time whilst being caught up in the livelihood of a person who truly lived and felt every inch of the emotions we hope to catch sight of in the novel.
Note on the Cover Art: Did anyone else notice the sepia tone of hue on the cover when Lee Miller is being highlighted and how Paris in the background is a more muted reverie? I felt this was a fitting touch to the novel, especially as you become further into her folds, this novel doesn’t quite want to let you go – it stays with you, and you realise things you hadn’t seen at first glaance.
The Beautiful American
by Jeanne Mackin
As recovery from World War II begins, expat American Nora Tours travels from her home in southern France to London in search of her missing sixteen-year-old daughter. There, she unexpectedly meets up with an old acquaintance, famous model-turned-photographer Lee Miller. Neither has emerged from the war unscathed. Nora is racked with the fear that her efforts to survive under the Vichy regime may have cost her daughter’s life. Lee suffers from what she witnessed as a war correspondent photographing the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps.
Nora and Lee knew each other in the heady days of late 1920’s Paris, when Nora was giddy with love for her childhood sweetheart, Lee became the celebrated mistress of the artist Man Ray, and Lee’s magnetic beauty drew them all into the glamorous lives of famous artists and their wealthy patrons. But Lee fails to realize that her friendship with Nora is even older, that it goes back to their days as children in Poughkeepsie, New York, when a devastating trauma marked Lee forever. Will Nora’s reunion with Lee give them a chance to forgive past betrayals, and break years of silence?
A novel of freedom and frailty, desire and daring, The Beautiful American portrays the extraordinary relationship between two passionate, unconventional woman.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Find on Book Browse
ISBN: 9780451465825
Also by this author:
on 3rd June 2014
Pages: 352
Published By: New American Library (NAL)
( ) an imprint of Penguin Group (USA)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #TheBeautifulAmerican
About Jeanne Mackin
Jeanne Mackin’s novel, The Beautiful American (New American Library), based on the life of photographer and war correspondent Lee Miller, received the 2014 CNY award for fiction. Her other novels include A Lady of Good Family, about gilded age personality Beatrix Farrand, The Sweet By and By, about nineteenth century spiritualist Maggie Fox, Dreams of Empire set in Napoleonic Egypt, The Queen’s War, about Eleanor of Aquitaine, and The Frenchwoman, set in revolutionary France and the Pennsylvania wilderness.
Jeanne Mackin is also the author of the Cornell Book of Herbs and Edible Flowers (Cornell University publications) and co-editor of The Book of Love (W.W. Norton.) She was the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society and a keynote speaker for The Dickens Fellowship. Her work in journalism won awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, in Washington, D.C. She has taught or conducted workshops in Pennsylvania, Hawaii and at Goddard College in Vermont.
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Tuesday, 29 September, 2015 by jorielov in 20th Century, Adulterous Affair, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Bookish Discussions, Clever Turns of Phrase, Fashion Industry, Father-Daughter Relationships, France, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Lee Miller, Literary Fiction, Parfum Industry, Passionate Researcher, Photography, The World Wars, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, War-time Romance, Women's Health, Women's Rights, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Monday, 21 September, 2015 by jorielov (Illustrator) Graham Sternberg, Honor Among Thieves, Hope & Steel series, J.M. Aucoin, Sword & Cape Press 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Honor Among Thieves” virtual book tour through HFVBT: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author J.M. Aucoin, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
A girl who fancies swashbucklers and pirates:
Who isn’t afraid to admit it to the world that they have a penchant for swashbucklers, rebels, rogues, and pirates? There is something daringly brilliant about these men who dare to defy odds, logic, and societal social norms to expand their livelihoods outside the scope of gentle society. I’ll free admit when I first saw Captain Jack Sparrow take centerstage on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl a part of my heart started to swoon and I was thusly sitting so close to the edge of my seat in the theater as to nearly fall out of it! I giggled with enthused laughter about his antics, whilst reveling in the pure insanity of his situations! Of course, there is a heap of heart to Captain Jack and a sincerity underneath the levity, but for a girl who needed a balm of humour out of a year of intense sorrow – Captain Jack mastered the art of re-finding your smile!
I have a bit of a history with swashbucklers – it began as a child when I first saw Gabriel Bryne take me off into a pirate of a story via Shipwrecked – a bit of an unknown (or lesser known) motion picture which set the course I would be keen on pirates for the rest of my days! Combine this film with Swiss Family Robinson and a healthy thirst of ‘historical adventures’ was bourne! Lateron I would watch The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mask amongst others, leading up to Johnny Depp’s infamous character! The cheekily timed and Steampunked adventure of The Three Musketeers by a predominately European crew in 2013 re-ignited the passion I have for ‘out of the box’ film-making and re-envisioning a classic story! Ooh dear my! The BBC has a serial entitled The Three Musketeers? Say when did that happen!? Hmm. Dare I admit – all of these I’ve seen at least twice, and some of which I’ve seen thrice over a few times? Yes, I watch films in multiple viewings during the score of a year, especially if I’m properly addicted to them!
Mind you – I have yet to complete the original novel (of The Three Musketeers), as part of me was quite bored by all accounts – I picked it up several times in middle school only to feel disappointed somehow? I wonder if other Classic Clubbers have felt this way? It came across a bit droll for me but the re-tellings and re-imaginings of the classic have been fuell to folly as far as my curiosity to seek them out!
Imagine my happy joy in finding out a ChocLit author has composed a ‘pirate’ story of her own? (greetings Ms Malcolm!) And, how revealing it was of me to admit it was true Captain Jack convinced me I’ll forevermore be curious about ‘pirate fiction’ stories! I champion stories of the high seas and their seafaring captains too, which dips into the ‘rebels and rogues’ areas (such as Zana Bell’s Close to the Wind proved!)
As I heard about this particular new story – fresh off the presses – rooted in a section of literature I am clearly under-read, my heart leapt in wicked sweet joy at the possibility to read it! 17th Century France is a section of historical fiction I already have voiced a strong appreciation for numerous times on Jorie Loves A Story, whilst the adventure side of historicals hasn’t quite been as fully fleshed out.
Alas! I haven’t even mentioned my propensity for ‘swords, swordplay, and fencing’!
A note on the cover art: I wish in some ways I had a side by side view of this cover to share with you dear hearts, as quite cleverly the action shot and sequence on the front is continued on the reverse side! There was a lot of thought put into the cover layout and design – the images are two halves of a whole – a sequence in time to stitch a ‘moment’ out of the novel. The cross swords on the spine hint at a reference point for the series, and even the series itself is thus named after the attributes identifiable of the lead character: Darion Delerue! It nearly looks like a watercolour painting that was digitally remastered to serve as the cover art!
Honor Among Thieves
by J.M. Aucoin
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Graham Sternberg
France, March 1609. The French Wars of Religion are over, but forces still conspire against the crown…
Darion Delerue, former soldier turned highwayman, has only two things of value—the hope in his heart and the steel at his side. After a heist on a royal ambassador goes wrong, Darion is thrown into a political plot to undermine the crown, pitting his old life as an honorable soldier against his new life as a thief and bandit. His actions could send France back into civil war.
Honor Among Thieves is a gripping tale of daring sword-play and political intrigue, with superb historical detail of 17th Century France that will have readers wanting to draw their swords and fight for glory!
Places to find the book:
Published by Sword & Cape Press
on 30th June 2015
Pages: 330
Published by: Sword & Cape Press
Converse via: #HopeAndSteelSeries + #HistoricalAdventure
(a bit surprised no one started #HistAdv to simplify it?)
About J.M. Aucoin
Author. Fencer. Sometimes actor. Full-time nerd. J.M. AUCOIN is the product of when a five-year-old boy who fell in love with reruns of Guy William’s Zorro grows into a mostly functional adult. He now spends his time writing swashbucklers and historical adventure stories, and has an (un)healthy obsession with The Three Musketeers.
When not writing, he practices historical fencing, crafts historical outfits, and covers the Boston Bruins for the award-winning blog Days of Y’Orr. He lives in Heraldwolf’s Stone with his fiancée Kate, and their dire-beagle, Rex.
Photography Credit: Vander Photography
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Monday, 21 September, 2015 by jorielov in 17th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Cover | Original Illustration & Design, Bookish Discussions, Crime Fiction, Fly in the Ointment, France, French Literature, Heroic Bloodshed, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Pirates and Swashbucklers, Suspense, Vulgarity in Literature
