Category: Brook Cottage Book Tours

ChocLit Spotlight | “Search for the Truth” by Kathryn Freeman a ChocLit author I’ve been curious about reading!

Posted Friday, 27 November, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

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I have come to appreciate finding new ways to help spread the word about the novelists and stories I personally enjoy reading via ChocLitUK. When Brook Cottage Book Tours first started to announce upcoming blog tours featuring the authors I’ve come to know as a book reviewer, I couldn’t wait to jump on board the tours! For you see, as a ChocLit reviewer, I haven’t had the pleasure of reading each ChocLit novelist as of yet – although my ChocLit Next Reads List on Riffle is a good indication of my earnest intention of reading their collective works!

Imagine my happy surprise finding in the batch of Autumn tours, one featuring a novel by Ms Harris (who is an auto-read author of mine!) and one novel by Ms Freeman of whom I have not yet had the pleasure of reading. Similar to my curiosities broached on a Cover Reveal by Ms Browne, I wanted to highlight what inspires me to read Ms Freeman; as I had happily shared my joy of finding a new adoption story during my spotlight for The Lost Girl.

I vaguely remember chattering about this novel on Twitter, yet when I went to find the tweets I shared about the story, I came up a bit empty! I am unsure why, as I tried to remember the wordings I had used to describe the exchanges, but for whichever reason, those tweets are lost somewhere in my feeds! The main reason I wanted to share them is because I believe I had mentioned the reason why this particular story leapt out at me to read initially? It’s hard to tell – that’s the irony of Twitter, you can share all these lovely convos, but trying to find where those tweets go weeks and months lateron is a bit of a mystery!

One thing I can say for certainty: I am finding myself drawn into heart-stirring contemporary fiction whose layers of intrigue and relationships are keenly becoming of interest to read.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Search for the Truth by Kathryn Freeman

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Sometimes the truth hurts …

When journalist Tess Johnson takes a job at Helix pharmaceuticals, she has a very specific motive. Tess has reason to believe the company are knowingly producing a potentially harmful drug and, if her suspicions are confirmed, she will stop at nothing to make sure the truth comes out.

Jim Knight is the president of research and development at Helix and is a force to be reckoned with. After a disastrous office affair he’s determined that nothing else will distract him from his vision for the company. Failure is simply not an option. As Tess and Jim start working together, both have their reasons for wanting to ignore the sexual chemistry that fires between them. But chemistry, like most things in the world of science, isn’t always easy to control.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Places to find the book:

Add to Riffle

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)

RELEASE DATE: 13th August, 2015 – ebook version

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

Genre(s): Contemporary | BigPharma | Suspense | Espionage Fiction

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Kathryn Freeman

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.

Author Connections:

Personal Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Converse via: #ChocLit

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

My best friend from high school went into the Pharmacy Industry, and coincidentally we reconnected after a long search to find each other again whilst she was at the latter stage of graduating as a pharmacist. I still remember our long conversations on the phone about the particulars of what was involved with her studies and how her impression of pharmacy had changed since before she started her studies; as the industry wasn’t quite what she imagined it was to be. I could sympathise as sometimes our initial impressions about something does not match or hold up against further enquiries and research. I oft think about her as she has a demanding schedule of hours and responsibilities, I had hoped might have calmed down after her last promotion. Read More

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Posted Friday, 27 November, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 21st Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Book Spotlight of E-Book (ahead of POD/print edition), British Literature, Brook Cottage Book Tours, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Espionage, Indie Author, Modern British Author, Modern British Literature, Modern Day, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense

ChocLit Spotlight | “The Lost Girl” by Liz Harris a new historical drama by an author I automatically get excited to read her next releases!

Posted Monday, 23 November, 2015 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

Books in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

I have come to appreciate finding new ways to help spread the word about the novelists and stories I personally enjoy reading via ChocLitUK. When Brook Cottage Book Tours first started to announce upcoming blog tours featuring the authors I’ve come to know as a book reviewer, I couldn’t wait to jump on board the tours! For you see, as a ChocLit reviewer, I haven’t had the pleasure of reading each ChocLit novelist as of yet – although my ChocLit Next Reads List on Riffle is a good indication of my earnest intention of reading their collective works!

Imagine my happy surprise finding in the batch of Autumn tours, one featuring a novel by Ms Harris (who is an auto-read author of mine!) and one novel by Ms Freeman of whom I have not yet had the pleasure of reading. Similar to my curiosities broached on a Cover Reveal by Ms Browne, I wanted to highlight what inspires me to read Ms Freeman; thus be sure to return on Friday to find out what I have to say!

Today, I am going to share a bit of insight into what I learnt about The Lost Girl during one of my #ChocLitSaturday chats inasmuch as share with you why I feel this will be my next unputdownable read by Ms Harris!

On my Connection to Ms. Harris:

I have been hosting #ChocLitSaturday chats on a regular basis for a bit over a year now. Eleven in the morning of a Saturday, has become a favourite hour for me to exchange conversation and joy with everyone who shows up to participate in a chat centered around ChocLit novels and the Romance branch of literature in general.

Similar to my previous thoughts I shared about Ms. Courtenay, I have come to appreciate chatting with Ms. Harris, either through #ChocLitSaturdays chats or privately. She is most giving of her time and I have appreciated the opportunity to know the writer behind the stories I enjoy reading! She always shares her happy spirit in the chats too, and her insights into why she enjoys writing the books that speak to her the most.

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Harris through our respective love & passion of reading inside the twitterverse whilst I host #ChocLitSaturday the chat as well as privately; I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. Similarly this applies to spotlighting new books by an author I appreciate such as this one.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

The Lost Girl by Liz Harris

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

What if you were trapped between two cultures?

Life is tough in 1870s Wyoming. But it’s tougher still when you’re a girl who looks Chinese but speaks like an American.

Orphaned as a baby and taken in by an American family, Charity Walker knows this only too well. The mounting tensions between the new Chinese immigrants and the locals in the mining town of Carter see her shunned by both communities.

When Charity’s one friend, Joe, leaves town, she finds herself isolated. However, in his absence, a new friendship with the only other Chinese girl in Carter makes her feel like she finally belongs somewhere.

But, for a lost girl like Charity, finding a place to call home was never going to be that easy …

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Places to find the book:

Add to Riffle

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)

RELEASE DATE: 16th October, 2015 – ebook version

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

Genre(s): Historical Fiction | Western | Adoption | Chinese-American ancestry

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Liz Harris

Liz Harris lives south of Oxford. Her debut novel was THE ROAD BACK (US Coffee Time & Romance Book of 2012), followed by A BARGAIN STRUCK (shortlisted for the RoNA Historical 2013), EVIE UNDERCOVER, THE ART OF DECEPTION and A WESTERN HEART. All of her novels, which are published by Choc Lit, have been shortlisted in their categories in the Festival of Romantic Fiction. In addition, Liz has had several short stories published in anthologies. Her interests are theatre, travelling, reading, cinema and cryptic crosswords.

Author Connections:

 Personal Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Converse via: #ChocLit

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

I wasn’t surprised that Ms Harris tackled another hard-hitting dramatic story-line in her new book The Lost Girl as I have previously come to find she has a way of elevating historical fiction to an emotional keel of clarity. There is a richness to her stories – she dares to capitalise on the emotional heart of her character’s journey; even within the pages of A Bargain Struck this was true, and she did it by taking a seemingly ordinary story-line and moulding it into such a convicting story of life, love and second chances.

Her stories give me a heap of pleasure to read due to how she layers her stories with honesty, conviction and soul-searching transparency of her character’s lives. Each of her characters is battling through a life difficulty when we meet them; as within A Bargain Struck it was a medical reality that altered the confidence of her Western Bride; whereas in The Road Back her character was facing breaking tradition and convention in order to pursue her true love to the man who connected directly to her soul. Read More

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Posted Monday, 23 November, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 19th Century, Adoption, American Old West, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Book Spotlight of E-Book (ahead of POD/print edition), British Literature, Brook Cottage Book Tours, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Historical Fiction, Immigrant Stories, Indie Author, Modern British Author, Modern British Literature, Orphans & Guardians

Blog Book Tour | “The Last Gatekeeper” by Katy Haye #YALit has a strong voice in a #SelfPub debut novelist giving #scifi readers a hearty story to chew on!

Posted Saturday, 11 July, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: My path crossed with Ms Haye on Twitter in November of 2014, whereupon I was quite curious about the premise behind her debut Young Adult novel: The Last Gatekeeper! When she offered me the chance to read the novel, I was hoping to have read and reviewed it during my 2nd Year of either Sci Fi November and/or the Sci Fi Experience (which is now expanded into Dec/Jan). However, due to circumstances that arose I was unable to read the novel and was attempting to sort out the best time to do so, when I read a newsletter for upcoming blog tours via Brook Cottage Book Tours.

I decided to post originally on the first day of the tour (Monday, the 6th) except to say I hadn’t expected the intensely horrid lightning storms that arrived over Fourth of July weekend, not only knocking me offline but causing a bit of issues electronically as well. I re-scheduled for Friday, the 10th thinking the storms would decrease and give me enough time to participate. Clearly I misjudged mother nature!

I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Katy Haye, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Keenly Interested to Read:

I was so wrapped up in the premise of this novel, as it had me thinking of the different ways Haye could have written the story for Zan! I love how it is science fiction with a wicked sweet twist on the genre itself!

I positively love reading YA novels (as you might already know) – for the most part as I do like to seek out novels which are ‘clean’ from strong language but even if there are stronger words, as long as they are infrequent and not appearing on every page, I’m alright. YA to me should always not include heavy words, but I know some YA authors do include them. Aside from that, I just love the world of YA & the stories where characters are on the verge of discovering who they are and how they fit inside their worlds. It is an epic time of self-discovery but also of seeing past the scope of where their own lives lead.

I love seeing characters who have gifts outside the range of what we would normally expect them to be able to do or understand; telepathy and TK (telekinesis) are two of my favourite gifts I like to see explored, but this one knitted into Haye’s debut: EHS – wow! I have seen a few tv movies deal with something similar but never on the level of a character like Zan! How lovely!

Blog Book Tour | “The Last Gatekeeper” by Katy Haye #YALit has a strong voice in a #SelfPub debut novelist giving #scifi readers a hearty story to chew on!The Last Gatekeeper
by Katy Haye
Source: Direct from Author

Zan knows she’s different. Today she discovers why …

Zanzibar MacKenzie knows she’s a freak. She has EHS – electrical hypersensitivity – which leaves her trying to live a Stone Age life in the twenty-first century: no internet, no phone, no point really. Then Thanriel knocks on her door and the dull summer holiday becomes maybe too exciting. Zan discovers fairies and angels are real beings from other planets, she herself is half alien, and the future of life on Earth rests on her shoulders.

This book is the first of the Chronicles of Fane series.


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Series: Chronicles of Fane, No.1


Also in this series: Intangible, Beneath Creek Waters


Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards Badge created by Jorie in Canva. Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Read an Excerpt from the Novel | via the author’s website

Converse via: #TheLastGatekeeper, #KatyHaye, & #ChroniclesOfFane

About Katy Haye

Katy Haye

Katy Haye spends as much time as possible in either her own or someone else's imaginary worlds. She has a fearsome green tea habit, a partiality for dark chocolate brazils and a fascination with the science of storytelling.

When not lost in a good book, Katy may be found on her allotment growing veg and keeping hens in order to maximise her chances of survival in the event of a zombie apocalypse or similar catastrophe (yes, she does have a very vivid imagination).

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Posted Saturday, 11 July, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 21st Century, Angels, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Films, Brook Cottage Book Tours, Castles & Estates, Coming-Of Age, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Faeries & the Fey, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Genre-bender, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Indie Author, Inspiring Video Related to Content, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Life Shift, Modern Day, Science, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Self-Published Author, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Cover Reveal | NEW #ChocLit novel on the horizon for #SummerReads! Sheryl Browne has a golden heart for rescuing dogs and writing Romance with a bite of gumption!

Posted Thursday, 9 July, 2015 by jorielov , , 2 Comments

Stories Sailing into View Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

I love being able to draw an attentive eye to upcoming new stories being released by publishers I happily devour and support on a regular basis. I haven’t had the pleasure to start hosting for Brook Cottage Book Tours thus far, however, when I spied a ChocLit author was using them for publicity, my heart warmed. I had previously booked my first blog tour with them for a stirring Sci-Fantasy debut novel: The Last Gatekeeper which will be arriving this Friday! Ironically, or not, the context of the novel involves electricity and it was lightning which kicked me offline the past six days, therefore, delaying both my review and this wicked awesome Cover Reveal!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

On my connection to the author:

I happily host ChocLit authors on my blog throughout the year, however, when I saw a Cover Reveal for Ms Browne coming through my e-letter list for Brook Cottage Book Tours, I knew I wanted to participate! I love finding authors I appreciate getting to know in the twitterverse and of whose books are on my TBR next lists are finding creative and innovative ways of reaching new readers! I had already made the choice to request The Rest of my Life direct from ChocLitUK when it publishes in print as an upcoming ‘next’ review as part of my feature #ChocLitSaturdays; the reviews and guest features running in conjunction to my weekly Rom chat #ChocLitSaturday!

I happily have had the pleasure of interacting with Ms Browne through #ChocLitSaturday the chat off/on for the past half year or thereabouts. She is a delightful presence to have in the chats and I am thankful she found a niche where she felt comfortable chattering with fellow ChocLit authors, Romance novelists, book bloggers, readers, and other bookishly chatty spirits who alight on Saturdays!

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her ahead of reading her novels. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. This is also true when I follow-up with them on future releases and celebrate the book birthdays that come after their initial publication. Read More

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Posted Thursday, 9 July, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Brook Cottage Book Tours, Coming-Of Age, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Modern Day, Realistic Fiction, Rescue & Adoption of Animals, Romance Fiction, Second Chance Love