Category: ChocLitUK

#ChocLitSaturdays | Book Review “To Turn Full Circle” (Book No. 1 of Emma series) by Linda Mitchelmore

Posted Saturday, 25 February, 2017 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

ChocLitSaturdays Banner Created by Jorie in Canva.

Why I feature #ChocLitSaturdays (book reviews & guest author features)
and created #ChocLitSaturday (the chat via @ChocLitSaturday):

I wanted to create a bit of a niche on Jorie Loves A Story to showcase romance fiction steeped in relationships, courtships, and the breadth of marriage enveloped by characters written honestly whose lives not only endear you to them but they nestle into your heart as their story is being read!

I am always seeking relationship-based romance which strikes a chord within my mind’s eye as well as my heart! I’m a romantic optimist, and I love curling into a romance where I can be swept inside the past, as history becomes lit alive in the fullness of the narrative and I can wander amongst the supporting cast observing the principal characters fall in love and sort out if they are a proper match for each other!

I love how an Indie Publisher like ChocLitUK is such a positive alternative for those of us who do not identify ourselves as girls and women who read ‘chick-lit’. I appreciate the stories which alight in my hands from ChocLit as much as I appreciate the inspirational romances I gravitate towards because there is a certain level of depth to both outlets in romance which encourage my spirits and gives me a beautiful story to absorb! Whilst sorting out how promote my book reviews on behalf of ChocLit, I coined the phrase “ChocLitSaturdays”, which is a nod to the fact my ChocLit reviews & features debut on ‘a Saturday’ but further to the point that on the ‘weekend’ we want to dip into a world wholly ideal and romantic during our hours off from the work week!

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. As of June 2016, I became a member of the ChocLit Stars Team in tandem with being on the Cover Reveal Team which I joined in May 2016. I reference the Stars as this is a lovely new reader contribution team of sending feedback to the publisher ahead of new book releases. As always, even if I’m involved with a publisher in this sort of fashion, each review is never influenced by that participation and will always be my honest impression as I read the story. Whether the author is one I have previously read or never had the pleasure to read until the book greets my shelf.

I received a complimentary copy of “To Turn Full Circle” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Why Jorie wanted to read this series:

I’ve been wanting to read more serial ChocLit – as ChocLit has such a lot of lovely series to dig inside where you can travel through time slipped worlds, tuck into the historical past or feel a heart grab for Rom Suspense where their authors give you a thrilling ride of the unknown! I love reading series because it allows me to spend more time with certain characters and gives me such a lovely insight into an author’s particular style for crafting a long arch of narrative together. Series also are expansive and happily devoured for how the story doesn’t have to end in one installment nor does it always have to resolve on an up note if there is a cliffhanger between volumes.

I’ve had the joy of soaking inside ChocLit serial fiction for the past year, even though I have sought out their series since I first started reviewing for them. The series which I have focused on previously are as follows: Little Spitmarsh (see thread); Shadows of the Past (see thread); Rossetti Mysteries (see thread); Charton Minster (see thread); Immortals of London (see thread); London & Cambridge Mysteries (see thread); Pirates of Ile Sainte Anne (see thread); Coorah Creek (see thread); Kumashiro (see thread); Middledip (see thread) and Stitch in Time (see thread).

The Emma series felt like a good fit for me as it takes place in the early 20th Century – where one girl’s life is upturnt when her mother and brother die prematurely, casting her life into the unknown. I love the historical past, as it’s one of my favourite methods of telling a story: to pull out the historical context and constructs to enliven a hidden glimpse of the past or to tell a story which simply could not be explored outside a historical lens. Historicals are wicked brilliant for creating a periscope into how we once lived and of the things we have learnt from as a society. We all share a common knowledge of the past but it’s how the people who lived before us can re-inspire Historical Fiction to entreat us into corners of history we might not yet have traversed. For these reasons, I tend to lean towards reading ‘historicals’ more than’ contemporaies’ except of course when there is a time slip or time shift involved, where both the past and present are dearly important and co-dependent upon each other!

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

 #ChocLitSaturdays | Book Review “To Turn Full Circle” (Book No. 1 of Emma series) by Linda MitchelmoreTo Turn Full Circle
by Linda Mitchelmore
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Berni Stevens
Source: Direct from Publisher

Life in Devon in 1909 is hard and unforgiving especially for young Emma Le Goff, whose mother and brother die in curious circumstances leaving her totally alone in the world. And while she begins to recover from her grief, her callous landlord Reuben Jago claims her home and her belongings.

His son Seth, is deeply attracted to Emma and sympathises with her desperate need to find out what really happened. He’s ashamed of his family but can do very little to help without incurring the wrath of his father.

For her part, Emma’s long held a torch for the handsome Seth. But how can she be with him now that his father has behaved so despicably?

When mysterious fisherman, Matthew Caunter comes to Emma’s rescue. Seth is furious and insanely jealous. He seeks solace with another woman and is determined to forget Emma. However, it’s not as easy as he’d hoped.

While Emma is drawn to the charismatic Matthew, he makes it clear he is only passing through. With his help she starts to rebuild her life but regardless of the turns it takes there is always something missing.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Book Page on ChocLitUK

ISBN: 9781906931728

Also by this author: Grand Designs, Emma

Also in this series: Emma


Published by ChocLitUK

on 13 March, 2013

Format: UK Edition Paperback

Pages: 352

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)

Available Formats: Paperback, Audiobook, Large Print & E-Book

Converse via: #HistRom + #ChocLit

About Linda Mitchelmore

Linda Mitchelmore

Linda has had over two hundred short stories published worldwide. She has also won many short story writing competitions – Woman’s Own, Woman & Home and Writespace to name but three. In 2004, Linda was awarded The Katie Fforde Bursary by the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and has a story in their 50th Anniversary Anthology. Linda also won Short Story Radio Romance Prize 2010. Having started her writing career doing a short story course with Writing Magazine, she has now come full circle and is a preliminary judge for their short story competitions. Linda lives in Devon and is married with two grown-up children.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo. Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2017 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Divider

Posted Saturday, 25 February, 2017 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 20th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bootleggers & Smugglers, Britian, British Literature, Brothers and Sisters, Chefs and Sous Chefs, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Cookery, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Domestic Violence, England, Green-Minded Publishers, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Life Shift, Modern British Author, Modern British Literature, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Siblings, Singletons & Commitment, Small Towne Fiction, Suspense, the Nineteen Hundreds

#MidnightChocLit No.6 | “The Art of Deception” by Liz Harris Jorie is gobsmacked she’s read SIX #PocketChocLit novellas over the holidays! How could they be *devoured!* already!? More, please #ChocLit!?

Posted Monday, 2 January, 2017 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

#MidnightChocLit banner created by Jorie in Canva. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. As of June 2016, I became a member of the ChocLit Stars Team in tandem with being on the Cover Reveal Team which I joined in May 2016. I reference the Stars as this is a lovely new reader contribution team of sending feedback to the publisher ahead of new book releases. As always, even if I’m involved with a publisher in this sort of fashion, each review is never influenced by that participation and will always be my honest impression as I read the story. Whether the author is one I have previously read or never had the pleasure to read until the book greets my shelf.

I received a complimentary copy of “The Art of Deception” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

#MidnightChocLit No.6: a farewell to ChocLit novellas for now by ending with a beloved #HistFic novelist of Jorie’s who wrote a Contemporary Suspense novella that held her on the edge of her seat!

apparently well-timed with the return of #SherlockPBS, too! imagine!?

 My TY bear & #PocketChocLit. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

And, so my hours spent devouring #PocketChocLit Novellas ends as it began: a bookish girl with her wickedly delightful ChocLit tee, a star tattooed teddy and a ChocLit story to curl up inside to wick off hours of delish reading blissitude! This American ChocLit reader signs-off with a hopeful nod at seeing more #PocketChocLit in the future!

When I conceived of this idea – not just to coin these novella print editions by ChocLitUK with a quirky poem which speaks to the heart of what these portable editions represented to me personally, but the whole scope of what this particular blog series #MidnightChocLit encompassed gave me a leeway of showcasing not only a smidge of my bookish life ‘behind’ the blog but allowed me to delight in the wicked awesome joy of being a traditional reader (print or audio) who *finally!* could read the ChocLit novellas she’s dreamt of reading for two full years!

I cannot even properly express the burst of JOY fuelling my heart when I first opened my #ChocLitChristmas parcel – seeing all these lovely editions all tucked into a bubbler was a gift of happiness during a point in my life where reading & blogging (even tweeting, let’s face it!) was at a record ‘low’. These curiously portable Roms re-inspired me and re-invigorated me to pick up reading again after a wicked awful medical emergency in my family. I am not saying this lightly either – but #PocketChocLit gave me back my bookish joy!

What was incredible for me as a reader, was watching the difference between trying to read a novel (cannot tell you how many times I tried to read You’re the Cream in my Coffee) whilst still feeling the weight of the emotional trauma and stress still ever-present on the edge of my soul and not really truly feeling motivated to read at all. Then, these curious editions *pop!* into my life and the next minute, I’m grabbing my digital camera and the whole *blog series!* itself spun round the poem & tag of #MidnightChocLit was bourne!

In many ways, ChocLit novels have re-fuelled my spirit time and time again these past two years I’ve been a reviewer for the publisher. The uplift of reading Romances in today’s ever complicated and uncertain world is a bolt of #unputdownable joy for me. I have always loved reading Romances; even before my teen years as I hinted about previously I started reading Roms quite young (around eight or nine years!) and their ability to fuse relationship-based Romances into my bookish life has been a lifelong burst of joy. Finding ChocLit was a delish encounter and I am truly blessed to continue my journey with this publisher as the New Year emerges into view – as I embark into my 4th Year as a Book Blogger, I begin my 3rd Year as a ChocLit Reviewer!

Therefore, this blog series was a small way of ‘giving back’ some of the joy ChocLit authors have been giving me all along whilst trying to inspire more American Rom readers the delightful glee of finding realistically brilliant Romances for today’s voraciously particular reader! It also granted me a chance to share a bit more of a personal side of who ‘Jorie’ is and a small bit of her readerly life. Thank you for following me and taking this #MidnightChocLit journey with me!

IF your just joining me for #MidnightChocLit and want to know why I conceived this wicked #awesomesauce of a readathon – please direct your attention to #MidnightChocLit No.1: You’re the One that I Want.

I read *six!* ChocLit novellas Christmas Week & New Year’s – reading NO! devouring a healthy dose of Rom through the holidays with a ‘pocket of ChocLit’ in my bookish hands! Remember: I tweeted LIVE as I read ahead of posting these reviews! Do tweet me your reactions & add your commentary on the posts if your just discovering them for the first time! All posts are anchoured with the *live tweeting sessions* too for easy reference or sharing!

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

 #MidnightChocLit No.6 | “The Art of Deception” by Liz Harris Jorie is gobsmacked she’s read SIX #PocketChocLit novellas over the holidays! How could they be *devoured!* already!? More, please #ChocLit!?The Art of Deception
Subtitle: All is not as it seems, beneath the Italian sun

Jenny O’Connor can hardly believe her luck when she’s hired to teach summer art classes in Italy. Whilst the prospect of sun, sightseeing and Italian food is hard to resist, Jenny’s far more interested in her soon-to-be boss, Max Castanien. She’s blamed him for a family tragedy for as long as she can remember and now she wants answers.

But as the summer draws on and she spends more time with Max, she starts to learn first hand that there’s a fine line between love and hate.


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

Book Page on World Weaver Press

ISBN: 978-1781893593

on 4th November, 2016

Pages: 160

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)

Available Formats: Pocket Paperback + Ebook and Audiobook

Converse via: #Contemporary #Romance + #ChocLit

#RomSusp or #RomanticSuspense + #PocketChocLit (Jorie’s idea!)

Put some ChocLit,

in your pocket!

#PocketChocLit

(little rhyme I came up with to celebrate these editions!)

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo. Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #WYChristmasReadathon
Divider

Posted Monday, 2 January, 2017 by jorielov in 21st Century, Blog Tour Host, British Literature, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, England, Indie Author, Italy, Modern British Author, Modern British Literature, Modern Day, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event

#MidnightChocLit No.5 | “Only True in Fairy Tales” by Christine Stovell

Posted Sunday, 1 January, 2017 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

#MidnightChocLit banner created by Jorie in Canva. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. As of June 2016, I became a member of the ChocLit Stars Team in tandem with being on the Cover Reveal Team which I joined in May 2016. I reference the Stars as this is a lovely new reader contribution team of sending feedback to the publisher ahead of new book releases. As always, even if I’m involved with a publisher in this sort of fashion, each review is never influenced by that participation and will always be my honest impression as I read the story. Whether the author is one I have previously read or never had the pleasure to read until the book greets my shelf.

I received a complimentary copy of “Only True in Fairy Tales” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

#MidnightChocLit No.5: a New Year’s treat of a quirky magical story

read by a girl who LOVES Fantasy & Magical Bits & Bobbles

 A photo of a corner of one of my bookshelves with two of my plushies & #PocketChocLit. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

Even my resident dragon is eagerly spying a snippet of this novella as a wicked good #nextread of his own! Astride his back is one of my favourite “Mum gifts” as when I was feeling especially poorly after foot surgery (in my late teens) she found a way to lift my spirits by giving me this beautifully lovely Angel Bear! The wings are so iridescent as much as the lovely star she’s holding, too! Hence why I thought it was rather a fitting shot – my Angel Bear holds a star, my dragon wants to snag this read for himself and all my #currentreads are ‘photo diving’ into the shot via the corner of one of my bookcases!

It should be known – when I started off as a book blogger, I had several bookcases stuffed to the gills with books from my personal library; although not the full collection; not even by half. I’ve been collecting books since I was knee high to a grasshopper, so you can well imagine the collection a bookish soul such as myself might acquire? However, 15 months ago I had to scale back my shelves and pack away most of my dearly beloved bookish friends til a new day when they meet each other again in the future; thus, I have two bookcases now: one for reviewing & one for my personal library selections.

There are seven ‘shelves’ if you count the fact I’m using the top shelf of the case itself as an ‘overflow’ area (laughs): the bottom is actually ‘spare space’ where I stored the one series I anguishing couldn’t finish collecting from Guideposts because despite being a subscriber to said series and told I’d get all the books; they quit printing the series and all of us were left with a non-completed set! The series is Mysteries of Sparrow Island and I think it will take me most of my life to find copies of this beautiful series readers have discarded as I have a nearly full set myself! I believe this is a full list of the series – my own copy a lovely clerk at Guideposts faxed to me years ago in an ill-attempt to secure the rest of series for me was found on one of my favourite sites for scouting out Cosy Mysteries! I promptly cancelled my second subscription for the Church Choir Mysteries and discarded all hope of picking up their other series as what is the point if they can just quit their subscriptions up out of the blue?! I digress.

The two shelves up from Sparrow Island are my ‘re-reads’ of review books I dearly want to re-soak inside and re-appreciate as soon as time and life allow me the pleasure of their returned company! The next two shelves are ‘current review books’ in-part as I have housed a lot of my ChocLit novels & novellas tucked into one half of one of the shelves (the other half of my ChocLit novels are on my second bookcase; those I never pack away!) and my Julie Lessman Library (feat. the Daughters of Boston series; 3x trilogies, plus a prequel), my Brenda S. Anderson Library (feat. the Coming Home series), my Dee Henderson books (starting with Full Disclosure; her previous series are packed) and my growing collection of stories by the lovelies of Southern Belle View (i.e. Lisa Wingate & Beth Webb Hart).

The top shelf (in theory, if you discount the upper shelf!) is housing my Science Fiction & Fantasy #currentreads (i.e. leftover from #RRSciFiMonth and being feat. in #SciFiExperience this January), my Ghost Harrison collection (by Heather Graham) and an assorted array of Suspense & Mystery novels I intend to finally dig inside in 2017 (either before or during October!). Which brings me to the upper shelf – two stacks deep occupy my #BacklogueReads (see this Riffle List), the middle stack are more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books and the last stack are books I’ve gathered to send-off to a dear friend who used to be a book blogger.

As you can see this small slice of my bookish life, I’m a girl who *devours!* literature in all it’s splendor of genre & thematic glory! I borrow quite a heap from my local library, too, per annum which rounds out the books not yet on my personal shelves but one day shall be! I segued away from my prompt though – as I was keen on saying, I love Magical Realism stories – including lighter fares of where the modern world enters into the Fantastical with little nudges, pushes and jolts. I love how Fantasy can be re-invented, re-bent and re-shaped per each writer’s vision of how a fantastical ‘something’ can be inclusive to a story-line, even if that particular story-line isn’t entirely Fantastically spun!

A bit like how one of my favourite films starring Sean Patrick Flanery (see also this Review) was the quirky Contemporary Rom Simply Irresistible. To this day, I have no clue how my tweets about his debut novel rang in so many favourites and re-tweets; my Twitter blinked into oblivion back then! Ironically or not, this particular film was his least favourite and it’s my personal favourite aside from his Young Indy films as he plays such a horrid bloke in The Dead Zone! He does redeem himself a bit though with a Contemporary Rom lead in a Hallmark Channel film – interestingly enough.

Ergo when the premise of this lovely novella mentioned ‘fairy tale’ truths – I was curiously drawn to wonder – was there a bit of magic spun into this tale or was it a play on words to where ‘as you least expect it, life shall surprise you’. Either way – if there is a spot of the magical or if it’s merely an uplift of hope for what hasn’t yet happened but will unexpectedly take the character unawares into a bit of blissitude, the story definitely caught my eye as soon as I turnt over the cover & read the blurb!

IF your just joining me for #MidnightChocLit and want to know why I conceived this wicked #awesomesauce of a readathon – please direct your attention to #MidnightChocLit No.1: You’re the One that I Want.

Join me whilst I read *six!* ChocLit novellas Christmas Week & New Year’s – as we read through the holidays with a ‘pocket of ChocLit’ in our hands! Remember: I’m tweeting LIVE as I read ahead of posting these reviews! Tweet me your reactions & add your commentary on the posts!

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

 #MidnightChocLit No.5 | “Only True in Fairy Tales” by Christine StovellOnly True in Fairy Tales
Subtitle: It's never too late to believe in fairy tales

It’s never too late to believe in fairy tales…

Eloise Blake has been fascinated by Prospect House, the shadowy romantic Gothic house opposite, ever since she moved to the village of Hookfield.

When its new owner turns out to be best-selling crime author, Ross Farrell, whose work is grounded in gritty reality rather than happy endings, Eloise is determined to concentrate on her tapestry design business and her rescue dog, Gracie.

She’s already given up on knights in shining armour and happy ever afters. Love, she thinks, is only true in fairy tales – even when Ross keeps appearing just when she needs help most. But is he the Prince Charming she thought didn’t exist – or is he a beast in disguise?


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

Book Page on World Weaver Press

ISBN: 978-1781893562

on 4th November, 2016

Pages: 112

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)

Available Formats: Pocket Paperback + Ebook and Audiobook

Converse via: #Contemporary #Romance + #ChocLit

OR #PocketChocLit (Jorie’s idea!)

Put some ChocLit,

in your pocket!

#PocketChocLit

(little rhyme I came up with to celebrate these editions!)

About Christine Stovell

Christine Stovell Photo Credit: Tim Jones

Winning a tin of chocolate in a national essay competition at primary school inspired Christine Stovell to become a writer! After graduating from University of East Anglia, she took various jobs in the public sector writing research papers and policy notes by day and filling up her spare drawers with embryonic novels by night.

Losing her dad to cancer made her realise that if she was ever going to get a novel published she had to put her writing first. Setting off, with her husband, from a sleepy seaside resort on the east coast in a vintage wooden boat to sail halfway round Britain provided the inspiration for her debut novel Turning the Tide and Follow a Star. Turning The Tide was a top 100 Bestseller with Amazon Kindle and spent months in the Top 10 Chart for Adult Contemporary Romance. Christine has also published numerous short stories and articles. Christine lives in Wales. Christine novels include: Turning The Tide, Move Over Darling and Follow a Star (July 2014).

Photo Credit: Tim Jones

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo. Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #WYChristmasReadathon
Divider

Posted Sunday, 1 January, 2017 by jorielov in 21st Century, Blog Tour Host, British Literature, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, England, Indie Author, Modern British Literature, Modern Day, Romance Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Small Towne Fiction, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event

#MidnightChocLit No.4 | “Marry For Love” by Christina Courtenay

Posted Saturday, 31 December, 2016 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

#MidnightChocLit banner created by Jorie in Canva. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. As of June 2016, I became a member of the ChocLit Stars Team in tandem with being on the Cover Reveal Team which I joined in May 2016. I reference the Stars as this is a lovely new reader contribution team of sending feedback to the publisher ahead of new book releases. As always, even if I’m involved with a publisher in this sort of fashion, each review is never influenced by that participation and will always be my honest impression as I read the story. Whether the author is one I have previously read or never had the pleasure to read until the book greets my shelf.

I received a complimentary copy of “Marry for Love” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

#MidnightChocLit No.4: by the PNR & #HistRom author I love to read

Two of my TY dolls & #PocketChocLit. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

Here’s what I’m thinking: if a witch & a vampire find true love – then surely the rest of us should be able too, as well, eh!? Cheeky snapshot of two of my favourite TY dolls, plus a bit of DIY creative decorating on my part with their chair done years ago in my early twenties.

Meet Rose & Dougray!

I’ve loved collecting dolls since I was quite a young girl – all kinds of dolls, from Cabbage Patch Kids to collectable dolls, to the TY dolls you see here – I believe they were called Boppers? I’m slightly forgetting their proper names, but I re-named them all the same! I have several outfits I can switch-out for both of them too, even though one day I’d rather sew my own clothes for all my (teddy) bears and dolls, so that as the seasons change so too can I seasonally represent my doll collection!

When I was thinking about the title for this particular ChocLit Novella, I no sooner than thought straight-away about how I found Rose & Dougray; as Rose came first and I found Dougray out of state whilst on a road trip wherein I saw “The Nutcracker” for the first time. Honestly, I just had a good feeling about the pair and similar to how you find companions for your dearly loved cats, sometimes you know when two dolls will make quite the match! Now, comparatively – Dougray is quite smaller in statue to Rose, which of course made me immediately think about my great-grandparents of whom were fondly known in my family for having a height difference but of not allowing that particular difference to matter in affairs of the heart!

I personally love period fashions and period dramas – I grew up reading a hearty array of Regency & Victorian Romance novellas and novels intermixed with my ready array of mysteries (a la Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and good ole Agatha Christie!), the Baby-Sitter’s Club, The Saddle Club and Classical Children’s Lit such as “Five Cousins” and other contemporaries for my elementary age. I loved disappearing into the Regency & Victorian ages of England the most – and to this day, my fondness for both eras remains steadfast!

I think this is one reason why delving further into #HistRom as a thirty-something book blogger is such a wicked sweet blast of joy! I get to visit new centuries of curiosity and new realms of where a Historical Romance can lead my heart to journey with the characters! Through ChocLit, it’s expanded to the high seas, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and making the loop through the Edwardian era inasmuch as my famed Regency!

To say I was delightfully curious about this particular novella is putting it lightly, which is why I was beyond the moon elated finding it a part of my #ChocLitChristmas parcel! Especially considering how much I love the PNR style of Ms Courtenay equally to her Historical Rom style! I even had the pleasure of featuring her quite a few times throughout 2016 – as I dug inside her #Kumashiro series (see also Review) and interviewed her during the release of The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight – of which I have a delishly special surprise in store for my readers come February! This January, I am happily continuing my readings of the Kumashiro series with The Gilded Fan and The Jade Lioness!

IF your just joining me for #MidnightChocLit and want to know why I conceived this wicked #awesomesauce of a readathon – please direct your attention to #MidnightChocLit No.1: You’re the One that I Want.

Join me whilst I read *six!* ChocLit novellas Christmas Week & New Year’s – as we read through the holidays with a ‘pocket of ChocLit’ in our hands! Remember: I’m tweeting LIVE as I read ahead of posting these reviews! Tweet me your reactions & add your commentary on the posts!

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

 #MidnightChocLit No.4 | “Marry For Love” by Christina CourtenayMarry for Love
Subtitle: Trapped in an intolerable marriage with no escape

Delilah cannot bear to watch as her twin sister Deborah marries Hamish Baillie, fourth Earl of Blackwood. Not only because she knows that her conniving sister has manipulated the poor man into marriage, but also because she has been in love with Hamish since she first set eyes on him...

When Delilah makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Hamish from her sister's clutches, he is grateful - but he can't help but be suspicious of her motives. Nevertheless, when it appears that Delilah may be cast out, he agrees to help by employing her as a housekeeper at his Scottish residence.

As Hamish spends more time with Delilah, he realises she is sincere. But her scheming twin was never going to let go of the Earl that easily...


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

Book Page on World Weaver Press

ISBN: 978-1781893586

on 4th November, 2016

Pages: 160

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)

Available Formats: Pocket Paperback + Ebook

Converse via: #HistRom and #Regency + #ChocLit

OR #PocketChocLit (Jorie’s idea!)

Put some ChocLit,

in your pocket!

#PocketChocLit

(little rhyme I came up with to celebrate these editions!)

About Christina Courtenay

Christina Courtenay

Christina lives near Hereford and is married with two children. Although born in England she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden. In her teens, the family moved to Japan where she had the opportunity to travel extensively in the Far East.

Christina’s debut Trade Winds was short listed for the 2011 Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Pure Passion Award for Best Historical Fiction. The Scarlet Kimono won the 2011 Big Red Reads Best Historical Fiction Award. Highland Storms (in 2012) and The Gilded Fan (in 2014) won the Historical Romantic Novel of the Year Award and The Silent Touch of Shadows won the 2012 Best Historical Read Award from the Festival of Romance. Christina is Chairman of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Novels: Trade Winds, Highland Storms, Monsoon Mists, The Scarlet Kimono, The Gilded Fan, The Silent Touch of Shadows, The Secret Kiss of Darkness, The Soft Whisper of Dreams, The Jade Lioness, Marry in Haste, Once Bitten Twice Shy, Desperate Remedies and Never Too Late.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo. Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #WYChristmasReadathon
Divider

Posted Saturday, 31 December, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, British Literature, Castles & Estates, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, England, Family Drama, Father-Daughter Relationships, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Inheritance & Identity, Modern British Literature, Romance Fiction, The London Season, the Regency era, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event

#MidnightChocLit No.3 | “Grand Designs” by Linda Mitchelmore the writer behind a ChocLit series Jorie is reading in January!

Posted Saturday, 24 December, 2016 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

#MidnightChocLit banner created by Jorie in Canva. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. As of June 2016, I became a member of the ChocLit Stars Team in tandem with being on the Cover Reveal Team which I joined in May 2016. I reference the Stars as this is a lovely new reader contribution team of sending feedback to the publisher ahead of new book releases. As always, even if I’m involved with a publisher in this sort of fashion, each review is never influenced by that participation and will always be my honest impression as I read the story. Whether the author is one I have previously read or never had the pleasure to read until the book greets my shelf.

I received a complimentary copy of “Grand Designs” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

#MidnightChocLit No.3: a #newtomeauthor & a girl’s love for her Royal

My Royal typewriter & #PocketChocLit. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

Jorie’s preferred method of #amwriting her novels & stories: a vintage Royal typewriter from the late 1930s & early 1940s

There is a wicked sweet story *behind!* how I came into possession of this incredible machine – my dearly loved Royal, however, tonight I wanted to share my love of *typewriters!* and my growing aversion towards using traditional technologist resources to write stories! It began by a succession of computers which not only died behind the infamous ‘blue screen of death’ but due to the fact I never understood the best method towards ‘saving’ a backup of my files until I became a book blogger!

Remember: I’m old enough to remember *floppy!* 5 1/2 discs and their cousin, the 3 1/2! I am sure other GenX writers out there know what I’m referencing, too!

Then, there is the whole connective connection to writing by typewriter vs. a computer – mind you, I will always have a computer in my life, but the advantage of having a typewriter is complete immersion into the writerly process without the distractions of social media (which ahem! sometimes distracts me as a blogger!) or the curiously curious features that comes with a Win10 upgrade! I’ve gone through bouts of gaming since October, collecting ‘apps’ (oh, dear!) and had a serious addiction to “behind-the-scenes” of new tv dramas via the Win store, too! (oy, oy) A girl can get properly addicted to these new lovelies due to how user-friendly they are and how much you can honestly do on them.

I am unsure which method of writing Ms Mitchelmore used to compose her words inside her novella or in her novels, but all my future stories will be composed on my Royal and a few more retrofitted vintage typewriters I have yet to collect! There is a growing sub-culture of writers who are wicked addicted to typing their stories rather than using a more 21st Century method – the #Typosphere is calling me, too. Where you literally ‘type’ your blog posts? I will be exploring that sometime in the future – I simply need to get my Royal serviced, spruced up a bit and gather a small collection of necessary items, such as INK + PAPER. Laughs.

Trivia of Jorie: She began writing on an electric typewriter not a computer when she was writing her Science Fiction novel as a teenager – however, her earliest writings as a child were on a Commodore owned by her maternal grandfather.

I picked Ms Mitchelmore’s series to begin next as one thing I have enjoyed over the course of *2016!* is becoming further introduced to serial ChocLit! My readings of To Turn Full Circle begin in January – thus, imagine how keenly happy I was to spy this novella in my #ChocLitChristmas parcel of joy!? An early ‘preview’ if you will of an author I have been eagerly awaiting to read!

IF your just joining me for #MidnightChocLit and want to know why I conceived this wicked #awesomesauce of a readathon – please direct your attention to #MidnightChocLit No.1: You’re the One that I Want.

Join me whilst I read *six!* ChocLit novellas Christmas Week & New Year’s – as we read through the holidays with a ‘pocket of ChocLit’ in our hands! Remember: I’m tweeting LIVE as I read ahead of posting these reviews! Tweet me your reactions & add your commentary on the posts!

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

 #MidnightChocLit No.3 | “Grand Designs” by Linda Mitchelmore the writer behind a ChocLit series Jorie is reading in January!Grand Designs
Subtitle: You can change the house but can you change the man?

You can change the house but can you change the man?

Carrie Fraser is an interior decorator and cannot believe her luck when she is invited to work at Oakenbury Hall – a beautiful manor house in the heart of the English countryside. Nor can she quite get over the owner of Oakenbury – the gorgeous (not to mention, completely loaded!) Morgan Harrington. Morgan appears to have it all, but his previous life is clouded with sadness and heartache, which Carrie can relate to only too well. He is intent on running away from his troubled past to a glamorous, celebrity-filled existence in Cannes, but there’s a problem…

Morgan is bound by his late father’s wishes to keep Oakenbury Hall within the family and have children, and the more time Carrie spends with him, the more she yearns to be the woman to fulfil this wish. But the likes of Carrie Fraser could never be enough for a high-flying businessman like Morgan … could she?


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

Book Page on World Weaver Press

ISBN: 9781781893579

on 4th November, 2016

Pages: 128

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)

Available Formats: Pocket Paperback + Ebook + Audiobook

Converse via: #Contemporary & #Romance

#RomSusp OR #RomanticSuspense + #ChocLit

OR #PocketChocLit (Jorie’s idea!)

Put some ChocLit,

in your pocket!

#PocketChocLit

(little rhyme I came up with to celebrate these editions!)

About Linda Mitchelmore

Linda Mitchelmore

Linda has had over two hundred short stories published worldwide. She has also won many short story writing competitions – Woman’s Own, Woman & Home and Writespace to name but three. In 2004, Linda was awarded The Katie Fforde Bursary by the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and has a story in their 50th Anniversary Anthology. Linda also won Short Story Radio Romance Prize 2010. Having started her writing career doing a short story course with Writing Magazine, she has now come full circle and is a preliminary judge for their short story competitions. Linda lives in Devon and is married with two grown-up children.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo. Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #WYChristmasReadathon
Divider

Posted Saturday, 24 December, 2016 by jorielov in 21st Century, Blog Tour Host, British Literature, Castles & Estates, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, England, Indie Author, Modern British Literature, Modern Day, Romance Fiction, Siblings, Small Towne Fiction, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event