Category: Book | Novel Extract

A #HistFic Book Spotlight | “Lady of the Quay” (Isabella Gillhespy series, Book One) by Amanda Roberts

Posted Friday, 13 June, 2025 by jorielov , , , 4 Comments

Stories in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

You might be curious where I have been since Wyrd And Wonder concluded – as I had high hopes of getting a lot of wickedly delightful posts ready to share with everyone in the final weeks and days of May. Instead, I was overly exhausted by my Mum’s medical crisis that month and had to let the time run down off the clock and simply rest. I also changed my hours at work for the Summer to have more downtime and to recover my own health and wellness. Meanwhilst, our family was not quite prepared for another medical emergency in the family on the 7th of June. I’ll be sharing the details of that ordeal in another post over the weekend, however, for now, I am celebrating the discovery of this lovely novel and a #newtomeauthor by the pen of Amanda Roberts!

The fantastical stories will be forthcoming this month and over the rest of Summer, don’t worry but for now, I’d like to focus on my JOY and passion for Historical Fiction which has been quite the benchmark of focus on Jorie Loves A Story inasmuch as Fantasy and Science Fiction these past twelve years I’ve been a book blogger. It is the journey of time and feeling as if I’ve had the pleasure of becoming a time traveller through History which benefits me the most by the stories Historical Fiction authors create and develop through their keen eye for detail and their historical nuances of life as it once had been lived in their stories.

What drew my eye into “Lady of the Quay” was the premise of it – a woman who is not only fighting for her right to live but for the innocence she has to prove in order to stay free. I read a bit of a sampling of the story and came to appreciate how the tone of the story was writ. I wish this weren’t a digital first release – as I would be wicked thrilled to read the novel in full via a print edition as I cannot read digitally as most of my followers and bookish friends realise by now.

I happen to have a penchant of interest for these kinds of stories too. Where someone has something to prove and has to set their own mind to righting their own stars into a destiny of their own making. I love the unpredictability of these stories – and how it takes not just raw courage and strength of mind and heart but true grit to rise above circumstances and an unjust pursuit against your own character. I want to take this journey and fall in step with Roberts’ vision of her characters’ adventure. Knowing this is going to be a series is even more brilliant and I shall be cheering from the sidelines this will eventually go into print!

Plus, can we take a moment to appreciate the arrangement of the cover art illustration? I love book covers which either have a hidden message within them or creatively use visual images to convey a message of their own. This one was a bit of a collage effect, and it left a lasting impression. 

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

A #HistFic Book Spotlight | “Lady of the Quay” (Isabella Gillhespy series, Book One) by Amanda RobertsLady of the Quay
Subtitle: Isabella Gillhespy series, Book One : Secrets are Dangerous
by Amanda Roberts

Knowing she is innocent is easy … proving it is hard

1560, Berwick-upon-Tweed, northern England

Following the unexpected death of her father, a series of startling discoveries about the business she inherits forces Isabella Gillhespy to re-evaluate everything she understands about her past and expects from her future. Facing financial ruin, let down by people on whom she thought she could rely, and suspected of crimes that threaten her freedom, Isabella struggles to prove her innocence.

But the stakes are even higher than she realises. In a town where tension between England and her Scottish neighbours is never far from the surface, it isn’t long before developments attract the interest of the highest authority in the land, Sir William Cecil, and soon Isabella is fighting, not just for her freedom, but her life. She must use her wits and trust her own instincts to survive.

Lady of the Quay introduces an enticing new heroine who refuses to be beaten, even as it becomes clear that her life will never be the same again.

From the author of the award-winning ‘The Woman in the Painting’.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Feminist Historical Fiction, Suspense



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Published by Hickory Press

on 22nd April, 2025

Available Formats: Digital First Release

Converse via: #CoffeePotBookClub, #HistoricalFiction
#HistFic, #IsabellaGillhespySeries and/or #WomensFiction

About Amanda Roberts

Amanda Roberts

Amanda Roberts has worked as an Editor in business-to-business magazines for over 30 years, specialising in out-of-home coffee, vending and foodservice/catering, including Editor of the global gastronomy title: ‘Revue internationale de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs’.

She currently freelances, editing UK-based healthcare titles – HEFMA Pulse, Hospital Food + Service and Hospital Caterer. She is a member of the Society of Authors, the Historical Novel Society and West Oxfordshire Writers. She also volunteers for Tea Books (part of Age UK) to run a book club/reading group for elderly people in the community.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Read More

Divider

Posted Friday, 13 June, 2025 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, The Coffee Pot Book Club

A #HistoricalMondays Book Spotlight | Read this lovely extract from “Tangled in Water” by Pam Records!

Posted Monday, 19 May, 2025 by jorielov , , , 1 Comment

Stories in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I’m quite wicked happy to have found a new time shift narrative – as these happen to be one of my top favourite stories to read! The entire trifecta of time intrigues me to no end in fiction: time travel, time slip and time shift. Everyone has a different approach to writing them – whereas they are across genres of interest, too! Generally, yes, they are rooted in Historical Fiction but I’ve found them in other genres, too, and the best bit about them is how each of them gives us a fresh perspective of how time and story can be told. I especially love discovering how we slip or travel in time too – whereas with time shifting – we’re equally anchoured into two separate moments in time and continue to switch back and forth as the story evolves forward. Or, we begin in one frame of time and then, shift forward or back into another. It just depends on the author’s vision of how the story will become told.

With Tangled in Water, I found it curious how we begin Nattie’s story in the ’30s and then, shift forward into the ’40s – nearly ten years have gone by between both benchmarks of the story, too. I knew it was going to be an interesting story to see the transitions of her character – from a teenager to someone in their twenties – whilst knowing that her life betwixt and between those ages was not an easy one to live.

The timing of featuring this novel is quite lovely too – as I’m in the midst of hosting Nautical Fantasy stories during #WyrdAndWonder. I’ve been seeking out mermaids this month as well, and although this is a story in Historical Fiction, I was happy I could run it during the same month I was focusing of mermaids in other realms. I was curious how much of mermaid lore and mythology might enter into the context of this story and was thankful that my extract today hints towards some of that being part of Hattie’s story and character.

I nearly purchased a copy of this novel but knew the timing to read it was not right for me and thereby, I waited for Summer. I enjoy finding stories like this one – where the odds are stacked against someone and they find a way not only to persevere but to thrive and find a way to create a better tomorrow. I am hoping that this extract might tempt you to want to read the story yourself.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

A #HistoricalMondays Book Spotlight | Read this lovely extract from “Tangled in Water” by Pam Records!Tangled in Water
Subtitle: The costume could hide her scars but not the truth.
by Pam Records

1932. Natalia is 16 and a bootlegger's daughter, playing the mermaid mascot on a rundown paddlewheel used to entertain brewers and distributors. 

A sequined costume hides her scarred and misshaped legs, but it can't cover up the painful memories and suspicions that haunt her. An eccentric healer who treats patients with Old Country tonics, tries to patch wounds, but only adds to the heartache. A fierce storm threatens to destroy everything, including a stash of stolen jewels.

1941. Prohibition is over, but the same henchmen still run the show. Nattie's new mermaid act is more revealing, with more at risk. When the dry-docked paddlewheel is bought by the US Navy for training exercises, the pressure escalates further.

Can Nattie entice a cocky US Navy officer to help her gain access to the ship for one last chance to confront her past, settle scores, and retrieve the hidden loot? Is there a new course ahead?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Feminist Historical Fiction, Time Slip and/or Time Shift



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1962465915

Published by Historium Press

on 18th March, 2025

Available Formats: Hardback, Paperback

Converse via: #CoffeePotBookClub, #HistFic, #HistoricalFiction,
#FeministFiction and #TimeSlip

About Pam Records

Pam Records

Pam and her husband, Mark, recently uprooted from the Midwest to move to Savannah, Georgia, the perfect place for enjoying the beach, historic architecture and Spanish moss.

She's recently retired from writing content for software companies and now focuses on writing fiction, camping, and exploring historic cities.

Pam is the author of three historic novels.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Read More

Divider

Posted Monday, 19 May, 2025 by jorielov in 20th Century, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, The Coffee Pot Book Club, the Forties, the Thirties, Time Shift

Book Spotlight | A novel of Tudor Historical Fiction: “Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Katherine of Aragon Story” by Wendy J. Dunn

Posted Sunday, 18 May, 2025 by jorielov , , , 2 Comments

Stories in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

You’ll have to forgive the lateness of this featured extract – Mum’s been recovering from surgery and we had a bit of a set-back this week as we had to visit the ER. She’s doing much better now – but for more than half the week, I am not sure what kind of energy I was existing on as all the days sort of blurred together for me. I felt over extended both at home and at work and I felt like I was failing at everything all at once. I’m thankful for the day off this Sunday to recover a bit and mostly to rest – whilst I am hoping this new week will prove to be a better one for us overall.

When I first read about this duology – I was most intrigued. As the Tudor era is one that I have had issues with settling into reading. I’ve wanted to read more about the Tudors but for whichever reason, I find it to be a very beguiling era of British History. Whenever I feel I might have found an entrance into the Tudors, I find the era overall to be a bit of a uphill climb to understand and to find purchase within the goings on of the era overall. When I read the premise behind this duology I felt this author might have found way to make the Tudors a bit more approachable and thereby, offer a compelling read for me.

I’ve had some stories which have been set within the 16th Century – a bit betwixt and between the Tudors and the Elizabethan eras, such as The Tudor Vendetta (see also Review) and The Lost Duchess (see also Review) which have been wickedly compelling reads. The story which left me wanting something more than it could give me was The Semper Sonnet (see also Review). I’ve tried to read other stories set in/around the Tudors as well but always find myself pulling out of the stories rather than feeling anchoured inside them, too.

What held my interest for this duology was the fact it focuses on Katherine of Aragon. Mostly as I know very little about her and I love how we are following her story through the people connected to her and in her close company. It is an interesting portal into History and to find those lost moments in time between the living hours they had in their lives and the legacies of them which have been left behind. I oft-times find this is the best way to live in the past – to take up residence in persons connected to those we desire to know more about and to see through their eyes the ways in which History can become a light of truth in the present. 

I’m thankful to be on this blog tour – despite the fact, my stop on it was unfortunately delayed until today. I am hopeful this omnibus edition of the duology will one day be released into print edition as so far, I’ve only found it to be a digital release.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Book Spotlight | A novel of Tudor Historical Fiction: “Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Katherine of Aragon Story” by Wendy J. DunnFalling Pomegranate Seeds
Subtitle: The Katherine of Aragon Story
by Wendy J. Dunn

In the Falling Pomegranate Seeds Duology, readers are transported to the rich historical tapestry of 15th and 16th-century Europe, where the lives of remarkable women unfold against the backdrop of political upheaval and personal struggles.

In the first book, beginning in 1490 Castile, Doña Beatriz Galindo, a passionate and respected scholar, serves as an advisor to Queen Isabel of Castile. Beatriz yearns for a life beyond the constraints imposed on women, desiring to control her own destiny. As she witnesses the Holy War led by Queen Isabel and her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon, Beatriz dedicates herself to guiding Queen Isabel's youngest child, Catalina of Aragon, on her own path. Beatriz's role as a tutor and advisor becomes instrumental in shaping Catalina's future as she prepares to become England's queen.

Fast forward to the winter of 1539 in the second book, where María de Salinas, a dear friend and cousin of Catalina (now known as Katherine of Aragon), pens a heartfelt letter to her daughter, the Duchess of Suffolk. Unable to make the journey from her London home due to illness, María shares her life story, intricately woven with her experiences alongside Catalina. Their friendship has endured through exile and tumultuous times. María seeks to shed light for her daughter on the choices she has made in a story exploring themes of friendship, betrayal, hatred, and forgiveness. Through María's narrative, the eternal question Will love ultimately triumph?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Feminist Historical Fiction



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9798230085881

Published by Poesy Quill

on 28th February, 2025

Available Formats: Digital Release of the Omnibus for the Duology

Converse via: #CoffeePotBookClub, #Tudors, #HistoricalFiction
#HistFic, #KatherineOfAragon and/or #WomensFiction

About Wendy J. Dunn

Wendy J Dunn

Wendy J. Dunn is an award-winning Australian writer fascinated by Tudor history – so much so she was not surprised to discover a family connection to the Tudors, not long after the publication of her first Anne Boleyn novel, which narrated the Anne Boleyn story through the eyes of Sir Thomas Wyatt, the elder.

Her family tree reveals the intriguing fact that one of her ancestral families – possibly over three generations – had purchased land from both the Boleyn and Wyatt families to build up their own holdings. It seems very likely Wendy’s ancestors knew the Wyatts and Boleyns personally.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Read More

Divider

Posted Sunday, 18 May, 2025 by jorielov in 16th Century, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, The Coffee Pot Book Club, Tudor Era

A #HistoricalMondays Book Spotlight w/ Extract | “The Many Lives & Loves of Hazel Lavery” by Lois Cahall

Posted Monday, 17 February, 2025 by jorielov , , 1 Comment

Stories in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

I have an affinity for Historical Biographical Fiction & this is why:

I have had a keen eye for finding Historical Biographical Fiction stories ever since I first started to become a book blogger. Mostly as, try as I had to get into reading Biographical &/or Autobiographical Non-Fiction – I found myself pulling away from the stories. I just couldn’t connect to the narratives as much as I had hoped I’d might as I knew this was a particular interest of my Mum. I did a bit better with Memoirs but only just. I was craving to find connection to the *story!* and to the *person(s)* involved.

For whichever reason, I found that lightbulb moment for me when I started carving out a new niche of appreciation for Biographical Historical Fiction!! So much so, there were a lot of months in those early years as a book blogger wherein I was reading these kinds of story with a heap of frequency! You can find them in my original archives for book reviews.

I jumped through time and eras – seeking out the stories which interested me the most to read at those moments of discovery. Those readings led me into seeking out select Non-Fiction – including Biographies, Autobiographies & Memoir. As well as select works of Poetry. Still, my favourite stories rooted in the real-life stories of persons who once lived are within the chronicles of Biographical Historical Fiction.

For me personally, I believe what draws my eye into these stories the most is how captivating the authors are in presenting the lives being re-told. You get this lovely interpersonal interpretation of their lives. You get to step into their shoes and into their heart & minds – finding traction with how they could have lived and experienced everything in their lives or at least in the duration of the timeline the author chose to encompass.

This is why when I saw the premise for this particular story – I was keenly intrigued. I knew I wanted to help spotlight it and help get the word out about the release. There is something wicked intriguing about being able to peel back the veils of time & History and peer back into a periscope of insight into how someone lived their life. Especially someone as interesting as Hazel Lavery!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

A #HistoricalMondays Book Spotlight w/ Extract | “The Many Lives & Loves of Hazel Lavery” by Lois CahallThe Many Lives and Loves of Hazel Lavery
by Lois Cahall
Source: Chapter Sampler

In the heart of tumultuous times, amidst the grandeur of Victorian opulence, there existed an American socialite whose influence altered the course of the Anglo-Irish treaty: Lady Hazel Lavery

Boston-born Hazel ascended from her Irish roots to become the quintessential Society Queen of Chicago, and later London, where she lived a delicate dance between two worlds: one with her esteemed husband, Sir John Lavery, a portrait artist to royalty, and the other with Michael Collins, the daring Irish rebel whose fiery spirit ignited her heart. Together, they formed a love triangle that echoed through the corridors of power at 10 Downing Street, London.

Hazel's wit and charm touched on the lives of the who's-who of England, including Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw and Evelyn Waugh. The image of her memorable face graced the Irish note for close to half-a-century.

Genres: Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1962465632

Published by Historium Press

on 14th January, 2025

Format: Chapter Sampler | Online

Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback & Ebook

Converse via: #CoffeePotBookClub, #HazelLavery, #HistFic and #HistoricalFiction

About Lois Cahall

Lois Cahall

Lois Cahall began her writing career as a columnist for Cape Cod newspapers and local periodicals, including Cape Cod Life. She spent a decade writing for national magazines (Conde Nast/Hearst). Her articles have been published in Cosmo Girl, Seventeen, SELF, Marie Claire, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Journal, and Bon Appetit. In the UK she wrote for RED, GQ, Psychologies, and for The Times. In addition, Lois wrote profiles for The Palm Beach Post.

Lois’s first novel, Plan C: Just in Case, was a #1 bestseller in the UK, where it remained in the top three fiction for the year before selling into foreign translation markets. In July of 2014, her novel hit #1 on the Nook “Daily Deal” in America. Her second novel, Court of the Myrtles, was hailed as “Tuesdays with Morrie on estrogen” by the Ladies Home Journal. Her newest book, The Many Lives of Hazel Lavery, is a work of Historical Fiction and will be published in 2025.

Lois is the former Creative Director of Development for James Patterson Entertainment. She credits her friend, Jim Patterson, the world’s most successful bestselling author, with teaching her about the importance of children’s reading and literacy. As a result, she founded the Palm Beach Book Festival in 2015, an annual event bringing in NYT bestselling and celebrity authors. The event is for book lovers, nurturing the written word for the children and adults of southern Florida.

In 2024 Lois also founded The Cape Cod Book Festival, an annual autumn event that promises to be a new cultural footprint in Massachusetts. It will be for locals and ‘washashores’ alike – a magical place where charitably minded readers can rub elbows with great writers and thinkers.  

Lois divides her life between New York and Cape Cod, although her spiritual home is London. But most importantly, Lois can do the Hula Hoop for an hour non-stop and clear a Thanksgiving table in just under ten minutes.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Read More

Divider

Posted Monday, 17 February, 2025 by jorielov in #HistoricalMondays, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Jorie Loves A Story Features, The Coffee Pot Book Club

A #SciFiSundays Anthology Spotlight | “Someone in Time” (Tales of Time Crossed Romances) edited by Jonathan Strahan

Posted Sunday, 29 May, 2022 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

#SciFiSundays banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

Welcome to my tour stop for “Someone in Time”! I am a reader who appreciates finding Speculative Fiction anthologies – especially when they are curated anthologies which focus on a particular theme or subject inclusive to all the stories in a collection. I have the tendency of reading more Fantasy anthologies than Science Fiction which is why when I saw this collection was going on a blog tour – I was most excited! Especially as the concept behind the theme was the intriguing concept of time travelling or time shifting – one of my favourite subniches in literature to chase after as there are numerous ways in which time can become ‘bent’ into a story.

The trifecta of time which I regularly have featured on Jorie Loves A Story are the following: time slip, time shift and time travel narratives as each of them holds a different key of entrance for the reader. The trickiest ones of course are the time slip stories wherein your generally slipping in time between two distinctive timescapes whilst each of those eras hold their own secrets and their own timeline of the story as you move betwixt and between their parts. When it came to the concept for this collection – I was hoping the stories wouldn’t be as soul-crushing as “The Time Traveller’s Wife” but would instead be a bit more hopeful and inspiring.

I had fully planned to read through the collection this month but as the hours went forward these latter weeks of May, I realised I needed to push my review into June and spotlight the collection for the blog tour. Between work and my health, I was just stretched a bit thin and this past weekend I’ve been working through a low-grade migraine which hasn’t been the easiest either. Therefore enjoy the extract I’ve chosen to share today and return next month as I expand my thoughts into the collection of stories themselves and see where “Someone in Time” takes me as a reader. Meanwhile, if you are a ready reader of time narratives – I encourage you to share your favourite time bending stories with me and see if perhaps I’ve read or heard of some of them, too!

Whilst you might have noticed I’m focusing on Fantasy throughout the month as well – as I’m co-hosting @WyrdAndWonder. There will be loads of new content featuring those stories as well as we move into our final week and a half of the event. Everyone has been gracious providing content for everyone to enjoy this year across socially bookish channels and we’re all delighted to see the event grow into such a larger and expansive community; similar to how Sci Fi Month found its own wings to fly several years ago.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

A #SciFiSundays Anthology Spotlight | “Someone in Time” (Tales of Time Crossed Romances) edited by Jonathan StrahanSomeone in Time
Subtitle: Tales of Time Crossed Romance
by (Editor) Jonathan Strahan
Source: Publisher via Lola's Blog Tours

Even time travel can’t unravel love

Time-travel is a way for writers to play with history and imagine different futures – for better, or worse.

When romance is thrown into the mix, time-travel becomes a passionate tool, or heart-breaking weapon. A time agent in the 22nd century puts their whole mission at risk when they fall in love with the wrong person. No matter which part of history a man visits, he cannot not escape his ex. A woman is desperately in love with the time-space continuum, but it doesn’t love her back. As time passes and falls apart, a time-traveller must say goodbye to their soulmate.

With stories from best-selling and award-winning authors such as Seanan McGuire, Alix E. Harrow and Nina Allan, this anthology gives a taste for the rich treasure trove of stories we can imagine with love, loss and reunion across time and space. 

Edited by Jonathan Strahan and including stories by: Alix E. Harrow, Zen Cho, Seanan McGuire, Sarah Gailey, Jeffrey Ford, Nina Allan, Elizabeth Hand, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Catherynne M. Valente, Sam J. Miller, Rowan Coleman, Margo Lanagan, Sameem Siddiqui, Theodora Goss, Carrie Vaughn, Ellen Klages

Genres: Anthology Collection of Short Stories and/or Essays, Short Story or Novella, Science Fiction, Time Travel Fiction



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1786185099

Published by Rebellion Publishing

on 10th May, 2022

Format: Paperback Edition

Published by: Solaris Books
an imprint of Rebellion Publishing (@RebellionPub)

Converse on Twitter via: #SciFi, #ScienceFiction & #SomeoneInTime

Read More

Divider

Posted Sunday, 29 May, 2022 by jorielov in #SciFiSundays, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Lola's Blog Tours, Science Fiction, Space Opera