Category: Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight w/ Excerpt | Avelynn’s sequel is here! The Vikings #HistRom from last October I loved devouring has a new adventure to be read!

Posted Friday, 21 October, 2016 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

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Last October, I made a rather brilliant discovery in Historical Fiction – I met Avelynn for the very first time! This was also my very first historical involving the Vikings – a group of people of whom have held my curiosity for most of my life, yet for some strange reason I never quite took the time I should have to ‘meet them’ properly – either through historicals or non-fiction accountments of their lives! They were such a fascinating group of adventurers, explorers and of course, have such an anchoured past to turbulence and upheaval across power struggles for land & prosperity.

As you can see from this quote from my review last year, I was quite keen on how they were portrayed by Ms Campbell:

On the Vikings themselves:

Alrik isn’t quite the Viking warrior I was expecting to find, though to be honest anyone outside the precept of who Vikings are known for being outright would have been a pleasant surprise, truly! Alrik leads with his heart but with a mind that is truly rapt for battle. He understands loyalty but his trust in both his men and the cardinals of war is where his confidence lies. He isn’t one to tempt a woman past her own senses nor does he find himself able to do anything that is not proper or honourable. He’s an interesting bloke by half, considering he’s at an impasse in regards to his kin who are seeking wrath more than peace.

In some mannerisms he showed Avelynn at their first meeting, I was reminded of stories I’ve read about the Highlander Scots – both are fiercely proud and grit wit a determined air to battle any sort who try to cause them ill-harm or take back a stronghold they’ve already won.

quoted from my review of Avelynn

Avelynn took me by complete surprise – turnt out to be one of my most beloved reads of 2015, and never quite left my mind! I was quite curious what would happen ‘next’ and how the characters within the world of Avelynn would continue to move forward with their lives. It’s compelling drama, but it’s also a brilliantly written arc of Historical Romance set during a difficult time in history where everything is a bit uncertain and strife with war or changes in  power. It’s not the easiest of generations to make your mark on the world but there was so much heart and hope stitched inside this HistRom that I truly felt hugged closet to Avelynn herself and the emotional journey she was undertaking!

This is why I am so wicked excited to be a part of the blog team whose announcing the sequel’s arrival & why this #bookbirthday has me so wicked happy to have a sequel to read this Winter! There is a bit more to the story behind how I’m reading “Avelynn: The Edge of Faith” but right now I want to share the information on the book itself, the beautiful cover art & the lovely Excerpt Ms Campbell provided for me to share with my readers! A bit of a tradition – I shared an Excerpt last October for her debut and now again for her sophomore release!

Enjoy reading this wicked glimpse into Avelynn and Alrik!

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Book Spotlight w/ Excerpt | Avelynn’s sequel is here! The Vikings #HistRom from last October I loved devouring has a new adventure to be read!Avelynn
Subtitle: The Edge of Faith
by Marissa Campbell

It’s the year 871. Charges of treason, murder, and witchcraft follow Avelynn into exile as she flees England with Alrik. Arriving in Wales, they find refuge among Alrik’s friends in the Welsh nobility. Cast out by his half-brothers, Alrik seeks to regain his honor and earn favor with the gods. When war threatens, Alrik embraces gold and the opportunity for his crew to become mercenaries, aiding the Southern Welsh kings in their fight against Rhodri the Great.

Desperate to return home, Avelynn seeks to find a way to prove her innocence, but she is pitted against Alrik as their desires for the future clash. With battle looming, Avelynn’s faith in their relationship is further tested through a bitter struggle with Marared, a jealous lover from Alrik’s past. Marared’s threats turn deadly, and Avelynn runs afoul of magic and sorcery, causing her to question her beliefs and role as priestess.

When Avelynn and Alrik are betrayed, Avelynn is captured and Alrik is charged with regicide. The two become separated, a chasm of greed, deceit, and ambition driving them apart. In an act of harrowing faith, Avelynn will stop at nothing to find her way back to Alrik and break them both free from Wales’s bloodthirsty grasp.

AVELYNN: THE EDGE OF FAITH is a stand-alone novel and #2 in the Avelynn series.


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-0986627217

Also by this author: Avelynn

Series: Avelynn


Also in this series: Avelynn


on 26th September, 2016

Published By: Self Published Author
Available Formats: Paperback & Ebook

Converse via: #Avelynn

About Marissa Campbell

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.

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Posted Friday, 21 October, 2016 by jorielov in 9th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Arthurian Legend, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Canadian Literature, Crime Fiction, Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, England, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Gods & Goddesses, Heroic Bloodshed, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Mystery, Saxon | Viking History, Superstitions & Old World Beliefs, Warfare & Power Realignment

#ChocLitSaturdays | Author Q&A feat. Christina Courtenay’s #newbook “The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight” w/ an exclusive extract from the novel!

Posted Saturday, 15 October, 2016 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

ChocLitSaturdays Banner Created by Jorie in Canva.

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of hosting Ms Courtenay’s Cover Reveal for this title, as I was quite smitten with the idea that the series I began to read starting with “The Silent Touch of Shadows” has been accumulating in titles leading up to to this wicked fourth release! I happen to fancy time slips, ghost stories and atmospheric psychological suspense novels – of which is happily residing inside this series, as it’s a combination of factors from the Rom Suspense genre intermixed with Paranormal Rom that whet such a thirst of interest inside me to read! I find that it’s such a wicked good read, you simply cannot stop at reading just one, but will happily delight in residence as you proceed through the series!

Being time slips, you know your in for an incredible ride, because you’re about to ‘slip’ through time’s arrow – anchoured to two individually unique eras of time, whilst being enveloped inside a riveting story-line that will quite literally put you on the edge of your seat! You never know quite what will unfold as you take those tentative steps to alight next to the lead characters, of whom are not always realising their walking such a unique path between the veils! There is a subtle nature to how the stories unfold – as you truly have to allow yourself to ‘let go’ of particulars – the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ and simply get caught up inside the moment of discovery! Be willing to ‘go there’ with the characters and you’ll find yourself fully intrigued by what will happen next!

I had the opportunity to expand today’s exclusive extract with an impromptu author convo which I am most delighted about featuring, as I love this splice of loveliness inside Romance – it’s hard to pin-point what I love more, which is why I was inspired to launch a discussion about this series parlaying into the theme of today’s #ChocLitSaturday chat “Soul Mates, Ghosts & Time Slips in Romance”! Join us at 11am EST / 4p UK to discuss Ms Courtenay’s series & encourage the lively exchange of how this topic can be explored! Be sure to follow @ChocLitSaturday to get in on the chat, whilst keeping your eyes on our hashtag #ChocLitSaturday!

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Celebrating the Paranormal Romances of Christina Courtenay
& her “Shadows of the Past” series

Read the author’s thoughts on writing Time Slips via her Guest Post
(which focuses on this series)

The Silent Touch of Shadows began the series

The Soft Whisper of Dreams is the sequel to The Secret Kiss of Darkness

& The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight is the fourth in the series to release!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

On my Connection to Ms. Courtenay:

Two years ago, on the 26th of April, 2014, I created #ChocLitSaturday a weekly Rom chat to celebrate the novelists of ChocLitUK but also, to expand to include book bloggers, readers and writers of Romance who have a penchant for the genre as a whole. Ms. Courtenay started to become a regular fixture, and her encouraging conversations & ability to inspire others to converse freely throughout the chats put me at ease in my new role as a ‘Hostess’. She always seemed to know how to either start a topic or how to best suggest something to break the ice! I was always so very grateful to her and I am thinking I might have forgotten to tell her directly how much gratitude I had for her in those earlier chats! Over the weeks that have followed, I have found myself attached to each of my ‘regular’ chatters during the hour, and I consider Ms. Courtenay a bookish like-minded soul, as we tend to appreciate the same types of stories!

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Courtenay through our respective love & passion of reading inside the twitterverse whilst I host #ChocLitSaturday the chat and having previously read her time slip 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 or continuing to read their releases as they are available.

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Posted Saturday, 15 October, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Book Spotlight, British Literature, Castles & Estates, ChocLitUK, Gothic Literature, Gothic Romance, Indie Author, Modern British Literature, Paranormal Romance, Parapsychological Suspense, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Supernatural Fiction

Cover Reveal | NEW #ChocLit holiday novel by Kathryn Freeman “A Second Christmas Wish”!

Posted Tuesday, 4 October, 2016 by jorielov , , 1 Comment

Stories Sailing into View Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

If your a regular reader or frequent visitor of Jorie Loves A Story, you know I’ve been smitten with the novelists who publish their relationship-based Romances with ChocLitUK for a good two years now! I love being on the cusp of learning about a ‘new release’ whilst I remain patient to see if the Digital First new ChocLit novel will make it to a print release further down the road of it’s lifetime. I don’t mind the gaps between the ebooks and the print editions – as it’s always given me the pleasure of balancing my ‘next ChocLit reads’ to include both Front List and Back List offerings. Thus, I am enjoying being a member of the Reveal Team at ChocLit whilst it gives me a chance to introduce my readers to a variety of sub-genres within Romance I appreciate picking up to read!

As you might have noticed, I have become an appreciator of reading Ms Freeman’s stories, ever since I happily released my review on behalf of her Pharma Industry Contemporary Rom Search for the Truth! It is with pleasure of joy finding that she has a second release I can happily celebrate this year, right in time for Christmas! I have a particular interest in holiday stories because I love being caught up in the joy of the Christmas season whilst tucking inside a light Rom or a holiday setting wherein you get to find people not expecting anything out of the ordinary to enter their lives, but sometimes have the best blessing of all arrive just in time for Christmas!

I wasn’t sure how I felt this year about reading holiday stories ahead of November, as I have a few in queue right now, as well as my first colouring books – I have the tendency to wait until I can feel the spirit of the holidays approaching, where I feel the Seasons have blessedly switched ‘over’ to something ‘other than’ Summer and have caught sight of that shifting towards where the year starts to fold anew into a new chapter. Sometimes reading is atmospheric and sometimes there is a season of awareness for the stories we love to read as well. I recently blogged how sometimes stories are too emotionally triggered to the negative, but in regards to Christmas stories, I find myself properly enchanted by them personally! I just have the tendency to get into the readerly mood for them the weeks ahead of Thanksgiving straight through the first fortnight of January! Not always, as I do surprise myself like most readers – even as October took it’s peek into view, I started to notice, hmm, perhaps I might duck inside one ahead of Halloween this year? How unusual for me!

When this ChocLit Stars project came along, I was most enthused as I had previously celebrated the print releases of Ms Alison May’s Christmas novellas – as when it comes to ChocLit and Christmas, I am unfortunately a bit under-read! I do appreciate their annual ChocLit Treats – those delish little morsels of Romance arriving by your email Inbox, which dance and pepper your holidays with little dashes of fiction so lovingly adorable and keenly enjoyable! Perhaps this is the year, I can select some ChocLit Christmas Roms to soak inside and take stock of how the authors enjoy celebrating one of my most beloved times of the year!

I do wonder, what is your most favourite bit of reading holiday stories? Do you have a certain ‘start date’ or do you enjoy reading them year round? I must confess, I find it hard to attach into a Christmas story between Spring and Summer, but this year, I’m finding October is bringing Autumn joys a bit earlier than usual and thereby, I’m re-inspired to try to read one early!

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Posted Tuesday, 4 October, 2016 by jorielov in 21st Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Book Spotlight, ChocLitUK, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Modern Day, Romance Fiction, Second Chance Love

Book Spotlight | “Between Sisters” by Cathy Kelly Jorie starts a convo about how reading certain stories can be affected by certain (emotional) triggers.

Posted Thursday, 22 September, 2016 by jorielov , , , 2 Comments

Stories Sailing into View Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Acquired Book By: I am a new reviewer for Hachette Books and their imprints, I started by reviewing releases by FaithWords (the novels of Stephanie Grace Whitson), their INSPY (Inspirational Fiction) imprint of releases focusing on uplifting and spiritual stories which are a delight to read whilst engaging your mind in life affirming and heart-centered stories. I found Hachette via Edelweiss at the conclusion of [2015] and have been blessed to start reviewing for them.

I received a complimentary copy of “Between Sisters” direct from the publisher Grand Central Publishing (an imprint of Hachette Book Group Inc.) in consideration for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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On selecting “Between Sisters”:

After I reviewed “Two Across”, I was given a few choices of upcoming releases from which to select which books I might be interested in reading. This particular title stood out to me on several fronts – as I truly love reading Women’s Fiction which seeks to have a strong dramatic core of heart as much as I love reading stories set outside my country. I do not oft get the chance to pick up an Irish novel and as the country is part of my ancestral past, it is one that holds my literary curiosity!

This is my first reading of Irish novelist Cathy Kelly, as I was quite excited about reading my first story by Ms Kelly as I was hoping it would lead to more readings of her novels. What I had foreseen going into the novel was a story that was fused by sisterhood friendships, shared memories and the highs/lows of how life can be both wicked exhilarating or move us through a series of life lessons where our personal growth is both tested and renewed. However, I was not quite prepared for how the novel opened, which is why instead of reviewing this novel, I wanted to open my post to a discussion about how sometimes the stories we seek out to read are sometimes the ones we have an inability to connect too.

I am thankful to the publicist at Grand Central who understood where I was coming from in regards to not being able to read this novel, but also, that I wanted to spotlight the novel to my readers whilst giving the explanation about what caused me to step out of the story.

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Book Spotlight | “Between Sisters” by Cathy Kelly Jorie starts a convo about how reading certain stories can be affected by certain (emotional) triggers.Between Sisters

Meet the women of Delaney Gardens, a bustling suburban village in the outer reaches of Dublin. There's Cassie, who's spent her married life doing everything right for her children, husband, and mother-in-law, yet feels so exhausted that "wine o'clock" comes a littler earlier each afternoon.

There's her sister Coco, who runs a vintage dress shop, but has avoided the complications of romantic commitment. Watching over them is their grandmother Pearl, who, despite caring deeply for her family, is contending with a long-buried secret. And then there's Elsa, the polished face of daytime TV, who's triumphed over demons before, but is now facing her toughest battle yet. At every crossroad these women face, readers are taken deeper into the heart of what it means to be a family.


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9781455540853

on 9th August, 2016

Length: 870

Pages: 464

Published by: Grand Central Publishing (@GrandCentralPub)
an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc. (@HachetteBooks)

Formats Available: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook

Converse via: #IrishFiction & #WomensFiction

+ use these two in combo: #Contemporary #Romance

Read an inspiring article on Cathy Kelly from Irish Central (about Between Sisters)

About Cathy Kelly

Cathy Kelly Photo Credit: Barry McCall

Cathy Kelly is published around the world, with millions of copies of her books in print. A #1 bestseller in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, she is one of Ireland's best-loved storytellers. Kelly lives with her husband, their young twin sons, and three dogs in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Photo Credit: Barry McCall

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Posted Thursday, 22 September, 2016 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Grand Central Publishing, Realistic Fiction

Double-Showcase | Book Review w/ a Cover Reveal (for the sequel!) feat. the Moonfall Mayhem series by A.E. Decker!

Posted Thursday, 25 August, 2016 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

Stories Sailing into View Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

I love unexpected surprises, don’t you?

You can imagine then, my earnest surprise to have learnt the novel I was about to be featuring during my #FuellYourSciFi showcases leading up to #RRSciFiMonth this November has not only a *sequel!* but a lovely re-designed concept for it’s cover imagery! Remember when I said I would be resuming where I left off with my reviews showcasing *World Weaver Press*!? whilst announcing the upcoming September release for “Murder in the Generative Kitchen”?

As that was in July, I felt I would happily find World Weaver Presses stories alighting on my blog throughout the month – until of course – I learnt that despite my best intentions, circumventing (*extreme!*) lightning storms, my personal life & the ramifications of technical woes extending out of said lightning storms is not quite as easy as it would appear to be on the surface! My computer & ISP are driving me battier than bananas spoilt too soon before they can baked into a divinely tasting bread! You know how vexing that is, don’t you? You have a lovely batch of bananas right at the ready to whip into a hearty batch of banana bread, repleat with walnuts, shredded coconut and either dried fruit or chocolate pieces – only to find that your horrid humidic temperatures destroy any chance to bake it!

Ergo, sometimes blogging is like baking! You have to roll with the unexpected & happily look forward to the hours you can soak inside the stories! Even if your hours wick off the clock – remain calm – your time to duck into a ‘new’ author’s imagination is right round the corner! This has been my mantra this Summer, as I still grieved the loss of my equipment & hours from last Summer’s EPIC 90 days of lightning which wasn’t something I was keen on repeating! I’ve managed to keep online more regularly this year due to a new ISP but sometimes, even your ISP can become flummoxed by surges, power outages & a quirky habit of your connectivity *not responding* to their tech support interference! Laughs. There’s a lesson in this, you know! Sometimes you have to find more patience than you feel!

This isn’t the ‘unexpected surprise’ I am hinting towards, as being the kind I ‘appreciate’ and ‘love’ to find alight in my life! No, the kind of surprise I’m referring too – is a sequel is about to debut continuing a story you’ve looked forward to reading! The fact the cover has been re-designed in order to cross-coordinate with the sequel is even sweeter! The only thing I truly miss about the old cover is this lovely bat-cat (Moony) on the back cover! The expression on that cat was quite spectacular! Although, I suppose I should confess – I *loved!* the purpleness of the cover’s colour, too!

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Notation on Cover Art: The tree stood out to me as it reminded me of the trees in the Fantasy films I grew up watching as a child! Think along the lines of “The Neverending Story” (1984) or the television version of “Babes in Toyland” (1986) starring Drew Barrymore & Richard Mulligan! Yet it’s the expression on (Rags-n-Bones) face that truly held my attention! That is seriously speaking volumes towards what could lie behind this cover in regards to the story and the suspense of something brewing!

The Meddlers of Moonshine by A.E. Decker

#PubDay is 25th October, 2016 | Cross-Releasing in Trade Paperback & Ebook!

ISBN: 978-0-9977888-3-9 | Page Count: 337

Cover Art Designer: Cary Vandever | Twitter

Meddlers of Moonshine on World Weaver Press

Something is rotten in the town of Widget, and Rags-n-Bones knows it’s all his fault. Ever since he snitched that avocado from Miss Ascot’s pack, things have been going wrong. Armed with a handful of memories he never realized he had, Rags-n-Bones searches for a way to put right whatever he did to Widget in the past. If only he knew what it was! Unfortunately, the only person who seems to have answers is a half-mad youth that only Rags can see.

Widget is also suffering from a ghost infestation that has the townsfolk almost as spooked of outsiders as they are of actual spooks. While Rags-n-Bones seeks answers in the past, Ascot offers the town leaders her service as an exorcist, only to be handed an ultimatum: banish the ghosts or be banished herself!

Who’s meddling with Widget? To catch the culprit, Ascot and Rags-n-Bones must match wits with a shifty sorcerer, a prissy ex-governess, and a troublingly attractive captain before the town consigns itself to the graveyard of history.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comMeddlers promo badge provided by World Weaver Press and used with permission.

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If you ask me, there is more than meets the eye in this series!

This is one of the beautiful new promo badges created with an excerpt of the story!

Isn’t it lovely how you can see the secondary characters & get a vibe for the context?

Ah! Now, then, what did Jorie think about the 1st book in the Moonfall Mahem series?!

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Posted Thursday, 25 August, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Book Spotlight, Cats and Kittens, Coming-Of Age, Fairy Tale Fiction, Familiars, Fantasy Fiction, Father-Daughter Relationships, Folklore, Folklore and Mythology, Genre-bender, Ghost Story, Gothic Literature, Indie Author, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Upper YA Fiction, Vampires, Vulgarity in Literature, World Weaver Press, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction