Category: Book Spotlight

ChocLit Exclusive Q&A about #DarkChocLit and an interview by the first featured novelist of this new imprint: Laura E. James!

Posted Saturday, 28 November, 2015 by jorielov Chesil Series, ChocLitUK, Follow Me Follow You, Laura E. James, Truth or Dare, What Doesn't Kill You 0 Comments

This ChocLitSaturday, is quite a special one as I have an exclusive SURPRISE reveal to share with my readers and the lovely ChocLit authors I’ve been blessed to get to know during our ChocLitSaturday chats! I hadn’t even realised I had tipped my hat towards this reveal until I received the reply back from ChocLit about the questions I had pitched regarding their new imprint #DarkChocLit!

As soon as I heard of the news being tweeted, I had to respond directly and therein, I decided hosting a *special* interview between the publisher and the novelist who would debut the imprint would be quite a smashing way to celebrate *Dark Choc Lit*!

Who knew ChocLit had a cheeky surprise of their own?!

A foreshadow of what was to come as Jorie took to the twitterverse to converse about what #DarkChocLit might contain and how the ChocLit authors themselves happily conceived ideas of where the imprint would lead them to traverse as writers.

This initial tweet of mine was posted soon after finding there was something quite smashing afoot at ChocLitUK – there was a new IMPRINT about to make it’s debut to ChocLit readers (and authors); wherein we would be challenged by the context of the stories for harder hitting story-lines and a gritty realistic edge of where real-life composites of character and life circumstances might give us a heartier read than a traditional Rom; as this new imprint was navigating the waters of ‘Realistic Rom’ rather than a traditional HEA.

Ooh wow! #ChocLit has a #darkchocolate side to their offerings!? Sounds quite murderous to me! @ChocLituk @Laura_E_James #awesomesauce news!

— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) October 29, 2015

This initial chatterment of joy started a bantering between myself and Ms James, before a full broach of the topic was launched during #ChocLitSaturday (on Halloween!) when Ms Harris tweeted out this curious Q:

What does 'Dark Choc Lit' signify? #ChocLitSaturday

— Liz Harris (@lizharrisauthor) October 31, 2015

As you will read shortly, I’ve gathered together to give the conversation new life and a continuance of thought on the topic itself, you will find that #DarkChocLit begs to ask questions of both readers and writers; whilst giving you a delish new imprint to read for a challenging new read of Romance!

The Chesil Series:

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)

Book One: Truth or Dare?

Love’s a dangerous game…

Kate Blair’s sick of unrequited love. She’s quietly waited for Mickey for the past six years and finding a compass-carved heart, with their initials scratched through the middle, only strengthens her resolve: no more Mickey and no more playing it safe. It’s time to take a chance on real love and Declan O’Brien’s the perfect risk.

He’s handsome, kind and crazy about her so it’s not long before all thoughts of Mickey come few and far between. But old habits die-hard. Kate may have started to forget … but has Mickey?

Formats Available: E-book *sadly I thought this was in paperback

Book Two: Follow Me, Follow You

You save me and I’ll save you

Victoria Noble has pulled the plug on romance. As director of the number one social networking site, EweSpeak, and single mother to four-year-old Seth, she wrestles with the work-life balance. Enter Chris Frampton, Hollywood action hero and Victoria’s first love. His return from LA has sparked a powder keg of media attention, and with secrets threatening to fuel the fire, he’s desperate to escape. But finding a way forward is never simple.

Although his connection with Victoria has lasted the test of time, has he been adrift too long to know how to move on? With the risk of them breaking, will either #follow their heart?

Formats Available: Paperback, Audiobook and E-book

Book Three: What Doesn’t Kill You – launching #DarkChocLit

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – but how strong can one person be?

Griff Hendry knows what it is to be strong. After a turbulent past, he’s dedicated himself to saving lives, working as a coastguard along the breath-taking shores of Dorset. It’s Griff’s belief that everyone is worth saving – which is why he can’t forgive his father, Logan, for what he did. Griff’s future is plunged into uncertainty when his wife, Evie, tells him she wants a separation.

The revelation is a shock and leads Griff to question what Evie could possibly be hiding – and she isn’t the only one holding back. Griff’s troubled stepdaughter, Tess, also harbours a dark secret. As the truth is uncovered, Griff is forced to accept that perhaps he’s never understood what real strength is.

RELEASE DATE: 26th November, 2015 – ebook version

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

Genre(s): Contemporary | Romantic Suspense | Realistic Rom | Emotional Drama

For a look inside this story visit Ms James post on What Doesn’t Kill You | The Romaniacs

Converse via: #DarkChocLit + #ChocLit

Thank you so much for indulging me today, Jorie, and for your interest and enthusiasm for ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ and the new Dark imprint from Choc Lit.

What Doesn’t Kill You is being released under Choc Lit’s new imprint Dark Choc Lit, however, this is the 3rd novel in the Chesil series. What was your reaction in finding out this release in particular would help launch the new imprint and how do you feel it celebrates the intentions behind Dark Choc Lit?

James responds: I felt honoured, excited and thrilled at the same time. What an incredible opportunity! My two cats and I were the only ones in the house when I found out, so I celebrated with them. By celebrate I mean they gave me a strange look and then shot through the cat flap while I whooped and cheered in the kitchen. I couldn’t wait to let my family know. Their reaction was more in line with mine. And they can’t fit through the cat flap.

My style of writing has been described as ‘romance without the soft edges’ ‒ a line I’ve borrowed for my author tag ‒ and, ‘romance with its feet firmly set in reality’. I write issue-led romances, which can travel down dark alleys. Choc Lit describes its new imprint as ‘compelling, emotional, hard-hitting novels. Not your typical romance story’, and I think that captures the heart of ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’. But however treacherous the journey, readers of romance know they will end up in a happy or hopeful place. Read More

Posted Saturday, 28 November, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Book Spotlight of E-Book (ahead of POD/print edition), Bookish Discussions, British Literature, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Debut Novel, England, Indie Author, Life Shift, Modern British Author, Modern British Literature, Modern Day, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Reader Submitted Q&A, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense

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

Posted Friday, 27 November, 2015 by jorielov ChocLitUK, Kathryn Freeman, Search for the Truth, Too Charming 0 Comments

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

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

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

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

Sometimes the truth hurts …

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

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

Places to find the book:

Add to Riffle

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)

RELEASE DATE: 13th August, 2015 – ebook version

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

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

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

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

Author Connections:

Personal Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Converse via: #ChocLit

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

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

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

Posted Monday, 23 November, 2015 by jorielov ChocLitUK, Liz Harris, The Lost Girl 0 Comments

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

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

On my Connection to Ms. Harris:

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

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

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

What if you were trapped between two cultures?

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

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

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

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

Places to find the book:

Add to Riffle

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)

RELEASE DATE: 16th October, 2015 – ebook version

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

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

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

Author Connections:

Personal Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Converse via: #ChocLit

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

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

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

Blog Book Tour | A Book Spotlight on the John Chase mysteries (by S.K. Rizzolo) of which fall under my newly beloved ‘Cosy Historical’ sub-genre!

Posted Thursday, 11 December, 2014 by jorielov Blood for Blood, Die I Will Not, John Chase mysteries, Poisoned Pen Press, S.K. Rizzolo, The Rose in the Wheel 0 Comments

On why I am showcasing a Book Spotlight in lieu of the book review:

Originally I was going to contribute a book review for this blog tour, however, I had several personal circumstances arise since the time I received the book(s) for the tour and my re-scheduled tour date. As I had previously expressed on my reviews for Death Comes to London & Death Comes to the Village I was taken ill last week and it took a long while for me to catch up on both my energies and my sleep; yet there were other things that had occurred as well, which is why I continued to lose hours to read the books I had in queue. I was fighting the clock to become current and losing ground on the hours I had left to spare in order to resume where I had left off — therefore, as I had the kind blessing of being able to receive all three of the John Chase mysteries: The Rose in the Wheel, Blood for Blood, and Die I Will Not I will be tweeting my reading adventures within the novels whilst making amends by posting my reviews after the blog tour has concluded. All three reviews will be on Jorie Loves A Story in December, as they were always meant to be showcased. I do regret I couldn’t contribute more to the blog tour, as I had planned to interview the author as well; which I had to cancel.

What initially drew my eye into wanting to participate on this blog tour is the fact these are mysteries set within the era of the Regency; one of my most highly read periods of British life and history! As I had previously disclosed on my Kurland St. Mary mysteries posts, I have the tendency to overlook reading about the Regency outside the world of Romance — so imagine my delight in finding not one, but two new mystery series!? This one is quite different from the Kurland St. Mary mysteries — the tone is set differently and the series has a uniquely different pace to it. I love curling inside mysteries of suspense where you never quite know what you will find inside whilst getting to know who the investigators are and how the writer has written the puzzle of the crime!

Let me introduce you to the novels I am in the process of reading and perhaps I shall tempt you to read them as well? I am most curious if there are other Regency Romance readers who are finding themselves happily entrenched in the Mystery / Suspense genre?

Book Synopsis:

This well imagined, carefully detailed, and cleverly plotted debut draws on actual historical events of 1811 London.

Regency London knows Constance Tyrone as the conspicuously celibate founder of the St. Catherine Society, dedicated to helping poor women. One wet November evening a carriage mows down Constance outside her office. Curiously, while her corpse’s one foot is bare, the other is shod in a clean satin slipper despite the muddy road. Why was a gentlewoman abroad in the night? And if she died under the wheel, whose hands bruised her neck and stole her monogrammed crucifix?

Dismissing the idea of an accident, Bow Street Runner John Chase forms an unlikely alliance with Penelope Wolfe, wife of the chief suspect. A young mother paying the price for an imprudent marriage, Penelope is eager to clear her husband Jeremy, a feckless portrait painter whose salacious drawings of the victim suggest an erotic interest. Chase’s first task is to learn the identity of the mysterious benefactor who goes bail for Wolfe while Penelope traces the victim’s last movements. Barrister Edward Buckler, intrigued, shakes off his habitual lethargy and joins their investigation.

As horrifying murders on the Ratcliffe Highway claim all London’s attention, the trio discovers that it won’t be easy to unravel the enigma of Constance Tyrone, a woman who revives the legend of martyred St. Catherine. Read More

Posted Thursday, 11 December, 2014 by jorielov in 19th Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Books for Review Arrived by Post, Cosy Historical Mystery, Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, the Regency era

Book Spotlight & Author Q&A | Brenda S. Anderson embraces the beauty of re-defining her #writing career as her second #INSPY novel “Pieces of Granite” releases this November!

Posted Tuesday, 18 November, 2014 by jorielov Brenda S. Anderson, Coming Home series, Pieces of Granite, Vivant Press 3 Comments

Ever since I hosted Ms. Anderson on the book release of her debut novel Chain of Mercy, I have been itching to tell the world and the bookish blogosphere all about this lovely new author & her series of realistic INSPY fiction! I have come to use the shortened version of “Inspirational” via Twitter recently, as I started to notice writers, readers, & book bloggers alike are starting to grow towards creating a community for the those of us who appreciate faith-based fiction. I have been a support of the INSPY Awards since I learnt of them in 2013, and even applied to become a judge in 2014. I love the close-knitted bookish community overall, but I have found the Inspirational side of the bookish market to be sorting out their own niche in the twitterverse and I am appreciating the journey!

I love being a book cheerleader (if you hadn’t noticed, I created the tag #bookcheerleader during this year’s #ArmChairBEA!) for writers who not only tell a convincing story but writers who dig deep and pull out of the cosmos compelling characters, fully realised worlds in which their characters not only live but find growth through the passageways which deepen their character’s perspective, and the convicting narratives which not only leave me bemused in ruminative thoughts upon completing a novel but leave me altered. I love feeling as though the reconnection to my own living reality is a bit of a tug-of-war out of the fictional reality I had just lived inside for the length of time the novel was perched open in my hands.

When my path originally crossed with Ms. Anderson, she was a book blogger who was creating her own niche in the book blogosphere for showcasing heart-warming INSPY fiction (of late her debut novelist features have been inspiring in their own right) which is how our friendship began; now that I’m a bonefide member of her Street Team, I cannot quite express the gratitude I have knitted into my heart to help give new readers a chance to discover what I always knew I would find within her novels! She truly has carved out her own style within the world of INSPY fiction and I cannot wait to nominate her for the next INSPY Awards, as her works truly deserve to become recognised for helping to pave the road forward for Inspirational Fiction as this branch of literature continues to expand, grow, and cart new territory through the story-tellers who curate a truism within their writing which resonates within our spirit and heart.

It is with great pleasure I can not only highlight the Coming Home Series today, but I can give a window into the next book being released THIS November: Pieces of Granite, the prequel to Chain of Mercy!

Schedule of Book Releases:

PREQUEL: Pieces of Granite | November 2014

BOOK 1: Chain of Mercy | April 2014

BOOK 2: Memory Box Secrets | April 2015

BOOK 3: Finding Home (working title) | September 2015

Converse via: #ComingHomeSeries + #ChainOfMercy + #PiecesOfGranite

Book Synopsis for the first two novels of the “Coming Home series”:

They forgave him for the accident that killed their son, but he will never forgive himself. Manhattan businessman Richard Brooks was at the top of the world, drunk with success, wealth, and women. Until one disastrous evening, when his world came crashing down. Richard flees to Minneapolis where he repairs ancient boilers instead of solving corporate problems, and he’s determined to live the solitary life he now deserves. But Executive Sheila Peterson has other plans for the handsome custodian. Richard appears to be the perfect match for the no-strings-attached romance she’s after, but she soon discovers that he’s hiding more than the designer suits in his closet.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

A distressing diagnosis Pieces of Granite by Brenda S. Anderson
A retreating husband
A prodigal brother

Debbie Verhoeven is not your typical woman

*She sacrificed her counseling career to be a full-time mom

*She’d rather pound a nail than round steak

*Oprah? No way! Give her ESPN any day

*Nothing could be more stressful than scrapbooking

Nothing except …

A distressing diagnosis

A husband who is pulling away

And two brothers who refuse to get along

When the counselor is caught in the middle,
When she needs to be strong for those around her,
Who is left to be strong for her?

Read an Excerpt from Pieces of Granite

Posted Tuesday, 18 November, 2014 by jorielov in #IndieWriterMonth, 21st Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Christianity, Down Syndrome, Equality In Literature, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction | Non-Fiction, Jorie Loves A Story Features, Modern Day, Reader Submitted Q&A, Special Needs Children, Women's Fiction, Women's Health, Women's Right to Choose (Health Care Rights)