Posted Friday, 6 November, 2015 by jorielov Carla Kelly, Cedar Fort Inc, Summer Campaign, Sweetwater Books 0 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Summer Campaign” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
I discovered Ms Kelly’s writings whilst I hosted the blog tour on behalf of ‘Softly Falling’, wherein I found a most delightful story-teller who took historical fiction to a new level of appreciation for what you can find inside the genre for compelling fiction with realistic story-lines. I even appreciated the compassion and clarity she gave to the diversity of her characters, as much as the compassionate way in which she approached telling her character’s story.
Summer Campaign
Everyone agrees that Miss Onyx Hamilton is about to make a perfect match. The overwhelmingly respectable vicar Andrew Littletree is so taken by her virtue and beauty that he's willing to overlook the scandal clouding her birth and her lack of family and funds.
But then handsome Major Jack Beresford comes galloping into Onyx's sheltered life. Because of his wealth and aristocratic blood, Onyx knows it's highly improbable that he would ever ask for her hand. Fortunately, the laws of probability have no effect on what Onyx is ready to give this supremely unsuitable gentleman... her heart.
New and longtime fan alike will relish this delightful regency romance from the true master of the art. Charming, sweet, and full of fun, it's simply impossible to stop reading.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781462112258
on 10th March, 2015
Pages: 288
Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #histfic, and #CarlaKelly
About Carla Kelly
Carla Kelly is a veteran of the New York and international publishing world. The author of more than thirty novels and novellas for Donald I. Fine Co., Signet, and Harlequin, Carla is the recipient of two Rita Awards (think Oscars for romance writing) from Romance Writers of America and two Spur Awards (think Oscars for western fiction) from Western Writers of America. She is also a recipient of a Whitney Award for Borrowed Light, My Loving Vigil Keeping and Softly Falling.
Photo Credit: Marie Bryner-Bowles, Bryner Photography
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Friday, 6 November, 2015 by jorielov in 19th Century, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Brothers and Sisters, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Foster Care, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Jane Austen Sequel, Orphans & Guardians, Pride & Prejudice Re-telling, Regency Era, Siblings, Twin Siblings
Posted Wednesday, 4 November, 2015 by jorielov Bonneville Books, Cedar Fort Inc, Lynne Leatham Allen, The Tulip Resistance 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “The Tulip Resistance” direct from the publisher Bonneville Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Interested in Reading:
I have been consistently reading war dramas during the first two World Wars, dipping a bit into the Civil War and Revolutionary War respectively. It isn’t often that I find a story that is written from a different perspective for one of the World Wars, as I had not realised the implications and the merit of what the Dutch Resistance had to go through during WWII. Too often I think war dramas take us down familiar corridors and do not oft explore new points of view to a war era we are already reading in earnest.
As far as Resistance fighters, my first introduction to this chapter of war history was by Mosse who wrote Citadel; a novel which truly took me to the edge of what I could handle inside a war drama. Reviewing her story was quite difficult as my heart was in full breach of my pummeling emotions as her words were so guttingly honest about what was happening during that time.
What inspired me to read this novel was the empathsis on ‘hope’ on the front cover, as truly the best part of reading war dramas is finding the hope which remained alive for everyone who was affected by the conflict itself. Without hope, it is hard to find a way to transition yourself forward through the tides of adversity life will bring to you. I think when we sit down to read stories about the war eras, we have to remember to find the stories underwritten by light and hope; if only to give the past a kindness it might not have had when the events were happening originally. To remember is to honour those lives which were lost and those lives which survived unthinkable odds.
The Tulip Resistance
Marieka parked her bike next to the fence as Miss Remi opened the door, holding a cloth to her cheek.
"Miss Remi, what happened? Where are your chickens and pig?" Miss Remi pulled Marieka inside and shut the door. "The Germans came. They said they had a right to confiscate the pig and chickens to feed their army. I protested, but one of them struck me."
Caught up in a war she doesn't understand, sixteen-year-old Marieka Coevorden has been living peacefully in the Dutch countryside. With her friends and family at risk, Marieka wouldn't dream of resisting the Germans. But everything changes when a wounded German soldier - a defector - needs her help.
This tense historical drama delves into the intricacies of the Dutch resistance during World War II. Join Marieka as she summons the grit to defy orders and hatches a plan to do what's right.
This is a book you cannot stop reading - a perfect mix of drama, romance, and adventure.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
on 12th May, 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 248
Published By: Bonneville Books (@BonnevilleBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #TheTulipResistance
About Lynn Leatham Allen
Lynn Leatham Allen grew up in Orthello, Washington. After thirty years as a professional cake decorator, she retired. She attended Ricks College and married her husband, Ross, in the Idaho Falls Temple in 1970. They have six children and now are empty nesters and live in Wellsville, Utah.
She loves writing and sewing. She's an artist of charcoal, pastel, colour pencil portraits; oil landscapes; and acrylic tole painting. She is a self-taught artist and seamstress and has many hobbies including cross-stitch, hardanger, crochet, knitting, candy making, cooking, gardening, and reading.
Her writing career began with jingles and then graduated to humourous poems. Three years ago she wrote her first children's book The Sugarplum Fairy's Little Sister , which was awarded an honourable mention at the LUW writing contest in 2012.
Frogo and Turnip also received honourable mention at that time, and The Courtship of the Ice Queen received first place. She joined the LUW and has been writing ever since. The Tulip Resistance is her first novel. She is working on the sequel, with the tentative title Operation Tulip .
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Wednesday, 4 November, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 20th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Aftermath of World War II, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Bullies and the Bullied, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Childhood Friendship, Coming-Of Age, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Dutch Resistance (WWII), Equality In Literature, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Life Shift, Prejudicial Bullying & Non-Tolerance, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, The Netherlands, The World Wars, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, War Drama
Posted Thursday, 29 October, 2015 by jorielov Decorum, Karren Christopherson, Kensington Books, Kensington Publishing Corp. 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Decorum” virtual book tour through HFVBT: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Kaaren Christopherson, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Note of Gratitude to the author:
I was happily surprised by what came in the Post for me when Decorum arrived because the author included a few extras for me to enjoy finding tucked inside with my copy of the book! I was very grateful to her for being thoughtful enough to make this book one of my ‘book surprise parcels’ as whenever an author or publisher includes a few unknown extras for me to find in their parcels, it’s a wonderful gift of random joy for me on the other end! Finding the copy was autographed was a true delight, too! I tend to forget to mention this on previous reviews, but seeing the author’s handwritten note or signature is a mark of joy for me! Especially if they sign an ARC not just a finished copy, as it connects the moment of discovering their novel with the moment I’m reading it for the first time! Little bits of joy like these do a world of good for a book blogger who doesn’t expect to find anything except the book she’s reviewing!
Note on the Cover Art: I was captured by the image of this woman from the moment I first laid eyes upon the cover art. Not merely for reasons of sorting out if it followed the timescape of the novel but there was something ‘curious’ about her pose and the manner in which she held herself in this portrait. I love studying Art History and this particular portrait reminded me of that passion I have for classical artists and the confluence of period specific portraiture giving us a lens backwards into the historical past. The author has more info on her site.
Decorum
Kaaren Christopherson’s brilliantly observed novel captures the glamour and grit of one of the world’s most dazzling cities during one of its most tumultuous eras–as seen through the eyes of a singularly captivating heroine…
In 1890s New York, beautiful, wealthy Francesca Lund is an intriguing prospect for worthy suitors and fortune hunters alike. Recently orphaned, she copes by working with the poor in the city’s settlement movement. But a young woman of means can’t shun society for long, and Francesca’s long-standing acquaintance with dashing Edmund Tracey eventually leads to engagement. Yet her sheltered upbringing doesn’t blind her to the indiscretions of the well-to-do…
Among the fashionable circle that gathers around her there are mistresses, scandals, and gentlemen of ruthless ambition. And there is Connor O’Casey–an entirely new kind of New Yorker. A self-made millionaire of Irish stock, Connor wants more than riches. He wants to create a legacy in the form of a luxury Madison Avenue hotel–and he wants Francesca by his side as he does it. In a quest that will take her from impeccable Manhattan salons to the wild Canadian Rockies, Francesca must choose not only between two vastly different men, but between convention and her own emerging self-reliance.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781617735219
on 31st March 2015
Pages: 417
Published By: Kensington Publishing Corp. ()
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and E-book
Converse via: #KaarenChristopherson OR #DecorumBlogTour
About Kaaren Christopherson
Kaaren Christopherson is the author of Decorum—a novel about Gilded Age New York—that began taking form in 1999 during a course on writing historical fiction. From that moment, Connor O’Casey (who had been rattling around in her brain for months) finally appeared one night and said, “All right, woman. Here I am. What are you going to do about my story?”
So she began to put his words on paper, and he hasn’t kept quiet since. Soon Francesca, Blanche, Tracey, Vinnie, and the rest of the characters began arguing, gossiping, loving, and forming themselves into Kaaren’s first novel.
Kaaren has had a professional career writing and editing for over 30 years and is a senior editor for an international development nonprofit organization in Washington, DC.
She has written fiction since her school days, story poems, children’s books, historical fiction, and time travel, and continues to be active in writer’s groups and writing workshops. In addition to her career as a writer, Kaaren was the owner of a decorative painting business. She loves to travel and prowl through historical sites, galleries, and museums. She is active in several churches in DC and in her local Northern Virginia community, where she shares her home with feline brothers, Archie and Sammy.
A Michigan native, Kaaren received her BA in history and art and her MA in educational administration from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
Photo Credit: Pat Everett Photography
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Thursday, 29 October, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 19th Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Bookish Discussions, British Literature, Clever Turns of Phrase, Death of a Sibling, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Novel, Family Drama, Family Life, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, Honeymoons & Weddings, Indie Author, Inheritance & Identity, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Life Shift, New York City, Orphans & Guardians, Passionate Researcher, Unexpected Inheritance, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Thursday, 29 October, 2015 by jorielov Jan Stites, Lake Union Publishing, Reading the Sweet Oak 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am becoming a regular tour hostess and reviewer for BookSparks, as I began to host for them in the Spring ahead of #SRC2015. I am posting my Summer Challenge reviews during November due to the aftereffects of severe lightning storms during July and August. As I make amends for the challenge reads I was unable to post until Autumn; I am also catching up with my YA challenge reads and the blog tours I missed as well. This blog tour marks one of the books I felt curious to read independent of the previous selections. I look forward to continuing to work with BookSparks once I am fully current with the stories I am reading for review.
I received a complimentary copy of “Reading the Sweet Oak” direct from the publicist at BookSparks in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why this title stood out to me to read:
I fancy family centered stories inasmuch as relationship-based Romances as I grew up in a close-knit family where it was key to maintain the connection to both the past and the present. I grew up with living histories of my relatives who were not alive at my birth, of whom, I felt a close bond too all the same due to how their stories were translated through memories.
I think we need more stories of home and hearth showing how courage and strength of family can overtake adversity as much as it can become the glue that binds you through the uncertainty of life itself. Without a circle of people to sound off when times are tightly taut with stress or to celebrate when life enfolds you with blissitudes that launch smiles as round as the moon; it’s a hard walk to find where you fit inside the world.
I have held a deep appreciation for multi-generational sagas for a long time as well; not only for those historicals which arch over centuries but for inter-connected story-lines where characters are of different age and station in their lives. To find a story about a grand-daughter and her grandmother facing the world together felt like a good fit for a next read! Especially since family can denote different things to different people – in this case, a young girl came to live with her grandparent when her parent(s) had passed; finding both comfort and freedom. I like finding stories which curate a non-traditional family life because there are as many families out there as their are fish in the sea.
Reading the Sweet Oak
by Jan Stites
Along the banks of the Sweet Oak River, deep in the heart of the Ozarks, a romance novel book club takes five women on stunning journeys of self-discovery.
After losing first her husband, then her daughter, seventy-eight-year-old grandmother Ruby wants to teach her risk-averse granddaughter, Tulsa, that some leaps are worth taking, no matter how high the potential fall. Tulsa loves her grandmother dearly, but she has a business to run and no time for romance—not even the paperback version. But when Ruby ropes her into a book club, Tulsa can’t bring herself to disappoint the woman who raised her.
Together with Ruby’s best friend, Pearl, as well as family friends BJ and Jen, the women embark on an exploration of modern-day love guided by written tales of romance. What they discover is a beautiful story that examines the bonds of friendship and the highs and lows of love in all its forms.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781503945159
on 29th September 2015
Pages: 375
Published By: Lake Union Publishing
Available Formats: Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
About Jan Stites
Jan Stites is the author of the novels Edgewise and Reading the Sweet Oak . She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree from Purdue University, both in history and English.
She has held a multitude of jobs, including screenwriter, screenwriting instructor at San Francisco State University and the University of California–Berkeley, waitress, secretary, middle school teacher, scuba diving travel writer, journalist, transcriber for doctors and documentary filmmakers, teacher in Kenya and the Yucatán, and translator for American doctors in Mexico.
She is from Missouri, where she has vacationed extensively in the Ozarks. She currently resides in Northern California with her husband.
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Posted Thursday, 29 October, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, BookSparks, Brothers and Sisters, Coming-Of Age, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Equality In Literature, Indie Author, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Modern Day, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Siblings, Small Towne USA, Vulgarity in Literature, Women's Fiction
Posted Thursday, 29 October, 2015 by jorielov A Woman of Note, Carol M. Cram, Lake Union Publishing 0 Comments
There was a moment where Isabette plays one of her own compositions for her mother, moving her to an emotional keel whilst realising she couldn’t relate the true origins of who composed it afterwards. It spoke to the heart of the story, where Isabette felt a bit trapped by her gender and the traditional viewings of musicians being led by men. She was able to break through that absurdity if only for a brief reprieve but to truly breach it, it would take more than she felt she had to give.
This is where I believe Cram did a wonderful job at endearing us to Isabette – showing us how hard she strove for peer acceptance for her abilities whilst giving us a firm back-story on the tone of Vienna during a time where there were too many musicians and not enough avenues for them all to become employed.
– quoted from my review of A Woman of Note by Carol M. Cram
This is a true treasure for historical fiction writers who have a deep appreciation for Music History and Classical Music – the composers and compositions are happily alive in this story by Carol M. Cram! So much so, I wanted to ask the author several questions relating to how she composed the story itself and how she knitted together the realistic counterparts of the persons who lived during this time in Austrian history.
She found a balance between where the fictional world of Isabette thrives and the real counterplay of what was happening to both composers and performers of music during this era – it was a swelling sea of talent without a lot of platforms to launch a career, as everyone was vying for the same opportunities at the same time. It was a very convicting narrative in how you get tucked inside the emotional journey of Isabette whilst seeing how she was pitted against the men who despite their indifference to her talent, were not always on equal ground to her abilities. There was a large discrepancy between who had the natural insight into how the notes were composed and who was merely making it by the skin of their teeth.
I like settling inside stories of this nature because they bring the fullness of music to the forefront whilst giving us a heart-centered story focusing on how much courage it takes to realise your dreams. Cram gave me a story I enjoyed reading and a conversation which answers the most pulsing questions I had whilst I was reading her novel. I look forward to seeing your comments and hope you find equal enjoyment in reading where the conversation took us.
Virtuoso pianist Isabette Grüber captivates audiences in the salons and concert halls of early nineteenth-century Vienna. Yet in a profession dominated by men, Isabette longs to compose and play her own music—a secret she keeps from both her lascivious manager and her resentful mother. She meets and loves Amelia Mason, a dazzling American singer with her own secrets, and Josef Hauser, an ambitious young composer. But even they cannot fully comprehend the depths of Isabette’s talent.
Her ambitions come with a price when Isabette embarks on a journey that delicately walks the line between duty and passion. Amid heartbreak and sacrifice, music remains her one constant. With cameos from classical music figures such as Chopin, Schubert, and Berlioz, A Woman of Note is an intricately crafted and fascinating tale about one woman’s struggle to find her soul’s song in a dissonant world.
How did you find a segue window into the musical past to allow Isabette to come alive against the pages of your novel “A Woman of Note”?
Cram responds: “A Woman of Note” draws upon my love of classical music and the piano. I’ve been playing the piano since I was five years old and although I will never be a concert pianist like Isabette in the novel, I get a great deal of pleasure out of my daily practice. After I finished my first novel, “The Towers of Tuscany,” about a fictional woman artist in 14th Century Tuscany, I realized that I really wanted to carry on exploring themes related to women in the arts. My love of music led me naturally to creating a character who plays the piano and composes. I chose the 19th century because most of the music I play was composed between about 1780 and 1850. I am a huge fan of Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, Chopin, and Mozart, to name just a few of the biggest names. As a result of my research for “A Woman of Note,” I also discovered amazing compositions by women composers from the same period, most notably Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelsohn.
My third novel “Upstaged” is about an actress in early nineteenth century London partially because I am also very interested in theater and was a drama teacher early in my career. Through my novels, I get the opportunity to explore and share my love of the arts. Read More
Posted Thursday, 29 October, 2015 by jorielov in 19th Century, Austria, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, BookSparks, Coming-Of Age, Composer, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Mental Health, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Musical Fiction | Non-Fiction, Psychiatric Facilities, Reader Submitted Q&A, Women's Fiction