Category: Re-Told Tales

#WyrdAndWonder Book Review | “Frozen Fairy Tales” (anthology) edited by Kate Wolford (by World Weaver Press)

Posted Wednesday, 30 May, 2018 by jorielov (Editor) Kate Wolford, #WyrdAndWonder, Aimee Ogden, Alison McBain, Amanda Bergloff, Christina Ruth Johnson, Frozen Fairy Tales, Gavin Bradley, L.A. Christensen, Lissa Marie Redmond, Lissa Sloan, World Weaver Press 0 Comments

Acquired Book by: Did you ever grow curious about a new publisher who produces science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre selections in both novel length and short stories? Did you ever decide to enquire with the publisher you’ve found to see if they were open to book blogger requests to read and review their selections!? This is the situation I found myself in as I was quite mystified by the offerings of World Weaver Press! Such a delightful discovery on my behalf [in 2015] with a website full of inspiring reads across SFF!

Since I started reviewing with World Weaver Press [three years ago in August, 2015] there has been a changing of the guard behind-the-scenes where there is a new owner & publicity team. I am wicked happy to see the legacy and tradition of WWP has been carried forward by this lovely new team! I am honoured to work with them continuing to showcase World Weaver Press through reviewing their titles and hosting future guest features by their authors!

I received a complimentary copy of “Frozen Fairy Tales” direct from the publisher World Weaver Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I have been excited to re-focus my readings on titles by this publisher for #WyrdAndWonder:

Immediately after receiving my first anthology from *World Weaver Press*, I knew I had found a SpecLit publisher I could happily tuck inside for ‘life’ without feeling as if I needed to seek elsewhere for the kind of fictionally fantastical stories I was hoping to find peppering through anthologies! The ways in which the editors of this publisher curate their stories within their selected anthologies are bang-on brilliant, as they not only thread together to such a degree of clarity but they honestly speak to the elemental reasons why we *love!* reading Speculative Literature!

The past few years, were especially harder hitting on my family to where my reading life suffered greatly – I had trouble re-aligning within SpecFic for the most part, as despite being one of my favourite genres of interest, I couldn’t get my head and heart to re-align within the worlds being created. Slowly but surely, I’ve re-entered these stories – finding my footing during #RRSciFiMonth within the novella Murder in the Generative Kitchen whilst finding during #WyrdAndWonder, I want to re-shift into their Fantasy releases such as this lovely anthology by an editor I haven’t yet had the pleasure of becoming introduced: Kate Wolford!

There is something appealing about the ‘frozen’ aspect of this anthological thematic – of when the world is bent inside Winter and everything has this altered state of being – Winter itself is daunting and hauntingly ripe for fantastical stories due to the nature of the Season but also, how quirkily this Season attracts Fantasy plots and creatures! It is oft the setting for stories within the genre and happily, I have found a lot of writers have a deep well of creative spirit to get us to reside within their visions!

I keep a ready eye on the anthology releases by this lovely publisher, as the previous serial anthology releases by Rhonda Parrish (mentioned below) are my *absolute favourites* by far, but they have new frontiers of interest which are equally percolating my eye of notice, such as their incredible undertaking of translating the anthology Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World by writers hailing from Brazil and Portugal. Solarpunk itself is a sub-genre interest of my own – I have a healthy appetite for SpecLit which focuses on environmental concerns with a prime focus of renewing energy, green lifestyle practices and a way ‘forward’ rather than ‘backwards’ where we do less harm to our biosphere than we have in the past.

This is what is said on behalf of this anthology:

Imagine a sustainable world, run on clean and renewable energies that are less aggressive to the environment. Now imagine humanity under the impact of these changes. This is the premise Brazilian editor Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro proposed, and these authors took the challenge to envision hopeful futures and alternate histories. The stories in this anthology explore terrorism against green corporations, large space ships propelled by the pressure of solar radiation, the advent of photosynthetic humans, and how different society might be if we had switched to renewable energies much earlier in history. Originally published in Brazil and translated for the first time from the Portuguese by Fábio Fernandes, this anthology of optimistic science fiction features nine authors from Brazil and Portugal including Carlos Orsi, Telmo Marçal, Romeu Martins, Antonio Luiz M. Costa, Gabriel Cantareira, Daniel I. Dutra, André S. Silva, Roberta Spindler, and Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro.

Likewise, World Weaver Press has also put together their own release: Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers which has me equally excited!

If you feel equally tempted by a pro-positive approach to the ‘future’ here is what is being expressed on behalf of this riveting new anthology which could serve as a lovely companion to the Solarpunk in-translation which released prior to this title:

The seventeen stories in this volume are not boring utopias—they grapple with real issues such as the future and ethics of our food sources, the connection or disconnection between technology and nature, and the interpersonal conflicts that arise no matter how peaceful the world is. In these pages you’ll find a guerilla art installation in Milan, a murder mystery set in a weather manipulation facility, and a world where you are judged by the glow of your solar nanite implants. From an opal mine in Australia to the seed vault at Svalbard, from a wheat farm in Kansas to a crocodile ranch in Malaysia, these are stories of adaptation, ingenuity, and optimism for the future of our world and others. For readers who are tired of dystopias and apocalypses, these visions of a brighter future will be a breath of fresh air.

In a nutshell – the stories being curated by World Weaver Press literally do leave me feeling more appreciative for the positive undertones they are seeking to etch into their anthologies – as even across the board within the Rhonda Parrish anthologies, I am finding the same to be true of her curated stories! This is why during #WyrdAndWonder, I wanted to take a proper moment to highlight their efforts for continuing to seek out and publish the fantastical stories we all adore discovering whilst giving us a heady read to contemplate harder thematics and the underscored realities of our contemporary world!

Frozen Fairy Tales

Winter is not coming. Winter is here. As unique and beautifully formed as a snowflake, each of these fifteen stories spins a brand new tale or offers a fresh take on an old favorite like Jack Frost, The Snow Queen, or The Frog King. From a drafty castle to a blustery Japanese village, from a snow-packed road to the cozy hearth of a farmhouse, from an empty coffee house in Buffalo, New York, to a cold night outside a university library, these stories fully explore the perils and possibilities of the snow, wind, ice, and bone-chilling cold that traditional fairy tale characters seldom encounter.

In the bleak midwinter, heed the irresistible call of fairy tales. Just open these pages, snuggle down, and wait for an icy blast of fantasy to carry you away. With all new stories of love, adventure, sorrow, and triumph by Tina Anton, Amanda Bergloff, Gavin Bradley, L.A. Christensen, Steven Grimm, Christina Ruth Johnson, Rowan Lindstrom, Alison McBain, Aimee Ogden, J. Patrick Pazdziora, Lissa Marie Redmond, Anna Salonen, Lissa Sloan, Charity Tahmaseb, and David Turnbull to help you dream through the cold days and nights of this most dreaded season.

Published by World Weaver Press in association with Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine.

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 978-0692576076

on 10th November, 2015

Pages: 243

Published By: World Weaver Press (@WorldWeaver_wwp)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Ebook

Genre(s): Speculative | Fantasy | Folklore

Fairy Tale | Mythology | Cosy and not so Cosy Horror

Anthologies I’ve happily read by World Weaver Press:

FAE (see also Review)

CORVIDAE (see also Review)

SCARECROW (see also Review)

→ (forthcoming review) Far Orbit: Apogee | Synopsis

→ Rhonda Parrish anthologies I am itching to read next: SIRENS (Synopsis) + EQUUS (Synopsis)

→ For audiobook lovers who appreciate the art of colouring as they are listening to their audiobooks, I was happily surprised to learn there is a companion *colouring!* book for this series!

About Kate Wolford

Kate Wolford is a university lecturer and anthologist living in the Midwest. Fairy tales are her specialty. Previous books include Beyond the Glass Slipper: Ten Neglected Fairy Tales to Fall in Love With and Krampusnacht: Twelve Nights of Krampus, both published by World Weaver Press. She maintains a blogazine, Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine, at fairytalemagazine.com.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

#WyrdAndWonder

Posted Wednesday, 30 May, 2018 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, After the Canon, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cosy Horror, Earthen Magic, Fairy Tale Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore, Folklore and Mythology, Futuristic Fantasy, Greek Mythology, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Inspired by Stories, Re-Told Tales, Speculative Fiction, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event, World Weaver Press

Blog Book Tour | “The Invisible Hand” (Act I of Shakespeare’s Moon series) by James Hartley The first sequence of a 5 act series re-spinning the elemental aesthetics of #Shakespeare into new stories of #YALit!

Posted Sunday, 25 March, 2018 by jorielov Heart of Winter, James Hartley, John Hunt Publishing, LibriVox, Lodestone Books, Macbeth, Shakespeare's Moon series, The Crowns of Croswald, The Invisible Hand, William Shakespeare 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I started hosting for Rachel’s Random Resources at the end of [2017] booking several guest features for [2018] whilst noting I had a lovely opportunity to review a novel for one of the New Year’s tours. This blog tour marks my second with this touring company, as Rachel and I met through my chat #ChocLitSaturday which has since been renewed @SatBookChat! I look forward to spotlighting her authors, conversing with them and seeing how they respond to my guest topics. I may review a book here or there, but as most of her authors are in the UK / Europe market, I mostly was excited to cheer for their stories whilst awaiting to gather their stories stateside in print or audio.

I received a complimentary copy of “The Invisible Hand” direct from the author James Hartley in exchange for an honest review. I also received a complimentary copy of the audiobook “Heart of Winter” in exchange for an honest review not connected with this blog tour but for a secondary showcase forthcoming on Jorie Loves A Story. I added thoughts and reflections on behalf of the prequel “Heart of Winter” for my own edification and as it ran concurrent to my primary focus of featuring “The Invisible Hand” for this blog tour. For my own insight and understanding, I listened to the public domain version of ‘Macbeth’ via LibriVox (on their website) which features audiobooks of Classical Literature (see also Page). I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I was excited to be reading this series:

I couldn’t agree with you more – as atmospheric elemental components are what I personally feel attracted to myself whenever I am seeking a particularly compelling story to read set in the Gothic style or a certain sub-niche of Historical Fiction. Classical re-tellings, psychological suspense, Cosy Horror or a few other areas where writers can bend genre to their own will of imagination whilst evoking such a strong presence of how atmospheric under-threads of narrative tone can not only set a reader straight into the story’s setting itself but it can become evocative of the textural edges of how the writer envisioned his or her story to be read and seen.

Yes, I concur – one of the joys of reading Shakespeare is seeking the ‘questions’ he’s asking of us as we read. If we’re intuitive readers we’ll notice how he’s left a lot of doors open for interpreting his motives whilst he also paints strong clues towards where his own mind and heart were directing his own literary muse to tread. The joy for me (of course) is sorting it all out – whilst being caught up inside the ‘ways in which’ he chose to write his stories. He had a unique grasp of how a story could be constructed but it’s how he layered it all – how he fused the craft from what had come before and re-shaped it to be seen through the execution of plays and sonnets.

I think this is actually the beauty of what you’ve set out to achieve – an after canon focus on the stories themselves but without a direct adaptation of the ‘story’ as it once was envisioned but rather, to take those elements out of context and re-alight them in a new thread of enlightenment for younger readers who are drawn towards those elements by Shakespeare but perhaps, would rather have a taste of them in a different construction of story altogether. It is also a lovely bridge for the hesitations younger readers might feel in attempting to dig directly in Shakespeare. I know not all readers find challenges in literature as enjoyable as I once did myself or rather, as I continue to find as can we ever really say we’re done challenging our literary inclinations? I think not!

-quoted from the Guest Post I hosted on behalf of this blog tour to learn the *inspiration* behind this story & how Mr Hartley has found writerly joy in re-inventing how to fuse Shakespearean elements into a newly invented world for younger readers who might not have graduated into the original canon.

The Invisible Hand
Subtitle: Shakespeare's Moon : Act 1
by James Hartley
Source: Author via Rachel's Random Resources, Librivox | Public Domain Audiobooks
Narrator: James Hartley

The Invisible Hand is about a boy, Sam, who has just started life at a boarding school and finds himself able to travel back in time to medieval Scotland. There he meets a girl, Leana, who can travel to the future, and the two of them become wrapped up in events in Macbeth, the Shakespeare play, and in the daily life of the school.

The book is the first part of a series called Shakespeare´s Moon. Each book is set in the same boarding school but focuses on a different Shakespeare play.

Genres: After Canons, Children's Literature, Classical Literature, Young Adult Fiction

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9781785354984

Also by this author: The Invisible Hand

Published by Lodestone Books

on 27th February, 2017

Format: Audiobook | mp3, Librivox | Public Domain Audiobooks, Trade Paperback

Pages: 168

Published By: Lodestone Books (@JHPChildren)

an imprint of John Hunt Publishing (@JHPFiction)

The series thus far along :

Hartley’s Shakespearean 5 act Quintet (after canon) series ‘Shakespeare’s Moon’

Heart of Winter | prequel to ‘The Invisible Hand’ (Synopsis) → previously an audiobook

The Invisible Hand | inspired by ‘MacBeth’

PlayFight | a short story within the series | Read via Wattpad

Cold Fire | inspired by ‘Romeo & Juliet’ (Synopsis) → #PubDay is 31.Aug.18

Converse via: #Shakespeare #Macbeth & #theclassicsclub

Find out why Mr Hartley claims to have been ‘betwitched’

by the muse behind ‘An Invisible Hand’ + ‘Heart of Winter’.

About James Hartley

James was born on the Wirral, England, in 1973 on a rainy Thursday. He shares his birthday with Bono, Sid Vicious and two even nastier pieces of work, John Wilkes Booth and Mark David Chapman.

His mother was a hairdresser with her own business and his father worked in a local refinery which pours filth into the sky over the Mersey to this day. They married young and James was their first child. He has two younger brothers and a still-expanding family in the area. As an Everton fan he suffered years of Liverpool success throughout the seventies and was thrilled when his father took a job in Singapore and the family moved lock, stock and two smoking barrels to Asia.

He spent five fine years growing up in the city state before returning to the rain, storms, comprehensive schools and desolate beauty of the Scottish east coast. Later years took he and his family to baking hot Muscat, in Oman, and a Syria that has since been bombed off the surface of the planet.

James studied journalism in London and later travelled through Ireland, France, Germany and India generally having a good time, before finally settling in Madrid, Spain, where he now lives with his wife and two children.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | LibraryThing

Posted Sunday, 25 March, 2018 by jorielov in After the Canon, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Children's Literature, Classical Literature, England, Inspired By Author OR Book, Inspired by Stories, Literature for Boys, Rachel's Random Resources, Re-Told Tales, The Writers Life, Writing Style & Voice

Author Guest Post | Jorie shares her bookishly geeky personality whilst celebrating the Bard, MacBeth and giving a hearty glow of light on an after canon author (James Hartley) whose re-inventing how to read #Shakespeare!

Posted Thursday, 22 March, 2018 by jorielov James Hartley, John Hunt Publishing, Lodestone Books, Macbeth, The Invisible Hand, William Shakespeare 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo my dear hearted Classical Shakespearean bookish mates!

(yes, this is a s/o to my lovely #theclassicsclub geeks!)

Says the girl whose all but suffered an EPIC FAIL for her first journey into said Classics Club whilst still attempting to right the stars on her fate of being seriously the most under-read of all clubbers in the Classical stacks! I appear, on the surface of things – wickedly in LOVE with Classical Lit but in the bare bones of trying to *read!* Classical stories – I seem to have opted for the after canons & re-tellings moreso than the original canons – naughty, Jorie! Except, I will soon be making enroads towards fixing this as I have a happy *surprise!* to share with my dear hearted readers of Jorie Loves A Story.. you’ll have to keep a keen eye for my latest #BookishNotBookish post,… that’s all I can disclose at this time!

When it comes to the Bard, I fell hard for his style of Literature as a frustrated freshman (in h.s. you guys, let’s just get that out of the way!) – it was refreshingly brilliant. I was seeking harder lit at the time, having graduated out of my childhood authors & shifting forward straight into a swirling pot of stories from contemporaries such as Clancy (Jack Ryan – OM sweet ghouls, right?); Crichton (the bloke who left hardly a hair on me head from the terror of his thrillers! yet, inspired my LOVE for Science & all things Ian Malcolm! Let’s face it – between the Genetic codes & Chaos Theory I was swooning!) and Grisham (who crushed my soul every single time!) – I was ready for a cosmic shift in my literary choices.

Similar to my lifelong appreciation on behalf of *Jane Austen!* prior to reading her stories – I had a fever of excitement over William Shakespeare. Let’s face – the *language!* and mannerisms of his choices in words & wordplay is enough to convince my younger self his stories would one day touch my heart with fierce admiration. I wasn’t wrong either – except it wasn’t the traditional love affair for Romeo which swooned my heart – instead it was the politico intrigue inside Julius Caesar & the dramatic undertone of Macbeth.

Mind you, I *devoured!* Caesar’s story & I helped the seniors ace their final exams for the latter – without reading the whole play, I only had a single layout (two pages) of the text in which I examined the context & eloquently explained it. I just tapped into the soul of Macbeth – ever since then, I’ve kept the play at an arm’s length. Mostly as whenever you feel so deeply connected to a story or a character – do you dare re-visit it?! I’ve had mixed feelings about this as I’ve previously re-examined stories from the past,..

I leapt into this blog tour before I fully examined the construction of the series Mr Hartley was building because I was wicked impressed by the components he was pulling together – so much so, this was my first reaction after finding out about the tour itself:

I pray I’m in time to join this blog tour — two words: Shakespeare & Macbeth overtures are right up my alley plus this is meant to be an introduction to the Bard for younger readers?! Ooh, my yes! It mentioned there are paperbacks to review on this tour, does that extend to the States?! If so, I’d love to join for a *review!* and a guest feature – I just finished reading “The Seven Sisters” – I sat down at six thirty last night and it’s now nearly 9am…

I love how he’s bringing each play to life through a boarding school setting,…

Shortly hereafter, my paths crossed with Mr Hartley in the twitterverse, however, that particular story will be saved for a latter date! As this post is meant to give him the chance to explain what inspired him to re-direct his own museful creativity into the collective works of the Bard we all know, trust & love as much as readers have for half a millennia. I simply wanted to give a bit of a back-story into how I came to *love!* the Bard myself and why this particular tour held such a strong appeal for becoming a part of as a book blogger.

Find a cosy comfortable place to alight, sip your favourite cuppa tea or java & ENJOY this essay – about a writer who found inspiration within the text & symbolism of MACBETTH.

The Invisible Hand
Subtitle: Shakespeare's Moon : Act 1
by James Hartley

The Invisible Hand is about a boy, Sam, who has just started life at a boarding school and finds himself able to travel back in time to medieval Scotland. There he meets a girl, Leana, who can travel to the future, and the two of them become wrapped up in events in Macbeth, the Shakespeare play, and in the daily life of the school.

The book is the first part of a series called Shakespeare´s Moon. Each book is set in the same boarding school but focuses on a different Shakespeare play.

Genres: After Canons, Children's Literature, Classical Literature, Young Adult Fiction

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9781785354984

Also by this author: The Invisible Hand

on 27th February, 2017

Published By: Lodestone Books (@JHPChildren)

an imprint of John Hunt Publishing (@JHPFiction)

The series thus far along :

Hartley’s Shakespearean 5 act Quintet (after canon) series ‘Shakespeare’s Moon’

Heart of Winter | prequel to ‘The Invisible Hand’ (Synopsis) → previously an audiobook

The Invisible Hand | inspired by ‘MacBeth’

PlayFight | a short story within the series | Read via Wattpad

Cold Fire | inspired by ‘Romeo & Juliet’ (Synopsis) → #PubDay is 31.Aug.18

Converse via: #Shakespeare #Macbeth & #theclassicsclub

Find out why Mr Hartley claims to have been ‘betwitched’

by the muse behind ‘An Invisible Hand’ + ‘Heart of Winter’.

Topic I Proposed to Mr Hartley:

How did you develop your hauntingly ethereal Gothic style of re-interpreting Shakespearean plays? As your stories hone in on the elemental and atmospheric aspects of psychological suspense – what were your inspirations for writing these kinds of after canon sequels on behalf of the Bard? Likewise, is there one of his stories which stands out as being your ultimate favourite?

Posted Thursday, 22 March, 2018 by jorielov in After the Canon, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Children's Literature, Classical Literature, England, Inspired By Author OR Book, Inspired by Stories, Literature for Boys, Rachel's Random Resources, Re-Told Tales, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, The Writers Life, Writing Style & Voice

Author Q&A with audiobook extract | Talking with Dianne Ascroft about what inspired her to base her short story on behalf of a legendary ghost story!

Posted Thursday, 15 March, 2018 by jorielov (Narrator) Elizabeth Klett, An Unbidden Visitor, Dianne Ascroft, Self Published 2 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts,

I found out about this blog tour nearly too late to become a part of it – as I hadn’t been reading my newsletters recently. I had a lot going on the first quarter of 2018, which I why I am still working on my self-directed Feminist reads even as half of March has already become erased off the clock! You’ll be seeing more posts arriving which feature strong women – either in narratives which held me to the page, in audiobooks which gave me a wicked good story to feel enveloped inside or Non-Fiction stories which celebrate #WomensHistory and/or memoirs of women who are trying to share their lives, faith and the ways in which they drew strength through living their authentic life.

Imagine, then – as I was looking forward to settling into these stories, I pulled open a newsletter for the lovely Audiobookworm tours and discovered there was a *ghost!* story coming up for March! I was overly excited – as I still remember the joy of settling into the Ghost Stories by Edith Wharton – a special inter-library loan – as it was the first time I had started to seek out the stories I wanted to read through my participation in The Classics Club.

I even spoke a bit about why I love organic ghost stories or those stories which are paranormally inclined on a recent post where I showcased my first vlog interview. I love seeking out Gothic Literature as well – as there is something special about the manners in which the stories are written. A well-told ghost story in my opinion is the one where there is a firm suspension of reality and the supernatural – where you could literally either see the story going in two different directions by it’s conclusion (ie. either it will be explained or remain unexplained) or you feel so fully removed from everything you thought you knew about what is known in the world to where you believe strongly in the elements of the story by how it’s been presented.

There is a lot about the paranormal to explore – not just in ghost stories, but in the lore & legends behind the stories themselves. I would have signed on to listen to this audiobook but I was a wee bit late in getting my request submitted – which is why I have the delightful pleasure of featuring a conversation with the author, Ms Ascroft about what inspired her to write a short story on behalf of such a well-known story of lore!

I know this is one short story on audiobook I’ll be seeking out to listen to as soon as I can – as after I listened to the sampler, there was *something!* quite lovely about how the narrator (Elizabeth Klett) approached this narration! You feel so immediately drawn into the story – not only due to her voice or her articulation of the story-line but because of how she delivers the lines and evokes such a strong presence within this world you want to step inside!

Be kind to yourself – brew yourself a cuppa & settle in for a wicked good convo!

A short story inspired by Northern Ireland’s famous Cooneen ghost.

A tale of family, friends, and fear….

And the unnatural force that threatens to ruin everything….

March 1913: Struggling to make ends meet, widow Bridget Murphy finds life in rural Ireland difficult, raising six children while farming her small acreage. With the help of neighbors and friends, Bridget is able to cope with the many arduous tasks and chores required of her.

When an unnatural and terrifying force invades their house, threatening their family, Bridget is surprised to see so many backs turning on her. Fearing for themselves, those she once counted on for help and support will not risk their safety for her. Father Smyth, their priest, is the only one who stands alongside their family in the battle against the uninvited and fearsome poltergeist. But, prayers alone won’t run the farm. Will Bridget find a way to save her home and her family before there’s nowhere left to turn?

Posted Thursday, 15 March, 2018 by jorielov in Audiobookworm Promotions, Blog Tour Host, Ghost Story, Ghosts & the Supernatural, Gothic Literature, Gothic Mystery, Haunting & Ethereal, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Inspired by Stories, Ireland, Parapsychological Suspense, Re-Told Tales, Reader Submitted Q&A, Self-Published Author, Suspense

Blog Book Tour | “Beauty and Her Boss” (Book One: Once Upon A Fairy Tale) by Jennifer Faye a selection of #Harlequin Romance

Posted Monday, 5 March, 2018 by jorielov Beauty and Her Boss, Becoming Beauty, Harlequin Books, Jennifer Faye, Once Upon A Fairy Tale series 2 Comments

Acquired Book By: I started hosting with Prism Book Tours at the end of [2017], having noticed the badge on Tressa’s blog (Wishful Endings) whilst I was visiting as we would partake in the same blog tours and/or book blogosphere memes. I had to put the memes on hold for several months (until I started to resume them (with Top Ten Tuesday) in January 2018). When I enquried about hosting for Prism, I found I liked the niche of authors and stories they were featuring regularly. I am unsure how many books I’ll review for them as most are offered digitally rather than in print but this happily marks one of the blog tours where I could receive a print book for review purposes. Oft-times you’ll find Prism Book Tours alighting on my blog through the series of guest features and spotlights with notes I’ll be hosting on behalf of their authors.

I received a complimentary copy of “Beauty and Her Boss” direct from the author Jennifer Faye in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I wanted to read this story:

To be honest – I was hoping this was a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast – as I have been in love with this particular fairy tale for a long time! I still remember going to see the famed animated version starring Angela Lansbury as Mrs Potts as a young girl! The recently adapted live-action with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens not only captured my heart but it truly captured my emotions! I had the hardest time ‘letting go’ of the Beast – to where, I understood why Emma’s character instinctively mentioned she’d prefer if he had a ‘beard’ now that he was transformed back to being a human!

Over the years of being a book blogger, one of the joys has been seeking out aspects of literary adaptation which has held a special interest to me as a reader. Re-tellings, re-envisionings and sequels based upon original canons of work has been a bit of a niche of mine to seek out. Which is why, this isn’t my first re-telling of Beauty and the Beast – as I truly loved Becoming Beauty by Sarah E. Boucher wherein I shared this takeaway:

Boucher does a brilliant job of counter-balancing the fairy-tale narrative we all know as Beauty & the Beast with a new curtain of insight into how Bella fits within the story arc of where the Beast’s presence is going to lead her towards the best discovery of all: seeing herself for the first time without a cloud of untruth glossing over her infractions and faults of character. The ruminative lingering thoughts and the flashbacks of another life having lived before her, I appreciated seeing where the original tale and this one merged into one; granting a stronger impression of the Beast’s devotion and a curious itch into how Bella could befall under the bewitching dreams of a woman who had not yet let go of her beloved Beast.

I simply adore style of conception and creation of fairy-tale re-tellings by Ms. Boucher, who breathes not only new life into a tale you know by heart but she gives a warranted exploration of the depth of the characters therein. Her own imaginative heart is both full of moxie and a redefinition of the classical canon of how a fairy-tale can be seen through the eyes of someone who believes there is a bit more depth out of the superficiality of misguided souls. She transitions herself into a niche of the world of Fantasy and has fully convinced me to keep my eye on her next releases where she embodies her tagline: Bringing Twisted Fairy-Tales to Life.

-quoted from my review of Becoming Beauty

The unique spin on this ‘beauty’ and ‘beast’ story is how the characters are put together – the beastly hero was injured in a serious car accident and his ‘beauty’ is under his employ but they share a past neither of them fully realises until the climatic moment wherein they must decide if they should stay in each others’ lives; at least, this is how the Author’s Note reads to me!

The joy of hosting for Prism these past several months has been a return to reading Harlequin authors – whilst becoming better acquainted with the imprints I hadn’t previously known. Their Romance imprint is one I hadn’t explored previously – finding a re-telling as my first ‘introduction’ to the imprint is quite stellar if you ask me! I am looking forward to seeing what else Ms Faye has in store for all of us whilst she evolves through this series!

Beauty and Her Boss
Subtitle: Once Upon A Fairy Tale
by Jennifer Faye
Source: Author via Prism Book Tours

An innocent beauty, a scarred hero...

Could she be the one to open up his heart?

Handsome but guarded former Hollywood star Deacon Santoro prefers the confines of his mansion since an accident left him scarred both inside and out. But he promised to protect sparky beauty Gabrielle Dupre, his new PA. Can Gabrielle convince Deacon that love will give them the fairy-tale ending they deserve?

Genres: Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945), Contemporary Romance, Re-telling &/or Sequel

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

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ISBN: 978-1335135049

Also by this author: Miss White and the Seventh Heir, Heiress's Royal Baby Bombshell, Carrying the Greek Tycoon's Baby, Claiming the Drakos Heir, Wearing the Greek Millionaire's Ring (Spotlight), Wearing the Greek Millionaire's Ring , Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise, The Prince and the Wedding Planner, Christmas in Bayberry, Love Blooms

Also in this series: Miss White and the Seventh Heir

Published by Harlequin Books

on 6th March, 2018

Format: Paperback Edition

Pages: 256

Published by: Harlequin Books (@HarlequinBooks)

Formats Available: Ebook and Paperback

Next in series: Sage and Quinton’s story: Miss White and the Seventh Heir

According to the novel, this is meant to be a duet rather than a mini-series – I initially thought there were several upcoming novels – however, it is apparently more akin to a duology with a slight difference. As a duology has two linking stories which are in essence part one and part two of a continuing story-line; a duet are two stand-alone stories which are linked by theme or setting; in this case, re-tellings of Classical Fairy Tales.

Converse via: #Contemporary #Romance & #Harlequin

About Jennifer Faye

Award-winning author, Jennifer Faye pens fun, heartwarming contemporary romances with rugged cowboys, sexy billionaires and enchanting royalty. Internationally published with books translated into nine languages. She is a two-time winner of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Award, named a TOP PICK author, and been nominated for numerous other awards.

Posted Monday, 5 March, 2018 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Castles & Estates, Contemporary Romance, Family Life, Fathers and Daughters, Indie Author, Inspired by Stories, Life Shift, Prism Book Tours, Re-Told Tales, Romance Fiction, Second Chance Love