Category: Debut Novel

Jorie’s Box of Joy No.3 : High Fantasy, Historical Suspense, and a jolt of inspirational fiction!

Posted Tuesday, 13 May, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Jorie's Box of Joy | A Feature of Jorie Loves A Story

One of the happiest moments for a book blogger is eagerly going to their postbox & seeing what delightfully wicked print books have arrived for their reading pleasure! I have always held a keen interest in postal mail, being a long-term postal letter correspondent which has given me such a heart of joy seeing envelopes & bundles of love arrive from dear friends around the world. Imagine my new excitement in seeing the books I am reviewing arriving by publisher, author, publicist, or literary agent! Such an exciting new chapter in postal splendor!

I have been wanting to blog about my excitement about being placed on certain blog tours and/or in receiving books for review direct from authors, publishers, or publicists. I originally came across a weekly meme on Mondays entitled Mailbox Monday and you could say, that my new feature on Jorie Loves A Story is an extended idea from the original! Except to say, with one minor switch-up! Although I attempt to write down when books arrive by Post, I am never quite as certain when the books arrive as I am always reading the next book in hand! Therefore, please join me as I get excited about the books on my shelf which are next in line to read!

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Chain of Mercy by Brenda Anderson

As I outlined in my Interview with Ms. Anderson the best joy any book blogger can have prior to reading a novel is being clued into the process the writer took towards publication! In this way, I feel double-blessed to not only be a part of my first Author Street Team to help get the word out about their novels and writing style, but to have watched the genesis of Anderson’s journey as aspiring writer to published author! As I start to soak into Chain of Mercy, I will be reflective of how I learnt about her blog as much as how I started to get to know her through the blog posts she shares with the world. In her debut novel, she tackles hard-hitting circumstances that start to have a ripple effect on the people who are involved and engaged in the drama. What I appreciated is finding out that she does not back down from writing about topics and subjects that others might shy away from as I always felt that one thing inspirational fiction sometimes misses the boat to include are honest & real story-lines with characters facing real-life issues in an endearingly honest way. Everyone is going through something at some point in their lives but I believe that if writers stitch in the ability to see that all of life is possible with faith, than a greater good is being served than only writing stories which gloss over the more poignant of narratives.

The book cover of Chain of Mercy is matte not glossy finish, and I like that as it has a different texture to most softcover editions! When I first pulled the book out of the parcel it arrived in I had thought the book cover might have been off-setted to appear as a sepia photograph. There is a Discussion Guide & Acknowledgements section in the back of the novel as well as a Dedication in the front. To me the image on the front of the cover makes me curious a bit more about the phrase of the title ‘chain of mercy’ and how a simple chain with a key fits into the heart of the story?

My review posts on Sunday, 18th of May, whereas my Interview with Ms. Anderson posts on Tuesday, 13th of May!

Chimerical World Vol 1 Anthology by Seventh Star Press
Artwork Credit by: Enggar Adirasa

When Seventh Star Press (an Indie Publisher I regularly review for through the blog touring & social media promotion company: Tomorrow Comes Media; of whom I highly recommend any reader to look into reviewing for as they offer a review to read programme) sets to mind to create an anthology they never fail to impress me with their ability to bring together cutting-edge writers with stories that alight in the imagination of a reader’s soul. My first fantasy anthology read and reviewed (coincidentally!) was on behalf of Chronicles of Ave by Stephen Zimmer. In this selection of mine to read next, after having appreciated a short story by Michael Cross in another Indie Press anthology I chose to focus on my love of faeries & fey folk! (note to the Editor Sandridge, I never did know the right way to have spelt ‘faeries’ so I thank him for the Foreward!) I am not sure how there is a misunderstanding about the personalities of the fey or of how they are not always as endearing as Tinkerbell as let’s face it, she was one particular kind of faerie but not the norm by a long shot! What I appreciate about the fey is there ability to transform our understanding of their culture and habits by presenting their uniqueness through the different writers who pen their stories.

I love seeing the cover art illustrations and designs of Seventh Star Press book covers as they always include full illustrative covers as well as illustrative plates within their releases; with the exception of this anthology which does not have plates inside to correlate with the shorts.

My review posts on Monday, 19th of May, alongside my Interview with Mr. Sandridge, the editor of the anthology!

The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose

I have truly undertaken reading the Reincarnationist series a wee bit late in the game as far as my book review for The Collector of Dying Breaths is concerned, but I am a determined optimist who believes that as long as their are hours left to read there is time enough to drink through a series which has bewitched my attention for several years now! When I first took note that this particular book was going to go on tour, the only thing I had to sort out was if I could read the entire series in time to tour with France Book Tours OR with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours — I chose the latter as the time schedule fit my reading schedule a bit easier! I am thankful to tour with such beautiful blog touring companies who give their book bloggers & readers the ability to not only discover unknown writers but to review for well-established writers we are just on the brink of knowing ourselves! In this, my gratitude is always theirs for giving us these opportunities! What sparked my interest is the aspect of reincarnation stitched into the series as a whole as I used to collect books on reincarnation when The Reincarnation Library was still in existence, which was a small publisher who curated titles which had fallen out of print and then, re-issued the books in such lovely editions as cloth-bound hardback copies! The titles were both non-fiction and fiction dealing with as many different aspects of reincarnation as you could be happenstance to stumble across! In the series Rose has created, the idea of coming across tools to add one’s memory of past lives is more than tempting to explore!

My review posts on Friday, 30th of May, whereas my Interview with M.J. Rose posts on Monday, 19th of May one day after the Bout of Books 10.0 readathon concludes in which I read the entire Reincarnationist series!

A Mage of None Magic by A. Christopher Drown
Artwork Credit: A. Christopher Drown

Ever since I first heard of this particular tale arriving via Seventh Star Press in late 2013, I have been on pins awaiting its release! I had no idea what to expect since I first read the premise of the tale inside its covers, so when I saw the book emerge out of the book parcel I received (as all three of these SSP titles arrived together!) I was pleasantly surprised by the cover art & the girth of the story! I am always happily surprised to pull a book out of its package and finding rather joyfully that the depth of length is far longer than I had predicted! I love long stories as I love to get to know characters and spend a proper age visiting with them! With fantasy stories, you truly need the length in order to soak into the author’s breadth of work, and I do not think I will be disappointed by Drown’s début! I love the suspense of the shot you find yourself looking into,… from the bloke on the left casting his sights out to sea, and how the lighthouse reflects the light whilst the moon is clearly visible in the upper left corner? Tall ships and a story shrouded in myth! What more could you hope to find in a début novel? I still remember the first Imaginairum Twitter Party in November 2013 when we all came together to chat about writing, creativity, and the pending celebration of a new kind of bookish convention centered on the joy of story-telling in all its mediums. It was in this Twitter Party I had the pleasure of interacting with the author, and sadly I have not seen another Twitter Party engaged with the convention at the time of this writing. I think it would be a great resource to unite writers who want to attend the convention but also with getting in touch with fellow writers, book bloggers, and readers. Conversations always open doors and on that level, I am thankful it opened the door for me to discover a new author of high fantasy!

I elected to post an Interview with the author, A. Christopher Drown instead.

Awesome Jones by AshleyRose Sullivan
Artwork Credit: AshleyRose Sullivan

I am not sure about you but whenever I find a genre-bender author who is going to put together two seemingly diverse methodologies of story-telling together I get all giddy with excitement at the prospect of reading their stories! In this particular case, around the time I learnt of A Mage of None Magic, I caught wind of a Press Release for Awesome Jones! And, lucky me this makes my third blog tour with TCM within the same week of hosting the anthology! If all bodes well, in a new-future installment of this feature I will be chattering about Hero’s Best Friend! (the latest fantasy anthology I signed up to tour!) Although I like to dig below the superficial level of all stories, you have to admit: Awesome Jones is a strong spitfire sounding name that begs to have a heroine worthy of Lara Croft OR James Bond! I am an appreciator of old-school comics and action heroes. Think Burt Ward, Adam West, and Christopher Reeves. Subtract every Bond except for Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, or George Lazenby and you know how I roll with my smashingly strong heroes! You could even backtrack through my SFN (Sci-Fi November/Month) posts and see a thread of connection between the iconic pop cultural attachments I am passionate for and the particular bent on original contributions therein that I stand by and defend. As soon as I freed this book from its parcel I *had!* to take a peek into its covers!! I held the breath of excitement Lois Lane from The New Adventures of Super-Man might have held captive as she exhaled a glimpse inside,… comic illustrations beseeched me eyes and an adventurous narrative glistened in reflective light!

My review posts on Thursday, 22nd of May.

Daughter of the Gods by Stephanie Thornton

Normally when I seek out an author I am going to review a book of on Twitter, I am curious to know a bit more about them as a person, as a writer, and technically to see what they tweet about in general! I think that is simply human nature to be ‘curious’! What I happily found whilst visiting the feeds of Ms. Thornton is that she’s a fellow Whovian who *gets my passion!* for Doctor Who! We were exchanging regular tweets in an on-going conversation about all things Whovian, until my personal life started to interfere with my blog life and thus, my tweets started to disappear in regularity! I am hoping she did not think I stopped the conversation full-stop for any other reason, as when I saw The Day of the Doctor (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special) arrive via my local library, she was one of two people I wanted to tell! (Violet Patterson being the first!) However, since its arrived I have not even had a free moment to watch it and very well could boomerang back into my hold queue! Hence the reason I have not tweeted as I did not want to disappoint either one of them! Meanwhile, this beautiful book arrived which an Egyptian gracing the cover who made me wonder why I ever decided ‘not’ to study Egyptology (until of course I remember what happens when you explore tombs…)! I have been wanting to break out of my rhythm of reading Victorian & Regency historical novels and sink my teeth into eras and epochs of history which used to whet a strong palette of interest as a child and as a young adult. This selection I made is my way of saying there is no time like the present to discover an author who has the knack for bringing the past forward into the present in a visceral way as to leave you wanton for more! And, perhaps I can pick up our Whovian convo as soon as I discover what happens between my beloved Matt Smith and my newly beloved David Tennant! (come now! I cannot be the first Whovian who lost her heart to one Doctor only to be taken by surprise by another?) And, can I just say the Egyptians would *love and adore!* all the Whovian’s who chatter endlessly about which Doctor they prefer over the other and of whom has won the best affection overall!

My review posts on Friday, 23rd of May.

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I positively love receiving books straight from authors in exchange for honest reviews, and the three books I am about to mention next hold a special place in my heart, as two of them were previously only released in e-book format and one I was scheduled to review for a follow-up tour of the first novel which was unfortunately cancelled. Never one to give up hope when one is determined to read a book, I always light a candle that one day all the lovely stories I hope to read will one day alight in my hands. Here is a story of three such stories:

Loves Promises by Sandra Leesmith
Artwork Credit: Lena Goldfinch

I hosted Ms. Leesmith on my blog for a Book Cover Reveal (E-book ahead of Print Edition) as well as for a lovely Green Publishing Author Interview focused showcase where I researched green-minded publishing practices and knitted together the theme of thinking green within the context of the story which contains environmental conservation, preservation, and green building practices. Imagine my pure joy in finding out that the book not only went to print, but I had a spark of inspiration for the author to re-consider the book going into print publication! Seeing the book arrive by Post was a true blessing all the way around, and I cannot wait to soak into the story now that I have felt as though I have followed it from e-book debut to print edition unveiling! I was even blessed with the author’s whose quotation about the novel is featured on the back-cover (Ms. Julie Lessman) to have made a stop during her time on my blog! I had not known of their connection to each other or to Seekerville which is an author group blog that I used to frequent! Thankfully, included in the back pages of this edition are the titles of Ms. Leesmith’s back-list which blessedly are all available in print editions! Including the two books which are connected to this one in a series: Love’s Refuge & Love’s Miracles! The book cover is matte and I must confess I am starting to love the texture differences between glossy & matte! The colours are brilliantly brought to life and I did not notice any variance between the e-book cover & the print edition as the book looks exactly as I thought it would once it was in my hands!

My review is forthcoming this Summer! on the 28th of July, 2014!

Portals, Passages, & Pathways by B.R. Maul

I have equally spent quite a lot of time with Portals, Passages, & Pathways as I was given the lovely opportunity to host the author for both a Guest Post on his inspiration for creating the world of Magnanthia as much as host a Book Spotlight Announcement to get the word out about this in-depth debut fantasy novel! I felt a connection to the premise as it was given to me in consideration for hosting the author on my blog, and from that moment forward I have felt like I took a journey with this book as much as I had with Ms. Leesmith’s! This novel was originally intended only to be released in e-book format, but thankfully made it into print edition, which is why I am ever so thankful to have received a copy for review! The cover art illustration is even more eye-popping in person, and you quite literally feel as though you could just ‘jump through the portal’ and join them! A Table of Contents helps get you oriented a bit, but the best bit of all is the girth: 470 pages! One of the best moments for me as a book blogger is when I can start to become a book cheerleader on an author’s behalf! Where I get excited about their journey & their experiences towards publication as much as being able to rally behind them as they take their first tentative steps out into the world of readership and audience! Which leads me to my next book I want to feature today as it has a story about how it arrived by Post as well!

My review will post in mid-to-late July!

The Dragon's Pawn by Mitchell S. Karnes

I participated in the first book (The Pact) of the Canaanshade Journeys series blog tour with TLC Book Tours and was scheduled to participate in the sequel The Dragon’s Pawn tour as well. Except to say the tour was unexpectedly cancelled, and although tours have become cancelled in the past, this was one of two books I recently contacted the author personally to see what might have caused the cancellation. The other book is Uncovering Cobbogoth in which I will host & review for the publisher Cedar Fort Publishing & Media. On behalf of The Dragon’s Pawn I was first compelled to request this sequel due to a note which was left in the comment threads by the author himself of my original review. There were bits and bobbles of the story as far as general scope, layering, and back-story I was not privy too nor able to deduce from my readings of the first installment to make a clear impression of where the book series was heading or why certain elements of the first book were necessary to be included. From the author’s response I felt compelled as a reader and as a book blogger to request a reading of the sequel, so that I could continue to read the next in the series as a way to become better acquainted with the author’s vision and thereby perhaps reforming my original perceptions therein. The Dragon’s Pawn by Mitchell S. Karnes, is the sequel to The Pact which I reviewed for TLC Book Tours earlier this year, and for which I am blessed to have received to review as it truly is one book that I am especially grateful has come back into my life. Sometimes we find the stories within the books are only half of the message and sometimes certain books need a second reading to better understand their heart.

My review will post on Tuesday, 17th of June.

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Cross-posted with Mailbox Monday (a weekly meme) on Monday, 12th of May where book bloggers & readers alike share their inbound books for review, newly purchased books, or otherwise added to their shelves to read. Conversing via: #MailboxMonday My feature was inspired by Mailbox Monday, however as I am always in throes of reading books for review and/or borrowing books from my library, I am never quite as certain which week the books have arrived!

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A Must Read: The Reincarnationist Series by M.J. Rose via Book Candy Studios

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{SOURCES: Jorie Loves A Story badge created by Ravven with edits in Fotoflexer by Jorie. Chain of Mercy book cover was provided by Brenda S. Anderson for both review and promotion; used with permission. A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court, Awesome Jones, & A Mage of None Magic book covers were provided by Tomorrow Comes Media for promotion and review; used with permission. The Collector of Dying Breaths & Daughter of the Gods book covers were provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for promotion and review; used with permission. Love’s Promise book cover was provided by Editing Through the Seasons & Sandra Leesmith for promotion and review; used with permission. Portals, Passages, & Pathways book cover provided by JKS Communications & B.R. Maul for review and promotion; used with permission. The Dragon’s Pawn book cover provided by Mitchell S. Karnes for review and promotion; used with permission. The book trailer for The Reincarnationist series via Book Candy Studios had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it. Tweets embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Tuesday, 13 May, 2014 by jorielov in Anthology Collection of Stories, Blog Tour Host, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Earthen Magic, Editing Through The Seasons, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Gothic Literature, High Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Thriller Suspense, Jorie's Box of Joy, Reincarnation, Short Stories or Essays, Street Team for Author, Tomorrow Comes Media

+Book Review+ Gilded Feathers [book one: of the Gilded Feathers series] by J. Woods

Posted Monday, 12 May, 2014 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

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Gilded Feathers by J. Woods

Self-Published: J. Woods () 30 October, 2013 (e-book version)
Official Author WebsitesSite | Facebook | Twitter
Converse via: #GildedFeathers
Available Formats: E-Book (Soft-cover forthcoming)
Page Count: 341

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Acquired Book By: When I was first approached through the Book Blogging Community by self-published author J. Woods to read her paranormal romance Gilded Feathers I was most esteemed! The story sparked the series which followed known as “the Gilded Feathers” and the premise is quite supernaturally enticing! I received a complimentary ARC direct from the author herself, J. Woods in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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J. WoodsAuthor Biography:

J. Woods is a Toronto based writer, mother, and non-conformist. She lives between the space of her green tea and humming laptop when she isn’t chasing after her free spirited daughter. She has studied too many things to count including radio broadcasting and entrepreneurship. Grasping at sanity, she realized writing stories about her insane thoughts was easier than explaining them to a doctor. Not to mention cheaper.

Book Synopsis:

An alluring choice. A fantastical revelation. But what if it changed… everything? Familiar with the art of the nightmare, twenty-two year old university student Cole Evans can’t help but feel a deep connection to the horrifying illusions of her slumber. Irrevocably drawn to obscure fantasy, Cole faces a defiant temptation of romance and her first encounter with the mysterious Drex. Covered in tattoos, she unexpectedly finds herself attracted to his dark magnetism and emerald eyes. Before her life takes an impossible turn. Uncovering Drex’s true Guardian identity, she is forced on a terrifying journey through the stars into his world – one that brilliantly weaves together the struggle of danger and desire. And the impossible reality of gilded feathers.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comMy Review of Gilded Feathers:

There is an urgency to the author’s opening chapter, where you truly feel empathic towards a character you have only just encountered, without yet knowing a name to the face and feel compelled to protect them outright because they are being violently attacked without cause! Woods finds a way to pull in the audience without having a traditional entrance into the story as you’re led along seeing what the lead character sees in the moment of being cast out in the dark and cold streets where innocent souls are not meant to travel alone. And, yet the opening is just the first portal into how Collette (Cole)’s life is far more unique and layered in mystery than meets the eye!

The one bit I found truly interesting is how Woods chooses to characterise and actualise Cole’s conscience through the symbolism and expression of the devil and angel on her shoulders. To bring out of her head so to speak the thought processes of choosing one action over another and for having a moral marker as a guide-point to know when and where she might be going against her heart and soul. She wants you to understand Cole from the inside-out in order to follow her process of what is happening to her which is not altogether normal or plausible at first. Most of the first half of the book is taken up with the regular goings-on of University life (a la dorm or sorority-type escapades and of girls who are infatuated with their Professors) whilst still providing a glimpse into the mindset of Cole & Chloe and how their friendship works into their dynamic as partners in crime.

The dreams Cole experiences go from brutal physical pain to intense domestic violence by the second attack where she nearly doesn’t escape without injury to both body and spirit. I was having trouble following the story at that point on page 99 as most of what was leading up to that particular moment was her life at the University and sorting out her place within her peer group as much as falling for her Professor. I was at first thinking they might be premonitions or precognitive dreams about other people’s lives but it felt jarring to me to shift from one reality into the reality of the dreams.

I think the story would be better served in the hands of a reader who understands this type of paranormal medium of narrative. I simply could not get my footing to alight where it needed to be in order to best understand the story overall and convey my observations therein. Due to the nature of the story I do not recommend this for young adults as it is is most decidedly adult in content and nature of dialogue.

A notation about YA Paranormal & Adult Paranormal stories:

{a wrinkle or two of a ‘Fly in the Ointment’}

This book blogger has come to the conclusion that she’s a YA Paranormal reader NOT an Adult Paranormal reader, if for the sole reason of avoiding the corrosive language and intense innuendos towards vulgarity, crude humour, and gestures made in the adult side of the paranormal ledger. As I had not had previous knowledge of the main differences between the two branches, I accepted this book for review as well as a few others which are threaded through the categories and Story Vault. To be honest, my own wanderings up until this point were far, far more tame and although contained a heap of heat spun out of love, the less vulgarity of inclusion within a story is the best for me! I’m not a prude, but I’m not a girl who likes to read vulgar words and/or have insinuations that run counter-current to her personal tastes. I erred in this one regard in not realising the differences set to the standard of the two genres, as I suppose I was innocent in thinking that not every paranormal book I’d pick up could possibly have this much vulgarity inside it!

Alas, the books I gravitate towards the most are not only on the cosy side of paranormal (give me ghosts, give me undead spirits who are caught in-between life & death or even humans gifted with parapsychological gifts) but they are the stories which do not make my eyes cringe denoting ‘another’ abrasive expression or word that could quite literally make my great-grandmother question my sensibility! I’d rather read a guttingly honest story with devastatingly horrific drama than any story fitted to the max with words that I do not even use in my everyday life. Words whilst reading them silently still have the innate ability of making my eyes turn to ash as they are read.

Therefore, if I am approached to read Adult Paranormal stories I will whole-heartedly have to turn the offer down on the grounds that I have experienced enough of the genre and have politely moved on. In other words, I will seek out YA Paranormal stories for review instead and keep the few paranormal authors, book series, and stand-alone stories I have thus found to my liking as ones to carry-on forward reading. This is a classic example of ‘to live and to learn’. And, since I am on the subject, I am not even going to broach a breath of an idea at entertaining the notion of “New Adult”! I therefore from this moment onward have updated my Review Policy!

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And, despite saying all of that I am still proud of this collage

I made as a surprise for J. Woods:

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comGilded Feathers series by J. Woods

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comThis book review is courtesy of the author J. Woods.

check out my upcoming bookish events and mark your calendars!

{SOURCES: Book Covers for the Gilded Feathers series, J. Woods  author photograph,  author biography, book synopsis, and series synopsis were provided by Ms. Woods and were used by permission. Collage of the Gilded Feathers series & of the series synopsis created by Jorie in PicMonkey. Book Review badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Monday, 12 May, 2014 by jorielov in Book Review (non-blog tour), Bout of Books, Debut Novel, Fantasy Fiction, Fly in the Ointment, New Adult Fiction, Paranormal Romance, RALs | Thons via Blogs, Romance Fiction, Self-Published Author, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Urban Fantasy, Vulgarity in Literature

#BoutOfBooks 10.0 : Personal Goals & Motivations | M.J. Rose’s historical suspense series & Review Books focused on Romance!

Posted Monday, 12 May, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Bout of Books

As I outlined in my declaration of participation post for Bout 10.0, I am singularly focusing on the entire historical suspense series (the Reincarnationist – six book series) by M.J. Rose! Leading up to my stop on the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour on behalf of book six: “The Collector Of Dying Breaths”. However, I am also concentrating on Romance this week on Jorie Loves A Story, as I am a member of the street team for Brenda Anderson focusing on her début novel “Chain of Mercy” (my first honour of being on an author’s street team!); as well as posting two #ChocLitSaturdays book reviews: “Flight to Coorah Creek” by Janet Gover (selection of 3 May! – which was discussed during the chat) and “The Silent Touch of Shadows” by Christina Courtenay (selection of 10 May! – which was discussed during the chat); a paranormal romance début novel of Indie author J. Woods “Gilded Feathers” arrives late on Monday night, with “The Boleyn Bride” by Tudor author Brandy Purdy arriving on Friday! The extra addition being a fantasy anthology by Indie Publisher (Seventh Star Press) A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court” edited by Scott M. Sandridge! IF anything you will see how much of an eclectic reader I truly am! I will also still host my weekly Saturday morning tweetchat at: twubs.com/choclitsaturdays!

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Personal Goals and Motivations:

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  • Hours Dedicated to Reading (in total): hoping to read at least 12 hours per day!
  • Hours per day slated to Read: will journal each day
  • Starting Hour: the instant I am able to sit & read! :)
  • Ending Hour: 00:00 OR I will be winking to the hooting owls!
  • Books Projected to Read: 11 8 in total; 6 3 M.J. Rose + 5 for review; 1 M.J. Rose is also for review
  • Blog Posts (in total): Book Reviews: Gilded Feathers, Chain of Mercy, The Boleyn Bride, Flight to Coorah Creek, The Silent Touch of Shadows, A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court, The Collector of Dying Breaths (on Tuesday 20 May); plus, Author Interviews and regular Bout’er updates!
  • Post my reactions to each book after I have concluded reading them, because more than anything I want to be wholly enthused about the stories, the characters, and the prose that each writer etches into their books — I want to challenge myself to read as many books as I can but not to the brink where I cannot fully appreciate them. I want to absorb them and allow their worlds to soak through to my mind’s eye. The Reincarnationist series by M.J. Rose will be blogged in full details at a later date, but every other book I am reading has scheduled reviews during the Bout itself, outside of The Collector of Dying Breaths which posts two days after the Bout concludes. Therefore on my daily updates for the Bout itself, will be snippets of my reaction to the series overall.
  • Participate in the Bout of Books community by dropping by fellow participants’ blogs, leaving encouraging commentary, and share in the joy of this intensive week of reading! As well as find challenges to enhance my experience with this wicked sweet group of readers!
    • Blogs I scoped out to visit: Coffee Bean Bookshelf + Read Lately if they are taking part in the Bout?! This list will self-curate as the Bout marches onward! Readerly Musings!
    • I am hoping participants of *10.0* will drop by my blog as well, and in that way, I can get to know the readers who are just as excited about this as I am!
    • Challenges as I participate in them as time allows: ? will populate a list as need be ?
  • Join in on the Twitter chats &/or jump into Bout’er conversations on Twitter spontaneously whilst following the tag: #boutofbooks!

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Read More

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Posted Monday, 12 May, 2014 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Discussions, Bout of Books, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, Historical Thriller Suspense, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Library Love, Paranormal Romance, RALs | Thons via Blogs, Reincarnation, Romance Fiction, Seventh Star Press, Small Towne Fiction, Street Team for Author, Suspense, Time Slip, Tomorrow Comes Media, Tudor Era

+Blog Book Tour+ City of Promises by D. Grant Fitter

Posted Friday, 9 May, 2014 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

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City of Promises by D. Grant Fitter

City of Promises Virtual Tour by Historical Fiction Virtual Tours

Published By: Self-Published, 22 January, 2013
Official Author Websites: Site | Twitter | Facebook
Available Formats: Paperback & E-Book
Page Count: 370

Converse on Twitter: #CityOfPromisesTour

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Acquired Book By:

I was selected to be a tour stop on the “City of Promises” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author D. Grant Fitter, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inspired to Read:

When City of Promises came available to tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I must confess, I was teetering on the edge of saying ‘yes’ to accept this book for review. My only hesitation was due to the fact that I have been to Mexico City and therefore, was uncertain if I could return to a fictional account of the city and maintain my memories of her in the ensuing decades since this particular sliver of the city’s history takes place. In the end, I decided that if I can handle reading about the Jazz Age in America as much as Prohibition and the upturnt tides of Chicago & New York City’s histories, can I can surely handle reading what happened in Mexico City! After all, when I was there the city was undergoing a bit of a Renaissance, in an attempt to re-strengthen the city’s identity as much as to re-define the city itself. It was the heart of the story given inside the premise that pulled at me, and for which I am most anxious to see where the corridors of this particular historical fiction will take me! I am always eager to traverse into the passageways of history that might not always lend a happy ending but will lend itself a portal glimpse into a part of history that needs to be told.

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City of Promises by D. Grant Fitter}: Book Synopsis :{

Is there an economic value of one’s soul? “By divine good fortune I live in the most glamorous era of a famously enticing city. By obscene misfortune I’m shut out by its ruling elite.” Daring ways to make it big are on offer in Mexico City in the 1940s, but best watch your back! If Arturo Fuentes barters virtue to maneuver in on the action, will the consequence of his choices be too much to bear?

The rebirth of one of the world’s most colorful cities forms the rich backdrop for this historically discerning tale of treachery, intrigue and political corruption.

“My entire family was stuck for generations in that isolated village south of Veracruz where I was born. When you’re fourteen, know you are a dreamer and learn to be a schemer, you can’t stay and so you start planning for the day.”

In 1941, 21-year-old Arturo Fuentes followed the beat to Mexico City.

Bottles of rum in smoke filled bars, sultry women and impassioned conversation, music and bright show lights calling. Murder and corruption.

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D. Grant FitterAuthor Biography:

D. Grant Fitter is a citizen of North America. Born in Ontario, Canada and educated in Colorado, USA, he is convinced he was Mexican in his previous life. How else to explain such a strong attraction to Mexico and all things Mexican, including his wife.

His business career includes long stints of work in Mexico before yielding to a pesky urge to pursue freelance journalism for seventeen years. Meanwhile, Fitter’s Mexican roots continued to call. City of Promises is the product of his curiosity to understand why the culture of our close neighbors is so distant from our own.

He lives in Toronto and whenever possible, in a sunny hillside casita in the colonial town of Taxco, Guerrero.

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Mexico & Mexico City in the 1940s:

By all accounts of how Fitter paints the view of Mexico City in the 1940s, there is not much of a difference between life south of the border than it was being lived north of it. A lot of similarities run deep between both countries need for fast living and alcoholic numbing of entertainment exploits. There is a sinister undertone due to how the city is run and how the pulse of who is keeping track of what everyone is up too arcs into a deeper cognition that freedom can become a price too high to pay if your not willing to play by the game already set in motion.

My Review of City of Promises:

I believe what surprised me the most (outside of the style of how the story is told) is how explosive the action occurs with nearly only a faint whisper of acknowledgement. Normally when I am reading a crime centered novel, the action of the crime takes precedence over the character’s journey. In this novel, what I found interesting is that it is the journey of Arturo’s character which is weighted to have more girth to draw a light around than the actual loss of his girlfriend in such a manner as to be repulsive and malicious yet delicate and withdrawn of emotion.

Arturo is a man who wants to become self-made and influential on his own terms, but he is caught inside how territorial his objectives interfere with others who plan to work against his best intentions. We are jettisoned out of the immediate action in the first Chapters and alighted in step with his motivations to offset the instability of his glass company which took a setback when murder arrived at his company’s door. Each step he takes forward, he is inadvertently withdrawing backwards as his actions are thwarted and abated by forces yet known.

The insertion of travel by rails excited me, as I was always attracted to the old fashioned ways of transportation, including having ridden on railways myself as time allowed. The pace of life for Arturo shifts between relaxed enjoyment and bustling vigor when he moves between the world of business and personal comfort. I appreciated the well of history interwoven into the story as much as the necessary ordinary details of placing my mind’s eye in the setting of where City of Promises is set. Fitter gives you enough of a pause to question the motives of most of the characters you are being introduced too, as how to know which character possesses an honest heart and which one has desires that could be less than sincere? Arturo is a man who follows his instincts and does not all0w himself to dawdle in worry or vexation on any blight of woe that crosses his path. He’s forthright and determined to create his own future and his own way of commerce sustainability.

The nightlife in Mexico during the 1940s had as much flair and passion as they had whilst I was visiting in the 1990s, although I took in a tamer version of the dancing offerings as I enjoyed the Flamingo dancers whose eloquence transfixed my eyes and heart. City of Promises illuminates the Rumba and the sensuality of its dancers in comparison to its observers who are caught in the bewitching allure of its dance. Life was lived large in the 1940s where carefree attitude was equally matched with entertainment to cure desire.

In conflict with sorting out his business affairs and following his pursuit of indulgence by way of sultry company, Arturo always came across to me as a man in a proper conflict between the life he dreamt of as a boy and the life he was living as a man. Part of him wanted to live the life of comfort, where desire superseded necessity of work, and the other half of his soul lended itself to being focused on acquisition of prosperity. His classic misstep was not in realising what his own heart desired most for himself. In realising what could provide him with true happiness outside of the scheme of acquiring more wealth and more status. How he could spend his days and hours, fully content and achieve a measure of joy which did not have to be bought, bartered, or exchanged. This is a story of one man’s quest to understand how life is meant to be lived.

Fly in the Ointment:

At first my footing in the novel was a bit off-center, as the flashback is the story itself and the present is taking place in a sort of interrogation between the main protagonist and an investigator. What throw me for a bit of a loop is the insertion of the dialogue exchange between the two gentlemen and the narration of the story being overlayed and cross-sected into each other without a definitive breaking to denote one setting from the other outside of the text being in italics. Once you get a bit further along, you start to see the reasoning for the interruptions as the story is unfolding out of Arturo’s memory and encompassing how he wants to relay what knowledge he has to the police. It’s a unique perspective and one that started to take on its own rhythm. I am unsure if a prompt of a paragraph ahead of Chapter 1 would have eased this for a reader who unsuspecting of the slippings of present time and remembered action would have felt less unsettling. Such as you might find in a Prologue ahead of delving into the heart of the story itself.

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Blog Book Tour Stop, courtesy of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

City of Promises Virtual Tour via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Previously I showcased an Author’s Guest Post by Mr. Fitter

on his inspiration behind the story!

Check out my upcoming bookish events to see what I will be hosting next for

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours - HFVBTand mark your calendars!

{SOURCES: “City of Promises” Book Cover, synopsis, tour badge, author photograph and HFVBT badge were provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and were used by permission. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Friday, 9 May, 2014 by jorielov in 20th Century, Blog Tour Host, Crime Fiction, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Fly in the Ointment, Geographically Specific, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Mexico City, Suspense, the Forties