Category: Feminine Heroism

Author Guest Post | feat. a Top Ten Historical Travel List by Connie Lacy the author of “A Suffragette In Time”

Posted Sunday, 21 November, 2021 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

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Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

Welcome to my tour stop for “A Suffragette in Time”! For my readers who have been visiting with me over the past eight years, they will remember several years ago I stumbled across Feminist Historical Fiction narratives – many of which centred or featured the Suffragette movements – across continents and sometimes took space in different places of the overall story behind the fight for Women’s Rights, Equality and the hard won path all women took to secure a future which had more freedoms than were given in the past. Through those readings, I came to learn about the ‘bigger names’ in the Women’s Rights movements and the lesser known heroes of the movement as well who played key roles in getting our rights to become part of the mainstream conversations.

I won’t lie – some of those stories were challengingly difficult to read due to the content and the honest depictions the authors chose to highlight of those women’s lives whilst at the same time – it was fittingly right to read those narratives at those points in time as I was shifting my focus in Historical Fiction (away from war dramas) and I wanted to dive more into the heart of Historical Women’s Fiction as much as Feminist Historical Fiction. For awhile I took up residence in those stories, most of which as said were based on historical facts, living persons and events which shaped History from a women’s point of perspective.

Other stories I’ve read over the years, touch on those topics but not with such hard-hitting plot points or lead characters as they are more a rounding of History than a living account of History. Hence, when I saw the name of this book going on tour this month and looked at the plot within it – as I have a penchant for travelling through time – whether directly inside a time travelling narrative or by journeying through different portals of historical reference in the stories I’m reading – time has a trifecta in fiction which keenly interests me as a reader. As you can time travel, shift in time (ie. time shift stories) or you can slip in time as well (ie. time slip stories). Whichever way an author chooses to focus on ‘time’, there is a level of immediate curiosity in me to see how they’ve presented that choice and to see how their vision of featuring time in the background of their story percolates through their character’s journey.

For this blog tour, I had intended to interview the author – however, kindly due to my work schedule and catching a 24 hour flu (which if you’ve ever had one yourself, know the recovery isn’t as quick as it attacks you!) — I was grateful the author had a special guest post I could share in lieu of the conversation I was planning to send over for the tour. This is definitely a story I would like to read in future (in a print edition) and hope this Top Ten List might spark interest in you to pick up the story as well. Especially considering there are many points of interest on her route through History which equally intrigue me to visit as well! So happy someone else wanted to spend time with Jane – I’ll be featuring a lot of lovely reviews and ruminations about Austen this December, too – look for my #Austentide features coming soon!

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Author Guest Post | feat. a Top Ten Historical Travel List by Connie Lacy the author of “A Suffragette In Time”A Suffragettte in Time
by Connie Lacy
Source: Author via Lola's Blog Tours

Thrown back in time to the 1850s, Sarah Burns transforms herself into a suffragette. But traveling the speaking circuit can be risky in a time when men believe a woman’s place is in the home. It can be downright dangerous when she shares the stage with anti-slavery activists whose fiery rhetoric triggers violence.

Her uneasy alliance with an arrogant abolitionist may be heading toward romance, but it’s a bumpy road with perilous obstacles, including slave hunters intent on kidnapping anyone they can sell down south. Living with a family operating a station on the Underground Railroad doesn’t make life any easier.

A Suffragette in Time is a fast-paced time travel story set against the backdrop of one of the most acrimonious periods in American history, as the fight over slavery escalates toward the American Civil War. Danger, romance and one woman’s personal battle to make the world a better place.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Feminist Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Time Slip and/or Time Shift



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: ‎978-1737455226

Published by Wild Falls Publishing

on 30th October, 2021

Format: Trade Paperback

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Converse on Twitter via: #HistoricalFiction, #HistNov or #HistFic as well as #timetravel

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Posted Sunday, 21 November, 2021 by jorielov in Author Guest Post (their topic), Blog Tour Host, Feminine Heroism, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Lola's Blog Tours, Romance Fiction, Time Travel, Time Travel Romance, Women's Suffrage

A #ContemporaryJanuary Book Blitz with Notes and Extras | “Fly Girl” by R.D. Kardon

Posted Friday, 18 January, 2019 by jorielov , , 2 Comments

Stories in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I happen to sneak off into the historical past quite a heap which is why when I first stumbled across the marathon to read Contemporaries in January (ie. #ContemporaryJanuary) I was off like a rocket seeking out #newtomeauthors inasmuch as Contemporary authors who have backlist titles (a la #BeatTheBackList reading challenge I am participating in this year) – when I saw this particular title go into a blitz with an extract to share, I knew it was one I wanted to feature on Jorie Loves A Story!!

Here’s why – I *love!* Aviator stories! Generally, I seek out the ones which are interconnected to the military – specifically either the US Air Force or the Marines or even the Navy – depending on the port of entrance. I also loved my years of watching JAG which became an extended bout of joy when I fell into NCIS (and the 2x sequels thereafter!) – this one felt authentically realistic to today’s world whilst it hugged close to the women’s perspective which is something I love to seek out to read. I regularly read Feminist Lit from a Historical point-of-view which is why I am reminding myself I need to invest the same kind of gusto into seeking stories which are writ in the modern eras.

There is a Historical novel of the same title “Fly Girl” by Sherri L. Smith I dearly want to read as well. I want to see if my library can purchase this title and then, I could read two novels of the same title for the Pop Sugar Challenge. If your curious about all the reading challenges I’m tackling this year, you’ll find them over here!

Let’s get into why this novel jumped out at me and why I dearly want to be reading it! I’m going to share an extract with you and then, my thoughts about the story afterwards! If you love reading stories of this nature, I hope this becomes one of your #mustread #nextreads of Winter 2019!

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A #ContemporaryJanuary Book Blitz with Notes and Extras | “Fly Girl” by R.D. KardonFly Girl
by R.D. Kardon

It’s 1997. Women stand beside men in combat and fly fighter jets. Pilot Tris Miles is not content with her job as a First Officer for tiny Clear Sky Airlines. She wants to be a Captain—the only way she knows to prove her worth as a pilot and atone for a deadly mistake.

To further her career, Tris accepts a prestigious job with Tetrix, Inc. But her dream of becoming pilot-in-command twists into a nightmare.

As the company’s first woman pilot, she encounters resistance, marginalization and harassment on a daily basis. Fortunately Tris has one thing her co-workers can’t deny—skill.

When Tris finds herself in a crippled airplane thousands of miles from home she must prove she can lead. With her career on the line, can Tris earn the respect she’s been craving? And if this is the end, can she find the strength to forgive herself?

Genres: Action & Adventure Fiction, Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945), Realistic Fiction, Women's Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781947392212

Published by Self Published

on 27th December, 2018

Published By: Acorn Publishing (@AcornAuthors)

Formats Available: Paperback and Ebook

Converse on Twitter via: #Contemporary #FlyGIRL

& #AviatorGirls #WomensFiction and #AdventureFiction

About R.D. Kardon

RD Kardon

Robin "R.D." Kardon had a twelve-year flying career as a corporate and airline pilot. She holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and three Captain qualifications. Her travels took her all over the world in every type of airplane from small single-engine Cessnas to the Boeing 737. Robin earned her B.A. in Journalism and Sociology from NYU and J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law. A native New Yorker, Robin now lives in San Diego, California with her beloved rescue pets.

"Flygirl," a work of fiction inspired by her own aviation experience, is her first novel.

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Posted Friday, 18 January, 2019 by jorielov in 21st Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Blitz, Book Spotlight, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Feminine Heroism, Indie Author, Modern Day, Realistic Fiction, Self-Published Author, Women's Fiction, Xpresso Book Tours

Blog Book Tour | “A Pivotal Right” (Book Two: Shaking the Tree series) by K.A. Servian with recollections and thoughts on behalf of (book one) “A Moral Compass”

Posted Monday, 19 November, 2018 by jorielov , , , 2 Comments

Book Review badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! When I saw this was a series in-progress, I submitted a purchase request at my library for the first novel “A Moral Compass” which was accepted and I happily had the chance to read the first novel before moving into the sequel. I decided to share my thoughts on the first installment for my own edification as much as continuing to share my readerly life with readers of my blog. I was not obliged to post my opinions or thoughts and likewise was not compensated for their inclusion.

I received a complimentary copy of “A Pivotal Right” direct from the author K.A. Servian in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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On reading ‘A Moral Compass’: the first installment

You truly are attached to the approach Servian makes to alight inside the world of this young woman – travelling abroad, facing tempests of rage on the sea with her father and her brother. As this was writ in an Epistolary styling, you feel even closer to her ordeal as emotionally, Servian has her readers well by entrusting us with the truth straight out of the gate without softening the directness of what must be told. When travelling by ship, it is hard to reconcile loss – cast off so far from where you started your journey and not even yet arrived to where you were destined; it is a loss on all fronts, and this is what made the opening pages so very dramatic to read! You can instantly connect with the protagonist – not just for the heartache but the desolation and uncertainty which follows.

I appreciated the poet nature of Servian, to tuck us close inside how Florence perceives the world inasmuch as how she internalises her experiences. It is lovely to find an author such as this whose a wordsmith who can deepen the historical backdrop by placing us inside the eloquence of sophisticated depictions and declarations. I love finding this style – it is one of my favourites for reading Historicals as the writers who marry the older variants of speech and historic detail whilst consuming our minds with an enlightening plot are the ones who hold my attention the most!

Time continues to shift forward as we settle into the relationship being built between Florence and Emile. Theirs was a relationship forged out of a circumstance that by default of the customs of their day ought not to have happened as it was against social norms. There are moments like these where you truly see how restrictive women were and how despite the earnest interest of men, they did not have as much freedom to pursue someone they were keen on growing attached unless they could come up with a few creative ways to ensure their rendezvous.

Why brothers would even consider to dilute the love of their sisters is unknown, though in truth I believe he was trying to save her feelings and her heart; knowing the extent of their father’s distrust of the French. For Florence had falling in love with a Frenchman and her secreted relationship was clearly against all boundaries of society – the fact her brother aided her attempts to see this man was telling. For he had his own reasons to keep Florence’s secret and that in of itself spoke volumes about his own character inasmuch as his morals.

There is a moment in the early pages where we first learn what A Moral Compass encompasses and how it cross-relates into the narrative itself. Despite knowing the definition used and how it is brokering to affect the connection Florence shares with Emile, what is critical to note is how interesting it is limited to only one point of view and places the blame on women when it takes two to make a relationship. Both of Florence and Emile had chosen to go against the rules of their own houses in order to let the sparks between grow into a mutually accounted love affair. They knew what they were doing and they still decided to go against convention – it is not just a question of morality and spiritual enlightenment but rather, what is the truer cost of living in the height of the moment in pursuit of (perceived) true love?

I had to smile – the Bracknells were such an unexpected delight! The kind of neighbours Florence and her brother needed in New Zealand! I agree with Florence, the choice in relocation felt odd but if you stacked the oddity of its location against the crimes their father was guilty of committing – it felt like it was the only place he could secure them a future without society’s long arm of judgement reaching them. As soon as they arrived – not to an established farm but a shack on watery ground, I knew it was going to grow even more interesting from here!

This is a story broaching a heavier topic of what happens when your fate is reversed, where your safety nets are erased and where you have only your wit, grit and determination to turn round the clock on what has suddenly become your new normalcy of life. For Florence it was nearly too much to overturn and yet, here her brother was suddenly finding himself empowered to make a go of the place. It proves that sometimes a change as radical as the one they were experiencing now is enough to give someone a swift kick in the right direction after living a life on the rails!

When Jack entered the picture, your heart went out to him as he was talking about the prejudices of the English against the Scots; he, being of the latter, it was a proper shock to him that these issues were crossing the ocean and finding him in New Zealand. An honest trader by trade, he was intending to set-up his own shoppe and create a foundation on the reputation he had with his customers; except to say, not everything goes according to this ideal plan! Whilst making his final rounds and seeing the Bracknell’s before moving straight into Wellington, he comes across Florence and her ill-gotten brother. The brother of course, has made a deal against her and even forsaken the land in which they inherited from their late father. To think even this small ounce of land was stolen by cards and the drink which aches to be consumed by her brother, even Florence had reach a tipping point in what she could handle.

By the time she learnt of the deal associating her with Jack, she was wretched beyond what her nerves could handle and it did not surprise me she went straight to Mrs Bracknell to see if she could ink out a different path for her to endure. This was a hard land – a country still finding itself towards civilisation and with all the hardships of the American West; where you have colonists and natives at odds with each other, re-pleat with the distrust and the animosity that went with it.

Here we can understand why Florence is hesitating to accept Jack but without his mercy, I am unsure how long she thinks she can last as she has already withered away to mere bone and slackened skin. Her heart might be strong but without the proper nutrition and a way to make a living, her fate is nearly sealed to the grave without any further action on her behalf. For Jack, you can truly see he was changed by what he found when he came across the two – living as they were and finding that their naivety and their distrust was slowly churning into their doom.

Shortly after I wrote these notes, I became so dearly attached to the dramatic upheavals of Florence and Jack’s lives – I stopped writing down my reactions! It is hard to even put into words how gutting it was to read what became of them and how, through a lot of sinister and under-handed goings-on outside their control, they ultimately were dealt a hard fate to swallow! There were portions of their lives which I felt were a bit slightly over the top – there were separations I felt which were unnecessary past the first one – where truly, it was sounding more fictional than realistic; even so, I couldn’t stop reading the story!

What staid with me the most is how Florence truly staid a woman of her faith, strongly attached to her moral convictions and each time life sought to destroy her, she proved her fragility was only of the surface. She was a remarkable woman of strength, seeking to right the sails of her life even when everything was shattering round her and that I think, is a testament of how not allowing adversity to best you. Even when it felt there was no recourse for what she knew and what she had witnessed, she still found a way to redeem herself. She never gave up the hope of finding out what became of Jack – a part of her I think never truly let go of him. How unkind it was for them to truly become separated not out of a lack of love or commitment but due to the actions of others who were acting on their behalf without even a measure of remorse for those actions.

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Blog Book Tour | “A Pivotal Right” (Book Two: Shaking the Tree series) by K.A. Servian with recollections and thoughts on behalf of (book one) “A Moral Compass”A Pivotal Right
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Florence struggled for breath as she stared into the face of a ghost. “Jack?”

Twenty years after being forced apart Jack and Florence have been offered a second chance at love. But can they find their way back to each other through all the misunderstandings, guilt and pain?

And what of their daughter, Viola? Her plan to become a doctor is based on the belief she has inherited her gift her medicine from Emile, the man she believed was her father. How will she reconcile her future with the discovery that she is Jack’s child?


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780473449698

on 15th August, 2018

Pages: 428

Shaking the Tree series:

The Moral Compass (book one)

Add to LibraryThing | Borrow from a Library

A Pivotal Right (book two)

Converse via: #ShakingTheTree + #HistFic or #HistNov

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

About K.A. Servian

K.A. Servian

As a life-long creative, Kathy gained qualifications in fashion design, applied design to fabric and jewelry making and enjoyed a twenty-year-plus career in the fashion and applied arts industries as a pattern maker, designer and owner of her own clothing and jewelry labels.

She then discovered a love of teaching and began passing on the skills accumulated over the years’ design, pattern-making, sewing, Art Clay Silver, screen-printing and machine embroidery to name a few.

Creative writing started as a self-dare to see if she had the chops to write a manuscript. Writing quickly became an obsession and Kathy’s first novel, Peak Hill, which was developed from the original manuscript, was a finalist in the Romance Writers of New Zealand Pacific Hearts Full Manuscript contest in 2016.

Kathy now squeezes full-time study for an advanced diploma in creative writing in around working on her novels, knocking out the occasional short story, teaching part-time and being a wife and mother.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Monday, 19 November, 2018 by jorielov in 19th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Diary Accountment of Life, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Feminine Heroism, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Story in Diary-Style Format, the Victorian era, Vulgarity in Literature, War Drama

Book Spotlight | “The Traitor” (Book Two: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga) by T.J. London

Posted Friday, 16 November, 2018 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Book Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! I received a complimentary copy of “The Traitor” direct from the author T.J. London in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

The parts which resonated with me from “The Tory”:

London takes her time settling you into the re-constructed glimmer of Revolutionary American life – she wants you to make a connection to her lead character, John Carlisle first – as he is a crucial part of the saga’s arc – it is his journey that is what launches the tales into the height of seeing the #RevWar from a behind-the-scenes angle of insight. His is not a life easily lived; he takes risks and he challenges himself to improve his life even if he falters with carry through towards those newfound ideals. He sees the present more than the future but hasn’t found a way to purge the past. In essence, he’s conflicted, complicated and has a war within himself which is just as important to win as the one he is currently fighting.

We arrive on scene in 1776 – for history buffs you’ll denote immediately how important it is to dropped into History’s time capsule inside this particular year. The British have a gallant pride in believing themselves to be the true champions of the war, even without proof of knowing if they could succeed. Whereas Washington’s spies and allies are making their own headway towards defeating the British. Told mostly from the perceptive of where the Brits are in the war, we get to re-tunnel through the lens where our prior knowledge of this era left off and where we were hoping to take our knowledge further if we were to research the particulars again.

I, for one enjoyed how she went the character route of inclusiveness – to anchour history to characters you want to read about and see what becomes of them. They might act or behave in ways that are in-line with their generation and peers, but it is the story they have to share – about their roles in History and the actions they took to carve out the historical records we still have now that makes reading period specific Historical Fiction such as this one so dearly fascinating!

London strives to give her novel the kind of pacing where you don’t stop to let it drag between intervals of informational sequences about what is happening away from her focus on John and his high command or with his women friends; instead, she pauses long enough to fill in the gaps within our education and pulls the lens wide to show what else is shaping this war.

-quoted from my review of The Tory

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I felt conflicted about what I found inside the pages of “The Tory” and what I had hoped to have found instead – as the bits which put me at a disadvantage to read the story in full were the grisly gritty sequences where you truly do not have a lot of separation between what is visually being described and what is laid out on the pages – for me personally, I like a bit of a distance between those kinds of scenes and the page. I know every writer has their own personal style and approach, but when it gets to be visually graphic – as a reader, I tend to feel myself pulling out of the context of the story-line.

It was a bit complicated because it was violence against women and it involved a scalping which by definition is brutal in of itself. I honestly just was hoping for ‘less than more’ and had to put “The Tory” down from continuing as I was a bit discomforted by what I found. I was also worried about the direction of the story-line as it was shifting in tone and how it was being delivered. A bit more intensive on the side of being a different kind of story than I perceived it to be before reading it and thereby, when it came to the sequel, I was unsure how to approach it.

I decided to see if I could read even a partial amount of the sequel “The Traitor” – not just to confirm or speculate on what happened ‘after’ I felt uncomfortable reading “The Tory” but to also, see if in this part of the story-line where the characters have moved forward. I know there is a bit of distance between John & Dellis – naturally, as just by the synopsis alone you can gleam this much foresight but in regards to where they personally stand in regards of feelings and thoughts, I was curious how they each found themselves ‘now’.

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Book Spotlight | “The Traitor” (Book Two: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga) by T.J. LondonThe Traitor
by T.J. London
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Spy. Liar. Scoundrel. Redcoat.

Provocateur and spy for His Majesty, Captain John Carlisle returns to Fort Niagara with the secrets he stole in the arms of the beautiful Oneida innkeeper, Dellis McKesson. Determined to complete his mission and clear his name, he’ll see justice done—and damn the consequences. Now, he finds himself drawn into political intrigue as the British prepare to launch a three-pronged attack that will bring the Rebels and the Mohawk River Valley to its knees.

A dangerous revelation finds Dellis as whispers of intrigue insinuate her beloved is not all that he seems. Unwilling to wait for her lover’s return, she sets out in search of the truth as the Onieda begin negotiations with the Rebels, breaking the neutrality agreement with the crown. A bold move that will stoke a fire between the brother tribes and lead to a bloody inter-confederacy war—one Dellis predicted, and one John incited.

While war between the colonies and the King smolders, the punishing winter of 1777 allows the perfect opportunity for old enemies to settle scores, lying in wait, ready to exploit John’s one weakness—his heart. John is not an innocent man. The truth he’s long tried to hide from can no longer be ignored, the ghosts of the past seeking justice, and karma wanting payment for sins so dark they cannot be forgiven.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, War Drama



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-0692197479

Also by this author: The Tory

Also in this series: The Tory


Published by Self Published

on 24th October, 2018

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 505

The Rebels & Redcoats Saga:

The Tory by TJ LondonThe Traitor by T.J. London

The Tory (book one) | (see also Review)

The Traitor (book two)

Converse via: #RebelsAndRedCoatsSaga + #RevWar
#HistFic or #HistNov

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

About T.J. London

T.J. London

T.J. London is a rebel, liberal, lover, fighter, diehard punk, and pharmacist-turned-author who loves history. As an author her goal is to fill in the gaps, writing stories about missing history, those little places that are so interesting yet sadly forgotten. Her favorite time periods to write in are first and foremost the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, the French and Indian War, the Russian Revolution and the Victorian Era.

Her passions are traveling, writing, reading, barre, and sharing a glass of wine with her friends, while she collects experiences in this drama called life. She is a native of Metropolitan Detroit (but secretly dreams of being a Londoner) and resides there with her husband Fred and her beloved cat and writing partner Mickey.

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Posted Friday, 16 November, 2018 by jorielov in 18th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Feminine Heroism, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Revolutionary War era, War Drama