Category: Feminine Heroism

Author Interview | Conversing with L. Davis Munro on behalf of her Women’s History novel “Emmy Nation: Undercover Suffragette”.

Posted Tuesday, 16 February, 2016 by jorielov , , , 8 Comments

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I have happily been focusing on a concentration of Women’s Studies, Feminist Historical Fiction and Women’s Rights on Jorie Loves A Story lately; wherein I am sleuthing out a bit of Women’s History *ahead!* of the official kick-off of Women’s History Month which is in March. One of the key reasons I’ve been growing in curiosity about strong female centred literature is due to the nature of today’s gender inequality and the continuous journey we are taking to make inroads towards progress where Equality is secured for everyone without limitations or conditions.

I was recently challenged by the author of a Feminist point-of-view narrative involving a women’s rights leader (Victoria Woodhull) wherein I took encouragement from a modern day Feminist who is advocating for reading stories which not just challenge our perceptions but challenge us to go further with our readings than we might even realise we could go previously. Herein I am referring to Emma Watson. For the full ruminations and how Ms Watson’s movement of #OurSharedShelf played a role in my readings of The Renegade Queen kindly read my review.

It is by coincidence that I would find Emmy Nation so close to discovering The Renegade Queen as both parlay across similar themes and insights into the legacy of women fighting to pave a way towards progress for later generations. It is on the merits of their work (early Feminists, Suffragettes and civil rights advocates) that we are able to have the freedoms and equal rights we have now but we still have a ways yet to go before all our rights are truly acknowledged.

For this interview, I wanted to get to know this author’s inspiration and connection to a period of history that is dearly showcased moreso now than it has been in the past, and to gain insight into what inspires an author to re-examine this window of History.

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Emmy Nation

Being an independent woman in 1913 London is certainly empowering, but Emmy Nation is tired of the inescapable damp seeping through her worn shoes and the hopeless grumblings of her stomach.

When she receives an offer from Scotland Yard to boost her typist income by spying on the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), Emmy jumps at the chance. But as she grows closer to the WSPU women the lines begin to blur, and when a painful part of her past resurfaces Emmy begins to question her choices.

How far are you willing to go to secure your equality?

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How did you conceive the idea to retrofit a personalised delivery for pre-orders of “Emmy Nation” (from Fly Girl Fitness) because it was quite classic and ingenious; you wrapped the books, added tags and bookmarks, whilst packing them into your basket of your bike. Have you come up with other creative ways to inspire a smile from your readers where something retro yields to more joy?

Munro responds: I really wanted the pre-ordered books to be something special. These people bought the book based on nothing more than the hope that it would be good and the back cover copy and the trailer. It was very generous of them all to buy copies before it was even published. I wanted to really get the chance to say thank you. It was also nearing Christmas, so I thought I would wrap them up like presents. I wanted to make them look pretty and also have the space to write a little thank you to each person. The bike just happens to be my main form of transportation until winter hits! Read More

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Posted Tuesday, 16 February, 2016 by jorielov in 20th Century, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Britian, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Feminine Heroism, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Self-Published Author, the Nineteen Hundreds, The Writers Life, Women's Fiction, Women's Rights, Women's Suffrage

Blog Book Tour | “Letters to Kezia” {Book 2: The Puritan Chronicles} by Peni Jo Renner #HistFic rooted in the author’s own ancestral heritage and legacies of the stories shared through a family’s descendent’s.

Posted Friday, 27 March, 2015 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Letters to Kezia” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary paperback copy of “Letters to Kezia” direct from the author Peni Jo Renner, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

I had attempted to borrow the first novel in this series via ILL’ing it from my local library, however, as there was only one copy available through the inter-library loan catalogue it was unable to be borrowed. Therefore, in order to help myself become acquainted with the series, I followed the original blog tour which I have linked at the bottom of this post. I shared the links which I found pivotal to understanding how the Puritan Witch Chronicles began and hope it will help my readers and visitors proceed forward into “Letters to Kezia”.

Sadly my copy of “Letters to Kezia” was impended from reading on schedule (as my review posted late) not just due to personal reasons but because my copy was glued together! As in the pages themselves were glued and stuck onto each other, and as I carefully pulled them apart, pieces of ink and words caught together, erasing bits of the text yet enough staid to where I could read enough to gather the gist. The only time this has happened previously was when I read “Vintage”. I thankfully had a better reading experience with Renner than Gloss.

A curious moment: where the second novel sparks your interest in a series:

I remember a bit vaguely when Puritan Witch hit the book blogosphere last Spring (2014) whilst touring with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours; one of the book touring companies I had started to work with the previous Autumn (2013). It is hard to believe I am nearly about to welcome in my second full year of book blogging, as when I reflect back upon the stories, writers, and memories I’ve experienced through Historical Fiction solely based on the books alighting in my life through the outreach Ms Bruno conducts through her touring company, I am quite literally a bookish heart full of joy and wonder!

Most of the stories are by independently and self-published authors, of whom I might not have met as quickly or at all, if it hadn’t been for their blog tours; on this one level of gratitude, my heart is overflowing with positive recollections of their stories who have left an etching on my imagination. Even the books where I might not have soaked inside quite as readily or felt as moved as others, each story had it’s own merit of discovery and time inside my hands, as I attempted to read outside my comfort zones and dig deeper into the historical past, through generations of insight and numerous eras of timescape.

Blog Book Tour | “Letters to Kezia” {Book 2: The Puritan Chronicles} by Peni Jo Renner #HistFic rooted in the author’s own ancestral heritage and legacies of the stories shared through a family’s descendent’s.Letters to Kezia
by Peni Jo Renner
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

It is 1693 in Hereford, Connecticut, when Mary Case, the spinster daughter of a Puritan minister, finds herself hopelessly smitten by the roguish thief, Daniel Eames. Betrothed to a man she does not like or love, she is soon compelled to help Daniel escape from jail. Suddenly, she finds herself on the run, not only accused of being Daniel’s accomplice, but also of murder.

The fugitive pair soon finds solace-and a mutual attraction-among the escapee’s Algonquin friends until two men from Daniel’s dark past hunt them down. After Mary is captured and returned home to await trial, a tragedy takes the life of her younger sister, revealing a dark secret Mary’s father has kept for months. But just as Mary learns she is pregnant, she makes a horrifying discovery about Daniel that changes everything and prompts her to develop an unlikely bond with his mother, Rebecca, who soon saves Mary from a shocking fate. It is not until years later that her daughter, Kezia, finally learns the truth about her biological father and family.

Letters to Kezia shares a courageous woman’s journey through a Puritan life and beyond as she struggles with adversity and betrayal, and discovers that loyalty can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

Genres: Biographical Fiction, Historical Fiction



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Series: The Puritan Chronicles,


Published by iUniverse

on 14th January, 2015

Format: Paperback

Pages: 208

Published By: iUniverse (@iUniverse)

Book One: Puritan Witch: The Redemption of Rebecca Eames (Book Synopsis on Riffle)

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #LettersToKezia, #LetterstoKeziaBlogTour and #PeniJoRenner

About Peni Jo Renner

PENI JO RENNER is the author of the IPPY award-winning novel, Puritan Witch: the Redemption of Rebecca Eames. Originally from North Dakota, Peni now lives with her husband in Maryland where she is currently researching for the third book in the Puritan Chronicles series.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
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Posted Friday, 27 March, 2015 by jorielov in 17th Century, 18th Century, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Apothecary, Based on an Actual Event &/or Court Case, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Colonial America, Death of a Sibling, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Diary Accountment of Life, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Equality In Literature, Family Life, Feminine Heroism, Herbalist, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, History, Indie Author, Inheritance & Identity, Medical Fiction, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Native American Fiction, Naturopathic Medicine, Realistic Fiction

+Blog Book Tour+ Tower of Tears {Book No. 1: the McClusky series} by Rhoda E’ttore

Posted Friday, 12 September, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , 0 Comments

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Tower of Tears by Rhoda D’Ettore

Published by: Self-Published Author

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

 Official Author Websites: Site | @rhodadettore | Facebook

Converse via: #TowerofTearsBlogTour

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Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Tower of Tears” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Rhoda D’Ettore, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inspired to Read:

When I first learnt of this novel going on tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I was a bit intrigued by the premise, as I have been reading quite a few immigrant stories of late, and this particular one interested me because the McClusky family was arriving in America from Ireland. I have newly defined ancestral roots to Ireland, and now that I know for a bonefide fact I descended from an Irishman, I have noticed my appreciation for reading about the Irish who came to America has increased tenfold. A bit due to the fact there is such a breadth of unknown factors and stories that are simply out in the void of the past; inches away from knowing anything further about this side of my family and perhaps even, the route they took to arrive not only in America but as settlers on land they chose to farm.

I was captured by this one particular family’s plight to forge their own future in a country so far removed from their own, and encouraged by their determined spirit to make it irregardless of what would come across their path! 

– quoted from my Interview of the author who is going to pen a series around the McClusky’s and giving us a bit of a taste of who they are inside Tower of Tears

+Blog Book Tour+ Tower of Tears {Book No. 1: the McClusky series} by Rhoda E’ttoreTower of Tears
by Jonathan West, Rhoda D’Ettore
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Read an Excerpt of the Novel:

Chapter 1: The Voyage

Betrayal. Despair. Murder. Mystery. Romance. Blackmail. “If God be good, Mr. Landon will burn in the eternal flames of hell. If God be bad, he will suffer much worse.” In 1820, a young woman and her son leave Ireland for a better life in America. She soon suffers heartache and tragedy, while residing with family whom she has never met.

Unbeknownst to her, the family had already set her up with employment in a factory–a factory run by a lecherous man. This is the first book in a series that will follow the McClusky family while they become Americanized while face with the Potato Famine, the US Civil War, and the Industrial Revolution.

Genres: Historical Fiction



Places to find the book:

Also by this author:

Series: McClusky,


Published by Self Published

on 25th May, 2014

Format: Paperback

Pages: 308

Author Biography:

Rhoda D'EttoreRhoda D’Ettore was born in Woodbury, New Jersey, into a family of 5 siblings–which has provided her with plenty of comical material. She began working at the United States Postal Service at 25 years old, and over the past 15 years has accumulated many humorous stories about situations that the public never gets to know about. Her first ebook, “Goin’ Postal: True Stories of a U.S. Postal Worker” was so popular that readers requested it in paperback. Recently, she published the humorous “Goin’ Postal” in paperback along with another story entitled, “The Creek: Where Stories of the Past Come Alive”. Combining these two into one book may seem strange, as one is humorous and the other is a heart wrenching historical fiction, however, doing so proves to the reader Rhoda D’Ettore’s versatility.

Rhoda D’Ettore received her degree in Human & Social Services while working at USPS, has travelled extensively, and loves history. Over the years she has volunteered for several community service organizations, including fostering abused and neglected dogs for a Dalmatian rescue.

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The Irish & America as a new place to lay one’s hat:

D’Ettore honoured her Irish characters by allowing them to speak in a vernacular which would befit the era and the time in which they were living. I always appreciate the syntax of language and of dialect of characters who either originated from one country and moved to another, or simply lived within a country and culture other than my own completely. I like getting the proper sense of life being lived elsewhere and within historical fiction it is always nice to root around and see where a writer’s own research and heart for the story led them to create the essence of whom they are writing about the most. The Irish are represented well in the novel, as not only are the obstacles in their path representative of time appropriate events, but they are given that determined grit and reserved emotional life that is characteristic of their nature.

One of the bits I appreciated on the voyage was the close kinship Jane felt towards Anna; two women attempting to change the stars for their children and daring to see into the unknown beyond anything they could have dreamt. I appreciated she had someone she could connect too and of course, Anna is one of those pure optimistic spirits who can wiggle out a ray of light even when darkness threatens to supersede your thoughts! I even enjoyed how she turnt the supposed horrid news of an unexpected pregnancy (on Jane’s behalf) to a light of joy!

My Review of Tower of Tears:

As the story opens we are settling into the new life Jane McClusky is attempting to carve out for her three year old son Liam, her husband Thomas (still in Ireland), and herself – she quite literally embarked on a transatlantic voyage to the New World devoid of understanding the hardships and tribulations she would greet once she landed on American soil. She had conversed with her husband about the necessities and the monies she would need to survive living with her Cousins in Philadelphia, but as soon as the wind is back in her chest and rest has given her clarity of mind, her American Cousins who emigrated ahead of her are not as they appear inside their letters. She had a growing fear of this as she was never quite sure if they were as open as they seemed inside their conversations within the postal correspondences. She strove to leave behind the adversities which plagued Ireland at the time: short life expectancy, no forward motion of families as they were co-dependent on the crop yields per annum, little to no hope of pulling yourself up by the bootstraps, and the worst of all — a constant worriment over the life your child will have as he’s reared through the hurdles of trying to survive Summer to Summer. The major crop was potatoes (of which I had known before I opened the novel, but hadn’t realise how dependent they were on its yield) yet the greatest hope any of the farmers had were to attempt a new life elsewhere, whilst leaving behind family, nationality and the certainty of self-identity.

D’Ettore is not shy from disclosing the lesser known facts of what such a life shift would entail to those who were brave enough to set sail. She gives you a bird’s eye glimpse at how harsh an immigrant life was for someone to forge as much as how everything changes from an accord you struck prior to your voyage. I always found it interesting studying history that there were always prejudicial misconceptions about immigrants and thus, direct consequences were faced in the work force. In this particular story we are seeing the point-of-view of the Irish, which interested me due to my own newly found ancestral roots stemming from the Emerald Isle; however, I have also read other stories about how Italians and Jewish families were equally displaced with unequal opportunities. I find all of our ancestors were hardened not only by the way in which life affected them, but how their lives were constantly challenged by everything they attempted to do in order to provide an honest wage.

The story shifts view from Jane’s new world in America to the life her husband Thomas was living without her back home on their farm in Ireland. A very typical situation starts to incur inside Thomas’s life; re-pleasant of loneliness and the insecurity of understanding his new role in his wife’s life. Unfortunately, I suppose I had hoped perhaps her husband might have held more honour inside his heart, as their love had such a strong bond to crumble due to distance of only a handful of months felt dishonest to the strength inside Jane’s own mind and fortitude to overcome their situation. Yet, this is a very honest interpretation of a family attempting to change their lives; not every family has an upward light shining to keep them on a path without strife in marriage.

I personally had to stop reading this novel between a rape scene of a pregnant woman and the murder of her abuser, which is a bit of spoiler but not the whole truth of the story. I felt the heinous attack on someone withchild was a bit too much for me to be included — it simply didn’t warrant to happen. I felt a more fitting scene would have been seeing the start of Jane’s affection towards Richard her Cousin in America. Her affection for him and his in return for her were being nurtured from the beginning when they first started to work together. There was already a story-line in place that would have allowed their love to blossom legally and affirmatively, so I am not as sure why the thread of story-line was pitched to take the route of severe emotional and physical abuse. It was quite shocking to read and it didn’t sit well with my conscience either. I could not continue because I simply could not find a reason to go forward as instead of finding a bit of light in the undertone of the novel, I felt the story was growing in oppressive anguish and upturnt devastation.

Fly in the Ointment:

A continuity issue arose when I reached page 26, as Jane is reflecting to her Cousin Richard as they are walking to work about her mother; in this scene she mentioned her name was Erin. Yet, on page 18 Erin is clearly the name of her sister, as she is having a flashback memory of when they were younger. Of course, she might have been named after the Mum, but I was a bit confused by the omission of knowing Jane’s Mum’s name. The few hiccups in proofreading I overlooked as I oft find a few here or there in most of the books I read. Continuity however is something I take a closer gander at as it can alter the perception of the pace and flow of where the story is heading.

The story turnt out to be a bit more brutal and absent of what I was hoping it would yield — there are moments where violence and even violation of a person’s rights has plausible appeal, but for some reason I simply felt there were a few too many circumstances alighting in Jane’s life for her to overcome. Every chance she tried to stand on her feet, something else was taken away from her. I also thought it was a mis-step not to include Anna as an anchor for Jane; there was an absence of aligning Jane with a circle of support from the beginning. And, the family she believed she was welcomed into with open arms was a deceptive web which rankled my joy a bit because I had believed this was a story which was going to go in one direction but found it headed in the opposite instead.

As this is not a comedy of errors, it is a historical fiction rooted in historical fact, and I was just a bit disappointed that one or two threads of narrative were explored, but not all of them combined. I could have even foreseen an issue with Jane’s boss as it is well-known women were not always treated equally or fairly throughout history in employment; but it is the lengths of which her life unravells and how it unravells that left me feeling uncomfortable as I turnt the pages. I was disheartened as I had hoped this would be a multi-generational saga centered around a family I would enjoy reading as the series continued.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comBlog Book Tour Stop,
courtesy of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Virtual Road Map of “Tower of Tears” Blog Tour found here:

Tower of Tears Virtual Tour via HFVBTs

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See what I’m hosting next for:

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{SOURCES: Book Cover for “Tower of Tears”, Author Photograph of Rhoda D’Ettore,  & Author Biography were provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with 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. Jorie asked to host the author ahead of reading the novel as she is most keen on Jane Austen & the sequel authors who give us such a wonderful joy to read their literary muse after being inspired by Austen herself; she was most happy to receive his replies from the Interview through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours via the author himself.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • Go Indie
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Posted Friday, 12 September, 2014 by jorielov in 19th Century, Abortion, Adulterous Affair, Blog Tour Host, Domestic Violence, Feminine Heroism, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Mystery, Immigrant Stories, Realistic Fiction, Self-Published Author, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, Unexpected Pregnancy, Women's Fiction, Women's Rights

+Blog Book Tour+ Inscription by H.H. Miller

Posted Friday, 18 April, 2014 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

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Inscription by H.H. Miller

Self-Published: H.H. Miller () 9 January, 2014
Official Author Websites:  Facebook | Twitter
Converse via: #InscriptionTour
Available Formats: Trade Paperback and E-Book
Page Count: 278

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

Book Synopsis:

The year is 1851 and the Grand Guard is ravaging Mainland. Arrests. Floggings. Swift executions. Twenty-year-old Caris McKay, the beautiful heiress of Oakside Manor, is sent to live with distant relations until the danger has passed. It’s no refuge, however, as Lady Granville and her scheming son plot to get their hands on Caris’s inheritance with treachery and deceit.

Soon, alarming news arrives that the ruthless Captain James Maldoro has seized Oakside and imprisoned Caris’s beloved uncle. And now he’s after her.

Caris escapes with the help of Tom Granville, the enigmatic silver-eyed heir of Thornbridge. But when a cryptic note about a hidden fortune launches them on a perilous journey across Mainland, Caris and Tom must rely on wits, courage, and their growing love for each other if they hope to survive.

Filled with adventure, intrigue, and romance, Inscription will transport you to a historically fictional world you’ll never want to leave.

                                                                    

Author Biography:

H.H. Miller

H. H. Miller is the author of the novel Inscription, a historically fictional romantic adventure. In real life, she’s content director at Stoke Strategy, a brand strategy firm in Seattle, Washington, where she specializes in transforming what some might call “boring” technology jargon into compelling, readable, memorable stories. Her favorite escape is Manzanita, Oregon – a place of beautiful beaches, wild storms, chilly nights around the bonfire (even in July), and time to enjoy life with her husband and three children.

For more information please visit H.H. Miller’s Facebook Page.


On how I enjoy beginning a novel:

I am not sure the rituals other readers go through when they start to delve into a novel, but for me, I like to take a bit of time coaxing myself into the narrative hidden beneath the pages of the covers! I like to note the subtle definitive descriptions of the story on either the inside flaps of hardcovers or the back-covers of soft-cover editions. I like to take a nod and a pause to read the Acknowledgements, the Dedications, the Author’s Foreword, as well as see if the writer included a Table of Contents. This last habit is a bit remiss these days, but thankfully Inscription is the exception! Quite a lot can be found about a writer and their story prior to consumption, and what I appreciate the most are all the little hidden bits you can wander around a book and find! For instance, Miller likes to leave a bit of a trace of humour and intellectual curiosity for those who like me, are always a bit on a search for interesting words and turns of phrase. To include a scientific word I had not yet seen but knew was a nibbling of a clue of sorts was the kind of folly I cherish! For you see, a quick whirl of the One Look Dictionary Search I came to denote that the word ‘lepidopterist‘ is the particular person of interest who appreciates moths & butterflies!

My Review of Inscription:

The ominous beginning of Inscription left me murmuring about the atmospheric way a novel can transport us into that humming void of forethought and regret once we begin an adventure. Miller has the instinctive nature of writing a level of intrigue into her narrative that propels you forward, whilst yearning to see what shall happen next at the same time. Her deft skill is in giving such a vivid display of well-bodied characters set amongst the backdrop of turmoil. She eludes to the devastatingly brutal eclipse of a military state of fear all the while noting the charm of an Uncle’s love for his niece. Maddox and Caris are two characters you want to stand behind, due to the fullness of their heart and character.

I personally love to see authors knit in a proper dose of moxie into young female leads. To break the barriers and reveal the unique few who lived boldly in the 1800s. Pioneers so to speak who were rebels with the cause towards equality and the freedom to choose your own destiny as a woman. Care and attention was taken to have a flushed out back-story to weave together the in-between bits of Caris’s past. I love the broad and layered strokes Miller etches into the story-line.  She makes reading Inscription a delight for the imagination. I truly celebrated her choice in giving her female lead the advantage over William Granville who is far more rake than gentleman! Even denoting this, Miller envelopes him with a dash of intrigue as he foolishly cannot make the leap as to how any woman can dismiss his advances. And in that bit of self-conceit, I always mirthfully feel a twitching in knowing an electric battle of the wills shall ensue!

Caris blessedly held her head and her carriage to an astute level of calm when facing down an adversary as thick and slick as William Granville. Her disdain for his reckless behaviour and his ill-wont attitude of elite privilege was never lost on her either. In never giving him the upper hand he craved she was slowly and calculating nibbing away at his ego. A trait that served her well as the danger started to heighten and her more immediate concerns turnt to survival.

The extenuating circumstances which led Caris to Thornbridge (relatives by marriage not blood) and away from her Uncle’s estate at Oakside Manor would reappear in her life to lead her back to the starting block. The entirety of her life was properly out of balance and sync with her heart, as she was running from danger from the moment she first left her Uncle. Danger has a cheeky way of catching up with you, as though a mark of its arrival is attached to you and only when you finally unravel the full scope of the deceit can you firmly step outside its reach.

Every inch of detail is set to the rhythm of events as they are unfolding for Caris; Tom William’s long-lost brother who returned home with quite the barrage of ill-justice attached to his heels. A motley crew of two seeking to find redemption and revenge on behalf of their circumstances and situations, they travelled together towards Oakside to see what if anything had become of Caris’s home. Whilst they travelled, I felt Caris was shedding her childhood skin a bit with each click of the horses hooves. She had become aware of her independence at Thornbridge surely, yet on the road back home she started to settle into her skin and realise this for herself. Part of reading her story felt like a woman on the verge of owning her own life, emerging out of a period of respite and entering into her future a bit stronger despite the grief of her adventure.

Inscription is told in three parts, much like a play on the stage. For all the entrances and exits, you find yourself so emerged into the story you struggle to re-adjust your eyes to the reality around you. It is a story enriched by courage, faith, love, and the determined grit to overcome all odds which become stacked against you. It is not for the faint of heart in some passages, as it does ruminate about the floggings (lashings by a cat-o-nine-tails) and the grisly vigilante murder by a lawman consumed by madness; but at the core of Inscription is the plight of one woman (Caris) and one bloke (Tom) finding their true destiny. And, that dear hearts is far worth the anguish of a few passages of turmoil! I devoured this text in one sitting as I could not bear to wait to know the outcome!

On Ms. Miller’s writing style :

Ms. Miller’s writing style reminds me distinctively of Jane Austen & Charlotte Bronté as she takes the best of what I love of both women’s style of the craft. She has picked up on the subtle grace of Austen’s observational narrative and of the beguiling atmosphere of Bronte. She has writ such an alarmingly brilliant drama that each page turn meant digging deeper into the suspense of the Granville family! In this, the joy of reading Inscription truly lay as it was within the layered threads of the Granville tapestry which beheld the best bits of intrigue!

Of course, one of the most startling revelations was in finding that William was a mere apple fallen too close to the tree! His mother Lady Granville was the spitting image of Danielle’s step-mother in Ever After! Where pride fell strong towards marital wealth and how the coffers of a family were paramount towards all other pursuits. As if the notion that wealth would bring true happiness rather than the gift of love providing true joy. Miller lets her readers think hard on the thematic she explores whilst giving a well-written story to be savoured.

I cannot wait to see what Ms. Miller writes next. She is one of the self-published authors who is re-defining the bar of excellence in self-publishing. Even the copy of the final draft was free of errors from my eyes!


This book review is courtesy of:

Inscription Book Tour via HFVBT

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

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours - HFVBTand mark your calendars!

Have you ever opened a book and begun to read what was inside its pages completely unaware of the story which would unfold? Only to realise that the story you are reading is writ in such a unique fashion, that your heart doesn’t want the pages to end? You want more of either this story or more titles by the author to consume next? This is how I felt as I read Inscription! It is even hard to describe *exactly* the kind of novel it is as at the heart of the story its a romance between two young twenty-somethings caught up in the middle of events that are beyond their control. Their harrowing journey is both towards each other and away from the danger others seek to see befall them. I could not take my eyes off the pages, as I loved how Miller elected to tell this story. Which book have you recently read which mirrored my own thoughts on this story?

{SOURCES:  Inscription Book Cover, synopsis, tour badge, and HFVBT badge were provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and were used by permission. Book Review badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Friday, 18 April, 2014 by jorielov in 19th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Clever Turns of Phrase, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Feminine Heroism, Genre-bender, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Life Shift, Passionate Researcher, Psychological Suspense, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Self-Published Author, Suspense, Treasure Hunt, Unexpected Inheritance, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage