Category: Historical Fiction

Blog Book Tour | “The Beautiful American” by Jeanne Mackin

Posted Tuesday, 29 September, 2015 by jorielov Jeanne Mackin, New American Library, Penguin Group (USA), Penguin Random House LLC, The Beautiful American 0 Comments

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

Why I felt I might fancy this novel:

I have a personal penchant for what I refer to as ‘Biographical Historical Fiction’ wherein the historical persons who lived are aptly portrayed through a historical treatment of their lives by a novelist who has a flaire for bringing their lives so fully to life, we feel as though we’ve met them in person. You’ll find that I have read quite a hearty array of historicals which befit this category and am always quite in full search of new writers who can lead me back through the corridors of the past and introduce me to someone who will bring history alive to me in all it’s glory and heartache. As for each life told, there is a happy balance of joy and strife, such is a well-rounded life well lived and told thereafter the person has passed on.

I personally find joy in this section of historical stories because the past becomes fiercely alive through the voices of the authors who pen these kinds of stories. We get to take an up close and personal voyage back through the tides of time whilst being caught up in the livelihood of a person who truly lived and felt every inch of the emotions we hope to catch sight of in the novel.

Note on the Cover Art: Did anyone else notice the sepia tone of hue on the cover when Lee Miller is being highlighted and how Paris in the background is a more muted reverie? I felt this was a fitting touch to the novel, especially as you become further into her folds, this novel doesn’t quite want to let you go – it stays with you, and you realise things you hadn’t seen at first glaance.

The Beautiful American
by Jeanne Mackin

As recovery from World War II begins, expat American Nora Tours travels from her home in southern France to London in search of her missing sixteen-year-old daughter. There, she unexpectedly meets up with an old acquaintance, famous model-turned-photographer Lee Miller. Neither has emerged from the war unscathed. Nora is racked with the fear that her efforts to survive under the Vichy regime may have cost her daughter’s life. Lee suffers from what she witnessed as a war correspondent photographing the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps.

Nora and Lee knew each other in the heady days of late 1920’s Paris, when Nora was giddy with love for her childhood sweetheart, Lee became the celebrated mistress of the artist Man Ray, and Lee’s magnetic beauty drew them all into the glamorous lives of famous artists and their wealthy patrons. But Lee fails to realize that her friendship with Nora is even older, that it goes back to their days as children in Poughkeepsie, New York, when a devastating trauma marked Lee forever. Will Nora’s reunion with Lee give them a chance to forgive past betrayals, and break years of silence?

A novel of freedom and frailty, desire and daring, The Beautiful American portrays the extraordinary relationship between two passionate, unconventional woman.

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9780451465825

Also by this author:

on 3rd June 2014

Pages: 352

Published By: New American Library (NAL)
(@penguinusa ) an imprint of Penguin Group (USA)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse via: #TheBeautifulAmerican

About Jeanne Mackin

Jeanne Mackin’s novel, The Beautiful American (New American Library), based on the life of photographer and war correspondent Lee Miller, received the 2014 CNY award for fiction. Her other novels include A Lady of Good Family, about gilded age personality Beatrix Farrand, The Sweet By and By, about nineteenth century spiritualist Maggie Fox, Dreams of Empire set in Napoleonic Egypt, The Queen’s War, about Eleanor of Aquitaine, and The Frenchwoman, set in revolutionary France and the Pennsylvania wilderness.

Jeanne Mackin is also the author of the Cornell Book of Herbs and Edible Flowers (Cornell University publications) and co-editor of The Book of Love (W.W. Norton.) She was the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society and a keynote speaker for The Dickens Fellowship. Her work in journalism won awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, in Washington, D.C. She has taught or conducted workshops in Pennsylvania, Hawaii and at Goddard College in Vermont.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Tuesday, 29 September, 2015 by jorielov in 20th Century, Adulterous Affair, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Bookish Discussions, Clever Turns of Phrase, Fashion Industry, Father-Daughter Relationships, France, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Lee Miller, Literary Fiction, Parfum Industry, Passionate Researcher, Photography, The World Wars, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, War-time Romance, Women's Health, Women's Rights, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice

Author Q&A | Jeanne Mackin talks to Jorie about #TheBeautifulAmerican and her writerly joy in being a story-teller!

Posted Tuesday, 29 September, 2015 by jorielov Jeanne Mackin, New American Library, Penguin Group (USA), Penguin Random House LLC, The Beautiful American 1 Comment

I’ve felt as though I took a journey with The Beautiful American before I set eyes on the lovely ARC which arrived from the author for this blog tour. I remember finding out about this novel at least a full year before I knew of this tour and throughout the past year, I know I have happily come across readers who have appreciated the breadth of work Mackin has left for us to enjoy finding. It’s hard to say exactly when I caught sight of this story – but as I lament to my readers both on my blog and in the twitterverse, even if a book cover is fetching to my eye, catching me at a junction where curiosity has a will to bloom and a heart has the will to take the journey with the writer – I must find a connection somewhere within the synopsis in order to pick up the book directly.

Further still, when I formulate the questions I want to ask an author, sometimes I deviate a bit from the book in order to get a more personal accounting of the writer’s path. Other times, I feel my own writerly heart emerges through the questions I seek out of fellow writers, as it’s quite difficult to ‘hide’ the fact your a writer, even if your in the season of being a book blogger! I did attempt it initially back in 2013 before I launched my blog but after I started to work on this niche in the book blogosphere, I realised sharing a part of who I am as a writer would become a part of the background of who I am as a book blogger until the path emerges in front of me to walk into a new journey of my own.

Therefore, you might notice some of my questions move from interview to interview, as I like to get different thoughts and perspectives on certain questions which are curious to me whilst the rest of the questions I do try to draw out more about the central heart of the novel I’m reading for review or giving my readers and myself a chance to get to know the author I’m interviewing on a personal level. In this particular interview, I found a happy balance, and although, my interviews are on the longer side normally – due to all my tech woes between July – September, I’m simply thankful the author had time to squeeze me in after I could get my questions to her!

It was a pure delight to host Ms Mackin and I hope you’ll find joy in reading this interview with her as much as I had in receiving her replies! I will say too, I have a soft spot for two aspects of this story: war dramas and biographical historical fiction! Combine the two?

You’re golden!

As recovery from World War II begins, expat American Nora Tours travels from her home in southern France to London in search of her missing sixteen-year-old daughter. There, she unexpectedly meets up with an old acquaintance, famous model-turned-photographer Lee Miller. Neither has emerged from the war unscathed. Nora is racked with the fear that her efforts to survive under the Vichy regime may have cost her daughter’s life. Lee suffers from what she witnessed as a war correspondent photographing the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps.

Nora and Lee knew each other in the heady days of late 1920’s Paris, when Nora was giddy with love for her childhood sweetheart, Lee became the celebrated mistress of the artist Man Ray, and Lee’s magnetic beauty drew them all into the glamorous lives of famous artists and their wealthy patrons. But Lee fails to realize that her friendship with Nora is even older, that it goes back to their days as children in Poughkeepsie, New York, when a devastating trauma marked Lee forever. Will Nora’s reunion with Lee give them a chance to forgive past betrayals, and break years of silence?

A novel of freedom and frailty, desire and daring, The Beautiful American portrays the extraordinary relationship between two passionate, unconventional woman.

Biographical Historical Fiction is an intrinsic and interpersonal exploration into a living person’s soul and the hours in which they lived their life. Your novel The Beautiful American takes us front and center into the life of Lee Miller; when did you feel within your research and writings that her spirit touched you and left you keenly aware you were on the right path for this story?

Mackin responds: What a beautifully expressed question! There was a moment, early in the story, a scene with Lee and the novel’s narrator, Nora, playing together as little girls, climbing trees and chasing with Lee’s brothers around the yard. I felt a very strong connection then; it was so similar to my own childhood. Later, Lee’s and Nora’s joy at being in Paris; their deep but troubled friendship; a moment later in the story when they accidentally bump into each other in front of a store…they were all moments that seemed familiar to me, as if I had experienced them along with Lee and Nora. I felt as if I were remembering those moments, not inventing them, and those are the moments, as a novelist, when the work feels truest to me.

I love how you took us back through how the characters and the story alighted through your mind’s eye and how the realism of those moments drew your own spirit directly into their world. Almost as if as you said your revealling a part of your own lived past, where their lives intersected with yours – and in many ways, they did! Novelists have a beautiful cornucopia of experiences – the ones they live truly and the ones they feel within their souls as they pen the stories which speak to them to write.

Posted Tuesday, 29 September, 2015 by jorielov in 20th Century, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Lee Miller, Photography, Reader Submitted Q&A, The World Wars

Blog Book Tour | “The Throne of David” by Ann Farnsworth

Posted Saturday, 26 September, 2015 by jorielov Ann Farnsworth, Cedar Fort Inc, Sweetwater Books, The Throne of David 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “The Throne of David” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Biblical Historical Artifacts and Thrillers:

I’m not generally the type who follows the curious swirl of excitement around historical conspiracies or stories that center around Biblical history which precept into a thriller in modern times – except to say, there are a few exceptions. Such as when I came across this new tv series in 2013 called Zero Hour starring Anthony Edwards, my hesitation to become attached to one of these types of stories melted away as I was caught up in the emotional and psychological suspense of what was happening to Edwards character! I knew of his acting via ER for which I remained faithful as a watcher until S5 when for me, the heart of the series exited.

I am unsure why my area’s feed of Zero Hour ended after three or four episodes when there are a total of 13 in the first season; it’s one of those quirks of being a watcher of awesome series which either get axed before they gain an audience or they disappear into the ether completely without explanation. I’m hopeful one day, this will go on seasonal dvd (as it’s currently on subscription via HuLu) but until then, I do keep my eyes perked for stories that might resonate the same style of story-telling and take me further outside my comfort zone of considering plots that walk through history whilst attempting to bring hidden truths to light which have been forsaken in one way or another.

When the author approached me about her blog tour for The Throne of David, I felt this one might stand out a bit differently from the pack, as although it’s target audience is for the traditional stories of this kind to jump inside it’s pages with keen interest, what held my attention was the necessity of what needed to be found.

Here let me share my initial thoughts on joining the blog tour:

I was a bit on the fence, to be honest, as I have avoided The Da Vinci Code for a variety of reasons, the least of which being it felt a bit extreme and intense. However, after I received your note, despite the references to the former, I started listening to your own words about The Throne of David! I was going between your shout-out note and your website, and thought about it for a short spell.

The truth is I love Royal History and I love anything to do with histories of court or dynasties (depending if your reading about the UK/Europe or the Far East); I am a bit more limited in reading Biblical Historical Fiction but I have started to read about Ancient Civilisations — if you dig through my Story Vault between those titles listed under ‘Historical Fiction’, ‘Military Historical’ or ‘Biographical Fiction’, I think you will see where my historical wanderings have gone thus far as a 2nd Year Book Blogger.

I also *love!* either Traditional Historical Mysteries, Suspense, or Thrillers whilst having a healthy appreciation for Cosy Historical Mysteries. I love when characters have to unearth something out of the annals of time and then put the pieces together in time to save something most dear. (to them or to the world)

Thus began my readings of The Throne of David and I was more than a bit curious about what I might find whilst I became introduced to Farnsworth’s characters.

The Throne of David
Source: Direct from Publisher

A pair of black boots appeared on the curb and a man in a uniform stepped out of the car. Meeting David's eyes, the man raised his arms above the door, a pistol held in two hands. He took aim. All sound was stilled, all movement slowed, and David didn't even hear the blast that sent a bullet tearing through the crowd to his chest.

When a series of secret letters is found years after they were written, the ascendancy line to the British throne is suddenly thrown into disarray. Could there be a new heir?

Locating a stone that's been lost for centuries is the only way to find out.

This high-stakes thriller leads you on a deadly chase around the world, following clues from Kind David. It's a mind-blowing mystery with an ending you'll have to read to believe!

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 9781462117147

on 11th August 2015

Pages: 288

Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

About Ann Farnsworth

Ann Farnsworth: author of 10 kids and one novel!

If you take Ann Farnsworth’s love of history, her admiration for truly great story tellers and a devotion to precise, descriptive vocabulary. If you add to those interests a true devotion to memorable characters it seems a story like ‘The Throne of David’, is almost an inevitable conclusion.

I have always been a voracious reader and sometime writer even while raising a large family of 10 children. In fact, reading allowed me to escape for a few minutes (or longer) during the day while staying connected to the needs of our family.

Our youngest is now ten and the stories that have been stewing inside my head as I washed dishes, cooked dinner and helped with homework these last 25 years are bubbling up and out of my fingertips. My favorite books to read are Da Vinci Code, Pride and Prejudice, the scriptures, any of the Harry Potter books and of course, Good Night Moon.

It is said that about 80% of us feel we have a book we’d like to write. If I can do it, anyone can. That is the truth!

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Saturday, 26 September, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Britian, British Literature, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Crime Fiction, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Espionage, Good vs. Evil, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical Thriller Suspense, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Inspired by Stories, Modern Day, Political Narrative & Modern Topics, Treasure Hunt

Blog Book Tour | “Bearskin” by Jamie Robyn Wood

Posted Tuesday, 22 September, 2015 by jorielov Bearskin, Cedar Fort Inc, Jamie Robyn Wood, Sweetwater Books 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Bearskin” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Fairy-tale Re-tellings are my new ‘niche’ of interest:

When the author first approached me about hosting her debut novel on it’s blog tour, I was in the midst of sorting out how to resolve my lightning damages and switchover to a new ISP provider who could stablise my issues with connectivity. Lightning proved to be a humdinger of a nightmare this past Summer, and losing my ability to read whilst I blog was one of the losses I sustained whilst mother nature proved her salt and power. Blessedly Ms Wood did contact me, as I hadn’t known too much about Bearskin prior to when she contacted me – I was aware of it coming up on the calendar for Cedar Fort’s blog tours, as I like to stay ahead of what is coming down the pipe, but as far as what it involved and what the story might be based upon, I was a bit in the dark!

She mentioned to me it was based on two separate fairy-tales “Bearskin” and “East of the Sun and West of the Moon”, which intrigued me outright – as I have sorted out that ‘fairy-tale re-tellings’ is fast becoming a new ‘niche’ of interest of mine! It is credited to the writers behind Sweetwater Books whose stories have captured my imagination and inspired me forward to seek out other re-tellings based on fairy-tale lore.

I did a bit of research to uncover BEARSKIN was writ by the Brothers Grimm and East of the Sun and West of the Moon was included in The Blue Fairy Book – one of the collections of tales which tipped a curious hat for me to include on my neverending ‘need to read’ lists! To combine origins of lore from both Germany and Norway respectively is quite the feat to undertake, and rather than expand my readings about the particulars of both fairy-tales, I decided knowing their origins was enough to whet my appetite ahead of reading Wood’s spin on them!

Due to her inspiring first contact, I decided to mark myself down for this blog tour, however, I was already on a short break from signing up for new blog tours as I was slowly falling behind on my CF hosting duties – the lighting and the time offline was not working in my favour!

This is why this week is going to be heavily focused on Cedar Fort’s releases, as I’m using the last day of the tour for BEARSKIN as a jumping stone towards becoming current! Coming up next will be Ann Farnsworth’s The Throne of David followed by Summer Campaign by Carla Kelly on Saturday, with two reviews on Sunday being featured: The Tulip Resistance by Lynne Leatham Allen and The Haunting of Springett Hall by E.B. Wheeler! The latter of which will kick-off my participation in PERIL where we (book bloggers) focus on tales of Mystery, Suspense, and Horror! For me, this includes ghost stories and psychological suspense such as the kind Wheeler writes!

In regards to fairy-tales, what appeals to me is how contemporary writers are re-envisioning the tales in such a creative way as to help us dip back into their folds without the Brothers Grimm versions leaving us in a fit of nightmares! I’ve not yet read any of the originals, as I previously learnt the fairy-tale versions I grew-up on myself were watered down and were not even a hint of their forebearers! I apparently appreciate a gentler side to fiction, especially when it comes to fairy-tales and the fantasy worlds just past our own imaginative realms!

Notation on the Cover Art Design:

What truly hits you as you pick up the book for the first time is the closeness of the bear and the vivid emotional state of the person underneath the cloaked hood. The entire image is quite evoking – even the title makes you ponder the truer meaning behind the word and if by chance, the bear and the bear’s essence can be transmorphed somehow onto another entity that is not Ursidae in nature. Part of my early inklings of thought were to wonder if this was part shapeshifter or part animal spirit guides – something that would interconnect the lead characters with the bear. I accidentally had a spoiler revealed to me whilst googling ‘shapeshifting’ and reading a brief portion of this article! Although it didn’t spoilt the story – if anything, my fantasy instincts are starting to kick-in again! Besides I’m the one who loves a shifter named Bannon from the Leland Dragons series!

Bearskin
by Jamie Robyn Wood
Source: Direct from Publisher

When their mother, an evil enchantress, tries to convince Conrad, Moiria, and Heppson to follow her ways, each one must decide where the line lies between good and evil, magic and myth. But it will take more than good intentions to defend their kingdom against the danger that's coming.

Based on the Bearskin fairy-tale, this young adult fantasy is filled with intricate plot twists and an impossible romance that will keep you guessing.

Genres: Fairy-Tale Re-Telling, Fantasy Fiction, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781462117161

Published by Sweetwater Books

on 8th September 2015

Format: Paperback Edition

Pages: 288

Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

About Jamie Robyn Wood

Jamie Robyn Wood is a full-time wife and mother and a part-time fantasy writer and essayist. Jamie never imagined the wind could blow so hard and so cold until she moved to the Midwest. Now she prefers to hunker inside the house with a cup of hot chocolate and a story to write. Bearskin is her first novel. She, her husband, their five children, and their “pet” squirrels currently reside in Coralville, Iowa.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

I am positively smitten by ‘shifters’:

I was completely unaware of my attraction to shapeshifters until I met Bannon in Jackie Gamber’s YA Fantasy series the Leland Dragons (of which I have happily blogged about quite a heap!) and then, happily I found myself empathic to the shifter in AshleyRose Sullivan’s alternative historical PNR Silver Tongue except to say, I hadn’t had the pleasure of flushing out my appreciation of the diversity of characters within Silver Tongue at the time of my review. I was under a time constraint for personal and tech reasons, so I truly wanted to blog as much as I could about the heart of the novel saving the best bits to share during Sci Fi November + the Sci Fi Experience this upcoming November through January.

The entire idea behind shapeshifters was not completely foreign to me in concept because I grew up watching DS9 where Odo regularly made an appearance and was one of my favourites to watch on the series. It wasn’t until Bannon that I fully understand the soul behind the shifters and of their struggle to merge between worlds of who they are: part human, part ‘something’ other than human. It’s an interesting psychological angle to encourage in the crafting of stories, especially in Fantasy because it undercuts the humanistic side of the character’s spirit.

I haven’t yet read the collection of Harry Potter novels, but Harry’s Uncle is quite dear to me and I credit his character (via the motion pictures) as being part of my inclination towards seeking out more shifters in literature whilst full credit still remains with #EuphorYA (where I discovered ‘werecats’; as tweeted about). Although if you run a search for my chattering on Twitter you will find this hodgepodge collection of tweeting; even if I made a small bit of a mistake in which raptor species Bannon truly is! Oy vie!

And, I cannot end a discussion about shifters without drawing attention to a wonderful shifter inside EDC Johnson’s PNR debut Moonflower, a novel I dearly want to re-read prior to the second novel’s release! I definitely wanted to spend more time inside her world and properly take up residence for a spell! The note she wrote to me on her website is very dear to my heart, as each time I meet a book which leaves me spellbound, the review which is featured on my blog becomes a note of gratitude back to the author!

Not surprisingly, all my shifter favourites are within the YA Lit side of reading!

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Tuesday, 22 September, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, After the Canon, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bears, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Fairy Tale Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Historical Fiction, Illustration for Books & Publishing, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Inspired by Stories, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Re-Told Tales, Shapeshifters, Spirituality & Metaphysics, YA Fantasy

Blog Book Tour | “Honor Among Thieves” (Book No.1 of the #HopeAndSteelSeries) by J.M. Aucoin

Posted Monday, 21 September, 2015 by jorielov (Illustrator) Graham Sternberg, Honor Among Thieves, Hope & Steel series, J.M. Aucoin, Sword & Cape Press 0 Comments

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

A girl who fancies swashbucklers and pirates:

Who isn’t afraid to admit it to the world that they have a penchant for swashbucklers, rebels, rogues, and pirates? There is something daringly brilliant about these men who dare to defy odds, logic, and societal social norms to expand their livelihoods outside the scope of gentle society. I’ll free admit when I first saw Captain Jack Sparrow take centerstage on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl a part of my heart started to swoon and I was thusly sitting so close to the edge of my seat in the theater as to nearly fall out of it! I giggled with enthused laughter about his antics, whilst reveling in the pure insanity of his situations! Of course, there is a heap of heart to Captain Jack and a sincerity underneath the levity, but for a girl who needed a balm of humour out of a year of intense sorrow – Captain Jack mastered the art of re-finding your smile!

I have a bit of a history with swashbucklers – it began as a child when I first saw Gabriel Bryne take me off into a pirate of a story via Shipwrecked – a bit of an unknown (or lesser known) motion picture which set the course I would be keen on pirates for the rest of my days! Combine this film with Swiss Family Robinson and a healthy thirst of ‘historical adventures’ was bourne! Lateron I would watch The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mask amongst others, leading up to Johnny Depp’s infamous character! The cheekily timed and Steampunked adventure of The Three Musketeers by a predominately European crew in 2013 re-ignited the passion I have for ‘out of the box’ film-making and re-envisioning a classic story! Ooh dear my! The BBC has a serial entitled The Three Musketeers? Say when did that happen!? Hmm. Dare I admit – all of these I’ve seen at least twice, and some of which I’ve seen thrice over a few times? Yes, I watch films in multiple viewings during the score of a year, especially if I’m properly addicted to them!

Mind you – I have yet to complete the original novel (of The Three Musketeers), as part of me was quite bored by all accounts – I picked it up several times in middle school only to feel disappointed somehow? I wonder if other Classic Clubbers have felt this way? It came across a bit droll for me but the re-tellings and re-imaginings of the classic have been fuell to folly as far as my curiosity to seek them out!

Imagine my happy joy in finding out a ChocLit author has composed a ‘pirate’ story of her own? (greetings Ms Malcolm!) And, how revealing it was of me to admit it was true Captain Jack convinced me I’ll forevermore be curious about ‘pirate fiction’ stories! I champion stories of the high seas and their seafaring captains too, which dips into the ‘rebels and rogues’ areas (such as Zana Bell’s Close to the Wind proved!)

As I heard about this particular new story – fresh off the presses – rooted in a section of literature I am clearly under-read, my heart leapt in wicked sweet joy at the possibility to read it! 17th Century France is a section of historical fiction I already have voiced a strong appreciation for numerous times on Jorie Loves A Story, whilst the adventure side of historicals hasn’t quite been as fully fleshed out.

Alas! I haven’t even mentioned my propensity for ‘swords, swordplay, and fencing’!

A note on the cover art: I wish in some ways I had a side by side view of this cover to share with you dear hearts, as quite cleverly the action shot and sequence on the front is continued on the reverse side! There was a lot of thought put into the cover layout and design – the images are two halves of a whole – a sequence in time to stitch a ‘moment’ out of the novel. The cross swords on the spine hint at a reference point for the series, and even the series itself is thus named after the attributes identifiable of the lead character: Darion Delerue! It nearly looks like a watercolour painting that was digitally remastered to serve as the cover art!

Honor Among Thieves
by J.M. Aucoin
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Graham Sternberg

France, March 1609. The French Wars of Religion are over, but forces still conspire against the crown…

Darion Delerue, former soldier turned highwayman, has only two things of value—the hope in his heart and the steel at his side. After a heist on a royal ambassador goes wrong, Darion is thrown into a political plot to undermine the crown, pitting his old life as an honorable soldier against his new life as a thief and bandit. His actions could send France back into civil war.

Honor Among Thieves is a gripping tale of daring sword-play and political intrigue, with superb historical detail of 17th Century France that will have readers wanting to draw their swords and fight for glory!

Places to find the book:

Published by Sword & Cape Press

on 30th June 2015

Pages: 330

Published by: Sword & Cape Press

Converse via: #HopeAndSteelSeries + #HistoricalAdventure

(a bit surprised no one started #HistAdv to simplify it?)

About J.M. Aucoin

Author. Fencer. Sometimes actor. Full-time nerd. J.M. AUCOIN is the product of when a five-year-old boy who fell in love with reruns of Guy William’s Zorro grows into a mostly functional adult. He now spends his time writing swashbucklers and historical adventure stories, and has an (un)healthy obsession with The Three Musketeers.

When not writing, he practices historical fencing, crafts historical outfits, and covers the Boston Bruins for the award-winning blog Days of Y’Orr. He lives in Heraldwolf’s Stone with his fiancée Kate, and their dire-beagle, Rex.

Photography Credit: Vander Photography

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Monday, 21 September, 2015 by jorielov in 17th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Cover | Original Illustration & Design, Bookish Discussions, Crime Fiction, Fly in the Ointment, France, French Literature, Heroic Bloodshed, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Pirates and Swashbucklers, Suspense, Vulgarity in Literature