Category: Bits & Bobbles of Jorie

Book Review | “Daughter of the Regiment” by Stephanie Grace Whitson

Posted Wednesday, 1 June, 2016 by jorielov Daughter of the Regiment, FaithWords, Hachette Book Group Inc., Stephanie Grace Whitson 3 Comments

Acquired Book By: I am a new reviewer for Hachette Books and their imprints, starting with FaithWords which is their INSPY (Inspirational Fiction) imprint of releases focusing on uplifting and spiritual stories which are a delight to read whilst engaging your mind in life affirming and heart-centered stories. I found Hachette via Edelweiss at the conclusion of [2015] and have been enthused to start reviewing for them, as I picked a small selection of stories I felt I would enjoy reading; three of which were from FaithWords.

I have been wanting to read the stories of Stephanie Grace Whitson for awhile, and felt this was a good author to start with as I become familiar with INSPY by FaithWords. Being an avid reader of Historical Fiction (including within the INSPY fiction market) I was delighted she focuses on this genre to tell her stories! I started my Whitson readings with “A Captain for Laura Rose” of which I loved!

I received a complimentary copy of “Daughter of the Regiment” direct from the publisher FaithWords (an imprint of Hachette Book Group Inc.) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I love reading Stephanie Grace Whitson:

Ms Whitson writes with a gentleness and ease of manner whilst curating this lovely image of the historical past – this story takes place just after the Civil War during a time in America where everyone was in transition. Her narrative is happily guided by strong characters and a portrait of life in this new America being defined by those who returnt from war and those who were helping the war effort back home. One thing I appreciated most is seeing how everything smelt and felt to the character’s eyes – she truly eclipsed what I would imagine for myself about St. Louis and the Missouri River region – she’s so well in-tune with that lifestyle you could nearly hear the river lapping on shore!

My favourite INSPY writers are the gentle story-tellers who light a beautiful story with illuminated spirituality through a character’s actions and how their faith intercedes throughout their life choices. I appreciate the gentleness of these kinds of stories because they feel so very true to life – how faith affects our own spirit, mind and heart as we face our own adversities and joys. I like seeing characters who feel like a composite to a real person but also, of whom can show their vulnerabilities and are writ with an honest impression of how someone might react given a certain set of circumstances.

Ms Whitson is a delight to read – her story-telling voice is a joy because she encourages your steadfast attention at the smallest of details and gives a hearty measure to taking a leap of faith alongside her characters. She’s stitched a few life lessons into the background of her story whilst giving freedom to let her characters decide for themselves where they want to go with their lives; including how to adjust to conflict and consequence. This is the type of story-teller that makes being an INSPY reader such a delight of joy to read – as you find a heart-warming tale that lifts your spirit!

-quoted from my book review of A Captain for Laura Rose

Daughter of the Regiment

Irish immigrant Maggie Malone wants no part of the war. She'd rather let "the Americans" settle their differences-until her brothers join Missouri's Union Irish Brigade, and one of their names appears on a list of injured soldiers. Desperate for news, Maggie heads for Boonville, where the Federal army is camped. There she captures the attention of Sergeant John Coulter. When circumstances force Maggie to remain with the brigade, she discovers how capable she is of helping the men she comes to think of as "her boys." And while she doesn't see herself as someone a man would court, John Coulter is determined to convince her otherwise.

As the mistress of her brother's Missouri plantation, Elizabeth Blair has learned to play her part as the perfect hostess-and not to question her brother Walker's business affairs. When Walker helps organize the Wildwood Guard for the Confederacy, and offers his plantation as the Center of Operations, Libbie must gracefully manage a house with officers in residence and soldiers camped on the lawn. As the war draws ever closer to her doorstep, she must also find a way to protect the people who depend on her.

Despite being neighbors, Maggie and Libbie have led such different lives that they barely know one another-until war brings them together, and each woman discovers that both friendship and love can come from the unlikeliest of places.

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781455529032

on 24th March, 2015

Pages: 336

Published by: FaithWords (@FaithWords)
an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc. (@HachetteBooks) via Hachette Nashville

Formats Available: Trade Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #StephanieGraceWhitson, #INSPYbooks, #ChristFict or #ChrisFic

& #INSPYfiction or #HistFic

About Stephanie Grace Whitson

STEPHANIE GRACE WHITSON is a bestselling inspirational author of over 20 books. She's a two-time Christy Award finalist and the winner of an RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Inspirational Romance.

When she's not writing, she enjoys taking long rides on her Honda Magna motorcycle named Kitty.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Wednesday, 1 June, 2016 by jorielov in 19th Century, Ancestry & Genealogy, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Review (non-blog tour), Civil War Era (1861-1865), Coming-Of Age, FaithWords, Historical Fiction, Immigrant Stories, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Irish Literature (Stories of the Irish), Mid-West America, Military Fiction, Missouri River, War Drama, Warfare & Power Realignment, Widows & Widowers

Book Review | “Tea & Crumples” by Summer Kinard

Posted Sunday, 29 May, 2016 by jorielov Light Messages Publishing, Summer Kinard, Tea & Crumples 2 Comments

Acquired Book By: Whilst participating in #LitChat last Summer [2015] about Indie Publishers and the stories they publish, I found two publishers in attendance. Light Messages Publishing happily corresponded with me a bit after the chat concluded. Whilst in communication with their publicity department, I was encouraged to look through their beautifully lovely catalogue and see if one of their upcoming releases might suit my bookish curiosities. This selection was suggested to me due to my appreciation for tea: “Tea & Crumples” by Summer Kinard, who had attended the chat. If your curious about the Small Press Showcase #LitChat I attended you can replay the conversation in whole by visiting the Nurph Channel for LitChat where it’s archived.

This marks my second review for Light Messages Publishing, as I began reviewing for them with my review of “The Particular Appeal of Gillian Pugsley” of which I loved! I received a complimentary copy of “Tea & Crumples” direct from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I applaud Light Messages as an Inspiring Publisher of Realistic Stories:

Of the two stories I picked to read first by Light Messages, it was Tea & Crumples I nearly felt I might not have the strength to read as I knew it hit on a harder story arc than I generally allow myself to read. I am mindful of my emotional sensitivities as much as other ‘triggers’ in fiction that are outside of what I can tolerate to read (most of which are listed on my Review Policy; but a few surprises still can happen despite my self-control to recognise what will affect me) – however, with this story, I felt a connection to the novel’s heart as I read about it’s premise. It’s hard to describe – sometimes I feel like I’m guided by grace and the faith I lean on everyday – my entire blog life (and my activities in Twitter) have been a walk of faith in other words.

I get certain intuitive glimpses about stories – sometimes it’s a miss on my judgment calls, but more times than naught when I feel especially keen on a story such as this one, I decide to trust that instinctive nudge to read a story! I should have realised Light Messages would challenge my heart in a good way rather than an adverse one – as despite my trepidation, as soon as I settled into the narrative and the graceful textured style Kinard’s writings spilt out into the novel – I found myself comfortably relaxed inside where Tea & Crumples would take me!

This was quite similar to how I felt wrapped up inside The Particular Appeal of Gillian Pugsley, as I could not take my eyes off the text nor fully yield to pull myself out of the world Örnbratt created! The writers being published at Light Messages have an intuitive way of alighting their readers inside a fully conceptionalised story with strong inspirational messages and lives backlit by faith, love and hope. It’s a pleasure for a lifelong reader of INSPY fiction to discover but moreso than that, I applaud the strength of the stories they are publishing as a whole.

My third author I’ll be reading is Deborah Hining – I have a feeling she’s going to leave an equally strong impression on me, as all three authors combined have a bit of a common threading between them, if you think on it a bit! Laughs. I am simply drawn into lives of strong women who have an obstacle in life or faith affirming moment arising out of their ordinary hours to embrace. I love finding INSPY stories who have a textural element of insight of real-life inside them – where they broach inside what I refer to as INSPY Realistic Fiction as they are such hearty composites of our modern lives or the historical past; depending on the story.

I also like writers who stitch together the faith of their characters through their internal thoughts and show how faith is a cornerstone of their lives; as natural as breathing and as readily important! Thus far, I am happily soaking inside the works by Light Messages authors – finding the publisher truly understands what modern INSPY readers are seeking and how blessed we are the authors are writing such grounded stories of strength and perseverance!

Tea & Crumples
Subtitle: faith, tea, love : a novel

“Tea is how I love people.”

Welcome to Tea & Crumples where tea brewed strong with grace has the power to bring people together. The click of chess pieces and susurrus of fine papers mingle with aromas of warm pastries, tea,
and the caramel of hospitality. Through it all, the steady love of God pours out in daily rituals.

Meet Sienna, whose spiritual gifts are the heart of the shop. Walk with her as she struggles to believe in miracles even while she walks in the shadow of death under the weight of temptation.

Tea makes Sienna remember. She remembers pain in order to hold fast the joy of her lost daughter and happiness gone in order to hold fast to Peter’s love. Tea is there with Sienna when every bit of her has
been poured out. So are her friends. They keep vigil when all that’s left is faith, tea, and love.

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1-61153-123-7

on 2nd November, 2015

Pages: 314

Published By: Light Messages Publishing (@LMpublishing)

Author Page @ Light Messages Publishing
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse via: #TeaAndCrumples

About Summer Kinard

Summer Kinard is the mother of five, a tea lover, soprano, and author of inspiring novels and curricula for active learners.

She writes about faithful people overcoming trials with the help of tea, friendships, and love. Summer’s first novel, Can’t Buy Me Love, was a USA TODAY Happy Ever After pick for Women’s Fiction. Her paranormal Orthodox Christian romance, The Salvation of Jeffrey Lapin, has received glowing reviews from readers.

Summer writes about faith, tea, and love in journeys of healing. Follow her family’s journey with tea at TeaAndCrumples.com. You will find up to date posts on her writing life at her site: WritingLikeAMother.com, or follow her on Instagram for up to the moment updates. All links are below.

Balancing Life Amidst Chaos:

Although I have taken up java since I turnt twenty-nine (soon to be eight years past), there is something quite authentic about how ‘tea’ can calm your ever last nerve; the aromatherapy notwithstanding; when you brew a cuppa tea – it’s almost as if the act itself has a calming effect long before the brew sets the leaves into the water. I could readily see why Kinard showed how tea fused serenity into Sienna’s life and how the art of tea-drinking was a ritual she appreciated with her husband Peter. Tea has this way of encompassing more of your life than it detracts. I even know java won’t last as long as tea in my drinking habits, except for a return to the ‘green bean’ of Yirgacheffe (the one brew of java that tastes like tea!)!

If tea can help purport balance into one’s life, it’s healthy attributes for your wellness is equally as keen! Sienna knows tea is only one component, she leans hard on her faith even during the hours where her mental focus is off-kilter; she prays as readily as I used to find meditative bliss in the motions of Tai Chi Chaun! Sometimes your prayers change through how you approach a prayerfulness in your life’s activities; ebbing in and out of you as you find new ways to sort through your thoughts and become mindful of your spirit’s rhythm. Read More

Posted Sunday, 29 May, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, #LitChat, 21st Century, African-American Literature, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, ARC | Galley Copy, Author Found me On Twitter, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Bread Making, Cancer Scare, Christianity, Clever Turns of Phrase, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Contemporary Romance, Cookery, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Disabilities & Medical Afflictions, Equality In Literature, Family Life, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Foodie Fiction, Gluten-Free Foods, Healthy Baking, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction | Non-Fiction, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Judaism in Fiction, Judiasm, Life Shift, Light Messages Publishing, Loss of an unbourne child, Medical Fiction, Modern Day, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Nurses & Hospital Life, Parapsychological Gifts, Realistic Fiction, Spirituality & Metaphysics, Terminal Illness &/or Cancer, Using Natural Sweeteners, Women's Fiction, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, World Religions, Writing Style & Voice

Book Review | “On the Edge” by T.S. Krupa a sophomore release by a #contemporary #womensfiction author I already appreciate due to her freshman story “Safe and Sound”!

Posted Wednesday, 25 May, 2016 by jorielov BookBaby, On the Edge, Self Published, T.S. Krupa, TS Krupa LLC 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I was offered to receive T.S. Krupa’s sophomore release novel “On the Edge” in exchange for an honest review. I participated in the Cover Reveal for “On the Edge” last year [May 2015] and my review was meant to follow shortly thereafter on the blog tour. Unfortunately, for me I was struck down by a nasty cold virus and I simply never could re-attach myself into the story until now. I decided to anchour my review for this novel to Ms Krupa’s third release “The Ten Year Reunion“.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of the novel “On the Edge” direct from the author T.S. Krupa. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

My keen interest in reading On the Edge:

When it comes to military families and extreme sports, I love seeing how a story can interconnect the two or focus on one of them at a time. I volunteered with Soldiers Angels in 2011 sending care packages, letters and cards to our deployed servicemen and women – learning first-hand the difficulties between those who are serving our country far away from their families and how everyone left behind on the home front is trying to make the best of a hard situation. There were startling revelations about military life – from both sides – and I am thankful I had the time I did to give a bit of postal joy to those who were never expecting to receive anything at all.

I have a soft spot for military dramas – the longest running tv serial for Military Drama is NCIS, as it’s the actual spin-off of my beloved (i.e. teenage favourite series) JAG! Anyone whose following me on Twitter will have seen my re-tweets for the cast as Tony took his curtain call (aka Michael Weatherly) as well as my joy in seeing how his story ended. It was such a bittersweet and uplifting conclusion to a character’s journey, there was not one dry eye watching it unfold! I, of course, watch the other spins as well: NCIS: LA and NCIS: NOLA with equal admiration. Concurrent to this, one of my favourite Hallmark Channel Holiday movies is “The Christmas Card” where an Army serviceman takes leave and discovers a new kind of life he never imagined he could achieve for himself.

Threading through the Butternut Lake series by Mary McNear is a military connection but also, in other stories I am picking up as well. One of the most beloved readings of Historical Fiction are the war dramas which tug at my heart and bring me to such a level of emotional conviction it’s quite hard to leave the characters once the story concludes! Hence why I am thankful the Bess Crawford mysteries are on-going rather than a mere one-off! Similarly, why I am happily entrenched inside the Charton Minster series by Margaret James – where she not only deals with the war era but after the initial three stories, the sequences shift forward revealling even more of the breadth of what she knitted into the series!

And, when it comes to extreme sports, I’m a bonefide fan of the “X-Games” inasmuch as the Winter Olympics were snowboarders & skiers defy gravity making my heart lurch out of my chest! There is something about the rush of adrenaline in combination with the skill set it takes to carve powder and accomplish a trick up in the air where heaven and earth hang in the balance awaiting your return to the ground.

Finding all these lovely elements were being explored through an emotional Contemporary Rom drama as a sophomore release by a beloved author of mine felt like a good fit as a next read! My only regret is the time difference between receiving this novel and when I was actually able to attach my heart to reading it. Sometimes the tides of life can take us away from the stories we are seeking to read, but blessedly, a new time can emerge to renew our interest – granting us the reprieve we needed all along to find out what was awaiting us in the chapters of the novel’s heart!

*Most recently I mentioned this absence from stories and a return to them, on my review of The Little Paris BookShop.

My Connection to the Author:

Although we only tweeted a few times and exchanged preliminary emails to have a special showcase of her novel Safe & Sound featured on Jorie Loves A Story, I feel as though I have had the pleasure of getting to know her a bit better in the process! And, by extension her publicist Ms. Caitlin O’Brient Bauer (of Royal Social Media). As you will see as you retreat back to the Author Interview & Live Author Q&A threads of conversation, you will find Ms Krupa to be warm, engaging, and inspiring! I am blessed twice over for our paths to have crossed and I have my Jorie Loves A Story Twitter account to thank for bringing us together! I have been blessed to continue to work with her on her future book releases, as she is an author I love to read compelling and inspiring Contemporary Rom. I came to appreciate both of them as they give book bloggers their time and grace.

In the time since I hosted Ms Krupa last year until now [May 2016], our paths have separated a bit as I wasn’t able to return too frequently to #ChickLitChat (which ended up moving strictly to Facebook) nor interact as much as I had hoped to with her via the twitterverse. I lost touch for quite a long while to be honest, and when her beautiful note arrived into my Inbox about her third release, I felt truly blessed our paths had crossed at the publication of her debut novel. She’s definitely an author I consider a blessing to have known and I look forward to following her literary career.

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her ahead of reading her début novel. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. This is also true when I follow-up with them on future releases and celebrate the book birthdays that come after their initial publication.

On the Edge
by T.S. Krupa
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Hafsah Faizal
Source: Author via Royal Social Media Blog Tours

Andy Parker is a war widow raising her fifteen-year-old daughter on her own. Hayden Grace dreams of becoming a professional snowboarder, and Andy is doing everything she can to make that happen. When Hayden Grace’s passion begins to falter, Andy is at a loss for how to re-inspire her daughter.

Andy does her best balancing Hayden Grace’s competition schedule, practice, and school with her own work schedule at home, in the city, and on the mountain. But work starts to demand more from Andy. Then, Andy receives an opportunity of a lifetime. An opportunity that will turn their lives upside down. But is it too good to be true?

Soon, mother and daughter find themselves in Aspen for Hayden Grace’s first national competition when a chance encounter brings Andy into a passionate, unexpected romance, a romance that could change everything. Will Andy be able to find the happiness she deserves?

Genres: Women's Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Also by this author: Safe & Sound, On the Edge : Cover Reveal, The Ten Year Reunion

Published by TS Krupa LLC

on 9th June, 2015

Format: Paperback ARC

Pages: 318

Cover Art Designer: Hafsah Faizal of Icey Designs

Published by: BookBaby (ebook edition) | TS Krupa LLC (paperback edition)

Genre(s): Women’s Fiction | Xtreme Sports (X-Games) | Military Families

Contemporary Romance | Realistic Fiction

Converse via Twitter: #OnTheEdge

About T.S. Krupa

T.S. Krupa was born in New Haven, Connecticut. Raised in a Polish household with a blended American culture, she is fluent in Polish. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Franklin Pierce University,where she also played field hockey. She earned her Master’s from Texas Tech University and recently graduated with her Doctor of Education from North Carolina State University. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two dogs.

In 2014, T.S. Krupa published her award-winning debut novel Safe & Sound. In 2015, she released her sophomore novel On the Edge. The Ten Year Reunion was her third novel. Big City Dreams and Big City Dreams have followed. TS Krupa is signed with SBR Media Group.

Posted Wednesday, 25 May, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, ARC | Galley Copy, Author Found me On Twitter, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Bookish Discussions, Coming-Of Age, Contemporary Romance, Dating & Humour Therein, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Equality In Literature, Family Drama, Family Life, Father-Daughter Relationships, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Life of Thirty-Somethings, Life Shift, Military Families of the Deployed, Military Fiction, Modern Day, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Motherhood | Parenthood, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Royal Social Media, Self-Published Author, Single Mothers, Small Towne USA, Snowboarding | Half Pipe OR Slope, Sudden Absence of Parent, The Olympic Games (Winter or Summer), Vulgarity in Literature, Widows & Widowers, Women's Fiction

Book Review | “A Captain for Laura Rose” by Stephanie Grace Whitson A new-to-me-author of #INSPY #HistFic!

Posted Thursday, 19 May, 2016 by jorielov A Captain for Laura Rose, FaithWords, Hachette Book Group Inc., Stephanie Grace Whitson 0 Comments

I have been wanting to read the stories of Stephanie Grace Whitson for awhile, and felt this was a good author to start with as I become familiar with INSPY by FaithWords. Being an avid reader of Historical Fiction (including within the INSPY fiction market) I was delighted she focuses on this genre to tell her stories! I received a complimentary copy of “A Captain for Laura Rose” direct from the publisher FaithWords (an imprint of Hachette Book Group Inc.) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On my passion for INSPY Fiction & Historical dramas:

Ever since I first picked up a copy of Frontier Lady by Judith Pella, I have been truly inspired by historicals written by INSPY authors! Little did I realise this story would spin itself into a trilogy, as I do have a copy of Stoner’s Crossing but not of the final story Warrior’s Song. I have only read Frontier Lady as a result and looking back, this is a prime example of my beginning roots as a ‘book blogger’ as I remember gushing about this book to such a level of joy, my family told me my ‘memories’ of the story felt as if they had actually sat down to read the story for themselves! Even then, as a young girl I was finding my voice to talk about stories and how those stories gave me such visual joy in reading them!

INSPY fiction has been in my life for such a long time, it’s hard to think back on a moment I was not reading it, as I have previously disclosed my joy in finding the Cooper Kids Adventure series, inasmuch as the fact I have roamed through INSPY and Mainstream markets since I became an avid reader somewhere in my youth – between the angst of learning to read (as a dyslexic reader) and finding my niches along the way by the time I hit Fourth Grade when my teacher refused to believe I couldn’t find enjoyment out of the written word. Mum and Da encouraged me to read whatever interested me, whilst encouraging my Indie spirit to seek out book shoppes that were not major chains… this helped twofold, as Indies were more lax about children in their stores who were seeking a ‘next read’ but needed time to sort that out and they had a larger inventory of books in which to seek! I also had a healthy curiosity of the fiction I’d find at a local Christian Book Store – where I’d spend hours looking through the adult fiction sections before I stumbled across the Mandie series and Cooper Kids Adventures. From there, I jumped straight into adult INSPY fiction as I found the Children’s Lit sections a bit too limiting – hence Judith Pella! The collective works of Dee Henderson soon followed suit, by the by!

I hadn’t realised it until I became a book blogger three years ago, I have the tendency to soak inside the historical past moreso than the Contemporary offerings throughout the fiction realms! Should have noted this I suppose along the way, but I read so very diversely across genres, it’s hard to pin-point me down to any particular ‘genre’ or style of literature at any given moment! Laughs. If you’ve visited my Story Vault by Genre you’d understand immediately! However, for a bit of a short history about my appreciation for INSPY Fiction, look towards my 70 Authors Challenge which this year I am making enroads towards whittling down a bit to where more entries are listed!

When it comes to the works by Ms Whitson, I felt like she was approaching the historical dramas with story-lines that not only appealed to my historical passion of interests, but with a touch of what I seek when I look towards INSPY writers who are crafting historical stories! Since I’ve become a book blogger, you might have seen my enthused joy in reading historicals by Susan Meissner (time slip historical – A Fall of Marigolds); Carolyn Steele (Willow Springs & Soda Springs) and Carla Kelly (Softly Falling & Summer Campaign). It has been an honour of mine to pick up the search for inspiring historical novelists since I first discovered Judith Pella and Lois Gladys Leppard (Mandie series) – I had a sense Ms Whitson might become the next author I add to my ‘short list’ of personal favourites; hence why I was wicked happy FaithWords gave me the pleasure of selecting two of her novels to begin reading as I become a reviewer of theirs and join their blogger team!

A Captain for Laura Rose

Laura Rose White's late father taught her everything he knew about piloting a Missouri River steamboat. He even named their boat after her. Despite that, it seems that Laura will forever be a "cub pilot" to her brother Joe, because in 1867, a female riverboat captain is unheard of. That is, until tragedy strikes and Laura must make the two month journey from St. Louis to Fort Benton and back in order to save her family's legacy, her home, and the only life she's ever known.

The only way for her to overcome the nearly insurmountable odds is with the help of her brother's disreputable friend Finn MacKnight, a skilled pilot with a terrible reputation. Laura loathes having to accept MacKnight as her co-pilot, especially when she learns she must also provide passage for his two sisters. Straight-laced Fiona has a fear of water, and unpredictable Adele seems much too comfortable with the idea of life in the rough and tumble environment of the untamed river and the men who ply it. Though they are thrown together by necessity, this historic journey may lead Laura and the MacKnights to far more than they ever expected.

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781455529056

on 4th March, 2014

Pages: 336

Published by: FaithWords (@FaithWords)
an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc. (@HachetteBooks) via Hachette Nashville

Formats Available: Trade Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #StephanieGraceWhitson, #INSPYbooks, #ChristFict or #ChrisFic

& #INSPYfiction & #HistFic or HistRom

About Stephanie Grace Whitson

When she's not writing, she enjoys taking long rides on her Honda Magna motorcycle named Kitty.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Thursday, 19 May, 2016 by jorielov in 19th Century, Apothecary, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Coming-Of Age, FaithWords, Female River Captains, Historical Fiction, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Missouri River, Naturopathic Medicine, Reconstruction Era (1865-1877), River Captains & Freight Carriers, Steamboat, Widows & Widowers

Book Review | “See Also Deception” (A Marjorie Trumaine #Mystery, No.2) by Larry D. Sweazy

Posted Friday, 13 May, 2016 by jorielov Larry D. Sweazy, Marjorie Trumaine Mystery, Prometheus Books, See Also Deception, See Also Murder, Seventh Street Books 2 Comments

Acquired Book By: I am a reviewer for Prometheus Books and their imprints starting in [2016] as I contacted them through their Edelweiss catalogues and Twitter. I appreciated the diversity of titles across genre and literary explorations – especially focusing on Historical Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction and Scientific Topics in Non-Fiction. I received a complimentary ARC copy of “See Also Deception” direct from the publisher Seventh Street Books (an imprint of Prometheus Books) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On why I love reading the Marjorie Trumaine Mysteries:

Sweazy has a lovely tone of delivery inside his stories – especially in regards to See Also Murder, as he takes his time introducing his characters whilst giving you the strength of their lives up front. His gentle manner of allowing his characters to warm to you is what granted me the most joy in curling inside the novel – I could tell I was on the fringe of rallying behind Marjorie Trumaine straight out of the gate! His poetic glimpses of farm life in the Dakotas, of singling out moments of paused reflection were a delight to entreat inside because they earnestly told living truths about the lifestyle the Trumaine’s lived. I appreciated the way the novel started to become such an enjoyable feast of words, expressions and observational nuggets of the author’s impressions on behalf of his world.

Mr Sweazy injected such heartache inside his character’s heart, but he etched out the hard lines with feather kisses of hope and an underscored will to survive in the face of so much uncertainty. In the character Marjorie Trumaine he created the strength of a woman who was an equal to the natural environ of her home – the Dakotas have such fierce weather patterns, they alone can strengthen your resolve (or break it if your unable to deal with the influx of change on such a high frequency); but it’s how he’s given her something to focus on with an orderly task within the publishing industry that fused her will to her lifeline of hope that I felt was most fitting of all. It spoke to her true nature and to the spirit of the young girl she once was who found solace in stories.

To read the rest of my thoughts and what inspired me to read the #MarjorieTrumaineMysteries kindly read my review on behalf of the first novel in the series ‘See Also Murder’!

See Also Deception
Subtitle: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery

October 1964—just months after freelance indexer Marjorie Trumaine helped solve a series of murders in Dickinson, North Dakota, she is faced with another death that pulls her into an unwanted investigation. Calla Eltmore, the local librarian, is found dead at work and everyone considers it suicide. But Marjorie can’t believe that Calla would be capable of doing such a thing.

At Calla’s wake, Marjorie’s suspicions are further aroused when she notices something amiss in the open casket. But neither the sheriff nor the coroner are interested in her observation.

Despite pressing job commitments and the burden of caring for a husband in declining health, Marjorie recruits Deputy Guy Reinhardt to help her uncover the truth. What she finds is a labyrinth of secrets that she had no knowledge of— and threats from someone who will kill to keep these secrets hidden.

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ISBN: 9781633881266

on 10th May, 2016

Pages: 244

Marjorie Trumaine Mystery series:

Story Locale: A small town in North Dakota in 1964

Series Overview: Marjorie Trumaine, a freelance book indexer, uses her research skills and attention to detail to help the police solve crimes in rural North Dakota during the early 1960s.

See Also Murder | No.1 | review

See Also Deception | No.2 | Happy #PubDay! 10 May, 2016

Published By: Seventh Street Books (@SeventhStBooks)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #MarjorieTrumaineMysteries

About Larry D. Sweazy

Larry D. Sweazy Photo Credit: Rose M. Sweazy

Larry D. Sweazy is the author of See Also Murder, A Thousand Falling Crows, Escape from Hangtown, Vengeance at Sundown, The Gila Wars, The Coyote Tracker, The Devil’s Bones, The Cougar’s Prey, The Badger’s Revenge, The Scorpion Trail, and The Rattlesnake Season.

He won the WWA Spur award for Best Short Fiction in 2005 and for Best Paperback Original in 2013, and the 2011 and 2012 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Fiction for the Josiah Wolfe series.

He was nominated for a Derringer award in 2007, and was a finalist in the Best Books of Indiana literary competition in 2010, and won in 2011 for The Scorpion Trail. He has published over sixty nonfiction articles and short stories, which have appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine; The Adventure of the Missing Detective: And 25 of the Year’s Finest Crime and Mystery Stories!; Boys’ Life; Hardboiled; Amazon Shorts, and several other publications and anthologies. He is member of ITW (International Thriller Writers), WWA (Western Writers of America), and WF (Western Fictioneers).

Photo Credit: Rose M. Sweazy
FYI: think Patrick Swayze when saying the author's name!

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Marjorie Trumaine: a survivor and a small towne heroine:

When it comes to fondly remembering what centred me most inside the footsteps of Marjorie Trumaine, I had to think directly on what makes her a survivor and a small towne heroine – Marjorie doesn’t shy away from difficulty, she walks straight through the eye of a tornado instead! She bolsters herself with courage she never knew she had such a well of depth to pull from as she navigates the changing tides of her small Dakota towne whilst attempting to find a footpath to settle herself upon which might bring her financial security for herself and her disabled husband Hank. She’s a character whose rooted to her farm, her community and the people who make her life well-lived and full of meaning. She cares about her fellow neighbours and has a long history of pride of her ancestral roots wherein her fortitude of strength can be readily foreshadowed out of the annals of her family’s living history.

Marjorie takes stock of things most might dismiss out of hand – she has a quick perception to recognise a visual clue waving itself in front of her eyes to alert her that something is not quite as it seems; thus giving her a bit of an edge on others who might not understand the truth they have yet to see for themselves. She’s not just a survivor of fate’s cruelty and the hardships of a farmer’s wife without the full use of the acres they have to spare but of life’s unexpected curves, which can test you well outside your point of return if you let them. She’s the type of heroine any small towne would rally behind because she seeks the truth in every situation and attempts to thwart her own prejudgements in exchange for re-assessing what is known by what she knows to be true herself. It’s a credit to what makes her uniquely genuine and a constant well of strength for the residents of Dickinson. Read More

Posted Friday, 13 May, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 20th Century, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Indexing, Cosy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Detective Fiction, Equality In Literature, Homestead Life, Indie Author, Lady Detective Fiction, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Librarians & Library Staff, Library Catalogues & Databases, Prometheus Books, Publishing Industry & Trade, Small Towne USA, The Sixties, Upper Mid-West America, Vulgarity in Literature