Posted Wednesday, 5 November, 2014 by jorielov Georgia McBride Media Group (GMMG), King of the Mutants, Month9Books, Samantha Verant, Tantrum Books 0 Comments
King of the Mutants by Samantha Vérant
Published By: TantrumBooks (@TantrumBooks) an imprint of Month9Books (@month9books)
by Georgia McBride Media Group (@Georgia_McBride)
Tantrum Books is the Speculative Fiction imprint of Month9Books
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse via:#KingoftheMutants & #Month9Books
Acquired Book By: My path crossed with Ms. Vérant during the blog tour for her memoir “Seven Letters from Paris”, and even before the blog tour began, we were communicating with each other via Twitter. She reached out to me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing the novel, after I had extended the offer to host a Book Spotlight as I was not sure if the book was available to review. I received a complimentary copy of “King of the Mutants” direct from the publisher Month9Books in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On how I know Ms. Vérant: Our paths were brought together through her debut release “Seven Letters from Paris” as from the moment I found her book on tour with France Book Tours, I knew I wanted to get to know the writer behind the memoir a bit better. I host a weekly chat on Saturdays called #ChocLitSaturdays | @ChocLitSaturday, and I invited her to join us as time would allow her to do so. I knew anyone who was bold enough to write a memoir about her real-life romance could appreciate the lively chatter we exchange! Meanwhile, we started to converse via Twitter privately as well without meeting up on #ChocLitSaturdays. I have appreciated her friendship and following her journey as an author whose career is instantaneous dual in focus between non-fiction and middle grade!
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her ahead of reviewing her books. 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.
My keen interest in Middle Grade fiction & Indie Pub releases:
I have been on a road back into Children’s Lit since 2009, when a new branch of a local library inspired me to not only seek out the new releases I would want to read as an adult, but the authors of whom were not even published whilst I was growing up within the realm of Children’s Literature. My inspiration backwards in time to the stories of innocence and stories of heart-warming coming-of age were directly due to my nieces and nephews; of whom were still a bit young to soak inside Juvenile Fiction, Middle Grade, or even Young Adult novels — I wanted to reach out to them when they were of age and recommend new choices as much as give them a few from my own childhood.
What I discovered was this incredible expanse of stories who had within them characters of every walk of life and a captivating arc of discovery for the young readers who would find them to read. I have always appreciated stories which seek to teach life lessons as much as to draw a line of empathy out of the readers who are still growing themselves at the times where these kinds of stories are needed most in their lives. I always celebrated stories that perhaps might have been a bit more unique and different from the regular faire, as they too, had something brilliant to offer me. By brilliant, here I refer to the fact that I was always the reader who was seeking out experiences through the joy of reading. I wanted to be challenged a bit, as that extended to gravitate towards stories outside my comfort zones and outside what I might have felt inclined at first to read. The beauty of reading is the exchanging of ‘hats’ and the experiences that are gained through walking inside a character’s shoes who ends up transforming your perspective.
Now that I have opened the door to Children’s Lit, I daresay, even if the selections I make do not interest my nieces and nephews; I can honestly say I have a newfound passion for this branch of the literary divide! I cannot read the books fast enough nor discover their writers as quickly as my heart desires to read what is being published! What wicked fun then, to find a new Indie Publisher who is giving all of us something to talk about through their published works! My heart will always be tied to the Indies, and I celebrate the fact I am now reading Indie Children’s Lit! Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Wednesday, 5 November, 2014 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Book Review (non-blog tour), Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Bullies and the Bullied, Children's Literature, Coming-Of Age, Foster Care, Literature for Boys, Middle Grade Novel, Modern Day, Month9Books, Prejudicial Bullying & Non-Tolerance, Realistic Fiction, Sci-Fi November, Science Fantasy, SFN Bingo, Teenage Relationships & Friendships
Posted Friday, 31 October, 2014 by jorielov Brandy Purdy, Kensington Publishing Corp., The Ripper's Wife 0 Comments
The Ripper’s Wife by Brandy Purdy
Published By:Kensington Publishing Corp. ()
Official Author Websites: Blog | *previously this author had a website and Facebook
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, E-book
Converse on Twitter via: #TheRippersWife, #BrandyPurdy & #EmilyPurdy
Acquired Book By: Whilst the blog tour for “The Boleyn Bride” was underway with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I was making my rounds to the different blogs who were hosting either an Author Interview or a Book Review, or a combination thereof. Although I was not personally connected to the blog tour myself, I oft-times find that the books which tour with HFVBT are ones that I am interested in and thereby my visits on their tour are a pure delight for me! As I am as bubbly on my visits as I am on my own blog as well as Twitter, I left some happy-hearted comments on behalf of this book & author. As she was a new-to-me author as at that point in time I had not heard of her works or known of her works as well as I do now. Shortly after my visits, I received a note from Ms. Purdy asking me if I would be interested in reading her novels. I previously received “The Boleyn Bride” and “The Queen’s Rivals”. Whilst I was working on my reviews for these novels, and putting together my interview with Ms. Purdy, she offered me to read her next release which was “The Ripper’s Wife”.
I received a complimentary ARC copy of “The Ripper’s Wife” direct from the author’s publicist at Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On how I know Ms. Purdy: As I was contacted originally to read both “The Boleyn Bride” and “The Queen’s Rivals”, we came to find ourselves enjoying the conversation which flowed together rather organically out of that correspondence. I have appreciated getting to know a fellow writer, especially one who writes historical fiction as that is one branch of literature although I deeply appreciate to read, was always a bit trepiderious to pen! I give such a strong nod to the writers who write such delicious historicals, because they give us a way to drink in history in an agreeable manner! I am honoured to have been given the chance to get to know her better in the process of scheduling the reviews on my blog. She even kindly enclosed bookmarks which feature her novels, and I’ve been enjoying them as I read! Bookmarks have become one of my favourite surprises to find enclosed within a book I receive for review!
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her through the past few months by email. 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.
A note about why I was interested in reading “The Ripper’s Wife”:
I think most readers of historical fiction have come across the story of Jack the Ripper at one point or another, as the legend and lore behind the criminal mind who was Jack the Ripper has long since been re-imagined, re-told, and attempted to be brought to life on the printed page. My interest was sparked after having a conversation on The Word Wenches blog in 2013 about whether or not the real identity of the person behind the crimes was actually known; as the debate on the identity was still thick with various reports of the evidential truth. The topic has continued to become a lively debate, with new evidence emerging out of a shawl (I believe it was a shawl) yet I am not sure if the whole story will ever truly be put to bed so to speak. Between the numerous tests and the variables of time dissolving away testimonials evidence of who was alive at the time everything happened; it sparks a wonder inside the mind of a writer who wants to take on the lore and dig deeper into the story behind the horror of what happened.
When Ms. Purdy offered me a chance to read her next release in time for Halloween, part of me was curious on the level that so much is known yet incredibly so much is unknown at the same time. For me, I approached this novel from the stand-point of it being a historical fiction true crime novel with the realisation that parts of the story would be a bit more disturbing than my regular faire of choices, but with a unique point-of-view to drive the narrative forward. On that note, I was curious to see where Purdy would take the story from ‘the wife of Jack the Ripper’ in this variation of the story. Read More
Posted Friday, 31 October, 2014 by jorielov in #HorrorOctober, 19th Century, Based on an Actual Event &/or Court Case, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Bookish Discussions, Bookmark slipped inside a Review Book, Britian, Clever Turns of Phrase, Content Note, Crime Fiction, Excessive Violence in Literature, Geographically Specific, Good vs. Evil, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Horror, Indie Author, Jack the Ripper, Mental Health, Sociological Behavior, Sociology, the Victorian era, True Crime, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Thursday, 30 October, 2014 by jorielov C.A. Gray, Intangible, Piercing the Veil series, Wanderlust Publishing 0 Comments
Intangible by C.A. Gray
Published By: Wanderlust Publishing
Official Author Websites: Site | Blog | @AuthorCAGray | Facebook | GoodReads
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, E-book
Converse on Twitter via: #PiercingTheVeilSeries
Acquired Book By: I worked with Ms. Bauer (of Royal Social Media) whilst hosting Ms. Krupa (author of the debut novel “Safe & Sound”) and I always left the door open to work with her again as hosting T.S. Krupa was quite lovely and I considered myself blessed to be able to cross paths with both Ms. Bauer and Ms. Krupa at the same time. A writer I am highlighting in November Glynis Astie also shares a connection to Ms. Bauer (as she is her publicist) but this time around, Ms. Bauer approached me to host Ms. Gray and her Young Adult Fantasy series Piercing the Veil. I immediately fell in love with the series premise and the layering effect of the story overall out of the vision Ms. Gray had for her series. Therefore I received a complimentary copy of “Intangible” direct from the author C.A. Gray in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
To be honest, I couldn’t even put into words how excited I was to read this particular book series, as I simply had a hitching of excitement inside me that I might have stumbled across a writer who gave us such a fully realised world to devour that being able to read it for review was not just a blessing but an honour! I soaked inside all the materials the Press Kit afforded me the option of absorbing; which happily the author provides on her website (one of the few recently that have taken me at ‘hallo’ and made me feel grateful some writers go the extra mile!) to the brink that I simply felt this telling sense of ‘yes!’ I need to read this book series! I just had a sense that I would not only become happily entombed inside the series as a whole but that it would be a collection of novels I would not want to put down anytime soon!
The elemental grounding of science intersecting with the legend and lore of King Arthur with a firm rooting of quantum physics as a back-story and underlay of the context overall? Who wouldn’t want to read this book series!? No, seriously! Who?! I responded with such haste, I think Ms. Bauer might have wondered if I had borrowed a TARDIS or a transporter device to query back my intent! Laughs with mirth.
Intangible
Peter Stewart grew up on a unique version of the Arthurian legends taught him by his father, a harebrained quantum physicist who asserts that anything is possible. But Peter disbelieves anything which cannot be scientifically explained, despite a nagging sense that there is more to the world than meets the eye.
Lily Portman is an orphan with a secret: she can see creatures that are invisible to everyone else. These creatures control every human being she has ever met to varying degrees... until she meets Peter and his father.
When a mysterious stranger stages an accident which nearly costs Peter and Lily their lives, suddenly Lily learns that she is not crazy after all, and Peter discovers the truth of his father’s stories… including the existence of Arthur’s ancient nemesis, one who calls himself the Shadow Lord, and a prophecy with implications so profound that it will alter not only the course of their lives, but potentially the fate of the world.
Places to find the book:
Series: Piercing the Veil,
Also in this series: Invincible
on 20th November, 2013
Format: Paperback
Pages: 482
Author Biography:
C.A. Gray is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor (NMD), with a primary care practice in Tucson, AZ. She has always been captivated by the power of a good story, fictional or otherwise, which is probably why she loves holistic medicine: a patient’s physical health is invariably intertwined with his or her life story, and she believes that the one can only be understood in context with the other.
She still wants to be everything when she grows up. She moonlights as a college chemistry teacher (she has a degree in biochemistry, with minors in Spanish and Creative Writing), does theater when she gets the chance, sings, plays piano, was once a personal trainer and in coffee shop management. She is blessed with exceptionally supportive family and friends, and thanks God for them every single day!
Introducing Peter and Lily:
Characters who transcend their sixth sense sensibility
Peter is living a path outside the realm of his peers because his father took a keen interest in his education at a young age, and endowed him with the ability to learn at a rate that was highly fused to his son’s interests rather than limited to what his level of education would be dictated at a scale of his accent in age. Peter became aware of things that others were not clued into simply because his sense of reality and the sense of his environment as a whole, was altered out of the scope of where his classmates put their perceptional lens. Where they wanted to focus on the routine of the hours within the structure of where they were attending school, Peter was looking at the world from different angles and from a perspective of science bent back into the folds of reality itself. His mind was electrically charged and fundamentally curious about the process of things and the more he was curious about how things worked, the more he wanted to experiment to drive the hypothetical theories out of thought and into a foundation of evidence, for which his mind could lay a baseline of support against what is purported and what is true. The tricky part for Peter is accepting that not everything can be explained by science because he forgot the greatest key we’re all given is our imagination.
Lily finds the patience to live within the spectrum of ordinary hours a bit of a daunting tug of will against what she already knows as truth; her sensibility of awareness is locked within the unseen and yet she is altogether fascinating at how she purports what she understands back into the everyday fold of a regular day. She likes to be a bit organised in her being, even if who she is has never truly been accepted by anyone who has known her as she tends to stand out a bit from her peers. She has a quiet confidence that has not fully blossomed into acceptance but she’s been struggling to overcome not only the loss of her parents but the manner in which she was saved the night they died. Lily believes with an innocent heart and a mind willing to suspend the laws of reported science.
Both Peter and Lily are two extraordinary characters who take you on this journey, giving you the pleasure of tagging along on this adventure that you did not realise you even wanted to become a part of. Their story is on the verge of being known and understood, but along the way, they each start to learn more about each other, their place in the universe, and how all the interlocking pieces of time, reality, and our living hours collide into each other in a mosaic of ordered harmony. They each have a sixth sense sensibility but it is the process of how they develop their intuitive confidence in that vein of sensitivity that leads to an absorbing read!
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Thursday, 30 October, 2014 by jorielov in Arthurian Legend, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, Bullies and the Bullied, Coming-Of Age, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Domestic Violence, Earthen Magic, England, Equality In Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Foster Care, Genre-bender, Good vs. Evil, Indie Author, Light vs Dark, Mental Health, Modern Day, Mythological Societies, Naturopathic Medicine, Orphans & Guardians, Parapsychological Gifts, Parapsychological Suspense, Passionate Researcher, Quantum Physics, Retrospective Memories of a Series, Royal Social Media, School Life & Situations, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fridays, Sci-Fi November, Science Fantasy, Seers, Social Services, Speculative Fiction, Spin-Off Authors, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Superstrings, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Time Shift, Transfer Student at School, Writing Style & Voice, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Tuesday, 28 October, 2014 by jorielov Charles Scribner's Sons, Edith Wharton, The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton 2 Comments
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton
Borrowed Book By:
After I compiled my reading list for Horror October (of which I blogged about on my post about being a Cosy Horror Girl), I knew that I wanted to borrow this particular collection from my local library. The best resource I have always enjoyed in my life are local libraries, as they have a beautiful outreach for materials outside their collection through the ILL services they provide with other libraries. (I shorten “inter-library loan” to ILL) In my particular case, my local library is part of a consortium of libraries from a portion of the libraries within my state. This means that I can draw books out of collections from larger cities as well as from University libraries. I borrowed “The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton” and elected to blog my ruminations without any obligation to do so. The hardback edition arrived to me via a Community College library within the consortium via ILL.
Encouraged to Read By:
This was one of the novels that was compiled on the List I asked (Mr.) Gregory Fisher @ Riffle Horror to curate for me as a way for me to seek out the cosier side of the Horror genre. I have always had a pure fascination for ghost stories, as there is always such a curious route the individual writer can take as they yield to the supernatural and the presence of each ghost they bring to life on the written page. I personally have a preference for spunky & cheeky ghosts as much as spirits of the recently deceased who are in seek of help from living persons who can either aide them towards finding peace, redemption, and/or justice as a way to transition forward in peace. (I spoke more about this on my review of Lost in Thought)
I have been wanting to read more Classics since 2014 began, as I had all these wicked happy ideas of where I could soak inside the works of the writers’ who not only championed the cause for well-written fiction but who were dedicated to the craft of writing in such a way as to illicit immediate respect and admiration. When I was finally able to join tCC (the Classics Club : my List), I thought for sure each month I’d be reading at least two classic novels! Clearly my year did not pan out as I had forethought it would but that doesn’t discount the fact I knew during Horror October I could finally introduce myself to the writing style of Edith Wharton! As Wharton is already listed on my Classics TBR List due to my interactions with an after canon author during a 2013 blog tour!
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton
by Edith Wharton
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Laszlo Kubinyi
Source: Borrowed from local library
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton are a collection of Gothic Literature Shorts set around the parapsychological phenomenon of hauntings by way of ghosts & spirits who are attached to either physical properties, (i.e. houses) or living persons of whom the ghostly spirit has found an attachment. Each of the short stories transcends what is popularly disbelieved and unwilling to become accepted as bonefide fact that there are experiences past our vision of acceptance where the supernatural lies just outside the stretch of the living soul's observational mirror.
The setting of choice for Wharton to place these stories was inside three distinctly different locales: England, Normandy, & America. Her preference was for the inclusion of a family estate to be the central focus of where her characters not only interacted with the ghosts but where the action of the story itself takes place.
Illustrative plates are included per short story to help the reader fuse directly into the heart of where Wharton hoped to take her readers with the vision of the supernatural she wished to convey.
The following short stories are included in this collection:
- The Lady's Maid Bell
- The Eyes
- Afterward
- Kerfol
- The Triumph of the Night
- Miss Mary Pash
- Bewitched
- Mr. Jones
- Pomegrante Seed
- The Looking Glass
- All Souls'
Other Works by Wharton listed inside the collection are:
- The Moose Marathon
- The Mudslipper (Children's Lit)
- Mistress & Other Creative Takeoffs (Short Stories)
with Desmond Sim & Kwan Loh
This summary of a synopsis was written & composed by Jorie @ Jorie Loves A Story.
Genres: Anthology Collection of Short Stories and/or Essays, Ghost Story, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Suspense
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Published by Charles Scribner's Sons
on 1973
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 276
Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Tuesday, 28 October, 2014 by jorielov in #HorrorOctober, 19th Century, Anthology Collection of Stories, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Discussions, British Literature, Classic Mystery, Classical Literature, Clever Turns of Phrase, Cliffhanger Ending, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, England, Ghost Story, Ghosts & the Supernatural, Gothic Literature, Gothic Mystery, Haunting & Ethereal, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Library Find, Literary Fiction, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Mental Health, Motion Picture Adaptation, Parapsychological Suspense, Philosophical Intuitiveness, Reading Challenges, Short Stories or Essays, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense, tCC The Classics Club, the Victorian era, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Friday, 24 October, 2014 by jorielov Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials, Aunty Lee's Delights, Ovidia Yu, P.S. Edition, Singaporean mysteries 3 Comments
Aunty Lee’s Deadly Specials by Ovidia Yu
Published By: William Morrow (@WmMorrowBks),
an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (@HarperCollins)
Official Authors Websites: Site| @OvidiaVanda | Facebook
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #OvidiaYu
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a tour stop on the “Aunt Lee’s Deadly Specials” virtual book tour through TLC Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the publisher William Morrow, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Setting into the environment of Aunty Lee’s Delights: Meet Aunty Lee!
( on my readings of the first novel )
Oh! it is the name of a cafe! The title is reminiscent of a delectable foodie haunt where traditional Peranakan cuisine was served as regular as hearty conversative gossip! The manner of how Yu writes her novel has a curious in-step where the pace and delivery reminded me of the long ago letters from my Singaporean friends. The delivery of the scenes was quite unique and brought me back to the beautiful conversations I had with my friends, shared through paper and pen! Every language has it’s own style, and thereby each writer has a distinction of voice that is individualistically unique. With this novel, it is twofold – I could see a reflection of my friends’ voices through the writing style of Yu!
I champion the inclusion of local customs, words and phrases whenever a story is set in a place outside a readily known locale. It brings the setting to the level of feeling local and intimately familiar; as if we were not visiting the locale for the first time. Yu does this in such a natural way, it befits not only her characters but the overall texture of her novels!
Aunty Lee is a flamboyant woman who adores her experimentation of cooking whilst cooking and creating traditional foods with a dedicated quality of ingredients. She has a comfortability of being in harmony with herself as much as with her living environment and city. She asserts herself in situations and circumstances where she feels she has the most to give as much as what she can gain through the experience of being involved as well. Her attention to tasks at hand are slightly off-kilter to her sensational interest in current events which parlay into murder; this concentrated effort on her behalf means far more to her than the placement of her knife in relation to her fingers and the vegetables she is chopping on the board! Thankfully, Aunty Lee had the wisdom to hire Nina, a ‘jack of all trades’ as she is part maid, part assistant in arms, and part sous chef; all knowledge of trade are in combination with the medical arts, thereby circumventing any horrific disaster that could befall Aunty Lee!
Aunty Lee is a bit excluded from her family, partially out of death (of her late husband, being his second wife) and have by the status of her inheritance of his wealth which did not pass down to his son and daughter. Of the two, the wife of his son found this most insulting of all, although the son found nothing wrong with the arrangement on principle. Aunty Lee has the charming grace to face facts whilst embracing life as it arrives. The most delish moment of her day is the prospect of a murder washing ashore and walking into her life; as what could be more alluring than a mystery of an unexplained death?
Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials
by Ovidia Yu
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours
Rosie “Aunty” Lee, the feisty widow and amateur sleuth and proprietor of Singapore’s best-loved home-cooking restaurant, is back in another delectable, witty mystery involving scandal and murder among the city’s elite.
Few know more about what goes on in Singapore than Aunty Lee. When a scandal over illegal organ donation makes news, she already has a list of suspects. There’s no time to snoop, though—Aunty Lee’s Delights is catering a brunch for local socialites Henry and Mabel Sung. Rumor has it that the Sungs’ fortune is in trouble, and Aunty Lee wonders if the gossip is true. But soon after arriving at the Sungs’, her curiosity turns to suspicion. Why is the guesthouse in the garden locked up—and what’s inside? Where is the missing guest of honor? Then Mabel Sung and her son, Leonard, are found dead. The authorities blame it on Aunty Lee’s special stewed chicken with buah keluak, a local black nut that can be poisonous if cooked improperly. She’s certain the deaths are murder—and that they’re somehow linked to the organ donor scandal. To save her business and her reputation, she’s got to prove it—and unmask a dangerous killer.
Genres: Cosy Mystery, Foodie Fiction Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Series: Singaporean mysteries, No. 2
Also in this series: Invincible
Published by William Morrow
on 30th September, 2014
Format: P.S. Edition Paperback
Pages: 384
Author Biography:
Ovidia Yu is one of Singapore’s best-known and most acclaimed writers. She has had more than thirty plays produced and is also the author of a number of mysteries. She received a Fulbright Fellowship to the University of Iowa’s International Writers Program and has been a writing fellow at the National University of Singapore.
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Posted Friday, 24 October, 2014 by jorielov in Amateur Detective, Blog Tour Host, Chefs and Sous Chefs, Child out of Wedlock, Contemporary Romance, Cookery, Cosy Mystery, Cultural & Religious Traditions, Disillusionment in Marriage, Equality In Literature, Family Life, Fly in the Ointment, Foodie Fiction, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Lady Detective Fiction, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Life Shift, Mental Health, Political Narrative & Modern Topics, Singapore, TLC Book Tours, Vulgarity in Literature, Widows & Widowers, World Religions, Writing Style & Voice