Category: Romance Fiction

Cover Reveal | NEW #ChocLit novel by Jane Lovering “Can’t Buy Me Love”!

Posted Tuesday, 31 May, 2016 by jorielov Can't Buy Me Love, ChocLitUK, Jane Lovering, Yorkshire Romances series 6 Comments

If your a regular reader or frequent visitor of Jorie Loves A Story, you know I’ve been smitten with the novelists who publish their relationship-based Romances with ChocLitUK for a good two years now! I love being on the cusp of learning about a ‘new release’ whilst I remain patient to see if the Digital First new ChocLit novel will make it to a print release further down the road of it’s lifetime. I don’t mind the gaps between the ebooks and the print editions – as it’s always given me the pleasure of balancing my ‘next ChocLit reads’ to include both Front List and Back List offerings. Thus, I am enjoying being a member of the Reveal Team at ChocLit whilst it gives me a chance to introduce my readers to a variety of sub-genres within Romance I appreciate picking up to read!

The Yorkshire Romances are getting a sixth entry into the series with this new release, which I am thankful to be highlighting this last day of May! It brings everything a bit full circle! I wanted to highlight the rest of the series, in case you are new to reading ChocLit or new to reading Jane Lovering, as I myself, haven’t yet had the pleasure either!

The Yorkshire Romances in sequence:

Please Don’t Stop the Music (Synopsis)
Hubble Bubble (Synopsis)
Star Struck (Synopsis)
How I Wonder What You Are (Synopsis)
I Don’t Want to Talk About It (Synopsis)

The Yorkshire Romances are one of the series I felt I should focus on this year, as Ms Lovering has been adding to the series since I first started to review for ChocLit! I have slowly seen new stories emerge throughout this series and one of them (I Don’t Want to Talk About It) was the topic of one of our recent #ChocLitSaturday chats wherein it inspired us to chat on the topic of: how to write an emotionally dramatic story but maintain a bit of levity. Ms Lovering was absent during the chat, and I was most delighted to report to her afterwards, it became quite the lively discussion – whilst we were giving a nod to her latest release as well!

Throughout May, as I resumed hosting #ChocLitSaturday after a short hiatus, I have re-directed our chats back to focused discussions as well as keeping in the know for upcoming ChocLit releases – giving the chat a platform to help introduce new readers to ChocLit (which I have striven to do since I created the chat) as new releases become available. I enjoy selecting topics that correlate with the releases as much as I like seeing how we go OT (off-topic) to help continue to generate the camaraderie that has knitted us all together. This was one of the chats that sparked new interest by new chatters to join us, as we are continuing to grow our audience, two years after our first #ChocLitSaturday!

What is interesting to mention, is this is one series I was considering reading out of order, as some of the story-lines appealed me to out of sequence with their publication order! Ironically or no, Please Don’t Stop the Music was one of the first ChocLit novels a bookish of friend of mine read after I suggested she take a chance on reading one of the authors – as I was having such a blast discovering ChocLit myself – it was one of the first times a friend of mine was as wicked happy for the discovery as I had been myself!

I have had the pleasure of knowing first-hand how quirky Ms Lovering’s humour can be as I had the joy of having her presence in #ChocLitSaturday until her schedule conflicted with our chat hour. It was such a shame – as although I understand when writers and readers both have to duck out of the chats, she managed to leave me in chucklements and stitches simply by how she expressed herself or added light-hearted additions to any topic we were chattering about! Her presence was surely missed, and happily returned this past #ChocLitSaturday as she helped celebrate Berni Steven’s upcoming PNR release to continue where Dance Until Dawn left off!

What a lovely pleasure to celebrate a second new novel by Ms Lovering in one month! Below you will find out about the premise behind the sixth installment of this series & my initial take on what it will reveal to me as a reader – whose still sorting out which book to read first! Laughs.

Posted Tuesday, 31 May, 2016 by jorielov in 21st Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Book Spotlight, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Modern Day, Romance Fiction

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 | “The Ten Year Reunion” by T.S. Krupa Third #Contemporary #Romance novel by the author of “Safe & Sound”!

Posted Tuesday, 24 May, 2016 by jorielov Avalon Haddam Press, Big City Dreams, T.S. Krupa, The Ten Year Reunion 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I was offered to receive T.S. Krupa’s third novel “The Ten Year Reunion” in exchange for an honest review as well as host a special feature to coincide with the book if I elected to do so. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the novel “The Ten Year Reunion” direct from the author T.S. Krupa. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

My interest in reading The Ten Year Reunion:

One my favourite novels of [2014] as a 1st Year Book Blogger was Safe & Sound because it broke through a few literary barriers and told an honest story from a contemporary point of view whilst giving you a hearty Romance and a narrative that owned itself to it’s own living truth inside the world Krupa created. I appreciated the fact the #EqualityInLit inclusion of a happily engaged couple proved that when you seek out diversity and stories of equality, there can be a softness to the inclusion to where everything feels quite natural and organic, rather than purposely included to be ‘different’.

I like honest stories and especially Romances rooted in relationships, as these are my favourite kinds to read and thereby the ones I seek out the most to devour! On the contemporary and modern side of the ledger, since I read Safe & Sound and even a bit before, there is a bit of a gap in my reading life as I mentioned on a post (my first ’10 Bookish and Not Bookish Thoughts’ meme!) as much as I related a bit about this on my review of Robin’s Reward. Most recently, I finished reading my first Clare Chase Romantic Suspense novel which was not only written in a style of Contemporary Fiction I adore finding but kept me on the edge of my seat! Similar to Ms Krupa, Ms Chase writes characters of diversity with such an organic natural inclusion as to inhabit the story as if they were always meant to be a part of it.

The Contemporary story-teller who stands out as far as a serial author (from the past few years) would be Mary McNear who writes compelling and emotionally-driven fiction for readers who are seeking a stimulating read with an uplift ending! I have had the pleasure of reading her Butternut Lake series and cannot wait for her next release! It’s a hard genre for me to curl up inside because too often I find authors are not writing Contemporary Fiction in a style that I am particularly keen on reading. When I find authors like the ones I’ve mentioned and a handful of others I’ve happily blogged about over the past three years – their stories are ones that I will continue to champion and cheer for as they give us such a grounding of contemporary life in our crazy hectic modern world!

My Connection to the Author: T.S. Krupa

Notation on Cover Art: Can I just say an evening sky full of clouds and the hint of fog is my kind of night to be caught up inside? I love grey skies in general and overcast days to me are the best slices of happiness we can have unexpectedly grace our lives – as they are such a lovely break from oppressive humidity and volcanic heat patterns — thus, this cover was instantly grabbing my attention! I liked how the typography ‘fades’ out in the clouds and how the pier provides a bit of an infinity impression which always seems to represent to me the various ways in which a path can knit together. There is always hope left when there is a path without end to be found in front of you! And, using purple simply charmed me as it’s quite literally one of my most favourite colours!

The Ten Year Reunion
by T.S. Krupa
Source: Direct from Author

Ten years ago, Danielle ‘Dani’ Jackson graduated from Coastal State University in Wilmington, North Carolina and left her heartache behind—for what she thought was forever. Now a promising pediatric surgeon at Boston Children’s Hospital she has been invited back for her college reunion.

With encouragement from her best friend, Dani begrudgingly returns to face her past–the death of her friend and a broken heart from Jake Dillon, her first love. During her trip she revisits the four years she spent at CSU. By applying to CSU she defied her father and the ‘perfect’ plan he had laid out for her, which included attending an Ivy League school before medical school, but Dani had other plans. She traded in her father’s dream, for an institution with sandy beaches and soccer that made her feel at home. Dani never questioned her decision—she knew she was right. What she didn’t know, was how hard growing up was going to be.

At the reunion weekend she reconnects with her friends Adeline ‘Addie’ Smith and Colleen ‘Callie’ Schumaker. The girls met freshman year due to Addie’s persistence and quickly became inseparable, but after graduation they started to drift apart. The weekend is further complicated when Jake shows up. Together they all realize that life has been hard on everyone and no one’s life has been perfect. The reunion gives them the time to deal with the past and an opportunity for a second chance—for each of them.

Genres: Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945), New Adult Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Time Slip and/or Time Shift

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-0692685440

Also by this author: Safe & Sound, On the Edge : Cover Reveal, On the Edge

Published by Avalon Haddam Press

on 10th May, 2016

Format: Paperback ARC

Pages: 378

Published by: Avalon Haddam Press

Genre(s): Contemporary Fiction | New Adult | College Reunions

Contemporary Romance | Second-chance Love

Converse via Twitter: #TheTenYearReunion

About T.S. Krupa

Posted Tuesday, 24 May, 2016 by jorielov in 21st Century, Addictions and Afflictions, ARC | Galley Copy, Author Found me On Twitter, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Review (non-blog tour), Boston, College & University Years, Coming-Of Age, Contemporary Romance, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Fly in the Ointment, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Indie Author, Life of Thirty-Somethings, Medical Fiction, Modern Day, New Adult Fiction, Romance Fiction, School Life & Situations, Second Chance Love, Singletons & Commitment, Sports, Time Slip, Vulgarity in Literature, Weight Loss

Book Review | “You Think You Know Me” (London & Cambridge #Mysteries No.1) by Clare Chase #ChocLitSaturdays

Posted Saturday, 21 May, 2016 by jorielov #DeathByChocLit, ChocLitUK, Clare Chase, London and Cambridge Mysteries, You Think You Know Me 1 Comment

Why I feature #ChocLitSaturdays (book reviews & guest author features)
and created #ChocLitSaturday (the chat via @ChocLitSaturday):

I wanted to create a bit of a niche on Jorie Loves A Story to showcase romance fiction steeped in relationships, courtships, and the breadth of marriage enveloped by characters written honestly whose lives not only endear you to them but they nestle into your heart as their story is being read!

I am always seeking relationship-based romance which strikes a chord within my mind’s eye as well as my heart! I’m a romantic optimist, and I love curling into a romance where I can be swept inside the past, as history becomes lit alive in the fullness of the narrative and I can wander amongst the supporting cast observing the principal characters fall in love and sort out if they are a proper match for each other!

I love how an Indie Publisher like ChocLitUK is such a positive alternative for those of us who do not identify ourselves as girls and women who read ‘chick-lit’. I appreciate the stories which alight in my hands from ChocLit as much as I appreciate the inspirational romances I gravitate towards because there is a certain level of depth to both outlets in romance which encourage my spirits and gives me a beautiful story to absorb! Whilst sorting out how promote my book reviews on behalf of ChocLit, I coined the phrase “ChocLitSaturdays”, which is a nod to the fact my ChocLit reviews & features debut on ‘a Saturday’ but further to the point that on the ‘weekend’ we want to dip into a world wholly ideal and romantic during our hours off from the work week!

Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. I received a complimentary copy of “You Think You Know Me” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

How Jorie almost made a blunderment in regards to #DeathByChocLit + the London & Cambridge Mysteries:

I am the reader who loves to do her due diligence and research – the kind of book blogger who reads a heap of data about authors before she composes one question for an interview – and like most bubbly happy bookish souls, she makes mistakes! Somewhere in the pursuit of reading more serial ChocLit this year, and keeping a keen eye on everything connected to #DeathByChocLit — I, unfortunately connected a dot that simply is not there to be seen! I mistook You Think You Know Me as the first part of #DeathByChocLit’s signature debut which is A Stranger’s House! I hadn’t noticed something quite telling until I started to sit down with this novel, noting at long last You Think You Know Me is the start of the London and Cambridge Mysteries *however!* A Stranger’s House is the start of the Ruby Fawcett & Nate Bastable Mysteries! (read this blog post on Ms Chase’s blog!)

*Except to say* what I mistook as a separate series is actually quite the ingenious second half if you will of the London & Cambridge series itself! Let me explain a bit further – my original understanding was actually the one I should have trusted: both You Think You Know Me and A Stranger’s House are part of #DeathByChocLit as they are equal halves of the London and Cambridge Mysteries series! You see, Ruby Fawcett & Nate Bastable are characters on the ‘Cambridge’ side of the ledger not a wholly new series altogether! It’s simply how you approach looking at this that may or may not alter your perception! Ergo if you read it literally ‘London and Cambridge Mysteries’ you might not recognise the fact it’s a compound series title – half the stories are set in London whereas the other half are set in Cambridge! All of which can be celebrated as stand-alones and/or read in serial sequence! Isn’t that fab?

*There is another post by Ms Chase which explains it quite well!

This is a lesson in trusting your first instincts and realising sometimes a book series is separated by locale but has an internal threading of complementary sequencing! In this case, Ms Chase has written a clever series whose components (of how the stories are styled & shaped) intertwine but whose characters and settings are separated a bit at the same time!

This in no way disappointed my zeal of joy to read You Think You Know Me because I have longed to read this since it debuted in [2015] as I love spine-curling romantic suspense novels that keep you on the very edge of your seat as you attempt to survive the events right alongside the lead character(s)! I love #RomSusp but as I had recently blogged about on another review, finding Romantic Suspense authors I can curl up inside and take a lovely respite in their world is a work-in-progress.

What attracted me to read Clare Chase’s novels actually stems from our friendship which has developed through our conversations threading through #ChocLitSaturday! I started to notice patterns of conjoined interest in our reading habits but also, what attracts us to characters, depth of heart centred in stories and the brilliance being caught up inside a brilliantly conceived mystery or suspense novel that has all the components your dearly seeking to find! I felt if our tastes ran so parallel together as readers who loved sharing our reading lives in my weekend Rom chats, I had a sneaking feeling she’d be the writer behind Romantic Suspense novels I’d find unputdownable!

Therefore, despite what I feared might have been misguided cross-promotions between You Think You Know Me and A Stranger’s House my intentions were not only well-placed but *on point!*, as I had it right all along! I decided to be up front about this confusion as I noodled out the series in case my readers were equally confused trying to sort out #DeathByChocLit! I think I was primed to be overly excited to read a #DeathByChocLit novel inasmuch as I am to read my first #DarkChocLit novel every since I posted the *big reveal!* double-interview showcase on their behalf!

The best thing to takeaway from this is knowing I am dearly passionate about the books I am discovering! Including a heap of awesomesauce joy in being able to read new stories by #newtomeauthors who are penning stories I am thrilled to be reading!

On my Connection to Ms Chase:

Two years ago, on the 26th of April, 2014, I created #ChocLitSaturday a weekly Rom chat to celebrate the novelists of ChocLitUK but also, to expand to include book bloggers, readers and writers of Romance who have a penchant for the genre as a whole. Ms Chase and I started to notice our reading habits were aligning with each other, and her conversations were happy editions to my week as I liked finding someone else who liked the same types of stories I was gravitating towards myself. We continued to ‘chat’ about our reading habits even outside of #ChocLitSaturday, which was a blessed joy for me.

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Ms Chase through our respective love & passion of reading inside the twitterverse whilst I host #ChocLitSaturday the chat and privately as well. 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 or continuing to read their releases as they are available.

You Think You Know Me

Sometimes, it's not easy to tell the good guys from the bad...

Freelance journalist, Anna Morris, is struggling to make a name for herself, so she's delighted to attend a launch event for a hip young artist at her friend Seb's gallery.

But an exclusive interview isn't all Anna comes away with. After an encounter with the enigmatic Darrick Farron, she is flung into the shady underground of the art scene - a world of underhand dealings, missing paintings and mysterious deaths...

Seb is intent on convincing Anna that Darrick is up to no good but, try as she might, she can't seem to keep away from him. And as she becomes further embroiled, Anna begins to wonder - can Seb's behaviour be explained away as the well-intentioned concern of an old friend, or does he have something to hide?

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Book Page on World Weaver Press

ISBN: 9781781892541

Series: London and Cambridge mysteries

on 19 March 2016

Pages: 320

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)

Available Formats: Paperback & E-Book

Converse via: #LondonAndCambridgeMysteries, #RomSusp, #RomSuspense + #ChocLit

About Clare Chase

Clare writes fast-paced romantic mysteries, using London and Cambridge as settings. Her influences include JD Robb, Janet Evanovich, Mary Stewart and Sue Grafton.

Brought up in the Midlands, she went on to read English at London University, then worked in book and author promotion in venues as diverse as schools, pubs and prisons. More recently she’s exercised her creative writing muscles in the world of PR, and also worked for the University of Cambridge. Her current day job is at the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Her writing is inspired by what makes people tick, and how strong emotions can occasionally turn everyday incidents into the stuff of crime novels. It would be impossible not to mix these topics with romance and relationships; they’re central to life and drive all forms of drama.

When she’s not reading or writing, Clare enjoys drawing, cooking and trips to the Lake District. Closer to home, she loves wandering round the pubs, restaurants and galleries of Cambridge, where she lives with her husband and two teenage daughters.

Posted Saturday, 21 May, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Action & Adventure Fiction, Blog Tour Host, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Clever Turns of Phrase, Contemporary Romance, England, Equality In Literature, Fly in the Ointment, Humour & Satire in Fiction / Non Fiction, Indie Author, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, London, Modern British Author, Modern British Literature, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Singletons & Commitment, Sisterhood friendships, Vulgarity in Literature

Category: Romance Fiction

About Summer Kinard

Balancing Life Amidst Chaos:

About T.S. Krupa

About T.S. Krupa

Why I feature #ChocLitSaturdays (book reviews & guest author features) and created #ChocLitSaturday (the chat via @ChocLitSaturday):

I wanted to create a bit of a niche on Jorie Loves A Story to showcase romance fiction steeped in relationships, courtships, and the breadth of marriage enveloped by characters written honestly whose lives not only endear you to them but they nestle into your heart as their story is being read!

About Clare Chase

Why I feature #ChocLitSaturdays (book reviews & guest author features)
and created #ChocLitSaturday (the chat via @ChocLitSaturday):