Category: #SatBookChat

#SaturdaysAreBookish this #SatBookChat | feat. #LoveInspired Historical novelist Jessica Nelson with “An Unlikely Duchess”

Posted Saturday, 22 January, 2022 by jorielov An Unlikely Duchess, Jessica Nelson, Love Inspired (imprint) Harlequin, Love Inspired Historical (imprint) Harlequin 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I have always appreciated the authors who find my bookish ruminations and find my blog a refreshing visit whilst journeying through the book blogosphere. Especially if they take a moment to read and review my Review Policy and find that I might be a good fit as a reader for one of their stories or series. Imagine the joy I had when Ms Nelson contacted me about her new Love Inspired Historical release as one of my top favourite Love Inspired stories have always been the Historical and Suspense lines moreso than the Contemporary, though I still read Love Inspired Contemporary as well just not as often as the other two categories. Though technically the Suspense line is set in our Contemporary world.

I received a complimentary copy of “An Unlikely Duchess” direct from author Jessica Nelson in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I love reading Love Inspired Historicals:

My appreciation for Love Inspired has been developing over the years as I originally preferred reading the stories by Heartsong Presents alongside my Mum who nudged me to give those delightful little books a chance to win over my heart; and they surely did! When Heartsong went through a few mergers/changes and was finally dissolved by its current publisher (a very sombering day of news!) Mum and I shifted our focus into Love Inspired. Some of the same authors were featured by both publishers/imprints, too. It was there we started to read all three imprints of Love Inspired: Contemporary, Historical & Suspense.

Initially of course, our hearts settled into two different imprints: for me, the Historicals won me over the most and for Mum the Contemporaries. However, then, Love Inspired shifted away from publishing Historical Romances with an INSPY thematic and choose to strictly focus on Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense (ie. Suspense). Ergo, we shifted again and strictly read more of their Suspense line than the other two but still tried to gather the Historicals whenever a) they were available, b) able to be found second hand or c) awaited for new releases or reprints of older stories.

Imagine my lovely surprise finding out their releasing some new titles this New Year, 2022 for a select period of time and giving those of us who LOVE their Historicals a chance to ‘meet’ new authors and tuck into #HistRoms like we loved doing in the past by this lovely imprint.

As a reader, what drew me the most into the Historicals themselves were the gently told stories with an uplift resolution at the end of the story. I love reading INSPY Fiction and when it comes to Historical Romances – I love the dramas of life and the emotional journeys characters take in their lives but sometimes, reading a gentler told story of romance is just my cuppa and I am so dearly thankful there are a few new Love Inspired Historicals out there now to be read as they truly are a lovely lift of joy.

An Unlikely Duchess
by Jessica Nelson
Source: Direct from Author

A marriage of convenience

is the only way to save her family…

Widow Sophia Seymour never planned to marry again—let alone become a duchess. But with her father missing and her family impoverished, an old betrothal contract promising her hand to a notorious duke is her only hope. And Edmund DeVane intends to honor the agreement—in name only. After all, Edmund needs a wife with an impeccable reputation to protect his debuting niece. But as their arrangement starts to feel much more real, can their budding love survive Edmund’s deepest secret?

Genres: Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Historical Romance

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1335418906

Published by Love INSPIRED

on 28th December, 2021

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 288

Love Inspired Historicals by this author:

The Matchmaker’s Match (2015)

A Hasty Betrothal (2016)

The Unconventional Governess (2018)

An Unlikely Duchess (2021)

Published by: Love Inspired (@LoveInspiredBks)
an imprint of Harlequin Books (@HarlequinBooks)
which is now an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing (@HarperCollins)

Note on Formats: Happily Love Inspired novels have the same kind of flexibility as Harlequin Heartwarming wherein you can receive these print copies in Regular Print, Larger Print or True Large Print for those who are vision impaired and/or have low vision. I personally love the Larger Print editions for Harlequin Heartwarming, Love Inspired Contemporary Romance & Love Inspired Suspense as it is much kinder on eyes of a migraineur! Generally I receive Larger Print copies of Love Inspired and/or Harlequin Heartwarming novels – however, I do on occasion receive Regular Print which I can’t read whilst in the throes of a migraine or shortly after one but when I’m migraine-free I can soak back inside them; hence why having different sized fonts available is a lovely gesture by the publisher for readers like me.

Converse via: #INSPYbooks and/or #INSPY, #SweetRomance and #LoveInspired

as well as #ChristFic, #ChristianFiction, #HistRom or #HistoricalRomance or #INSPYRomance

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2022 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Saturday, 22 January, 2022 by jorielov in #SatBookChat, 19th Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Book Review (non-blog tour), Christianity, Content Note, Domestic Violence, Family Drama, Family Life, Fathers and Daughters, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Historical Romance, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Mail-Order Brides & Marriages of Convenience, Marriage of Convenience, Romance Fiction, Second Chance Love, the Regency era, Widows & Widowers

#WyrdAndWonder takesover @SatBookChat | This May, 3x #IndieFantasy authors are featured during #SatBookChat!

Posted Saturday, 9 May, 2020 by jorielov #WyrdAndWonder, Felicity Banks, Jennifer Silverwood, Owen Crane 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

Per my Announcement & TBR for #WyrdAndWonder –

you might have suspected my blog Jorie Loves A Story and my bookish & geeky feeds via @joriestory were going to be overtaken with fantastical loveliness throughout May! However, you might not have realised I’ve cooked up some plans to host Indie Fantasy novelists via my book chat @SatBookChat, as well!

Ahead, of these featured authors – I have also hosted two special guest author features within the first week of #WyrdAndWonder – the first is where the author creatively ‘hosted’ a convo between herself and I – wherein I responded in kind. She wrote an aro-ace telepathical astral projecting Speculative novel. The second author I’ve hosted was for a Dark Fantasy novel which winked a bit of curiosity in me to seek out a discussion!

Let me share with you the schedule and which authors I’ll be featuring throughout MAY! As things are starting to get underway now as the first week is nearly melding into Week Two for #WyrdAndWonder!

I’ve created a unique line-up this May, as I am continuing to feature #IndieFantasy novelists via #SatBookChat as much as I’ll be featuring them via Jorie Loves A Story. I love shining a light on Indie Authors which is not just a tradition I established during #WyrdAndWonder but one I’ve been celebrating since I first became a book blogger and decided to use my blog as a platform to talk about the stories I love from independent publishers as well as self-published authors. There is a lovely girth of stories being crafted in these realms and if I can help give more light to the stories and the authors who are writing them, I truly feel blessed as a book blogger and social reader.

Of the three authors, regular chatters of #SatBookChat and readers of Jorie Loves A Story will immediately recognise Jennifer Silverwood – especially after having observed my gush fest of joy in having read her Urban Fantasy story “Silver Hollow” (see also Review) inasmuch as the FUN we have discussing her stories via #SatBookChat or the fact I interviewed her last year during Wyrd and Wonder (see also Interview). It should also be mentioned we’re personal friends who bonded over our love of Fantasy, writing and being socially active in the book blogosphere and on #bookTwitter.

As you can already tell – I wanted to extend our joy in chatting with each other to tuck closer to what motivates her as a reader of Fantasy and what she personally enjoys about a genre she consistently writes inside. I also wanted to focus more on her takeways about Urban Fantasy as a reader moreso than as a writer because we had such a wonderfully in-depth discussion previously about ‘Silver Hollow’. I am quite sure our enthused reunion will spark its own set of conversational avenues to explore and I look forward to chatting that hour to see where it leads us all.

There are two new to Jorie authors being featured this May during #SatBookChat – as I love to feature the authors I desire most to be reading inasmuch as the authors I am reading whilst I’m hosting #SatBookChat.

Last Autumn, I first crossed paths with Odyssey Books (@OdysseyBooks) – a lovely Indie Publisher from New Zealand. I hadn’t had the chance to connect with them until very recently – wherein I had a chance to seek out several of their authors to interview during Wyrd And Wonder (as disclosed on my TBR Announcement) whilst I am also having the pleasure of joy reading two of their novelists – Felicity Banks & Elizabeth Foster. Read More

Posted Saturday, 9 May, 2020 by jorielov in #SatBookChat, #WyrdAndWonder, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Indie Author, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event

#SatBookChat Spotlight | featured guest H.L. Burke returns to #JLASblog in this featured introduction of her #Fantasy worlds & is discussing them during #SatBookChat!

Posted Saturday, 25 January, 2020 by jorielov Daughter of Sun Bride of Ice, H.L. Burke, Heart of the Curiosity, Ice and Fate duology, Magician's Rivalry, Self Published, Spellsmith and Carver series, To Court A Queen 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

Remember last year during #WyrdAndWonder, I read this delishly spunky Fantasy Romance I truly felt entertained by & lovingly had a wicked sweet time reviewing? The title of this beaut of a novel was “To Court A Queen” and it hit every mark I could have hoped for in a Fantasy Romance novel! I was dearly impressed, awestruck by the world-building and rounded out my review layering in all the lovelies we, who read Fantasy, love finding in our fantastical worlds! It was full of intrigue, a slow burn romance and the kind of cheeky humour which leaves me in stitches!!

You might have already recognised through my bookish showcases & reviews for the first two years of #WyrdAndWonder – I’m quite the discerningly particular reader of Fantasy Fiction! I *love!* certain kinds of world-building and there is a definitive style of Fantasy narrative I am seeking that I do not always find available when I go hunting for a new author | series | story to read. Hence why discovering Ms Burke through #ReviewPit was such a cornerstone of joy during #WyrdAndWonder! She truly has honed in on what we want to seek out, what Fantasy readers can appreciate about spinning a world out of our hopeful imaginations & give us a wicked good read in the process!

A Fairy Tale Romance

He doesn’t want to get married, but he wants to be a frog even less.

Knight errant, Devin, takes a shortcut through the woods, only to be captured by fairy forces. The fairy queen has run out of breathing males to fight for her hand, and Devin, while not ideal fairy stock, is breathing–for now.

Telling a vain fairy queen you’d rather not be her one true love is a ticket to life on a lilypad, so the knight agrees to face three challenges to win Queen Agalea’s hand. When a clever servant girl offers to help him navigate the trials in order to stop the constant bloodshed of the courtship ritual, Devin jumps at the chance. However, as he balances “flirting” with his “beloved” and overcoming tasks specifically designed to kill him, he finds his heart drawn to his new partner in survival.

This novel & author were also a part of

my Top Favourite #NewToMeAuthors of 2019!

If you’ve missed my previous ruminations about “To Court A Queen” let me share this ahead of #SatBookChat this Saturday morning:

I truly found this #IndieAuthor to be #unputdownable because Burke understands what I personally *love!* to seek out of a Fantasy Romance! Not just that – it is how she layered you into the world-building, gave you two characters who despite being individually quirky worked well together as a team – whilst having this set in an unsuspecting place which was wondrously created by Burke’s eye for fantastical detail.

I will be looking forward to collecting more of her stories & taking new journeys into where her imagination leads me to follow!

In regards to the world being built within this world of the fey:

Uniquely, there is a running shortage of approachable and available men who are willing to do the Queen’s bidding – by taking a stake of claim towards her consort position and find a way not to get killed in the process! Whilst she’s holding court, you can see the different kinds of fey who are represented – by their style of dress, their hair colour and the ways in which they dress, braid their hair and otherwise present themselves.

Winged hounds were a new creature for me to experience! I love when that happens – as it is such a special treat to come across a new fantastical species or creature you haven’t yet had the joy in becoming acquainted previously!

The background texture of the story is lush and vibrant; from the way the rooms are outfitted to the design of the aesthetic for the Queen’s residence hall(s). There is a lot of attention to the finer details here and I loved tucking close to the descriptive details.

on the fantastical musings of speculative novelist h.l. burke:

In the author’s own words she’s declared the following about “To Court A Queen”: Enjoy a Fairy Tale Romance that’s like “The Princess Bride” combined with “Ella Enchanted” plus a LOT of snark, a cat-elf, & a knight who is way too Han Solo for his own good!

And, here are my thoughts about how to best describe her fantastically humourous writing style which brokers on the edge of satire and envelopes itself into a bit of snark round the edges!

One of the descriptive attributes Burke wrote into her story is where Devin compares himself to a moth to the distaste of the Queen as she sees his humanness to be a detriment but not to the extent she will remove him from her Court or from testing him as potential consort to her throne! There are a lot of tongue-in-check exchanges with a pulse of satire threading through the dialogue – something I was looking forward to each step of the way because Burke’s characters have a light-heartedness about them. They believe strongly in their lives and the causes they wish to champion but at the same time there is a threading of nonchalance and full-on sarcasm which isn’t lost on me.

I had a feeling the comedic timing to the discussions is partially to cover over the fact the Queen has a decidedly different end game for those who fail her miserably! I know the evil side of the fey as you don’t have to look too hard to uncover that side of their nature – whilst there are a few who walk in the Light, most of the fey side with the Dark. Even if it is under the benign covering of seeking a mate who’d be in equal status of the Queen, you had to think there was something quite nefarious happening at the same time. Why would a Queen simply agree to ‘any odd male’? That you had to wonder about the most whilst you continued to watch Devin grow deeper into this quagmire he caused for himself!

I even liked how she created this species of elves (ie. thus known as ‘cat-elves’ by Devin who likes to get a rile of ire out of them!) who are less than gracious about being referred to as ‘cat-elves’ as I suppose from their perspective that might not be a very endearing name to be called? It was still clever though because it added another layer to this world wherein she’s built a whole society of fey and fairy – where Sevaine represents another part of this kingdom and where the Queen represents the other half. Uniquely there are also loop holes of how those who are ingenious enough can outwit the Queen – though, I had suspected that might be a false-safety on their part as after awhile wouldn’t she wise up to their plottings?

Want to know something keenly ironic? I didn’t really feel this was a snarky story! In fact, I saw it more laden with satire and wicked brilliant humour than I did the snark? There are just some Speculative Fiction novelists out there who are writing stories which work well with my own sense of humour apparently – I now consider H.L. Burke, Leanne Leeds (from #ReviewPit alum) joining the ranks of Ms Chris (E. Chris Garrison), AshleyRose Sullivan, RJ Sullivan and Jennifer Silverwood in my admiration society for comedic and dramatic Fantasy which happily makes me blissfully happy to reside inside!

-a quote from my review of To Court A Queen

As I was setting up the conversation for #SatBookChat today, I wanted to give a well-rounded introduction to the collective worlds & storycrafting style of Ms Burke similar in vein to how I encaptured the stories & series of Vivian Conroy during her initial chat with @SatBookChat!

Ms Burke doesn’t limit herself to Fantasy Romance – she likes to carve out a niche of Fantasy which does strike a romantic balance within her story-lines but overall, she’s a multi-focused Fantasy novelist who is crafting worlds of wonderment which also parlay into such niches of focus to treat your readerly delights like flavourings of Steampunk, Historical Theatre Sci-Fantasy, Sorcery & Magic and of course, short stories which spark your curiosity to seek out her larger works! There is a bit of fey and a dash of whimsical – you only have to visit her website & blog to seek out the ‘right read’ for your Speculative heart to enjoy discovering!

I hope you’ve brewed a cuppa to enjoy the information on this spotlighted post in conjunction with @SatBookChat whilst taking time to visit our past chats archived via the Moments on the chat’s feeds via Twitter. This chat will be archived after it concludes and a bit lateron from there to allow everyone the chance to interact, share and respond.

Without further adieu,
I give you the latest #SatBookChat spotlight
wherein you can learn a bit more about the author & her story.

Cross-released across ALL platforms: print, ebook & audio!

The synopsis for the Spellsmith & Carver series:

Academy trained Auric Spellsmith and small town apprentice Jericho Carver couldn’t be more different, but that doesn’t stop them from wanting the same thing.

When Auric left his rural home and his father’s magic shop to study with the great magicians of the republic, he never expected to be replaced, let alone by the barely educated nephew of the local carpenter. Returning home to find his rightful inheritance in jeopardy—and his beloved baby sister flirting with his new rival—Auric knows he has to prove to his father that he’s the better magician—and the better man.

Jericho scratched his way out of poverty and abuse, and he’s not going to let some bookish city boy send him running back to his boards and hammers. With his future, and his ability to court the woman of his dreams, at stake, he’s ready to play dirty … or at least sit back and let the impulsive and temperamental Auric set himself on fire trying to do basic magic Jericho could do with his eyes closed.

Their rivalry might burn Spellsmith Manor down around them … or it might prove the key to unlocking a long held family secret and saving a world that doesn’t even realize it’s in danger.

A three book gaslamp fantasy series with friendship, humor, and adventure, Spellsmith & Carver takes the Buddy Comedy to magical new heights.This collection includes all three books of the series plus two additional short stories.

Posted Saturday, 25 January, 2020 by jorielov in #SatBookChat, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event

#SatBookChat Spotlight | featured guest Viv Royce discusses her Little Shops on Heart Street series during #SatBookChat!

Posted Saturday, 18 January, 2020 by jorielov A Valentine Proposal, Entangled Publishing, Little Shops on Heart Street series, Viv Royce 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

You might have missed my #blogmas book review for the first novel in this series “A Family by Christmas” – wherein, two of my #ChristmasReads and library purchase requests were thankfully able to arrive in time for me to read ahead of Christmas week! Both this novel by Ms Royce and “Christmas Once Again” were the top favourites of my #blogmas reviews as I was able to settle into a few Christmassy stories despite being taken ill by a Winter cold!

You might recognise our featured guest today as she is the host of her lovely chat #HistFicChat wherein all of us who love to chatter about Historical Fiction come together to share and discuss the stories which are intriguing to us all within the scope of the historical past! You can see why I took to that chat like a duck to water – I practically time jump round History every month of every year – so it is true delight to get to engage with those authors & remain in the know about which new books are currently getting published which might tempt me to add to my #nextreads list!

On my connection to Vivian Conroy:

I am quite active on the socially bookish side of the twitterverse (ie. #bookishTwitter); a lot of the writers and readers I enjoy conversing with on a yearly basis were first ‘met’ somewhere in a chat or a serendipitously lovely convo – either organised through a Twitter chat or a randomly engaged convo between them and I. I do not recollect how I first came to find Vivian Conroy or if in fact, she originally found me – I do know I immediately took to liking her Historical Fiction focused Twitter chat: #HistFicChat. Similar to my passion for #HistoricalFix (hosted and founded by Erin Lindsay McCabe – of which, due to her return to writing has been on sabbatical for three years) – this is a chat where Historical readers and writers can happily find each other, interact and chatter their bookish hearts out about the historic past whilst discovering new #mustreads!

I had the chance to review two of her novels: “In Peppermint Peril” and “The Butterfly Conspiracy” whilst I also had the opportunity to have her as guest author via my chat @SatBookChat. Ahead of the New Year, I also received good news my purchase request for her first Romance novel was accepted by my local library (“A Family by Christmas”) which I enjoyed reading and asked them to purchase the sequel “A Valentine’s Proposal” which I spotlighted ahead of her second guest appearance on @SatBookChat!

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her through Twitter and have reviewed her novels; as 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. And this extends into sharing my honest impressions, thoughts and views whenever I am hosting a guest feature or a promotional post on their behalf.

She was also one of our featured guests last year – you can read the transcript of our previous #SatBookChat (Part One & Part Two) wherein we happily were focusing on her Cosy Historical Mystery series: Merriweather and Royston wherein I read the first novel whilst we touched a bit on all her other series in-progress and of which were coming up to be published next. It was quite a well-rounded #SatBookChat!

If you’ve missed my previous ruminations about this series let me share this ahead of #SatBookChat this Saturday morning:

The Contemporary style is similar to what you’d find inside In Peppermint Peril as Royce loves using small towne life as an anchour to her character’s life – which of course, makes me especially happy as I love the ambiance of small towne culture and the aspects of how the community itself plays an important role in the life of a character. In this instance, she’s given us three newer residents (Casey and her father Grant as well as Emma herself) who are attempting to find their way in both the towne and in their lives.

Royce allows you to see the emotional anguish in Grant – of how the toll of losing his wife is affecting him not just on a personal level of dealing with the grief of her loss but how he’s having issues parenting Casey. Even the small joys of story-telling at night is a tricky operation for him and during the daytime he finds himself less anxious and less liable to give into his war of memories which is slowly eating him from the inside out. You can understand his struggles – the difficulty of resolving the loss and the transitions into being as single father without his wife by his side. Royce gives you this time in his life full justice without sugar coating it and honestly depicting the harder moments of a father struggling to resolve his heart as he recognises that he’s changed since his wife died.

Royce has a knack for writing Contemporary Romantic drama – for giving her characters the space and time they need to work through their own internal battles and to give a reader a chance to see peek into a community they would be grateful to call their own. This is definitely one story I am glad I heard about on Twitter and am dearly wicked thankful I could read as it is another reason why I am enjoying my discovery of Entangled Publishing as a new place to find the Romance novels I must enjoy reading!!

-a quote from my review of A Family by Christmas

I had mentioned on my review I would be seeking out this series continiously through my local library and I have wonderful news to share today! They accepted my purchase request for the sequel “A Valentine Proposal” and I am hoping it shall come into the library’s system in time for me to borrow it ahead of St. Valentine’s Day! Wouldn’t that be grand?!

Technically speaking – I’ve had a very good New Year’s via the library – they accepted 5 of 5 requests and I couldn’t be happier – not just for myself but for the other patrons who will be able to ‘meet’ these books after I’ve met them myself. I love encouraging new purchases for this reason – they do not just help us with ouer readerly pursuits, they help introduce others to stories & authors they might not have found without our requests to bring them into the library.

You’ll note throughout my Story Vault are mentions of Sweet Romances which are either mainstream releases like this one or INSPY releases – I happen to love the gentler side of Romance as much as I love curling into an INSPY Romantic Suspense novel – sometimes it is just lovely to tuck into a sweeter side of the genre where you feel like you’ve stepped through a Hallmark Channel Romance movie!

As a hybrid reader of mainstream & INSPY Fiction – I happily take a walkabout through both literary destinations frequently and happily love sharing the joy of the authors who are writing the stories I am enjoying to read. They give you a happy burst of happiness to find and their stories are blessedly heartwarming to read.

Without further adieu,
I give you the latest #SatBookChat spotlight
wherein you can learn a bit more about the author & her story.

The 2nd novel released 13th January, 2020!

The Synopsis for A Valentine Proposal:

Just as free-spirited bookstore employee Cleo Davis faces closure of her beloved shop, the owner informs her it will continue as part of the successful Stephens chain. When the chain’s risk assessor, the very reserved, very attractive Mark Stephens, enters the store to look over her business plan, Cleo clashes with him right away. Oil and water have nothing on them.

Mark has always followed the rules. But the minute he steps into vibrant and spunky Cleo’s store, he knows he’s in trouble. One moment he’s in her “craft corner” painting bookends with kids, the next in a bidding war with Cleo at a charity auction. He can’t deny that opposites attract, and Cleo’s vivacious personality has him rethinking his life in more ways than one.

But when Cleo’s store officially becomes part of the bookstore chain, Mark will become her boss…and completely off limits.

Posted Saturday, 18 January, 2020 by jorielov in #SatBookChat, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event

#SatBookChat New Year Spotlight | featured guest Dianne Freeman discusses her Countess of Harleigh Mysteries during #SatBookChat!

Posted Saturday, 11 January, 2020 by jorielov A Countess of Harleigh Mystery, Dianne Freeman 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

You might remember how much I enjoyed reading the Countess of Harleigh novels last July? I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms Freeman during the blog tour as well – as I was blessed to cross paths with this Cosy Historical Mystery novelist whilst hosting her tour as it routed through the book bloggers who like me have a fierce passion for Historical Fiction; hosting with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.

I remember when the books first arrived by #bookpost and how curiously I had looked upon them before I began reading the stories – the cover art danced in front of my eyes, a bit on the cheekier side and definitely with a keen eye for drawing your attention to their design! You had to wonder about the Countess of Harleigh and how her life and this Cosy Historical Mystery was going to resonate with you as you dug into her story and sorted out a new author’s cosy style of relating a mystery set during an era you rather enjoy visiting.

If you’ve missed my previous ruminations about this series let me share this ahead of #SatBookChat this Saturday morning:

Part of the joy of reading this series are the layers of etiquette permeating into the fabric of the story-line – fitting for this debut of the series itself as it lends a certain view of the absurdity of tradition these lords and ladies were put through when their era was in its heyday! All the confining points of societal regulations and the fact, you couldn’t just remove yourself from the obligations as that would be lent to scandal and gossip; Freeman takes you through the motions of how frivolous the ton can be and how determined you must become to outwit them all the same! Frances shows this by her unwavering belief that if you lead with strength and a resolve to overcome whatever befalls you, society will either a) move on to the next lead story or b) forget you completely; which I felt was her preference. Frances wasn’t the kind who welcomed notoriety – quite the opposite, I believed she wanted to live a more ordinary life without all the pops and poms of the elevated class.

I was endeared to the plot long before I caught-on to the mysterious events happening in the background – for me, this series is wickedly driven by its characters – specifically everyone related into the personal orbit and sphere of Frances! You can’t help but feel caught inside her life – seeing how even the most ordinary of lives can suddenly become a feast of trouble yet with a sturdy circle of friends and family; any obstacle can surely become defeated! I must admit, by the time I unearthed the actual crime and the person behind it – I was quite somber! I hadn’t expected the villain in the story to be whom they were as I was expecting it be someone else completely! The way in which Freeman related those finer details of the whys and hows lead me to believe the rest of this series is going to be as charmingly cosy to read as its debut!

-a quote from my review of The Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder

I’ve been listening to the audiobook version of the first novel in the series The Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder finding myself re-attached to the world Ms Freeman alights us inside and cheekily finding myself smirking into ready smiles all over again as I had when I first read the novel in print!

The narrator Sarah Zimmerman is a good match for bringing Frances to life – she has her sensibility and her personality perfectly perfected. I would imagine this might have been a hard role to fulfill because as soon as you begin reading these Mysteries you’ll notice the curiously brilliant styling of Freeman – she has the marked fixures of the era she’s writing but with the added bonus of giving us a heroine who reminds me of Lady Emily Ashton (from Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily series) and Lady Darby (from Anna Lee Huber’s Lady Darby Mysteries).

The audio versions are a brilliant entrance and revisit of the series – Zimmerman has a tone of delivery I felt resonated with how I felt Frances would talk and relate her life to her listeners whilst at the same time, Zimmerman has one of those hypnotic voices which implores you to listen and to see how she delivers the story until the very end. I look forward to re-listening to these prior to the forthcoming third release A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder this Summer!

Without further adieu,
I give you the latest #SatBookChat spotlight
wherein you can learn a bit more about the author & her story.

The 3rd novel releases 28th July, 2020!

The Synopsis for A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder:

London is known for its bustle and intrigues, but the sedate English countryside can host—or hide—any number of secrets. Frances, the widowed Countess of Harleigh, needs a venue for her sister Lily’s imminent wedding, away from prying eyes. Risings, George Hazleton’s family estate in Hampshire, is a perfect choice, and soon Frances, her beloved George, and other guests have gathered to enjoy the usual country pursuits—shooting, horse riding, and romantic interludes in secluded gardens.

But the bucolic setting harbors a menace, and it’s not simply the arrival of Frances’s socially ambitious mother. Above and below stairs, mysterious accidents befall guests and staff alike. Before long, Frances suspects these “accidents” are deliberate, and fears that the intended victim is Lily’s fiancé, Leo. Frances’s mother is unimpressed by Lily’s groom-to-be and would much prefer that Lily find an aristocratic husband, just as Frances did. But now that Frances has found happiness with George—a man who loves her for much more than her dowry—she heartily approves of Lily’s choice. If she can just keep the couple safe from villains and meddling mamas.

As Frances and George search for the culprit among the assembled family, friends, and servants, more victims fall prey to the mayhem. Mishaps become full-blooded murder, and it seems that no one is safe. And unless Frances can quickly flush out the culprit, the peal of wedding bells may give way to another funeral toll. . . .

Posted Saturday, 11 January, 2020 by jorielov in #SatBookChat, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event