Posted Wednesday, 23 January, 2019 by jorielov All is Fair, Dee Garretson, Feiwel & Friends, MacMillan Publishers, Swoon Reads 3 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I am wicked thrilled to bring to you this riveting conversation I had with Ms Garriston – whose written an engaging Historical narrative set during war where the women who were codebreakers truly impacted all of our lives & redirected History one code at a time. I was instantly keen to read this lovely due to my love of the new series #BletchleyCircle which is rooted in the original series which laid down the foundation of the new serial via BritBox which takes place in San Francisco after the war has ended.
The actresses who portray the women bring history to life in such a way as to prove how difficult it was to be a woman who had an intellectual mind in a day & age where using your mind to fuell your career was not acceptable nor understood by men. Or, in many regards by fellow women who felt a woman’s place was in the home and not in the workforce. This series also highlights how hard it was for these women who were on the cutting edge of breaking codes during the war who had to step back into civilian life as if their work during the war years *never happened* and how that impacted their spirits and minds after they tried to resume life as if nothing had happened at all.
Having seen the first few episodes of #BletchleyCircle and one of the original episodes – I knew I was keen to enter into the world of spies, codes and the Historical backdrop Gerriston was going to give us in her story “All Is Fair”. As the tour only had ecopies available for review (as you know as a migraineur I can only read print or listen to audio) I opted instead to host a conversation with her as I wanted to tuck into her writerly process, the components of the story itself and how Historical Fiction illuminates such an enriched knowledge of humanity’s past, present and future.

All is Fair
by Dee Garretson
Lady Mina Tretheway knows she’s destined for greater things than her fancy boarding school, where she’s being taught to be a proper English lady. It’s 1918, and war is raging across Europe. Unlike her father and brother, who are able to assist in the war effort, Mina is stuck sorting out which fork should be used with which dinner course.
When Mina receives a telegram that’s written in code, she finally has her chance to do something big. She returns to her childhood home of Hallington Manor, joined by a family friend, Lord Andrew Graham, and a dashing and mysterious young American, Lucas. The three of them must band together to work on a dangerous project that could turn the tide of the war.
Thrilled that she gets to contribute to the war effort at least, Mina jumps headfirst into the world of cryptic messages, spycraft, and international intrigue. She, Lucas, and Andrew have to work quickly, because if they don’t succeed, more soldiers will disappear into the darkness of war.
Genres: Feminist Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Spy Fiction, War Drama, Young Adult Fiction Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 978-1250168696
Published by Feiwel & Friends, Swoon Reads
on 22nd January, 2019
Published by: Swoon Reads (@SwoonReads)
a publishing subsidiary of Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan
Formats available: Hardback and Ebook
Converse on Twitter via: #YALit & #HistoricalFiction; #CodeBreakers
as well as #HistFic & #HistNov or for readers who love #BletchleyCircle
About Dee Garretson

Dee writes contemporary, science fiction and historical adventure stories for a wide range of ages. Her books have been chosen as Junior Library Guild selections, the Scholastic Book Club, and have been nominated for numerous state awards lists. In addition to books published under her own name, she also writes for the Boxcar Children series.
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | LibraryThing | FantasticFiction
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Posted Wednesday, 23 January, 2019 by jorielov in 20th Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Children's Literature, Code-breakers and Ciphers, Feminine Heroism, Historical Fiction, History, Reader Submitted Author Interview, The World Wars, War Drama, Xpresso Book Tours, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Friday, 18 January, 2019 by jorielov Acorn Publishing, Fly Girl, R.D. Kardon 2 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I happen to sneak off into the historical past quite a heap which is why when I first stumbled across the marathon to read Contemporaries in January (ie. #ContemporaryJanuary) I was off like a rocket seeking out #newtomeauthors inasmuch as Contemporary authors who have backlist titles (a la #BeatTheBackList reading challenge I am participating in this year) – when I saw this particular title go into a blitz with an extract to share, I knew it was one I wanted to feature on Jorie Loves A Story!!
Here’s why – I *love!* Aviator stories! Generally, I seek out the ones which are interconnected to the military – specifically either the US Air Force or the Marines or even the Navy – depending on the port of entrance. I also loved my years of watching JAG which became an extended bout of joy when I fell into NCIS (and the 2x sequels thereafter!) – this one felt authentically realistic to today’s world whilst it hugged close to the women’s perspective which is something I love to seek out to read. I regularly read Feminist Lit from a Historical point-of-view which is why I am reminding myself I need to invest the same kind of gusto into seeking stories which are writ in the modern eras.
There is a Historical novel of the same title “Fly Girl” by Sherri L. Smith I dearly want to read as well. I want to see if my library can purchase this title and then, I could read two novels of the same title for the Pop Sugar Challenge. If your curious about all the reading challenges I’m tackling this year, you’ll find them over here!
Let’s get into why this novel jumped out at me and why I dearly want to be reading it! I’m going to share an extract with you and then, my thoughts about the story afterwards! If you love reading stories of this nature, I hope this becomes one of your #mustread #nextreads of Winter 2019!

Fly Girl
by R.D. Kardon
It’s 1997. Women stand beside men in combat and fly fighter jets. Pilot Tris Miles is not content with her job as a First Officer for tiny Clear Sky Airlines. She wants to be a Captain—the only way she knows to prove her worth as a pilot and atone for a deadly mistake.
To further her career, Tris accepts a prestigious job with Tetrix, Inc. But her dream of becoming pilot-in-command twists into a nightmare.
As the company’s first woman pilot, she encounters resistance, marginalization and harassment on a daily basis. Fortunately Tris has one thing her co-workers can’t deny—skill.
When Tris finds herself in a crippled airplane thousands of miles from home she must prove she can lead. With her career on the line, can Tris earn the respect she’s been craving? And if this is the end, can she find the strength to forgive herself?
Genres: Action & Adventure Fiction, Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945), Realistic Fiction, Women's Fiction Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781947392212
Published by Self Published
on 27th December, 2018
Published By: Acorn Publishing (@AcornAuthors)
Formats Available: Paperback and Ebook
Converse on Twitter via: #Contemporary #FlyGIRL
& #AviatorGirls #WomensFiction and #AdventureFiction
About R.D. Kardon

Robin "R.D." Kardon had a twelve-year flying career as a corporate and airline pilot. She holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and three Captain qualifications. Her travels took her all over the world in every type of airplane from small single-engine Cessnas to the Boeing 737. Robin earned her B.A. in Journalism and Sociology from NYU and J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law. A native New Yorker, Robin now lives in San Diego, California with her beloved rescue pets.
"Flygirl," a work of fiction inspired by her own aviation experience, is her first novel.
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | LibraryThing
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Posted Friday, 18 January, 2019 by jorielov in 21st Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Blitz, Book Spotlight, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Feminine Heroism, Indie Author, Modern Day, Realistic Fiction, Self-Published Author, Women's Fiction, Xpresso Book Tours
Posted Wednesday, 16 January, 2019 by jorielov Kickstarter, Little Red Reviewer, The Best of Little Red Reviewer 0 Comments
a word about ‘waiting on Wednesday’:

I have decided to start participating in this book blogsphere meme with a few small changes of how it’s regularly blogged about by my fellow book bloggers. I will either be introducing my current reads of upcoming releases as I am in the process of reading them and/or I might be releasing a book review about a forthcoming title by which I had been blessed to read ahead of publication. The main purpose behind the meme is to encourage readers and your fellow book bloggers to become aware of new books being released which caught your eye and which held your interest to read. Sometimes if your still in the process of reading the books, its the titles which encouraged your bookish heart. I look forward to spending the next seasons of the year, talking about the books I have on hand to read, the books I’ve been reading and the books I might not even have a copy to read but which are of wicked sweet interest to become a #nextread of mine.



A bit of a back-story on my connection to Andrea | Little Red Reviewer:
When Andrea first contacted me about her project emerging onto #Kickstarter in January, 2019 I was wicked OVERJOYED she thought of me to be part of her #streetteam to get the WORD out about this remarkable *idea!* she had to transform the words she’s etched into her online blog into a *tangible, touchable ‘book’* wherein you can take a more personal glimpse into the work she’s left behind in the book blogosphere.
She had such a valid point about our writings on our ‘book blogs’ – as a lot of people I am sure might want to readily ‘dismiss’ what we’re doing – they might not even understand the conceptional difference between ‘book bloggers & book reviewers’ as there is a bit of a difference between the two mediums of sharing our bookish ruminations; as book bloggers, we have the tendency to go a bit deeper, a bit further and explore a bit more of our emotional reactions as we’re reading than what a reviewer might consider to elude to in their (shorter) review as the reviews you’ll find on a book blogger’s blog are uniquely longer in length!
Our paths first crossed during the blogosphere (its reached pop iconic status now for those of us who are geeky on Sci Fi) even known affectionately as #RRSciFiMonth | Sci Fi November to those of us who’ve been round since it was first founded in [2013] by Rinn of Rinn Reads. Rinn has moved into other areas of interest outside of book blogging but her vision & her passion for Science Fiction lives on in her stead. The even is co-hosted by Lisa (@deargeekplace) and Imyril (@imyril) – who are my partners in crime when it comes to co-hosting @WyrdAndWonder as well as other events in the blogosphere or twitterverse such as our current RAL series for the Wayfarer series.
Andrea and I also share a passionate attachment to the writings of Julie E. Czerneda who gave us The Clan Chronicles (read through my archives of the ENTIRE 3x trilogy series as I read each novel in sequence of the world in which they reside). We shared some lovely moments in the latter trilogy’s blog tour(s) (see also this Post & this one too) leading into the final release which capstoned the series and gave us an emotional ‘ending’ to a beloved series.
She also hosts the annual January readthon #VintageSciFiMonth – an event I’ve never had the pleasure of joining until this coming January, 2019! With a bit of helpful suggestions being relayed to me via my fellow bookish geeks on LibraryThing as I pitched a Q about which Classic authors I ought to be reading if I wanted to seek out a certain variety of ‘Science Fiction’. I’m quite sure some of it will parlay into my readings for the 2019 #RRSciFiMonth as well!
Even though we’ve remained in touch over the years, sharing a love of Science Fiction & the Speculative Realms, I remain in awe of how being a book blogger has led to connections far outside the initial joys I envisioned I’d find in my life when I first started to take those tentative steps to find my blogging voice in [2013]. I love supporting my fellow book bloggers & in this case, it is a bold light on finding a route towards preserving the work we’ve left behind as each story in turn curated our ruminations & left us dearly affected for the journey we took into the STORIES.

Previously you might remember I shared a Guest Post

wherein Andrea shared her Kickstarter plans!
Today, I am showcasing the conversation which was sparked out of a desire to better understand what was motivating Andrea to self-publish the “best of the best” of her book blogger reviews whilst re-highlighting her Kickstarter campaign during the mid-point of January wherein she has currently (as of this post’s release) raised the following amount of her overall goal:
1,413 of 5,000 | by 41 backers
JOIN her Kickstarter Campaign *today!*
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Posted Wednesday, 16 January, 2019 by jorielov in Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Blogs I Regularly Read, Book Spotlight, Indie Author, Waiting on Wednesday
Posted Saturday, 12 January, 2019 by jorielov Estella Mirai, Phantom of the Opera, Self Published, The Stars May Rise and Fall 0 Comments

After launching this lovely new feature of mine during [Autumn, 2018] it is a pleasure of joy to continue to bring #SaturdaysAreBookish as a compliment focus of my Twitter chat @SatBookChat. If you see the chat icon at the top of my blog (header bar) you can click over to visit with us. The complimentary showcases on my blog will reflect the diversity of stories, authors and publishers I would be featuring on the chat itself. As at the root and heart of the chat are the stories I am reading which compliment the conversations.
#SaturdaysAreBookish throughout [2019] will be featuring the Romance & Women’s Fiction authors I am discovering to read across genre and point of interest. Every Saturday will feature a different author who writes either Romance or Women’s Fiction – the stories I am reading might simply inspire the topics in the forthcoming chats or they might be directly connected to the current guest author.
I am excited about where new guests and new stories will lay down the foundation of inspiring the topics, the conversations and the bookish recommendations towards promoting Romance & Women’s Fiction. Here’s a lovely New Year full of new authors and their stories to celebrate!

Acquired Book By: I’ve been blessed by meeting authors via #bookishTwitter for five years now. I love the #writingcommunity in the twitterverse as the writers who are publishing and/or of whom like me are still on their publishing journey are approachable, relatable and keenly conversational which is wicked brill. When my path crossed with this lovely author what truly humbled my heart and gave me such a lift of joy is the fact she was able to send me an ARC of her novel in printed form. She understood why I couldn’t read an ecopy of the novel and I am the proud owner of a spiral bound ARC!
I received a complimentary spiral bound ARC copy of “The Stars May Rise and Fall” direct from the author Estella Mirai in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I was keenly excited about reading this re-telling of ‘Phantom of the Opera’:
You might remember, last year I read “The Phantom’s Apprentice” by Heather Webb which was her self-published re-telling of the same story. She was also who chose to self-publish her novel in lieu of seeking (or being able to seek) traditional publication for her story. It is rather unique I think, a year later I am celebrating the discovery of a second novel based on this Classical story which had to take an Indie route to reach reader’s hands!
I’ve truly have had a love affair with the music of ‘Phantom’ ever since I was a young girl – I grew up with an appreciation of the arts at a very young age. My parents encouraged me to seek out theatre, symphonies and listen to orchestrations via vinyl records at home. I also was actively engaged with programming on PBS as much as I loved the local arts community in my metropolis – not just limited to musical routes of enjoyment but also fine art and other exhibits or old world arts & crafts fairs/festivals. In essence, I was surrounded by the arts across mediums of influence whilst I was musically introduced to such a hearty variety of sounds & soundscapes, it turnt me into a lifelong appreciator of musical compositions.
I loved Classical compositions as much as Contemporary – however, I had a special place in my heart for sound for motion picture and the Broadway Musical scores and soundtracks. There was something rather intimate about Original Cast Recordings when it comes to a Musical – you can feel the intensity of the performance and you can paint the scenes alive in your mind as soon as you hear the music begin. Which is what I was trying to capture last year when I mentioned this ahead of sharing my review of “The Phantom’s Apprentice”:
The music of Phantom – irregardless of which incantation of performance and artistic vision are the songs which lift my soul. The sound of Phantom is individually distinctive and the story within it’s heart is one of gutting emotions surrounding the suspense of what is truly happening to Christine and of what motivates the Phantom himself to pursue her to such an extent of invested interest. It is also part cautionary tale about obsession and misguided love.

I also went on to mention how long I’ve been connected to ‘Phantom’:
I’ve been a girl whose appreciated Broadway and Musicals since I was old enough to listen to original soundtracks on cassette tape. I used to go to sleep with a tape of Annie – not the stage play version but the original motion picture soundtrack. From there, I graduated into more familiar Musicals – including listening to the Michael Crawford soundtrack for Phantom until it etched itself into my blood.
I continued to follow Phantom – from watching the PBS broadcast of the anniversary production from London to celebrating the motion picture adaptation starring Emmy Rossum. Whilst I was writing my ruminative thoughts on behalf of this novel, I was playing the motion picture soundtrack channel for Phantom via Pandora Radio which showcased all versions of the play and musical.

In effect, this is a story which is simply a ‘part of me’ and it was an honour to have the chance to see this story & its characters re-imagined into an m/m romantic arc set in Tokyo, Japan. For those who read and visit my blog regularly, you already know of my admiration on behalf of Susan Spann’s Hiro Hattori novels – though set in 16th Century Japan, the point here is the fact I love visiting the country in fiction. In the past, I had several friends who lived in different parts of Japan inasmuch of the fact one of my favourite Winter Olympics were the Nagano Games. My grandparents helped encourage my fascination & love of Japan as they themselves loves the country, through their art (sculpture) and musicians especially.
In essence, it feels like ‘coming home’ whenever I consider reading a story set in Japan – it is a beautifully lovely country full of Mystic roots, humbling traditions and a wonderful cultural heritage.

The Stars May Rise and Fall
by Estella Mirai
Source: Direct from Author
Teru came to Tokyo with dreams of making it big in the glam-metal visual kei scene, but three years later, all he has to show for it is a head of hot pink hair and some skill with an eyeliner pencil. He may look the part, but he doesn’t sound it, and constant bickering among his bandmates has him worried about his future. When he finds a mysterious business card in his bag, he’s willing to take any help he can get.
Help comes in the form of Rei, a crippled, disfigured composer whose own career was ended by an accident before it had really begun. With Teru’s voice and looks, and Rei’s money and songwriting skills, both of their dreams seem about to come true – but a forbidden kiss and a late-night confession threaten to tear it all apart. Now Teru, who has spent most of his life denying his attraction to men, and Rei, who vowed long ago never to love again, must reconcile their feelings with their careers – and with their carefully constructed ideas of themselves.
THE STARS MAY RISE AND FALL is an M/M retelling of Phantom of the Opera, set in Tokyo at the turn of the millennium. It comes with a healthy dose of angst and a dollop of nostalgia, as well as an age-difference romance, a physically disabled love interest, and memorable characters who will stay with you long after the pages are closed.
Genres: After Canons, Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945), Japanese Fiction, LGBTQIA Fiction, Re-telling &/or Sequel, Romance Fiction Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781684547715
Setting: Toyko, Japan
Published by Self Published
on 11th December, 2018
Format: Spiral Bound ARC
Pages: 309
Self Published Author
This is a Digital First Release – other formats will be forthcoming such as print
Converse via: #PhantomOfTheOpera retell, #LGBTQ, #Contemporary Romance
About Estella Mirai
Estella Mirai lives just outside of Tokyo with her human family and a very spoiled lap cat. When she isn’t reading or writing, she works in editing and translation—which means that 99% percent of her day is usually words. In her minimal free time, she enjoys watching musicals, cooking (badly), and slaughtering power ballads at karaoke.
Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Tumblr | LibraryThing
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

Posted Saturday, 12 January, 2019 by jorielov in #SaturdaysAreBookish, 21st Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Composer, Creative Arts, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Grief & Anguish of Guilt, Horror-Lite, Inspired By Author OR Book, Inspired by Stories, Japan, Jorie Loves A Story Features, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Mental Health, Modern Day, PTSD, Re-Told Tales, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction
Posted Friday, 11 January, 2019 by jorielov The Jinni's Last Wish, Zenobia Neil 1 Comment

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts,
I am featuring an author today who truly intrigued me for channelling out the hidden passageways of History, we, as readers might have overlooked previously. You might have remembered from the spotlight I shared of her latest novel, the style of how it was written wasn’t exactly my cuppa of tea – however, her research & her approach into History itself is what inspired me to share this lovely conversation. As you will see, we share quite a bit in common even though my first reading of one of her stories was not a good match – we can come together, have an intriguingly lovely conversation & find that there is a lot to discuss when it comes to pooling curiosity and the historic past into the background of a novel!
On a personal note, I was also curious about the Mythological aspects of her story-telling, as I am growing into having a new appreciation for folklore and Mythos being united in a story which has origins in Myth but where the writer(s) of today are using that origin of thought to re-invent how stories can become crafted for today’s reader. They are doing this across genre of interest as well – finding selections in Historical Fiction was second nature to me, as I have such a high propensity of being swooned by a Historical narrative to read.
Thus, when I realised how widely this author is researching her stories and how much ‘hidden’ histories she is uncovering in the process of that research, I found myself properly amazed. I also asked her a key question about the content of her stories as I had a feeling a particular aspect run concurrent throughout her publishing career and her answer was one I was not quite expecting! This goes to prove that having conversations with authors – especially those where we are interested in the premise but perhaps can’t always align directly into their vision of the story is a good enterprise!
I’ve learnt quite a bit through this conversation and I was truly thankful for Ms Neil for being so dearly open & honest with me in return! One thing is for certain – we are two individuals who love time travelling into History, uncovering stories & characters whose journeys bring the historic past to life as we find new ways to engage with the memories of ‘time’ left behind to find!
I hope you will brew your favourite cuppa & settle into this convo today with an open mind – finding how History can inspire us all and for each of us, History has something new to teach us.


As a eunuch in the Ottoman Imperial Harem, Olin has already lost his home, his freedom, and his manhood. His only wish is for a painless death, until he meets Dark Star, a beautiful odalisque who promises to give him his deepest desire. He refuses to believe her claim to possess a jinni in a bottle. But when Dark Star is accused of witchcraft, Olin rubs the bottle in desperation and discovers she’s told the truth.
Olin becomes the jinni’s master to save Dark Star, but it’s not enough. In the complex world of the Topkapi Palace, where silk pillows conceal knives, sherbets contain poison, and jewels buy loyalty, no one is safe. With each wish, Olin must choose between becoming like the masters he detests or risk his life, his body, and his sanity to break the bonds that tie them all.

I’ve been researching Mythology for the month of November [2018], during the first ever #Mythothon – spending a lot of time unravelling the Greek side of Mythos but I have had a keen interest in the Jinn ever since I read The Golem and the Jinni. What first perked your own interest in the Jinn and what do you love most about Mythological and Folklore subjects like the Jinn which can be a great source of inspiration for telling a story?
Neil responds: I also loved The Golem and the Jinni. That book is probably what first sparked my interest in the jinn as well. There are many fascinating aspects to the jinn. One reason having a jinni in The Jinni’s Last Wish made sense to me was the parallel between enslaving mortals and enslaving the jinn. I felt that there could be a lot in common between a eunuch and a captured jinni. Read More

Posted Friday, 11 January, 2019 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Reader Submitted Q&A