#Blogmas | A Fantasy Christmas celebration feat. authors of fantastical realms | the Crown of Temontane series by Melissa McShane

Posted Monday, 10 December, 2018 by jorielov Crown of Temontane series, Melissa McShane, Voyager of the Crown 2 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I might have confessed this already, however, I’ve been battling through a virus the past several days which caught itself in my family (’tis the season, ho, ho, ho) – however, I can’t remember if I mentioned it during #FantasyForChristmas yet or not. I know I referenced being a Tolkien girl moreso than a Lewis (CS) girl – however, the truth of it is I still need to *read!* Middle Earth properly rather than geeking out over the films, which at the time, arrived when I was seeking a highly dramatic *saga!* of Fantasy to become lost inside – as it was the perfect anchour to watching the Potter films which I will contend forever gave me a second childhood in my twenties! It is rare though to find the kind of world-building you are seeking writ in a fashion you feel you can become attached to inside a narrative built out of the sagas which make reading so dearly wondrously enchanting!

When I read the premise of this fourth release – the conclusion of the series – (ironically enough!) is what gave me the hope I’ve found a brilliant saga of Fantasy to soak inside throughout the New Year! I’ve been wanting to jump start my fantastical readings since we co-hosted our first #WyrdAndWonder (@WyrdAndWonder) event last May, however, as my health issues continued to plague me this past year, I had to abandon a lot of what I wanted to read and just enjoy what I could read instead. It was through the #ThanksgivingReadathon where I settled into reading stories via #Mythothon this past November which started to re-inspire me into seeking out cunningly original feats of Fantasy which take-on different portals of interest and encourage deeper thoughts of how stories can be crafted and inspired by not just the topics/themes known for Fantasy but from outside sources as well.

Originally, when the #FantasyForChristmas blog series was announced, I thought I had to come up with topics for guest features and/or questions for interviews – before I realised how they were assembled for the bloggers. Today it is pleasure of joy to feature a guest post where Ms McShane has broken down the key reasons why this series feels larger somehow than the space it is given in the four installments she’s provided for us to find. I *love!* stories which paint themselves alive in such a manner of expansion, that it feels to us as we’re reading them, we’ve somehow enlarged our ‘real world’ with the fictionally fantastic!

Do spend time on my blog after you’ve read this post in case you’ve spied another #blogmas Fantasy spotlighted novel or series; I’ve found several I know I am wicked eager to be reading in New Year! Perhaps, you’ll find a few yourself? I’ll be finalising a wrap-up post for this blog series after the #FantasyForChristmas stops conclude – re-visiting what drew me into the stories and how I’ll be fetching copies of the books themselves! Til then, enjoy the posts and have a wonderfully lovely pre-Christmas #blogmas! Remember – I’ll be continuing to feature more #blogmas posts leading up til Christmas as well as my #cloakanddaggerchristmas series focusing on stories of Mystery & Suspense!

Published by: Night Harbor Publishing

Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas, #FantasyNerd and #CrownOfTemontane

The Crown of Temontane series:

Voyager of the Crown (book four) | add to LibraryThing

Published: 7th September, 2018 | ISBN: 978-1949663020

Zara North, Queen of Tremontane, has the ability to unconsciously heal herself—a magic that also keeps her from aging. Faced with the reality that public knowledge of her magic could destroy her family’s dynasty and cost them the Crown, she faked her own death and set out to make a new life for herself, far from the capital and the family she loved. Never settling anywhere for long, Zara became an exile in her own country.

Now, sixty years after her “death,” Zara’s ageless face forces her to leave her home yet again. Wanting something different from the quiet life she led for decades, she sets sail for the distant continent of Dineh-Karit, reclusive and alien. When unexpected catastrophe strikes, it strands Zara and a handful of her fellow voyagers in the jungles of Dineh-Karit. Far from civilization, their only guide a reluctant Tremontanan expatriate who has his own reasons for being there, the castaways struggle for survival and to return home.

But Zara, entrusted with a secret by a dying man, finds herself caught between the woman she has become and the Queen she used to be. As an implacable enemy bent on retrieving the secret—a mysterious magical object—draws ever closer, Zara realizes her companions’ survival depends on Zara’s ability to lead them as she once did a nation. With an identity and a magical secret she still cannot reveal, Zara discovers depths in herself she thought were long gone—and gains a future she never expected.

Book Four in The Crown of Tremontane series about extraordinary women facing extraordinary challenges, Voyager of the Crown can be read as a standalone novel or as part of the series.

Servant of the Crown (book one) | Add to LibraryThing

Rider of the Crown (book two) | Add to LibraryThing

Agent of the Crown (book three) | Add to LibraryThing

Posted Monday, 10 December, 2018 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours, Steampunk

Author Interview | Conversing with #HistRom novelist Jen Geigle Johnson about the Somerstone #RegencyHouseParty series and her novel which continues our journey into Somerstone itself: “Tabitha’s Folly”!

Posted Saturday, 8 December, 2018 by jorielov Jen Geigle Johnson, Regency House Party series, Self Published, Somerstone, Tabitha's Folly 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts, I am taking part in a special series of interviews!

I recently had the joy of sharing with you a conversation about my fascination and appreciation for #HistoricalRomances when I shared my interview with Rebecca Connolly! She wrote the Spinster Chronicles – of which I am reading the first two installments of her series this November! However, anchoured to the joyfulness of discovering her stories, this Autumn I had the pleasure of finding out about *Somerstone!* and the Regency House Party series!

This is one of those uniquely styled *round robin!* stories wherein each new author who steps into the story-line is picking up the threads of the previous author’s installment! Similar in the vein of why I am enjoying reading the Return of the Blackwell Brothers? Herein as we get a lovely introduction to Somerstone through a series of interviews and conversations I crafted together with the authors who make up this new series set in the Regency – one of my eras of preference for #HistRoms – we get to sort out what inspired the authors as they wrote their individual installments but also, get the chance to learn more about how the series was assembled!

Publishers (or in this case, the writers themselves!) create these nifty ‘mini-series’ and serial round robins not just to create a more unique environment for the reader to explore but also for their authors! There are several of these within my beloved #LoveINSPIRED Suspense I am slowly making my way through and finding out there is one for the Regency was truly a lift of joy to find! Especially as like most Regencies – when there is a ball or a formal party afoot, there is generally a heap more going on than what is generally taken on appearance alone! Where tucked away secrets can percolate to the surface and where everyone either knows someone directly or indirectly through their peerage, family or friends!

The beauty of course is going story by story, seeing how the arc of the series will continue to increase in climax and how each new writer who steps into an installment will put their own spin on the established narrative. The points of view could change or the mannerisms of the character(s) themselves could feel altered a bit – but if the whole of the mini-series maintains its rhythm and internal heart of centre, what you will discover dear hearts is a smashingly lovely respite to curl inside as the hours melt off the clock!

As this is a promotional tour focusing on the Digital First status of the novellas, I opted to host the series of interviews in lieu of reviews as I am eager for each of the novellas to become released into print. Although in theory, they might have already released – I haven’t checked on all the statuses when I shared my first interview in this series! It will take me a bit to gather them but I might also, lean on my local library to see if they might want to add this series to their card catalogue ahead of when I can bring a set home! Then, I shall have the same pleasure of joy of disappearing inside this series start to finish, finding what the readers on this blog tour have discovered and beyond! For the Regency holds a dear spot in my bookish heart!

May your #AutumnReads be as excitingly awesome as mine are becoming!

Tabitha’s Folly is one of Five books all set at the same Regency House Party Series. While each is a standalone story, watch our characters mingle together with others from the books in the series. The stories can be read in any order.

Lady Tabitha Easton recklessly dodges four over-protective brothers while trying to gain attention from the man who holds her heart. She has many choices of suitors, and with Henry as disinterested as ever, she turns to what is wholly forbidden, an irresistibly handsome footman. While their friendship grows, her trust in him increases while her hurt and doubt in her childhood love and friend pushes her away from all she’s ever known as family.

When Lord Henry Courtenay discovers a new attraction to his childhood friend, his role as one of her chaperones at the house party becomes near impossible. Irrationally defensive about any potential suitors and seeking time alone with the enticing Tabby, maintaining friendship with her brothers proves more difficult than he ever imagined. His task becomes all the more difficult when she refuses to understand his growing attraction and often finds herself in almost compromising situations.

When Tabitha’s choices might lead her to danger, and doubt and distrust are high, Henry must prove himself or lose her forever.

These novels and stories set in Somerstone within the Regency House Party series were first serialised via RegencyHouseParty.com and were thus independently published afterwards.

Regency House Party: @RegencyParty | Instagram | Facebook Group

Add to LibraryThing

Published on: 18th August, 2018 | ISBN: 978-1718179134

Formats Available: Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #Somerstone + #RegencyHouseParty OR #Regency and #HistRom

Posted Saturday, 8 December, 2018 by jorielov in 19th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Romance Fiction, Singing Librarian Book Tours, Sweet Romance, the Regency era

#Blogmas | A Fantasy Christmas celebration feat. authors of fantastical realms | the Song of Seare series by C.E. Laureano

Posted Saturday, 8 December, 2018 by jorielov Beneath the Forsaken City, C.E. Laureano, NavPress, Oath of the Brotherhood, The Sword and the Song, THINK (imprint of NavPress) 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

In keeping with the tradition of my #blogmas featured spotlights on Fantasy novels I wish to be reading – it would appear I have a new corner of INSPY to sink inside throughout the New Year as today’s featured series is also under the Inspirational umbrella of Fantasy! I’ll be moving outside of Fantasy showcases for #blogmas once #FantasyForChristmas concludes, as I have a few guest features and other spotlights planned – however, for now, I am enjoying my journey into an unknown corner of literature wherein the worlds of the fantastical take-on a new dimension of interest for me and others who are seeking out cleaner reads with dramatic depths of world-building & story-telling.

This particular series interested me as I was curious about swords & songs previously – there are other works in Fantasy I’ve stumbled across which talk about this particular gift of the sword – where the swords sing or they have a song attached to them – each writer enters the discussion of the sword differently and thereby, even if they explore a similar theme, the stories themselves remain wholly unique unto themselves!

As this is another new publisher I haven’t come across previously, I decided to see if they had other selections in Fantasy but only found this series listed. I’m not sure if they were testing to see if they wanted to publish more stories of this nature or if it was a one-off; they seem to focus more on their Non-Fiction releases. Of the three cover art designs, my favourites are the first and third; there is something about the second which seemed off a bit to me – I think the effect fell flat for my liking as it seemed to be more sword & sorcery than fantasy; as it seemed like a battle scene rather than a sword which was reverberating sound. It is a story about war – so that did feel rather apt, but the other covers were focusing more on the thread of interest which connects the series together, so I was surprised this one cover seemed to step out of the synchronicity of the other two.

I, apparently, have a particular eye for finding sagas – as this one feels like a heady one to read – where it will become as expansive as Tolkien’s Middle Earth in some places, and as dramatic as any High Fantasy series I’ve come across previously. It will be interesting to see how it plays out and how the details go into the edgier bits of the series.

If you love reading Fantasy stories of this kind, what are some authors you can point me towards which will also involve swords & magical gifts which are a hefty part of the story-line?

Published by: THINK

an imprint of NavPress (@NavPress)

Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas, #FantasyNerd and #SongOfSeare

The Song of Seare series:

Oath of the Brotherhood (book one) | add to LibraryThing

Published: 1st May, 2014 | ISBN: 978-1612915876

In a kingdom where the Old Ways hold fast and a man’s worth lies entirely in his skill with the sword, Conor Mac Nir is a scholar, a musician, and a follower of the forbidden Balian faith: problematic for any man, but disastrous for the son of the king.

When Conor is sent as a hostage to a neighboring kingdom, he never expects to fall in love with the rival king’s sister, Aine. Nor does he suspect his gift with the harp (and Aine’s ability to heal) touches on the realm of magic. Then his clan begins a campaign to eliminate all Balians from the isle of Seare, putting his newfound home in peril and entangling him in a plot for control of the island that has been unfolding since long before his birth.

Only by committing himself to an ancient warrior brotherhood can Conor discover the part he’s meant to play in Seare’s future. But is he willing to sacrifice everything―even the woman he loves―to follow the path his God has laid before him?

The Sword and the Song (book two) | Add to LibraryThing

Beneath the Forsaken City (book three) | Add to LibraryThing

Posted Saturday, 8 December, 2018 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours, Steampunk

#SaturdaysAreBookish | “The War Between Us” by Sarah Creviston Lee

Posted Saturday, 8 December, 2018 by jorielov Sarah Creviston Lee, Self Published, The War Between Us 4 Comments

In keeping with the change of name for my Romance & Women’s Fiction Twitter chat [@SatBookChat previously known as @ChocLitSaturday] – I am announcing a change of features here on Jorie Loves A Story. Since January, 2014 I carved out a niche of focus which I named #ChocLitSaturdays as I have felt the best time to read romantic and dramatic stories are the weekends. This spun into a Twitter chat featuring the authors of ChocLit whilst I supplied weekly topics which would appeal to readers, writers and book bloggers alike. We grew into our own Saturday tribe of chatters – then, somewhere round the time of my father’s stroke in late [2016] and the forthcoming year of [2017] I started to feel less inspired to host the chat.

I had new plans to re-invent the chat in its new incantation as @SatBookChat but I also wanted to re-invent the complimentary showcases on my blog which would reflect the diversity of stories, authors and publishers I would be featuring on the chat itself. As at the root and heart of #ChocLitSaturday the chat were the stories I was reading which complimented the conversations.

After a difficult year for [personal health & wellness] this 2018, I began anew this Autumn – selecting the stories to resume where I left off featuring the Romance & Women’s Fiction authors I am discovering to read whilst highlighting a story by the author I am chatting with during #SatBookChat. Every (forthcoming) Saturday will feature a different author who writes either Romance or Women’s Fiction – wherein I concluded the year of hosting @SatBook during October & November featuring special guest authors whose stories I have either read, were reading or had hoped to read in the future if their newer releases. Going forward, the reviews on Saturdays might inspire the topics in the forthcoming chats or they might be directly connected to the current guest author.

Our holiday break for the month of December will find us resuming #SatBookChat the week after New Year’s, 2019 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.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! I received a complimentary copy of “The War Between Us” direct from the author Sarah Creviston Lee in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On reading about the author:

What is interesting is the story within The War Between Us was directly inspired by the author’s Great Aunt and Uncle, though, her Aunt married a Chinese man during the war era not Korean, which is where history and the novel take their separate directions. What is curious is how her Great Aunt went against convention and traditionalism at a time in our history where being independently different was challenging. I also, noticed it was quite lovely to think her Great Aunt was inspired to take a risk in love due to a book she had read – as it speaks to the embodiment of life bubbling inside the pages of the stories we’re reading – of how, stories themselves can ignite inspiration for life and how sometimes, it is the stories which guide us forward.

The artfulness of her attention to details and the clever passageways she took towards researching this novel was wonderful to read about – as I especially love when authors go into a bit of detail about how their stories took shape. There is a process behind the words – of where the research encourages the writer deepen into the heart of the narrative – which you can clearly see is true of Ms Lee as you read the Appendixes of this novel. She happily shares all the little bits of real life vs fictional life with you – from how she sourced her information to how she fell in love with war era rationing cooking!

I also hadn’t heard V-Mail described as easily as she had herself – as it gave a better impression of why it was was a preferred way of writing correspondences during the war and how it helped everyone stay in touch far faster than traditionally posted letters! It was these kinds of tidbits which made reading the end pages of the novel ahead of the story itself a charming way of feeling introduced to the writer’s style, her inspiring story of what fuelled her passion for writing this novel and all the curious bits we, as writers, discover along the path of carving out a story from the ethos of our imaginations!

The War Between Us
by Sarah Creviston Lee
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Alex Moon is not the enemy.

Six months after Pearl Harbor’s tragedy, Korean American Alex Moon is sent away from his home in California for refusing his father’s request to join the fight against the Japanese. On his journey, Alex is attacked and stranded in the small town of River Bluff, Indiana just for looking like America’s most hated enemy.

Unexpectedly, Alex is befriended by a local girl, Lonnie Hamilton, who comes to his defense, saving him from doubt and despair while placing herself in the cross hairs of prejudice. Alex falls in love with his ally—a love that is clearly forbidden. Torn between his dual identities, Korean and American, and grappling with how everyone sees him, Alex must wage the war within himself—of defending who he is, resolving his tortured feelings about the war, and fighting for the woman he loves.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, War Drama

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781516988679

Published by Self Published

on 14th December, 2015

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 330

Self-Published Author

Converse via: #HistFic or #HistNov

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

About Sarah Creviston Lee

Sarah Creviston Lee was born and raised as a proud Hoosier. She can usually be found tinkering in the kitchen with WWII ration recipes, haunting local antique shops, homeschooling her kids, clacking away on her laptop writing one story or another, or watching old school movies with her family.

She currently lives in Maryland with her husband, three children, and flock of feisty chickens.

In 2016, her book, The War Between Us, received the Editor’s Choice Award from the Historical Novel Society.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2018 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Saturday, 8 December, 2018 by jorielov in #SaturdaysAreBookish, 20th Century, Aftermath of World War II, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Postal Mail | Letters & Correspondence, the Forties, The World Wars

#Blogmas | A Fantasy Christmas celebration feat. authors of fantastical realms | The Firebrand Chronicles by J.M. Hackman

Posted Thursday, 6 December, 2018 by jorielov Firebrand Chronicles, J.M. Hackman, Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing LLC, Spark 4 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I appear to be on quite the roll this December for sourcing #newtomeauthors in the Christian Fantasy realms as well as finding a touring company for these tiles inasmuch as new publishers! It is lovely as I love seeking out stories which are gently told but have the scope and depth of what I am regularly seeking in #SpecLit! As the New Year starts to arrive, I want to have a better balance in my reading life – not just between the Historicals & Contemporaries I’m reading but also, to re-establish the Speculative Fiction side of my readerly life alongside my INSPY reads – as those two seem to get sidelined as quickly as my Classical Lit selections as I get charmed by so many dearly lovely stories every year! If I can sort out a way to re-balance what I am reading and thereby, read more across the realms I’m keen on *devouring!* I think 2019 shall be a rather splendid year to walk into my 6th Year as a book blogger!!

As you might have read previously on one of my showcases, I am being a bit particular about which of the authors & their stories I am featuring on #JLASblog during #FantasyForChristmas as I wanted to hand-pick the stories I most wanted to be reading rather than showcasing all the stories and perhaps, having a few of them simply not my cuppa of interest! I have had this intention of policy of what I showcase since I started blogging – I might not get to all the stories *immediately!* when I desire to read them but I do earnestly intend to seek them out as soon as I can thereafter! (hence why #BeatTheBackList is seriously going to be one of my favourite readathons this New Year’s!)

The novel I am highlighting today is a YA Fantasy series – happily able to give you a preview with an extract from the novel itself as well as continuing to provide the links for the publisher & author in case you want to do some research into both at your leisure. I am always intrigued by the cover art choices on #SpecLit stories – this one eludes to a hidden portal / dimension and who doesn’t love her swash of red in her dark hair?

Published by: Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing, LLC (@L2L2Publishing)

Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas, #FantasyNerd and #FirebrandChronicles

The Firebrand Chronicles:

Spark (book one) | add to LibraryThing

Published: 16th May, 2017 | ISBN: 978-1943788149

→ FLARE the sequel is forthcoming early 2019!

Brenna James wants three things for her sixteenth birthday: to find her history notes before the test, to have her mother return from her business trip, and to stop creating fire with her bare hands.

Yeah, that’s so not happening. Unfortunately.

When Brenna learns her mother is missing in an alternate reality called Linneah, she travels through a portal to find her. But Brenna’s arrival in Linneah begins the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy, including a royal murder and the theft of Linneah’s most powerful relic: the Sacred Veil.

Unwilling yet left with no other choice, Brenna and her new friend Baldwin pursue the thief into the dangerous woods of Silvastamen and beyond. Exactly what Brenna wanted to do for her sixteenth birthday. When they spy an army marching toward Linneah, Brenna is horrified. Can she find the veil, save her mother, and warn Linneah in time?

Posted Thursday, 6 December, 2018 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours, Steampunk