Posted Thursday, 9 November, 2017 by jorielov Finishing Line Press, Kin Types, Luanne Castle 6 Comments

Acquired Book By: I have been hosting for Poetic Book Tours for a few years now, where I am finding myself encouraged to seek out collections of poetry or incredible fiction being published through Small Trade publishers and presses. I have an Indie spirit and mentality as a writer and I appreciate finding authors who are writing creative works through Indie resources as I find Indies have a special spirit about them. It is a joy to work with Poetic Book Tours for their resilience in seeking out voices in Literature which others might overlook and thereby, increasing my own awareness of these beautiful lyrical voices in the craft.
I received a complimentary copy of “Kin Types” direct from the author Luanne Castle in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Kin Types
by Luanne Castle
Source: Author via Poetic Book Tours
Kin Types is based largely upon genealogy and a fascination with what comes to all of us from the past. A mix of poetry in the traditional sense and highly poetic prose pieces, the collection takes the reader on a journey into the lives of women and somewhat into the lives of men who must carry on alone once the women are gone. The journey of this collection is not a ramble into the past, but a slingshot into the here and now by way of these portrait tales.
Genres: Anthology Collection of Short Stories and/or Essays, Poetry & Drama Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781635342543
Also by this author: Kin Types
Published by Finishing Line Press
on 14th July, 2017
Format: Paperback Edition
Pages: 44
Published By: Finishing Line Press (@FLPress)
Available Formats: Paperback & Ebook
Read how the author was inspired to create this collection
Converse via: #Ancestry + #Poetry
About Luanne Castle

Winner of the 2015 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award, Doll God, Luanne Castle‘s first collection of poetry, was published by Aldrich Press. Luanne’s poetry and prose have appeared in Grist, Copper Nickel, River Teeth, Glass Poetry Press, Barnstorm Journal, Six Hens, Lunch Ticket, The Review Review, and many other journals. Published by Finishing Line Press, Kin Types was a semi-finalist in the Concrete Wolf chapbook contest.
Luanne has been a Fellow at the Center for Ideas and Society at the University of California, Riverside. She studied English and creative writing at the University of California, Riverside (Ph.D.); Western Michigan University (MFA); and the Stanford University writing certificate program. Her scholarly work has been published in academic journals, and she contributed to Twice-Told Children’s Tales: The Influence of Childhood Reading on Writers for Adults, edited by Betty Greenway. For fifteen years, she taught college English. She divides her time between California and Arizona, where she shares land with a herd of javelina.
Website | Blog | Facebook | LinkedIn
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Posted Thursday, 9 November, 2017 by jorielov in Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Content Note, Excessive Violence in Literature, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Poetic Book Tours, Poetry
Posted Tuesday, 7 November, 2017 by jorielov A Cowboy to Keep, Christmas at Cade Ranch, Harlequin Books, Harlequin Heartwarming, Karen Rock, Rocky Mountain Cowboys series 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I have some wonderfully wicked news to share with you – I have the JOY of welcoming back to my blog, Ms Karen Rock! I originally crossed paths with this lovely author when I participated on the blog tour for ‘A League of Her Own’ – wherein, I found a delightful Romance author who writes the kind of stories I enjoy reading. As you might have seen on previous reviews for Contemporary Roms, I’m quite particular about what I am seeking out a Contemporary Romance – however, Ms Rock is one of the few authors I find myself gravitating towards reading ‘more of’ – the blessing being, this time round, I am *celebrating!* a lovely new series of hers: the Rocky Mountain Cowboys!
Now, I don’t know about you – but there is something wicked brilliant about ‘cowboys’ and in particular, the styling of Contemporary Westerns & Cowboy Fiction stories! I have been reading these stories ever since I first learnt how to ride a horse – there is a special connection between a person and their mount – something which is oft-times explored in these kinds of stories, but more to the point, it’s the setting of the stories themselves which intrigues me the most! Of finding where the skies are heavenly open to stars and where you can ride for ‘days’ and never meet your neighbour which holds quite the appeal to read about! These are the stories where the West is still not quite as tame as you’d believe it to be and where the ranchers and horsemen who make their home out on the range still have quite a bit to share with all of us!
I was definitely attracted to this series taking place on a ranch in Colorado – the setting (the Rocky Mountains) is of keen interest, yet, it’s the ranch itself which held the most curiosity. Mostly, as I find I’m drawn to ranches in film/tv series such as my beloved ‘Heartland’ which I am still itching for Series 10 to be released here in the States! *waves!* to all the Canadians who get to see it as it airs! Happily, I was able to satisfy my curiosity by ILL’ing (inter-library loaning) the prequel to this series through my local library whilst spotlighting the ‘first’ novel which is ‘Christmas at Cade Ranch’.
I also had the delight of being able to read a chapter sampler (which the author provided) whilst composing Questions which will give you a well-rounded ‘introduction’ to the series itself! Therefore, if you haven’t grabbed your favourite ‘cuppa’ you might want to do so before you proceed to read the rest of this post! It’s part conversation, part sneak peek into the heart of a series and one reader’s opinion about the prequel! Isn’t that going to be smashing!?
Let’s get started, shall we?!


The Christmas they never had.
James Cade has one priority: keep the family ranch running smoothly in the wake of his younger brother’s death. With Jesse’s ex, Sofia Gallardo, and her young son, Javi, stranded at Cade Ranch over Christmas, this task just got a lot harder. The longer Sofia and Javi stay, the harder it is to imagine the ranch without them. James couldn’t save his brother from his inner demons, but he can give his nephew a secure future. Maybe more—if he can figure out how to trust Sofia, and stop feeling like he’s betraying Jesse. Because trying to stop thinking about beautiful, determined Sofia is impossible.
Happy Pub Day: 7th November, 2017
Converse via: #Contemporary #Western + #Romance
Published by: Harlequin Heartwarming
Add to Riffle | Add to LibraryThing
The Rocky Mountain Cowboys series:
A Cowboy to Keep (Prequel) (see review below my Q&A)
Christmas at Cade Ranch (Book One)
Falling for a Cowboy (Book Two) (Synopsis)
Bad Boy Rancher (Book Three) (Synopsis)
A Cowboy’s Pride (Book Four)
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Posted Tuesday, 7 November, 2017 by jorielov in 21st Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Contemporary Romance, Crime Fiction, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Farm and Ranching on the Frontier, Indie Author, Library Find, Life Shift, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Modern Day, Prism Book Tours, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Small Towne Fiction, Small Towne USA, Specialised Crime Investigator, Suspense, West Coast USA, Western Fiction, Western Romance
Posted Tuesday, 7 November, 2017 by jorielov (Narrator) Cassandra Richardson, L.A. Kelley, Rimrider, Rimrider Adventures, Self Published 4 Comments

Acquired Digital Audiobook by: I am a blog tour hostess with Audiobookworm Promotions wherein I have the opportunity to receive audiobooks for review or adoption (reviews outside of organised blog tours) and host guest features on behalf of authors and narrators alike. I have been hosting for nearly a year now and I appreciate the diversity of genre selections and styles of stories to choose from whilst I navigate the audiobook realms!
I received a complimentary audiobook copy of “Rimrider” via Audiobookworm Promotions in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why this particular audiobook interested me:
Each Sci Fi November, I like to take stock of #newtomeauthors, Classic stories within the realms of SF I love to read and overall, have this plethora of bookish and geekery fun throughout the month – where I not only read the stories, but I seek out the tv series or movies which also interest me as well. When it came to choosing to listen to ‘Rimrider’ – I nearly came to the party a bit late – I was happiy surprised I could jump on the blog tour, as at the time I was sorting out how to re-listen to the first novel in a series of Cosy Mysteries whilst finishing two other reviews I had to re-schedule as well for audiobooks. Those were for ‘The Supernatural Pet Sitter’ (see also review) and the Non-Fiction Memoir which truly touched my heart: ‘Life as a Spectrum Mom’ (see also review) which showcases being a Mum to special needs children who live on the Autism spectrum. Truly a captivating read!
I personally LOVE Space Operas – I grew up on ‘Star Wars’ (still only watch the films Lucas created!), ‘Star Trek’ (only watching Roddenberry’s vision of the franchise) whilst having an appreciation for ‘Battlestar Galactica’ (the original series) and several other impressionable ‘Classics’ which set the standard for the genre being explored in motion pictures and television. Space Opera held an equal interest for me in written form – which is why I like to explore new story-tellers who are carving out their own niche within this wicked sweet genre we all have a mutual passion for exploring.
I had a good feeling about ‘Rimrider’ – I wasn’t sure if I liked the tagline – as I never liked the expression ‘fight like a girl’ – but in regards to the potential for the setting and the layered narrative scope – I had a sixth sense about this one – almost as if it was the one title which might happily take me by surprise and wouldn’t have expected to have found otherwise; had I not been on the blog tour! This also ‘fit’ well with being the ‘first’ featured story during my showcases for #RRSciFiMonth – wherein, I’ll be happily surprising both the participants and visitors of the event throughout November by the stories I am reading but not disclosing in advance! I think it makes it more enjoyable, really – to just happily duck into whichever story interests you in the moment to read and then, talk about how it impressed you. For me, it’s a new approach — I had always pre-planned a tight schedule for Sci Fi November – this year? I’m going to be a vagabond travelling through Science Fiction!

Rimrider
Subtitle: A real space pirate fights like a girl
by L.A. Kelley
Source: Audiobook via Audiobookworm Promotions
Narrator: Cassandra Richardson
Awakened by her father, teenager Jane Benedict is ordered to memorize a mysterious code. Hours later, Mathias Benedict is dead and Jane and her brother, Will, are wards of United Earth Corporation.
To evade the company's murderous clutches and uncover the meaning of her father's last message, Jane leads Will on a desperate escape across the galaxy aboard the Freetrader smuggler ship, Solar Vortex.
Tangled in the crew's fight for freedom, Jane saves the life of young smuggler, Mac Sawyer, and learns her father's code identifies a secret cargo shipment. The trail leads to the planet Rimrock and the massive prison complex of Golgotha.
Undercover as a spy, Jane stumbles into a conspiracy that can spell doom for the entire Freetrader cause and the extinction of an alien race. Can she escape the prison confines and deliver a warning before it's too late?
Piracy, intrigue, romance, space battles, and a daring rebellion from Earth wait on the galactic rim. Will Jane answer the call to adventure and find new purpose, or is death for high treason her fate?
Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
ASIN: B074YYKQSN
Published by Self Published
on 22nd August, 2017
Format: Audiobook | Digital
Length: 9 hours, 57 minutes (Unabridged)
Self Published Audiobook
The Rimrider Adventure series:
Rimrider (Book One)
Outlaw Jane (Book Two) | Synopsis
The Boneyard (Book Three) | Synopsis
Formats Available: Paperback, Ebook and Audiobook
About L.A. Kelley

L. A. Kelley is from Florida and has been writing Fantasy and Science Fiction adventure stories for all ages since she was old enough to chew on a number two pencil. All her books have adventure, humor, and a little romance because life is dull without them. She doesn’t write graphic sex or gore so your mama would approve, but does add a touch of cheeky sass so maybe she wouldn’t. In her spare time she calls in Bigfoot sightings to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife. They are heartily sick of hearing from her.
Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon
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Posted Tuesday, 7 November, 2017 by jorielov in Audiobook, Audiobookworm Promotions, Blog Tour Host, Brothers and Sisters, Coming-Of Age, Family Drama, Family Life, Hard Science Fiction, Indie Author, Life Shift, School Life & Situations, Science Fiction, Self-Published Author, Siblings, Space Opera, Speculative Fiction, Teacher & Student Relationships, Teenage Relationships & Friendships
Posted Sunday, 5 November, 2017 by jorielov (Narrator) Rita Page, A Heavenly Christmas, Heavenly Christmas series, Patrice Wilton, Self Published 0 Comments

Acquired Digital Audiobook by: I am a blog tour hostess with Audiobookworm Promotions wherein I have the opportunity to receive audiobooks for review or adoption (reviews outside of organised blog tours) and host guest features on behalf of authors and narrators alike. I have been hosting for nearly a year now and I appreciate the diversity of genre selections and styles of stories to choose from whilst I navigate the audiobook realms!
I received a complimentary audiobook copy of “A Heavenly Christmas” via Audiobookworm Promotions in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why this particular audiobook interested me:
I personally love curling up inside Christmas Romances as soon as the chill starts to dip into the air, Thanksgiving starts to approach and the holiday seasons kick-off properly starting with Halloween! This particular period of the year is my favourite – Autumn and Winter, have personal joys wrapped inside nostalgic memories. The reason I like reading Christmas stories is because it helps bring the holiday season into your mind and heart. Each story has its own appeal – I try to find new authors and stories to read each year, thereby expanding the collection of holiday stories I can return too once I find the ones I love the most to re-visit. This was a new tour which alighted into sight right when I was trying to decide ‘what to read’ for the holidays this year – as unlike last year, this Thanksgiving and Christmas felt a bit ‘lighter’ as they approach — yet similar to last year, this was going to be a year of thankfulness and blessings received.

A Heavenly Christmas
Subtitle: Can the magic of Christmas mend a young woman's heart?
Jennie Braxton and her two small children are traveling to Philadelphia for Christmas with her family. Car trouble lands them in a magical town called Heaven, PA. Everything about this sweet place seems too good to be true, especially Nick Ryan, a local chef with a heart as big as her own. His sensual smile tempts her from mourning the loss of her husband, to look into the future. Can her dreams of finding happiness again come true, or will her heart hide safely in the past?
Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
ASIN: B01LYGP90H
on 15th September, 2016
Length: 6 hours, 11 minutes (Unabridged)
Self Published Audiobook
A Heavenly Christmas series:
A Heavenly Christmas (Book One)
Someone to Love (Book Two) (Synopsis)
Christmas Wish (Book Three) (Synopsis)
Formats Available: Paperback and Audiobook
About Patrice Wilton

Patrice Wilton knew from the age of twelve that she wanted to write books that would take the reader to faraway places. She was born in Vancouver, Canada, and had a great need to see the world that she had read about.
Patrice became a flight attendant for seventeen years and traveled the world. At the age of forty she sat down to write her first book—in longhand! Her interests include tennis, golf, and writing stories for women of all ages.
She is a mother of two, has four lovely grand-daughters and one grandson, and a wonderful man at her side. They live in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he teaches her golf, and she teaches him patience.
She has twenty-five books published on Amazon, and is a NY Times and USA Today best selling author.
Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest
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Posted Sunday, 5 November, 2017 by jorielov in 21st Century, Audiobook, Audiobookworm Promotions, Blog Tour Host, Content Note, Family Drama, Family Life, Fly in the Ointment, Indie Author, Life Shift, Modern Day, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Self-Published Author, Siblings, Small Towne Fiction
Posted Thursday, 2 November, 2017 by jorielov #SpooktasticReads, Christina Courtenay, FaithWords, Paranormal Texas, Prometheus Books, Stories of Jorie, The Supernatural Pet Sitter, To Guard Against the Dark, Verity Kent Mysteries, World Weaver Press 4 Comments

I ♥ the premise of this meme {WWW Wednesdays} due to the dexterity it gives the reader! Smiles. Clearly subject to change on a weekly rotation, which may or may not lead to your ‘next’ read providing a bit of a paradoxical mystery to your readers!! Smiles. ♥ the brilliance of it’s concept!
This weekly meme was originally hosted by Should Be Reading who became A Daily Rhythm. Lovingly restored and continued by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Each week you participate, your keen to answer the following questions:
-
What are you currently reading!?
-
What did you recently finish reading!?
-
What do you think you’ll read next!?
After which, your meant to click over to THIS WEEK’s WWWWednesday to share your post’s link so that the rest of the bloggers who are participating can check out your lovely answers! Score! Perhaps even, find other bloggers who dig the same books as you do! I thought it would serve as a great self-check to know where I am and the progress I am hoping to have over the next week!

To help introduce you to the books I’m reading, the Synopses link to Riffle.
If you’d like an alternative to GoodReads, I highly suggest trying Riffle*.
I’m still boggled by the fact my Riffle Lists have been viewed at least*21,824* times! I’ve only just started to curate the lists and embed them into my blog where I expand on why I created them, too! I have 18 Lists published out of 32 lists I’ve drafted! I am looking forward to revealling more of them this year! Yes, I know – attempted this last year but I am hoping to get round to showcasing them throughout [2017] instead. Sometimes our best laid plans have to be put on ‘hold’.

Join the Convo via: #WWWWednesday
NOTE: Due to my recent migraine –
all posts have been delayed in arriving on #JLASblog.
Thus this is running on Thursday, this week!

What did you recently finish reading!?
I hadn’t foreseen a few unexpected wrinkles of lost hours erupting into the latter half of [October] which in effect changed how I was approaching my self-directed reading challenge of #SpooktasticReads! Ending the month with a migraine was quite special, too! Oy. I decided to extend my readings into November because to be honest – I feel like I’ve only just begun to make headway into the reading list I compiled – as I was moving in and out of different narratives, trying to get into the story-lines whilst figuring out each author’s individual style for crafting a Mystery, Suspense or Thriller I was dearly eager to be reading!
There are moments in our lives, where we get jettisoned ‘off-course’ where something *pops!* up unexpectedly and derails our previously joyous plans – in this particular case, despite having a heap of fun getting back into reading after my unexpected hiatus this [September] – accounting to the *23!* posts I happily shared throughout [October!] I still fell a bit shy of my personal goals regarding #SpooktasticReads!
I have also been delighting in watching Thrillers + Psychological Suspense films this past [October] as I wanted to supplement the stories I was reading with a few films I hadn’t seen such as the following: Miss Sloane & Snowden as well as the film I personally LOVE for Halloween: Gaslight – which was Angela Lansbury’s debut! The first two are Contemporary Thrillers in their own regard – as there is an intensity about them, even though their dealing with Current Events. I regards to ‘Gaslight’ – I love how the whole story unfolds – it reminds me a lot of how in Notorious (with Cary Grant) the lead female almost doesn’t ‘get out’ either – in regards to personal danger and the insidious situations they both find themselves inside. I personally love Ingrid Bergman – she has such a dramatic presence on screen but it’s how she approaches her characters which makes such a lasting impression on me.
I managed to duck into the opening chapters of The Visitors, but this was just ahead of my migraine, where I was finding it harder to ‘focus’ on what I was attempting to read. I wanted to dig into the next Willa Cather mystery Death Comes but I wasn’t finding traction in either. I hadn’t known then the migraine would take hold (as sometimes, they don’t) which is why I was happily surprised shortly after it started to release it’s hold on me, I could tuck into the cosy comforting world of an Anna Lee Huber Cosy Historical Mystery: This Side of Murder! On the latter, I had this to share with my readers:
It is within the earliest chapters of this first Verity Kent Mystery where I breathed in the essence of this new ‘character’ and felt as if I had truly known ‘her’ long before I met her; which is exactly how I felt about Lady Darby! Ms Huber is well on her way to perfecting how to pen serial mysteries which delight the historical reader with a cosied approach to crime and sleuthing!
One thing which struck me – is how clever it is to be inserted into two heroines whose husbands are absent from their lives – giving them unheard of opportunities to ‘carry on’ with their lives when society dictated otherwise – this was true of Lady Darby and it is true for Mrs Kent! The curious bit is how wholly unique both characters are constructed – they each have their own strengths, weaknesses and faults – they don’t feel too identical (as such) to each other, even if they have a few attributes in common. The joy for me was identifying how each woman separated herself from her peers, truly believed it possible to live an independent life from their peerage and seeing how they leveraged themselves for a future they would determine was best for them. In this, Ms Huber has my heart and attention on her heroines – seeking their next adventures with curious anticipation!
In short, Ms Huber is curating her own niche out of a sub-genre of Historical Fiction I happily applaud seeing developed because of her purposeful dedication to writing the stories which not only give us an emotional repose from our lives (because of how deft they’re written) but they give us a chance to re-step through history through a portal of folly similar to why the Dame of the Cosy was as well loved as she has become all these years lateron. They give us something to chew on and something to consider – whilst the mystery lover in all of us gets to play ‘sleuth’ and stay on the tip of our toes awaiting the outcomes!
Whilst happily tweeting this s/o as I was composing this update post!
I am dearly excited to see what becomes next for Mrs Kent – as next October shall be a wicked lovely month as it’s publication time for the second installment! Until then, I shall have the first Gothic Myths to dig inside as well as the sixth Lady Darby – expected to arrive in the Spring! Read More

Posted Thursday, 2 November, 2017 by jorielov in Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Discussions, Books for Review Arrived by Post, WWW Wednesdays