Why I feature #ChocLitSaturdays (book reviews & guest author features)
and created #ChocLitSaturday (the chat via @ChocLitSaturday):
I wanted to create a bit of a niche on Jorie Loves A Story to showcase romance fiction steeped in relationships, courtships, and the breadth of marriage enveloped by characters written honestly whose lives not only endear you to them but they nestle into your heart as their story is being read!
I am always seeking relationship-based romance which strikes a chord within my mind’s eye as well as my heart! I’m a romantic optimist, and I love curling into a romance where I can be swept inside the past, as history becomes lit alive in the fullness of the narrative and I can wander amongst the supporting cast observing the principal characters fall in love and sort out if they are a proper match for each other!
I love how an Indie Publisher like ChocLitUK is such a positive alternative for those of us who do not identify ourselves as girls and women who read ‘chick-lit’. I appreciate the stories which alight in my hands from ChocLit as much as I appreciate the inspirational romances I gravitate towards because there is a certain level of depth to both outlets in romance which encourage my spirits and gives me a beautiful story to absorb! Whilst sorting out how promote my book reviews on behalf of ChocLit, I coined the phrase “ChocLitSaturdays”, which is a nod to the fact my ChocLit reviews & features debut on ‘a Saturday’ but further to the point that on the ‘weekend’ we want to dip into a world wholly ideal and romantic during our hours off from the work week!
Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. I received a complimentary copy of “The Wild One” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I fell in love with Coorah Creek:
To fully capture my initial excitement about learning this series was going to continue, you can click to view the first tweet I shared! I have a soft spot for Westerns – stemming out of my love for horse-back riding but also, because I fell in love with the country having spent equal portions of my life between city and rural environs. Being close to the natural world and being cognisantly aware of wildlife and the natural habitats which play such an important role in our cyclic health on Earth has left an impression on my heart, mind and imagination.
I started reading Westerns as a young girl – curled up inside Cowboy fiction and the Americana of the Western Frontier is one way I spent a happy afternoon engrossed inside the pages of novels whose spirit of the West and of a particular kind of lifestyle championed a spark of joy inside me. This is why to this day, I love seeking out Westerns – either straight-up traditional historicals or the Contemporaries who are breaking new frontiers as they bring us a new endearing locale to frame our minds around a setting which can resonate as readily as the historical past!
This is one reason you’ll find more of these stories emerging on my blog as time moves forward, because I have two favourite authors (Liz Harris and Janet Gover) who write the novels I am seeking from ChocLit but also, because I have stories on my TBR List (of whom I need to add to my Leafmarks!) which are my ‘itching to read next’ choices! If you’ve caught sight of my reviews on behalf of the novels of Carolyn Steele (Willow Springs and Soda Springs) you will recognise instantly what I love about modern day Western authors! Even MK McClintock has a heap of lovelies I want to explore whilst finishing my stay inside her Alaina Claiborne! (see this conversation I had with her last year) Even Carla Kelly endeared me to her style as soon as I stepped through the pages of Softly Falling! It is an incredible time to be a reader of Western fiction!
When it comes to Coorah Creek, I was happily surprised by what I found inside the novel, so much so, I ached for a sequel long before I ever realised one was being breathed into life! Here is a sampling of my review on behalf of the first story which I did not want to end:
Creating a realistic impression of the Australian Outback is Janet Gover’s gift:
I honestly could not stop reading Flight to Coorah Creek, and in doing so, left myself at a bit of a loss as to how to properly leave behind my esteem and love of the story! I simply did not want to leave my comfy chair and make my way to my keyboard! I absorbed myself so fully into this story, as I had ached to get into the heart of it for most of Spring & Summer, that by the time I found the pages flying past my fingers, there simply was not one second to spare! I was thankful to soak into a light medical drama which did not affect me as medical dramas generally do these days (ooh, how I miss reading them!), as I was quite fascinated with Gover’s ability to take research & first hand experience (as she had disclosed in a #ChocLitSaturdays : chat on Twitterthat she had experienced an air ambulance service) and turnt it into such a believable and commendable tale of second chances, new beginnings, and atonement!
The subtle way she included what I would generally think of as a ‘third’ character: the Australian Outback itself was an alarming treat for your senses! And, how interesting that most of what was spoken about are part of the natural beauty I appreciate myself, even if the frying in the laser sharp heat of the sun might not be as keen, it was how she turnt the natural world into a visual backdrop I appreciated the most. The Outback was also quite the character, as the winds would shift and reveal a few things about where all of these lovely characters had settled into a sense of home and stability of calm. I honestly cannot wait to read another novel where she takes me on another epic journey of an adventure!
I have seen many a motion picture which involves drama on a plane, but I must say, Gover had me on the very edge of my seat and I nearly forgot to breathe whilst reading the passages where the flying was anything but routine!
– as quoted from my review of Flight to Coorah Creek, the first book in the series
Sadly, there is anchour to this story, a novella which is currently only available in ebook format (Christmas at Coorah Creek) rather than being released into print or audiobook. It’s my mission to gather the audiobooks by ChocLit for the novellas and/or any novel that doesn’t make it to print but goes into audio release! I would love to say one day I have a lovely bookcase full of ChocLit paperbacks and audiobooks on CD! Until then, I gather in my mind which ones I wish to collect and hope for the best!
For those of you whose thirst for this series is intrigued to seek out the stories, let me share the synopsis for the novella! Remember this follows the time-line straight after Flight to Coorah Creek!
What if you don’t want to be home for Christmas?
Spending Christmas away from home is one thing but English nurse Katie Brooks is spending hers in Coorah Creek; a small town in the Australian outback.
Katie was certain leaving London was the right decision, but her new job in the outback is more challenging than she could have ever imagined.
Scott Collins rescued Katie on her first day in Coorah Creek and has been a source of comfort ever since. But Scott no longer calls the town home – it’s too full of bad memories and he doesn’t plan on sticking around for long.
Scott needs to leave. Katie needs to stay. They have until Christmas to decide their future …
The Wild One
Subtitle: A Coorah Creek Novel
Can four wounded souls find love?
Iraq war veteran Dan Mitchell once disobeyed an order – and it nearly destroyed him. Now a national park ranger in the Australian outback, he’s faced with another order he is unwilling to obey …
Photographer Rachel Quinn seeks out beauty in unlikely places. Her work comforted Dan in his darkest days. But Quinn knows darkness too – and Dan soon realises she needs his help as much as he needs hers.
Carrie Bryant was a talented jockey until a racing accident broke her nerve. Now Dan and Quinn need her expertise, but can she face her fear? And could horse breeder Justin Fraser, a man fighting to save his own heritage, be the one to help put that fear to rest?
Sometimes, the wounds you can’t see are the hardest to heal…
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 9781781892664
Series: Coorah Creek
Also in this series: Flight to Coorah Creek
on 2nd April, 2016
Pages: 278
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)
Available Formats: Paperback, Audiobook, Large Print & E-Book
Coorah Creek series:
Flight to Coorah Creek | No.1 (review)
Christmas at Coorah Creek | Novella
The Wild One | No.2
(read my Cover Reveal celebration for The Wild One)
Converse via: #CoorahCreek or #TheWildOne and #ChocLit
About Janet Gover
Janet lives in Surrey with her English husband but grew up in the Australian outback surrounded by books. She solved mysteries with Sherlock Holmes, explored jungles with Edgar Rice Burroughs and shot to the stars with Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury. After studying journalism at Queensland University she became a television journalist, first in Australia, then in Asia and Europe. During her career Janet saw and did a lot of unusual things. She met one Pope, at least three Prime Ministers, a few movie stars and a dolphin. Janet now works in television production and travels extensively with her job.
Janet’s first short story, The Last Dragon, was published in 2002. Since then she has published numerous short stories, one of which won the Elizabeth Goudge Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She has previously published three novels with Little Black Dress, Flight to Coorah Creek is her debut with Choc Lit and Bring Me Sunshine her first Choc Lit Lite ebook novella.
The Jane and Bertha in Me
Should Have Played Poker
The Scarlet Kimono
Death Sits Down to Dinner