Book Spotlight with Notes | featuring “An Accidental Royal Kidnap” (Royally Funny, Book One) by Paul Mathews

Posted Tuesday, 8 December, 2020 by jorielov An Accidental Royal Kidnap, Paul Mathews, Self Published 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

Every so often I start to wonder if I need to switch things up a bit in my readerly life – seeking out different branches of literature and/or different perspectives within the genres I read the most regularly. I tend to vacillate if I focus too much on drama rather than adding in doses of comedy as well. With comedy it is always a very fine line for me to find the ‘right’ story which suits my readerly interests as I am just as particular when it comes to which comedies in film or television I’ll watch as well.

I tend to go for the comedies which have a lot of heart threading into the backbone of the storyline and a lot of character growth for the lead and supporting cast. I like to stories which evolve through the journey we’re spending with the characters – good or bad, the journey has to showcase a portion of their lives we feel is worth immersing ourselves into to find the ending satisfying. When I first learnt of this story, I had intended to interview the author – however, as those plans fell away, I decided to host an extract and spotlight instead.

One of the benefits of interviewing or hosting an extract for a novel you’re considering to read yourself is giving your readers a chance to see if the story fits their readerly interests, too. Conversations help see inside the writer’s process whilst extracts or even fuller chapter samplers (most of which can easily be found online) give us a chance to see a snippet of an author’s style and note how their style might progress if we were to read the full version of the novel. I felt this beneficial as a reader and I hope you do as well. Especially if like me you’re sometimes on the ‘fence’ of knowing which author you’ll love reading and which author might not be your cuppa tea.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this extract and if you regularly seek out either blog tours to read extracts and/or if you read chapter samplers online for the same reasons I do myself? Likewise, if you read Contemporary Humour & Satire or Dark Humour novels set in Contemporary settings – I’d love to hear your thoughts on behalf of these kinds of stories as well. Which writers are your top favourites and which novels would you recommend for me to check out?

An Accidental Royal Kidnap
by Paul Mathews

When London schoolteacher George Nearly wakes up one Sunday morning to find a dishevelled young woman sprawled on his living-room rug, claiming to be a princess, his plans for a peaceful day at home recovering from his 39th birthday party disappear faster than a French monarch’s head during a revolution. And when the feisty royal accuses George of kidnapping her, his very ordinary life is turned completely upside down, as the party princess takes root in his apartment, causes royal waves among his friends and family, and demands to go walkabout on the streets of London. It’s blue-blooded British comedy by unofficial royal appointment in this hilarious, and often surreal, regal romp that’s guaranteed to raise a laugh from Balmoral to Buckingham Palace!

Genres: Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945)

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 979-8697647615

Published by Self Published

on 24th November, 2020

This is a self-published novel

Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #Contemporary Humour, Dark Humour

About Paul Mathews

Paul Mathews is a quite funny guy who ditched the London rat race to follow his dream of becoming a comedy novelist and never again having to be told what to do by anyone who isn't a blood relative. His sharp, satirical - often surreal - sense of humour was honed after twenty glorious years in the UK Civil Service: long-lunching, cracking jokes & trying his best to look busy. He gains inspiration from his love of pubs, good food, Earl Grey tea, four-legged animals & the quirks and quibbles of British life.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | LibraryThing

Posted Tuesday, 8 December, 2020 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Love Books Tours, Sampler Chapters &/or Excerpt of Novel

#Blogmas Book Spotlight | “For This Christmas Only” (Masterson, Texas, Book Three) by Caro Carson

Posted Monday, 7 December, 2020 by jorielov Caro Carson, For This Christmas Only, Harlequin Books, Harlequin Special Edition, Masterson Texas series 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I am quite sure it won’t be too much of a surprise I like to seek out other imprints by Harlequin Books every so often throughout the year? I have sorted out my top favourites to read regularly are *Harlequin Heartwarming* & *Love Inspired: Suspense* however, this gives quite a bit of wiggle room to seek out their other imprints and find other authors who might be writing stories which are going unnoticed by me throughout the year as they’re writing under imprints I might not regularly have access too and/or have more trouble borrowing through ILL’ing (interlibraryloaning). This is one keen reason I enjoy hosting spotlights like this one today as it gives me a chance to know which authors I might want to seek out next and which stories I might fancy reading within their other imprints.

Harlequin Books has long held a curiosity of interest for me as a reader – as I’ve moved from different imprints to the ones I currently focus on reading the most out of – although, I still mourn the loss of Love Inspired: Historical. I also read a lot of Mira books in the past before settling on Heartwarming. Heartwarming to me held within its scope of writers and stories the kind of stories I was seeking out of Mira but didn’t always feel were executed the way I hoped they might be as a reader who loves relationship based romances. This is why the Romance and Special Edition imprints are on my radar as sometimes, I surprise myself and find a Heartwarming-esque story within their imprints as well.

I’ve only read a handful of stories by this particular imprint and am still sorting out if it is a good fit for me overall or if its just an imprint I’ll read every odd moon but keep with LI: Suspense and Heartwarming full time. I have an extract to share and a few takeaways after I read the extract to share with you as you decide if you want to pick up this title yourself, too.

If you’re a regular reader of Harlequin novels and imprints, which imprints are your top choices and favourites? Which writers and/or their series are making an impression on you as a reader and which do you think might be a wicked good fit for me as well? I’d love to hear your thoughts – especially if you read Heartwarming, Romance or Special Edition imprints by Harlequin on a semi-regular basis as you’d have the best feedback to share.

For This Christmas
Subtitle: He was successful in business but not in love
by Caro Carson

He was successful in business but not in love in this great romance by USA TODAY bestselling author Caro Carson

His book changed her life…

But he no longer believes his own advice.

After nearly dying in a plane crash, business icon Eli Taylor has become a recluse, until a chance encounter at a small town’s Yule log lighting leads to an evening spent as the fake boyfriend of his superfan Mallory Ames. When she finds herself homeless for the holidays, he invites her to stay with him—if she’ll return the favor and be his fake girlfriend, so he can show his siblings what a loving partnership should look like. Their arrangement will end when the new year begins…or will it?

From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

Genres: Christmas Story &/or Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romance Fiction

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781335894977

Published by Harlequin Special Edition

on 1st December, 2020

The Masterson, Texas series:

The Bartender’s Secret (book one)

The Slow Burn (book two)

For This Christmas Only (book three)

Published by: Harlequin Books (@HarlequinBooks)

Converse on Twitter via: #ChristmasReads and/or #HolidayReads
as well as #ChristmasRomance and #ContemporaryRomance

About Caro Carson

Despite a no-nonsense background as a West Point graduate and U.S. Army officer, Caro Carson has always treasured the happily-ever-after of a good romance novel. After her military service, she worked in the healthcare industry with a Fortune 100 company, talking science with doctors who were rarely handsome bachelor Texans like the doctors in her books.

Now a USA Today bestselling author and RITA™ award winner, Caro is delighted to be living her own happily-ever-after with her husband (who actually is a handsome Texan) and their two children. They live in the great state of Florida, a location which has saved the coaster-loving theme park fanatics a fortune on plane tickets.

Posted Monday, 7 December, 2020 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Blitz, Book Spotlight, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Xpresso Book Tours

#Blogmas Book Spotlight | “Christmas Actually: Bite-sized Sweet Holiday Romance Reads” (anthology) [edited by] Teri Wilson

Posted Sunday, 6 December, 2020 by jorielov (Editor) Teri Wilson, Christmas Actually, Pretty Bliss Press 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

If you’re a regular visitor of Jorie Loves A Story, you’ll notice I have a hearty affection for reading anthologies! Generally, those happen to be in the Speculative Fiction category of influence but I am known to pick up a Romance anthology every blue moon as well! Especially as it were those varieties which launched me into becoming a Romance reader all those lovely moons ago in childhood! Laughs. This particular anthology stood out to me because I am one of those readers who gets really enthused and excited about reading (or watching) Christmas Romances as soon as Thanksgiving concludes and Twelfth Night hasn’t yet reached us in January.

Christmas Romances are quite addictive because they are set during one of my favourite seasons of the year and I would daresay, my top favourite overall!! There is a fever of excitement and joy about Christmas and the pending New Year’s – where Hope is lit aflame and the unexpected delights of the season are just round the corner from enveloping you on your path. Christmas romances to me always have that little bit of something ‘extra’ to hold your eye and attention inside them. They have a way of developing a giddiness within them to keep your heart set on seeing how the story ends on a happier note than it first began and if something has to be resolved, all the better because what is more beautiful than redemption at Christmas?

Anthologies are a great way for me to sort out which authors I want to be reading and which author has a style of preference I prefer to seek out. This particular anthology is a digital first release (sadly, it seems I’ve picked more digital first releases this year than dual released stories!) which means I won’t be able to partake in reading the stories it contains. Once you read my reaction to the story in the extract on this post, you’ll see how disappointing that kind of news is for a reader like me whose just found an author she dearly wants to keep reading!!

I’d love to hear from you dear hearts – which kinds of anthologies do you love to read the most and have you ever picked up a holiday themed or romantic themed anthology? If so, whose the editor and publisher? Which stories/authors stood out to you and is it a habit of reading anthologies for you like it is for me or is it more of a random find and not one you chase after (like I do myself)!!?

Christmas Actually
Subtitle: Edited by Teri Wilson

Christmas actually is all around…

Join eleven best-selling and award-winning authors under the mistletoe as they share bite-sized holiday romances celebrating the joy and romcom sweetness of the Christmas season!

Genres: Christmas Story &/or Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romance Fiction

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ASIN: B08BH7XL6H

Published by Pretty Bliss Press

on 1st December, 2020

The following are the stories you will find within “Christmas Actually”:

The Christmas Wedding Date by Shirley Jump

When Holly McDaniels gets roped into attending her hometown Christmas ball, she convinces her handsome neighbor, workaholic Nick Corvino, to play the part of husband, giving the bah humbug bachelor a taste of Christmas magic that just might lead to a very real holiday happy-ever-after.

Gingerbread and Jingle Bells by Caro Carson

A big-city businesswoman answers her grandma’s plea for holiday-rush help at the family bakery, only to find herself apologizing to the small town’s handsome veterinarian each time she thwarts her grandma’s matchmaking schemes—until she discovers the mastermind behind all the romantic plans wasn’t her grandma, after all.

A Merry Aussie Christmas by Stefanie London

Their relationship is so fake it comes with costumes… Will spending a whole month as Patterson’s Bluff’s official Mr. and Mrs. Claus give a golden girl and the town outcast a second chance at love?

Mission: Merry Christmas by Nancy Naigle

A physical therapist finds her client bah-humbugging the Christmas spirit out of everyone and decides to focus on getting him back on the nice list.

Christmas In Sweetland by Lacey Baker

A restless hometown girl strikes a deal with the uptight guy next door to win a neighborhood holiday decorating contest—but they’ll both need a little Christmas magic to survive missing cupcakes, broken twinkle lights and falling in love.

The Matchmaking Christmas Spirit by Lindsay Emory

An event planner and a handsome handyman keep getting thrown together by a matchmaking Christmas spirit who won’t stop meddling in matters of the heart.

Christmas Eve at the USO by Tif Marcelo

When former college sweethearts and Army soldiers reunite at the Dallas Airport USO during a Christmas Eve snowstorm, they try to ignore the love they lost—until the Christmas spirit decides to play Cupid, leaving them with no choice but to go after the love wished they still had.

A Midnight Clear by Victoria Schade

A dog sitter booked to spend the Christmas holiday caring for a client’s new puppy is surprised to discover that an approaching snowstorm has trapped her with the handsome man of the house.

Love Letters for Christmas by Sasha Summers

When a soldier decides it’s time to meet his long-time teacher pen pal, his visit to her classroom brings all sort of surprises—and might just give them their greatest Christmas gift ever: love.

A Snow Maiden for Christmas by Sariah Wilson

Christina and Jack were high school sweethearts until he left her behind to follow his dreams. Now he’s back and their meddling mothers are determined to give Christina and Jack’s former romance a second chance by forcing them to play roles opposite one another in their local winter festival.

A Merry Royal Layover by Teri Wilson

When a veterinarian traveling to a remote European village to volunteer at an animal shelter during the Christmas holidays gets an unexpected first-class upgrade, she meets a charming stranger in the airport lounge who may or may not be the country’s crown prince.

This is a Digital First Release by Pretty Bliss Press

Converse on Twitter via: #ChristmasReads, #HolidayReads, #anthologies
as well as #ChristmasRomance and #ChristmasActually

Posted Sunday, 6 December, 2020 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Blitz, Book Spotlight, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Xpresso Book Tours

#Blogmas | feat. #HarlequinHeartwarming | “A Christmas Proposal (Texas Rebels, Book Ten) by Linda Warren

Posted Saturday, 5 December, 2020 by jorielov A Christmas Proposal, Harlequin Books, Harlequin Heartwarming, Linda Warren, Texas Rebels series 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

This #blogmas on Jorie Loves A Story you’ll find a lot of hearty varieties of stories being featured as I look into the genres I regularly love to read and have started to seek out finding #newtomeauthors within those genres I can look forward to reading in the New Year. As you might have already suspected the Harlequin Heartwarming imprint by Harlequin Books is one of my top favourites – year round without fail! I love setting my heart & mind into their series and one-offs, as the authors I find penning these stories are curating a wonderful landscape of relationship-based Romances which are my favourites to seek out! They write them with a heap of heart, a grounding of family and/or community (or both!) whilst giving me a lovely realistic backdrop of a story to soak inside!

There are loads of lovely Harlequin Heartwarming authors I haven’t yet had a chance to read and/or feature on Jorie Loves A Story. This December, I found a few I can spotlight and draw attention to during #blogmas and this is my first author I wanted to mention as my showcases this month start to get underway in full force. My readings have been a bit hit/miss as December began but I’m hoping before the middle of the month, I’ll be able to share some new reviews & discuss the stories I am currently reading and/or listening via audiobook as we move towards the Christmas and holiday season in full earnest.

What drew my eye to this story and the series which it is set inside is actually the *length!* of the series itself – 10 books strong!? Imagine!! I get as giddy as my Mum whenever I find a series which is fully in-progress and has been making keen strides with readers throughout the duration of the series. Longer series are a sweet joy for me because it means you can spend more time with the writer and their characters whilst getting to know every inch of their setting, community and which of the characters are going to come and go as new installments arrive in the series itself. It makes for a lot of lovely hours of reading and series as big as this one are a sweet find indeed!

Plus, I have a soft spot in my bookish heart for Christmas Romances & stories set at Christmas! After all, it wasn’t too many years ago where I first started to read the Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle by picking up “Holiday Grind” and finding myself so wholly enthused by what I found in that mystery that I immediately started to backread the whole series starting with “On What Grounds”. It is still a project I am undertaking today along with my readings of Aunt Dimity by Nancy Alterton as I discovered both series during the same year of 2008.

I find sometimes reading a Christmas installment in a series is a good footing on the development of the series and of where you expect to find the writer shifting the series forward. Sometimes their just a hoot to read and give you a bit of holiday licence to break your own mainstay preference (like mine!) of reading series in order! I know if I see this lovely at my library I’ll be picking it up to read!!

Curiously – when you come across a book series such as the Texas Rebels one I’m featuring today – do you get as wicked excited as I do about finding a series already in-progress where you can binge read the series OR would you prefer to find series which are just starting to gain traction within the first 1-3 stories?

A child’s Christmas wish…

Gives love a second chance

Becky Tullous has never forgiven boy-next-door Bo Goodnight for breaking her teenage heart. Now the SWAT sergeant is back in Horseshoe, Texas, and getting far too attached to her three-year-old daughter. Becky never wanted Bo in Luci’s life, but her developmentally delayed little girl is making great progress with him around.

Will Bo prove he’s worth a second chance this Christmas?

Add to LibraryThing | ISBN: 978-1-335-88998-0

This series has 10 books inside it including:

Be sure to visit her FantasticFiction page to find the full listing!

Published by: Harlequin Heartwarming (@HarlequinBooks)
an imprint of Harlequin Books

Converse via: #ContemporaryRomance &/or #ChristmasRomance
as well #HolidayReads or #ChristmasReads and #HarlequinHeartwarming

Posted Saturday, 5 December, 2020 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Contemporary Romance, Prism Book Tours, Romance Fiction

#Blogmas Author Interview | Conversing with Josephine Templeton about her story “The Christmas Mistake”!

Posted Friday, 4 December, 2020 by jorielov GenZ Publishing, Josephine Templeton, The Christmas Mistake 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I am wicked happy to present my second interview during #blogmas today! I had fun discovering this quirky and light-hearted Christmas Rom-Com in the announcements for upcoming new releases for Christmas Romances this year! Sometimes I like to divert away from reading dramatic stories and/or suspenseful ones – giving me some time to spend with a lighter story which still has a pack of heart and soul inside it! This one in particular stood out to me as I had a feeling there was a ‘story’ behind the plot of this Christmas Romance – as to me that is what makes a story most intriguing to read overall; what is happening between the synopsis and the conclusion!

Happily the author loved chatting about Christmas and her characters with me – whilst we both *share!* a particular Christmas music tradition, together! Ha!! It is wonderful to put together these Christmassy interviews during #blogmas whilst getting the chance to get to know a bit of #behindthebook trivia about new Contemporary Romances and the writers who were inspired to write them. I love interviewing authors during @SatBookChat but I equally love interviewing them throughout the year on Jorie Loves A Story. Between sharing my reviews of the books I am reading and conversing with the authors – I have curated a lovely road map of how the stories and the authors have crossed my paths these past seven years – which is a wicked feat in of itself and one that continues to humble me knowing how long I’ve been sharing my bookish life on my blog.

If you’ve missed my first interview this #blogmas, be sure to visit the conversation I had with Nancy Barone! Be sure to watch for my special Christmassy interview coming up this month with Mandy Baggot!

The Christmas Mistake
by Josephine Templeton

Dressed in nothing but Christmas lingerie, Carina has a bellhop deliver her in a gift box to her fiance’s hotel room, but the last thing she expects when she is unwrapped is to see a sexy stranger in holiday boxers who looks like he just stepped off a magazine cover – definitely NOT her fiancé! How in the silver bells was she delivered to the wrong room?

As the owner of a small flower shop, Carina’s surrounded by romance on a daily basis. Her workaholic fiancé has been distant for the past several months, so she decides to drive from Baton Rouge to New Orleans to surprise him on Christmas Eve. However, that distance between them has brought loneliness, and the mere thought of the sexy stranger plucks at her mistletoe. When she discovers the reason for her fiance’s lack of attention, will she put him on Santa’s naughty list and take the stranger for a sleigh ride?

Genres: Christmas Story &/or Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1952919060

Published by GenZ Publishing

on 1st December, 2020

Published by: GenZ Publishing (@genzpub)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook

Converse on Twitter via: #HolidayReads or #ChristmasReads as well as #TheChristmasMistake

About Josephine Templeton

Josephine Templeton has six published novels that range from historical romance to urban fantasy. She has been to numerous conferences, including Heather Graham’s Writers for New Orleans, as well as a former member of Romance Writers of America.

Posted Friday, 4 December, 2020 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Blitz, Book Spotlight, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Xpresso Book Tours