Posted Saturday, 24 October, 2015 by jorielov ChocLitUK, Fool's Gold, Zana Bell 0 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I am a ChocLit reviewer who receives books of my choice in exchange for honest reviews! I received a complimentary copy of “Fool’s Gold” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On wanting to continue reading Bell’s historicals:
Being able to return to New Zealand is quite the treat – as I fell in love with this country through friendship, as I used to correspond with two girls who lived on opposite ends of the country. One appreciated city life whereas the other one grew up on a farm where her family was self-sufficient and able to live off the land. It was a wonderful exchange of letters and conversations, whilst getting to see the differences between the two girls and thus, how where they lived provided them each with a different perspective as a whole.
Whenever I can ‘visit’ a country where a friend of mine has lived (either in the present or past) it’s a special treat indeed as I haven’t had the chance to hop a plane and visit the countries in person. This is one reason postal correspondences are quite dear to me; they allow you the grace of bringing the world closer to home and by introducing you to friends who stay with you through the tides of life. I had to smile when Ms Bell mentioned appreciating writing about Kiwis because one of my friends used to hand-write her letters on Kiwi stationery.
In regards to reading my second historical by Ms Bell, the pleasure is mine! After reading Close to the Wind my mind was lit afire with a happiness of finding a writer who knew exactly what I was hoping to find inside a high seas epic romance! I loved the combination of her settings and the interactions between Georgiana and Trent, as she gave us such a welcoming depth of their character’s evolving journey.
Here is a short quote from my review which I believe explains what I’m referencing:
There is a sudden depth of knowledge ebbing out of Trent’s past life which provides a kaleidoscope of emotions; as you presumed he lived his life more of a pirate than a gent. A glimpse into his rough-hewn past reveals a vulnerable vein of humanity. It’s the choices that each have to make in successive chapters which will give way to where their fates are directing them. I personally was enthralled from the first chapter until the last — not wanting the action, the danger, or the intrigue to let up even an inch! This is definitely an enjoyable read for those who like a bit of a daring risk towards seeking freedom of its most innocent ideal! As much as it is an exposition on self-identity and the assurances we all seek to understand where we belong.
This next novel by Bell has already garnished quite a heap of attention and notoriety by the time it’s reached my hands to read. I sort of had a sense this novel might resonate with readers – I loved it from the moment I first read the synopsis because I liked how the set-up of the plot sounded. Sometimes you gather a proper sense about novels before you read them; this surely was one of those for me! I’m thankful and full of thanksgiving for being able to read it a year after it’s release.
Fool's Gold
by Zana Bell
Source: Direct from Publisher
Love – is it worth its weight in gold?
It’s 1866 and the gold rush is on. Left to fend for herself in the wilds of New Zealand’s west coast, Lady Guinevere Stanhope is determined to do whatever it takes to rescue her ancestral home and restore her father’s good name.
Forced out of his native Ireland, Quinn O’Donnell dreams of striking gold. His fiercely held prejudices make him loath to help any English person, let alone a lady as haughty and obstinate as Guinevere. But when a flash flood hits, Quinn is compelled to rescue her, and their paths become entwined in this uncharted new world.
Though a most inconvenient attraction forms between them, both remain determined to pursue their dreams, whatever the cost.
Will they realise in time that all that glitters is not gold?
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781781891834
Also by this author: Close to the Wind, Guest Post by Zana Bell: Ingredients for a Ripping Tale
Published by ChocLitUK
on 7th October 2014
Format: Paperback Edition
Pages: 320
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)
Formats Available: Paperback, Audiobook and E-book
Previously I was introduced to her style of historicals by way of Close to the Wind!
Converse via: #ChocLit
About Zana Bell
Zana lives in New Zealand. She describes herself as a big fan of Georgette Heyer and combines the elements of light-hearted romance with travel and adventure. Zana’s first book was a young adult time travel, published in New Zealand and Australia. Her second novel was an historical, based on the life and times of Charlotte Badger, convict, pirate and New Zealand’s first English woman immigrant. It was voted Single Titles 10 Best Books in 2008.
She is also the author of two contemporary romances from Harlequin’s Super romance line. The first won a Cataromance Reviewer’s Choice Award 2010. Close to the Wind was her debut novel with Choc Lit and the return to her love of writing historical novels. Fool’s Gold won the 2015 Koru Award for Excellence from the Romance Writers’ of New Zealand.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Saturday, 24 October, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 19th Century, Adoption, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Art, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Castles & Estates, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, England, Father-Daughter Relationships, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Immigrant Stories, Indie Author, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Life Shift, New Zealand, Photography, Rescue & Adoption of Animals, Romance Fiction, Single Fathers, Small Towne Fiction, Treasure Hunt
Posted Saturday, 24 October, 2015 by jorielov Gabriel Valjan, Roma series, Turning to Stone, Winter Goose Publishing 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a part of the blog tour for “Turning to Stone” hosted by Italy Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the publisher Winter Goose Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Originally intended to read the series:
Although my first preference is to read series in the sequence they are intended to be read, there are on occasion a few hiccups towards that goal. For me, with the Roma series it was a combination of time delays to ILL the series through my local library and the circumstances of Summer where the lightning storms wrecked a lot of chaos into my reading life. Despite knowing I might have to read a series out of sequence didn’t deter me from being on the blog tour, because this has happened a few times before (such as with the Maisie Dobbs series and Bess Crawford series) and I was able to pick up the threads of the stories despite my late entry.
A word about the publisher Winter Goose Publishing:
I enjoy doing a bit of groundwork to learn about new publishers I haven’t yet come across in my literary wanderings, and finding Winter Goose Publishing was a bit of a treat, as I appreciated reading their story! (see their About page) I appreciate finding publishers (Small Trade, Major Trade and Indies) focusing on authors and their stories rather than the bottom-line. It is one thing to turn a profit but to sacrifice a story simply based on market trends in literature I never felt was a good way to go. I applaud Indie publishers who are trusting their instincts on stories and celebrating the writers who are writing stories that do not become set against ‘trends’ but rather the stories they are motivate to create.
The fact they are choosing a printer for the books who has green printing practices and certification’s to perfect where the paper is being sourced is another bonus.
Turning to Stone
Alabaster Black aka Bianca Nerini returns as an investigation into a public official’s assassination pits Bianca and her friends against a backdrop of financial speculation, female assassins on motorcycles, and the Camorra—the most ruthless of Italian organized crime gangs—in Gabriel Valjan’s TURNING TO STONE, the fourth book of the highly praised Roma series.
En route to a secret meeting, Aldo Giurlani—the regional commissioner of Lombardy in northern Italy and a specialist on organized crime—is assassinated in the middle of a public square.
More mysterious is the package sent to Giurlani’s hand-picked team of five top investigators within the Guardia di Finanza (GdF), the Italian law enforcement agency that investigates illegal financial transactions, from money laundering to drug trafficking. Within the package are five copies of a book entitled Man of Smoke written by Aldo Palazzeschi.
Then there is Bianca’s tenuous online contact with a mysterious online contact known as Loki, who delivers a cryptic message to her, takes on a new twist with the appearance of a brilliant young obsessive-compulsive man who joins her team.
Complicating matters even further, old enemies and, more problematically, Alabaster’s former employer—Rendition, a murky covert U.S. government agency that does more than just investigate financial crimes—still have grudges to bear against her.
As new mysteries unfold, Bianca’s group quickly discovers that Naples might just be the most dangerous city in Italy.
Readers looking for a suspenseful thriller with mysterious twists and turns abounding will love Gabriel Valjan’s TURNING TO STONE.
Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781941058237
on 15th June 2015
Available Formats: Paperback and E-book
This is book four of the Roma Series:
Book 1 Synopsis | Book 2 Synopsis | Book 3 Synopsis
Converse via: #RomaSeries
About Gabriel Valjan
Gabriel Valjan lives in New England, but has traveled extensively, receiving his undergraduate education in California and completing graduate school in England. Ronan Bennett short-listed him for the 2010 Fish Short Story Prize for his Boston noir, Back in the Day. His short stories and poetry have appeared in literary journals and online magazines.
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Posted Saturday, 24 October, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Content Note, Crime Fiction, Fly in the Ointment, Indie Author, Italy, Italy Book Tours, Suspense, Vulgarity in Literature
Posted Monday, 19 October, 2015 by jorielov Butterfly Tree Productions, Easter Family series, Nancy Schoellkopf, Yellow-billed Magpie 1 Comment
Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a part of the blog tour for “Yellow-billed Magpie” hosted by iRead Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Nancy Schoellkopf in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why my interest was piqued with this novel:
I like novels which ask questions of it’s readers inasmuch as a story whose heart is aching for a reader to dig a bit deeper than the superficial level of insight. I like finding novelists who write a story with it’s own uniqueness to where it cannot be measured against another novel; for it’s originality sets it apart. I like finding authors who are daring in their courage to tell stories other writers might not feel they can write as eloquently but I appreciate all writers who strive towards pushing themselves past their own set of comfort zones.
I was enthralled with the idea behind Yellow-billed Magpie by the title and then the synopsis. Generally titles may or may not sway me one way or the other; usually because until you sit down with a novel, the title is a bit elusive in explaining itself to you. A synopsis is only a short breath of a clue to what a novel could speak to you about as you read it, but it’s a hint of a suggestion nonetheless. For book bloggers and reviewers (like myself) the synopsis either wins us over in curiosity or we might take a pass on a title until lateron down the road.
In this instance, I was finding myself enjoying the pleasure of seeking out Indie Writers and/or Self Published Writers who were happily giving me a story-line which did not feel repetitive nor re-invented. I like finding writers whose stories tend to stand out from the pack and give you a character who might stay with you longer than the time it takes to read their story. All novels effect us in different ways, some even flutter back inside our memories at later dates – randomly overtaking our thoughts. I like seeking out the stories which give me something to chew on and give me a hearty story to appreciate as I read the words their author left behind for me to find. I was hoping this might be one I would find I couldn’t quite put down without gratitude for taking a chance on it’s author’s style.
Yellow-billed Magpie
by Nancy Schoellkopf
Source: Author via iRead Book Tours
Unlike their black-billed cousins, yellow-billed magpies are rarely found outside California’s central valley. So when they begin showing up in Samantha O’Malley’s dreams, she wonders: are they calling me home?
Disappointed by failed fertility treatments and the break-up of her marriage, Samantha returns to her home town and slips into old habits, resuming her teaching career, even hooking up with an old lover. But she also renews her friendship with Craig, the school custodian she honors as her spiritual guide. The work they do together with Samantha’s special education students will lead her to discoveries she never thought possible.
Yellow-Billed Magpie is a love story, a spiritual journey, a quest to look beyond appearances to the mystical rhythms that guide the human heart.
Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9780692445730
Also by this author: Red-tailed Hawk
on 3rd August 2015
Pages: 216
Available Formats: Paperback
Converse via: #YellowbilledMagpie
About Nancy Schoellkopf
Nancy Schoellkopf has been telling stories and writing poems for many lifetimes. It goes without saying she’s needed a second income, so this time around she happily taught amazing children in special education classes in two urban school districts in Sacramento, California.
A full time writer now, she enjoys lavishing attention on her cat, her garden and her intriguing circle of family and friends.
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Posted Monday, 19 October, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 21st Century, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cats and Kittens, Debut Author, Indie Author, iRead Book Tours, Modern Day, Vulgarity in Literature
Posted Wednesday, 14 October, 2015 by jorielov Ice Whispers, K. Willow, Self Published, The Hidden Hills Saga 0 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I was selected to be a tour stop on the “The Hidden Hills Saga” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary copy of “Ice Whispers” the first book in the series direct from the author K. Willow, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
I love reading Southern Lit:
I have been reading Southern Lit for several decades now, as I appreciate reading stories set in the South for both historical and contemporary stories. Southern Gothic runs close to my wanderings in Southern Lit as the two tend to walk together inasmuch as they are completely separate from each other. What I appreciate the most about Southern Lit are the courageous stories of the men and women who overcame their adversities and their difficulties in ways that truly champion the spirit of humanity.
You’ll find a variety of stories set in the South being featured on my blog, as I gravitate towards this section of literature quite often. Tara Conklin’s The House Girl left a strong impression on me for her convicting narrative and her ability to knit the heart of her characters so true to their spirit as to allow us to become emphatically tied to their plight. (review) Christina Baker Kline writes the psychological and emotional tides of her characters quite well as read in Sweet Water. (review) For socioeconomic disparity and gutting realistic narrative set against actual events, the duo of Tom Franklin & Beth Ann Fennelly left me pensively reposed after reading The Tilted World. (review) My heart nearly broke whilst reading Balm due to the soulful prose writ by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (review); only to become properly shattered whilst caught into the emotional eclipse Katy Simpson Smith gave me in The Story of Land and Sea. (review)
The entreat I took inside To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis was a feast for my senses as Andra Watkins has styled her own Southern Lit flavour to bend genres to her will. (review) When it comes to slavery and the Underground Railroad, (outside of Conklin’s prose) I felt Coopey endeared the heart of those who felt the harsh punishments were deeply against humanity within the pages of Redfield Farm. (review)
Imagine my delight in finding a Self Pub author who is creating a series set in the antebellum South who is creating her own niche for this type of story; putting a darker spin on the traditional tales set here and keeping in step with the backdrop we already appreciate.
Ice Whispers
by K. Willow
Slavery of a different kind, beyond physical chains, leads to a different type of escape . . .
Marissa Kristofferson can taste freedom. Her long years of suffering at the hands of her sadistic husband, Lance, are coming to an end as he lies dying. But she is stunned when he reveals the contents of his will and what she must do to keep Kristofferson Plantation, and how he plans to keep her bound to him even beyond the grave.
The beautiful slave Lolley has always envied Marissa’s life, and after learning that the master has also ordered her freed after his death, she is determined to reach for the life she wants by becoming the mistress of Marissa’s son, Shane, though she does not realize the lengths Marissa will go to to prevent the match, or the far-reaching consequences that will follow.
And Shelby, the plain and dutiful slave of free blacks, is unwittingly caught in the shocking drama that unfolds as a family is torn apart. Used as a pawn in a game of rivalry, deception, and betrayal, hers is a fight for survival while attempting to remain true to herself.
Three women—so very different but each carrying dark secrets that are closely intertwined, caught in a world between slave and free, a world which is becoming more fragile and precarious as war threatens and alliances shift, and each harboring seemingly impossible dreams of a better future.
In this first book of a dark historical saga, K. Willow paints a lush, emotional portrait of scandal, murder, injustice, and the ties that bind in the antebellum South.
Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781502953797
Series: The Hidden Hills Saga, No.1
Also in this series: Intangible, Beneath Creek Waters
on 21st November 2014
Pages: 276
Self Published Author via CreateSpace & BookBaby
Available Formats: Paperback & Ebook
About K. Willow
K. Willow is a novelist and award-winning writer with a background in television, film, theatre, and soap operas. She writes dark historical and urban fantasy and lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest
Hidden Hills is the setting; the plantation is where the drama revolves:
Willow has started a series set at a plantation within the proximity of Hidden Hills, of which by observation is within range of Charleston. It is here where she sets her characters and her saga to have the foundation laid for the ensuing novels that will follow Ice Whispers. Hidden Hills is aptly named as there are a heap of hidden secrets whispering around the willows and shade trees as their are stars in the heavens! It’s quite an interesting set-up where nary a character is immune to one of the bubbling controversies that are bubbling to the surface, save Aggie. (or at least thus far)
In this place, perception is paramount above all else (as in most Southern Lit stories, the classes are sharply writ and reflected against each other; the same as they are in Victorian or Regency stories) and if someone takes an unfortunate step out of where they are slated to belong, the upturning effect could be quite devastating. There are darker shades of reflection on how women are treated (both slave and free) and how certain men treat their wives without compassion for their well-being. Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Wednesday, 14 October, 2015 by jorielov in 19th Century, African-American History, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Psychological Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Self-Published Author, Small Towne USA, The Deep South, Vulgarity in Literature
Posted Saturday, 3 October, 2015 by jorielov Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy, R.J. Sullivan, Seventh Star Press 0 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I was selected to be a stop on the “Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy” blog tour from Seventh Star Press. The tour is hosted by Tomorrow Comes Media who does the publicity and blog tours for Seventh Star Press and other Indie and/or Self Published authors. I am a regular blog tour host with Tomorrow Comes Media, however, when I reviewed “Virtual Blue” my path originally crossed with Mr Sullivan’s. We’ve kept in touch and he asked if I would be keen on being involved in his blog tour for “Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy” to which I was happy to respond positively with a ‘yes’! As I have been wanting to expand my readings of his collective works past ‘Virtual Blue’.
I received a complimentary copy of “Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy” direct from the publisher Seventh Star Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I wanted to read …Chance of Whimsy:
Part of me half-smirked when I realised how similar in name this title was to “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” as although not the demographic who would normally find herself inclined to see the film (as it’s that brand of anime that tends to grate on my last nerve rather than humours me) – I must contend, the airing I caught on cable left me pensive and laughing. It had more heart than I shrugged off being possible and it had a nice heaping of cheeky humour to keep me entertained.
Titling aside, I’ve been keeping an eye on Mr Sullivan’s writings for awhile now, as I previously explored his darker side of knitting inside an Urban Fantasy quite the dark fate circling around a character within the pages of Virtual Blue! One of his characters I enjoyed getting to meet through that novel was Rebecca Burton, of whom is featured in two of the shorts within this collection: Inner Strength & Backstage Pass.
I positively adore reading anthologies for Science Fiction & Fantasy, in fact, I tend to get quite giddy about finding them! I’ve been focusing on the Indie Press side of the ledger for the past two years, as I’ve happily devoured titles by Seventh Star Press (by which this title is published!), World Weaver Press and Xchyler Publishing. I have an exciting anthology I am going to be reading for this years upcoming Sci Fi November + the Sci-Fi Experience (December-January) where I will be exploring Space Opera; a section of SF I haven’t been reading nearly as much as I should in the recent past! (mentioned on No.7!)
What appealed to me about Sullivan’s current anthology is how it’s a curated collection spanning a decade of characters, life experiences (as you know those are always at the back of a writer’s mind as they write their stories!), and stories evolving out of where Sullivan was in his writerly pursuits per each story included inside. My curiosity for continuing to read his stories hasn’t faltered, as I was waiting for a moment where his stories would re-tempt me to read his new works (or his past works; truly nothing is ever truly ‘old’ if it’s new to the reader!) as I knew the basis of Virtual Blue was going to be a bit trickier to follow as it’s such a soul-gutting story-line for me to consume.
The fact he put ‘whimsy’ and ‘darkness’ together in a title won me over but it’s his dedication to share his journey with his readers which endeared me the most.
Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy
Subtitle: Ten Years, Ten Stories
by R.J. Sullivan
Collected for the first time since their initial publications, Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy presents ten tales from the imagination of R.J. Sullivan. Thrills and chills await you, but you may also get blindsided by the absurd. This volume includes a pair of stories featuring Rebecca Burton, the mysterious investigator of R.J.’s acclaimed paranormal thriller series. Among the ten stories, you’ll find:
“The Assurance Salesman” shows five strangers more about themselves than they ever guessed.
You don’t want to venture into Daddy’s basement in “Fade.”
Rebecca Burton tries to talk someone out of a bad idea in “Backstage Pass.”
A bullied police detective finally defeats his rival in “Able-Bodied.”
A desperate father finds the “Inner Strength” to save his young daughter, “Becky” Burton.
A child seeds his aquarium with a most unusual “Starter Kit.”
A brilliant robotics engineer creates a “Robot Vampire.”
Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
Also by this author: Virtual Blue, Commanding the Red Lotus, Gifts of the Magi
on 16th of June 2015
Pages: 200
Published By: Seventh Star Press (@7thStarPress)
Available Formats: Softcover, E-book
Converse via: #DarknessWithAChanceOfWhimsy & #7thStar
About R.J. Sullivan
R.J. Sullivan’s novel Haunting Blue is an edgy paranormal thriller and the first book of the adventures of punk girl Fiona “Blue” Shaefer and her boyfriend Chip Farren. Seventh Star Press also released Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella, and Virtual Blue, the second part of Fiona’s tale. The short stories in this collection have been featured in such acclaimed anthologies as Dark Faith Invocations by Apex Books and Vampires Don’t Sparkle. His next book due out very soon will be Commanding the Red Lotus, which collects the series of science fiction novelettes in the tradition of Andre Norton and Gene Roddenberry.
R.J. resides with his family in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. He drinks regularly from a Little Mermaid coffee mug and is man enough to admit it.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram
Posted Saturday, 3 October, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Coming-Of Age, Cosy Horror, Crime Fiction, Earthen Magic, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Parapsychological Gifts, Tomorrow Comes Media, Urban Fantasy, Vulgarity in Literature
