Posted Saturday, 1 August, 2015 by jorielov ChocLitUK, Middledip series, Starting Over, Sue Moorcroft 2 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 “Starting Over” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On wanting to read Moorcroft’s trilogy:
I joined Twitter in November of 2013, and one of the very first ChocLit authors who tweeted me a reply was Ms Moorcroft! It was always my intention to pick up her serial stories involving the small towne of Middledip, as you can see from this brief exchange back then how curious I was about one of the cars featured in the book trailer!
Time grew away from me, and if you fast forward to July 2015, Ms Moorcroft dropped in on #ChocLitSaturday much to my delight! I have been attempting to soak inside this RomCom since the book arrived by Post a few months ago; between then and now, my health was affected and mother nature decided to vex me something fierce with a battery of lightning storms which all but crippled my electronics and ability to blog! July blinked out of sight before I even knew how many hours I had lost watching the severe storms roll in and roll back out again!
I knew when I first read the premise of Starting Over I might enjoy a lovely reprieve inside a romantic comedy, as too oft I find myself picking up dramas; nothing wrong with that, except that I do miss a book that reminds me of the lighter sides of life and romance. It’s quite a good thing to remember to find stories that make you laugh and make you think about their characters in a way that is a pure uplift of spirit. I used to read more lighter faire in Romance but somewhere along the way, the historicals and the dramas (esp war dramas) swept me up into their epic narratives and haven’t quite let me go!
Starting Over
by Sue Moorcroft
Source: Direct from Publisher
New home, new friends, new love. Can starting over be that simple?
Tess Riddell reckons her beloved Freelander is more reliable than any man – especially her ex-fiancé, Olly Gray. She’s moving on from her old life and into the perfect cottage in the country.
Miles Rattenbury’s passions? Old cars and new women! Romance? He’s into fun rather than commitment.
When Tess crashes the Freelander into his breakdown truck, they find that they’re nearly neighbours – yet worlds apart. Despite her overprotective parents and a suddenly attentive Olly, she discovers the joys of village life and even forms an unlikely friendship with Miles. Then, just as their relationship develops into something deeper, an old flame comes looking for him…
Is their love strong enough to overcome the past? Or will it take more than either of them is prepared to give?
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Published by ChocLitUK
on 1st November 2009
Format: Paperback Edition
Pages: 336
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)
Formats Available: Paperback, Audiobook, Large Print, & Ebook
Lovely interview with Ms Moorcroft | catherinegaskin.com
Read the full history on behalf of this series about Middledip!
{ the Middledip series }
No.1 Starting Over (this review!)
No.2 All That Mullarkey (Book Synopsis)
No.3 Love & Freedom (Book Synopsis)
No.4 Dream a Little Dream (Book Synopsis)
No.5 Is this Love? (Book Synopsis)
Converse via: #ChocLit, #SueMoorcroft & #Middledip
To follow her Street Team key in #teamsuemoorcroft!
About Sue Moorcroft
Sue Moorcroft is an accomplished writer of novels and short stories, as well as a creative writing tutor. She’s also the fiction judge at Writers Forum and a regular guest on Sue Dougan’s Chat Room at BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
Sue’s Choc Lit novels include: Starting Over, All That Mullarkey, Want to Know a Secret?, Love & Freedom, Dream a Little Dream, Is This Love? and Darcie’s Dilemma (ebook).Love & Freedom won the Festival of Romance Best Romantic Read Award 2011 and Dream a Little Dream was shortlisted for the 2013 Romantic Novel of the Year Award.
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Posted Saturday, 1 August, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Trailer, Bookish Films, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Debilitating Diagnosis & Illness, England, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Indie Author, Life Shift, Loss of an unbourne child, Modern Day, Romance Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Second Chance Love, Singletons & Commitment, Small Towne Fiction, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, Unexpected Pregnancy, Vulgarity in Literature, Women's Health, Women's Rights
Posted Sunday, 12 July, 2015 by jorielov Beverly Jenkins, Blessings series, For Your Love, HarperCollins Publishers, William Morrow 6 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I was selected to be a tour stop on the “For Your Love” virtual book tour through TLC Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of the book direct from the publisher William Morrow (an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers), in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On the delay of this review:
Originally this review was delayed whilst I took ill in June (for a fortnight overall) and was further delayed by a severe batch of lightning storms over the 4th of July. Those storms were so wickedly intense they caused a bit of damage (electrically) and thus, kicked me offline for a good six days solid! Following shortly thereafter were a few more lightning storms, despite the weathermen saying otherwise; I’m a book blogger who reads and blogs about books in tandem, which is difficult to do whilst your facing electrical malfunctions, hissing outlets, power surge aftereffects, unstablised internet connections, and power outage threats. I regret my review was delayed this long but my joy of reading FOR YOUR LOVE is reflected below. I hope the publisher and author will accept my apologies and know how wicked happy I was to be a member of this blog tour!
For Your Love
by Beverly Jenkins
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours
Narrator: Myra Lucretia Taylor
Return to Henry Adams, Kansas—an unforgettable place anyone would want to call home. . . .
Mayor Trent July and his wife, Lily, are enjoying life as newlyweds and embracing the challenges and joys that come with being adoptive parents to two wonderful boys. But fatherhood has inevitably forced Trent to think about his own birth mother.
Raised by his grandmother Tamar—and, in many ways, the good people of Henry Adams—Trent was blessed with a childhood full of love. But he can't help wondering what happened to the scared teenage girl who gave birth to him. And questions that he's never voiced are now begging to be answered: Who was she? Is she still alive? Why didn't she want him?
Trent has always believed that no good comes from dwelling on the past, especially when you have a loving family, a strong community, and folks who depend on you. But when the past comes to Henry Adams, Trent has no choice but to face it—and the woman who left him behind. The truth will shake his very being and everything he thought he knew about life, love, and the bonds that hold families together . . . but can also tear them apart.
Genres: Heartland Fiction, Women's Fiction Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Series: Blessings
Published by William Morrow
on 28th April, 2015
Format: Paperback ARC
Length: 8 hours, 40 minutes
Pages: 304
the Blessings series:
No.1: Bring on the Blessings (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
No.2: A Second Helping (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
No.3: Something Old, Something New (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
No.4: A Wish and a Prayer (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
No.5: Heart of Gold (Book Synopsis on Riffle)
Published By: William Morrow (@WmMorrowBks),
an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (@HarperCollins)
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
Converse via: #BlessingsSeries + #BeverlyJenkins
About Beverly Jenkins
Beverly Jenkins is the author of thirty historical and contemporary novels, including five previous books in her beloved Blessings series. She has been featured in many national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, People, the Dallas Morning News, Vibe, and many other publications.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | LibraryThing | Wikipedia | FantasticFiction
On listening to a small excerpt from the audiobook of For Your Love:
Normally excerpts follow the way in which the story evolves on the page, however, this particular sample skipped the opening bits completely (i.e. they overlooked the Prologue!) and jumped straight into Chapter 1! I had to pause the sample whilst I read the Prologue and then, continued! What I did appreciate about the ARC is the inclusion of the map of Henry Adams; it gave me a nice overview of the towne, and a bit of a precursory curiosity about what I might find as I read the story!
The reading of a will is a time of surprises for most families because there is a measure of assurance knowing that not everything you felt was in order; truly is. Lawyers have the unfortunate pleasure of being on the receiving end of denial stemming out of emotional heartache and anguish, whilst attempting to adhere to whichever news befell the relation at the very end of their time with a loved one and at the start of their grieving. In some ways, funeral homes, solicitors for wills, and medical examiners walk a fine line towards helping all of us deal with what happens after a person passes on whilst attempting to keep the process out of our hands and in their capable ones. A very curious beginning,.. very curious!
I found myself wondering if I might have the chance to get to know Ms Ida in the years prior to her passing in the successive chapters of this series prior to this release? I can see the writing on the wall — I will be ILL’ing the rest of the Blessings series!
Definitely appreciated the cadence of how Myra Lucretia Taylor’s voice etches your mind to alight inside the home of the July’s; she changes her voice to suit each individual character although not just by age but by personality; giving you a strong impression on who they are and how they are interacting. It would be a wicked sweet experience to one day listen to her voice whilst reading this for the second time as I do rather fancy listening whilst reading print books nowadays!
Read More
Posted Sunday, 12 July, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Adoption, African-American History, African-American Literature, ARC | Galley Copy, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Bookish Discussions, Brothers and Sisters, Child out of Wedlock, Clever Turns of Phrase, Coming-Of Age, Compassion & Acceptance of Differences, Equality In Literature, Family Drama, Family Life, Fathers and Daughters, Foster Care, Humour & Satire in Fiction / Non Fiction, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Life Shift, Modern Day, Modern Day, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Mother-Son Relationships, Motherhood | Parenthood, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Orphans & Guardians, Realistic Fiction, School Life & Situations, Scribd, Siblings, Small Towne Fiction, Small Towne USA, Social Services, Stories of Adoption, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, TLC Book Tours, Twin Siblings, Vulgarity in Literature, Women's Fiction
Posted Thursday, 9 July, 2015 by jorielov ChocLitUK, Sheryl Browne, The Rest of my Life 2 Comments
I love being able to draw an attentive eye to upcoming new stories being released by publishers I happily devour and support on a regular basis. I haven’t had the pleasure to start hosting for Brook Cottage Book Tours thus far, however, when I spied a ChocLit author was using them for publicity, my heart warmed. I had previously booked my first blog tour with them for a stirring Sci-Fantasy debut novel: The Last Gatekeeper which will be arriving this Friday! Ironically, or not, the context of the novel involves electricity and it was lightning which kicked me offline the past six days, therefore, delaying both my review and this wicked awesome Cover Reveal!
On my connection to the author:
I happily host ChocLit authors on my blog throughout the year, however, when I saw a Cover Reveal for Ms Browne coming through my e-letter list for Brook Cottage Book Tours, I knew I wanted to participate! I love finding authors I appreciate getting to know in the twitterverse and of whose books are on my TBR next lists are finding creative and innovative ways of reaching new readers! I had already made the choice to request The Rest of my Life direct from ChocLitUK when it publishes in print as an upcoming ‘next’ review as part of my feature #ChocLitSaturdays; the reviews and guest features running in conjunction to my weekly Rom chat #ChocLitSaturday!
I happily have had the pleasure of interacting with Ms Browne through #ChocLitSaturday the chat off/on for the past half year or thereabouts. She is a delightful presence to have in the chats and I am thankful she found a niche where she felt comfortable chattering with fellow ChocLit authors, Romance novelists, book bloggers, readers, and other bookishly chatty spirits who alight on Saturdays!
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her ahead of reading her novels. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. This is also true when I follow-up with them on future releases and celebrate the book birthdays that come after their initial publication. Read More
Posted Thursday, 9 July, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Brook Cottage Book Tours, Coming-Of Age, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Modern Day, Realistic Fiction, Rescue & Adoption of Animals, Romance Fiction, Second Chance Love
Posted Tuesday, 30 June, 2015 by jorielov Kamy Wicoff, She Writes Press, Spark Points Studio LLC, Wishful Thinking 0 Comments
I quite happily am spending Summer soaking through the lovely discoveries I am making through the annual BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge! This particular Summer challenge has become quite dear to me due to how wicked lovely my local library has been in giving me an added layer of joy whilst BookSparks has coordinated the blog tours attached to the reading challenge in such a way to continue to *surprise!* me by finding books arriving by Post I was not even sure would be posted! (full story revealed on this post)
This marks my second review out of ten, and although I was originally meant to post my ruminations on Monday, the 29th of June, I needed the extra hours to fully immerse myself into Wishful Thinking! Partially due to a slow-shift back into reading after my illness and partially due to a *major!* upgrade my blog undertook over the weekend yielding to a few wonky tech issues that left me unable to blog.
My next review for #SRC2015 was meant to appear on Thursday, however, I believe it will be closer to Saturday, as I equally need more time to fully embrace my next summer read! I am hoping after I post #SRC2015 No.3, I’ll be back on track with my pre-booked schedule!
It was such a joy to snuggle into this novel – it nearly felt autobiographical, too! Wicoff is definitely an author I want to keep my eyes on and continue to see where her bookish endeavours take us!
Acquired Book By: I originally found BookSparks PR last Spring, when I came upon the Summer Reading Challenge a bit too late in the game. I hadn’t forgotten about it, and was going to re-contact them this Spring to see if I could join the challenge this year instead. Coincidentally, before I sorted this out, I was contacted by one of their publicists about Linda Lafferty’s Renaissance historical novel, “The Sheperdess of Siena”.
At the time when I was confirmed to be a part of the #SRC2015 official blog tour schedule, we were not able to get confirmation on which books we selected to review on our respective blogs would be sent to us by the publishers and/or publicist at BookSparks, thereby I submitted purchase requests at my local library for all *10!* books I selected to read and review.
I elected to read “Wishful Thinking” via the complimentary copy I received by BookSparks as the library copy arrived just after this lovely book arrived by postal mail. By participating in the #SRC2015 challenge I am reading the novels in exchange for my honest reviews; whether I am receiving a complimentary copy or borrowing them through my local library. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Wishful Thinking
by Kamy Wicoff
Source: Direct from Publicist
Genres: Women's Fiction, Motherhood | Parenthood, Magical Realism, Time Travel Fiction, Quantum Physics Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Published by She Writes Press
on 21st April, 2015
Format: Paperback Edition
Pages: 384
written by Kamy Wicoff | Site | @kwicoff | Facebook | Instagram
Published By:She Writes Press (@shewritespress)
originated from She Writes (@shewritesdotcom)
an imprint of Spark Points Studio LLCGoSparkPoint (@GoSparkPoint)
& BookSparks(@BookSparks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #WishfulThinking & #SRC2015 Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Tuesday, 30 June, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, #SRC2015 | BookSparks, 20th Century, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Book Cover | Original Illustration & Design, Bookish Films, BookSparks, Cats and Kittens, Clever Turns of Phrase, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Disillusionment in Marriage, Divorce & Martial Strife, Equality In Literature, Family Drama, Family Life, Fathers and Daughters, Genre-bender, Humour & Satire in Fiction / Non Fiction, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Inspiring Video Related to Content, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Library Love, Life of Thirty-Somethings, Life Shift, Local Libraries | Research Libraries, Magical Realism, Modern Day, Mother-Son Relationships, Motherhood | Parenthood, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, New York City, Passionate Researcher, Public Service | Community Officers, Quantum | Mechanics Physics Theory, Realistic Fiction, Science Fantasy, Scribd, Second Chance Love, Single Mothers, Sisterhood friendships, Story in Diary-Style Format, Terminal Illness &/or Cancer, Time Shift, Time Travel, Time Travel Adventure, Time Travel Romance, Vulgarity in Literature, Women's Fiction
Posted Friday, 26 June, 2015 by jorielov HarperAudio, HarperCollins Publishers, P.S. Edition, Robin Antalek, The Grown-Ups, William Morrow 0 Comments
Something quite wicked awesome happened to me this Spring – I had the sweet opportunity to begin hosting for BookSparks which led to my participation in my *1st!* ever #SummerReadingChallenge bonanza of bookish loveliness! I marked my first blog tour with BookSparks with a super wicked historical fiction which touched on every emotional keel a historical novel can yield and then arched back over into such a depth of humanity that I simply found it hard to put the novel down! I’m speaking on behalf of The Sheperdness of Siena!
The beauty about the #SRC2015 challenge is that it is OPEN to readers everywhere – especially those who are following the book bloggers who are a part of the official blog tour of Summer (i.e. most of us are sporting the badges on our blog’s sidebars and/or our social media accounts. Likewise, I included the badges per blog tour I am participating in on my Bookish Events page for quick reference for my regular readers and subscribers!
BookSparks included a nifty bookmark and guide for us to follow and help inspire our Summer Reading Challenge journey! On the list, I am focusing mostly on *three!* key things: using photography to help showcase the books as they arrive in by my local library (see this post for explanation) and via postal mail; tweeting using the #SRC2015 as I am reading *each!* novel (there are 10 total!) I selected to read and review during the blog tours; and I am posting a review on a pre-determined schedule of my choosing! I have dates lined up starting right now in late June and ending in early September!
I fell slightly behind on my in-between review post updates due to my back-to-back illnesses, which is why I am going to be back-posting approx. 3-4 ’10 Bookish, Not Bookish Thoughts’ to chart my journey with the reading challenge inasmuch as share the bookish and non-bookish joys that have alighted in my life since my first entry posted on 14th of May! From here on out, on *Thursdays!* there will be a new post arriving filled with #SRC2015 news!
I elected to participate on Twitter and Riffle as compliments to my bookish blog as I do appreciate being connected to other social readers, however, other plausible networks simply weren’t my cuppa tea. Part of my future entries of ’10 Bookish, Not Bookish Thoughts’ will be scouting out other wicked sweet entries of the book bloggers who are uploading keenly awesome content and supporting all the lovely authors who were selected in this year’s showcase! Due stay tuned not only to my blog but my bookishly delightful tweets, as you never know which book I will be #currentlyreading and thereby, sharing my readerly reactions as I make my way through Summer! I encourage you to tweet me back and/or leave comments on each #SRC2015 threaded post on my blog! Let’s converse about the stories we’re reading in common and our conjoined thoughts and reactions therein!
Borrowed Book from my local library: I originally found BookSparks PR last Spring, when I came upon the Summer Reading Challenge a bit too late in the game. I hadn’t forgotten about it, and was going to re-contact them this Spring to see if I could join the challenge this year instead. Coincidentally, before I sorted this out, I was contacted by one of their publicists about Linda Lafferty’s Renaissance historical novel, “The Sheperdess of Siena”.
At the time when I was confirmed to be a part of the #SRC2015 official blog tour schedule, we were not able to get confirmation on which books we selected to review on our respective blogs would be sent to us by the publishers and/or publicist at BookSparks, thereby I submitted purchase requests at my local library for all *10!* books I selected to read and review.
I elected to read “The Grown-Ups” via my local library, as they purchased this novel ahead of my submission of requests; the novel arrived into my local library ahead of further confirmation and postal mail via #SRC2015. By participating in the #SRC2015 challenge I am reading the novels in exchange for my honest reviews; whether I am receiving a complimentary copy or borrowing them through my local library. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
The Grown-Ups
by Robin Antalek
Source: Borrowed from local library
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Genres: Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Published by William Morrow
on 27th January, 2015
Format: P.S. Edition Paperback, Audiobook Excerpt | SoundCloud
Length: 11 hours, 46 minutes
Pages: 384
written by Robin Antalek | Site | @robinantalek | Facebook
Published By: William Morrow (@WmMorrowBks),
an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (@HarperCollins)
Available Formats: P.S. Edition paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
Converse via: #TheGrownUps & #SRC2015 Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Friday, 26 June, 2015 by jorielov in #SRC2015 | BookSparks, 20th Century, Audiobook, Audiobook Excerpt, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, BookSparks, Brothers and Sisters, Coming-Of Age, Contemporary Romance, Disillusionment in Marriage, Family Drama, Family Life, Fathers and Daughters, Fly in the Ointment, Life Shift, Modern Day, Realistic Fiction, Soundcloud, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Vulgarity in Literature, Women's Fiction
