Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Reveal | A previously released e-book series is *now!* an #anthology of Christmas novellas arriving in PRINT via @ChocLitUK! The Christmas Kisses trilogy by Alison May!

Posted Tuesday, 26 July, 2016 by jorielov , , , , , , 0 Comments

Stories Sailing into View Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

If your a regular reader or frequent visitor of Jorie Loves A Story, you know I’ve been smitten with the novelists who publish their relationship-based Romances with ChocLitUK for a good two years now! I love being on the cusp of learning about a ‘new release’ whilst I remain patient to see if the Digital First new ChocLit novel will make it to a print release further down the road of it’s lifetime. I don’t mind the gaps between the ebooks and the print editions – as it’s always given me the pleasure of balancing my ‘next ChocLit reads’ to include both Front List and Back List offerings. Thus, I am enjoying being a member of the Reveal Team at ChocLit whilst it gives me a chance to introduce my readers to a variety of sub-genres within Romance I appreciate picking up to read!

On my new position as a ChocLit Star member: Whilst I am part of the ChocLit Reviewers having brought reviews & guest author features to Jorie Loves A Story for the past two years, I have recently become a part of the Cover Reveal Team, as disclosed when I hosted the first Reveal on behalf of Sheryl Browne’s ‘Learning to Love’. This new team works with ChocLit providing honest feedback on ‘projects’ such as title & book cover design choices as well projects in development on behalf of the publisher. I accepted being a ChocLit Star as I felt my love of the stories would be a good fit to give in-depth responses to the projects pitched to the Stars. Therefore, when I blogged about the cover for “Revenge is Sweet” it was the first reveal where my input as a ChocLit Star helped the reveal become possible!

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Imagine Jorie doing a wicked happy dance as she blogs this post!

Holly’s Christmas Kiss | originally released 6th December, 2013

Cora’s Christmas Kiss | originally released 7th December, 2014

Jessica’s Christmas Kiss | originally released 12th December, 2015

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There is such a lovely felicity about these cover designs – they happily visualise what I love about Winter; a proper dusting of snow, a wonderful pathway to walk with someone beside you and that glow of Wintry blissitude that simply cannot be overlooked as being one of the most stilling experiences you can endeavour to collect inside your memory bank! I love Winter by all accounts; even if, sadly I’ve never experienced a full Wintry repose in reality! I have travelled through Winter in the stories authors leave behind me to find and inside the shoes of characters whose hearty spirits are an equal match to how difficult Winter can become to survive.

Depending on which way you enter Winter through genre or styling of a character’s journey, there is a lot to be happily caught up inside as you curl into a snow-covered slice of living! What I loved most about how these novellas were illustrated as they paint the portrait of the lighter side of Winter; the spot of Winter that isn’t too vexing for it’s complications and it’s inconveniences but rather for it’s light-hearted grace to allow us a bit of revelry and joy!

They also happily convey what I love about reading Christmas Romances! There is a certain setting that appeals to you when your reading holiday stories and for me, if it’s a Christmas or holiday Rom, it must have heaps of snow! Especially the light kind, where you can still see the snowflakes capturing the fading light of the moon or caught in the shine of a streetlamp on it’s way down to you? Snow is romantic all of it’s own, but there is something to be said for walking in a light snow shower, talking to someone you know your growing more attached too by the second and simply being caught up in a season that has a zest of appeal for a girl who baked her skin silly in a climate where Summer ruled!

I love how all three women are walking inside of a park, dressed & trimmed for the Christmastide whilst having the pleasure of a park bench nearby if you wanted to simply soak in the ‘moment’ whilst enjoying the company of the bloke your falling in love with as time slips away as the snowflakes continue to fall! I love walking in downtown areas fully alive with the spirit of the traditions which are locally celebrated and on full display for a towne’s visitors! They way the lights dance against buildings and how the festive vibe is carried through the street poles displaying the Christmas wreaths & decorations!? Ribbons around trees or twinkle lights in shoppe windows; the tickling sensations of cinnamon & spiced candles or incense peppering through the cold crisp air as you window shoppe your way through a holiday scene? Ahh.. yes, Christmas is my favourite time of the year! And, these covers are bang-on brilliant at capturing what is so very alluring about reading a Romance during this seminal time of year!

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I’ve been itching to find out that the novellas of ChocLitUK would either be releasing in audiobooks and/or even more wickedly, *print!* editions – imagine my wicked awesomesauce excitement in seeing what arrived in my Inbox overnight! I’ve been offline quite unexpectedly for the past weekend – anyone whose kept a pulse alert on the climatic issues affecting my country (the USA) will have noticed our rising temperature degrees are at alarmingly highs; not only creating a difficulty for absences in rain (to counter drought &/or wildfires) but are proving harder to circumvent the ‘baked feeling’ you get against your skin whenever you exit a building!

I, on the other hand, have the added benefit of having issues with heat exhaustion – something I’ve experienced since childhood! I might have been bourne in a Southern clime but that doesn’t mean it’s agreed with me! I honestly loathe the sunshine & my happiest days are seriously overcast grey, cloudy and/or full-on rain showers (sans lightning!)! Give me a lovely sky absent of the sun & I will walk on sparklements of joy all day long!

This is why I was offline for the past three days, as I recovered from a bout of that craziness that was definitively due to naughty weather where humidity & the extreme temperatures of volcanic heat make me swelter into oblivion! Combined with the unexpected circumstances of Saturday, I honestly missed chattering with my mates during #ChocLitSaturday wherein I was most pleased my co-host Juli was able to rally everyone together & have a proper chat about love connections in Romance novels! I had fun re-playing the chat, and I hope those of you who might have missed it, did as well!

I normally release Cover Reveals early in the morning hours – however, I am switching from hosting ChocLit Cover Reveals on London time, to the morning hours of New York City (otherwise known as Eastern Standard!); ergo, outside of this one, as I was so itching to share the lovely news, I decided to forego the fact I *missed!* the hour to announce it properly – you’ll be finding my future ChocLit Reveals arriving during the eight o ‘ clock hour! As I have noticed this is a good time to ‘catch!’ those of you, of whom are following my bookish journey via my blog & my twitterverse exploits!

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Posted Tuesday, 26 July, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Book Spotlight, British Literature, ChocLitUK, Early Middle Ages [the Dark Ages] (1001-1300), Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Modern British Literature

#PubDay Book Review | “Two Across” by Jeff Bartsch A Contemporary Rom feat. crossword puzzles! Jorie was smitten at first sight of the plot!

Posted Tuesday, 19 July, 2016 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Acquired Book By: I am a new reviewer for Hachette Books and their imprints, I started by reviewing releases by FaithWords (the novels of Stephanie Grace Whitson), their INSPY (Inspirational Fiction) imprint of releases focusing on uplifting and spiritual stories which are a delight to read whilst engaging your mind in life affirming and heart-centered stories. I found Hachette via Edelweiss at the conclusion of [2015] and have been blessed to start reviewing for them.

One of the selections under their Grand Central Publishing imprint which interested me was ‘Two Across’ publishing July 2016. I hadn’t realised it was the trade paperback edition – thus I was quite surprised when the hardback edition arrived by post! I made a note of the #PubDay for my review celebrating the new release! I felt blessed to receive this as I haven’t had the pleasure of reading Grand Central’s authors in the past, although Leila Meacham is one I want to focus on!

I received a complimentary copy of “Two Across” direct from the publisher Grand Central Publishing (an imprint of Hachette Book Group Inc.) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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Happy #PubDay, Mr Bartsch!

#TwoAcross a #Crossword Romance!

Two Across by Jeff Bartsch

ISBN for the NEW Trade Paperback: 9781455554614 | Pub Date: 19th July, 2016

Hallo, dear hearts! I have some wicked bookish news for you! Today is the trade paperback release of ‘Two Across’ which was a title I found via Edelweiss when I originally discovered Hachette’s catalogues and their incredible resources for bloggers! I was not expecting to receive this novel until Spring or Summer, however, a kind publicist at Grand Central sent me the beautiful hardback edition! I earmarked the #PubDay on my calendar as I knew I wanted to help celebrate it’s release come July!

What drew me into wanting to read this lovely novel is how I felt it was original and different than a traditional relationship-based romance, wherein it’s set to a different pace and works within an interesting premise. I like stories that stand out from the crowd and this one definitely had that appeal!

I grew up wanting to be better at crosswords than I can honestly claim, as if the puzzles themselves weren’t pertaining to popular culture or films/tv or music, I was at a proper loss at times to understand the complexities of the clues! This is why I liked themed crossword puzzles rather than say the NY Times version! I also loved finding the puzzles included with TCM’s Guide for Classic Movie Lovers! Those were super awesome – you could go on a scavenger hunt through the guide itself if you were ‘lost’ on a clue!

I love finding new voices in literature – especially Contemporary voices who are writing about our contemporary world. I also liked how this felt slightly quirky – in the vein of “You’ve Got Mail”, “Music and Lyrics” or “Kate & Leopold”! I love sophisticated Rom-Coms in the movies and I’m slowly obtaining a list of authors who are writing the same caliber of Rom-Com in fiction! I was wicked excited to start reading this one, truly!

As I reviewed the hardback copy, you’ll find all the info for it below ahead of my review.

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Notation on Cover Art: I personally *love!* the original cover art featured on the hardback edition – it especially captures the allure & joy of crossword puzzles! I even liked how it implies the connection between the two lead characters and how their story is starting to connect through their passion of the puzzles themselves whilst remaining a bit aloof and apart from each other. I just loved how the image pulls together the premise of the plot and ties into the synopsis quite well!

#PubDay Book Review | “Two Across” by Jeff Bartsch A Contemporary Rom feat. crossword puzzles! Jorie was smitten at first sight of the plot!Two Across

Highly awkward teenager Stanley Owens meets his match in beautiful, brainy Vera Baxter when they tie for first place in the annual National Spelling Bee-and the two form a bond that will change both of their lives.

Though their mothers have big plans for them-Stanley will become a senator, Vera a mathematics professor-neither wants to follow these pre-determined paths. So Stanley hatches a scheme to marry Vera in a sham wedding for the cash gifts, hoping they will enable him to pursue his one true love: crossword puzzle construction. In enlisting Vera to marry him, though, he neglects one variable: she's secretly in love with him, which makes their counterfeit ceremony an exercise in misery for her.

Realizing the truth only after she's moved away and cut him out of her life, Stanley tries to atone for his mistakes and win her back. But he's unable to find her, until one day he comes across a puzzle whose clues make him think it could only have been created by Vera. Intrigued, he plays along, communicating back to her via his own gridded clues. But will they connect again before it's all too late?


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781455554621

on 4th August, 2015

Pages: 304

Published by: Grand Central Publishing (@GrandCentralPub)
an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc. (@HachetteBooks)

Formats Available: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook

Converse via: #crossword & #RomCom

+ use these two in combo: #Contemporary #Romance

About Jeff Bartsch

Jeff Bartsch is the son of an English professor, and grew up surrounded by stories and literature. He studied creative writing at the University of Wisconsin, held the Katey Lehman Fellowship in creative writing at Penn State University. Before his career as as an advertising copywriter, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service, a plastics factory, a video monitoring service, delivered wedding cakes, was a baker, and an architect's assistant.

He wrote this book on New Jersey Transit trains while commuting to and from New York City. Jeff grew up in Wisconsin, and has lived in San Francisco, Boston and New York. His many adventures along the way include being held up at gunpoint, chasing down a purse snatcher, winning a trophy in a pool tournament, acting in a Woody Allen play in Germany, bicycling halfway across the country, and delivering newspapers on the coldest day in Milwaukee's recorded history at minus 26 degrees.

He's an avid cyclist, home brewer and cook, and currently lives in New York with his inspiring daughter and their collection of imagination vehicles, commonly known as books.

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Posted Tuesday, 19 July, 2016 by jorielov in 20th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Coming-Of Age, Contemporary Romance, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Domestic Violence, Grand Central Publishing, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Mother-Son Relationships, New York City, Realistic Fiction, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, The Sixties, Vulgarity in Literature

Blog Book Tour | “Been Searching for You” by Nicole Evelina

Posted Wednesday, 13 July, 2016 by jorielov , , 2 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Acquired Book By:

A bit of an interesting back-story, in regards to how I came to participate in this blog tour on behalf of Nicole Evelina’s debut Contemporary Rom release: “Been Searching for You”! I met her stories through the Historical releases attached to the Guinevere Trilogy (see also: Daughter of Destiny & Camelot’s Queen reviews) wherein I garnished a deep appreciation for her writing style and the methodology of incorporating her research into a historical timeline where legend, lore and memory can collide quite beautifully together! If you visit those reviews, you’ll understand why I have such an affinity for her style of writing!

She approached me about potentially reading her Contemporary Rom and I was overjoyed at the suggestion, as regular readers of my blog will recognise this one area of Romance Lit I am eager to discover but find it hard tracking through the plethora of releases to find a ‘style of Contemporary Rom’ that whets my thirst for stories set in our modern times. I’ve had a bit of good luck with the authors via ChocLitUK and with the Mary McNear series set at Butternut Lake; both of which I readily think of nowadays for Contemporary mainstream romance whereas if I think about INSPY my mind instantly goes to Brenda S. Anderson (see Chain of Mercy)!

Therefore, I was directly invited to participate in this blog tour, hosted by Goddess Book Tours via the author Nicole Evelina. I received a complimentary copy of “Been Searching for You” direct from the author Nicole Evelina in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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Why I wanted to read ‘Been Searching for You’:

I love well written relationship-based Romances but also, ones where you can see a thread of hope for love – no matter how old you are and no matter where you are on your path in life.

*I have to read this book!* No seriously — for a romantic optimist whose a singleton — I just have to read this! Thanks for writing such a lovely novel!!

-initial reactions I shared with Ms Evelina on behalf of Been Searching For You

It goes without saying that anyone who is delighted to read uplifting stories of entwining souls finding each other would be thrilled to bits to read the premise of this novel! My anticipation to read it’s chapters and find out how Annabeth found the one person who understood her and loved her as much as she loved him was definitely a story I knew I *had!* to read! I love reading Romance Fiction because at the heart of every story, is the journey towards finding someone who gets you without having to define who you are to them and who accepts you just as you are whilst believing in you unconditionally. Love and Romance are a lift of joy to read – I have the tendency to yield to the historical past moreso than the present, but it’s simply because I’m seeking a particular kind of Contemporary Rom!

As forementioned, nearly all the Contemporary Romances I’ve been able to pull my heart inside were published by ChocLitUK or set in a lovely small towne called Butternut Lake! One exception are the realistically authentic novels of Brenda S. Anderson (in regards to her Coming Home series) where you find compelling characters who are in the middle of a life altering circumstance to change their stars. I have a feeling I’ll have a similar reaction to the Contemporaries by Julie Lessman, as I know her Contemporary style & Historical differ a bit from each other, but when you truly love an author’s collective work you tend to move between genres with them. This isn’t always the case but most times it’s quite accurate of my reading habits. Prior to being a book blogger, I would claim the Cedar Cove series by Debbie Macomber and her Blossom Street series as being of interest alongside Sherryl Wood’s Sweet Magnolia’s series.

Another Indie Author who caught me at ‘hallo’ is T.S. Krupa, especially in regards to her debut and sophomore Contemporary Women’s Fiction releases: Safe and Sound and On the Edge. Krupa has such conviction and such emotional depth to her sequences, they grab you straight in the heart! Kamy Wicoff’s Wishful Thinking was such a genre-bender explosion of loveliness I have the tendency to forget it’s a Contemporary Romance! Laughs. As you can see, I love brilliantly conceived stories with realistically compelling characters in pursuit of love, happiness and the joys of living their lives on their own terms.

Technically, the stories of Coorah Creek also apply except being they are Contemporary Westerns, I held back from including them, opting instead to highlight the stories set within modern settings with contemporary women seeking a partner who truly understands her rather than seeing straight past her! I also omitted the Rom Suspense novels I love from Clare Chase, Henriette Gyland and Amanda James or the PNR wicked reads I love from Sarah Tranter, Berni Stevens and Christina Courtenay for similar reasons.

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Blog Book Tour | “Been Searching for You” by Nicole EvelinaBeen Searching For You

Annabeth is a hopeless romantic who believes in soul mates. In fact, she’s been writing to hers each year on her birthday since she was 16.

Now, at 34, she’s still holding out hope of finding Mr. Right even though he’d be fighting an uphill battle to gain her trust, thanks to a traumatic experience years before that’s left her unable to commit.

When Annabeth meets a handsome literature professor named Alex on her 34th birthday, she thinks her quest may finally be at an end. Things don’t quite go as planned, so Annabeth resolves to do everything she can over the next year to find the unknown recipient of her letters. But blind dates, Meetup events and online singles sites have nothing on what fate has in store for her when a co-worker unexpectedly quits and Annabeth finds herself working in close quarters with both Alex and her long ago ex, Nick. Fighting her attraction to one and loathing for the other, Annabeth is forced to face all of her old insecurities while keeping an eye on a scheming frienemy who may derail her hopes and dreams.

Written in the tradition of Bridget Jones' Diary, Kim Gruenfelder’s A Total Waste of Makeup, and Melissa Pimental’s Love By The Book, it shows that love on the sweet side can exist for the modern girl, if only she’s willing to trust herself and search hard enough. Been Searching for You was the winner of the 2015 Romance Writers of America Great Expectations and Golden Rose contests.


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780996763165

on 2nd April, 2016

Pages: 312

Collective works of Nicole Evelina:

 Guinevere Tale Trilogy: Book No. 1 Daughter of Destiny (review)

Guinevere Trilogy: Book No. 2 Camelot’s Queen (review)

Guinevere Tale Trilogy: Book No. 3 Mistress of the Legend releases late 2016/early 2017

Madame Presidentess (Book Synopsis) #PubDay 25 July 2016

About Nicole Evelina

Nicole Evelina

Nicole Evelina is an award-winning historical fiction and romantic comedy writer. Her current novel, Been Searching for You, a romantic comedy, won the 2015 Romance Writers of America (RWA) Great Expectations and Golden Rose contests.

She also writes historical fiction. Her debut novel, Daughter of Destiny, the first book of an Arthurian legend trilogy that tells Guinevere’s life story from her point of view, took first place in the legend/legacy category of the 2015 Chatelaine Awards for Women’s Fiction/Romance, and was short-listed for the Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction. Later this year (2016), she will release Madame Presidentess (July 25), a historical novel about Victoria Woodhull, America's first female Presidential candidate, which was the first place winner in the Women’s US History category of the 2015 Chaucer Awards for Historical Fiction.

Nicole is one of only six authors who completed a week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness. Nicole has traveled to England twice to research the Guinevere’s Tale trilogy, where she consulted with internationally acclaimed author and historian Geoffrey Ashe, as well as Arthurian/Glastonbury expert Jaime George, the man who helped Marion Zimmer Bradley research The Mists of Avalon.

Nicole is a member of and book reviewer for the The Historical Novel Society, and Sirens (a group supporting female fantasy authors), as well as a member of the Historical Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Romance Writers of America, the St. Louis Writer’s Guild, Women Writing the West, Broad Universe (promoting women in fantasy, science fiction and horror), Alliance of Independent Authors and the Independent Book Publishers Association.

Author biography was updated July 2016.

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Posted Wednesday, 13 July, 2016 by jorielov in 21st Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Chicago, Contemporary Romance, Dating & Humour Therein, Epistolary Novel | Non-Fiction, Equality In Literature, Fly in the Ointment, Indie Author, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Life of Thirty-Somethings, Modern Day, Romantic Comedy, Singletons & Commitment, Vulgarity in Literature, Women's Fiction

Cover Reveal | NEW #ChocLit novel by Jane Lovering “Can’t Buy Me Love”!

Posted Tuesday, 31 May, 2016 by jorielov , , , 6 Comments

Stories Sailing into View Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

If your a regular reader or frequent visitor of Jorie Loves A Story, you know I’ve been smitten with the novelists who publish their relationship-based Romances with ChocLitUK for a good two years now! I love being on the cusp of learning about a ‘new release’ whilst I remain patient to see if the Digital First new ChocLit novel will make it to a print release further down the road of it’s lifetime. I don’t mind the gaps between the ebooks and the print editions – as it’s always given me the pleasure of balancing my ‘next ChocLit reads’ to include both Front List and Back List offerings. Thus, I am enjoying being a member of the Reveal Team at ChocLit whilst it gives me a chance to introduce my readers to a variety of sub-genres within Romance I appreciate picking up to read!

The Yorkshire Romances are getting a sixth entry into the series with this new release, which I am thankful to be highlighting this last day of May! It brings everything a bit full circle! I wanted to highlight the rest of the series, in case you are new to reading ChocLit or new to reading Jane Lovering, as I myself, haven’t yet had the pleasure either!

The Yorkshire Romances in sequence:

The Yorkshire Romances are one of the series I felt I should focus on this year, as Ms Lovering has been adding to the series since I first started to review for ChocLit! I have slowly seen new stories emerge throughout this series and one of them (I Don’t Want to Talk About It) was the topic of one of our recent #ChocLitSaturday chats wherein it inspired us to chat on the topic of: how to write an emotionally dramatic story but maintain a bit of levity. Ms Lovering was absent during the chat, and I was most delighted to report to her afterwards, it became quite the lively discussion – whilst we were giving a nod to her latest release as well!

Throughout May, as I resumed hosting #ChocLitSaturday after a short hiatus, I have re-directed our chats back to focused discussions as well as keeping in the know for upcoming ChocLit releases – giving the chat a platform to help introduce new readers to ChocLit (which I have striven to do since I created the chat) as new releases become available. I enjoy selecting topics that correlate with the releases as much as I like seeing how we go OT (off-topic) to help continue to generate the camaraderie that has knitted us all together. This was one of the chats that sparked new interest by new chatters to join us, as we are continuing to grow our audience, two years after our first #ChocLitSaturday!

What is interesting to mention, is this is one series I was considering reading out of order, as some of the story-lines appealed me to out of sequence with their publication order! Ironically or no, Please Don’t Stop the Music was one of the first ChocLit novels a bookish of friend of mine read after I suggested she take a chance on reading one of the authors – as I was having such a blast discovering ChocLit myself – it was one of the first times a friend of mine was as wicked happy for the discovery as I had been myself!

I have had the pleasure of knowing first-hand how quirky Ms Lovering’s humour can be as I had the joy of having her presence in #ChocLitSaturday until her schedule conflicted with our chat hour. It was such a shame – as although I understand when writers and readers both have to duck out of the chats, she managed to leave me in chucklements and stitches simply by how she expressed herself or added light-hearted additions to any topic we were chattering about! Her presence was surely missed, and happily returned this past #ChocLitSaturday as she helped celebrate Berni Steven’s upcoming PNR release to continue where Dance Until Dawn left off!

What a lovely pleasure to celebrate a second new novel by Ms Lovering in one month! Below you will find out about the premise behind the sixth installment of this series & my initial take on what it will reveal to me as a reader – whose still sorting out which book to read first! Laughs.

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Posted Tuesday, 31 May, 2016 by jorielov in 21st Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Book Spotlight, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Modern Day, Romance Fiction

Book Review | “Tea & Crumples” by Summer Kinard

Posted Sunday, 29 May, 2016 by jorielov , , 2 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: Whilst participating in #LitChat last Summer [2015] about Indie Publishers and the stories they publish, I found two publishers in attendance. Light Messages Publishing happily corresponded with me a bit after the chat concluded. Whilst in communication with their publicity department, I was encouraged to look through their beautifully lovely catalogue and see if one of their upcoming releases might suit my bookish curiosities. This selection was suggested to me due to my appreciation for tea: “Tea & Crumples” by Summer Kinard, who had attended the chat. If your curious about the Small Press Showcase #LitChat I attended you can replay the conversation in whole by visiting the Nurph Channel for LitChat where it’s archived.

This marks my second review for Light Messages Publishing, as I began reviewing for them with my review of “The Particular Appeal of Gillian Pugsley” of which I loved! I received a complimentary copy of “Tea & Crumples” direct from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I applaud Light Messages as an Inspiring Publisher of Realistic Stories:

Of the two stories I picked to read first by Light Messages, it was Tea & Crumples I nearly felt I might not have the strength to read as I knew it hit on a harder story arc than I generally allow myself to read. I am mindful of my emotional sensitivities as much as other ‘triggers’ in fiction that are outside of what I can tolerate to read (most of which are listed on my Review Policy; but a few surprises still can happen despite my self-control to recognise what will affect me) – however, with this story, I felt a connection to the novel’s heart as I read about it’s premise. It’s hard to describe – sometimes I feel like I’m guided by grace and the faith I lean on everyday – my entire blog life (and my activities in Twitter) have been a walk of faith in other words.

I get certain intuitive glimpses about stories – sometimes it’s a miss on my judgment calls, but more times than naught when I feel especially keen on a story such as this one, I decide to trust that instinctive nudge to read a story! I should have realised Light Messages would challenge my heart in a good way rather than an adverse one – as despite my trepidation, as soon as I settled into the narrative and the graceful textured style Kinard’s writings spilt out into the novel – I found myself comfortably relaxed inside where Tea & Crumples would take me!

This was quite similar to how I felt wrapped up inside The Particular Appeal of Gillian Pugsley, as I could not take my eyes off the text nor fully yield to pull myself out of the world Örnbratt created! The writers being published at Light Messages have an intuitive way of alighting their readers inside a fully conceptionalised story with strong inspirational messages and lives backlit by faith, love and hope. It’s a pleasure for a lifelong reader of INSPY fiction to discover but moreso than that, I applaud the strength of the stories they are publishing as a whole.

My third author I’ll be reading is Deborah Hining – I have a feeling she’s going to leave an equally strong impression on me, as all three authors combined have a bit of a common threading between them, if you think on it a bit! Laughs. I am simply drawn into lives of strong women who have an obstacle in life or faith affirming moment arising out of their ordinary hours to embrace. I love finding INSPY stories who have a textural element of insight of real-life inside them – where they broach inside what I refer to as INSPY Realistic Fiction as they are such hearty composites of our modern lives or the historical past; depending on the story.

I also like writers who stitch together the faith of their characters through their internal thoughts and show how faith is a cornerstone of their lives; as natural as breathing and as readily important! Thus far, I am happily soaking inside the works by Light Messages authors – finding the publisher truly understands what modern INSPY readers are seeking and how blessed we are the authors are writing such grounded stories of strength and perseverance!

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Book Review | “Tea & Crumples” by Summer KinardTea & Crumples
Subtitle: faith, tea, love : a novel

“Tea is how I love people.”

Welcome to Tea & Crumples where tea brewed strong with grace has the power to bring people together. The click of chess pieces and susurrus of fine papers mingle with aromas of warm pastries, tea,
and the caramel of hospitality. Through it all, the steady love of God pours out in daily rituals.

Meet Sienna, whose spiritual gifts are the heart of the shop. Walk with her as she struggles to believe in miracles even while she walks in the shadow of death under the weight of temptation.

Tea makes Sienna remember. She remembers pain in order to hold fast the joy of her lost daughter and happiness gone in order to hold fast to Peter’s love. Tea is there with Sienna when every bit of her has
been poured out. So are her friends. They keep vigil when all that’s left is faith, tea, and love.


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1-61153-123-7

on 2nd November, 2015

Pages: 314

Published By: Light Messages Publishing (@LMpublishing)

Author Page @ Light Messages Publishing
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse via: #TeaAndCrumples

Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards Badge created by Jorie in Canva. Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

About Summer Kinard

Summer Kinard

Summer Kinard is the mother of five, a tea lover, soprano, and author of inspiring novels and curricula for active learners.

She writes about faithful people overcoming trials with the help of tea, friendships, and love. Summer’s first novel, Can’t Buy Me Love, was a USA TODAY Happy Ever After pick for Women’s Fiction. Her paranormal Orthodox Christian romance, The Salvation of Jeffrey Lapin, has received glowing reviews from readers.

Summer writes about faith, tea, and love in journeys of healing. Follow her family’s journey with tea at TeaAndCrumples.com. You will find up to date posts on her writing life at her site: WritingLikeAMother.com, or follow her on Instagram for up to the moment updates. All links are below.

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Balancing Life Amidst Chaos:

Although I have taken up java since I turnt twenty-nine (soon to be eight years past), there is something quite authentic about how ‘tea’ can calm your ever last nerve; the aromatherapy notwithstanding; when you brew a cuppa tea – it’s almost as if the act itself has a calming effect long before the brew sets the leaves into the water. I could readily see why Kinard showed how tea fused serenity into Sienna’s life and how the art of tea-drinking was a ritual she appreciated with her husband Peter. Tea has this way of encompassing more of your life than it detracts. I even know java won’t last as long as tea in my drinking habits, except for a return to the ‘green bean’ of Yirgacheffe (the one brew of java that tastes like tea!)!

If tea can help purport balance into one’s life, it’s healthy attributes for your wellness is equally as keen! Sienna knows tea is only one component, she leans hard on her faith even during the hours where her mental focus is off-kilter; she prays as readily as I used to find meditative bliss in the motions of Tai Chi Chaun! Sometimes your prayers change through how you approach a prayerfulness in your life’s activities; ebbing in and out of you as you find new ways to sort through your thoughts and become mindful of your spirit’s rhythm. Read More

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