Genre: Historical Romance

#Blogmas | feat. #CleanRomanceForChristmas showcases | “Love’s Sweet Return” (Keepers of the Light, Book One) by Krystal M. Anderson

Posted Monday, 14 December, 2020 by jorielov Keepers of the Light series, Krystal M. Anderson, Love's Sweet Return 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

As I move into featuring INSPY Romance and Clean Romance authors for this half of #blogmas, I am delighted to be be featuring an Indie INSPY Historical novelist first! As I love seeking out Indie INSPY authors – either those who are published through publishers and/or those who are taking the Self Publishing route as this is most likely the same route I’ll take when I move into my own publishing season (years down the road from now!). The main draw for me reading INSPY Historical Fiction is seeing a faith-based story set in the historic past – as I predominately read a lot of Historical Fiction throughout the year, as a book blogger I’ve also sought to balance my choices between #HistFic and Contemporary stories as well as shifting in and out of the other genres I am most especially keen on reading such as Fantasy, Science Fiction, Cosy Mysteries, Suspense, Thrillers, Cosy Horror, Paranormal or PNR and others subniches from all fronts of interest.

In recent years, I believe I’ve had a better handle on seeking this kind of balance of both story and genre – giving myself ample time to spend within a particular genre without forsaking another one I love just as dearly. As you’ve might have caught my @joriestory feeds the first 12 days of December, I’ve been tucked into a series of chats via the tag #12DaysOfCozies wherein I’ve learnt about new authors & new series of Cosies – from the traditionally published to the Indie authors who are rockin’ this genre right now. This week, you’ll see a series of posts about my memories of the chats themselves as much as which stories & which authors have made my #TBRList!! So, you see – I’m not just rockin’ my traditional focues of Fantasy & Romance on #JLASblog this year, I am also exploring the world of Cosy Mysteries starting on Monday, the 14th of December when this post goes live!

Likewise, as December ambles forward into Christmas & New Year’s – I am going to be finishing a certain number of stories I didn’t get to finish reading this 2020 – some of which are #HistFic titles and be sure to watch for my final 3x #HistoricalMondays featuring three Historicals I felt should be showcased through my featured reviews wherein I try to highlight new emerging voices and beloved authors during my own showcases for Historical Fiction.

On this post – you’ll be seeing an extract from “Love’s Sweet Return” and learning a bit more about Krystal M. Anderson. I hope it might be a story which will resonate with you and I hope one day this series will be available in print so I can read it as right now its digital first at time of release. Here’s to continuing to champion the genres we all personally love reading and celebrating the new authors of those genres we cannot read enough of due to how many stories are happily released every year!

Curiously – when it comes to finding INSPY Historical Romances – do you read both Major Trade & Indie publishers throughout the year or do you focus on certain publishers and/or authors who are your top preferences for this genre of interest? I like to mix things up and move between different publishing markets – major trade, Indie, Self published authors and of course, the stories I find via blog tours! I get excited about a strong premise and a wicked good storyteller whose synopsis lays the foundation of what I hope to find inside the story!!

She lost the only thing she ever truly wanted: love. What could be worse? But when Charlotte Pullard’s ship wrecks off the Oregon coast in a terrible storm, she wakes in the unfamiliar keepers’ quarters of a lighthouse. When the keeper who pulled her from the wreckage turns out to be the man she loved and lost, can Charlotte find it in her heart to forgive him and embrace love’s sweet return?

Find out in this sweet historical small-town romance full of walks on the beach, the gathering of close friends, a simple coastal Christmas, and a sweeping love story centered around a majestic white lighthouse.

Add to LibraryThing | this is a Digital First release!

Keepers of the Light series:

Love’s Sweet Return(book one)

Keepers of the Light is a multi-author series that I’m ecstatic to be part of. Set in a small coastal Oregon logging town, these sweet stories feature the two lighthouses that guide ships past the treacherous shoreline and the couples who find their happily-ever-afters.

Converse via: #CleanRomanceForChristmas and/or #INSPYRomance or #INSPY
as well #ChristianFiction and/or #HistRom or #HistoricalRomance

Posted Monday, 14 December, 2020 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours, Romance Fiction

#Blogmas Book Spotlight | “O Night Divine” (anthology) by Dragonblade Publishing

Posted Wednesday, 2 December, 2020 by jorielov Dragonblade Publishing, O Night Divine 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

As you might have already guessed by the featured #blogmas posts which were arriving a bit early-on this year ahead of December, I sort of went overboard sorting out new releases and new authors or stories to be featured throughout December! I also plan to be *reading!* and talking about my #holidayreads as well, so in case this isn’t your favourite season of the year OR holiday, you might want to take a break from my blog until January! lol I’ll be reading my backlogue of #SatBookChat authors in case Women’s Fiction or Romance are your jam — for the most part though, this December I’ve decided to go ‘all in’ when it comes to seeking out Christmas Romances & stories set during Winter.

This anthology was a bit of a curious one for me – I hadn’t realised it was digital first when I signed onto the promotional tour and I had hoped it might yield a chapter sampler for those of us waiting a different format to read the anthology – but all that aside, what I thought was quite interesting is how each of the writers wrote about a different entry point which works well with the anthology’s overall theme!

Not to mention the fact, with such a wide range of voices, styles and writers – you are bound to find more than a handful of new authors to chase after to read more of their collective works; and this is singularly why I love finding new anthologies to read! The chance to have a bit of a ‘tasting’ if you will of an author’s style and in some cases (as I was visiting their websites/blogs) – some of the authors were extending their series already published with a new short story or novella which is included in this anthology! Imagine that!?

If Christmas anthologies are something you love as much as I do – perhaps this one will be a wicked good fit!? You’ll have to let me know in the comments!!

O Night Divine
Subtitle: A Holiday Collection of Spirited Christmas Tales

A MASTERPIECE OF HOLIDAY STORYTELLING...

Enjoy this stunning holiday collection from some of your favorite Dragonblade Publishing authors in this collection of never-before published seasonal tales!

Imagine, if you will, that it is Christmas Eve.

The candles are guttered, one by one, and a hush falls over the parlor. The children have gone to bed, and a tall, gloriously decorated Christmas tree looms in the shadows of the hearth’s dying embers. A tattered copy of Charles Dickens’ masterwork, “A Christmas Carol” sits, cold and lonely, upon a table nearby.

A small gust of wind, hurling from the seam of an ill-fitting window, blows the cover open. The first chapter appears… “Marley’s Ghost”…

The clock on the wall chimes midnight.

Now, the magic happens.

From the gaily bedecked halls of Regency England to the cold and crisp air of the Scottish Highlands, and everything in between, enjoy the magic of a holiday collection that has drawn inspiration from Charles Dickens’ most beloved literary works. Where the ghosts of Christmas, the incandescent spirit of a tiny disabled boy, and the joy that is the very heart of the Christmas season come alive.

USA Today and Internationally bestselling authors
bring you their version of a Dickens’-inspired holiday in O NIGHT DIVINE.

Genres: Anthology Collection of Short Stories and/or Essays, Christmas Story &/or Christmas Romance, Historical Romance, Short Story or Novella

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ASIN: B08F5LSDN7

Published by Dragonblade Publishing

on 17th December, 2020

Published by: Dragonblade Publishing (@dragonbladepub)

This is a Digital First Release – ebook only!

Converse on Twitter via: #CharlesDickens retell #Anthology + #AChristmasCarol
as well as #HolidayReads or #ChristmasReads

Posted Wednesday, 2 December, 2020 by jorielov in Anthology Collection of Stories, Blog Tour Host, Book Blitz, Book Spotlight, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Novellas or Short Stories, Romance Fiction, Xpresso Book Tours

Blog Book Tour | “Dreaming of Tomorrow” (Tomorrow series, Book Three) by Michelle de Bruin

Posted Friday, 20 November, 2020 by jorielov Dreaming of Tomorrow, Michelle De Bruin, Scrivenings Press, Tomorrow series 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I started hosting with Prism Book Tours at the end of [2017], having noticed the badge on Tressa’s blog (Wishful Endings) whilst I was visiting as we would partake in the same blog tours and/or book blogosphere memes. I had to put the memes on hold for several months (until I started to resume them (with Top Ten Tuesday) in January 2018). When I enquiried about hosting for Prism, I found I liked the niche of authors and stories they were featuring regularly. This is how I came to love discovering the Harlequin Heartwarming authors & series as much as it has been an honour to regularly request INSPY stories and authors. Whenever I host for Prism, I know I am in for an uplifting read and a journey into the stories which give me a lot of joy to find in my readerly queue of #nextreads. It is an honour to be a part of their team of book bloggers.

I received a complimentary copy of “Dreaming of Tomorrow” direct from the author Michelle de Bruin exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I was interested in reading this Historical Romance:

I’ve have a penchant for Historical Romances – however, what makes this series a bit different is the fact the whole series (as it is thus far written) centres round two central characters who are involved in a slow brewing romance. At least from what I can stipulate is the case from the author’s page for the Tomorrow series. I wasn’t able to secure copies of the first two novels in the series – as per my usual preference when it comes to serial fiction (even if the installments are adverted as standalones) – which is why I was thankful for the synopsis of the first two stories ahead of Dreaming of Tomorrow.

It felt the timing was off for Logan and Karen; as they each had their own lives to live and to lead; yet what I was slightly confused by were the book covers as they aren’t traditional artwork for Historical Fiction novels. In fact, the cover for ‘Dreaming of Tomorrow’ felt more like 21st Century than the early Nineteen Hundreds. Not that I choose a book by its cover art nor do I let the art on covers dictate how I will approach reading a story – but in this particular case, it just felt more ‘modern’ bride than historical farmer’s wife who wants to co-lead their community in ministry.

I think I’m spoilt off the covers @JennyQinVA creates as she has created most of the historical covers sported on the books I’ve been reading these past seven years.

What was more interesting is how the author approached making this a bit of a saga and a slow brewed romance series – as I am definitely a girl who can either take a romance resolved in one installment or across a series, if the author has convinced me the two belong together and I find myself caught in the throes of their courtship. Now, the only question mark I had is what separated Karen from Logan? And, what turnt their relationship into a long distanced romance!? I am hoping bits of the first two installments are shared within the third in order to feel better rooted in their life’s story.

On a secondary note, I am a book blogger who loves supporting Indie & Self-Published authors – it has been the backbone of my readerly experience as a book blogger and as a chat host via @SatBookChat. These authors across all genres of personal interest fast become my top favourites because of how they approach writing their stories and the fact I have an Indie writerly soul at heart myself.

Dreaming of Tomorrow
Subtitle: Tomorrow Series Book Three
by Michelle De Bruin
Source: Author via Prism Book Tours

Love leads them to a lifetime of commitment where the dreams they have held onto for so long start to come true.

Popular and eligible, Logan De Witt must convince the women in town that he is engaged to be married. A quiet, simple ceremony is what he has in mind for his wedding day, but when the date and time of his bride’s arrival is published in the newspaper, the whole town joins in the celebration proving to Logan and his new wife their sincere friendship and support. Added to the excitement of Logan’s marriage is the question of what the congregation should do with the unexpected donation of an orchard.

Karen Millerson is counting the days until her long-distance engagement comes to an end and she may travel to Oswell City to marry Logan. More than anything, she wants to share in his life as a help and support, but keeping a house and finding her place in the community requires much more work than she ever expected.

Learn, laugh, and love with Karen and Logan as they start a new marriage and work together ministering to the citizens of their small town.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1649170828

Published by Scrivenings Press

on 15th October, 2020

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 318

The Tomorrow series:

Hope for Tomorrow (book one)

Promise for Tomorrow (book two)

Dreaming of Tomorrow (book three)

Published by: Scrivenings Press (@ScriveningsLLC)
co-owned by Shannon Vannatter (@stvauthor)

I was happily surprised to discover this Indie Publisher is co-owned by Ms Vannatter as when I first came across the book blogosphere in (2012) the year before I created and developed Jorie Loves A Story – this author’s blog was one of my mainstays wherein I would read, comment and visit. She is one of the authors’ who has a blog which connects readers to writers and hosts bookaways, too. In the world of INSPY she was one of the authors I enjoyed visiting with due to how she kept her blog and the conversations with authors both approachable but also entertaining to where you learnt something about their stories and their craft for writing. She usually breaks up her blog features into two parts, too which gives you an extra moment to visit with her featured authors.

Formats Available: Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #TomorrowSeries, #HistFic or #HistoricalFiction
as well as #HistRom or #HistoricalRomance,
#IndieAuthor, #IndieChristian, #INSPYRomance + #DTPrism

About Michelle De Bruin

Michelle De Bruin lives in Iowa with her husband and two teenage sons. She has a bachelor’s degree in Religion with a Christian Ministry emphasis, and in Music. Michelle is the spiritual services provider for an organization that offers services for people with mental and physical disabilities. She has been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) since 2015.

Michelle writes Inspirational Historical Romance about people who live in rural communities. Characters that bring to life the delights of farm and small-town living, whispers of Dutch heritage, and Christian faith make Michelle’s stories distinct. A romantic at heart, Michelle is always on the lookout for glimpses of God’s love through the window of a good story.

Her first book, Hope for Tomorrow, released in 2018. The sequel, Promise for Tomorrow, released November 2019. The third book in the series, Dreaming of Tomorrow, released November 2020.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2020 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Friday, 20 November, 2020 by jorielov in 20th Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Blog Tour Host, Content Note, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Prism Book Tours, Romance Fiction, Small Towne Fiction, Small Towne USA, the Nineteen Hundreds

A #HistFic Book Spotlight with Notes | feat. “Gentleman Jim” by Mimi Matthews – the third story by this author Jorie wants to be #amreading!

Posted Thursday, 19 November, 2020 by jorielov Gentleman Jim, Mimi Matthews, Perfectly Proper Press 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

This marks my second time hosting with Austenprose – although, I have been a long time admirer of her blog and it is an honour to start a new journey in hosting her blog tours! Ms Laurel reached out to me initially to host her authors for my bookish chat known for showcasing Romance & Women’s Fiction as well as stories of Feminist Lit – @SatBookChat meets on Saturdays January-November annually. Through conversing with her I had the pleasure of joy of becoming better acquainted with two authors I have been itching to start reading over the years – Ms Sarah M. Eden of whom I spotlighted yesterday ahead of my review at the end of the blog tour and Ms Mimi Matthews of whom I am spotlighting today.

I have been seeing a lot of my fellow book bloggers speak highly in praise & admiration for Ms Matthews stories over the past several years in the book blogosphere. I’ve been wanting to start reading them myself – however, either the blog tours fill too quickly to join or the stories are not available in print to request for review. This Christmas, part of my #blogmas selections is “Holiday in Gaslight” which made the rounds through a lot of my friends’ blogs a few years ago now becomes the first Matthews story I will be able to read courtesy of my library accepting my purchase request.

Historical Romance is one of my favourite subgenres of Historical Fiction – so much so, I have the tendency to read more of it than I do Contemporary Fiction – though I would suspect in the past years since 2016 I might have had a better balance between the modern world and the historic past courtesy of finding authors & publishers who are producing the kind of stories I love to read the most. With Historical Romance you get to jettison off into a different timescape and era – to see how life could have been lived and a reflection of where we were in the world at the same time. Both on a note of societal perspectives and of the political spheres as well.

This particular story was an interesting one for me to find – as generally, I try to avoid reading stories about revenge – until of course, I realised earlier this Spring sometimes a good story of revenge if told well can become an intriguing read of its own. What changed my mind was one of the Dolly Parton movies via NetFlix – the ones based round her songs? I’ve been a *huge!* appreciator of Ms Parton since I was a kid and to see her songs transformed into stories and films was quite the feat of joy for me! The mini series overall was called “Heartstrings” but the historical revenge plot was featured in “JJ Sneed”. Quite literally the best revenge Westerns I’ve seen or read in quite a long time!

Ergo, when it came time to consider hosting this blog tour – based on what I loved in Parton’s film, I thought perhaps I ought to try reading more stories of #HistFic which deal with this particular topic of interest and see where those stories take me. Thereby, I decided to be on the tour and in lieu of a print copy available to request I am happily spotlighting this title to help other Historical readers like me see if this might be their cuppa tea, too!

This marks my final tour to host for Austenprose before 2021 – however, I am keenly excited about what the New Year might bring and I look forward to continuing to host for Ms Laurel as it has been such a wonderful experience this Autumn.

Gentleman Jim
Subtitle: A tale of Romance and Revenge
by Ms Mimi Matthews, Mimi Matthews
Source: Publisher via Austenprose

She Couldn't Forget...

Wealthy squire's daughter Margaret Honeywell was always meant to marry her neighbor, Frederick Burton-Smythe, but it's bastard-born Nicholas Seaton who has her heart. Raised alongside her on her father's estate, Nick is the rumored son of notorious highwayman Gentleman Jim. When Fred frames him for theft, Nick escapes into the night, vowing to find his legendary sire. But Nick never returns. A decade later, he's long been presumed dead.

He Wouldn't Forgive...

After years spent on the continent, John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare has finally come home to England. Tall, blond, and dangerous, he's on a mission to restore his family's honor. If he can mete out a bit of revenge along the way, so much the better. But he hasn't reckoned for Maggie Honeywell. She's bold and beautiful--and entirely convinced he's someone else.

As danger closes in, St. Clare is torn between love and vengeance. Will he sacrifice one to gain other? Or, with a little daring, will he find a way to have them both?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1733056991

Also by this author: A Modest Independence

Published by Perfectly Proper Press

on 10th November, 2020

The stories on Jorie’s radar by Ms Matthews:

Holiday by Gaslight (2018)

A Modest Independence (2019) (see also post)

Gentleman Jim (2020)

Converse via: #HistoricalRomance or #HistRom
+ #GentlemanJim, #HistoricalFiction and #Austenprose

Available Formats: Trade paperback, Audiobook and Ebook

Posted Thursday, 19 November, 2020 by jorielov in Austenprose, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Romance Fiction

An INSPY Victorian #25PagePreview Spotlight | “The Gentleman and the Thief” (The Dread Penny Society, Book Two) by Sarah M. Eden

Posted Wednesday, 18 November, 2020 by jorielov Dread Penny Society series, Proper Romance series, Sarah M. Eden, Shadow Mountain Publishing, The Gentlemen and the Thief 1 Comment

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

This marks my first time hosting with Austenprose – although, I have been a long time admirer of her blog and it is an honour to start a new journey in hosting her blog tours! Ms Laurel reached out to me initially to host her authors for my bookish chat known for showcasing Romance & Women’s Fiction as well as stories of Feminist Lit – @SatBookChat meets on Saturdays January-November annually. Through conversing with her I had the pleasure of joy of becoming better acquainted with two authors I have been itching to start reading over the years – Ms Sarah M. Eden of whom I’m spotlighting today ahead of my review at the end of the blog tour and Ms Mimi Matthews of whom I am spotlighting on the morrow.

I started to come across Shadow Mountain Publishing authors & stories whilst participating in my favourite INSPY readathon every year during the Summer, hosted by Sydney @ Singing Librarian Books. Being a hybrid reader of both mainstream & INSPY throughout my life, I am constantly seeking out more authors who write Inspirational Fiction across both genre and publishing routes (ie. from major trade to Indie publishers (like Shadow Mountain) to self-published authors) – thus, I was delighted when I started to see Ms Eden’s novel popping up on my routes throughout the book blogosphere and being featured during Ms Sydney’s readathon.

When I first joined this blog tour, I hadn’t realised it was a series in-progress – as regular readers of Jorie Loves A Story know my personal preference for reading serials is to read them start to finish – even if that means, borrowing missing installments by inter-library loan if my local library or regional library does not carry the author, book or series. However, in this instance – between my health afflictions and my migraines, I wasn’t able to sort out a way to get a copy of “The Lady and the Highwayman” ahead of starting to read “The Gentleman and the Thief”. I decided instead to reply on a review I found quite wonderfully in-depth via Austenprose.

I even checked Scribd and was sad to see this series was not listed in their catalogue for audiobooks as that would have been a brilliant way to ‘catch’ up with the series – as being a migraineur, I regularly turn to audiobooks to help offset my migraines and/or to help me transition back into reading after having a supernova migraine such as the one I had earlier in November.

The main reason I am choosing to spotlight this novel today is because due to being taken ill at the end of October (as I was emotionally distraught over the fate of trees in my neighbourhood recently as well as other stress factors involved at the time) and the migraines I sustained as well – I haven’t had the proper chance to get into this novel and understand the story as I would prefer as a book blogger. This novel also has a different technique in how it is being told and the layout of the novel as well – as the narrative shifts between two penny dreadful stories and the main thread of the story involving the characters of this installment.

I plan to continue reading this novel and posting my review on the last day of the tour, which is the 29th. Until then, I decided to share my thoughts on the first twenty-five pages and to give my readers & visitors alike a bit of a preview of where my thoughts are tracking as I read my first Sarah M. Eden novel as well as on diving into the second novel of the Dread Penny Society. I hope this might tip your hat towards selecting this novel and/or the fuller series to be put on your to read stack!

The Gentleman and the Thief
Subtitle: Proper Romance
by Sarah M. Eden
Source: Publisher via Austenprose

A standalone novel in The Dread Penny Society set in 1865 London brimming with secrets, scandal, suspense, and romance.

From the moment Hollis Darby meets Ana Newport, he's smitten. Even though he's from a wealthy, established family and she isn't, he wishes he could have a life with her by his side. But Hollis has a secret: the deep coffers that have kept his family afloat for generations are bare, so he supports himself by writing penny dreadfuls under a pseudonym. If not for the income from his novels, he would be broke.

Ana Newport also has a secret. Though she once had a place in society thanks to her father's successful business, bankruptcy and scandal reduced his fortune to nothing more than a crumbling town house. So Ana teaches music during the day, and at night she assumes the identity of the "Phantom Fox." She breaks into the homes of the wealthy to reclaim trinkets and treasures she feels were unjustly stolen from her family when they were struggling.

When Hollis's brother needs to hire a music tutor for his daughter, Hollis recommends Ana, giving him a chance to spend time with her. Ana needs the income and is eager for the opportunity to get to know the enigmatic gentleman. What neither of them expects is how difficult it will be to keep their respective secrets from each other.

When a spree of robberies rocks the city, Ana and Hollis join forces to solve the crimes, discovering that working together deepens the affection between them. After all, who better to save the day than a gentleman and a thief?

Genres: Cosy Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1629727905

Also in this series: Georgana's Secret, A Captain for Caroline Gray

Published by Shadow Mountain Publishing

on 3rd November, 2020

Format: Paperback ARC

The Dreadful Penny Society:

The Lady and the Highwayman (book one)

The Gentleman and the Thief (book two)