Genre: Historical Thriller Suspense

Blog Book Tour | “The Tory” (Book One: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga) by T.J. London

Posted Tuesday, 13 November, 2018 by jorielov , , , 7 Comments

Book Review badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! I received a complimentary copy of “The Tory” direct from the author T.J. London in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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On reading about the #RevWar:

I, personally inherited my love of the Revolutionary War era from my Mum – who inspired me to start to take stock & notice of this lovely niche of Historical Fiction out of her love of researching John & Abigail Adams! Over the years I have stumbled across stories set either just ahead of the #RevWar beginning, during the war itself (war dramas are a personal preference of readerly joy) or shortly thereafter. I also appreciate Early Colonial era stories or any story set during a period of time which hugs close to either eras in general.

The reason I love stories set around early Americana history is because it was quite the exciting time during my country’s initial years of foundation and formulation. These were quite exciting times to be living – even if it brought with it a lot of harrowing trials where we needed strong people to either see us through the rougher patches or we needed heroes & heroines alike to help lead us forward into a better tomorrow where we could overcome the things which set out to delay our progresses.

One of my favourite films is “1776” (1972) which is a musical about the Declaration of Independence – it is an unique spin on History and I love the cast who brings this film to life. I felt it had such a clever view into the lives and hearts of the men who were striving for a better America during the Colonial era – which is the kind of drama I enjoy finding in Historical Fiction.

Aside from this film, I’ve become aware of Roseanna M. White’s The Cupler Ring series and Alex Myers “Revolutionary” – two writers I am keenly interested in reading at some point as I held off starting the first as it is a series and the second, as after I read a similar story set during the Civil War, I wasn’t sure if my heart was ready (at the time) to read a second one set during a different war. I might love reading war dramas but sometimes I find the storylines push me a bit for what I can handle reading.

-quoted from my spotlight of The Petticoat Letters

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Over the years as a book blogger, I have had the chance to read a few stories set during the #RevWar era whilst I have also been gathering a list together for stories I wish to be reading in the future. It is a curious chapter in our country’s history and it is oft overshadowed by the war dramas situated during the Great War eras of the 20th Century or the Civil War; the latter of which I am less enthused to read or explore.

The novel I discovered ahead of this blog tour was “The Petticoat Letters” which appealled to me due to the nature of how it was penned with a bent towards embracing what I endearingly refer to as Feminist Historical Fiction.

In [2016] I discovered “Becoming George Washington” by Stephen Yoch, which found to be a rather personal account of Washington’s life and gave us deeper insight into the man behind what is generally known about him. He had quite the incredible life and I enjoyed the style in which Yoch delivered this keen insight into Washington.

It is not often I get to read a story during the #RevWar – which is why I took a chance on reading both “The Tory” and “The Traitor” – with the hopefulness of a reader who appreciates realistic historical dramas & the backdrop of a historical romance. I wasn’t sure what I would find exactly within these novels – as each writer who approaches crafting their vision and voice for a highly well-known era has their own choices to make for authenticity and the continuity they wish to maintain; all I knew, is that it sounded like one incredible story.

And, for me, as a reader inasmuch as a book blogger – it all begins with the curiosity about ‘a story’,…

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Blog Book Tour | “The Tory” (Book One: The Rebels and Redcoats Saga) by T.J. LondonThe Tory
by T.J. London
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

It is the winter of 1776, and Captain John Carlisle, one of His Majesty’s not-so-finest, has gone back to the scene of the crime to right a wrong so dark it left a permanent stain on what was once an illustrious career and left a man broken, defeated, in search of justice…

In an effort to win back his commission, he must discover the true nature of the relationship between the Six Nations of the Iroquois and the Colonial Army. Undercover as a war profiteer, John travels to the treacherous Mohawk River Valley and infiltrates local society, making friends with those he’s come to betray.

But a chance meeting with a beautiful half Oneida innkeeper, whose tragic history is integrally linked to his own, will provide him with the intelligence he needs to complete his mission—and devastate her people.

Now, as the flames of war threaten to consume the Mohawk Valley, John has the chance to not only serve King and country, but to clear his name. When the truth he uncovers ties his own secrets to those in the highest positions of the British military and threatens the very life of the woman he’s come to love, he will be forced to make a choice…

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, War Drama



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780692061282

Also by this author: The Traitor

Also in this series: The Traitor


Published by Self Published

on 11th April, 2018

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 458

The Rebels & Redcoats Saga:

The Tory by TJ LondonThe Traitor by T.J. London

The Tory (book one)

The Traitor (book two)

four-half-flames

I’ve been adding flames to those stories of Romance which have extra heat inside them and are more intensively written than others. This one definitely qualifies as there are certain interludes within John’s relationships. I hadn’t earmarked this as a #HistRom until the books arrived and I saw the cover art a bit differently than I had when I first requested the series. I didn’t really notice the art then as I was focused more on the context of the story-line but on arrival, I thought, hmm, this might be going in a secondary direction than I first realised.

Converse via: #RebelsAndRedCoatsSaga + #RevWar
#HistFic or #HistNov

Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

About T.J. London

T.J. London

T.J. London is a rebel, liberal, lover, fighter, diehard punk, and pharmacist-turned-author who loves history. As an author her goal is to fill in the gaps, writing stories about missing history, those little places that are so interesting yet sadly forgotten. Her favorite time periods to write in are first and foremost the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, the French and Indian War, the Russian Revolution and the Victorian Era.

Her passions are traveling, writing, reading, barre, and sharing a glass of wine with her friends, while she collects experiences in this drama called life. She is a native of Metropolitan Detroit (but secretly dreams of being a Londoner) and resides there with her husband Fred and her beloved cat and writing partner Mickey.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Tuesday, 13 November, 2018 by jorielov in 18th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Content Note, Excessive Violence in Literature, Feminine Heroism, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Revolutionary War era, War Drama

#SpooktasticReads | a mini-event of #WyrdAndWonder named after an event Jorie conceived in [2017] but wished to expound upon her idea to reach a wider audience who could re-interpret the event for themselves with a #wyrdandwonder twist!

Posted Monday, 22 October, 2018 by jorielov , 2 Comments

#SpooktasticReads banner created by Imyril (@imyril) Photo Credit: Unsplash Photographer Mark Tegethoff. (Creative Commons Zero) Used with permission.

Last Autumn, you might remember I conceived of this idea to re-start my readings into the spooktacular worlds of chilling Thrillers, Suspense, Mysteries and the Paranormal (with just a dash of love for Cosy Horror!) – wherein I conceived of spending a fortnight reading such lovelies and enjoying a personal readathon leading into Halloween! I fell a bit short of my goals last year, though I took it as a success – as not only did I read some rather spookified tales which I’ll be re-promoting these last days of October but I found myself wholly intrigued by the stories I was selecting to read!

This year, I helped name our first mini-event for #WyrdAndWonder – wherein I was hoping to let this small idea I had last year take flight, reach a bigger audience and find readers who might find their own definition of #SpooktasticReads befitting their own readerly life! I was originally going to only slate myself to read two Dark Fantasy selections for our event this October, but then, I re-read over my post from last year and realised all the chilling stories I was reading for different events in the book blogosphere this year aptly cross-apply to the essence of what we’re reading for #SpooktasticReads as a Fantasy loving reading group! Some of the stories of course play the theme up quite a bit for the spookier side of the genres, some of which may or may not directly (or indirectly) relate to Fantasy per se but this is one of those readathons which is open to both interpretation and the joy of having free reign to enjoy the readathon in a way each reader wants to approach it!

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A Spooktastic reading binge for Psychological Suspense & Gothic Tales!

Autumn for me is a time in the year where I simply like to read a curated collection of stories which fall under different categories of mutual interest: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Gothic or Paranormally inclined and Cosy Horror.

This year [2018] as I co-host my own mini-event celebrating the 13 days leading into Halloween with #SpooktasticReads, I am also happily reading a Cosy Mystery about a witch for my first ever #CozyMysteryBookClub selection via audiobook whilst finding the joy of participating in both #SCAREtober and #HorrorOctober as those reading (and blogging!) challenges compliment my readings for #SpooktasticReads whilst the few stories I have slated for #Victober also work well with the context of what I’m focusing on this year! I decided to ‘let go’ of the idea of reading individual stories for each theme of challenge and get into the randomness of finding the stories which not just cross-relate but I can talk to the readers of all the challenges who are seeking the same stories I am!

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If other book bloggers or readers want to join us, please link to your blog, Twitter, Riffle List, LibraryThing List or other ‘space’ online where you are updating about what your reading – such as Instagram or Vlog (YouTube) in the Comments section below!

Use the tag: #SpooktasticReads & link back to this post – as I will happily be sharing what your doing for this lovely #WyrdAndWonder mini-event! Plus, I love hearing what others are reading in case something they discover would be a good fit for me as well!

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Posted Monday, 22 October, 2018 by jorielov in Bookish Discussions, Cosy Historical Mystery, Crime Fiction, Ghosts & the Supernatural, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, Parapsychological Gifts, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense

Book Spotlight w/ Notes | “The Petticoat Letters: Rebels of the Revolution” by Kelly Lyman

Posted Tuesday, 16 October, 2018 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

Stories in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I, personally inherited my love of the Revolutionary War era from my Mum – who inspired me to start to take stock & notice of this lovely niche of Historical Fiction out of her love of researching John & Abigail Adams! Over the years I have stumbled across stories set either just ahead of the #RevWar beginning, during the war itself (war dramas are a personal preference of readerly joy) or shortly thereafter. I also appreciate Early Colonial era stories or any story set during a period of time which hugs close to either eras in general.

The reason I love stories set around early Americana history is because it was quite the exciting time during my country’s initial years of foundation and formulation. These were quite exciting times to be living – even if it brought with it a lot of harrowing trials where we needed strong people to either see us through the rougher patches or we needed heroes & heroines alike to help lead us forward into a better tomorrow where we could overcome the things which set out to delay our progresses.

One of my favourite films is “1776” (1972) which is a musical about the Declaration of Independence – it is an unique spin on History and I love the cast who brings this film to life. I felt it had such a clever view into the lives and hearts of the men who were striving for a better America during the Colonial era – which is the kind of drama I enjoy finding in Historical Fiction.

Aside from this film, I’ve become aware of Roseanna M. White’s The Cupler Ring series and Alex Myers “Revolutionary” – two writers I am keenly interested in reading at some point as I held off starting the first as it is a series and the second, as after I read a similar story set during the Civil War, I wasn’t sure if my heart was ready (at the time) to read a second one set during a different war. I might love reading war dramas but sometimes I find the storylines push me a bit for what I can handle reading.

When I first saw this promo tour available, I knew I wanted to become a part of it – as the premise itself is what caught my attention the most! I was hoping to feature an extract or an author Q&A – however, in lieu of both, I simply wanted to help cheer this novel on to other readers who might be seeking a similar story within their Historical wanderings!

I personally have an attachment to reading #FeministHistoricalFiction & this one surely felt like a selection which befits the category! Especially as it requires fortitude of mind and heart to place yourself in danger in order to either save yourself, your family or to defend your country – it is hard to know how you’d react in the same situation but you would hope you’d have even a small ounce of courage Ms Lyman’s character had within her to circumvent the events now erupting through her life!

As you read about what this novel involves, I hope I might have perchance tipped your hat towards wanting to read a new #RevWar novel and discover a delightfully new Indie Author to boot! I look forward to your reactions & thoughts in the *threads below and hope you have a bookishly lovely Tuesday!Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Book Spotlight w/ Notes | “The Petticoat Letters: Rebels of the Revolution” by Kelly LymanThe Petticoat Letters (Spotlight)
by Kelly Lyman

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary war, Nora Bishop’s home is burned to the ground—along with her dreams, plans and all her family members except one. At 20-years-old and still unmarried, she moves to Manhattan to live with her Loyalist uncle, hoping to find her brother who has joined the Patriot cause against her late family’s wishes. But, battle breaks out and she finds herself at the mercy of one American ranger, Alex Foster, who is the only person in a position to bring her to safety.

Her growing feelings toward Alex and his passion for freedom help her reevaluate her stance on the case for independence and makes her question her loyalties further. When she is asked to spy for the rebels, she agrees. But can she partake in the act of treason and do what is asked of her when the sadistic Captain William Roth seems to watch her every move and threatens the life of her brother who has been captured? And how can she grow closer to Alex when the war threatens to tear them apart?

Genres: Feminist Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical Thriller Suspense, War Drama



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781986903035

Published by Blue Tulip Publishing

on 25th March, 2018

 Published By: Blue Tulip Publishing

Converse via: #PetticoatLetters + #RevWar

#HistRom, #RomSusp & #HistFic or #HistNov
Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook

About Kelly Lyman

Kelly Lyman

Kelly Lyman is a dreamer, a planner and a doer. Her favorite mantra is: “Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.”

She writes adult historical romance and YA paranormal/fantasy. She has a degree in education from West Chester University and taught 5th grade before deciding to stay home full time. She loves, loves, loves history and can usually be found daydreaming about people who lived centuries ago…that is, when she’s not taking care of her four kids. Traveling to Scotland, England, and Ireland are on her bucket list. Skydiving is not.

She’s mildly obsessed with mint chocolate chip ice cream, peanut butter M&MS, drinking coffee (cream only), and thinks chips and salsa is a perfectly acceptable dinner option. Her favorite color is green and if she could, she would sit on the beach and read all day long.

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Posted Tuesday, 16 October, 2018 by jorielov in 18th Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Blitz, Book Spotlight, Feminine Heroism, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Revolutionary War era, War Drama

#WaitingOnWednesday No.6 | Book Review | “The Bloody Black Flag” (Book One: of the Spider John Mysteries) by Steve Goble

Posted Wednesday, 29 August, 2018 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

a word about ‘waiting on Wednesday’:

#WaitingOnWednesday badge created in Canva by Jorie using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

I have decided to start participating in this book blogsphere meme with a few small changes of how it’s regularly blogged about by my fellow book bloggers. I will either be introducing my current reads of upcoming releases as I am in the process of reading them and/or I might be releasing a book review about a forthcoming title by which I had been blessed to read ahead of publication. The main purpose behind the meme is to encourage readers and your fellow book bloggers to become aware of new books being released which caught your eye and which held your interest to read. Sometimes if your still in the process of reading the books, its the titles which encouraged your bookish heart. I look forward to spending the next seasons of the year, talking about the books I have on hand to read, the books I’ve been reading and the books I might not even have a copy to read but which are of wicked sweet interest to become a #nextread of mine.

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Book Review badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

Borrowed Book By: I am a reviewer for Prometheus Books and their imprints starting in [2016] as I contacted them through their Edelweiss catalogues and Twitter. I appreciated the diversity of titles across genre and literary explorations – especially focusing on Historical Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction and Scientific Topics in Non-Fiction.

Whilst I was browsing through upcoming titles this Autumn [2018] I spied a #piratefiction title I had overlooked last year [2017]!! The sequel is forthcoming this September which is why I quickly checked to see if I could ILL (inter-library loan) this through my local library and happily found I could! I had to remain patient whilst this title was fetched from an out-of-state library and then, had the wicked anticipation of hoping it would be a) as quirky as watching Captain Jack Sparrow in the film series ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ whilst b) owning to the genre it befits and would give me a sweet swashbuckling adventure!

The copy of “The Bloody Black Flag” I borrowed via interlibrary loan through my local library was not a title I was obligated to post a review as I am doing so for my own edification as a reader who loves to share her readerly life. I was not compensated for my thoughts shared herein.

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Why a #PirateFiction title sounded wicked good!

Ever since I was quite young, I’ve been fascinated with stories of Pirates! It started when I saw my *first!* Gabriel Bryne film where he was of course, a ‘pirate’ and his character felt real enough to scare me during the scenes he was featured! Fast forward to when Johnny Depp portrayed ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ and you could say, it was all down-hill from there! There quirkiness of Cap’t Jack, the heart of the film series for me was inter-connected to Sparrow’s character – I went to the theater *four!* times to see the first one, twice for the second & at least three times for the third whilst only one viewing of the fourth – yet, by the time the fifth came out I was worried the integrity had left – thus, it remains the ONLY one I’ve not seen!!

I am unsure how this particular series slipped past me – as I have found *Seventh Street Books* to be publishing the kind of Historical Mysteries I can find myself curled inside more oft than other publishers – they are publishing my current favourites you see! You’ve most likely have seen my gushing praise over the Hiro Hattori, Anna Blanc, Samuel Craddock and my beloved Marjorie Trumaine series – two of these are dramatic crime series & the other two are what I refer to as ‘Cosy Historical Mysteries’ – where the focus isn’t on the grittiness of where a crime story could alight you but rather, the historical backdrop in which we alight to walk beside the lead characters!

This ‘Waiting on Wednesday’ is about discovering a #newtomeauthor and getting caught up inside the first novel of a new series which whet a thirst of curiosity to be reading ahead of the second installment’s release!

Part of me was slightly concerned this title might become a bit ‘too much’ for me – as when it comes to ‘pirates’ & #piratefiction, I will definitely be the girl whose more into the glossing over the rougher bits than to have any of the stories (by book or film) to be more graphically explicit. Still. There was something uniquely alluring about ‘attempting to read outside my comfort zone’ which is where the #SpiderJohn Mysteries fall under for a girl who loves high seas adventures but sometimes falls a bit short of fully embracing the cutthroat lifestyles therein!

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#WaitingOnWednesday No.6 | Book Review | “The Bloody Black Flag” (Book One: of the Spider John Mysteries) by Steve GobleThe Bloody Black Flag
Subtitle: A Spider John Mystery
by Steve Goble
Source: Borrowed from local library (ILL)

Agatha Christie meets Patrick O’Brian in the first book in a new series of swashbuckling historical mysteries featuring Spider John Rush, a most reluctant pirate.

1722—aboard a pirate ship off the American Colonial Coast.

Spider John Rush never wanted to be a pirate, but it had happened and he’d learned to survive in the world of cut and thrust, fight or die. He and his friend Ezra knew that death could come at any moment, from grapeshot or storm winds or the end of a noose. But when Ezra is murdered in cold blood by a shipmate, Spider vows revenge.

On a ship where every man is a killer many times over, how can Spider find the man who killed his friend? There is no law here, so if justice is to be done, he must do it. He will have to solve the crime and exact revenge himself.

One wrong step will lead to certain death, but Spider is determined to look into the dying eyes of the man who killed his friend, even if it means his own death.

Genres: Action & Adventure Fiction, Amateur Detective, Crime Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, Pirate Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781633883598

Published by Seventh Street Books

on 12th September, 2017

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 237

Published By: Seventh Street Books (@SeventhStBooks)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook

About Steve Goble

Steve Goble is the author of The Bloody Black Flag and The Devil’s Wind in the Spider John mystery series. A former journalist, Goble now works in communications for a cybersecurity firm. Previously, he wrote a weekly craft-beer column called Brewologist, which appeared on USA Today Network–Ohio websites.

The Spider John Mysteries:

Series Overview: Historical mystery series featuring a reluctant pirate who doubles as an amateur sleuth whilst setting sail on the high seas.

The Bloody Jack Flag by Steve GobleThe Devil's Wind by Steve Goble

The Bloody Black Flag | Book One

The Devil’s Wind | Book Two | Synopsis ← forthcoming release 11th September, 2018!

Converse via: #SpiderJohnMysteries OR #SpiderJohn + #HistoricalMystery and #piratefiction

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Wednesday, 29 August, 2018 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 18th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Bookish Memes, Boston, Colonial America, Content Note, Crime Fiction, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Pirates and Swashbucklers, Prometheus Books, Vulgarity in Literature, Waiting on Wednesday

#AudiobookMonth | #iLOVEaudiobooks – June is the perfect time for me to resume my #AudioReads and dig into more #audiobooks!

Posted Saturday, 2 June, 2018 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comments

June is Audiobook Month banner created by Jorie in Canva.

You know I’m going to be stalking #audiobookmonth’s tag ALL of JUNE!

Along with the following: #iLOVEaudiobooks + #loveaudiobooks

+ #JUNEisAudiobookMonth | which tags are your favourites!?

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I attempted to participate in #AudiobookMonth last year, though due to the detriment of the weather and a nauseatingly brutal allergy season (ie. Spring!) – I don’t remember progressing very far along with my efforts! This year, I’m doubling down – mostly as I have more reliable connectivity this year to keep blogging and listening to digital audiobooks even whilst mother nature chooses to wreck havoc in our lives!! I’ll thankfully not find it nearly as jarring to be *bounced!* off as long as I would have been had we not resolved this one particular issue *ahead!* of Summer! (a girl has to love her Mum!) (ie. Mums are seriously resourceful!)

Whilst most of my focus is going to be the audiobooks I’ve either accepted for review consideration by publishers and/or authors OR adopted audiobooks I’ve accepted for review – I am also going to be focusing on the audiobooks I’ve personally purchased, audiobooks I’ve borrowed through my local library or audiobooks I’ve had the pleasure of winning in a bookaway! This has definitely become my year of re-queuing the audiobooks I’ve been wanting to listen and discover whilst celebrating how much audiobooks have meant to be as a migraineur! (you might have noticed this term on my Twitter profile)

I have a few audiobooks on CD – most of the audiobooks I’ve been listening to since [2016] have been digitally available – either for review purposes or borrowing through my libray’s OverDrive network. I appreciate both options, as despite having a penchant for collecting audiobooks on CD – I realise the digital side of the ledger is what is helping most readers discover the joy of listening to the stories as they become insanely portable! The irony there is – I actually listen to audiobooks the old fashioned way, but then, you must know by now, I am rather an old fashioned kind of gal!

My main goal for JUNE is to simply enjoy my arrivals and departures within these audiobooks – taking long gaps of absence from reading #printbooks and remembering not to overly stress about the distances between receiving a few of these selections for review and today. Sometimes we all strive to do the best we can and if we fall short, we’re eventually given a second chance at redemption.

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The audiobooks I am focusing on first & foremost are the audiobooks I’ve received for review consideration. Including three I had trouble getting into last year – two of them are by one of my favourite audiobook publishers:

Post Hypnotic Press | @Post_Hypnotic | Site

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Greenwillow by B.J. Chute, narrated by Ann M. Richardson

→ with a length of 6 hours & 44 minutes

I have an affinity for poetic story-lines and small towne fiction stories – this title was recommended to me by the publisher, as I had quite literally finished my listenings of their adaptation of a beloved series of mine: Anne of Green Gables! (see also Review)

This was right ahead of Autumn [2017] which would become a rather adverse and arduous season for my family to shift out of and come through the other side. In fact, the year ended on a hard note whilst the New Year began on rocky footing. It wasn’t until the end of February where the adversities first sprung in Autumn would start to recede – if my health hadn’t taken a turn in early Spring [2018] the first thing I had wanted to focus on were these audiobooks – as I missed my time spent with their narrators and of feeling rather enlightened for the journey they encourage me to take whilst enfolded in their narrations!

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The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchet, narrated by Heather Henderson

→ with a length of 7 hours & 24 minutes

I happen to love introspective, literary and philosophical stimulating stories which is why I think I was recommended to listen to this particular audiobook. I had previously had the joy of discovering the incredible versatile talent of Ms Henderson whilst listening to her adaptations of the quirky and lovable memoirs of Betty MacDonald (see also Review).

You could say, I had a rather banner year in [2017] listening to the collective works by this publisher – which is why it saddened me I couldn’t close the year listening to their stories – however, sometimes you have to be honest with where you are and the burdens your facing. For me personally, I was in the wrong frame of mind to even contemplate the themes within ‘The Curve of Time’ & ‘Greenwillow’ respectively – ergo, I pushed my listenings forward, hoping the Autumn & Winter would lead me to a better Spring. Ironically or not, it was Summer I had to wait for to feel as if I could take a full breathe of relief from the woes of my heart and mind, to where listening to thought-provoking stories such as these could be a wonderful respite of joy intermixed into my regular wanderings!

To be able to listen, tweet and celebrate Post Hypnotic Press during #AudiobookMonth is a true joy for me, as I am always hopeful other audiobook listeners will start to discovery the wicked awesome quality they are producing & the dedication they have to both the stories and the production behind bringing them to life!

They truly are an inspiring publisher for those of us who are properly addicted to ‘listening’ to the stories which excite us to be heard!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Secondly, I can finally soak my ears inside the first chapter of Bonnie & Clyde as told through the literary lens of Ms Jenni L. Walsh! I have been sitting on my audiobook copy of ‘Becoming Bonnie’ for as long as I have the lovely audiobooks from Post Hypnotic Press! Time to bring all three out for a listening feast of bookish joy!

Becoming Bonnie by Jenni L. Walsh, narrated by Susan Bennett

→ coming in at exactly 12 hours!

This is the first half of a duology, as ‘Side by Side’ unfortunately released before I could listen to the first half – the sequel has the same narrator (*claps hands*) and comes in at 11 hours and 39 minutes! This releases on the 5th of June, 2018!

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I had the joyful pleasure of featuring the author on Jorie Loves A Story blog ahead of receiving the audiobook – not just once, but twice! You can read both posts: Pub Day Q&A and extracts from the text of ‘Becoming Bonnie’ in case you want to gleam more about why Ms Walsh approached this particular woman of history and why it became a passion project of hers to tell an authentic story on behalf of ‘Bonn’.

I grew up realising the bare bone facts about ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ – how could any GenX girl not? Including the fact, my Mum had seen the rather horrific biopic of theirs which led to more than one interesting discussion in our home over the years! Through my conversations with Ms Walsh whilst putting together the showcases on my blog, I learnt more about the ‘real history’ between Bonnie & Clyde – not all the pertinent bits, mind, as the author wanted me to have enough ‘flavour of curiosity’ ahead of listening to the story itself – but to the extent, I re-broached the convo with my Mum and we found that sometimes, even the people in History you feel you know enough about still have a few surprises to share!

This is one reason I am thankful our paths crossed – as Ms Walsh found me, not the other way round – she is one of the #HistFic authors I am happy to know who is giving me stimulating entreaties into the historic past through the eyes & lives of strong women who have extraordinary tales still left for us to read and feel as if we’ve drawn closer to their ‘living truth’ than we ever could have whilst they were alive!

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Rounding out the lovely audios for review consideration, is a selection narrated by Jake Urry – this time in the genre of Paranormal Ghost Story with a Science Fiction Adventure on the side!

The Tesla Gate (Book No.1 of the Tesla Gate series) by John D. Mimms

→ coming in at 8 hours and 15 minutes

The only sad bit to relay here is the author went in a different direction with the rest of the series in audio – therefore, as much as I might eventually come to love this selection, I won’t be able to continue listening to a) the series and b) the lovely Mr Urry narrating it! The reason I’ll treat this as a ‘one-off’ rather than series is I’ve sampled the next narrator and I’ve determined it was a mistake to switch-out Mr Urry – not because he’s a top favourite, (although one could argue bias, yes!) but because I firmly believe there are some narrators who are well-fitted to a role and there are others, I fear are ill-suited.

Everyone hears stories differently – similar to how we read them – what appeals to me, might not appeal to someone else and vice versa. Such is the way – the reason I was most keen on listening to this particular story is because I was craving some Sci-Fi & who doesn’t want to see a threading of Ghosts & the Paranormal?! I mean, is that even a choice you have to ruminate over before *accepting*!?Okay, maybe a slight bit in case it becomes too intensive to get through – but everything I read about this particular title tracked well, from listeners to the sampler – I was happily diving straight-in dear hearts!

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Don’t be surprised to see me listening to more Mysteries of Suspense whilst I also read the same thematic in the stories I have in print! I have a lot of lovelies this JUNE to appreciate which will give me a wicked thrill to be locked inside!

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #AudiobookMonth
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Posted Saturday, 2 June, 2018 by jorielov in #AudiobookMonth, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event