Posted Saturday, 5 November, 2016 by jorielov ChocLitUK, Jules Wake, Talk to Me 0 Comments
Why I feature #ChocLitSaturdays (book reviews & guest author features)
and created #ChocLitSaturday (the chat via @ChocLitSaturday):
I wanted to create a bit of a niche on Jorie Loves A Story to showcase romance fiction steeped in relationships, courtships, and the breadth of marriage enveloped by characters written honestly whose lives not only endear you to them but they nestle into your heart as their story is being read!
I am always seeking relationship-based romance which strikes a chord within my mind’s eye as well as my heart! I’m a romantic optimist, and I love curling into a romance where I can be swept inside the past, as history becomes lit alive in the fullness of the narrative and I can wander amongst the supporting cast observing the principal characters fall in love and sort out if they are a proper match for each other!
I love how an Indie Publisher like ChocLitUK is such a positive alternative for those of us who do not identify ourselves as girls and women who read ‘chick-lit’. I appreciate the stories which alight in my hands from ChocLit as much as I appreciate the inspirational romances I gravitate towards because there is a certain level of depth to both outlets in romance which encourage my spirits and gives me a beautiful story to absorb! Whilst sorting out how promote my book reviews on behalf of ChocLit, I coined the phrase “ChocLitSaturdays”, which is a nod to the fact my ChocLit reviews & features debut on ‘a Saturday’ but further to the point that on the ‘weekend’ we want to dip into a world wholly ideal and romantic during our hours off from the work week!
Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. As of June 2016, I became a member of the ChocLit Stars Team in tandem with being on the Cover Reveal Team which I joined in May 2016. I reference the Stars as this is a lovely new reader contribution team of sending feedback to the publisher ahead of new book releases. As always, even if I’m involved with a publisher in this sort of fashion, each review is never influenced by that participation and will always be my honest impression as I read the story. Whether the author is one I have previously read or never had the pleasure to read until the book greets my shelf.
I received a complimentary copy of “Talk to Me” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why Jorie wanted to read this debut:
I’ve been wanting to read Ms Wake’s debut for quite awhile now – however, I had taken a bit of a break from reading Contemporaries to where I reminded myself this year, aside from focusing on the serial ChocLit releases, I wanted to seek out Contemporary Rom writers as well! Either writing dramatic, suspenseful or quirky humour novels set within our modern era and world. This particular one stood out to me as there appeared to be a break-down of communication and an alarmingly strong case for personal safety being put at risk at the same time. I like finding strong themes being pursued in Contemporary Roms as it is a mirror or our everyday lives.
Ms Wake had her debut novel published by ChocLit but has since moved on to a new publisher where her successive novels are continuing to become published nowadays. Even the cover was charming to me – which is unusual to say, as this isn’t quite the typical cover I’d be enraptured by as it’s featuring my least favourite colour (pink!) and lipstick splotches are a bit cliche (most times) but there was something about the layout and the brushstroke effect of the background (reminded me of digital art ‘brushes’); I credit this to Berni Stevens! She never fails me for being intrigued by her cover art designs – and in combination with the premise, I was won over! Proves the point, even a girl who prefers Earth tones and crimson red can embrace pink on certain occasions!
It even felt a bit like a Rom Suspense novel – even if not full-on, there is a stalker involved, so perhaps not all love’s folly and fun?! I positively get giddy over debut novels, too! As you can see affirmed by this tweet s/o I posted ahead of #ChocLitSaturday (wherein we discussed this novel!). Being able to read Ms Wake’s debut novel was such a blessing, indeed! Especially as it’s the start of her writerly career wherein she gave me a Contemporary Rom Com I could blissfully soak inside with pleasure! Even if the last quarter of the novel was such high octane of sitting on pins to await the ending!
Talk to Me
Olivia and Daniel certainly aren’t talking the language of love…
Olivia has been in love with Daniel forever but, despite her best efforts, they’ve never been able to get it together. Their relationship has always been a series of mixed messages and misunderstandings and the final straw comes when Daniel mysteriously starts dating her flatmate, Emily. Hurt and confused, Olivia resolves to forget her heartache with a spot of speed dating. After all, what could possibly go wrong?
One crazy stalker later and Olivia’s life is becoming increasingly strange and scary. Can she rely on Daniel to step in when events take a terrifying turn or will their communication breakdown ultimately result in tragedy?
Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
Find on Book Browse
Book Page on World Weaver Press
ISBN: 9781781890639
on 6th January, 2013
Pages: 336
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)
Available Formats: Paperback, Audiobook, Large Print & E-Book
Converse via: #Contemporary & #Romance + #ChocLit
About Jules Wake
Bred but not born in Yorkshire, Jules considers herself an honorary Yorkshire woman and, despite living in the Chilterns, still misses proper hills. She’s always wanted to be a writer and blames this on her grandmother taking her at a young age to the Brontë’s parsonage in Haworth.
After reading English at the University of East Anglia, she found herself in the glamorous and deeply shallow world of PR, which she rather enjoyed, and spent a number of years honing her fiction writing skills on press releases.
Upon completing a creative writing course and finding no local writing group, she set up the Tring Writers’ Circle. As a result it was incumbent upon her to set a good example and actually write, which was rather fortunate as with a genuine allergy to cleaning, she finds writing offers the perfect displacement activity. Talk to Me is Jules’s debut novel.
Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | LibraryThing
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Posted Saturday, 5 November, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover | Notation on Design, Britian, British Literature, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Dating & Humour Therein, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Domestic Violence, Dsylexia & the Dsylexic, England, Green-Minded Publishers, Indie Author, Life of Thirty-Somethings, Mental Health, Modern British Author, Modern British Literature, Psychological Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Singletons & Commitment, Vulgarity in Literature
Posted Tuesday, 1 November, 2016 by jorielov Congress of Secrets, Prometheus Books, Pyr, Stephanie Burgis 0 Comments
Acquired 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. I received a complimentary copy of “Congress of Secrets” direct from the publisher PYR (an imprint of Prometheus Books) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
How I came to learn about ‘Congress of Secrets’:
In April, I posted a #PubDay review for this author’s first novel with PYR which was “Masks and Shadows” – not your typical historical, as it held within it elements of Cosy Horror, Alternative History and Historical Fantasy; truly the niche in which the story fit was a work of it’s own, as I lamented the following on behalf of reading it:
One grace Burgis granted her new readers (such as I) is a framework of foundation rooted inside our known historical past! She’s taken bits and bobbles of real historical artifact and knitted it up inside an alternative historical setting to where you can juxtaposition the real and the fictional in seamless fashion! I loved this style of her word craft because it gave a dimensional of awareness of where we’re entreating inside as far as timescape and setting are concerned but also, a knowing level of ‘place’ as it’s a familiar side of Europe during the late 18th Century! How she found the beautiful balance between what is known and what can be imagined is truly remarkable!
I liked how she paced the narrative to the rhythm of a play – it was quite keenly illuminating all the dialogue and action, but to such a clever intuitive nodding of each of the characters in turn taking their cues and then exiting the scenes as necessary!
I was not at all surprised there were Cosy Horror elements underlining the narrative arc as this historical approach to telling a fantastical story reminded me of my readings of Silver Tongue by AshleyRose Sullivan (review) or even The Haunting of Springett Hall by E.B. Wheeler (review) as they mirror Masks and Shadows for bridging genre and bending it to the will of the author’s pen.
-quoted from my review of Masks and Shadows
Shortly after I posted my review, the publicist I work with at Prometheus mentioned Burgis’s next release and from that first glimpse of the premise, I became interested. I had a feeling there might be the same mixture of old world elements, magical intrigue with thrilling suspense and a historical backdrop (this time set in Vienna) I would appreciate drinking in as I moved through her story-line. She has such a unique voice in Historical Fiction, I simply wanted to read what she was going to create next!
I wasn’t surprised that in theory Congress of Secrets follows suit out of Masks and Shadows as you could see the leeway of how the scope of the first novel could be carried forward. Both are marked as one-offs, even though Congress of Secrets is only a scant 35 years later! I’ve learnt a lot about how series can be joined together through theme, setting or genre – and I believe this is one of those series where the characters switch-out but there are elements of connection knitting the series of stories together. They are not continuously sequenced by setting either but rather the way in which the story is told.
Notation on Cover Art Design: I was quite surprised when I saw the photographs on the cover were stock images because in this particular instance the collage effect of having them all together gave me the impression they were specifically created for this cover! I love how the fusion of each photograph blends well with the synopsis and grants you a visual clue about where your heading once you open the novel itself. It is such a beautiful cover design – from the colours and the layout of it directly feeling like the niche Burgis has created.
Congress of Secrets
by Stephanie Burgis
Source: Direct from Publisher
In 1814, the Congress of Vienna has just begun. Diplomats battle over a new map of Europe, actors vie for a chance at glory, and aristocrats and royals from across the continent come together to celebrate the downfall of Napoleon…among them Lady Caroline Wyndham, a wealthy English widow. But Caroline has a secret: she was born Karolina Vogl, daughter of a radical Viennese printer. When her father was arrested by the secret police, Caroline’s childhood was stolen from her by dark alchemy.
Under a new name and nationality, she returns to Vienna determined to save her father even if she has to resort to the same alchemy that nearly broke her before. But she isn’t expecting to meet her father’s old apprentice, Michael Steinhüller, now a charming con man in the middle of his riskiest scheme ever.
The sinister forces that shattered Caroline’s childhood still rule Vienna behind a glittering façade of balls and salons, Michael’s plan is fraught with danger, and both of their disguises are more fragile than they realize. What price will they pay to the darkness if either of them is to survive?
Genres: Alternative History, Cosy Horror, Historical Fiction, Historical-Fantasy Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9781633881990
Also by this author: Masks and Shadows
Published by Pyr
on 1st November, 2016
Format: Paperback Edition
Pages: 347
Published By: Pyr (@Pyr_Books)
Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook
Read the author’s blog about Congress of Secrets!
Converse via: #CongressOfSecrets
About Stephanie Burgis
Stephanie Burgis was born in Michigan, but now lives in Wales with her husband, writer Patrick Samphire, and their children. Before becoming a fulltime writer, she studied music history as a Fulbright Scholar in Vienna, Austria, and worked as a website editor for a British opera company.
She has published over thirty short stories for adults. Kat, Incorrigible (US)/A Most Improper Magick (UK) won the Waverton Good Read Children’s Award in 2011 for Best Début Children’s Novel by a British writer. It was followed by Renegade Magic/A Tangle of Magicks and Stolen Magic/A Reckless Magick.
Photo Credit: Patrick Saphire
Website | Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | LibraryThing
On alchemy and dark arts:
As soon as I saw Caroline being affected by the dark alchemy I recognised having been used in Masks and Shadows, I knew this new extension of the plot would thicken quite differently. It took so long to understand the darker elements which were undermining and crippling the characters in the last story – as the heart of the narrative had been a thrilling suspense, where you were meant to be kept in the dark for as long as possible in order to peel back the layers of the novel. In this instance, what was so interesting to me, is how early-on the disclosure is given that something quite alarmingly potent is being used against the will of the people. Setting the stage for a curious new perspective on how to overturn a foe who has sorted out the best advantage against everyone he or she wishes to overtake; not just mind control but a complete reduction in consciousness!
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Tuesday, 1 November, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 19th Century, Alternative History, Blog Tour Host, Cosy Horror, Cosy Horror Suspense, Death, Sorrow, and Loss, Fantasy Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Indie Author, Prometheus Books, Vulgarity in Literature
Posted Friday, 28 October, 2016 by jorielov Edward Willett, Flames of Nevyana, Rebelight Publishing Inc. 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Chapter by Chapter, where I receive opportunities to host Author Guest Features on behalf of the Indie Publisher Month9Books and review for Indie Publisher: Rebelight Publishing of whom I love the stories by their Middle Grade & YA authors! As 2016 started, I received more opportunities to read and review Canadian authors through Chapter by Chapter. I love being able to discover more #CanLit whilst appreciating the beauty of the stories I am discovering through this touring company.
I received a complimentary copy of “Flames of Nevyana” direct from the publisher Rebelight Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
On the joy of reading a new Rebelight Author:
I am wicked happy I can close out 2016 reading another new author by Rebelight Publishing – as this is the Canadian publisher I had the joy of discovering through Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours! Each selection I am making through them, are future books I will be giving to my children, as I am delighted to find such wonderful stories for young readers, that not only challenge them through thought-provoking literature, but their the type of stories that can instill confidence and curate empathy through the showcasing of life lessons that seek to inspire readers of all ages.
I love unique story-tellers and unique narrative cores of Science Fiction or Fantasy – realms that you can sense are not entirely opposite or differential of our own living sphere of existence but are altogether quite uniquely developed in their own right. They have their own laws of nature and of order – where there is a particular balance which bridges the world together – or draws them apart; it depends on where we enter the story-line per each writer’s vision for their story. What I love the most about seeking out stories within the umbrella of Speculative Fiction is the ability to continue to always seek out the plausible curiosities of what inspires the stories to alight in the pages of the books I’m reading. Writers who seek to tell a story in such a creative methodology – to reach past imagination and unite readers through the timelessness of their character’s journey.
As I’m on the fringes of celebrating Science Fiction throughout November, it is a joy of mine to bring a few Speculative Realms to my blog and readers ahead of the month-long celebration here on Jorie Loves A Story and throughout the book blogosphere as we all rally together through the collective gathering Rinn Reads puts on each year through #RRSciFiMonth! I must admit – the premise of this story combined with the cover art to help grant an early visual clue towards what I might find inside the novel was the combined motivation to read the novel. Although on a personal note, I was truly captured by ‘Voltpunk’ and was wondering if this was either a new sub-genre of Science Fiction, Fantasy or the hybrid I love myself: Sci-Fantasy!? OR was it merely the name of the series being developed and launched through Flames of Nevyana!? Whichever way it would become revealled one thing is certain: Rebelight authors continue to inspire me onwards and upwards into their creative worlds of literary exploration!
Notation on Cover Art: I truly loved how the cover art represents light and the synergy of how light can be reflected or sparked into motion – initially I thought this story might have a Nation American or First Nations thread of story-line, because the cover art looked so very familiar to me of Native Artisans and Craft patterns. There is a repetitive pattern on the cover, both dissolving and expanding (inward and outward simultaneously) and I wondered if this was prove to be a clue towards understanding the light and energies on Nevyana. And why is the blue fire and the orange energies co-merging or intermixing with each other?! Almost is something being reborn, re-generated or created wholly anew by ‘something’ that caused this reaction!?
Flames of Nevyana
Blue Fire is both blessing and curse. A gift from the gods, its mystical light and energy powers and protects the land of Nevyana, but it also divides her people into three distinct groups. In the wrong hands, it becomes a formidable weapon. When sacred objects for channelling Blue Fire are stolen, sworn enemies Petra, Amlinn, and Jin set out to find them, and their paths converge on a collision course with the truth. Can they bridge the centuries-old divide between their communities? Or will their search for the truth and the explosive power of Blue Fire signal the end of Nevyana?
Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 9780994839961
on 1st August, 2016
Pages: 316
Published By: Rebelight Publishing, Inc. (@RebelightBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback and Ebook
Converse via: #FlamesOfNevyana, #Voltpunk, #YALit, #SciFantasy
About Edward Willett
Edward Willett is the award-winning author of more than fifty books of fiction and non-fiction for children, young adults, and adults. He lives in Regina with his wife, Margaret Anne; their teenage daughter, Alice; and their Siberian cat, Shadowpaw.
Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads
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Posted Friday, 28 October, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Canadian Literature, Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours, Coming-Of Age, Content Note, Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Indie Author, Science Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural Fiction, Sword & Scorcery, Upper YA Fiction, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Saturday, 22 October, 2016 by jorielov ChocLitUK, Christine Stovell, Little Spitmarsh series, Turning the Tide 0 Comments
Why I feature #ChocLitSaturdays (book reviews & guest author features)
and created #ChocLitSaturday (the chat via @ChocLitSaturday):
I wanted to create a bit of a niche on Jorie Loves A Story to showcase romance fiction steeped in relationships, courtships, and the breadth of marriage enveloped by characters written honestly whose lives not only endear you to them but they nestle into your heart as their story is being read!
I am always seeking relationship-based romance which strikes a chord within my mind’s eye as well as my heart! I’m a romantic optimist, and I love curling into a romance where I can be swept inside the past, as history becomes lit alive in the fullness of the narrative and I can wander amongst the supporting cast observing the principal characters fall in love and sort out if they are a proper match for each other!
I love how an Indie Publisher like ChocLitUK is such a positive alternative for those of us who do not identify ourselves as girls and women who read ‘chick-lit’. I appreciate the stories which alight in my hands from ChocLit as much as I appreciate the inspirational romances I gravitate towards because there is a certain level of depth to both outlets in romance which encourage my spirits and gives me a beautiful story to absorb! Whilst sorting out how promote my book reviews on behalf of ChocLit, I coined the phrase “ChocLitSaturdays”, which is a nod to the fact my ChocLit reviews & features debut on ‘a Saturday’ but further to the point that on the ‘weekend’ we want to dip into a world wholly ideal and romantic during our hours off from the work week!
Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. As of June 2016, I became a member of the ChocLit Stars Team in tandem with being on the Cover Reveal Team which I joined in May 2016. I reference the Stars as this is a lovely new reader contribution team of sending feedback to the publisher ahead of new book releases. As always, even if I’m involved with a publisher in this sort of fashion, each review is never influenced by that participation and will always be my honest impression as I read the story. Whether the author is one I have previously read or never had the pleasure to read until the book greets my shelf.
I received a complimentary copy of “Turning the Tide” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why Jorie wanted to read a Contemporary Rom series:
I’ve had my eye on this series for awhile as I have wanted to read more of the ChocLit series which caught my attention. There is something quite alluring about boats, ships and life on the water – it isn’t often I find a series that is set against a lifestyle I always thought was quite keenly unique. I’ve read about how husbands and wives purchase a boat and take people on excursions whilst raising their children around the lively environment of living on the water vs land. There is an interesting concept there about how you can re-create how to live your life whilst endeavouring to explore a bit more than most could whilst anchoured to land.
This series is still in-progress I believe as there are two installments thus far released, I felt picking up the series in Autumn might be a wonderful time to soak inside a Contemporary Rom series as this is the season that most appeals to me personally, when the wrath of Summer ends. Sometimes I feel stories resonate with us on a seasonal level of curiosity, and for me, the changing climate of Autumn makes thinking about being ‘outside’ or ‘out on the water’ much more enticing than if I were to contemplate that during the Spring or Summer where the brute of the humidity and heat would kill the joy!
Also, too, I liked the title of this first novel in the series – as at different points in our lives, we’re each finding a way to ‘turn the tide’ and re-define our paths. I definitely wanted to see what would happen when two strong individuals came to heads and had to find a middle ground in order to work through the causticity of a development plan. I am purposely seeking out Contemporaries on a personal level of interest too, as sometimes I forsake the stories set in contemporary times for those of the historical past, thus, all three ChocLit stories I am currently reading are set in the modern day! I couldn’t be happier – as I am finding new Contemporary authors who are giving me exactly what I’m seeking out of this kind of style for Romance!
Turning the Tide
All’s fair in love and war? Depends on who’s making the rules.
Harry Watling has spent the past five years keeping her father’s boat yard afloat, despite its dying clientele. Now all she wants to do is enjoy the peace and quiet of her sleepy backwater. So when property developer Matthew Corrigan wants to turn the boat yard into an upmarket housing complex for his exotic new restaurant, it’s like declaring war.
And the odds seem to be stacked in Matthew’s favour. He’s got the colourful locals on board, his hard-to-please girlfriend is warming to the idea and he has the means to force Harry’s hand.
Meanwhile, Harry has to fight not just his plans but also her feelings for the man himself. Then a family secret from the past creates heartbreak for Harry, and neither of them is prepared for what happens next…
Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
Find on Book Browse
Book Page on World Weaver Press
ISBN: 978-1-906931-25-4
on 1st June, 2010
Pages: 336
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)
Available Formats: Paperback, Audiobook, Large Print & E-Book
Order of Sequence of Little Spitmarsh series:
Read the Synopsis for Follow a Star
Converse via: #Contemporary & #Romance + #ChocLit #LittleSpitmarsh
About Christine Stovell
Winning a tin of chocolate in a national essay competition at primary school inspired Christine Stovell to become a writer! After graduating from University of East Anglia, she took various jobs in the public sector writing research papers and policy notes by day and filling up her spare drawers with embryonic novels by night.
Losing her dad to cancer made her realise that if she was ever going to get a novel published she had to put her writing first. Setting off, with her husband, from a sleepy seaside resort on the east coast in a vintage wooden boat to sail halfway round Britain provided the inspiration for her debut novel Turning the Tide and Follow a Star. Turning The Tide was a top 100 Bestseller with Amazon Kindle and spent months in the Top 10 Chart for Adult Contemporary Romance. Christine has also published numerous short stories and articles. Christine lives in Wales. Christine novels include: Turning The Tide, Move Over Darling and Follow a Star (July 2014).
Photo Credit: Tim Jones
Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | LibraryThing | FantasticFiction
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Posted Saturday, 22 October, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Britian, British Literature, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Debut Author, Debut Novel, England, Equality In Literature, Green-Minded Publishers, Indie Author, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Modern British Author, Romance Fiction, Vulgarity in Literature
Posted Friday, 30 September, 2016 by jorielov Conquest trilogy, Daughter of the Last King, Impress Books, Tracey Warr 2 Comments
Acquired Book By: If your a regular reader or frequent visitor of Jorie Loves A Story, you might have seen my review for my first EPIC Historical novel published by Impress Books (UK) entitled: Almodis: The Peaceweaver! This novel marked my introduction to the historical crafting style of Impress Books authors and the impressive layer of breadth Ms Warr knits inside her historical fiction! I originally crossed paths with the publisher on Twitter in late 2015, whilst finding the novels of Ms Warr, as I quite seriously have a penchant for well-conceived historical stories set during eras of time I am keenly interested in visiting through literature!
I participated in the Cover Reveal on behalf of #Conquest No.1 “Daughter of the Last King” in July, 2016. I received a complimentary ARC copy of “Conquest: Daughter of the Last King” direct from the publisher Impress Books (UK) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I was so wicked excited for #Conquest after having read Almodis!
I love going back to the author’s origins, especially to read their debut release as a good foundation to understand their approach to writing their collective works. I was most impressed by the layered realism and intricate attention to detail whilst building a strong level of grounding for the back-story of Almodis as well. Thus, I am thrilled to announce I am a part of the upcoming blog tour for the #Conquest series featuring this novel which sets off the pace for the trilogy!
Warr has constructed such an intricate plot around Almodis, as her fate is mirror to Guinevere in some ways, as neither woman could fully believe they were being deceived at every turn. Almodis had a servant working against her and a second marriage optioned to her to increase her brother’s steed of wealth and power. She was being used and taken by men, without any consideration for how this might affect her psychological well-being or her very spirit as a woman who had always believed in the purpose of her role as a wife and mother. She had a sharpened mind which caught her a few breaks along the way, without which she might not have fared as well as she did. Except to say, it was not without it’s hurdles.
The fact Almodis’s story is living history is a testament to the imagination of Tracey Warr who presented her life in such a fashion as to encourage us to draw closer to her journey towards ruling land, home and her mind with such an intricate understanding for order. I agree with Warr, this is definitely a story that played out well in a historical narrative, as there are such far reaching scenarios to understand what happened between her marriages, the births of her children and how everything knitted together in the end where different children took over the original three regions which were always succumbing to war. She wasn’t just the weaver of peace for her generation but for multi-generations down through her descendants as the works she accomplished whilst she was alive remained a living memory of who she was whilst she dared to entrust herself to live authentically towards the honour she felt she was always bestowed to upheld.
-quoted from my review of Almodis: The Peaceweaver
As you can see, I love how Warr is able to write-in the moments of a lost era where we not only can visually conceptionalise that particular part of a living history (as Almodis is Biograhpical Historical Fiction based on the life of a real person) but she etches out the fuller scope of that generations layers of place, time and setting. It’s a fully realised immersion into a hidden corridor of history that is such a pleasure to read as you become wholly absorbed by Warr’s vision and her understanding of her characters’ lives to such a degree, you feel like you’ve lived through their heartaches & the journey it took them to find their own levels of success as they fought against the tides of tradition.
Having been properly introduced to her writing style so wondrously tied to her knack for research, I was beyond elated to be in a position to continue to read her stories, starting with the #Conquest trilogy!
Conquest: Daughter of the Last King Cover Reveal
1093. The three sons of William the Conqueror – Robert Duke of Normandy, William II King of England and Count Henry – fight with each other for control of the Anglo-Norman kingdom created by their father’s conquest.
Meanwhile, Nesta ferch Rhys, the daughter of the last independent Welsh king, is captured during the Norman assault of her lands. Raised with her captors, the powerful Montgommery family, Nesta is educated to be the wife of Arnulf of Montgommery, in spite of her pre-existing betrothal to a Welsh prince.
Who will Nest marry and can the Welsh rebels oust the Normans?
Places to find the book:
Add to LibraryThing
Find on Book Browse
Book Page on Ruby Fiction
ISBN: 9781907605819
on 1st October, 2016
Published by: Impress Books (@ImpressBooks1)
RELEASE DATE: 1st October, 2016 | Formats Available: Paperback & Ebook
Converse via: #Conquest on Twitter & Instagram (see ImpressBooks via Instagram)
About Tracey Warr
Tracey Warr is a writer based in Wales and France, and has published novels and books on contemporary art. She was Senior Lecturer, teaching and researching on art history and theory of the 20th and 21st centuries, at Oxford Brookes University, Bauhaus University and Dartington College of Arts.
Her first novel, Almodis: The Peaceweaver (Impress, 2011), is set in 11th century France and Spain, and was shortlisted for the Impress Prize for New Fiction and the Rome Film Festival Book Initiative and received a Santander Research Award. Her second historical novel, The Viking Hostage (Impress, 2014), is set in 10th century France and Wales.
She received a Literature Wales Writer’s Bursary for work on her new trilogy, Conquest , set in 12th century Wales, England and Normandy. She received an Authors Foundation Award from the Society of Authors for work on a biography of three medieval sisters, entitled Three Female Lords. She is also working on a new historical novel featuring a 12th century female troubadour in Toulouse, and on a future fiction novel set in the debatable territory of a river estuary, between water and land, in the 22nd century.
Her writing on contemporary artists has been published by Phaidon, Merrell, Black Dog, Palgrave, Manchester University Press. Her latest art publication is Remote Performances in Nature and Architecture (Ashgate, 2015). She reviews for Times Higher Education, Historical Novels Review and New Welsh Review.
Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | LibraryThing
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Posted Friday, 30 September, 2016 by jorielov in 11th Century, ARC | Galley Copy, Arranged Marriages in Royalty, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, British Literature, Brothers and Sisters, Clever Turns of Phrase, Coming-Of Age, Early Middle Ages [the Dark Ages] (1001-1300), Family Drama, Family Life, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical Romance, Impress Books, Indie Author, Inheritance & Identity, Jorie found the Publisher on Twitter, Kidnapping or Unexplained Disappearances, Life Shift, Passionate Researcher, Political Narrative & Modern Topics, Realistic Fiction, Siblings, Story in Diary-Style Format, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event, Unexpected Inheritance, Unexpected Pregnancy, Wales, Warfare & Power Realignment, Women's Rights, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice
