Tag: Anna J. Stewart

#TheSundayPost | XXII | Wickedly delighted for this lovely #bookpost from Anna J. Stewart!

Posted Sunday, 13 April, 2025 by jorielov A Cowgirl on His Doorstep, A Hawaiian Christmas Romance, A Surprise Second Chance, Anna J. Stewart, Arctic Pursuit, Blackwell Belles series, Coltons of Owl Creek series, Half Life Empire, Hawaiian Reunions series, Hunting Colton's Witness, McKenna Code series, Shami Stovall, Susan Lanigan, White Feathers 0 Comments

[Official Blurb] The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies. Link up once a week or once a month, you decide. Book haul can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books.. share them!

Enter your link on the post-

Sundays beginning at 12:01 am (CST) (link will be open all week)

Link back to this post or this blog

Visit others who have linked up

Read this week’s #TheSundayPost!

Happy Spring, dear hearts!

I’m hopeful for a renewal of reading this season,

and lots of wicked good stories on the horizon for me to read!

Jorie’s life behind the blog:

The *best!* moment I was able to share over the past week was celebrating my 12th Blogoversary – which manifested itself through a variety of posts – both on Jorie Loves A Story and on my #bookstagram posts via @joriestory3. The first post on Insta was simply announcing the blogoversary itself and acknowledging the last *12!* years I’ve been book blogging and socially bookish online. Whilst the second post was a BIG reveal of what I purchased as part of the celebration of the milestone 12th Year whilst getting a firm start on my plans to focus on serial fiction throughout 2025! It was one of the goals I revealled on the third post on Insta which was a ‘fond farewell’ to (2024) as well as a nod to my Cuppa Book Love Awards for (2024).

I had intended to read more this past week – however, the last few weeks have been emotionally over the top for Mum and I. As we’re navigating the current medical issues of my father’s whilst sorting out what the next steps are in his care plan. I had a lot of days where I was just too exhausted (mentally, physically and emotionally) to do much past eat a bit of dinner and watch some tv just to ‘relax’ and ‘unwind’ after a long day of working two separate shifts. The stories I knew would wait for me to return to them as I just didn’t have the capacity to soak into their worlds at that point in time.

I am hopeful as I can rest today and on Tuesday, I will be a bit more rejuvenated overall. There are still a lot of uncertainties about my Dad, but we knew that one day our lives were going to grow more complicated because of his medical issues eventually. Blessedly, my Dad is in good spirits despite what is going on and he still retains his humour which is something that gave us a good laugh when we were with him. Humour is the best medicine in life. As we navigate this new path in our lives, we’re simply taking it one day at a time and one week at a time. It is hard to look too far ahead right now and we’re simply thankful for the times we have with him. If it turns out this is our final season with Dad we’ll be there for each other and walk through the grief of his loss together. So far, we haven’t heard the results of the doctor’s enquiries into his health and medical issues – as for whichever reason we’ve been told that could take longer than we’d expect it too. *le sigh*

For now, we have a reprieve and we’re taking it day to day. It is all we can do.

In regard to my blog and readerly life:

I also missed a lot of the announcements being revealled for #WyrdAndWonder’s 7th Year – which is something I will be rectifying this week. My lovely co-hosts have been featuring their announcements in my absence whilst we’ve been happily planning out our theme: Nautical Fantasy which will be celebrated in a variety of ways this May.

Ari has a lovely Intro to Year 7 which also talks our buddy reads and book club pick
Annemieke has a great round-up of all things Wyrd And Wonder
Lisa happily announced our Nautical Fantasy Wyrd And Wonder
Imyril helps you chart your course into our 7th Year

I’ve been preplanning what I want to do this year and although, Nautical Fantasy interests me greatly – I only picked a handful of selections to read per the theme this year, as other stories of Fantasy are calling to me a bit more which I’ll be focusing on throughout the month. I look forward to sharing what those choices are and which stories I started last year (either during May or October, for #SpooktasticReads) which have made the cut to be finished this May, too.

Aside from the JOYS of Wyrd And Wonder, I’ve been having some wicked good #bookpost of late and I am happy to share the latest stories I’ve received from Ms Anna J. Stewart. She writes the Harlequin Heartwarming series Hawaiian Reunions and the Harlequin Romantic Suspense series Honour Bound – both of which I am in the process of reading. Some of those stories have already been featured on Jorie Loves A Story, too! Whilst she has a new series which picks up after Honour Bound, too.

Posted Sunday, 13 April, 2025 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, The Sunday Post

#BestBooksOf2024 Retrospective | The stories behind #JLASblog’s 11th Year whilst celebrating my 12th Blogoversary!

Posted Tuesday, 8 April, 2025 by jorielov (Narrator) Patricia Santomasso, A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, A.Y. Chan, Alexis Kossiakoff, Anna J. Stewart, D.J. Williams, Danielle Thorne, Heaven's Edge, Jennifer Silverwood, Jorie Loves A Story, Jorie Story, Prison Break Hostage, S.D. Henke, Scott Forbes Crawford, T. Kingfisher, The Auctioneer, The Beekeeper Next Door, The Heart of the Uni-verse, The Legendary Mo Seto, The Phoenix and the Firebird 4 Comments

The Questions for the 2020 End of the Year Survey are posted by Jaime @ the Perpetual Page Turner, who created this survey as a personal reflection of her year of bookish wanderings and readings, and never thought it would turn into a book blogosphere yearly event! I am thankful she encourages us all to participate even though over the past five years I haven’t had the best track record of joining in on the community in which she’s curated to share a summation of our readerly lives.

NOTE: I participated in this Survey in (2015) and (2020). I seemed to have skipped over the years betwixt and between then and now. I have plans to fill in those gaps but that is for another day. I also couldn’t find any updates from Jaime on her blog past (2021) which is why I kept the questions I had from (2020). She continued to blog but apparently did not continue with the survey itself.

*Please be Advised:*

This past year I read a heap less books than in years past where I would read upwards of over 150 to 200+ books. I read far less than most who focus on reading 50 books every year too. And, yet this year I was quite proud of the stories I did read and the joys they gave me as a reader. If you count all the stories I partially read – the year-end total would be *40*.

For a girl balancing two jobs – one of which is 40+ hours a week and trying to find the hours outside of work to focus on something less stressful – I consider (2024) a success! Especially as by Summer, 2024 I finally wrangled my own style of joining #bookstagram despite trying to join the community there in Autumn of (2023).

All things considered; it was a wonderfully wicked bookish year!

Be sure to brew yourself a cuppa joy as you sit, read and ponder which of my #BestOf2024Reads need to seriously become added to your own #TBR!

If you’ve filled something out like this survey (OR this actual one!) or a different kind of post altogether to summerise your readerly life in (2024) – be sure to share your link to your post(s) in the *threads below this post so I can take a gander at which stories | authors | series | genres joyfully intrigued, you throughout 2024! As I would like to expand my own TBR with the stories you’ve read yourself which could be a wicked good fit for me.

I have severely edited this survey to better reflect my last year as a book blogger and as a reader. Thereby, this survey is far shorter than in the years I originally filled it out and has a special section to celebrate my 12th Year as a Book Blogger as that truly was a milestone moment for me as a book blogger who’s struggled over the last few years to maintain her readerly life and bookish life online.

REMEMBER: if a story wasn’t my cuppa it could be one better suited for you and vice versa if you had a story which you felt fell short of your own expectations and might resonate with me better. Reading is subjective to our individual experiences within the stories themselves, and all our reactions are valid and important as they are markers of our readerly lives.

Let’s break this down a bit, shall we?

You can use this as a ‘preview guide’ of how to use my Story Vault. <— fully updated!

Posted Tuesday, 8 April, 2025 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, End of the Year Survey, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story

A #CloakAndDaggerChristmas this #CrimeFicFridays | Jorie returns to the Honour Bound series within the pages of “Prison Break Hostage” (Honour Bond series, Book 5) by Anna J. Stewart

Posted Friday, 20 December, 2024 by jorielov Anna J. Stewart, Harlequin Books, Honour Bound series, Prison Break Hostage 0 Comments

Previously, during #CrimeFicFridays,

I have featured the following Romantic Suspense novels by Anna J. Stewart:

I started this concentration in 2021 with the following reviews:
Undercover Heat and Colton on the Run

And continuing in 2022: Gone in the Night & Guarding His Midnight Mistress

I am hoping to read a few before the close of 2024 whilst continuing this series in 2025!

Acquired Book By: I have been actively reviewing for Ms Stewart as a member of her Review Team since 2021. My love her stories began with Return of the Blackwell Brothers – a Harlequin Heartwarming series. The Blackwells have several sequel series and it is a series I will be returning to reading in (2025). From there, I discovered her Butterfly Harbour series, the Honour Bound series and the Hawaiian Reunions series. Shifting into (2025) I will be reading her novels more often and thereby, will be sharing more reviews on behalf of her books as I resume the series I started and continue forward with them in the New Year.

I received a complimentary copy of “Prison Break Hostage” direct from the author Anna J. Stewart in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein. Per the badge at the end of this review, I am also a member of the author’s Review Team.

NOTE: All the Press Materials for this series (Honour Bound) were provided by the author, Ms Stewart for use on my blog. Whether she gifted me the books herself or whether I purchased them – as I asked if I could use them as I blog about this wonderfully lovely series.

On returning to this series two years after I found my footing within it.

You might be curious why I took a leave of absence from reading this lovely series – after I had not only become dearly attached to the characters within it, but I had become achingly hungry to read the next story in the series after I finished Guarding His Midnight Witness. For the fuller context of time behind the years, you’ll have to remember my father entered the hospital two years ago this November, 2024 and exited into long-term care. Aside from the upheaval that provided my family – I also was having issues with my chronic migraines and with my vision; until I realised at long last late last year I was in dire need of Progressive lenses and that, dear hearts changed my life this year. The glasses afforded me a return to reading without straining my eyes to read the words and without the fear of bringing on another migraine, too.

If all things were equal, I would have come back into this series earlier in (2024) – however, as it was overall a hard-won kind of year, I am returning now instead. I felt re-inspired over Summer to pick up the threads of my blog and my socially bookish chatterment online – especially via the portals of #bookstagram and BlueSky. The latter of which happily has a much larger book world community on it now than even before Spring! Whilst taking literary vacations into reading Spookified books in October (via #SpooktasticReads) and Space Opera in November (via #SciFiMonth) you could say I was primed to re-enter my wanderings into Mysteries, Suspense and Thrillers this December!

So much so, it sparked a renewal of interest to showcase a featured set of reviews for these lovely stories as I renew my joy of #CloakAndDaggerChristmas! Thereby, I might have lost a few years but not my love, appreciation and JOY of reading the Honour Bound series. I’m itching to share my reactions about this installment of the series and progressing forward into books six through eight!

a few notations about the series

from “guarding his midnight witness”:

There is a wicked enveloping of night in the opening pages of Guarding His Midnight Witness wherein you can feel the chill in the night air as much as the emptiness of walking the street alongside a seasoned detective. I’ve come to love how Stewart chooses to illuminate the scenes within her novels and when it comes to the Suspense ones in particular, it is how she tucks you close into a scene with her descriptive narrative which gives the best impression of ‘where’ she’s taking us both visually in the moment and throughout the length of the story. I especially appreciated in this installment how she elected to talk about the climate – how oppressive heat can change your mood and how welcome a cooler night is between Spring and Summer.

Jack McTavish is one of those kinds of blokes who doesn’t want someone else to tell him about his own story – on the level that, in this particular case, having suffered a greatly traumatic injury and has thus recovered from it (be sure to read the harrowing details at the end of Gone in the Night) – he doesn’t want others to treat him differently, walk on eggshells or even insinuate he’s half the bloke he was before the incident. He has a self-preserving grit about him which serves him well as a detective but he also has an internal strength and fortitude about him that means business; which is why he doesn’t like the effect of everyone’s supposed kindness towards him to sound as if it holds more pity than sympathy. You can immediately tell his state of mind but you can also recognise he’s a survivor – which is why seeing him back on the job questioning the call he was dispatched on felt good to see him back at what he loved to do.

Greta on the other hand was an artist with a sharp mind who just happened to stop Jack in his tracks so to speak on first meeting! I had a good smirk over how these two had instant chemistry even if they were meeting under more serious circumstances. I loved how ethereal Stewart penned Greta’s personality and presence in the scenes with Jack and Bowie (his short-term partner, whilst his partner is on holiday) as it evoked Old Hollywood and the artist eras of the past where creators like her could be isolated from society whilst they allowed their muses to find them. She was the kind of artist who appreciated being round people but she needed to find the solace and solitude away from them in order to create her art. I respected that and she was one of those characters you felt you could connect with as soon as she started to talk.

My favourite mysteries and suspense novels have one thing in common: interesting and beguiling characters who keep you turning the pages! In this instance, Greta is a no-nonsense kind of woman who feels it’s her duty to help Jack solve the mystery despite his best intentions of disentangling her from being so directly connected to his own case. The irony of course is that he too would like to stay in her constant company but for a different reason altogether which matched her own inclinations as well. It was definitely one of those meetings of the mind where despite the events which brought them together it was the connection, the instant bond and the chemistry they shared which meant more than the dangers lurking in the shadows. They were a wicked good match for each other especially since they shared something in common which united them: wounded souls with a desire to find the light and joy they felt was missing out of their lives.

Ooh my! The ending on this one – it truly eclipsed my heart because I was expecting a shocking surprise and I was given more than one by the time the story concluded! It was such a satisfying ending though – I didn’t want it to stop because I had become so connected to Jack and Greta! Theirs was one of those old-fashioned romances where neither of them felt they’d ever find someone and yet, their connection to each other was marred a bit by an evolving case and a crime which needed to be solved. Stewart pulls at your heart-strings with this one – from her capacity to write such an intricate and spellbinding psychological suspense to knitting a brilliantly lovely romance with two characters you’ll not soon forget. I ached to read more chapters of this one – hardly able to put it down even for an hour, much less a day whilst in the end, my heart cheered for Jack and Greta all over again. They truly had an incredible journey – one that only Stewart could have conceived and given us.

-quoted from my review of Guarding His Midnight Witness

The Honour Bound series:

NOTE: I personally spelt honor as *honour* however, if you follow the feeds socially or socially engage on platforms be sure to use the American spelling #HonorBound to find other readers who are sharing their bookish reactions to the series. I am only spelling it differently as I review it on my blog but note the official title all the same. For me, honor is honour but that’s just a personal quirk.

More than a Lawman (book one)

Reunited with the PI (book two)

Gone in the Night (book three) | (see also Review)

Guarding His Midnight Witness (book four) | (see also Review)

Prison Break Hostage (book five)

The PI’s Deadly Charade (book six)

Deadly Vegas Escape (book seven)

A Detective’s Deadly Secrets (book eight)

View the list and keep tabs on this series via Fantastic Fiction!

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

#CloakAndDaggerChristmas 2024

Posted Friday, 20 December, 2024 by jorielov in #cloakanddaggerchristmas, 21st Century, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Book Review (non-blog tour), Contemporary Romance, Crime Fiction, Modern Day, Post-911 (11th September 2001), Reading Challenges, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Suspense

#TheSundayPost | XIX | The STORIES are calling to me!

Posted Sunday, 11 August, 2024 by jorielov A.Y. Chan, Alexis Kossiakoff, Anna J. Stewart, Caleb Wygal, Clare Chase, D.J. Williams, Danielle Thorne, Death Washes Ashore, In Every Life, Rea Frey, Scott Forbes Crawford, The Antique Store Detective, The Beekeeper Next Door, The Legendary Mo Seto, The Phoenix and the Firebird 5 Comments

[Official Blurb] The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. This is your news post, so personalize it! Include as much as you want or as little. Be creative, it can be a vlog or just a showcase of your goodies. Link up once a week or once a month, you decide. Book haul can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books..share them!

Enter your link on the post-

Sundays beginning at 12:01 am (CST) (link will be open all week)

Link back to this post or this blog

Visit others who have linked up

Read this week’s #TheSundayPost!

Um, where did Jorie go?

I am sure you must be W O N D E R I N G

where did Jorie go and why has she been radio silent for most of Summer when she was off to such a wicked good start back in July?

Oy vie. Where to begin?

The long story short is Summer took a few left turns and twists when I least expected anything to happen at all. And, that is where life keeps you humble. I endured two work-related injuries between late June and early July; exactly a fortnight and a day apart from each other. Mind you, I never missed a day of work – except for the days in which I was injured as I had to leave early. I’m not one of those persons who believes their okay even if they feel their okay – I’d rather get that confirmed medically speaking than to risk something worse to afflict me lateron. Trust me if you would have asked me “Do you think you’ll ever have to use workman’s comp?” My ready answer a year ago in June would have been, “I don’t think I will.” Famous last words. I’ve used it three times – the first was in December, 2023. Oyy. Sometimes you get more lemons than lemonade in life, but it is how you adjust to those circumstances that determines how you get through them.

Shortly after I sustained my injuries I started to fill in for other coworkers – some were out on sick leave and others had things come up in life none of us can foresee or plan for ahead of time. I didn’t mind the OT or the extra hours – as I enjoy my work but of course, the downside was I had less time away from work and I had to ‘let go’ of my regular days off and return to having halves and quarters again. Something I changed after ten months of that kind of routine whilst balancing two jobs (one day, one night) and realising I was slowing burning out. You can’t always burn the candle at both ends and expect not to feel overly fatigued. Thus, despite the fact my injuries were on the more minor side of the ledger, they had their quirks in respect to healing. It took a long time to ‘feel’ like myself after both of them and even then, I treaded lightly at both jobs and took extra care to be mindful of my limitations.

Whilst that was happening, if I had any spare time off, I will be honest – I was asleep. I simply didn’t have the extra energy to read or blog or even sort out a quick update post for Insta. I was mentally exhausted as much as I was physically. Some weeks are just harder than others. This is why I’m blessed my hours are becoming my own again. I have my days ‘off’ restored and it feels good all round. I hadn’t realised the positive change it had in my life until I went back to the ‘old way’ of not having full days off. Oy. How I lasted those 10 months is anyone’s guess!

Ergo, my readerly queue of stories sort of stalled out. I was on such a positive road back into reading – I had three Christmas stories I wanted to read in July, too. I still intend to read them, but I’ve set them aside for now. I’ll eventually wind back round to them, though, don’t worry. I love a wicked good holiday read. This is why this particular Sunday I’m focusing on the two stories which have smitten me with curiosity and are being READ RIGHT NOW. Whilst adding a book to the queue to be read next, too.

I happily celebrated my blog’s 11th birthday on Insta sharing THIS POST on the 6th of August. It is hard to believe it has been 11 years this August since I first launched Jorie Loves A Story LIVE into the world. I recapped all the feels of this milestone on that post, too. Finding messages awaiting me to read throughout the day was beautiful and humbling, too. I am so dearly grateful for this journey I first undertook in 2013 and I am wicked happy to be continuing it now. The best way I know how to celebrate all my lovely milestones of this blog and of being socially bookish is to relate to you the gratitude and the JOY I’ve felt over the years – engaging with readers, book bloggers, authors and everyone else who chooses to be socially bookish. It is a wicked lovely community, and I am blessed to be a part of it.

What Jorie is currently reading:

The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan

The Phoenix and the Firebird by Alexis Kossiakoff and Scott Forbes Crawford

You might be curious what inspired the graphics I included on my collage graphic? Cats are cheekily one of the best mood lifters you can have in your life, and I have been blessed with cats my entire life. I currently have two lovely cats in my life, but I used to have a trio of cats who were once a quartet. Thereby the graphic was celebrating ALL the cats I’ve had as companions in fur at one point or another in my life. Whilst the coffee was a nudge and a nod to the fact over the score of Summer one of the comfort of joys, I’ve had lately was finding a coffeehouse who knows how to brew a wicked lovely Carmel Macchiato which is both soothing as it is uplifting. Whilst dragonflies for me are like butterflies – they represent Hope, New Beginnings and a turning of tides.

I have been reading The Legendary Mo Seto for a solid two months now! I first began reading the story when it arrived by post, and I shared a lovely snapshot of that JOY I felt when it arrived on Insta via THIS POST. Whilst it also popped up in my last #WWWednesday Post and on Insta as well. Yesterday, on my 11th blog’s birthday I made the most progress yet – aside from a few days of convalescing after my injuries as although I didn’t miss work, I had a blessed day off after both injuries and before I was starting to fill in for others. I didn’t want to rush reading the story – Mo is such a wicked new heroine in Middle Grade Fiction – you want to experience her life as she’s living it. Chan has such a refreshing voice too as a writer – her style of story is entertaining as it is imaginative. She has a way of merging the Mythological with the Martial Art Histories of China which leaves you wanting more and more of her vision of the story.

It is also rooted in a coming-of-age tale of a young girl who is just starting to find her own wings to fly into the world with confidence and moxie. To tackle the challenges of life and of growing up whilst remaining humble and kind along the journey, too. She has a fierce sidekick in her best friend Nacho and an interesting family dynamic and history – as a lot of her family is shrouded in secrets and her more immediate family isn’t oft involved in the storyline as it is focused on her choices and her journey rather than showcasing her parents and sibling. I know there is a reason for that as well but NO SPOILERS.

I have loved becoming lost in this story and travelling alongside Mo as we adventure after the unknown and try to root out the truths along the way, too. Expect to read my thoughts and reactions to this novel SOON. I am devouring it bit by bit and cannot wait to finally share my full thoughts on its behalf. I will especially be forever grateful the author found my book blog and gave me a chance to experience her story and become a cheerleader for Mo.
Read More

Posted Sunday, 11 August, 2024 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, The Sunday Post

#WWWednesday No. XX | My #SummerReads are off to a brilliant start!

Posted Thursday, 4 July, 2024 by jorielov A Home for the Twins, A.Y. Chan, Anna J. Stewart, Caleb Wygal, Clare Chase, Columbine's Tale, D.J. Williams, Danielle Thorne, Death Washes Ashore, J.S. Monroe, Prison Break Hostage, Rachel Nightingale, The Auctioneer, The Beekeeper Next Door, The Legendary Mo Seto, Their Surprise Wedding 0 Comments

I ♥ the premise of this meme {WWW Wednesdays} due to the dexterity it gives the reader! Smiles. Clearly subject to change on a weekly rotation, which may or may not lead to your ‘next’ read providing a bit of a paradoxical mystery to your readers!! Smiles. ♥ the brilliance of it’s concept!

This weekly meme was originally hosted by Should Be Reading who became A Daily Rhythm. Lovingly restored and continued by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Each week you participate, your keen to answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading!?
What did you recently finish reading!?
What do you think you’ll read next!?

After which, your meant to click over to THIS WEEK’s WWWWednesday to share your post’s link so that the rest of the bloggers who are participating can check out your lovely answers! Score! Perhaps even, find other bloggers who dig the same books as you do! I thought it would serve as a great self-check to know where I am and the progress I am hoping to have over the next week!

Join the Convo via: #WWWWednesday on all socials

Follow the host via Bookstagram!

Hallo, Hallo Summer!

With such a hard start to my reading this year,

Summer is proving to be the season of renewing my bookish life. I’m off to a brilliant start, too and I can’t wait to share with you all the lovely stories which are happily being consumed!

For those who have been following my readerly adventures on Jorie Loves A Story for the better part of the last decade (can you BELIEVE this is my 11th year of book blogging?) — you know, I am typically the girl who DEVOURS stories – in all shapes and sizes – as well as floating between print and audiobook (at least since 2016!). And, yet, for the last few years my readerly life has suffered quite a bit and my blogging life has dwindled down quite a heap as well. A lot of those changes are credited to IRL challenges and adversities – as well as a lot of LIFE happening behind the blog, too.

To my credit, I haven’t lost the interest to read but rather circumstances have prevented me from reading for most of [2023 and 2024] which was explained in quite a lot of detail on #TheSundayPost. As I start to sort out where I want to resume my readings and listenings – I decided the best way was to start with small goals and ideally move forward into a long-term goal of mine which has been to focus on #MyYASummer (ie. stories featuring YA stories across genres interesting me to read) whilst adding in some wicked good Middle Grade stories, too. As I will be curating a particular concentration of stories – it will be a Summer of new discoveries and reading the stories I’ve ached to read for quite a long time now. While at the same time, I have other stories I’ve slated to be read before Summer ends – from Romance to Thrillers to Mysteries and a lot of lovely routes of genre betwixt and between!

Ideally I’d like to think I can maintain updating my readings through weekly #WWWednesdays but if I happen to miss a week or two, just know I’m still sorting out the balance between work and life outside of work. Laughs. I am sure I am not alone in that quest! Oy. Today I felt I’d start by focusing on the fact I have two new reviews up on my blog and more are coming soon (maybe even before the close of the weekend?!) into next week, too. Here’s to find my way back into STORIES and happily enjoying regenerating new chapters of engagement both on my blog and on my #bookstagram feeds, too.

What Jorie is currently reading:

The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y. Chan

The Beekeeper Next Door by Danielle Thorne

Death Washes Ashore by Caleb Wygal
(Myrtle Beach Mysteries, Book Two) (see also Review of Book One)

I’ve been happily receiving some lovely offers of review consideration recently on my blog and one of those lovely authors who reached out to me was Ms Chan. She has written a wicked lovely Middle Grade novel called: The Legendary Mo Seto about a a young girl who is a new heroine to adventure after as we pursue the truths of her family and how much courage it takes to overcome any challenge that crosses your path. She’s into martial arts which interested me as I am as well IRL though I haven’t pursued it in a long time. I loved the sound of the novel and although I initially started reading it as soon as it arrived in early June, between work and my injury, I lost hours to continue reading it until now. I can’t wait to dive back in as I know it will be read in a few sittings as its wicked good! Be sure to watch for my review forthcoming over the next week. I also announced this lovely new book via #bookstagram.
Read More

Posted Thursday, 4 July, 2024 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Memes, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, WWW Wednesdays