Tag: Baker Publishing Group

An #INSPYSundays #CloakAndDaggerChristmas Book Review | “Counter Attack” (Book One: Pearl River series) by Patricia Bradley

Posted Sunday, 2 February, 2025 by jorielov Baker Publishing Group, Counter Attack, Patricia Bradley, Pearl River series, Revell 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: In February, (2023) I was one of the lucky Early Reviewers to receive a copy of “Counter Attack” by Patricia Bradley from LibraryThing. I have been trying to participate regularly in the ER programme via LibraryThing over the years without success. I was re-attempting to start my journey with the ER programme in (2023) but for whichever reason, I found the book languishing on my shelves to be read rather than getting into the storyline and finishing the book. My mind was distracted by life and work and just a hodgepodge of reasons truly which led to this book getting pushed forward over the last few years. I decided to begin anew in the New Year of 2025 and resume where I left off with both the book and the programme.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of “Counter Attack” direct from the publisher Revell 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 LibraryThing Early Reviewer Programme. All promo materials for this novel were provided by the publisher and are used with permission.

On why I love reading Contemporary INSY Suspense:

I never meant to be so distanced from reading “Counter Attack” these past few years – as soon as I received the novel, I was anxious to read it. Contemporary INSPY (ie. Inspirational, Christian) Suspense novels is a sub-interest and focus I love in Lit. I share this affinity for these stories with my Mum. Of whom we’re both equally addicted to Love Inspired Suspense. I read a healthy amount of mainstream Suspense & Thrillers too, alongside Cosies (ie. both Contemporary & Historical) as well – but, what has me tucking back into the INSPY side of the bookshelf is how wickedly the authors are writing the stories with an uplifting centre in the heart of their stories. These are the faith-based stories in the genre and ones that I appreciate reading.

Authors I have come to love for INSPY Suspense are Dee Henderson (the original storyteller I was introduced to in this genre of interest), Lynette Eason, Laura Scott, Elizabeth Goddard and Lenora Worth to name a few. Each of these lovely authors write convicting storylines with the light of faith as the backbone of their stories and styles. I love being on pins & needles reading INSPY Contemporary Suspense novels but knowing that there is a line in the sand that won’t be crossed, too. As sometimes mainstream Contemporary Suspense (or Thrillers) can push me a bit past the envelope of what I can handle as a reader. This is why I am particularly particular about the kinds of Suspense & Thrillers I read as a reader.

More recently, on the mainstream side it was D.J. Williams with his The Auctioneer (see also Review) who dearly impressed me with his style of narrative and emotional rollercoaster he took me on!

With the INSPY side of Suspense, I know I am going to be in for a chilling read but that there are certain limits within where I will go with the story and sometimes, for me as a reader those limits are warranted. Especially as I have a lot of IRL stress with double-stacked jobs (night and day) and in my down hours it is nice to curl into a story which I know might leave me on the edge of my seat but it won’t leave me shattered. There is a wonderful JOY in reading a story that gives you a wicked good Suspense but one that promises to sprinkle in enough Hope and Light that leaves you uplifted by the end of the story.

When I first received “Counter Attack” the sequel “Fatal Witness” wasn’t published and I honestly never knew it existed until now. Imagine my surprise finding out the third novel released this past November?! I have both of those novels on my #mustbuy list to continue reading the Pearl River series.

As I was trying to say, I never meant to leave such a long gap of time between receiving “Counter Attack” and reading it. Nor did I intend to leave an absence from my participation in the LibraryThing ER programme as a result of not reading this in a more timely manner. I do want to give a shout-out to Abigail Adams and her kind courtesies of response to my messages about my lack of participation in the programme these past few years. With this review I am resuming my participation and becoming active once again.

Counter Attack
Subtitle: A Pearl River Novel
by Patricia Bradley
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewer Programme

Her next move just might be her last

No sooner has Alexis Stone been sworn in as the interim chief deputy for Russell County, Tennessee, than a serial killer dubbed the Queen's Gambit Killer strikes again--this time in her hometown. Pearl Springs is just supposed to be a temporary stop along the way to Alex's real dream: becoming the first female police chief of Chattanooga. But the killer's calling card--a white pawn and a note with a chess move printed on it--cannot be ignored.

Pearl Springs chief of police Nathan Landry can't believe that his high school sweetheart Alexis (he refuses to call her Alex) is back in town, and he can't help wanting to protect the woman he never stopped loving. But as the danger mounts and the killer closes in, can Nathan come through on the promise he makes to himself to bring a killer to justice before it's too late?

Genres: Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945), Crime Fiction, Suspense, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Romantic Suspense

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780800741624

Published by Revell

on 16th May, 2023

Format: Paperback ARC

Pages: 378

Published by: Revell (@RevellBooks)
an imprint of Baker Publishing Group

Converse via: #RomanticSuspenseBooks, #RomanticSuspenseReaders
and/or #ChristianFiction and #ChristianRomance

Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
and Hardcover for Books 1-2

The Pearl River series:

Counter Attack (Book One) – May, 2023

Fatal Witness (Book Two) – February, 2024

*brings the focus back to K-9 officer Mark Lassiter

Deadly Revenge (Book Three) – November, 2024

About Patricia Bradley

Patricia Bradley is the author of the Pearl River, Natchez Trace Park Rangers, Memphis Cold Case, and Logan Point series. Bradley is the winner of an Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, a Selah Award, and a Daphne du Maurier Award; she was a Carol Award finalist; and three of her books were included in anthologies that debuted on the USA Today bestseller list. She makes her home in Mississippi.

Photo Credit: © Noel Potts

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

#CloakAndDaggerChristmas 2024

Posted Sunday, 2 February, 2025 by jorielov in #cloakanddaggerchristmas, 21st Century, ARC | Galley Copy, Contemporary Thriller, Crime Fiction, Fly in the Ointment, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Life Shift, Modern Day, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Small Towne Fiction, Small Towne USA, Southeastern USA

Blog Book Tour | feat. The Blackstone Legacy series by Elizabeth Camden

Posted Saturday, 4 February, 2023 by jorielov (Narrator) Pilar Witherspoon, Baker Publishing Group, Bethany House Publishers, Carved in Stone, Elizabeth Camden, Hearts of Steel, Recorded Books, Written on the Wind 0 Comments

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! HFVBTs is one of the very first touring companies I started working with as a 1st Year Book Blogger – uniting my love and passion with Historical Fiction and the lovely sub-genres inside which I love devouring. It has been a wicked fantastical journey into the heart of the historic past, wherein I’ve been blessed truly by discovering new timescapes, new living realities of the persons who once lived (ie. Biographical Historical Fiction) inasmuch as itched my healthy appetite for Cosy Historical Mysteries! If there is a #HistRom out there it is generally a beloved favourite and I love soaking into a wicked wonderful work of Historical Fiction where you feel the beauty of the historic world, the depth of the characters and the joyfulness in which the historical novelists brought everything to light in such a lovingly diverse palette of portraiture of the eras we become time travellers through their stories.

I received a complimentary copy of “Hearts of Steel” direct from the publisher Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. The Digital Audiobook copy of Carved in Stone” and “Written on the Wind” were available via my library’s CloudLibrary. My ruminations on behalf of the audiobooks (books one and two) are being shared for my own edification and to help introduce my readers to the series overall whilst sharing my own journey in its discovery. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I wanted to read this series:

When I first started blogging, I was going to set out to read new authors of INSPY Lit I hadn’t had the pleasure of reading previously. It was through my visitations with Casey Herringshaw’s blog which inspired the list I had developed of seeking out new and established INSPY authors who were drawing the eye of book bloggers like Ms Herringshaw and readers alike. It was through reading her blog rather extensively I found the list which was then developed in the final #70AuthorsChallenge. Uniquely, Elizabeth Camden happens to be the 67th author out of my original #70AuthorsChallenge List – as I disclosed ahead of reading her Empire State series.

What I hadn’t realised is that I had uncovered another intriguing saga to read whilst I start to shift back into the O’ Connors saga by Julie Lessman. I have had a firm penchant for INSPY dramatic Historical Fiction (ie. sagas, series, and multi-generational quartets or trilogies) and it always a wicked wonderful day when I realise I can settle into a trilogy and/or saga which is beautifully layered and dearly engrossing! As soon as I put on my headphones and began to listen to ‘Carved in Stone’ the first novel of the Blackstone Legacy series, I found myself smitten with the narrator and completely entranced with the developing story Camden had written.

She has a wonderful way of developing the momentum of a series early-on whilst grounding us through an engaging narrative that propels us forward and leaves us itching for more details. Those wordsmirths like Camden give me a wicked good read and I am grateful that my library had the first two novels in audiobook – allowing me to gain a foothold into the series before I moved into the last installment which is being highlighted on this lovely blog tour: “Hearts of Steel”.

Originally, I had planned to listen to both the first and second novel in full ahead of reading the third novel in print; however, the hours kept erasing themselves off the clock this past week as I had to double-down on my work hours (ie. double shifts) whilst dealing with an issue with our car and recovering from a charley horse yesterday as well as a small bout of illness that was most unwelcome and ill-timed! I decided to re-shape the context of my post for the blog tour and discuss what I enjoyed within the first moments of all three novels whilst leaving the door open for when I can resume my listening of the series and complete my joys of feeling anchoured in the Blackstone Legacy series overall.

I hope my shortened ruminations might tempt you to check out the series for yourself – or encourage you to take a look at some of Camden’s other stories and series as well. This is the second time I’ve had the chance to read one of her series on a blog tour and I am most grateful for being included on the tour – despite failing to post within the original time-line of the tour itself. I missed it by a day and I regret that but am full of appreciation to the publisher for sending me ‘Hearts of Steel’ as much as I am for being included on the tour list by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.

Hearts of Steel
by Elizabeth Camden
Source: Publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Eloise Drake's prim demeanor hides the turbulent past she believes is finally behind her. A mathematical genius, she's now a successful accountant for the largest engineering project in 1908 New York. But to her dismay, her new position puts her back in the path of the man responsible for her deepest heartbreak.

Alex Duval is the mayor of a town about to be wiped off the map. The state plans to flood the entire valley where his town sits in order to build a new reservoir, and Alex is stunned to discover the woman he once loved on the team charged with the demolition. With his world crumbling around him, Alex devises a risky plan to save his town--but he needs Eloise's help to succeed.

Alex is determined to win back the woman he thought he'd lost forever, but even their combined ingenuity may not be enough to overcome the odds against them.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Historical Romance

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: ‎978-0764238451

Also by this author: A Dangerous Legacy

Published by Bethany House Publishers

on 17th January, 2023

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 336

The Blackstone Legacy series:

Carved in Stone (book one)

Written on the Wind (book two)

Hearts of Steel (book three)

Published by: Bethany House Publishers (@bethany_house)

an imprint of Baker Publishing Group

Formats Available: Hardback, Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook

Converse via: #HistoricalFiction or #HistFic and #HistRom

#INSPYRomance + #INSPY or #INSPYBooks

About Elizabeth Camden

Elizabeth Camden is the author of twelve historical novels and two historical novellas and has been honored with both the RITA Award and the Christy Award. With a master's in history and a master's in library science, she is a research librarian by day and scribbles away on her next novel by night. She lives with her husband in Florida.

Posted Saturday, 4 February, 2023 by jorielov in #25PagePreview, 19th Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Brothers and Sisters, Family Drama, Family Life, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction | Non-Fiction, New York City, Romance Fiction, the Gilded Age

Author Interview | Conversing with Rachel Fordham about her #HistRom “A Lady in Attendance”

Posted Tuesday, 2 November, 2021 by jorielov A Lady in Attendance, Baker Publishing Group, Rachel Fordham, Revell 1 Comment

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I have a lovely surprise for you! I had the chance to converse with Ms Fordham about her latest Historical Romance “A Lady in Attendance” – which as you know, I’ve recently have read and shared a review of during the blog tour happily hosted by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours! I have missed hosting guest features this year on Jorie Loves A Story and I am hopeful I’ll be able to host a few more before the close of 2021. Interviews and guest posts give me the chance to dig a bit deeper into the stories which either interest me to read or have left me musefully happy to contemplate the meanings behind the stories I’ve read.

Today’s featured author is one I was quite anxious to read for the past few years and I am wicked grateful I was able to become introduced to her style for this tour. She happily answered my questions and gave keen insight into how she approached writing the story – both for the historical accuracy and backdrop of inserting dentistry and the women who were hired by them in the context of the storyline. I also found it quite interesting how this slow brewing romance dipped into the waters of Romantic Suspense and how that turn in the text was influenced by early readers who helped guide her towards the conclusion we all have today.

There is a quiet resonance of life and friendship in how Fordham approached writing about Hazel and Gilbert. Theirs isn’t a traditional friendship in the sense they had sought out each other and/or were willing to develop a relationship – platonic, romantic or otherwise – as theirs was a working relationship which seemed to bridge itself into a friendship whilst the two of them hadn’t quite noticed it happening. Fordham changes the lens of the story from Hazel to Gilbert – shifting our perspectives and giving us a more insightful pause on how each of her characters are observing each other. In that way, Fordham has found a lovely way to pace this story – as given Hazel’s determined choice not to reveal her past and Gilbert’s insecurity with being around a woman whose confident in her own right – it allowed for a story to find its own voice and cadence in the simpler moments which so oft go overlooked.

Fordham allowed Gilbert, Hazel and dear lovely Ina to guide us into their story bit by bit. They were each trying to find a way to walk into a future on their own terms but with the fears everyone has at some point in their lives. About what kind of future was waiting for them – if they would find someone to walk through life with and if they had, would that person see them and accept just as they are without putting a condition on that acceptance? Fordham knitted into the background of the story a pulse of faith and fortitude for her characters; as she gently lets them mention their walk in faith as much as how they leant on their faith to move forward in life. None more than Hazel though of whom was battling through the regret and judgements which she herself had cast against her own character.

This was unexpectedly both a Historical Romance and a Historical Romantic Suspense novel – wherein, towards the final quarter of the novel, Fordham shifted the main focus from a #HistRom to a Historical Suspense novel which took root out of Hazel’s past and led us into a complicated web which was quite the arduous task to unravel. It was how she choose to use certain characters to become the truth-tellers in this story and how unexpected characters you hadn’t put too much weight on to do the right thing – were the ones who championed justice in the end. It just proved that all the characters you are introduced too in the story have more than one purpose and reiterated the messages of faith and a fortitude of forgiveness throughout the story.

-quoted from my review of A Lady in Attendance

I am hopeful those who are following the tour will enjoy this conversation as much as others who regularly read my blog and visit with me as I share my readerly life. Now, without further adieu – let’s get into the conversation, shall we!?

A Lady in Attendance
by Rachel Fordham
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Five years in a New York state reformatory have left a blemish on Hazel’s real name. So when she takes a job as Doctor Gilbert Watts’s lady in attendance in 1898, she does so under an alias. In the presence of her quiet and pious employer, Hazel finds more than an income. She finds a friend and a hope that if she can set her tarnished past in order, she might have a future after all.

As Gilbert becomes accustomed to the pleasant chatter of his new dental assistant, he can’t help but sense something secretive about her. Perhaps there is more to this woman than meets the eye. Can the questions that loom between them ever be answered? Or will the deeds of days gone by forever rob the future of its possibilities?

Rachel Fordham pens a tender tale of a soft-spoken man, a hardened woman, and the friends that stand by them as they work toward a common purpose–to expunge the record of someone society deemed beyond saving–and perhaps find love along the way.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction

Places to find the book:

ISBN: 978-0800739737

Also by this author: A Lady in Attendance

Published by Revell

on 1st June, 2021

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 352

The novels of Rachel Fordham:

The Hope of Azure Springs (2018)

Yours, Truly Thomas *I won a copy! (2019)

A Life Once Dreamed (2020)

A Lady in Attendance (2021)

Published by: Revell (@RevellBooks)

an imprint of Baker Publishing Group

Converse via: #INSPY, #HistFic or #HistoricalFiction and #HistRom/#HistoricalRomance,
and/or #ChristianFiction, #INSPYRomance and #INSPYbooks,
+ #RachelFordham and #HFVBT

Available Formats: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Tuesday, 2 November, 2021 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Reader Submitted Author Interview

A #HistoricalMondays blog tour | feat. #INSPY Historical novelist Rachel Fordham with her novel “A Lady in Attendance”

Posted Monday, 25 October, 2021 by jorielov A Lady in Attendance, Baker Publishing Group, Rachel Fordham, Revell 1 Comment

What I have been thankful for all these years since 2013 is the beautiful blessing of discovering new areas of Historical History to explore through realistically compelling Historical narratives which put me on the front-lines of where History and human interest stories interconnect. It has also allowed me to dive deeper into the historic past and root out new decades, centuries and millenniums to explore. For this and the stories themselves which are part of the memories I cherish most as a book blogger I am grateful to be a part of the #HFVBTBlogTours blogger team.

I received a complimentary copy of “A Lady in Attendance” by the author Rachel Fordham in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On what drew my curious eye towards this novel:

Last year, I was attempting to read Yours Truly, Thomas wherein I realised the story was linked to the first novel Fordham released The Hope of Azure Springs. I believe only in setting rather than a forwarding of characters/storylines, however, the ways in which I was able to receive a copy of her sophomore release is through my participation in the 2019 Christian Fiction Reading Safari which was hosted by Singing Librarian Books – as referenced on my 2020 participation announcement. The three years I joined the readathon, I was able to ‘win’ books by INSPY publishers and authors; both traditionally published and independently published which was a lot of wicked fun! I was able to expand my knowledge of the INSPY markets whilst getting the chance to become introduced to new and/or emerging writers of INSPY Lit.

I’ve previously disclosed throughout my eight years of blogging on Jorie Loves A Story, I’ve been a hybrid reader of INSPY and mainstream literature the full of my life as a reader. I regularly visited Christian bookstores as much as I ducked into independent bookstores and other big box chain bookstores or the occasional mall bookshop, too! I hung out in libraries too which of course inspired my tagline of my blog’s title! Laughs. INSPY Lit has always been a mainstay in my life and is eagerly sought out alongside all my mainstream haunts in literature.

Although I read all genres which interest me as a reader, when it comes to INSPY – I tend to weave through Contemporary and Historical Romances the most! Unless I’m reading INSPY Suspense from Love Inspired — I predominately love exploring the romantic stories the INSPY writers are writing through both historical and contemporary settings and timescapes in History. These are generally gentler reads unless they are delving into more realistic storylines which are openly honest in their presentations and give a truly reckoning of insight into the topics and subjects they’ve approached to explore within the wider realm of INSPY.

I appreciate both approaches and within A Lady in Attendance – I was curiously hopeful to find a bit of both sprinkled throughout the story. Where I could hug close to a gently told slow burn romance but with the beauty of a realistic story about one woman’s determination to make a go of her life after she felt she might have been robbed of a future after circumstances she could not change but had to leave in the past as she embarked forward. She wanted to change her future by choosing her present course and there is a lot of soulful grit in that choice and I knew this was a story I wanted to read from that small glimpse of her character in the synopsis. I like to feel inspired before I read a story and finding a story about personal redemption and a will to succeed in spite of circumstances is definitely a keen story I want to explore and see told.

A Lady in Attendance
by Rachel Fordham
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Five years in a New York state reformatory have left a blemish on Hazel’s real name. So when she takes a job as Doctor Gilbert Watts’s lady in attendance in 1898, she does so under an alias. In the presence of her quiet and pious employer, Hazel finds more than an income. She finds a friend and a hope that if she can set her tarnished past in order, she might have a future after all.

As Gilbert becomes accustomed to the pleasant chatter of his new dental assistant, he can’t help but sense something secretive about her. Perhaps there is more to this woman than meets the eye. Can the questions that loom between them ever be answered? Or will the deeds of days gone by forever rob the future of its possibilities?

Rachel Fordham pens a tender tale of a soft-spoken man, a hardened woman, and the friends that stand by them as they work toward a common purpose–to expunge the record of someone society deemed beyond saving–and perhaps find love along the way.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction

Places to find the book:

ISBN: 978-0800739737

Also by this author: A Lady in Attendance

Published by Revell

on 1st June, 2021

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 352

The novels of Rachel Fordham:

The Hope of Azure Springs (2018)

Yours, Truly Thomas *I won a copy! (2019)

A Life Once Dreamed (2020)

A Lady in Attendance (2021)

Published by: Revell (@RevellBooks)

an imprint of Baker Publishing Group

Converse via: #INSPY, #HistFic or #HistoricalFiction and #HistRom/#HistoricalRomance,
and/or #ChristianFiction, #INSPYRomance and #INSPYbooks,
+ #RachelFordham and #HFVBT

Available Formats: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook

About Rachel Fordham

Rachel Fordham has long been fascinated by all things historical or in the words of her children “old stuff”. Often the historical trivia she discovers is woven into her children’s bedtime tales. Despite her love for good stories she didn’t attempt writing a novel until her husband challenged her to do so (and now she’s so glad he did). Since that time she’s often been found typing or researching while her youngest child naps or frantically writing plot twists while she waits in the school pick-up line. In addition to her passion for storytelling she enjoys reading, being outdoors and seeing new places. Rachel lives with her husband and children on an island in Washington state.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Monday, 25 October, 2021 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

An #INSPY Christmas Novella Spotlight with Notes | featuring “An Ivy Hill Christmas” (Tales from Ivy Hill series, Book 3.5) by Julie Klassen

Posted Friday, 18 December, 2020 by jorielov An Ivy Hill Christmas, Baker Publishing Group, Bethany House Publishers, Julie Klassen, Tales from Ivy Hill, The Bride of Ivy Green, The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill, The Ladies of Ivy Cottage 0 Comments

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I am unsure if I’ve blogged about my curiosity over Julie Klassen’s novels – I know I might have winked a bit about them during this year’s Christian Fiction Reading Safari in August – as I was seriously attempting to read my first Klassen novel *then!* – however, something has always distracted me and/or left me questioning which of her novels I need to be reading ‘first’ to where I have not made any progress at all in reading her collective works!! I wanted to change this sad fate of mine as she’s an author I’ve been following in the book blogosphere since a year before I became a book blogger (ie. 2012) as much as I have appreciated her guest posts, interviews and other interactions she gives to her readers whilst being a follower of hers on Twitter, too!

When I first learnt about “An Ivy Hill Christmas” – it was when this particular blog tour had been originally announced. I thought, hmm. This might be a good time to dive back into a Klassen novel and/or series – I especially love *Christmas stories* and at the time, I couldn’t discern if this was a novella which ‘fit into the series’ already established in the trilogy of stories released and/or if it was an extension of the series itself wherein new/old characters would be populating the storyline. It took some digging – both on Ms Klassen’s website, her group author’s blog (?) and a random search which led me onto a short Q&A (courtesy of Family Fiction) which revealled the truth! This is a novella within the series and it recaptures the series as it has already become established and thus, moves it forward – thereby, I anchoured this as Book 3.5 as it is a continuation of what was already established and follows suit after the third novel.

I originally borrowed a print copy of The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill thinking it would be an easier way for me to read the story – best laid plans, eh? – however, I quickly amended those plans and borrowed it via audiobook digitally via my local library’s CloudLibrary instead! Whilst I also borrowed An Ivy Hill Christmas – I wasn’t in enough time to provide a proper review today, though if you’re familiar with my #25PagePreview posts time after time on Jorie Loves A Story, I think you might get a hoot of a kick out of how I’ve assembled this spotlighted feature for the blog tour with Love Books Tours!

I must confess, this spotlight is arriving late in the night on my day of the blog tour because I misplaced the tour materials and the ‘date’ my spotlight was meant to run! After a seriously long week, I settled into sorting out my blog with some Christmas Coffeehouse songs via #Spotify and tucked into how I could ring out a post about Ivy Hill even if I had to forego the schedule for the tour as I honestly couldn’t sort out where my materials had gone off too! Then, right at the point I thought all was lost – I found everything I needed in two key places – Baker Publishing and a short scribbled note which revealled the 18th was my day! *whew!*

An Ivy Hill Christmas
Subtitle: A Tales from Ivy Hill Novella
by Julie Klassen
Source: Borrowed from local library's CloudLibrary

Spend a festive Christmas in the English village of Ivy Hill, as divine hope, friendship, and unexpected romance work their magic. . . .

Richard Brockwell, the younger son of Ivy Hill's most prominent family, hasn't been home for Christmas in years. He prefers to live in the London townhouse, far away from Brockwell Court, the old family secret that haunts him, and the shadows of his past mistakes. But then his mother threatens to stop funding his carefree life--unless he comes home for Christmas. Out of options, he sets out for Ivy Hill, planning to be back on a coach bound for London and his unencumbered bachelor life as soon as the festivities are over.

But Christmas in the country presents many surprises, including encounters with an orphaned apprentice, the first love he disappointed years ago, and Arabella Awdry, a young lady who is far more appealing than he recalled--and determined to have nothing to do with him.

Will Christmastime in Ivy Hill, with its village charm, kissing boughs, and joyous songs, change his heart . . . and hers as well?

Genres: Christmas Story &/or Christmas Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780764233807

Published by Bethany House Publishers

on 1st September, 2020

Format: Audiobook | Digital

Length: 7 hours and 35 minutes (unabridged)

Tales of Ivy Hill series:

The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill (book one)

Welcome to the English village of Ivy Hill,
where friendships thrive, romance blossoms, and mysteries await. . . .

The lifeblood of the village of Ivy Hill is its coaching inn, The Bell. When the innkeeper dies suddenly, his genteel wife, Jane Bell, becomes the reluctant landlady. Jane has no idea how to manage a business, but with the town’s livelihood at stake and a large loan due, she must quickly find a way to save the inn.

Despite their strained relationship, Jane turns to her resentful mother-in-law, Thora, for help. Formerly mistress of The Bell, Thora is struggling to overcome her losses and find purpose for the future. As she works with Jane, two men from her past vie for her attention, but Thora has promised herself never to marry again. Will one of them convince her to embrace a second chance at love?

As pressure mounts from the bank, Jane employs new methods, and puzzles over the intentions of several men who seem to have a vested interest in the place, including a mysterious newcomer with secret plans of his own. With the help of friends old and new, can Jane restore life to the inn, and to her empty heart as well?

The Ladies of Ivy Hill (book two)

Return to Ivy Hill as friendships deepen, romances blossom, and mysteries unfold . . .

A gentlewoman in reduced circumstances, Miss Rachel Ashford lives as a guest in Ivy Cottage. With her meager funds rapidly depleting, she is determined to earn her own livelihood . . . somehow. Her friend Jane Bell and the other village women encourage her to open a circulating library with the many books she’s inherited from her father. As villagers donate additional books and Rachel begins sorting through the volumes, she discovers mysteries hidden among them. A man who once broke her heart helps her search for clues, but both find more than they bargained for.

Rachel’s hostess, Mercy Grove, has given up thoughts of suitors and finds fulfillment in managing her girls school. So when several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes pretty Miss Ashford is the cause. Exactly what–or whom–has captured each man’s attention? The truth may surprise them all.

The Bride of Ivy Green (book three)

Come home to Ivy Hill, where friendship endures, romance triumphs,
and mysteries are revealed in this eagerly anticipated conclusion. . . .

Spring is in the air . . . and change is too. Mercy Grove has lost her girls’ school and is resigned to life as a spinster, especially as the man she admires is out of reach. She contemplates leaving Ivy Cottage to become a governess–a decision with consequences she never imagined.

Meanwhile, her friend Jane Bell is facing a difficult decision of her own. Should she accept Gabriel Locke even if it means giving up her inn and destining another man to a childless marriage?

When a secretive new dressmaker arrives in the village, Mercy, Jane, and the other ladies of Ivy Hill attempt to befriend her, but they soon suspect she isn’t who she claims to be.

Together, the women of Ivy Hill look forward to one wedding, but surprises lie in store and dearly held dreams may yet come true.

An Ivy Hill Christmas (book 3.5)

Published by: Bethany House Publishers (@bethany_house)
an imprint of Baker Publishing Group

Available Formats: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook

Converse via: #INSPY #HistoricalFiction or #HistFic as well as #ChristmasRomance
as well as #JulieKlassen, #HolidayReads or #ChristmasReads and #INSPYRomance

About Julie Klassen

Julie Klassen Photo Credit: © Farrow Media

Julie Klassen (www.julieklassen.com) loves all things Jane--Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. Her books have sold over a million copies, and she is a three-time recipient of the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Secret of Pembrooke Park was honored with the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie has also won the Midwest Book Award and Christian Retailing's BEST Award and has been a finalist in the RITA and Carol Awards. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.

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Posted Friday, 18 December, 2020 by jorielov in 19th Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Historical Romance, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Love Books Tours, Sampler Chapters &/or Excerpt of Novel, the Regency era