Tag: Marry for Love

#MidnightChocLit No.4 | “Marry For Love” by Christina Courtenay

Posted Saturday, 31 December, 2016 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

#MidnightChocLit banner created by Jorie in Canva. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

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 “Marry for Love” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

#MidnightChocLit No.4: by the PNR & #HistRom author I love to read

Two of my TY dolls & #PocketChocLit. Book Photography Credit: Jorie of jorielovesastory.com.

Here’s what I’m thinking: if a witch & a vampire find true love – then surely the rest of us should be able too, as well, eh!? Cheeky snapshot of two of my favourite TY dolls, plus a bit of DIY creative decorating on my part with their chair done years ago in my early twenties.

Meet Rose & Dougray!

I’ve loved collecting dolls since I was quite a young girl – all kinds of dolls, from Cabbage Patch Kids to collectable dolls, to the TY dolls you see here – I believe they were called Boppers? I’m slightly forgetting their proper names, but I re-named them all the same! I have several outfits I can switch-out for both of them too, even though one day I’d rather sew my own clothes for all my (teddy) bears and dolls, so that as the seasons change so too can I seasonally represent my doll collection!

When I was thinking about the title for this particular ChocLit Novella, I no sooner than thought straight-away about how I found Rose & Dougray; as Rose came first and I found Dougray out of state whilst on a road trip wherein I saw “The Nutcracker” for the first time. Honestly, I just had a good feeling about the pair and similar to how you find companions for your dearly loved cats, sometimes you know when two dolls will make quite the match! Now, comparatively – Dougray is quite smaller in statue to Rose, which of course made me immediately think about my great-grandparents of whom were fondly known in my family for having a height difference but of not allowing that particular difference to matter in affairs of the heart!

I personally love period fashions and period dramas – I grew up reading a hearty array of Regency & Victorian Romance novellas and novels intermixed with my ready array of mysteries (a la Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and good ole Agatha Christie!), the Baby-Sitter’s Club, The Saddle Club and Classical Children’s Lit such as “Five Cousins” and other contemporaries for my elementary age. I loved disappearing into the Regency & Victorian ages of England the most – and to this day, my fondness for both eras remains steadfast!

I think this is one reason why delving further into #HistRom as a thirty-something book blogger is such a wicked sweet blast of joy! I get to visit new centuries of curiosity and new realms of where a Historical Romance can lead my heart to journey with the characters! Through ChocLit, it’s expanded to the high seas, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and making the loop through the Edwardian era inasmuch as my famed Regency!

To say I was delightfully curious about this particular novella is putting it lightly, which is why I was beyond the moon elated finding it a part of my #ChocLitChristmas parcel! Especially considering how much I love the PNR style of Ms Courtenay equally to her Historical Rom style! I even had the pleasure of featuring her quite a few times throughout 2016 – as I dug inside her #Kumashiro series (see also Review) and interviewed her during the release of The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight – of which I have a delishly special surprise in store for my readers come February! This January, I am happily continuing my readings of the Kumashiro series with The Gilded Fan and The Jade Lioness!

IF your just joining me for #MidnightChocLit and want to know why I conceived this wicked #awesomesauce of a readathon – please direct your attention to #MidnightChocLit No.1: You’re the One that I Want.

Join me whilst I read *six!* ChocLit novellas Christmas Week & New Year’s – as we read through the holidays with a ‘pocket of ChocLit’ in our hands! Remember: I’m tweeting LIVE as I read ahead of posting these reviews! Tweet me your reactions & add your commentary on the posts!

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo.

 #MidnightChocLit No.4 | “Marry For Love” by Christina CourtenayMarry for Love
Subtitle: Trapped in an intolerable marriage with no escape

Delilah cannot bear to watch as her twin sister Deborah marries Hamish Baillie, fourth Earl of Blackwood. Not only because she knows that her conniving sister has manipulated the poor man into marriage, but also because she has been in love with Hamish since she first set eyes on him...

When Delilah makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Hamish from her sister's clutches, he is grateful - but he can't help but be suspicious of her motives. Nevertheless, when it appears that Delilah may be cast out, he agrees to help by employing her as a housekeeper at his Scottish residence.

As Hamish spends more time with Delilah, he realises she is sincere. But her scheming twin was never going to let go of the Earl that easily...


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

Book Page on World Weaver Press

ISBN: 978-1781893586

on 4th November, 2016

Pages: 160

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)

Available Formats: Pocket Paperback + Ebook

Converse via: #HistRom and #Regency + #ChocLit

OR #PocketChocLit (Jorie’s idea!)

Put some ChocLit,

in your pocket!

#PocketChocLit

(little rhyme I came up with to celebrate these editions!)

About Christina Courtenay

Christina Courtenay

Christina lives near Hereford and is married with two children. Although born in England she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden. In her teens, the family moved to Japan where she had the opportunity to travel extensively in the Far East.

Christina’s debut Trade Winds was short listed for the 2011 Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Pure Passion Award for Best Historical Fiction. The Scarlet Kimono won the 2011 Big Red Reads Best Historical Fiction Award. Highland Storms (in 2012) and The Gilded Fan (in 2014) won the Historical Romantic Novel of the Year Award and The Silent Touch of Shadows won the 2012 Best Historical Read Award from the Festival of Romance. Christina is Chairman of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Novels: Trade Winds, Highland Storms, Monsoon Mists, The Scarlet Kimono, The Gilded Fan, The Silent Touch of Shadows, The Secret Kiss of Darkness, The Soft Whisper of Dreams, The Jade Lioness, Marry in Haste, Once Bitten Twice Shy, Desperate Remedies and Never Too Late.

Coffee and Tea Clip Art Set purchased on Etsy; made by rachelwhitetoo. Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #WYChristmasReadathon
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Posted Saturday, 31 December, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, British Literature, Castles & Estates, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, England, Family Drama, Father-Daughter Relationships, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Inheritance & Identity, Modern British Literature, Romance Fiction, The London Season, the Regency era, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event