Tag: The Boleyn Bride

+Book Review+ The Boleyn Bride by Brandy Purdy #histnov, #Tudor

Posted Friday, 11 July, 2014 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

Parajunkee Designs The Boleyn Bride by Brandy Purdy

The Boleyn Bride by Brandy Purdy

Published By:Kensington Publishing Corp. (), 25 February, 2014
Official Author Websites: Blog*previously this author had a site and Facebook
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, E-book
Page Count: 272

Converse on Twitter via: #BoleynBride, #BrandyPurdy & #EmilyPurdy

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Acquired Book By: Whilst the blog tour for “The Boleyn Bride” was underway with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I was making my rounds to the different blogs who were hosting either an Author Interview or a Book Review, or a combination thereof. Although I was not personally connected to the blog tour myself, I oft-times find that the books which tour with HFVBT are ones that I am interested in and thereby my visits on their tour are a pure delight for me! As I am as bubbly on my visits as I am on my own blog as well as Twitter, I left some happy-hearted comments on behalf of this book & author. As she was a new-to-me author as at that point in time I had not heard of her works or known of her works as well as I do now. Shortly after my visits, I received a note from Ms. Purdy asking me if I would be interested in reading her novels. I received a complimentary copy of “The Boleyn Bride” direct from the author herself, Brandy Purdy in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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On how I know Ms. Purdy: As I was contacted originally a few months back to read both “The Boleyn Bride” and “The Queen’s Rivals”, we came to find ourselves enjoying the conversation which flowed together rather organically out of that correspondence. I have appreciated getting to know a fellow writer, especially one who writes historical fiction as that is one branch of literature although I deeply appreciate to read, was always a bit trepiderious to pen! I give such a strong nod to the writers who write such delicious historicals, because they give us a way to drink in history in an agreeable manner! I am honoured to have been given the chance to get to know her better in the process of scheduling the reviews on my blog. She even kindly enclosed bookmarks which feature her novels, and I’ve been enjoying them as I read! Bookmarks have become one of my favourite surprises to find enclosed within a book I receive for review!

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her through the past few months by email. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time.

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Book Synopsis: A NOVEL OF ELIZABETH BOLEYN

From carefree young woman to disillusioned bride, the dazzling lady who would become mother and grandmother to two of history’s most infamous queens, has a fascinating story all her own…

At sixteen, Elizabeth Howard envisions a glorious life for herself as lady-in-waiting to the future queen, Catherine of Aragon. But when she is forced to marry Thomas Boleyn, a wealthy commoner, Elizabeth is left to stagnate in the countryside while her detested husband pursues his ambitions. There, she raises golden girl Mary, moody George, and ugly duckling Anne–while staving off boredom with a string of admirers. Until Henry VIII takes the throne…

When Thomas finally brings his highborn wife to London, Elizabeth indulges in lavish diversions and dalliances–and catches the lusty king’s eye. But those who enjoy Henry’s fickle favor must also guard against his wrath. For while her husband’s machinations bring Elizabeth and her children to the pinnacle of power, the distance to the scaffold is but a short one–and the Boleyn family’s fortune may be turning…Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Author Biography:

Brandy Purdy is the author of several historical novels. When she’s not writing, she’s either reading, watching classic movies, or spending time with her cat, Tabby. She first became interested in history at the age of nine or ten when she read a book of ghost stories that contained a chapter about the ghost of Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London. Visit her website at brandypurdy.com for more information about her books. You can also follow her via her blog at brandypurdy.blogspot.com where she posts updates about her work and reviews of what she has been reading.

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Historical backdrop focusing on the Tudors:

As odd as this might sound, my knowledge of the Tudors and of the Elizabethan era has grown tremendously over the score of time since I started blogging about books! Within the short few seven months of 2014, I can even say I have felt a stronger connection to the era and to the realm within the Courts than any other moment of my life, outside of the fact I’ve always have held a close attachment to Sir William Shakespeare! We all know of certain families by name alone without the beneficial back-story of who they were as they lived nor of the ramifications of their circumstances as their lives unfolded. One of the best bits about historical fiction is that if we find ourselves inspired to read one story about a specific person or persons who lived in the historical past, we have the tendency to seek out more about them either in non-fiction or continue to source other authors who draw a breath of their world onto the printed page in fiction.

The Boleyn family is surely one of the ones I am referring too as having ‘known by name’ but without the close connections of who they were outside of the superficial and my interest in the Courts of England is one that I have never yet had the chance to broach! I love British History, mind you, but I also like a bit of brevity to what I read, as I do not always have to read a serious accountment of history but rather, I find myself attracted to stories that either are lifted straight from the annals of historical records OR conjured out of the imaginary heart of its writer. I went into reading The Boleyn Bride full of expecting to experience the Tudors and their interior worlds as a reader who is enjoying her pursuit of their lives!

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • Go Indie
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Posted Friday, 11 July, 2014 by jorielov in 16th Century, Arranged Marriages in Royalty, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Bookish Discussions, Britian, Clever Turns of Phrase, Disillusionment in Marriage, Elizabeth Howard Boleyn, Geographically Specific, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Mental Health, Romance Fiction, Story in Diary-Style Format, Tudor Era, Wordsmiths & Palettes of Sage, Writing Style & Voice

Day 4 of the #BoutofBooks readathon, gives Jorie a reason to forego half a #bookseries & launch into an Egyptological parfum legacy!

Posted Friday, 16 May, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , 0 Comments

What I find most surprising as I go through the Bout is what I am finding as I read the stories I am picking up. I always consider myself an open-minded reader who appreciates a widely diverse reading life, yet what surprises me the most is that how surprised I can become whilst attempting to read a book by an author I previously felt I would be captivated by! :( On this note, I have become a bit disappointed and frustrated twiceover in one week! As I started to settle into The Reincarnationist, I was plumb aghast by what I was finding inside the opening pages of Chapter 1! To the brink that I felt that the author & publisher should have changed the genre from historical suspense to historical horror! I will write more about this in a moment, because what was even more interesting is before I boomeranged back the ENTIRE Reincarnationist series to my local library (they are such a blessing to have knowing how many books are in our local catalogue and thus are able to read when I am either about to seek a book for review &/or simply want to get caught up with an author’s work) I remembered what I had loved reading & listening about The Book of Lost Fragrances.

I also knew Seduction & The Collector of Dying Breaths would follow the same vein of thought & intrigue as this particular Book 4 in the series, so before I carted off this half of the series I was less than enthused to be reading now, I decided to take the high road. I thought, no wait! What if the books centered in a focus about ‘scent’ and ‘parfum’ are written in a different style than the previous books!? What if that style was more agreeable to where my reading sensitivities and interests could find common ground!? I pulled these books out of my library bag, placed them on the shelf, and walked out the door. As I returned, I was both apprehensive and joyful in knowing that I could quite possibly have found a way to enjoy an author I had read so very much about!

At the very same time, Richard Brooks was requesting I continue his journey, and I did not want to keep him waiting! :)

Book I am Reading:

  • The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose – barely made it to page 12! Books 1-3 go promptly back to the library!
  • The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose
  • Chain of Mercy by Brenda S. Anderson

Books &/or Memes I am Blogging About:

  • Chain of Mercy: a book review of a debut novel (editing at time of post)
  • 10 Bookish and not So Bookish Thoughts (editing at time of post)
  • Booking Through Thursday (editing at time of post)

Blogs I am Visiting (including non-bouter blogs):

Twitterverse Events I Attended:

  • #k8chat – I enjoyed visiting Ms. Tilton’s chat during their 1st Anniversary celebration the prior week, and I could barely believe it was time to visit with them once more! Their topic of discussion was Diversity in Lit, which I have been talking about since Black History Month in February! I am enjoying keeping in the loop with the on-going dialogue of open-mindedness in reading & exploration of stories. I happily shared links to my own blog, engaged in the conversation, & rather unexpectedly had the pure joy in *winning!* a copy of a novel by an author I have been most delighted getting to know through tweetchats: Ms. Ellen Mulholland! And, coincidentally, the book I have won is a Young Adult novel set in the style of coming of age and is a contribution to LGBT fiction from a similar point of view of Etched On Me, on the level that the character is going through a moment in their life where they want to better understand & accept who they are. I do know the story is lighter than Etched On Me in its scope, but poignant in how the story is told by its author! I was thrilled to bits as this brings the author & I full circle in regards to going from acquaintances online, to fast bookish friends (we tend to have a bit in common as we converse), to a book blogger discovering a new author’s work! Isn’t life bookishly beautiful, at times!? I cannot wait to see “Birds on a Wire” arrive by postal mail! :) Cheers! Thank you K8chat!
  • #10MinuteNovelists – Except to say I did not stay very long because their tag for some reason was being wonky & quirky, and I felt as though I was not able to properly follow the line of thought threaded into the conversation! :( Such a shame as I enjoy visiting with them!
  • I had properly forgotten about #StoryDam! As I appear to be forgetting my regular tweetchats of late! Need more post-its!?

Notes:

I am not certain how I erred twice in one week with books I was quite eager to read, but apparently, I have as when I first opened The Reincarnationist novel I was expecting to be swept away into this historical suspense novel akin to The Skin Map (a still need to finish novel left-over from Sci Fi November!)! I was not expecting to be appalled and more than a bit grossed out by the gutting scene of murder and chilling attack of a woman before I even reached page 15! I promptly put the book in the stash of books being carted back to the library this afternoon! I mean, truly!? I am now a bit betwixt understanding how all my research into the Reincarnationist series is now ending on such a sour note, as one thing I cannot handle to read is brutal mind-bending gore inside of a historical novel! There was a delicate grace in my readings of Citadel by ?. I am not finding the same to be true of M.J. Rose as it is reading more like a horror centered novel than a historical!? I am most confused! As this reminds of how much I appreciate Anne Rice’s research and dedication to writing her novels but at the very same time, cannot find the heart of  mind to read the novels which have enchanted readers for decades! :(

After my library run,…

I decided that it was time to give The Book of Lost Fragrances a bit of a go, as what did I have to lose at this point in time!? From page 1 to page 34 I was literally entwined with the story, the characters, and this tingling nudge towards following one’s heart and nose through a story which was written with a passion for the past and the history of perfumery! :) I was greatly entranced by the Egyptology focus, as much as how a person can have a gift in ? ask Mum the word! ? that not only gives them a field to work in but a gift that takes on a path their life must travel. I loved being consumed by the crushing grief of Jac as she starts to reconcile her sorrow against the fact she does not want to admit that she’s gifted with the ability to see past death and visit with her Mum between the veils. I loved the atmosphere shifting between the tombs Napoleon Bonaparte was attempting to plunder in his quest for conquest, as much I appreciated the Gothic Literature undertones I have always enjoyed reading. This had the etchings of historical suspense, and I felt my spirits starting to soar a bit! The fact that I could reach page 34 and not find one thing wrong except for the fact my dear eyes could not drink in the narrative fast enough was a marker of improvement!

In Chain of Mercy, I found myself captivated and compelled to read Richard Brook’s story simply because he is a broken man in his spirit who needs not only a boost of encouragement but he needs to re-affirm his acceptance of understanding his own humanity. He’s at a cross-roads in his life where he needs to not only determine the course he wants his future to be set upon but in which method he wishes to arrive into that future. I love the fact that his character is not only flawed, but he is genuinely going through a lift shift that takes patience, perservance, time, and the ability to truly look in the mirror seeing your faults and knowing you can overcome them. And, to me that is a very compelling story to engage yourself and find the pages cannot be turnt fast enough!

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Contemporary & More (#36) by padfootandprongs07

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Post Six: of

Bout of Books Readathon

{SOURCE: Bout of Books Badge created by Jorie in Canva to give readers & visitors who come to her blog a way to know of  its existence and therefore increasing the mystery & lore surrounding it! The booktuber video “Contemporary & More (#36) via Padfootandprongs07 had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share a random joy discovery during Bout of Books. Tweets embedded due to codes provided by Twitter.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Friday, 16 May, 2014 by jorielov in #10MinuteWriters, #K8chat, #StoryDam, 10 Bookish (& Not-So-Bookish Thoughts), Blogs I Regularly Read, Booking Through Thursday, Bookish Films, Booktuber : Bookish & Geeky Readers, Bout of Books, Brenda S. Anderson's Blog, Coming-Of Age, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Literature for Boys, RALs | Thons via Blogs, Readerly Musings, School Life & Situations, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event, Young Adult Fiction

#BoutOfBooks 10.0 : Personal Goals & Motivations | M.J. Rose’s historical suspense series & Review Books focused on Romance!

Posted Monday, 12 May, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Bout of Books

As I outlined in my declaration of participation post for Bout 10.0, I am singularly focusing on the entire historical suspense series (the Reincarnationist – six book series) by M.J. Rose! Leading up to my stop on the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour on behalf of book six: “The Collector Of Dying Breaths”. However, I am also concentrating on Romance this week on Jorie Loves A Story, as I am a member of the street team for Brenda Anderson focusing on her début novel “Chain of Mercy” (my first honour of being on an author’s street team!); as well as posting two #ChocLitSaturdays book reviews: “Flight to Coorah Creek” by Janet Gover (selection of 3 May! – which was discussed during the chat) and “The Silent Touch of Shadows” by Christina Courtenay (selection of 10 May! – which was discussed during the chat); a paranormal romance début novel of Indie author J. Woods “Gilded Feathers” arrives late on Monday night, with “The Boleyn Bride” by Tudor author Brandy Purdy arriving on Friday! The extra addition being a fantasy anthology by Indie Publisher (Seventh Star Press) A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court” edited by Scott M. Sandridge! IF anything you will see how much of an eclectic reader I truly am! I will also still host my weekly Saturday morning tweetchat at: twubs.com/choclitsaturdays!

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Personal Goals and Motivations:

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  • Hours Dedicated to Reading (in total): hoping to read at least 12 hours per day!
  • Hours per day slated to Read: will journal each day
  • Starting Hour: the instant I am able to sit & read! :)
  • Ending Hour: 00:00 OR I will be winking to the hooting owls!
  • Books Projected to Read: 11 8 in total; 6 3 M.J. Rose + 5 for review; 1 M.J. Rose is also for review
  • Blog Posts (in total): Book Reviews: Gilded Feathers, Chain of Mercy, The Boleyn Bride, Flight to Coorah Creek, The Silent Touch of Shadows, A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court, The Collector of Dying Breaths (on Tuesday 20 May); plus, Author Interviews and regular Bout’er updates!
  • Post my reactions to each book after I have concluded reading them, because more than anything I want to be wholly enthused about the stories, the characters, and the prose that each writer etches into their books — I want to challenge myself to read as many books as I can but not to the brink where I cannot fully appreciate them. I want to absorb them and allow their worlds to soak through to my mind’s eye. The Reincarnationist series by M.J. Rose will be blogged in full details at a later date, but every other book I am reading has scheduled reviews during the Bout itself, outside of The Collector of Dying Breaths which posts two days after the Bout concludes. Therefore on my daily updates for the Bout itself, will be snippets of my reaction to the series overall.
  • Participate in the Bout of Books community by dropping by fellow participants’ blogs, leaving encouraging commentary, and share in the joy of this intensive week of reading! As well as find challenges to enhance my experience with this wicked sweet group of readers!
    • Blogs I scoped out to visit: Coffee Bean Bookshelf + Read Lately if they are taking part in the Bout?! This list will self-curate as the Bout marches onward! Readerly Musings!
    • I am hoping participants of *10.0* will drop by my blog as well, and in that way, I can get to know the readers who are just as excited about this as I am!
    • Challenges as I participate in them as time allows: ? will populate a list as need be ?
  • Join in on the Twitter chats &/or jump into Bout’er conversations on Twitter spontaneously whilst following the tag: #boutofbooks!

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Posted Monday, 12 May, 2014 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Discussions, Bout of Books, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, Historical Thriller Suspense, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Library Love, Paranormal Romance, RALs | Thons via Blogs, Reincarnation, Romance Fiction, Seventh Star Press, Small Towne Fiction, Street Team for Author, Suspense, Time Slip, Tomorrow Comes Media, Tudor Era

Jorie’s Box of Joy No.2 : Endeavouring to expand my literary wings with stories of enchanting themes!

Posted Monday, 28 April, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Jorie's Box of Joy | A Feature of Jorie Loves A Story

One of the happiest moments for a book blogger is eagerly going to their postbox & seeing what delightfully wicked print books have arrived for their reading pleasure! I have always held a keen interest in postal mail, being a long-term postal letter correspondent which has given me such a heart of joy seeing envelopes & bundles of love arrive from dear friends around the world. Imagine my new excitement in seeing the books I am reviewing arriving by publisher, author, publicist, or literary agent! Such an exciting new chapter in postal splendor!

I have been wanting to blog about my excitement about being placed on certain blog tours and/or in receiving books for review direct from authors, publishers, or publicists. I originally came across a weekly meme on Mondays entitled Mailbox Monday and you could say, that my new feature on Jorie Loves A Story is an extended idea from the original! Except to say, with one minor switch-up! Although I attempt to write down when books arrive by Post, I am never quite as certain when the books arrive as I am always reading the next book in hand! Therefore, please join me as I get excited about the books on my shelf which are next in line to read!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comSeeing Green by Annabel HertzI am always attempting to keep myself open to reading books which push me outside the comforts of what I regularly read in order to keep my reading life an evolving journey towards exploring every facet of literature that I can as I shift from one author to another. When I first saw this particular book being offered on tour with JKS Communications, part of me was excited in seeing a book step forward that was not the traditional story to empathsis our need to be more environmentally conscience in our livelihoods as much as in how we approach living day to day. This book I felt would not only challenge me as a reader but it would challenge a few precepts of where I thought we had broached to head next on an environmental level and where we still have a heap of work to undergo towards reaching a pinnacle of progress as a society with a green-mindset in place to help future generations make better choices than the ones who came before them. I find the topic of environmental conservation and preservation as stimulating as discussing green-minded practices in business, commerce, and trade. To uncover green sources of energy, materials, and supplies which take the burden off the Earth and allow us to live a healthier life overall is quite enticing.

My review will post Thursday, 1st May.

Flight to Coorah Creek by Janet Gover

Happily in the wake of my first #ChocLitSaturdays Chat on Twitter {Backstory of the Chat & Info prior to Launch} I am going to be reading a new-to-me ChocLitUK author: Janet Gover! Her book stood out to me for several reasons, but one is my love & appreciation for small townes combined with the Australian Outback! I wanted to take a step outside my natural tendency to read historical fiction and enter into the realm of a Contemporary Romance set in a remote location where true to a small towne flair of sensibility everyone knows the affairs of your life and truly looks out for you at the same time. I wanted to try out stories from ChocLit which could introduce me to not only more new authors but new styles of writing as well. I do not often read Contemporary Romances, although I simply adore Sherryl Wood’s Serenity series (wait, I think that is my endearing name for it! oh, yes, “The Sweet Magnolias”!) as much as books by Debbie Macomber! I have settled inside the Victorian & Regency eras so readily the past several years, that I have forgotten that I do indeed appreciate a lovely story set in the modern world with contemporary characters! I also felt this one might have a heap of intriguing scenery to boot, as the name simply implied to me a part of the country that would be an interesting place to set the story!

My review will post 3rd May, 16th of August 2014 ahead of #ChocLitSaturdays Chat which begins at 11am EST | 8am PST | 4pm UK | 1am Australia! I am thankful that my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature not only encompasses book reviews, Guest Posts, & Author Interviews but the ability for Romance readers to converse about romantic themes inside the novels we gravitate towards as much as a healthy appreciation of tea and chocolate! I previously mentioned this title in Jorie’s Box of Joy No.1.

Cats Are Part of HIs Kingdom Too by Cindy Vincent

My second tour to host for Ms. Amber Stokes (Editing Through the Seasons) will be for a lovely devotional which is quite devoted to an animal close to my heart: the cat! I have oft felt blessed to have the cats in my life that I have over the years, as each one would bring a certain level of serenity and calm into my life. As much as give me the gifted blessing of learning things such as cheeky humour in the midst of chaos that are simply too incredible not to acknowledge! Cats are truly my favourite companions next to dogs and hamsters, as they know how to impart unconditional love and pure grace in spirit.

When we expanded to have more than one cat, I started to have the honour of seeing how the inter-dynamics of a family can change simply by not having one cat but a handful. Different litters always have the presumption of not behaving well with each other, but I can attest that even a motley cat family from different litters can not only learn to adapt but they adjust to a comfortable level of ease around each other. I am always amazed and blessed to observe my cats, as they give so much love back to me as I give to them. I cannot wait to dig into this devotional to see where the lessons of living with cats endeared Ms. Vincent to write a devotional about how the lessons of life can alight in our lives at the most unexpected moments on the wings and shoulders of messengers we might not have realised to believe could give us so much truth.

My review will post Sunday, 4th May.

The Boleyn Bride by Brandy Purdy

Whilst following the blog tour for The Boleyn Bride my path crossed with the author Ms. Purdy, which led to an opportunity for me to receive this book to review. What was so incredible about the timing of it, is that it was one book that I felt I could draw myself inside and visit with the characters for quite a spell afterwards! Some stories you read about give you this itch to read the book as soon as your able too, and for me, this is one of those books! The clever bit is that I do not recall knowing too much about the Boleyn’s much less the Tudor era of England, as I have predominately always alighted between the text of Shakespeare straight into the Victorian, Regency, or Edwardian (of late) eras of visitation! The Tudors for some reason escaped my radar until recently. My interest started to pique when I found a bookish blog devoted to the Tudors and the literature which flows out of the pens of historical fiction writers: The Tudor Book Blog. I am hopeful that this will mark my start of selecting Tudor era novels and writers to help me not only learn more about this section of British History, but to help me settle into an era that I know so very little about and am thirsty to learn more!

My review will post Sunday, 14th May.

City of Promises by D. Grant Fitter

When City of Promises came available to tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I must confess, I was teetering on the edge of saying ‘yes’ to accept this book for review. My only hesitation was due to the fact that I have been to Mexico City and therefore, was uncertain if I could return to a fictional account of the city and maintain my memories of her in the ensuing decades since this particular sliver of the city’s history takes place. In the end, I decided that if I can handle reading about the Jazz Age in America as much as Prohibition and the upturnt tides of Chicago & New York City’s histories, can I can surely handle reading what happened in Mexico City! After all, when I was there the city was undergoing a bit of a Renaissance, in an attempt to re-strengthen the city’s identity as much as to re-define the city itself. It was the heart of the story given inside the premise that pulled at me, and for which I am most anxious to see where the corridors of this particular historical fiction will take me! I am always eager to traverse into the passageways of history that might not always lend a happy ending but will lend itself a portal glimpse into a part of history that needs to be told.

My Review will post on Tuesday, 9th of May.

Getting Waisted by Monica ParkerWhilst attending the #LitChat of comedienne Monica Parker, I had the unexpected joy and pleasure of being able to receive her debut book Getting Waisted after an exchange of conversation between Ms. Parker, her literary publicist Ms. Chan, and myself! I had reached out to Ms. Parker after the literary chat and felt quite honoured I was given this opportunity as health & wellness holds fast to my heart! As I have been on a path towards wellness for years, seeking out the best way to maintain wellness and knowing which foods agree with my system over others. Personally, I am the most happiest in my spirit whilst eating a vegetarian and vegan diet enriched by whole foods, natural & ancient grains, as well as local farm fresh vegetables and fruits.

I can relate directly to finding inner harmony, balance, and confidence to be who you are and accept yourself at where you are on your lifepath because everyone can struggle with self-image and self-confidence no matter what age they are or where they are on their journey! I was ever so thrilled to bits seeing her book had arrived by Post, as I cannot wait to settle inside the pages as I know not only will I have the pleasure of reviewing this book but in hosting an interview with Ms. Parker at the conclusion of my reading! I had even further excited by having found a video interview of Ms. Parker’s which I will share with you now as a preview of what is yet to come:

Shannon Skinner Interviews Monica Parker on Extraordinary Women

via Extraordinary Women TV

My forthcoming review of Getting Waisted and my Author Interview with Ms. Parker will occur during the #ArmChairBEA week in which I am participating as a #bookcheerleader (the tag I created to help celebrate the fact I love cheering for books & authors!)! I am getting underway to begin reading the memoir now as I will have a lot to talk about with Ms. Parker once I reach the last page! She has already inspired me to create the sinful chocolate cake in a mug which was a curious surprise in the opening bits of the memoir!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.comI am curious then, if any of the newly arrived books for review which are upcoming on Jorie Loves A Story, would entice a visiting reader to pick them up for themselves!? OR, if they perchance had the opportunity already to read them, what were their impressions?! What drew you to the author or the narrative within!? And, if you are a fellow book blogger how do you feel your literary wanderings have increased since you started blogging about your reading life? Do you find the twitterverse an exciting portal towards extending friendship and conversation? And, what do you feel is the best gift you’ve received since you started your book blog!?

Cross-posted with Mailbox Monday (a weekly meme) on Monday, 28th of April where book bloggers & readers alike share their inbound books for review, newly purchased books, or otherwise added to their shelves to read. Conversing via: #MailboxMonday My feature was inspired by Mailbox Monday, however as I am always in throes of reading books for review and/or borrowing books from my library, I am never quite as certain which week the books have arrived!

{SOURCES: Jorie Loves A Story badge created by Ravven with edits in Fotoflexer by Jorie. Book cover for “Seeing Green” was provided by JKS Communications for both review and promotion; used with permission.  The Book Cover for “Flight to Coorah Creek” was provided by ChocLitUK for both review and promotion; used with permission. Book Cover for Cats Are Part of His Kingdom Too provided by Editing Through the Seasons for both review and promotion; used with permission. Book Cover for The Boleyn Bride provided by Brandy Purdy for both review and promotion; used with permission. Book Cover for City of Promises provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for both review and promotion; used with permission. Book cover for “Getting Waisted” provided by Darlene Chan (Publicist) for both review and promotion; used with permission. The interview for Monica Parker by Extraordinary Women TV had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Monday, 28 April, 2014 by jorielov in Author Interview, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Books for Review Arrived by Post, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Debut Novel, Editing Through The Seasons, Elizabeth Howard Boleyn, Environmental Conscience, Environmental Science, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Jorie's Box of Joy, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Romance Fiction, Small Towne Fiction, Tudor Era