Why I feature #ChocLitSaturdays (book reviews & guest author features)
and created #ChocLitSaturday (the chat via @ChocLitSaturday):
I wanted to create a bit of a niche on Jorie Loves A Story to showcase romance fiction steeped in relationships, courtships, and the breadth of marriage enveloped by characters written honestly whose lives not only endear you to them but they nestle into your heart as their story is being read!
I am always seeking relationship-based romance which strikes a chord within my mind’s eye as well as my heart! I’m a romantic optimist, and I love curling into a romance where I can be swept inside the past, as history becomes lit alive in the fullness of the narrative and I can wander amongst the supporting cast observing the principal characters fall in love and sort out if they are a proper match for each other!
I love how an Indie Publisher like ChocLitUK is such a positive alternative for those of us who do not identify ourselves as girls and women who read ‘chick-lit’. I appreciate the stories which alight in my hands from ChocLit as much as I appreciate the inspirational romances I gravitate towards because there is a certain level of depth to both outlets in romance which encourage my spirits and gives me a beautiful story to absorb! Whilst sorting out how promote my book reviews on behalf of ChocLit, I coined the phrase “ChocLitSaturdays”, which is a nod to the fact my ChocLit reviews & features debut on ‘a Saturday’ but further to the point that on the ‘weekend’ we want to dip into a world wholly ideal and romantic during our hours off from the work week!
Acquired Book By: I am a regular reviewer for ChocLitUK, where I hand select which books in either their backlist and/or current releases I would like to read next for my #ChocLitSaturdays blog feature. As of June 2016, I became a member of the ChocLit Stars Team in tandem with being on the Cover Reveal Team which I joined in May 2016. I reference the Stars as this is a lovely new reader contribution team of sending feedback to the publisher ahead of new book releases. As always, even if I’m involved with a publisher in this sort of fashion, each review is never influenced by that participation and will always be my honest impression as I read the story. Whether the author is one I have previously read or never had the pleasure to read until the book greets my shelf.
I received a complimentary copy of “Turning the Tide” from ChocLit in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why Jorie wanted to read a Contemporary Rom series:
I’ve had my eye on this series for awhile as I have wanted to read more of the ChocLit series which caught my attention. There is something quite alluring about boats, ships and life on the water – it isn’t often I find a series that is set against a lifestyle I always thought was quite keenly unique. I’ve read about how husbands and wives purchase a boat and take people on excursions whilst raising their children around the lively environment of living on the water vs land. There is an interesting concept there about how you can re-create how to live your life whilst endeavouring to explore a bit more than most could whilst anchoured to land.
This series is still in-progress I believe as there are two installments thus far released, I felt picking up the series in Autumn might be a wonderful time to soak inside a Contemporary Rom series as this is the season that most appeals to me personally, when the wrath of Summer ends. Sometimes I feel stories resonate with us on a seasonal level of curiosity, and for me, the changing climate of Autumn makes thinking about being ‘outside’ or ‘out on the water’ much more enticing than if I were to contemplate that during the Spring or Summer where the brute of the humidity and heat would kill the joy!
Also, too, I liked the title of this first novel in the series – as at different points in our lives, we’re each finding a way to ‘turn the tide’ and re-define our paths. I definitely wanted to see what would happen when two strong individuals came to heads and had to find a middle ground in order to work through the causticity of a development plan. I am purposely seeking out Contemporaries on a personal level of interest too, as sometimes I forsake the stories set in contemporary times for those of the historical past, thus, all three ChocLit stories I am currently reading are set in the modern day! I couldn’t be happier – as I am finding new Contemporary authors who are giving me exactly what I’m seeking out of this kind of style for Romance!
Turning the Tide
All’s fair in love and war? Depends on who’s making the rules.
Harry Watling has spent the past five years keeping her father’s boat yard afloat, despite its dying clientele. Now all she wants to do is enjoy the peace and quiet of her sleepy backwater. So when property developer Matthew Corrigan wants to turn the boat yard into an upmarket housing complex for his exotic new restaurant, it’s like declaring war.
And the odds seem to be stacked in Matthew’s favour. He’s got the colourful locals on board, his hard-to-please girlfriend is warming to the idea and he has the means to force Harry’s hand.
Meanwhile, Harry has to fight not just his plans but also her feelings for the man himself. Then a family secret from the past creates heartbreak for Harry, and neither of them is prepared for what happens next…
Places to find the book:
Book Page on World Weaver Press
ISBN: 978-1-906931-25-4
on 1st June, 2010
Pages: 336
Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLituk)
Available Formats: Paperback, Audiobook, Large Print & E-Book
Order of Sequence of Little Spitmarsh series:
Read the Synopsis for Follow a Star
Converse via: #Contemporary & #Romance + #ChocLit #LittleSpitmarsh
About Christine Stovell
Winning a tin of chocolate in a national essay competition at primary school inspired Christine Stovell to become a writer! After graduating from University of East Anglia, she took various jobs in the public sector writing research papers and policy notes by day and filling up her spare drawers with embryonic novels by night.
Losing her dad to cancer made her realise that if she was ever going to get a novel published she had to put her writing first. Setting off, with her husband, from a sleepy seaside resort on the east coast in a vintage wooden boat to sail halfway round Britain provided the inspiration for her debut novel Turning the Tide and Follow a Star. Turning The Tide was a top 100 Bestseller with Amazon Kindle and spent months in the Top 10 Chart for Adult Contemporary Romance. Christine has also published numerous short stories and articles. Christine lives in Wales. Christine novels include: Turning The Tide, Move Over Darling and Follow a Star (July 2014).
Photo Credit: Tim Jones
