March 17, 2021
Happy St. Patrick’s Day Lovely Readers!
I am giddy to share with you today’s guest writer. Eve Kasey is in the house and she brought along with her some castles, kilts and a whole lot of steamy hot Scottish men. Are we all on board now? Kasey is the author of five contemporary literary romance novels that balances sweetness and steam, while aiming to teach readers something new. Whether it’s a new place, profession, or culture, the meticulous research that goes into her novels hopefully satisfies readers’ innate curiosity about the world. One thing that I admire and respect about Kasey is that she incorporates steam in her work. She truly believes romance novels are a platform to portray healthy relationships and attitudes towards sex, and I couldn’t agree more.
Kasey started composing stories in childhood, both in her head and with an ancient typewriter loaded with pink paper. She writes for a design firm by day and reads independently published romance novels by night. Kasey is a Best Friend to all her fellow Indie Authors. She uses her social platforms as a way to highlight Indie Authors and businesses, with weekly and monthly recommendations focused solely on Indie work. Eve also maintains an Indie paperback home library in which she encourages book lending. She’s also been known to leave books on doorsteps and in coffee shops as treasures for readers to find. How amazing is that?
Kasey’s enthusiasm for books and writing makes her the perfect addition to the Guest Writer lineup. We strive for positivity over here on Dear Mr. Hemingway. Shining our book lights on incredible authors, a variety of genres and fabulous books is what we do best. Kasey and her book recommendation encompass all the things we cherish on DMH and I can’t wait to read the book she she is raving about today.
I hope you enjoy her letter to Mr. H. I promise…it’s a good one!
Happy Reading,
Kelly
P.S. Eve lives in Washington state with her very stylish husband, two children, and always an empty wine fridge ( I can definitely relate to the empty wine fridge ).
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
You said it best when you said, “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
You’re right. When the briefest glance at the spine can incite a smile, and the sound of fingers across familiar pages elicits a happy sigh, you’ve found a friend. These loyal companions just sit on the shelf, waiting to offer comfort, sending out a soothing message in their stillness, I’m here when you need me.
And loyal? Well, I’m an admitted re-reader. I’ll read a book until the spine crumbles. I’ll buy more copies, and even more. I’ll leave these bringers of joy on doorsteps and in coffee shops and Little Free Libraries, because we all need more friends. I need a book that loves me back just as fiercely.
A stalwart friend through the anxiety spikes, devastating news, political turmoil, loneliness, and uncertainty of the past year is Storm the Castle by Jolie Vines. Reading this book is like being wrapped in a warm hug by welcome arms.
Storm the Castle perfectly captures the enduring magic, the necessity, of the romance genre. The book, at its core, is a celebration of human connection that though instant can still run as deep as a Scottish loch. You understand, Mr. Hemingway, the desire of your heart to reach out to another’s and tuck it safely inside your own breast. While a man or woman alone may have all the strength and know-how needed to survive, two hearts together transcend. Connection, the entwining of two elements, two souls, into one force stronger than its parts, is as old as the universe and resonates within us all. Romance peers closely at this connection and celebrates this universal truth.
Set in the Scottish Highlands of today, Storm the Castle follows a young laird through the tribulations of raising brothers into men, and the unending care of an estate and its people. These are heavy burdens on Callum’s shoulders. Heavy too are the problems on Mathilda’s mind. A wayward sister, a family in shambles, an uncertain future with divergent paths ahead.
The two meet by chance in London. And then again. That magical spark of connection threads through them both and flows into the people around them. Worlds, families become intertwined. Callum needs help on his estate. Mathilda yearns for a job, a place of her choosing. There exists an honesty, an authenticity of emotion, shared from the inception of their relationship that is refreshing and makes for a deeper connection to the book. If only all relationships could be stripped of pretense.
Dreamlike and buoyant, the pages brim with loyal friends and family—men you’d want by your side in battles of any kind and women who can handle with grace and grit any challenge life throws their way. We are transported into lush Scottish locales and into customs held over generations. We see glimpses of families made of more than blood.
But, of course, no love story ever runs smoothly. Dark paths brighten, then cloud again with fog, only to find more sunshine. You will empathize with the struggles to reconcile head and heart decisions.
Callum and Mathilda fall in love not just with who the other is, but for what they bring to those around them—loyalty, talent, drive; all traits you would admire, Mr. H. In terms of sensuality and seduction—key components of many romantic connections (yours included)—this book will leave you satisfied. Their spark burns hot, and their foundation of truth builds to giddy, gorgeous physical connection.
On the way to their happy ending, we experience a kind of love story that offers the unique clench of emotion in your gut that comes from caring deeply for fictional friends who feel dear and real. Characters who love with abandon. People who would do anything for a friend.
In the end, Callum and Mathilda rescue each other. Just as this book has rescued me time and again from the harsher truths of life. Truly, as you say, there is no friend more loyal than a book.
Eve
P.S. Find me (too often) on Instagram talking about more love stories! My romance novels can be found here.
Click on the book pic below to purchase!
