Kimberly M's Blog: Historical Fiction Obsession
Email ALL REVIEW REQUESTS & QUESTIONS to:
kimbers10[at]yahoo[dot]com
Review Policy:
Welcome to my blog, Historical Fiction Obsession. I am happy to hear from authors/publishers/publicists about reviewing books, participating in book tours, book promotions and/or author interviews, guest posts, spot lights, & giveaways. However, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to accept every request, although I would love to try!
Requests:
When sending me a book review request, PLEASE put something like, Review Request & "Book Title", or something similar to that in the email subject. Don't just put the title of the book, or "Book Review", or something equally simple in the subject or it may get deleted. I get a lot of mail from many different book blogs, so a ton of my mail has subject headings about books!!
Also, in your request email, PLEASE send me:
Requests:
When sending me a book review request, PLEASE put something like, Review Request & "Book Title", or something similar to that in the email subject. Don't just put the title of the book, or "Book Review", or something equally simple in the subject or it may get deleted. I get a lot of mail from many different book blogs, so a ton of my mail has subject headings about books!!
Also, in your request email, PLEASE send me:
- a blurb about the book
- the book information if available (page numbers, publisher, etc.)
- the book cover if it is available
Genres I Prefer:
- I prefer to read historical fiction, which is why I created a blog named Historical Fiction Obsession! :) I WILL occasionally read books that are not historical fiction, but it really has to catch my eye and does not happen often.
- The era of history that I enjoy the most when reading historical fiction is pretty wide. I LOVE, Love, love books that are related to or have something to do with England's Royalty or those surrounding the royals from the time of King Henry II and Queen Eleanor to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn...and I suppose the other wives, and Queen Elizabeth as well--and all of the different scandals and affairs of the royals. Books about the common people during those times are great as well. I also like books about Romans, Egyptians, Celts, the Borgia's, Robert the Bruce, The Black Douglas, William Wallace, Scotland's fight for freedom from England, the Wars of the Roses. I'm also interested in books about France's royalty, like the Sun King, Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution, etc. I am not very knowledgeable about Germany, Spain, and some of the other countries, but if the book is before the mid 1800's and looks interesting, I'm willing to give it a try.
- With books that take place in America, I prefer to read mostly about the Civil War. I also like to read about the south and how it was prior to the Civil War, when there were slaves and southern belles. I do not read very many historical fiction novels about the US, but when I do, it's usually about the Civil War, or the south before the civil war began.
- One thing that REALLY draws my attention to a historical fiction novel, and will almost always get me to read it, is if there is some type of romance. Doesn't have to be steamy sex, but I'm a girl, and I like a little romance in my novels.
Book Formats:
I will accept either print copies or Mobi files for my Kindle Fire. If ALL you have is a PDF, and I am really interested in reviewing the book, then I will also accept PDF files as well.
It Takes Time:
I work around 30 hours per week, I'm working on a second master's degree, and I have two year old, identical twin boys, so my life is busy to say the least. While the semester is in session, I do not usually accept any new books, unless it looks amazing and I can't help myself! I am currently on summer break, so I will be accepting new books to review now that I am not taking any classes. However, it will still take 4-6 weeks, depending on how many books I am reviewing at the time, for me to get your books read and posted onto my blog. Please be patient.
Also, if I was not a fan of the novel, I do not believe in posting negative reviews on my blog. I want my blog to have positive reviews, so that readers can come to it and read about books that I think are great, and make them want to go buy it and read it too! So, if I am unable to get through the book, or if I rate it below three stars, I will not post the review on my blog. And, I'm sorry, but I won't email the author to let them know either. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings over something that I know they spent forever and ever working on--plus, who's to say that someone else won't like the book just because I don't? Which is another reason I won't post negative reviews, I don't want to sway anyone from getting the book, when they might end up loving it if it's more their taste. Anyways, so, there you have it!
Where Do I Post My Reviews?:
Besides this blog I also post my reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and sometimes Barnes & Noble. If you request it, I can also post it elsewhere.
Rating System:
I like to keep it simple and stick with the 1- 5 stars scale:
1 Star-->Terrible! I wish I could have those hours of my life back!
2 Stars-->An overall waste of my time
3 Stars-->Good, but only a one time read
4 Stars-->Liked it a lot!
5 Stars--> LOVED IT and will recommend it to everyone i know!
Blog Stats:(Updated May 28, 2015):
Blog Followers: 554
Historical Fiction Obsession Facebook Page - 287
My Review Contains:
- Blurb (usually from Amazon)
- Cover photo
- Book Information--number of pages, publisher,
- An Honest Review including my thoughts on the plot, characters, writing style, imagery, research
- Rating from 1 - 5 stars
- Author Information and Photo
- Link to purchase the book (Amazon Associate link)
Notes:
As much as I would love to respond to everyone who sends me a review request, I simply do not have the time. If you send me a request and the book catches my attention, and I want to review it, then I will respond. However, if the book just isn't my taste, then unless I know a blogger who I believe would appreciate the book, I will not respond to the request. So, to those that I do not respond to, I apologize in advance.
