Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Healing Hazel by Jennifer Moore, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Healing Hazel Hazel Thornton has one great ambition: to help the sick and wounded as a nurse. But that dream can never become a reality. After a devastating childhood trauma, she has spent her life battling fits of panic that make it impossible to finish her studies. Everything changes, however, when a trip to Spain takes a perilous turn that derails her plans to visit her father for Christmas and immediately plunges her into the dangers of a brutal war.
With single-minded focus, she springs into action to help her fellow travelers. To ensure their continued care, she begins work at a Spanish hospital alongside Dr. Jim Jackson, a man whose only emotion seems to be wariness of his new assistant. Armed with gifts of support from each of her dearest friends, a group that dubs themselves the Blue Orchid Society, Hazel embarks on a journey of hope and healing to battle the demons of her past with the help of the doctor who has captured her heart.PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBub
GUEST POST FROM AUTHOR JENNIFER MOORE
My favorite thing about Historical Fiction is the paradox that “these people are just like us” while at the same time, “they were so different back then.” I always like to put myself in the shoes of the character I’m reading about and wonder how I would react to things during the time period. Like, would I have followed Hitler if I was a German citizen? Of course, based on who I am as an American in the 21st century, I adamantly deny even the smallest possibility that I would. But that’s just the thing. The circumstances are both similar and completely foreign to what we know today. And while we can imagine ourselves with our modern attitudes in the setting, we can’t fully understand how it actually was to actually be there, in that situation, in that time.
I found this particularly true when I was researching the Carlist Wars in Spain for this book. On one hand, the culture of 19th century Spain is nothing like my own. It was fascinating and different to learn about, the traditions, the language, the food, all of it so foreign to me. But there were also shocking similarities that reminded me so much of the current political situation in the US.
The wars were fought over succession. Who should be the next king (or queen)? And the two factions became more and more divided as time went on. On one side were the traditionalists, the Carlists. They were religious and believed in the old ways, they wanted Spain to stay how it was with old-fashioned values and believed the Cristinos had unfairly installed their ruler instead of the rightful one. The Cristinos or Liberales believed in progress and change. They didn’t want religion in their government and believed in social justice. They wanted Spain to move forward instead of being trapped in outdated traditions.
Reading about these two groups and how their inability to compromise led to so many deaths and thrust Spain into a civil war that lasted decades, I couldn’t help but compare the climate of the time to what I see every day on the internet.
And so, what’s the takeaway? People are people, and we have the same worries for our kids, the same frustrations with our jobs, and many of the same fears that people have always had—but on the flip side, there are things we cannot ever fully understand about a different culture and a different time. The only thing we can really do is appreciate it, learn from it, and hope when future generations look back at us, they can have empathy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Moore lives with one husband and four sons who produce heaps of laundry and laughter. She earned a BA from the University of Utah in Linguistics, which she uses mostly for Jeopardy. A reader of history and romance, she loves traveling, tall ships, scented candles, and watching cake decorating videos. When she’s not driving carpool, writing, or helping with homework, she’ll usually be found playing tennis.
Connect with Jennifer by visiting authorjmoore.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.TOUR GIVEAWAY
(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Healing Hazel, bookmark, blue orchid pin, themed stickers, and a $25 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 20, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 27, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Gift card open internationally. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
