The Origins by JA Boulet | The Olason Series | $15 Giveaway | #Icelandic #HistoricalFiction #Standalone
A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.
Book Details
The Origins by J. A. Boulet Series: The Olason Chronicles #4
Published by J. A. Boulet on 06/08/2022
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Saga
Format: eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 250
A young mother, Mt Askja and an unbreakable love
In the harsh landscapes of Iceland in 1850, a young girl loses her mother and struggles to grow into a woman alone with only her father’s help. Throughout the breathtaking 20-hour daylight summers and the bleak darkness of winters, Margret falls in love and dreams of a large family, but the path to her future is rougher than she expected.
The Origins will take you back in time, delighting you with endearing Icelandic heritage, visual feasts for the mind, and gripping you with the struggle to stay alive on a volatile island.
THE ORIGINS - Experience the rich journey of a 19th-century woman who proves that even the weakest people can become stronger than anything you can imagine.
Source: Goddess Fish Promotions, Received from the author or publisher for review.
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Excerpt from The Origins
Margret stirred the soup slowly on the iron stove, worrying about her mother. She had always had a wheezy breath, and sometimes in the fields, she would start coughing hoarsely. In the middle of a harvest, she would take many breaks to catch her breath.
When influenza came into their home, Momma had nursed both her and her Pappa better with soups, hot drinks, blankets and loving care.
Now Momma was sick.
Some people had died from this nasty influenza. A few adults succumbed, and many babies died. Margret wrapped her momma’s red shawl around her shoulders and shivered. She couldn’t imagine a life without her momma. It was unfathomable. Momma would just simply have to survive. She must be here with them.
Margret would have to think positively. Such thoughts were like the devil trying to enter her brain. She had heard the pastor at the church say such things. That must be what it is, she thought.
She gazed through the kitchen window across the bleak frozen landscape. Iceland had some bad winters, but mostly it was bearable. Drift ice along the shores in the north brought cold weather along the eastern side of the island, and this past year was colder than usual. They lived on a sheep ranch near Horn. It was an expansive hilly countryside with beautiful views of the ocean to the east, and the mountainous regions rose to the west.
It was quite sunny today, and the weather was pleasant enough to lift her hopes. It was the start of spring and a new beginning. They had harvested all the weak animals before the last harsh winter, the neighbourhood community chipping in to help. Even Margret had been out in the fields tending to the vegetable crops and helping to build shelters for the remaining animals. The winter was typical, cool but pleasant with the ocean air, until January when the winter struck hard, with freezing temperatures and blowing winds. Sometimes the door would stick, the wooden frame swelling in the humidity, imprisoning them all in their home.
Margret sometimes wished she could fly away on a bird’s wings to a different country, somewhere more pleasant, somewhere easier. Her eyes glazed over as the sun shone brightly into the kitchen, warming her hands.
She was only a child, but she had her share of life’s tribulations. Her younger brother had died at birth, and her mother could not conceive again. The doctor said the blood in her uterus was no longer any good. Margret wondered if such talk was true or just a simple explanation for a complex problem.
The soup began to boil, and she grabbed the oven mittens. Margret lifted the pot to the side table, placing it on a large ceramic cooling pad. She ladled hot soup into three bowls. Hopefully, Momma would eat. She sat down and waited patiently for the bowls to cool enough to take one to Momma. Margret laid her chin in her hands and daydreamed across the bleak landscape. One day, she would grow up, fall in love with a handsome man and have many children of her own. She looked forward to that day. Margret always wanted a big family.
The longcase clock chimed at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. The sound awakened her out of the daydreaming.
She tested the soup with a small spoon and blew on it. It was cooled enough. She would feed her mother, and Momma would get better.
Excerpt provided by the author/publisher for use in this post.
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Purchase Links for The Origins
Amazon – OneLink for every country
Bookshop/IndieBound Waterstones
AppleBooks/iTunes The Book Depository Blackwell’s
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My thoughts on The Origins
The Origins by J.A. Boulet is billed as book four, the finale of The Olason Chronicles. But the story is precisely what the title conveys: the family’s origins. So, while The Origins is the fourth book, I think I would recommend reading it first.
Margret experiences so much at an early age. After a childhood of grief and depression, she’s ready to tackle life on her terms. However, love turns into betrayal, and she faces more complicated decisions. Young Margret endures the early loss of her mother, leaving just herself and her father to build a life in earthquake and volcano-prone Eastern Iceland.
Ultimately, she and Einar pull together to begin building the life they always dreamed of. Will fate interfere with Margret’s happiness once more? You’ll have to read the book to find the answer. I promise you will love the journey that begins the strong, resilient Olason family.
The author has put in a massive amount of research to give in-depth, descriptive details of Iceland, volcanoes, and earthquakes. I felt like I was in the midst of a movie while reading this book. I could picture every scene as if I were right there.
There are a few “open-door” sexual encounters, but they are few, and I would deem them crucial to the story. If that isn’t to your liking, you only have to skim-read a couple of paragraphs, which shouldn’t pull you out of the book’s flow.
I enjoyed the early beginnings of the Olason family. It was amazing to read what led to their immigration to Canada and the start of the strong, resilient Icelandic-Canadien clan.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
If you are interested, you can read my reviews of the other books in the series here:
and a Guest Post from Author J.A. Boulet
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I love my Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription. So many books, so little time!
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About J. A. Boulet
J. A. Boulet is the passionate author of six historical fiction novels. Raised in a Hungarian refugee family, J. A. was born and grew up in Canada with a strong moral foundation, which she has stood behind all her life.
Ms. Boulet began writing poetry at a very young age and progressed to short stories and novels easily. She quickly became a history geek and became fascinated with ancestry and the rough path of immigration. Her university studies ranged from photojournalism to accounting.
After decades of working in accounting, J. A. published her first book in 2020 and has since published one to two books annually.
She lives in the Niagara region of Canada with her two sons, a crested gecko, a large Doberdor dog, and a small orchard of fruit trees.
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Purchase The Origins online from a local bookstore.
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Easy Amazon Info Link
Amazon – OneLink for every country
The Origins (The Olason Chr...Shop on Amazon 
The Origins (The Olason Chr...Shop on Amazon
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Giveaway!
J.A. Boulet will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Visit more stops on this Goddess Fish tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for The Origins
Full Tour Schedule:
August 24: Candlelight Reading
August 31: The Avid Reader
August 31: Gina Rae Mitchell
September 7: Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!
September 7: Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne – spotlight
September 14: Maggie Blackbird
September 14: Enchanting Reviews
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Great cover sounds pretty interesting too!
Do you prefer cake or pie?
Do you have a favorite fall activity?
What’s your favorite midnight snack?
Do you have any pets?
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
Tell us about your first published book? What was the journey like?
What was the highlight of writing this book?
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Do you have a strict writing schedule or do you just write when you want to?
Here’s to a wonderful Wednesday!
Great review.
Have any of your books been made into audiobooks? If so, what are the challenges in producing an audio book?
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
Do you have a favorite holiday?
Do you have a favorite childhood book?
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Do you have a favorite color?
Which authors do you admire and why?
The Origins by J. A. Boulet has a very dynamic and eye catching front cover.
What’s your favorite food at a BBQ?
What was your favorite chapter and why?
Happy Labor Day Weekend!
Happy Friday! I hope you have a great holiday weekend!
Here’s to a sensational September!
Really nice cover and excerpt, looking forward to reading this!
I enjoyed the excerpt and The Origins sounds like a fantastic read for me to read and enjoy, thanks for sharing it with me!
Thanks, Gina, for sharing your thoughts!
Have a wonderful day!
Thanks for stopping by, Eva!
I liked the excerpt.
Thanks for stopping by today, Rita.
Thank you for the amazing review! I’m so excited that you loved the entire series that originally only began with book one! It felt wonderful writing the final book in the series and a bit sad too because I was also living the characters lives. Thanks so much! 💕
I did indeed love the entire series. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next.
Thanks for hosting!