Jane Litte's Blog, page 1031

REVIEW: The S Before the Ex by Mira Lyn Kelly

Dear Ms. Kelly:

I believe that someone told me to read this book but I can't remember who but I would have read it anyway. It's part of my HP subscription! The S Before the Ex is a reunited lovers story. Claire Brady married one of the wealthiest financier's in the world but they've been apart for the last 6 years. Ryan Brady comes back into Claire's orbit after she files for divorce. She is refusing to take any part of his assets and Ryan feels so guilty about their break up that he cannot...

REVIEW: The S Before the Ex by Mira Lynn Kelly

Dear Ms. Kelly:

I believe that someone told me to read this book but I can't remember who but I would have read it anyway. It's part of my HP subscription! The S Before the Ex is a reunited lovers story. Claire Brady married one of the wealthiest financier's in the world but they've been apart for the last 6 years. Ryan Brady comes back into Claire's orbit after she files for divorce. She is refusing to take any part of his assets and Ryan feels so guilty about their break up that he cannot...

What Jaclyn Is Reading, September 2011

I read a lot in September, like holy-guacamole a lot. There is a letterpress broad side on the wall of my office with a quote from Erasmus that reads, "When I get a little money I buy BOOKS; and if any is left I buy food and clothes." I think Erasmus and I would have understood one another. I wonder if he would have enjoyed reading romances?

Curio by Cara McKenna. Over in Twitter-land Ms. McKenna's story, Willing Victim, was much discussed earlier in the year. Since I read it last December...

Friday Film Review: Dodge City

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Dodge City (1939)

Genre: Western

Grade: B

1939 was apparently the year that the Western came into its own. "Stagecoach," "Destry Rides Again" and "Dodge City" were all released then and elevated the genre from B grade status to vehicles for the studio stars of the day. "Dodge City" is slightly different in that the studio heads took a chance and cast star Errol Flynn, an Aussie, in a genre that usually featured only Americans in the lead role.

It's Kansas 1866 and the Civil War is over thus ...

REVIEW: Dark Mirror by Mary Jo Putney

Dear Ms. Putney,

I have always enjoyed your romances, ever since I started reading romance nigh on six years ago. I particularly enjoyed The Marriage Spell, which was a hybrid of fantasy and regency—a hybrid that very much appealed to me. Although there is a tradition within YA and fantasy novels of depicting alternate histories of England in which magic is real, this is not a technique that has often been utilized in the romance genre. At least, not to the extent that romance has crossed...

Thursday Midday Links: Steve Jobs Passed Away

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I don't have any beautiful eulogy to give Jobs and it's not that I don't believe that he deserves a beautiful eulogy. He does.  He transformed our collective lives. But I have neither the connection nor the knowledge from which to give voice to a remembrance.  I've read several and these are few I thought were amazing:

Brian Lam's account of his difficult relationship with Steve Jobs, particularly after Gizmodo's acquisition of the lost iPhone 4.The NYTimes multimedia timeline of Jobs'...

What Jia's Been Reading, Late September

I should have known better than to say anything. Shortly after my previous reading list went up, work exploded and it's been tough finding time to read! I suppose I should be glad that I now have a reason for the reading slowdown, but it just doesn't feel right.

Hellbent by Cherie Priest. Requested this one off NetGalley after having read and enjoyed the first one. I wasn't as enamoured by it as the previous outing but it was decent. I was expecting this to be an ongoing series but I heard it ...

REVIEW: A Catered Affair by Sue Margolis

Dear Ms. Margolis,

Though I've been back to reading romance for over 15 years now, there are still way too many authors I've yet to try. In one of the latest big ol' boxes of books that Jane sent me was a copy of your newest book "A Catered Affair." For some reason I don't examine too closely, a blurb about a Big Event gone Horribly Wrong will always snag my attention and the featured one here promised to be a doozy. With a public meltdown to look forward to, I settled down to enjoy the show.

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REVIEW: The Dragon and The Pearl by Jeannie Lin

Dear Ms. Lin:

I'm thrilled that you are writing this series and thrilled that Harlequin is publishing it and giving us such in-your-face Asian covers instead headless bodies that hint at its Eastern origins. I am not super familiar with this area of history and I read this story more as if it were a fantasy tale instead of historical romance. Not sure if that affected my reading but that's my perspective.

[image error]What I am less thrilled about are some of the authorial choices that were made.

The Pearl i...

Reading List for Jane, Ending October 4, 2011

I've been reading a lot of ARCs so most of my reading list are for titles not published until November, December and January. I hope that is okay with the readers.

Contemporary:

Holiday Kisses, an anthology by Shannon Stacey, HelenKay Dimon, Jaci Burton, and Alison Kent. I liked all the stories in this contemporary Christmas anthology although Burton's was my least favorite. Burton's story was about the ex husband of the heroine's sister and I felt that the short story format didn't allow for n...