Jane Litte's Blog, page 116

Review: Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat’s rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam’s cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control.

But when it comes to light that Prince Taam’s death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himse...

REVIEW: Wendy of the Wallops: The Wallops Book 2 by Gill McKnight

There are worrying times ahead for Wallops valley community police officer Wendy Goodall. As part of a witness protection task force, she volunteers for the Girl Guides to ensure the safety of Lexi, a young girl in the local village, while sexy Detective Inspector Diya Patel makes her new job a lot easier. Or so she thought.

Where exactly is the father of the young girl she’s keeping an eye on? And where are his former associates, part of a violent gang of human traffickers? Join Wendy as she ...

REVIEW: The Left Behind Bride: Nova Scotia (Canadian Historical Brides Book 10) by Mahrie Reid

Maggie Conrad’s husband of ten days is sent overseas in WW1 and never comes home. A second suitor is lost at sea in Nova Scotia’s August Gale. Turning thirty, and on her own, she resolves to make a life for her herself and her younger brother, Ivan.

Against her wishes, Ivan goes to work for the rum runners and operates a surf boat bringing shipments ashore. When war-veteran and Prohibition Preventative agent, John Murdock, arrives undercover in the area he is referred to Maggie for room and bo...

REVIEW: Here Comes the Easter Cat by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Claudia Rueda

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Why should the Easter Bunny get all the love? That’s what Cat would like to know. So he decides to take over: He dons his sparkly suit, jumps on his Harley, and roars off into the night. But it turns out delivering Easter eggs is hard work. And it doesn’t leave much time for naps (of which Cat has taken five—no, seven). So when a pooped-out Easter Bunny shows up, and with a treat for Cat, what will Cat do? His surprise solution will be stylish, smart, and even—yes—kind.

Review 

Ha! I’m ahea...

REVIEW: Here Comes Valentine Cat by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Claudia Rueda

Cat does NOT like Valentine’s Day. It’s much too mushy, and no way is he making anyone a valentine—especially not his new neighbor, Dog. Dog refuses to respect the fence: He keeps tossing over old bones and hitting Cat in the head! But just as Cat’s about to send Dog an angry “valentine” telling him exactly what he can do with his bones, Dog throws a ball over the fence. What is Dog playing at? Cat is in for a hilarious—and heartwarming—surprise in this story about being perhaps too quick to j...

REVIEW: My Monsterpiece by Amalia Hoffman

A celebration of imagination, creativity, acceptance, and art that will delight children of all ages.

Ever tried to make the meanest, wildest, scariest monster? What if even a green tongue, pointy horns, creepy sharp teeth, and claws won’t frighten anyone away?

Join the frustrated artist on a hilariously hair-raising adventure where the scary and not scary mingle and lead to the discovery that overcoming fear and prejudice can bring about a wonderful FRIENDSHIP.

Review

Has any child ever prou...

What Janine is Reading: Fall 2020

More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood

Jayne’s review of this #ownvoices YA novel got me to pick it up and I was glad I did.

Danyal Jilani is a good-looking and sweet nineteen-year-old in his senior year of high school (he was held back a year in middle school). He may not be book smart but he’s a talented chef and he wants to go to culinary school.

His parents, devout Muslims who hail from Pakistan, are searching for a bride for Danyal. His mother keeps trying to fix him up but Danya...

REVIEW: Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh

Dear Nalini Singh:

A friend alerted me to this book, knowing I was a reader of both your Psy/Changeling series and, in recent years, of the thriller/suspense genre. I was curious to see how my two interests would converge here.

The book is narrated by Aarav Rai, an author whose first novel unexpectedly became a best seller and was made into a blockbuster movie. As the story opens, Aarav is recovering from a serious car accident at his father’s home. The police show up with unwelcome news: after...

REVIEW: A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark

Egypt, 1912. In Cairo, the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities investigate disturbances between the mortal and the (possibly) divine.

What starts off as an odd suicide case for Special Investigator Fatma el-Sha’arawi leads her through the city’s underbelly as she encounters rampaging ghouls, saucy assassins, clockwork angels, and a plot that could unravel time itself.

Dear Mr. Clark, 

I’ve had this short story for a while but something triggered Amazon to proffer it to...

REVIEW: One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Welcome to the end of time. It’s a perfect day.

Nobody remembers how the Causality War started. Really, there’s no-one to remember, and nothing for them to remember if there were; that’s sort of the point. We were time warriors, and we broke time.

I was the one who ended it. Ended the fighting, tidied up the damage as much as I could.

Then I came here, to the end of it all, and gave myself a mission: to never let it happen again.

Dear Mr. Tchaikovsky, 

This is the first work of yours I’ve rea...