Jane Litte's Blog, page 123

What Janine is Reading: DNF Edition #2

Seven years ago I devoted one of my What Janine is Reading posts to three books I did not finish. Now it’s time to do it again. None of the three books I review here are bad; all of them are quite good in several regards. But I still put them down without finishing. Below are my thoughts on why.

Her Caprice by Keira Dominguez

I’ve been in search of a new author of satisfying historical romance with some attention to historicity. Good word of mouth made me think Dominguez might be one. The blurb ...

REVIEW: For He Can Creep by Siobhan Carroll

Siobhan Carroll’s For He Can Creep is a dark fantasy story of poetry, devilry, and cats in a battle of good vs. evil for the fate of humanity.

Nineteenth century poet Christopher Smart has been committed to St. Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics believing God has commissioned him to write The Divine Poem. But years earlier, he made a bargain with Satan and the devil has come to collect his due–a poem that will bring about the apocalypse.

Saving Smart’s soul, and the rest of the world, falls to Jeoff...

REVIEW: Witch, Cat, and Cobb by J.K. Pendragon

Destined for an arranged marriage she wants nothing to do with, Princess Breanwynne decides her only option for escape is to run away. After announcing this plan to her trusted cat, Fen, she’s shocked when he asks that she take him along.

Following his suggestion to venture into the lair of the Swamp Witch begins a life-altering adventure and reveals shocking information that will lead to more than one happily ever after—if she and Fen survive.

Dear J.K. Pendragon,

I have to admit to mixed fe...

Wednesday Good News

Shake It Down Hmmm, I’m not sure this is so much good news as it is fun news. Or scary news? Seriously, just watch the video. These robots, especially Spot the “dog,” have better dance moves than I ever had even in my college days.

“Boston Dynamics robots can climb rough terrain, help doctors and remind humans to maintain social distance protocols in public parks. We just got reminded the sophisticated robots can learn choreography too.”

Comments have ranged from amazed to one twitter user who...

REVIEW: Party Favors by Erin McLellan

Dear Erin McLellan,

I had the pleasure of reading Candy Hearts earlier this year (which is book 2 in you So Over the Holidays series of novellas) and I loved it so I was happy to read Party Favors (which is book 4). The series is loosely based on a group of friends which have a common interest (in one way or another) in Lady Robin’s Intimate Implements. Some of the novellas are M/F, others are M/M and this one is F/F.

Wren Rebello designs lingerie for Lady Robin (and her best guy friend is Willia...

REVIEW: Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis, illustrated by Daniel Minter

In an African village live seven brothers who make life miserable with their constant fighting. When their father dies, he leaves an unusual will: by sundown, the brothers must make gold out of seven spools of thread or they will be turned out as beggars.

Review

Though the story is not actually about Kwanzaa, the actions of the seven brothers display and teach the principles of it. Seven quarreling brothers must somehow learn to harmoniously work together or they will lose their inheritance. ...

REVIEW: Once Upon a Winter Wedding by Jeannie Watt

Can opposites attract and plan the perfect winter wedding?

Free-wheeling Stevie Evans is thrilled when her best friend announces she’s getting married and promises to help, never imagining she’d play wedding planner with her bestie’s uptight brother, Brant. She and Brant clashed several years ago and she’s avoided him ever since. But this time she can’t run or hide, and the buzz of attraction is stronger than ever.

Brant Gilroy’s meticulous life plan takes an unexpected turn when he hits a car...

REVIEW: The Kwanzaa Brunch: A Holiday Novella (The Holiday Shorts) by DL White

A fated brunch and an unlikely Cupid…

Sienna Charles is tired of the same old, same old. Same old job, same old city, same old friends. Same old men. Just when she’s relegated herself to living Groundhog’s Day, romance edition, Booker Lasalle swaggers into her life, courtesy an open position at Precision Software. He’s new— to the company, to the city and, most importantly, to her.

Booker Lasalle is making a new life for himself. He relocated to an Atlanta suburb, leaving a stressful job and ...

Review: Project Hero by Briar Prescott

What if you accidentally fell in love with the right guy?

Andy:

If my life was a movie, I would be the sidekick. Not an especially promising start when my plan is to finally let my best friend know I have a crush on him. No worries, though. I have a plan. I just need a complete makeover. Change everything about myself so that when Falcon returns from his summer vacation, he can finally see I’m the love of his life. I totally know what I’m doing here.

Well, not really.

If I knew what I was doing...

What Janine is Reading: Two Books

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) by Martha Wells

This novella launched Martha Wells’s Murderbot Diaries series. These books have been raved about both here and at other review sites, my social media feeds, and by one of my real life friends. I’m late to the party but I finally picked it up.

The narrator, an android “SecUnit,” has dubbed themself Murderbot. Their job is to defend and protect their leasers (Murderbot is owned by a mega-corporation referred to as “the Co...