Jane Litte's Blog, page 124

REVIEW: The Snowdrop by Jayne Fresina

He was once a boy abandoned, left to make his own way in the world.

She was a girl stifled by the demands of her family and constrained by the strict customs of Victorian society; a bird caged and without hope.

Raised in two disparate worlds, with one fortune rising while the other tumbled, they might never have known each other.

But when a disreputable old rogue dies unexpectedly and in spectacular, explosive style, a chain of remarkable events is destined to draw these two strangers close— t...

REVIEW: Jingle Tales: Three Short Stories for the Holidays by Linda Mooney

PENNIES – With donations running low for the shelter, Monica tries to find another means to raise enough money to at least buy the children Christmas gifts, when an old man named George helps her discover the value of a penny.

ELF NUTS – The story was meant to help her children cope through the Christmas holidays. She never expected the miracle that followed.

TALLY MARKS – In a post-apocalyptic future, a small group of survivors discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Dear Ms Mooney,

With ti...

REVIEW: Unexpected: A Holiday Short (The Holiday Shorts) by DL White

Saidah’s Christmas memories have been warped by personal tragedy. A chance encounter brings her unexpected love and a new outlook on life.

Here’s to finding love where you least expect it!

Trigger warning: 

Spoiler: Show

racist slurs (this an #ownvoices novel and the N word is used by Black characters)

  

Dear Ms. White, 

I actually found this novella when I began looking for Kwanzaa romances. Not being one to start with a sequel when I can avoid it, I decided to read the excerpt for “Unexpe...

Open Thread for Readers for January 2021

Got a book you want to talk about? Frustrated with a book or series? In love with a new one? Found a buried treasure? An issue that keeps popping up in the books you are reading? Just want to chat about stuff in general?

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

Cat took on a bunny in Here Comes the Easter Cat, but now Christmas is coming, and Cat has a hunch he’s not on Santa’s “nice” list. Which means? No presents for Cat. So he tries to be good, but children, it seems, aren’t wild for his brand of gift-giving. Still, Cat might surprise himself, and best of all, he may just get to meet the man in the red suit himself—and receive a holiday surprise of his own. Fans of Pete the Cat, Splat the Cat, Bad Kitty, and Mo Willems’s Elephant and Piggie series...

REVIEW: Comet’s First Christmas (The North Pole Chronicles Book 1) by Delilah Night

A bad Santa is turning believers faster than melting snow. Can the mystery be solved in time for Christmas?

Claudia

I’ve dreamed of this day for years, and now it’s reality. I’ve been called up for the Big Show. Official Pole phone and email, Naughty-or-Nice login, and upgraded I.D. with my new job title—Comet. In three weeks, I’ll be part of the team flying Santa around the world.

In an instant my life goes from peaceful, if boring, to a blizzard of last-minute flight preparations, route plan...

REVIEW: Tuffy Claus by Linda Mooney

It’s another night on the job for Deputy Sheriff Barbara Mero, giving chase to a suspect in a stolen vehicle. But when someone beats her to the perp, she’s not sure whether to step in or not. Before she can stop him, a sledgehammer-wielding bearded biker on a red Harley delivers his own punishment, but with his parting words, Babs isn’t so sure he’s another bad guy.

After further investigation, Babs knows this vigilante “Santa” meant well, but there’s no proof he was even there. And after a fe...

REVIEW: The Deserted Heart by Mary Lancaster

Dear Ms. Lancaster:

I was motivated to pick up this 2018 book by the description in Pam Rosenthal’s October guest column – the pull of a new-to-me author and the book’s description were enough to draw me in.

Charlotte Maybury is used to being in the background – she’s sandwiched in age between two beautiful sisters, and a stutter and history of frailty are enough to relegate her to the status of “manages everything” daughter. (The other two, Thomasina and Henrietta, are destined for the marriag...

Thursday Good News

We’ve all had a special teacher – one who went above and beyond, one without whom we would have struggled or languished, one who took the time to help. But how many of us have gone back to say “thank you?” One student, after forty years, now has. When Ana Reyes arrived in Louisville, KY she didn’t speak English and began falling behind in her classes.

 “I remember feeling lost,” said Reyes, 46, who was born in Uruguay and shortly after moved to Spain. She and her family packed up their lives and...

REVIEW: The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes by Linda Glaser, illustrated by Nancy Cote

It’s the last night of Hanukkah, and more relatives are coming than originally planned. Rachel decides to borrow potatoes from Mrs. Greenberg. She asks Mrs. Greenberg, who is all alone, to come for Hanukkah. But Mrs. Greenberg is very stubborn!

Review

Rachel is dancing with excitement. It’s the last night of Hanukkah and lots of relatives are coming. Then the phone rings and suddenly eight more people are expected. With only three tiny potatoes in the cellar, what will they do? Run next door ...