Jane Litte's Blog, page 46

Review: Arthropoda (Arthropoda #1) by Xenia Melzer

An Andi Hayes Murder Mystery

Detective George Donavon doesn’t plan to stay in Charleston long. Skeptical and by-the-book, he’s on the fast track to the top, and he won’t let anything derail his career. Especially not Andrew Hayes, his grumpy, awkward new partner—and not the chief’s secret order to find out how said partner solves even the most difficult cases.

George and Andi can’t agree on anything except their mutual dislike, but when three dead girls turn up at a storage unit, they must put ...

REVIEW: Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler

A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love.

Millicent Watts-Cohen is on a mission. When she promised her elderly best friend that she’d reunite her with the woman she fell in love with nearly eighty years ago, she never imagined that would mean traveling from D.C. to Key West with three tablespoons of Mrs. Nash’s remains in her backpack. But Millie’s determined to g...

REVIEW: Village Fool by Nathan Burgoine

Owen is only confident in two places: at work, supporting clients through IT woes, and when he’s sitting around a gaming table in the role of a smooth and charming bard. He’s never acted on the crush he’s had on his physiotherapist—and total cubcake—Toma. Even though they’re no longer patient and client, and his crush hasn’t dialed down in the slightest, Owen can’t figure out how to make a move.

When a friend decides to play a prank involving Owen’s contact list, Owen spends the morning of Apr...

REVIEW: Her Fixer Upper by Emily Kerr

Unable to afford their own homes, two friends decide to buy a renovation house together as a project. What could possibly go wrong…?

Freya dreams of owning her own home.

Charlie is struggling to get a mortgage.

When the two old friends bump into each other on a night out, Charlie jokes that buying together would solve all their problems. He doesn’t expect Freya to say yes, let alone yes to a less-than-perfect fixer upper.

Nobody said rennovating their dream home would be easy, but will Charlie...

Review: Addicted to Ellis D. by S.E. Harmon

The man is walking along the road in the fog

Chef Luca Alessi’s life is barely recognizable these days. He used to spend his days in the kitchen creating cutting-edge cuisine. Now he’s trying to keep his family’s restaurant and legacy alive. It doesn’t help that his father was keeping secrets before he passed. On the relationship front, his ex, Colin, assured him that their divorce would be simple. And now? Not so much. So who could blame Luca for wanting to avoid any entanglements? He’s not ash...

REVIEW: The Accidental Bride by Jane Walsh

Miss Grace Linfield has resigned herself to life as a lady’s companion as the only path to respectable security. At least it allows her to visit the beautiful seaside town of Inverley with her charge, Lady Edith. Passions flare when botanist Miss Thea Martin whirls into town —and into Grace’s bed for a scandalous night of passion.

Disaster looms when Lady Edith elopes with Thea’s brother. Prim-and-proper Grace and wildly outrageous Thea each wish it was anyone else by their side as they race a...

REVIEW: Funny Guy by Emma Barry

Dear Emma Barry,

I loved Chick Magnet, released earlier this year and was excited to read Funny Guy, although I knew from your social media posts that it is a very different book. Different is fine – but unfortunately Funny Guy didn’t work quite as well for me as I’d hoped.

Sam Leyland is a stand-up comedian who works on a New York-based live TV show ‘Comedy Hour’. He’s funny but gets into trouble a lot and self-identifies as an asshole. It’s obvious that Comedy Hour is based, at least loosely, ...

REVIEW: Roux for Two by Aurora Rey

When her celebrity chef boss is taken down in a sexual harassment scandal, Chelsea Boudreaux’s dream of getting her own cooking show comes true. Her hometown of Duchesne, Louisiana, provides the perfect backdrop for her modern takes on traditional Cajun fare. Vindicating herself to the mother who never believed in her is icing on the cake.

Bryce Cormier never left Duchesne and has no regrets, except that falling in love as a trans guy in a tiny town is easier said than done. When Chelsea comes...

REVIEW: Sixpenny Octavo (The Old Bridge Inn Series) by Annick Trent

A standalone F/F historical romance

Clockmender Hannah Croft’s friend Molly has been arrested for her connections to a Jacobin club. In the tumultuous political climate of 1790s Britain, being in the wrong place at the wrong time is enough to land Molly in gaol. Hannah’s one hope to free her lies in the testimony of housemaid Lucy Boone.

Lucy has spent her entire life moving from one household to another, never forming a true connection with her fellow servants—nor with her occasional lovers. ...

REVIEW: Four Secrets Kept by H L Marsay

Welcome to Hartwell, an English village full of cobbled streets, ancient curses, and buried secrets.

Although the village may have laid Lord Hanley to rest, his death creates almost as many problems as did his life.

While Lady Lucy Hanley hides in her manor home recovering from her miserable marriage and dodging a stalker, she’s determined to focus on raising her young son and finding ways to make the manor financially viable. Rachel Foxton, who’s long imagined a life away from Hartwell, has h...