Jane Litte's Blog, page 53

REVIEW: Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt’s Ancient Temples from Destruction by Lynne Olson

The remarkable story of the intrepid French archaeologist who led the international effort to save ancient Egyptian temples from the floodwaters of the Aswan Dam, by the New York Times bestselling author of Madame Fourcade’s Secret War

In the 1960s, the world’s attention was focused on a nail-biting race against time: Fifty countries contributed nearly a billion dollars to save a dozen ancient Egyptian temples, built during the height of the pharaohs’ rule, from drowning in the floodwaters of ...

What Janine is Reading, December 2022: Two Contemporary Romances

The Devil Gets His Due by Elizabeth O’Roark

This is the fourth book in O’Roark’s Devils series. Graham and Keeley are stuck planning the wedding reception for Ben (Graham’s brother) and Gemma (Keeley’s best friend) from The Devil You Know together. Keeley, who narrates this section (the book is written in alternating first person POVs), has Graham pegged as a tightwad because he opposes her plan for a lavish event in Santorini and wants it closer to home. She’s shocked that he turns out to be ho...

Review: All Souls Near and Nigh (Soulbound #2) by Hailey Turner

Special Agent Patrick Collins has been reassigned by the Supernatural Operations Agency to New York City. Navigating his new relationship with Jonothon de Vere, the werewolf he’s now soulbound to, is nothing compared to dealing with territorial disputes between the vampires and werecreatures who call the five boroughs home. But the delicate treaties that have kept the preternatural world in check are fraying at the edges, and the fallout is spilling into the mundane world.

Manhattan’s club sc...

REVIEW: Artfully Yours by Joanna Lowell

Dear Joanna Lowell,

In 2020, Janine reviewed your debut novel under the Joanna Lowell pen name, Dark Season. Janine and I also reviewed last year’s The Runaway Duchess your 2021 book, The Duke Undone. I was excited to see that you had a new book out and jumped at opportunity to read it.

Nina Finch isn’t suited for a life of crime. Raised by her art-forger brother, she can paint like Botticelli. But she’d so much rather be baking gooseberry tarts. She finally has the money she needs to open he...

REVIEW: The Best Man’s Problem by Sera Taíno

He can’t forget the kiss he shared with the best man.

But is he the best man for him?

His sister’s wedding isn’t the ideal place for Rafael Navarro to reconnect with the man he kissed in a moment of reckless abandon. But it’s impossible to avoid best man Étienne Galois! The gorgeous Haitian photographer hasn’t forgotten the intimate moment they shared, even if Rafi is the most maddening person he’s ever met. Can the two find common ground, proving opposites not only attract—they can become ...

REVIEW: Babbacombe’s by Susan Scarlett

“I thought we were allowed to sit. I mean I thought it was the Shop Act or something that we had to have something to sit on.”

Jenny laughed.

“So they say, but it doesn’t work out that way. You won’t get sacked for sitting, but if you sit you’ll get the sack.”

Lovely Beth Carson is just out of school and beginning her first job at Babbacombe’s department store. She is pure as the driven snow, and knows her “place”, but she can hardly be blamed for tripping over a charming young man’s dog, can ...

Review: Deepwoods Trilogy by Honor Raconteur

In a land where guilds rule all, war is unimaginable, unbelievable. Until it arrives. From the desk of Honor Raconteur comes the tale of one guild, who believes in the impossible, and fight with everything they have to prevent the war they see coming.

Contains all three books in the trilogy “Deepwoods,” “Blackstone,” and “Fallen Ward,” as well as “Origins,” the collection of short stories.

I got the book on Kindle Unlimited.

Review:

Dear Honor Raconteur,

I wanted to clarify that I have read the...

REVIEW: Four Hidden Treasures (The Secrets of Hartwell 1) by H L Marsay

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

Reeling from the last few years of uncertainty, the villagers of Hartwell are adjusting to their new normal. When two new women separately move to town, they attract local attention and quickly realise Hartwell isn’t as sleepy as it appears.

Lady Lucy Hanley is beautiful, friendly, and struggling to preserve crumbling Hartwell Hall for her son as rumours circulate about her husband’s disappeara...

REVIEW: All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley

A fascinating, revelatory portrait of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its treasures by a former New Yorker staffer who spent a decade as a museum guard.

Millions of people climb the grand marble staircase to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year. But only a select few have unrestricted access to every nook and cranny. They’re the guards who roam unobtrusively in dark blue suits, keeping a watchful eye on the two million square foot treasure house. Caught up in his glamorous fledgl...

CONVERSATION: Reading Slumps

Janine: In our December conversation, 2022 in Review, Jennie mentioned that she’d experienced a bad reading slump last year.

I don’t feel great about the number of books I’ve finished in 2022 and after hearing other peoples’ numbers, I feel even worse! I know it’s not a competition, but in the past five years I’ve had a high of 56 books and a low of 45. This year, so far, I’m at….29. I will probably finish two or three more, but the number is still going to be a real low for me since I’ve been ...