Jane Litte's Blog, page 55

Review: Quarter Share (Golden Age of the Solar Clipper #1) by Nathan Lowell

THE GOLDEN AGE OF SAIL HAS RETURNED — IN THE YEAR 2351

When his mother dies in a flitter crash, eighteen-year-old Ishmael Horatio Wang must find a job with the planet company or leave the system–and NerisCo isn’t hiring. With credits running low, and prospects limited, he has just one hope…to enlist for two years with a deep space commercial freighter. Ishmael, who only rarely visited the Neris Orbital, and has never been off-planet alone before, finds himself part of an eclectic crew sailing a...

REVIEW: The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Dear Holly Black,

Over the summer I caught up with your Cruel Prince trilogy (I know, I know, I live under a boulder) and enjoyed each book more than the last. When I saw that The Stolen Heir, Oak and Suren’s story, was coming out this month, I got excited for it because even in Queen of Nothing, when both of them were kids, I wanted a story about the two of them.

Now in their late teens, Suren and Oak live vastly different lives. Whereas Suren, a changeling child who goes by the name her human...

REVIEW: My Montana Valentine (The Millers of Marietta Book 1) by Elsa Winckler

He doesn’t believe in happy endings…

Saddled with the impossible task of finding a feel-good story, journalist Aiden O’Sullivan reluctantly accepts his godmother’s invitation to visit Marietta, Montana, to experience the small town’s Valentine’s Day celebration. Upon his arrival, a minor ankle injury lands him in the ER of the local hospital when his godmother insists a doctor should examine it.

After her parents’ untimely deaths, Dr. Vivian Miller moved from Sacramento to Marietta with her si...

REVIEW: Chick Magnet by Emma Barry

Content notes: gaslighting, depression

Dear Emma Barry,

Nicole Jones, aka “Chick Nic” is a YouTuber with a big following, promoting Chickens for All. She posts regular content about owning, raising and maintaining backyard chickens. During the pandemic her channel took off – which is just as well as she was laid off from her job in marketing when the lockdowns happened. Nicole had been in a relationship with Brian who was also a YouTuber but who turned out to be a toxic gaslighter. After he accu...

Jayne’s Mostly Non-fiction Book Reading List

Never Trust a Sneaky Pony: And Other Things They Didn’t Teach Me in Vet School by Madison Seamans DVM

James Herriot meets Jeff Foxworthy in the real-life adventures of a traveling horse doctor.

Climb into the truck alongside large animal vet Dr. Madison Seamans and race to the aid of horses with wounds, stomach aches, allergies, and bizarre behaviors, as well as those in severe physical distress. Quite by accident, you’ll find yourself familiar with and understanding common equine medical prob...

REVIEW: Daughter of the Sunset Isles by Dinah Dean

An epic journey of enlightenment, love, and discovering divine purpose, from Medieval England through to Denmark and Russia.

England, 1066

Gytha is the devout but determined daughter of the rightful king of England, until her world is turned upside down by the death of her father, King Harold. Fleeing from being forced into a nunnery, and determined to keep the spirit of her father alive by bearing sons to continue his line, Gytha seeks refuge with her uncle King Svein of Denmark.

But with the ...

REVIEW: Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

Dear Kate Clayborn,

Georgie Mulcahy returns to her home town of Darentville, Virginia to spend some time with her best friend, Bel, and to sort out her life. She’s been working in Hollywood as a PA to a screenwriter and when said screenwriter decided to leave LA and try a less hectic life, Georgie found herself without a job and without a direction. She’s spent a lot of years looking after other people and hasn’t paid attention to herself. She feels “blank”. She doesn’t know what she wants. Comin...

Review: A Ferry of Bones and Gold (Soulbound #1) by Hailey Turner

When the gods come calling, you don’t get to say no.

Patrick Collins is three years into a career as a special agent for the Supernatural Operations Agency when the gods come calling to collect a soul debt he owes them. An immortal has gone missing in New York City and bodies are showing up in the wake of demon-led ritual killings that Patrick recognizes all too easily from his nightmares.

Unable to walk away, Patrick finds himself once again facing off against mercenary magic users belongin...

REVIEW: The Year of the Cat: The Untold Story of the Lunar New Year Race by Jeannie Lin (aka Phuong Chi Nguyen)

The Year of the Cat: The Untold Story of the Lunar New Year Race is a 32 page picture book in English and Vietnamese with high-quality color illustrations based on an original story created by bestselling author Jeannie Lin and her twin children, Daniel and Mae Linh.

Summary:
The legend of the Lunar New Year Race tells of how the first twelve animals that finished would be honored in the zodiac. But one very important animal is missing…

What happened to the Cat?

Follow the clever Cat on a magi...

REVIEW: A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year by Jackie Lau

After his family’s matchmaking extravaganza at Thanksgiving, high school teacher Zach Wong is terrified of what his parents might do for Chinese New Year. Surely they’ll try to set him up yet again, especially now that his older brothers are in relationships. Zach, however, has no interest in dating, not since his fiancée left him.

The solution? Find a fake girlfriend to avoid his parents’ matchmaking.

Jo MacGregor, the town dentist, is the obvious choice. They both live in Mosquito Bay and ha...