Jane Litte's Blog, page 73

REVIEW: Compromised into a Scandalous Marriage by Lydia San Andres

Escape to the Caribbean in this tension-filled compromised-into-marriage story!

When heiress Paulina Despradel is banished from the family quinta in a storm, she seeks shelter with her dashing new neighbor, Sebastian Linares. Their attraction may be as electrifying as the lightning outside, but the night they spend together is totally innocent. Barely more than strangers, they must now marry. But left alone with their simmering chemistry, can they build a true union from the ashes of scandal?

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REVIEW: Desperate Undertaking by Lindsey Davis

In Lindsey Davis’s next book in the beloved Flavia Albia Series, Desperate Undertaking, a mad killer (or killers!) is strewing bodies around in the most gruesome of manners and, true to form, it is up to Flavia Albia to determine what is really going on and stop this bacchanal of death.

In the first century, under Domitian’s reign, strange and brutal goings on are nothing new in Rome. Flavia Albia, daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, has taken over her father’s business as a private informer bu...

REVIEW: The Unkept Woman: A Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery by Allison Montclair

The Right Sort Marriage Bureau was founded in 1946 by two disparate individuals – Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge (whose husband was killed in the recent World War) and Miss Iris Sparks who worked as an intelligence agent during the recent conflict, though this is not discussed. While the agency flourishes in the post-war climate, both founders have to deal with some of the fallout that conflict created in their personal lives. Miss Sparks finds herself followed, then approached, by a young woman wh...

CONVERSATION: Fake Dating and Marriage of Convenience

Janine: In our April open thread I lamented the omnipresence of fake relationships in contemporary romances so this seems like a good time to have a conversation about the trope. I’ve sometimes seen it discussed along with the marriage of convenience trope (readers compare them or group them under the same umbrella) so I want to discuss the two tropes together.

Here are my questions to start us off:

Are these tropes you like a lot? Why or why not? How would you compare / contrast the two tropes?...

REVIEW: Ashlin and Olivia by Aster Glenn Gray

Ice queen Ashlin has one passion: art. That shared interest drew Olivia to her for an intense childhood friendship, but after that friendship’s disastrous end, Olivia never wanted to see Ashlin again.

Years later, when the two women run into each other in Florence, Olivia is shocked to discover that she’s just as drawn to Ashlin as ever. They reconnect as they wander the city, discussing art and eating gelato, and Olivia begins to see their past in a new light – and to harbor fragile hopes for...

REVIEW: The Haunting of the Desks: A Sparks & Bainbridge Short Story (Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery) by Allison Montclair

Sparks and Bainbridge of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau return in this short story from Allison Montclair as their expansion into a new office – and acquisition of a new desk – results in unexplainable phenomena that can only mean that their new digs are haunted!

In London, 1946, The Right Sort Marriage Agency is off to a good start and their early success means that Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge can now afford to expand into the long-empty office across the hall. And with that...

REVIEW: Henrietta Sees It Through: More News from the Home Front 1942-1945 by Joyce Dennys

World War II is now in its third year and although nothing can dent the unwavering patriotism of Henrietta and her friends, everyone in the Devonshire village has their anxious moments. Henrietta takes up weeding and plays the triangle in the local orchestra to take her mind off things; the indomitable Lady B, now in her late seventies, partakes in endless fund-raising events to distract herself from thoughts of life without elastic; and Faith, the village flirt, finds herself in the charming c...

REVIEW: The Fantasy of the Middle Ages by Larisa Grollemond

This abundantly illustrated book is an illuminating exploration of the impact of medieval imagery on three hundred years of visual culture.

From the soaring castles of Sleeping Beauty to the bloody battles of Game of Thrones, from Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings to mythical beasts in Dungeons & Dragons, and from Medieval Times to the Renaissance Faire, the Middle Ages have inspired artists, playwrights, filmmakers, gamers, and writers for centuries. Indeed, no other historical era has ...

REVIEW: Sorry for Your Loss by Kate Marshall

Following Kate Marshall’s first year in the mortuary at a north of England NHS hospital, with each month exploring the people she meets, in life and death, as well as her own growing awareness of life behind the veil.

Meet Mr X. Found in his apartment months after his death, Mr X has no relatives that can be traced. He is the longest-serving resident of the mortuary, having been there for almost a year while the search for his elusive family continues. The staff talk to him like an old friend...

Review: Season’s Change (Trade Season’s #1) by Cait Nary

A veteran hockey player and a rookie can’t get away from each other—or their own desires—in this sexy, heartfelt opposites-attract hockey romance.  

Olly Järvinen has a long way to go. He’s got a fresh start playing for a new team, but getting his hockey career back on track is going to take more than a change of scenery. He’s got to shut his past out and focus. On the game, not on his rookie roommate and his annoyingly sunny disposition—and annoyingly distracting good looks.

All Benji Bryzinski...