Jane Litte's Blog, page 904

REVIEW: What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Dear Ms. Zhang,

When I first saw the premise for your debut YA novel, I was intrigued. Everyone is born with two souls but one gains dominance until finally, the other vanishes in childhood? Interesting yet twisted – my kind of thing. It was enough to make me look past the dystopian setting that’s become so overdone these days.

[image error]Addie and Eva are two souls born into the same body. But unlike other children, they settled late. Most children begin settling in kindergarten. For them, it didn’t happ...

Daily Deals: Category, historical and PNR romances under $3.00

[image error]In Bed with the Boss by Susan Napier. $2.39/2.77.

From Jacket Copy:

For three years, Kalera has been a model secretary to Duncan Royal, with only one hiccup in their otherwise perfect relationship: a one-night stand that should never have happened, and which both have tried to forget. Or so Kalera thought.

But Duncan is haunted by their one night of unbelievable passion, and secretly longs for their relationship to develop after office hours. As a rule, he can have any woman he wants–so he’s fur...

How independent booksellers failed to recognize the buying power of the mass market reader

[image error]

Image via Big Stock Photo

Warning: The following contains generalizations. I realize that not all indie bookstores are the same and that some are very welcoming to romance readers.

A week or so ago, an independent bookseller tweeted on a message that (and I am going to paraphrase a bit so it is a little harder to track down the bookseller who said this) she had told a customer that she, the bookseller, hated the book the customer purchased and the customer could return if she didn’t like it. Th...

Daily Deals: How about some romance freebies!

[image error] The Last Bride in Ballymuir by Dorien Kelly. $Free.

From Jacket Copy:

When Michael Kilbride, a handsome man with a dark past, arrives in the Irish village of Ballymuir, rumors begin to fly. While many turn against him, one woman steps forward–the village’s beloved schoolteacher, Kylie O’Shea. Kylie’s friends have long believed that shy Kylie is bound to fulfill the local legend of being the last bride in Ballymuir. But passion soon ignites between Michael and Kylie. Will Kylie, who hides secre...

REVIEW: The Nurse He Shouldn’t Notice by Susan Carlisle

With his heart on the line will it be fight…or flight?

Dr. Court Armstrong is running from the past, a flight that takes him straight to the doorstep of a Ghanaian hospital and Nurse Maggie Everett. Working with firebrand Maggie is a challenge Court relishes every second of, but he’s in her world now–and he’ll have to keep his distance if he wants his heart to survive intact….

Dear Ms. Carlisle,

Recently I watched a documentary on Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). It delved int...

First Page: Breaker

Welcome to First Page Saturday. Individual authors anonymously send a first page read and critiqued by the Dear Author community of authors, readers and industry others. Anyone is welcome to comment. You may comment anonymously. You can submit your own First Page using this form.

The audience buzzes with energy and it carries back to where we’ve begun our final countdown to show time. The palpable electricity teases the hair on my skin.

Before every performance some of the Glam Club members get...

Daily Deals: Two contemporaries (finally); a supernatural antihero; and a biography that I’d recommend

[image error] Contract with Consequences by Miranda Lee. $2.99.

From Jacket Copy:

Last year, Scarlet King was a blushing bride-to-be, but now she’s alone and more than anything she longs for a baby. This time, she’s determined to prove she doesn’t need a man!

Successful, spine-tinglingly gorgeous John Mitchell has desired Scarlet for years, so he seizes the chance to claim her. But his proposal comes with a devilish price: if she wants a baby, they’ll do it the old-fashioned way!

John reminds Scarlet of the p...

REVIEW: A Study in Seduction by Nina Rowan

Dear Ms. Rowan:

I admit passing this book over because lately historical romances have such a sameness to them, that I felt like I’ve read all the stories before. However, the review at JenniferRNN’s site intrigued me and I found the book on NetGalley, allowing me to try the book out for free.

The heroine, Lydia Kellaway, is a math prodigy. She thinks of everything in terms of solvable math theorems, including the non rational concept of love. Because she can’t fathom how she allowed what she t...

REVIEW: Can’t Get Enough by Sarah Mayberry

Dear Ms. Mayberry,

Why am I reading this older book of yours? There’s a story behind this and I’m going to tell it to you. You see, Jane usually gets all the printed arcs submitted to DA and then she divvies them up and mails them out to us. Sometimes she needs to pad the box so that all that arc-y goodness isn’t sloshin’ around while in transit. Usually she uses wadded up pieces of paper but on one memorable occasion she employed the (thankfully unused) diapers that her muchkin had outgrown....

Friday Film Review: Emma (A&E 1996)

[image error]Emma (1996 A&E TV)

Genre: Novel adaptation/Romance/Regency Period

Grade: B

I was reluctant to watch this adaptation mainly due to the fact that I’m not a great Kate Beckinsale fan. Something about her struck me as distant, controlling and snobby. But my curiosity overcame me and I finally took the plunge and realized that she’s actually a very good choice to play this character. I had always then meant to review it but misplaced my notes until recently. Of course right after I queued it up to r...