Jane Litte's Blog, page 908

Daily Deals: Two sports contemporaries, a CIA book, and a YA horror

[image error] Simply Irresistible by Rachel Gibson. $.99.

From Jacket Copy:

Georgeanne Howard leaves her fiancé at the altar when she realizes she can’t marry a man old enough to be her grandfather, no matter how rich he is. Hockey superstar John Kowalsky unknowingly helps her escape, and only when it’s too late does he realize that he’s absconded with his boss’s bride. This bad boy isn’t looking to be anybody’s savior but his own. Still, a long night stretches ahead of them—a night too sultry to resist tem...

REVIEW: All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey

Dear Ms. Stacey

Your contemporary romances have become part of my “can’t wait to read” and my “don’t talk to me, I’m reading” lists. The story follows the eldest Kowalski brother Mitch, a demolitions expert, who returns to his hometownto help his youngest brother Joe out with the family lodge after Joe breaks his leg. He plans to be home for six weeks which is about all he can handle of Whitford, Maine where everyone remembers every one of his youthful peccadillos and can’t stop repeating them...

REVIEW: A Bad Day for Voodoo by Jeff Strand

“When your best friend is just a tiny bit psychotic, you should never actually believe him when he says “Trust me, this is gonna be awesome.”

Of course, you probably wouldn’t believe a voodoo doll could work either. Or that it could cause someone’s leg to blow clean off with a quick prick. But I’ve seen it. It can happen.

And when there’s suddenly a doll of YOU floating around out there–a doll that could be snatched by a Rottweiler and torn to shreds, or a gang of thugs ready to torch it, or an...

Thursday News: Bookstore trolling authors; Fantastic collection of grooms’ photos; and two thoughtful essays.

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I loved thiscollection of photosby a redditor poster featuring reactions of grooms upon the first site of their brides. The expressions range from tears to exclamations of joy to “I’m tearing that dress off before we get to the reception.”

Waterstones bookseller found trolling self-published author – David Eckhoff left advertising material for his self published book, available via Amazon, in the Bluewater branch of Waterstones. Staff there did not appreciate that and retaliated by leaving sev...

Daily Deals: A YA that is deemed the devil’s work; a sexy PI; and drunk knitters

[image error] Awkward by Marni Bates. $2.99.

From Jacket Copy:

I’m Mackenzie Wellesley, and I’ve spent my life avoiding the spotlight. But that was four million hits ago. . .

Blame it on that grade school ballet recital, when I tripped and pulled the curtain down, only to reveal my father kissing my dance instructor. At Smith High, I’m doing a pretty good job of being the awkward freshman people only notice when they need help with homework. Until I send a burly football player flying with my massive backpac...

What Janine is Reading — August 2012

Last month was a busy month for me and therefore I didn’t read as much as I usually do. Here’s what was on my plate in August, reading-wise:

Spice and Smoke by Suleikha Snyder

Set in the world of Bollywood cinema, Spice and Smoke is comprised of two connected novellas. “Bombay Dreams” is the story of a quadrangle/foursome, in which one of the relationships, Avi and Michael’s, is m/m, the other, Harsh and Trishna’s, m/f, and yet Avi is married to Trishna. Got that? If it sounds complicated that’...

REVIEW: Champagne Kisses by Zuri Day

Dear Ms. Day:

There is an internet phrase known as TL;DR (too long;didn’t read). That’s essentially how I felt about this book. There were long long blocks of text about absolutely nothing important. It didn’t advance the story, provide atmosphere or create tension.

His target’s eyes twinkled with humor as she contemplated the remark. “You’re asking me to leave one of Southern California’s most coveted resorts—” she waved her hand around the room “—featuring award- winning vineyards, to go some...

Wednesday News: Retailer who terrorized customers for giving bad reviews sentenced to 4 years; New Kobo reading devices; Jane Austen measured by MRIs

Kobo has released a new suite of reading devices although none of them are getting major play. These devices are all noted as “coming soon”, but the Kobo Arc is targeted for a mid November release. This has a nice comparison between the Fire and the Arc.

Kobo Mini ($79)

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5″ E Ink touchscreen; Vizplex V110 display; 16-level grey scale
2 GB internal storage
Files types:EPUB, PDF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RFT, CBZ, CBR.

Kobo Glo $129.99

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6″ E Ink XGA Pearl screen; 1024×768 resolution; 16-level g...

Daily Deals: It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, 2 historicals, and a South African mystery

So my new dilemma is that with the crazy variation in discounting, the prices will not be the same from store to store. I’m likely to profile the best deals I can find or the most interesting books. The latter have blurbs that appeal to me and are generally $3.99 and under (like the last deal in this grouping) but I’m open to suggestions on what the readers would like. Let me know.

[image error] It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. $.99.

From Jacket Copy:

The Windy City isn’t quite ready for Phoeb...

REVIEW: Spark by Brigid Kemmerer

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Dear Ms. Kemmerer:

I was excited that I found Spark at NetGalley the day after I finished Storm, the first your Elemental Series.The four Merrick brothers are Elementals, individuals born on the point of a Pentagon which gives them power over one of the four elements. Elementals are often responsible for wars and tragedies and so Guides are sent to kill them. The Merricks are not yet fully in control of their powers and spikes of emotion affect that control.

Possibly the least in control of his...