Jane Litte's Blog, page 923

REVIEW: A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont

Dear Ms. Mont,

I purchased your book quite by accident. I was browsing through samples on my kindle and thought I would give yours a try since the topic was interesting and not overdone. While there has been a lot of Austen-esque retellings, I haven’t seen many for Bronte works, and thought why not. When I finished the sample, I meant to click on ‘See More Information’ and instead clicked purchase. Oops. I decided to read the book, and found it interesting for the most part, but flawed.

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A Breat...

REVIEW: Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon

Dear Ms. Dillon,

Your book came recommended to me by a good friend who’s never steered me wrong so when she said she liked it, I put it on my to-get list. Sometimes I want the hot and smexy and sometimes I want the quiet, gentle love that creeps up on you like a dog trying to sneak a piece of chocolate off the kitchen counter. Yes, I speak from experience in how quiet dogs can be on their quest and no, I never let mine have more than one little bite sized piece at a time. Honest.

[image error] Rachel lost h...

Thursday News: More About Mars; Ebooks are for genre readers; Print books are for the literary fiction readers or so says David Hewson

I feel for you Hitler, I really do. That said, my little index finger will be hovering over the buy button on the 12th.

Ebooks: is it a genre thing?Definitely… – “But I do suspect that ebooks and the nature of ereading are changing the nature of popular narrative. Anything complex and lengthy – even Stephen King – feels odd on the ereader page. These are works made for paper, not pixels. The ones that ereaders – the people, not the device – favour are less adventurous, more predictable, and in...

Daily Deals: The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie & three historical romances

[image error] The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie. $1.99.

From Jacket Copy:

Mr. Hercule Poirot—you fancy yourself, don’t you, at solving mysteries that are too difficult for our poor thick-headed British police? Let us see, Mr. Clever Poirot, just how clever you can be. Was the anonymous note a brilliant challenge or a crackpot hoax? The answer is as loud and clear as a woman’s scream—precisely that of Alice Ascher, a shopkeeper in Andover bludgeoned to death on the job. Next to her corpse, a clue that’s as...

REVIEW: Hell on Wheels by J. A. Walker

Dear Ms. Walker

I read this book second even though it is the first in the series and it’s probably a good thing I did as I liked the second story, In Ride’s Trouble, much more than this title. My main complaint with this story is my inability to buy in to the fantasy constructed. There is a motorcycle fabrication shop in Chicago that serves as a cover for a paramilitary organization. This is actually a great idea. Grigg Morgan was a member of that organization yet never divulged this informat...

MANGA REVIEW: My Darling Kitten Hair by Haruko Kumota

[image error]Title: My Darling Kitten Hair

Story and Art: Haruko Kumota

Publisher: JManga

Genre: BL (Boys’ Love A.K.A. yaoi)

Rating: M for Mature

Length: 1 volume (168 pages)

Dear Readers,

I can’t deny it was the title that caught my attention. What on earth does My Darling Kitten Hairmean? I didn’t know when I started reading this comic.

Still don’t after I finished reading it.

Well, I do have my guess as I think I found the answer in a bonus chapter.Regardless, I enjoyed the ride through Haruko Kumota’s good-nat...

Wednesday News: DOJ Agency Pricing Update; Google Book Suit Update

First up are summaries of the two lawsuits involving publishing.

DOJ: On Friday, the DOJ filed a document which essentially asks Judge Cote to approve the settlement between itself and three of the six defendants (Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster) without a hearing. The DOJ argued that a hearing would present an unnecessary delay. The parties opposing the settlement and any “friends of the court” briefs are due on the 15th. Penguin is filing an appeal from Judge Cote’s refusal to...

Daily Deals: A Scandal to Remember (Gentlemen Rogues) by Linda Needham & a PNR, YA Girl in Pants, Fiction

[image error] A Scandal to Remember (Gentlemen Rogues) by Linda Needham . $1.99.

From Jacket Copy:

A handsome spy falls for the princess he was sent to protect in this second book of theGentleman Roguestrilogy by aUSA Todaybestselling author.

Andrew Battencourt, Earl of Shefford, is looking forward to spending some quiet time in the country after a gruelling year–long mission for the Home Office. But before Drew can begin his holiday, he is sent to secretly investigate a break–in, and meets the beautiful Pri...

REVIEW: Broken Harbour by Tana French

Dear Ms. French–

OK, deep breath and here goes. I love your work but I’ve read this book three times now and I really don’t get it. Broken Harbour is obsessively readable and jammed withsumptuouslanguage. It has a fabulous first person narrator with an idiosyncratic voice. And yet, Broken Harbour didn’t add up for me. It’s a kick-ass read, to be sure, but, when I finished it and gave it some serious thought, I wasn’t quite sure what happened. In a mystery, that is a disappointment.

Broken Harbo...

REVIEW: Hearts of Darkness by Kira Brady

Dear Ms. Brady:

I picked this book up randomly from my pile of paper ARCs. I had no preconception of the story. The ARC had a plain blue paper cover and while it may have had a cover flat attached to it at one time, it was nowhere to be found when I began reading. I was so intrigued by the end of the first chapter, however, that I had a hard time putting the book down to do mundane things. I’m so jaded by paranormals these days, but I’ve not read this story before or encountered this world bef...