Jane Litte's Blog, page 979

REVIEW: Casting Samson by Melinda Hammond

Finding your boyfriend in the shower with another woman isn't high on Deborah Kemerton's "best birthday presents ever" list. Her life in London shattered, she retreats to her sleepy hometown to heal her broken heart. There, she's quickly swept up in planning a pageant to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the village church. Tasked with casting the perfect Samson, Deborah may have found her man in Josh Lancaster—onstage and off…

Fellow committee member Anne Lindsay is convinced a 12th-century...

First Page: Contemporary Romance Novel

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 know you're screwed right?"

Audrey Greer sighed pointedly at her best friend. "Katy you are aware that you've said that to me now at least three times since we've been sitting here, right?"

"I count four," their friend Nick offered helpfully.

"Thanks friends...

Friday News and Deals: Dorchester Pub Goes to Auction; Warner Bros Sets Up DVD Ripping Depots

News

Dorchester appears to be dead. According to Publishers Marketplace, the assets (including any book contracts) of Dorchester Publishing have been put up on the auction block.  (Reg Rq'd)  There is one bid from a "FAA Investors LLC", but PM was unable to flush out who the company was behind the bid.

Everyone and their cousin is writing about Fifty Shades of Grey.  Slate suggests that the female fantasy of being sexually overpowered is one of narcissism.  I find this to be a kind of...

REVIEW: Geared for Pleasure by Rachel Grace

Dear Ms. Grace:

This is a two story collection and while the world was intriguing, I felt like I was only given tiny glimpses of what could be instead of a full fledged immersion into a new world. I'm not sure if it was because of the two story structure or whether the teasing reveal was an intentional way storytelling choice.  The two stories are told from the point of view of the Sword and the Chalice of Queen Idony.

Much of the worldbuilding is a mystery and it hampered my enjoyment of the s...

Friday Film Review: That Touch of Mink

That Touch of Mink (1962)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Grade: C

I know that a lot of people are probably going to disagree with my grade of average for a Doris Day/Cary Grant movie but honesty wins out and IMO, this movie ain't that great. Day and Grant obviously made other great movies but their pairing here just sinks like a rock. I liked other aspects of the film enough to finish it and do this review but the romance never worked for me.

Cathy Timberlake (Doris Day) and Philip Shayne (Cary Grant) ...

REVIEW: To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield by Bronwen Evans

Dear Ms. Evans,

I'll begin this review with the last line of your novella, To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield.

He loved, with a consuming passion, the woman who'd dared the Duke of Dangerfield.

This line evokes a picture perfect happy ending for Harlow Telford, the Duke of Dangerfield, and Lady Caitlin Southall, the woman who dared him. It's a fitting finish to your tale in which everything is so sweet, lovely, and darling that the book reads like a naughty version of a 1950's Disney film. The...

Thursday News: A Bit About DA, Agency Pricing Appears Doomed, Tamara Allen Leaves DSP

The last few days have been frustrating for dear author readers and the crew here at Dear Author and it is mostly my fault. For the past year, I have tried to manage a self hosting option but I don't know a thing about Apache and shell access and what not. Every time we had a problem, I could barely understand one of ten words in the error report and while the folks at the hosting service had amazingly prompt customer support, they didn't support wordpress and thus I knew I needed to change. ...

Interview with Patricia Briggs

Patricia Briggs is one of my favorite authors, and today I get to interview her on topics including her forthcoming novel, her best-selling series, and her scary, scary fairies. You can read my review here.

1.  First off, let's talk about your newest novel! Fair Game, is the latest entry in your Alpha and Omega series. This series began with the novella, "Alpha and Omega" published in the On the Prowl anthology, which left lots of people, me included, clamoring for more. Did you always...

REVIEW: Fair Game by Patricia Briggs

Dear Ms Briggs,

I'm not just an avid reader of your Mercy Thompson series and your Alpha & Omega series, I'm the sort of fan who counts off the days until your next book like a kid counting the days until Christmas. But the problem with Christmas is that the wait can make even good gifts seem like something of a let down. Though I genuinely enjoyed your new novel, Fair Game, there were aspects of the story that disappointed me, too, and I think I might have been more forgiving if I hadn't...

Dear Author Recommends for March

March is sparse with recommendations but save your money because April has a full slate.

Historical

The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh (reissued in a 2-in-1 with A Promise of Spring, which I'm NOT recommending). Recommended by Janine and Sunita.  Reviewed here.

Amazon BN Sony Kobo

PNR

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs.  Recommended by Josephine, Janine, and Jane (The ending is a game changer)  Review here.

Amazon BN Sony Kobo

Oracle's Moon by Thea Harrison. Recommended by Shuzluva and Jane.  Reviewed here.

a