Jane Litte's Blog, page 987

Friday Film Review: Devil in a Blue Dress

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

Genre: Noir Mystery

Grade: B

Easy Rawlins: A man once told me that you step out of your door in the morning, and you are already in trouble. The only question is are you on top of that trouble or not?

[image error]I hesitated a bit about reviewing this movie for the sole reason that it has no romance in it for the lead character – not even a bromance as the friend of the hero is a bit more on the psychotic side than anything. But it's so well done, lovely to look at and...

GUEST REVIEW: Celtic Storms by Delaney Rhodes

Dear Delaney Rhodes,

Last weekend I picked up your new book, Celtic Storms, from Amazon because it was free, and the cover, designed by the talented Kim Killion, was slick and very pretty. The setting also intrigued me since it was set in late medieval Ireland. Granted, I can be picky about Irish-set novels, as I used to attend the University of Ulster in Belfast. However, even though I wasn't expecting Laura Kinsale, I was hoping for something at least entertainingly silly, like the...

What January is Reading – 2/11/2012

I've had a mixed bag of reads lately.

Demon Bait by Moira Rogers

I've wanted to try a Moira Rogers book for some time, as they come highly recommended. I do not think I picked up the right one to start with, however. This story was interesting, but it also felt like fifty pounds of plot stuffed into a five pound bag. I had no idea what was going on for the majority of the story, and the continuity with the demons confused me. Why were there so many half demons if humans would lock down entire c...

REVIEW: A Lady Never Surrenders by Sabrina Jeffries

Dear Ms. Jeffries—

I was ambivalent about investing my time in the last of your Hellions of Halstead Hall series. I've read the first four with varying levels of satisfaction.  I found The Truth about Lord Stoneville, the first book, that of Oliver, the eldest Sharpe child, to be a contrived and insubstantial tale. I enjoyed the second, A Hellion in her Bed, Jarret's tale—you did a nice job of explaining the ins and outs of making ale in the 19th century. I loved the third, How to Woo a...

New Penguin Discounts

What's this? Penguin discounting books?

Flat Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy * $3.99 * A | BN | K | S *recommend*
Master of the Night by Angela Knight * $3.99 * A | BN | K | S
Bygones by Lavyrle Spencer * $3.99 * A | BN | K | S
Wicked Nights by Nina Bangs * $4.99 * A | BN | K | S
Killing Moon by Rebecca York * $4.99 * A | BN | K | S
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews * $4.99 * A | BN | K | S *recommend*
Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill * $4.99 * A | BN | K | S

REVIEW: Odalisque by Annabel Joseph

Dear Ms. Joseph,

Jane sent me your book and asked me to give it a try. She told me that she liked your writing style, but not the subject matter. Not knowing anything about this book other than it was erotica, I sat down to give it a spin and quickly found myself immersed in the book. Jane is correct in that you do have an easy to read style, and I read this book in a very short period of time because I wanted to find out what happened next. In the end, however, I'm going to have to chalk...

Wednesday News and Deals: Romance novels are feminist documents

From reader Shula is this fantastic article about romances at The Awl.  According to the reader, "The Awl is one of a quartet of blogs (think Gawker media) that also includes The Hairpin, a ladyblog. What I thought particularly interesting was that instead of posting the article there, where one might assume something written by a woman on the subject of the "Golden Age" of Mills and Boon would go, it went up on the general interest Awl instead."

Romance novels are feminist documents. They're...

REVIEW: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Dear Ms. Gaughen,

I picked up your debut because it looked like a good change of pace from all the paranormal YA. Now I'll be the first to admit I'm not a die-hard fan of Robin Hood but this seemed like it could be fun. Sometimes that's more than enough reason for me.

Scarlet is the Robin Hood story retold from the POV of Will Scarlet. With one major difference: Will Scarlet is actually a girl. Some people may not care for this change but I liked the idea of the "true" story being muddled by...

REVIEW: Before She Dies by Mary Burton

Dear Ms. Burton:

Charlotte Wellington remade herself from itinerant carnival fortune teller to high powered and extremely successful criminal defense lawyer.   Her past is one she doesn't talk about but the circus' return to town and deaths stalking women related to the occult make it difficult for Charlotte to keep her secret.  Her sometime lover, Detective Daniel Rokov, is frustrated by the barriers Charlotte is erecting to their relationship and the lack of progress in his case.

Their...

REVIEW: The Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig

As Napoleon pursues his plans for the invasion of England, English operative Augustus Whittlesby gets wind of a top secret device, to be demonstrated over the course of a house party at Malmaison. The catch? The only way in is to join forces with that annoying American socialite, Emma Morris Delagardie, who has been commissioned to write a masque for the weekend's entertainment. Even so, it should leave plenty of alone time with Augustus' colleague (and goddess), Jane Wooliston, who has been...