Jane Litte's Blog, page 99

REVIEW: Holbein by Anne T. Woollett

Stunning portraits by the renowned Renaissance artist illuminate fascinating figures from the European merchant class, intellectual elite, and court of King Henry VIII.

Nobles, ladies, scholars, and merchants were the subjects of Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/98–1543), an inventive German artist best known for his dazzling portraits. Holbein developed his signature style in Basel and London amid a rich culture of erudition, self-definition, and love of luxury and wit before becoming court pai...

REVIEW: The Gilded Page by Mary Wellesley

A breathtaking journey into the hidden history of medieval manuscripts, from the Lindisfarne Gospels to the ornate Psalter of Henry VIII

“A delight—immersive, conversational, and intensely visual, full of gorgeous illustrations and shimmering description.” –Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves

Medieval manuscripts can tell us much about power and art, knowledge and beauty. Many have survived because of an author’s status—part of the reason we have so much of Chaucer’s writing, for example, is be...

REVIEW: Love and Lavender by Josi S. Kilpack

Hazel Stillman is a woman of rare independence and limited opportunities. Born with a clubbed foot, she was sent away as a child and, knowing her disability means a marriage is unlikely, she devoted herself to scholarship and education.

Now working as a teacher in an elite private girls’ school, she is content with the way her story has unfolded. When her uncle Elliott Mayfield presents her with the prospect of a substantial inheritance if she marries, Hazel is offended. What kind of decent ma...

REVIEW: Twelve Dates of Christmas by Charlee James

She’s fallen for her own fantasy…will a real future with him be enough?

Bored by years of underwhelming dating experiences, copywriter Grace McGovern combines her love of Christmas and her longing for romance into the ultimate romance novel—where the heroine is swept off her feet one Christmas by tender, thoughtful, romantic…and utterly unrealistic dates. When Grace has a chance meeting with an attractive man, she’s charmed by their conversation and fun dates…until warning bells jingle. He cou...

THEN AND NOW: Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh (2009)

Janine: I loved Nalini Singh’s recent release, Archangel’s Light, so much that it sent me back to the beginning of the Guild Hunter series. The reading experience was different enough this time around that I decided to try something different, a post called “Then and Now”, focusing on a recent rereading experience I had with Angels’ Blood, the first book in Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series. I’ve read it at least twice before this, once in 2009 and another time in 2012.

All quotes below are fro...

REVIEW: A Casterglass Christmas by Kate Hewitt

To save Casterglass, all the Penryn children will need to return home, rebuild their lives among the ruins, and find love that has proved elusive…

The Penryn family have always been eccentric—living in a dilapidated castle in the wilds of Cumbria with an orchid-mad father and a classicist mother who likes to re-enact Greek myths, who wouldn’t be? Penniless and proud, patriarch Walter Penryn resists selling his birthright and family legacy until taxes, bills, and the need for a new roof force h...

REVIEW: Frankie and Amelia by Cammie McGovern

A heartfelt companion novel to the critically acclaimed Chester and Gus about inclusivity, autism, friendship, and family, perfect for fans of Sara Pennypacker and Kate DiCamillo.

After being separated from his family, Franklin becomes an independent cat, until he meets a goofy dog named Chester. Chester is a service dog to his person, a boy named Gus, and Chester knows just the girl to be Franklin’s person—Gus’s classmate, Amelia.

Amelia loves cats, but has a harder time with people. Frankl...

REVIEW: Archangel’s Light by Nalini Singh

Dear Nalini Singh,

Illium—playful, loyal, kind, and powerful—has been a charismatic presence in the Guild Hunter series since the first book, Angels’ Blood. Aodhan hasn’t been quite as prominent a character but his light-refracting beauty, artistry, and remoteness give him an almost haunting quality. Their fast friendship was always intriguing and many readers have been waiting for years to see it blossom into romance. Archangel’s Light is that long-awaited novel.

Early in the book, Raphael te...

Review: Chrysalis (The Formicary #1) by S.E. Harmon

A gunshot to the head is bad enough. Waking up with amnesia is far worse. I learn that the hard way when I wake up in the hospital, my memory practically wiped. I don’t know why someone wants me dead. Hell, I don’t even know my name. They say my name is Christian Cross. Too bad that name means nothing to me.

I haven’t forgotten everything, though. Grayson Laurie has always been my kryptonite, and it would take more than a bullet to the brain to forget him. He assures me that I’m imagining the d...

REVIEW: The Mice Before Christmas by Anne L. Watson, illustrations by Wendy Edelson

Everyone knows what happened on The Night Before Christmas, as described in Clement Clarke Moore’s beloved poem — but what ELSE happened on that wondrous night. Here at last is a companion poem to reveal all: The holiday hustle and bustle in the mouse house since early that morning. The evening party for all the mouse friends and relations, with presents, feasting, and dancing. And to top it all off, a visit from Santa Mouse himself! Never before told, this mice-eye story, presented in lively ...