Jane Litte's Blog, page 991

REVIEW: Her Husband's Harlot by Grace Callaway

Dear Ms. Callaway,

I was interested to read your debut novel for two reasons. First, I love the title. I've always thought being a husband's harlot is one of the best parts of marriage. (Plus, it reminds me of a classic song, the number one single from 1973, Charlie Rich's Behind Closed Doors. I'm humming it as I write.) Second, I think it's impressive you've taken your 2010 winning manuscript, (Her Husband's Harlot was a 2010 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Finalist) and turned it...

Friday Film Review: The Draughtsman's Contract

The Draughtsman's Contract (1982)

Genre: Drama/Period Piece

Grade: B

"There's sex, snotty people and flamboyant costumes. What more could you want." – Spanky and John Go to the Movies.

[image error]I'm almost hesitant to recommend this film just because I know a lot of people probably won't like it. Note I'm not saying you won't get it, just that you might not like it. I had read many of the reviews in which people who've seen the film praise it to the heavens – and also say that many viewers won't get it –...

REVIEW: Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard

Dear Ms. Gerard:

I liked the poetic nature of the title given that this book kind of closes the door on the Black Ops, Inc., or BOIs, crew. Joe Green is indeed the last man standing of the group. The other living members have all fallen in love and had a happy ending. Joe's done the falling in love part. He can't stay away from Stephanie Tompkins. But the happy ever after ending is eluding them, primarily because Joe is driven to seek justice for the death of his best friend, Bryan Tompkins...

Thursday News and Deals: Growing Number of Academics Unhappy with Elsevier

News

Brenda Novak's auction will take place from May 1st through the 31st. They are looking for donated prizes. I'm thinking of donating a 100 page critique but honestly I don't know whether that would be something someone would want. I can't offer an ad as I'm sold out for the year. What do you think?

******

Melissa Foster and Amy Edelman for IndieReader.com itemize a number of reasons why self published authors aren't getting respect. The reasons are commonsense and include the lack of...

REVIEW: The Husband Recipe by Linda Winstead Jones

"It started with a baseball…

Which shattered Lauren Russell's perfectly ordered life. Lauren's new neighbors were about to see the Southern lifestyle columnist's temper! Then she met Cole Donovan, the sexy single dad. He was not the man from her husband list; he was too tall, too sexy—and definitely had too many kids! But somehow, looking into his blue, blue eyes, she forgot all that….

Lauren was too elegant, too prim and didn't understand that his three rambunctious kids were the focus of his...

REVIEW: The Whip by Karen Kondazian

Dear Ms. Kondazian:

[image error]One of the reasons I was excited to read The Whip is that I lived for quite a while in Santa Cruz County, where some of the novel is set. I was also intrigued by the idea of a fact-based story about Charley Parkhurst, a woman who not only lived for most of her life as a man, but who was one of the most respected "whips," aka stagecoach drivers, for Wells Fargo. While not a great deal is known about Parkhurst's life, especially her early life, what is known provides a lot...

Books Like Downton Abbey

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A couple of friends of mine have encouraged me to watch Downton Abbey. One of them said it is like watching a very smart historical romance. The Earl of Grantham married Cora, Countess of Grantham when he was poor and titled and she was young and rich. (Sound familiar?) Overtime, they grew to love each other. The show, Downton Abbey, centers around the Earl's aristocratic family and their help. The show is available on Netflix and free streaming via Amazon Prime.

Susanna Kearsley...

REVIEW: Shadow's Stand By Sarah McCarty

Dear Ms. McCarty,

In general, with the exception of Deadwood, I have never been a fan of the western. I've read good things about your Hell's Eight series, however, so I thought I'd see if perhaps your book Shadow's Stand might be the western that changed my mind. After finishing it, I am open to reading another western. That said, I don't think it will be one of yours.

[image error]My struggle with Shadow's Stand began with the opening scene. The time is the summer of 1859; the place, the West Kansas...

REVIEW: Firelight by Kristin Callihan

Dear Ms. Callihan,

While historical romances aren't my favored genre, I do love paranormal romances. If I pick up a historical, more often than not there's a whiff of the paranormal in it. I remember first hearing about your debut novel several months ago and it sounded interesting enough that it stayed on my radar. As I was warned, Firelight is certainly a mix of many different genres. I'm all for genre-mixing, but I'm just not sure it worked here.

[image error]The youngest daughter of a destitute family, ...

REVIEW: The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

Dear Ms. Livesey,

The cover song has always occupied a precarious position in the annals of music lovers. On the one hand, it is quite a safe thing to do—cover someone else's song. One already knows that it is beloved. One already knows what sort of person might like that song. It has a brand, a mark, a name already stamped upon it. You, as the musician, can rely on people's nostalgia to bring to the song you are playing emotions you might not be guaranteed to evoke through your own work. If y...