Darlene's Digest

Royal Airs by Sharon Shinn My rating: 3 of 5 stars Excellent world building from Sharon Shinn, as usual. The story was entertaining, but it didn't rock my world like some of her other books. Nonetheless, it will be enjoyed by her fans, especially if they've already read Troubled Waters , the first book in the Elemental Blessings series. View all my reviews

She excused herself from the heat of the cane fires and walked to  the tables where the women were laying out an array of pumpkin and  pecan pies, shortbread oozing with sweet jam, all of it covered with  light cloths to keep the insects off. Crocks of preserves and pickled  tomatoes, cucumbers, and relishes shone in the sun. Her persimmon  cakes were added to the pile. While once Julia might have wondered  who could consume so much food at one sitting, she’d seen the  Crackers sit down to their victuals and knew the food would be little  more than a memory by the time the day was done. Barefoot children chased a brindle hound bitch through the yard,  stopping long enough to beg for slices of buttered cornbread before  heading down to the creek for some of the last swimming they’d do  before the air and the water got chilled by winter. Smuggler's Bride I want to wish all my friends and readers a very happy Thanksgiving holid...

The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was a fascinating peek into American history, women's literature, slave narratives and gothic novels. I gave it five stars because I'm not going to judge the author's sometimes fractured grammar and spelling. The book was spell-binding. "Hannah Crafts" was a literate slave woman, light-skinned, able to pass for white when she needed to. The extensive research Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. puts into tracking down the author of The Bondwoman's Narrative reads itself like a detective novel, and one can almost feel his joy when certain clues cause information to click into place, authenticating the veracity of the tale. Part of what makes The Bondwoman's Narrative so interesting is how Crafts brings a woman's perspective to the story in her discussion of relationships between mistress and maidservant, and her frank inclusion of the sexual abuse slave women faced from both their w...

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another powerful, moving, important novel from Elizabeth Wein. I say "important" because of her gift for bringing history alive for the YA (and adult) reader in her tales of the courage of young women during WWII. Rose is an American teenager, barely out of school, who leaves small town Pennsylvania to fly planes for the British ATA (akin to the US WASPs) during the last years of WWII. There's interaction with Maddie, the protagonist of Code Name Verity , but Rose's story is unique, particularly for younger American readers who may not have a good grasp of the role American women played during the war. Rose is captured in a flight that takes her away from the Allied occupied areas, and because she's a civilian and not a military POW, she's sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp for women. Like Wein's previous work, this novel again makes me want to stop teenage girls on the street, the ones who t...

Charming by Elliott James My rating: 4 of 5 stars Even though the urban fantasy field is saturated with good writers, it's always a pleasure to read a debut novel by another talented author. While many of the characters are the same otherworldly species we've come to expect, Charming is highlighted by snappy dialogue, fast pacing, good action scenes and a conflicted, troubled hero who'd be right at home bending an elbow next to Harry Dresden. I'll be looking forward to the next installment. View all my reviews

Dr. Murray looked like he was about to say something, but Carville spoke up, saying stubbornly, “I still don’t believe the United States surrendered.” “A peace treaty is not a surrender, Carville,” Charley said. “I am sure there is more to this than we know.” Indeed, when Captain Doyle returned there was a full report. A peace treaty had been negotiated restoring Great Britain and the United States to their antebellum status. “But what of the prisoners?” Charley asked Captain Doyle. “A Yankee trader from France bound for Charleston put into port a few days back. That is how we got the news. The governor is not interested in having a gang of Americans roaming through Kingston, and asked if we would ‘host’ them for a while longer until they can ship out with their countrymen.” It was that simple. Men who two days earlier would have run each other through or blown each other to pieces, now were up on deck toasting each other’s countries with carefully rationed grog. Captain Doyle wisely...

She continued to unpack her belongings as the youngster arranged her dolls on her bunk. A new doll with a china head was part of the crew and Mattie addressed them in a low voice as she played. “…and you must always obey the captain’s orders or else she’ll maroon you!” “Perhaps we can have a tea party with your friends there?” Lydia said a touch frantically. “If you cooperate and have your lessons with me each morning, and do your chores, we will have a tea party later in the voyage.” “Pirates don’t have tea parties, Miss Burke, that would be silly.” --[WIP] The Pirate's Secret Baby I was taking my daily walk around our neighborhood and saw two little girls playing in a front yard. A tree had been cut down, large circles of wood were scattered on the ground, and the girls were rearranging them to be a "fireplace" and "kitchen" in their pretend house. I loved seeing this. Here are two budding mechanical engineers, or architects, or building construction...

Carla Kelly's Christmas Collection by Carla Kelly My rating: 4 of 5 stars As always, Carla Kelly brings the angst, but also the hope for a better tomorrow. I'd read two of these stories in other collections, two were new to me, but all were enjoyable.  Kelly's stories of ordinary people are every bit as satisfying, if not more so, than a thousand Regency tales of dukes and heiresses. View all my reviews