Darlene's Digest

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang My rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely adorable. A heroine whose vulnerability is only exceeded by her courage, a hero whom you want to tuck under your arm and carry home (forget the mad bedroom skillz, I lust after his other talent!!!) and a story that's both timeless and totally 21st century. This is one of the best contemporary romances I've read in ages and I look forward to more from this debut author. View all my reviews

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick My rating: 3 of 5 stars Amanda Quick's tales have moved from Regency and Victorian England to 1930s California but they still have her trademark capable heroines and mysterious heroes. While the earlier Regency novels are keepers for me (love the Pino covers!) I also enjoyed this more modern tale of suspense involving Hollywood stars and secrets. View all my reviews

The Armored Saint by Myke Cole My rating: 3 of 5 stars A dark, grim, bloody YA that's not going to be for every reader, but one that raises interesting questions about religion, the makings of a hero, and communal responsibility. I'll be looking for Book #2 to see where this goes. View all my reviews

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.” ― Robert Louis Stevenson The older I get, the more I value being able to move, and to travel. I'd long had an overseas walking tour on my bucket list, with the Scottish Highlands at the top. This year I decided to make it happen. In December I made the reservation with  Country Walkers   for their Highlands and Isle of Skye tour, and I knew I needed to up my game when it came to walking. I was used to doing my daily 10K steps, and loved to walk around cities for pleasure when I'd be traveling, but I was nowhere ready for a walking tour. I spent the next six months investing in new hiking boots, a daypack, trekking poles, a hydration pack and some good socks. I also purchased a Florida State Parks pass. The latter was an important motivator. I'm blessed to live in North Central Florida, a land of slightly rolling hills and numerous outdoor activity sites including s

Eat, Pray, Die by Chelsea Field My rating: 4 of 5 stars A humorous (well, except for the "you've been poisoned and you're gonna die" parts) mystery in the vein of the "Stephanie Plum" style popularized by Janet Evanovich. Isobel is an Aussie with a new job and a huge debt, the kind of debt that involves loan sharks and people who break legs. The job is using her unique genetic code and skill set to be a taster for celebrities as risk of being poisoned. She's still on probation, and may not live long enough to have to worry about the bruiser sent to collect from her. I very much enjoyed this first in a series novel, one that sets up interesting romantic possibilities (If Izzy survives), extols the joys of a long black (I too love the Aussie coffee culture) and promises a good summer beach read. I'm looking forward to reading book 2. View all my reviews

Julia took a moment to go over and watch the cane mill, where a placid ox hitched to a lever walked ’round and ’round the contraption. The cane mill was two vertical iron rollers set in a heavy wood frame, and Franklin Ivey and the other feeders slowly passed the towering red cane stalks between the grinding rollers as the ox worked the treadmill. As the juice was squeezed out of the stalks of cane, it ran into a trough attached to the mill frame, while the cane pulp fell from the other side. The uncooked cane juice in the barrels was pale green, and as it cooked and was stirred it thickened and ripened to a deep amber, becoming the syrup prized for sweetening everything from coffee to pecan pie to biscuits. --Smuggler's Bride  I admit to some befuddlement over today being #NationalPecanPieDay, because every Southern gal knows pecans are a fall harvest. I keep my fresh, in the shell nuts in the freezer to use all year, but I make my pies for Thanksgiving and winter events.

Underfunded, understaffed, looked down on by the regular navy, despised by the merchants who paid the tariffs, the Revenue Marine was no one’s darling. Well, except maybe Alexander Hamilton, he’d loved his revenue cutters that brought money into the Treasury, but look what happened to him, Rand thought. Irritate the wrong people and there you are, worm food. --Smuggler's Bride Today is the anniversary of the stupid duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, a tragedy resulting in the death of this Founding Father who did so much for our country. I read Ron Chernow's biography many years ago and was captivated by the amazing man who accomplished great things in his brief lifetime. Hamilton's legacy helped me write Smuggler's Bride , my novel about the early Coast Guard, aka the Revenue Marine. Alexander Hamilton was flawed, but his legacy lives on. I haven't seen the musical yet but I hope some day to be in the right place at the right time to get Hami

Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean My rating: 4 of 5 stars This first installment in the Bareknuckle Bastards series shows wonderful possibilities regarding characters we were introduced to in The Day of the Duchess . There were fabulous bits of dialogue, a really interesting heroine and a very dangerous hero. In addition, I like revenge stories and the smuggling plot device was excellent. I love historical tidbits worked into a story without too much exposition. This book is for romance fans who enjoy quality writing and intriguing heroines. I'm looking forward to the next story in the series, as all the introduced characters show great promise. View all my reviews