Darlene's Digest

Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston My rating: 4 of 5 stars Fascinating and moving story of Cudjo Lewis, survivor of the last slaver ship to carry captive Africans to the United States. Lewis was interviewed by the great author and ethnologist Zora Neale Hurston and she lets him tell his own story in his own fashion. It's a moving tale of loss and hope and survival, and such eyewitness accounts of the horrors of slavery are all too rare when told in the victim's own voice. It's especially moving when the reader realizes that he was telling his tale less than 100 years ago, in the late 1920s. We are far closer to the tragedy of slavery and its legacy than people want to acknowledge. View all my reviews

Spacer's Cinderella by Adria Rose My rating: 4 of 5 stars Now see, this is why reviews matter. I saw a mention of this book in a writer's Twitter feed and it intrigued me. A Cinderella story set in space sounded like just what I needed in a week filled with crazysauce, but this debut author's work captured me far more than I expected it would...and it never would have happened if someone hadn't left a review. Aurora is a grad student conducting research on terraforming. She's living on the edge of poverty, working as a research assistant, a TA, and conducting her own experiments, all in the hopes her struggling home planet will benefit. Her mentor is fired and his successor is antagonistic and it's all circling the drain, so when her BFF insists on a night out clubbing, Aurora gives in. That's where she meets Magnus Thorne. Fill in the blank with every hunky, muscled, brilliant hero description and you've got him. The ...

Picture Perfect Cowboy by Tiffany Reisz My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another "Original Sinners" erotic romance winner from Ms. Reisz with a delightful cowboy who's almost too good to be true, but afraid to fly his kink flag until he meets a sub from NYC who shows him the ropes. Literally. View all my reviews

Daphne turned and walked blindly back to her cabin. Pompom greeted her and jumped into her lap when she sat on her bunk, staring at the empty covers of the bunk across from hers. He licked her hand and she put her head down next to the warm body snuggled into the crook of her arm. “At least you love me just the way I am, Pompom,” she whispered to the bichon. -- Castaway Dreams (High Seas #2) I posted pictures of my favorite puppy, Diva Dachshund Dodi, on #NationalPuppyDay, but I forgot to mention my second favorite puppy, Pompom from Castaway Dreams   (High Seas #2). In honor of Pompom and all the good doggos out there, I'm discounting the ebook edition of Castaway Dreams , 50% off at Smashwords with code UM65Q through March 31. Stock up now for your summer beach reading!

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells My rating: 5 of 5 stars I'm enjoying this series so much! It reminds me of why I love SF--great worldbuilding, snappy writing, memorable characters, all the whiz-bang excitement of life in space, and a protagonist different enough to be alien, but one with whom the reader can relate. Our self-named "Murderbot" is traveling back to the scene of the crime to try and discover what went wrong. It's aboard a ship with ART, who becomes a sidekick of sorts, a massive ship AI who has a disturbing sense of curiosity. Once again our security specialist bot is forced to interact with and protect humans, bringing it's own self-aware decision-making skills into play. Sometimes when you finish reading a book you're filled with glee that there's another story awaiting you in that particular universe, and that's how I feel about Artificial Condition . View all my reviews

All Systems Red by Martha Wells My rating: 5 of 5 stars Fabulous SF with action galore! It’s renewed the “sensawonder” that made me fall in love with science fiction. View all my reviews

The Bengal Bridegift by Anne Cleeland My rating: 5 of 5 stars This novel had been on my radar for ages and I'm so glad i finally got around to reading The Bengal Bridegift . It had everything I love: a mystery (where's the bridegift?), a plucky heroine who is brave and makes good decisions, wonderful and well-drawn secondary characters and a hunky pirate hero. What's not to love? Juno has been raised in India while her father, a sea captain, works for the East India Company. She's just survived a massacre at her convent school when a bold pirate shows up (as they do.) Jost is absolutely delightful. He struggles with English language idiom but as more than one bloody encounter reveals, he's most definitely a pirate at heart. Fortunately for Juno, he's also a friend of her late father's...or so Jost says. There were so many great twists and turns in this story that it kept me reading late into the night, and left me complete...

Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long My rating: 4 of 5 stars Julie Anne Long is an auto-buy for me, and her latest (and the start of a new series!!!) didn't disappoint. There was excellent character development, effervescent dialogue, and some fabulous LOL moments (the cigar smoking scene was especially memorable.) Delilah, the widow of an earl who was pretty much a waste of space, is left with nothing. No home, no family, no money, just a property down near the London docks. A chance meeting at her solicitor's office introduces her to her husband's mistress and these two unlikely allies, aided by the most inept lady's maid ever, pool their resources to open a most singular boarding house. I really loved this book, and it filled a weekend afternoon with delightful reading. I can't wait for the next book in the series, and while I love Ms. Long's contemporary novels too, it's her Regency era books that have a prom...