Darlene's Digest

The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas My rating: 5 of 5 stars I picked this up at lunch and came up for air hours later. What a delightful reading experience! Friendship, honor, courage, martial arts, intrigue, Chinese history and romance all combined into one wonderful volume. Yuan Kai and Mulan Hua have spent their lives knowing they'd have to fight a duel for their families' honor and to reclaim a pair of matched swords, now divided between their two families. But war interferes and when the emperor demands a male from each household, Mulan goes in place of her crippled father. It's an old tale but Thomas buts a new spin on it with fresh characters, fast action, martial arts sequences that would look right at home in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon . It's a great story and in the hands of a master storyteller it comes alive. I loved it from start to finish! View all my reviews

A Jewel Bright Sea by Claire O'Dell My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was invited to blurb this novel* and I enjoyed it immensely. Claire O'Dell gives me everything I want in an adventure: Magic! Swashbuckling! Treasure! Romance! And, of course, pirates! I highly recommend A Jewel Bright Sea and I'm looking forward to the next Mage and Empire novel. *I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest blurb. View all my reviews

A Dangerous Man by Robert Crais My rating: 4 of 5 stars I always love me some Pike and Cole, and this latest entry delivered the goods. It's been entertaining to see the series grow from the days of Elvis popping into a phone booth to his being able to track down information with the best of them, only fitting for a man who bills himself as The World's Greatest Detective. Joe Pike is still Joe Pike, and we're all happy about that. The heroine of this book almost crossed the line into TSTL, but she was definitely in a situation that put her out of her depth, so I could cut her some slack. There was an interesting Federal Marshal and I wouldn't mind seeing more of him in a future tale. For longtime fans of the series this is a must-read. For newbies I still recommend starting with The Monkey's Raincoat , even though it's now a delightfully nostalgic tale rather than a cutting edge thriller. However, any book that brings us Elvis...

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have been out of the dating life for so long that I feel like the Duke of Avon (The Devil's Cub): "I feel an almost overwhelming interest in the methods...employed by the modern youth." The Right Swipe is not only a delightful look at the modern dating scene of apps and swipes and ghosting, but it was one of the best and sweetest (and steamiest) romances I've enjoyed in quite a while. It was about family and trust, and how we protect ourselves from vulnerability. The protagonists were dealing with real world issues while navigating the difficulties of finding your perfect match, and their story kept me entertained and enthralled. I can't wait for the next volume in the Modern Love series! View all my reviews

St. Armand looked at Turnbull. “‘Bring him along,’ you said. ‘It’ll be good for him to get out and about.’” “I meant Woodruff, not the pa—not Roscoe.” She snickered. “Well, Woodruff, are you enjoying being out and about?” He took another sip of the ale, worried that if he tried to respond he’d break out into a huge grin. He was sitting in a disreputable tavern in the Caribbean, with two dangerous pirates, and a parrot on his shoulder. Being here today brought home to him how gray, structured, and boring his life was in Manchester. --What the Parrot Saw Today's the day, mateys, when you get to channel your inner pirate and celebrate #TalkLikeAPirateDay. The parrot accessories are optional. 

The Lady and the Highwayman by Sarah M. Eden My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a fun read. An assertive heroine who knows what she wants, a hero who's climbed up out of the gutter but isn't ashamed to show his non-toff roots, and a delightful book-within-a-book tale featuring two "penny dreadfuls"...which happen to have been written by the H&H. Add a secret society of action hero authors(!) and you've got the makings of a snappy and fun romance novel with excitement, intrigue, and a delightful ending. In addition, it was a traditional historical in the sense that there was no overt sexual activity, making it accessible to all readers who love a HEA. There's nothing wrong with adding a touch of sweetness to one's spicy reading list! View all my reviews

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal My rating: 4 of 5 stars While being a sister is forever, it's not always easy.. The Shergill Sisters have had their share of fighting and drama, but now they're in India to follow their mother's dying wish of a pilgrimage to Sikh shrines and an opportunity for the women to bond again. This is a bittersweet tale of tradition at war with individual needs, and a desire to move beyond the restrictions of one's upbringing and life events. The adventures of the sisters will resonate with anyone who's had to navigate difficult family issues and move into full adulthood, while dealing with the traumas and expectations of one's past. At the end of the day though it's truly about the mighty bonds of sisterhood and the healing power of that love. View all my reviews

Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a weirdly engrossing mashup of two nearly contemporary novels, Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus (1818) and characters, specifically, Mary Bennet, from Pride and Prejudice (1797) . It especially makes sense when you have Mary as a grown-up in her 30's, one who recognizes her winceworthy missteps as a stuffy, moralistic adolescent. Mary has matured into a thoughtful woman, still with a strong moral core, but also with a keen eye for the human condition. She also reads widely and has a special interest in natural philosophy, so when her path crosses that of Victor Frankenstein...well, let's just say I was very pleased I'd re-read the original Frankenstein in 2018 in celebration of its publication anniversary. View all my reviews

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Dozier School For Boys is the site of a shameful period in Florida's history, and the abuses and horror stories are still being uncovered with each gravesite that's revealed, each survivor's tale. Colson Whitehead , author of the fabulous and Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Underground Railroad gives us a fictionalized Dozier in the Nickel School, and a tale that's deeply tragic and also life-affirming. I couldn't turn away from this engrossing book despite its bleak reflection of Jim Crow Florida and the abuses of a penal system rife with corruption, crime and cronyism. It's a searing story beautifully told. View all my reviews