Darlene's Digest

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow My rating: 5 of 5 stars I'm going through book withdrawal. I was so caught up in January Scaller's story and her world(s) that I stayed up long past my bedtime and hated to see the book end. An astoundly good debut novel about a young woman who find magic in books, writing, and storytelling, and what reader and author can't relate to that? It's a special delight when a debut novel stuns the reader with the sheer joy of the storytelling, and The Ten Thousand Doors of January is such a novel. While it can be classified as YA because of the protagonist and her journey, it shouldn't be overlooked by any lover of literary fantasy. View all my reviews

Seduction on a Snowy Night by Madeline Hunter My rating: 3 of 5 stars None of these stories were kind of tear-duct cleansing, ugly crying reads I sometimes find in Christmas collections (and perversely enjoy the most--Mary Balogh and Carla Kelly are especially good at yanking the heartstrings) but these three tales of winter love were enjoyable, and will especially entertain readers familiar with the authors' other books. Characters from previous works make an appearance and it's a pleasant holiday reading break. 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...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. “It’s a lot of work to get a little sweetness in your life.” Julia looked over her shoulder and favored her husband with an arch smile. “But worth the effort, don’t you think?” She looked bac

An Unorthodox Match by Naomi Ragen My rating: 5 of 5 stars At a time when Romancelandia is demanding diverse stories we get An Unorthodox Match , a gentle tale of love lost and found in the insular and demanding world of haredi Orthodox Jewish life in enclaves such as Boro Park, NY. Leah (Lola) Howard was born Jewish but always searched for connection to a more spiritual existence. Over her mother's strenuous objections her steps have led her to embrace Orthodox Judaism, but now she struggles to be part of a community known for constantly observing and judging its inhabitants, especially the ones who are not "FFB", not born and raised in its strict confines. (There is a helpful glossary in the book for translating "Yinglish" syntax and phrases.) Yaakov Lehman is a widower struggling with his grief, with raising his five children, with the demands of providing for a family and neglecting his studies. He's finally forced to

“Judith has told us of your plans, Mrs. Stephenson,”Jacob Kahn said. “As a local businessman myself, I am pleased to see any venture that brings fresh products and dollars into the economy.” He shook his head. “Savannah has suffered greatly in recent years. The fire and the yellow fever epidemic left us reeling, but we are putting ourselves back on course.” “As a businessman, do you think I will have problems with local merchants? My being a woman on her own?” “There will always be those who have prejudices,” he said slowly as he stirred his tea. Pale blue eyes much like his daughter’s studied Amanda from behind his own spectacles. “I encounter it myself, even though I was born in this city. But Savannah is proud of its ‘merchant princes,’ as we call them, and also prides itself on promoting growth and industry. It was only a few years ago we cheered the launch of the Savannah , the first steam-powered vessel to cross the Atlantic all the way to Russia. Your money is good, Mrs. St

The Awakening of Miss Henley by Julia Justiss My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another delightful Regency from Julia Justiss about independent misses and the men who value them. What I enjoyed about this book was seeing how Theo's rakish life has its own constraints, expectations that color what his future will bring. We read so much about the barriers to women being independent and forget that men too were expected by their families to go into--or avoid--certain professions or lifestyles. Well written and engaging, and I look forward to reading more about the Cinderella Spinsters. View all my reviews

Someone to Remember by Mary Balogh My rating: 4 of 5 stars It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Mary Balogh , both for her stories and for her craft. One of the things I love about her work is how she'll take a stock character like "fussy, aging spinster aunt" and subtly bring her forward until you realize that's a person, someone with dreams and hopes of her own. Enter Matilda Westcott. She was introduced to us in the earlier Westcott stories as, yes, the fussy, aging, spinster aunt, but we had glimpses of her personhood all along. Then in Someone to Honor she emerged as not only a person, but a key character, and I loved it. Now we have her own "second chance at love" story, and it's adorable and sweet and yummy. There's no high drama, no pirates, but the question of "Can a woman approaching 60 find love?" is answered in the best way possible. We're reminded that while we see the package--the n

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 put a limit on the amount of alcohol served, knowing that it wouldn’t take much to re-ignite the conflict on a smaller scale. “Captain Fletcher told me I do not understand men, Mr. Bryant,” Charley said in bemusement later that night. “I have to agree

The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas My rating: 4 of 5 stars I continue to enjoy this series, and the mystery in this one had me flipping my Kindle pages to find out where it was going. The author manages to keep a lot of balls in the air as she juggles characters and relationships, and I especially enjoyed seeing the secondary characters play a larger role. The slow-burning romance between Charlotte and Lord Ingram is still smokin' hot, and I look forward to more Lady Sherlock stories in the future. View all my reviews