Darlene's Digest

I Made It Out of Clay by Beth Kander My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

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 with him.” Mr. Bryant shrugged his shoulders. “They fought when they needed to fight. Now they’re anxious to go home. We sailors are not complicated creatures, Doctor.” --Sea Change (High Seas, #1) November 11 is Veterans Day in the US, formerly known as Armistice Day. It marked the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the end of World War I, but now it's the day we salute all the women and men who fought for us. They are the ones who defend our country from foreign enemies, and we owe them our respect and gratitude f...

The Beast Takes a Bride by Julie Anne Long My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Madwoman in the Rabbi's Attic: Rereading the Women of the Talmud by Gila Fine My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine My rating: 4 of 5 stars Silly, sexy fun by the author of My Roommate Is a Vampire where we first met Reginald, an annoying (one could even say obnoxious) vampire who's on the outs with his bloodsucking tribe because of his stupid practical jokes. Not only on the outs, but on the run as they've been trying to kill him for decades as punishment for his pranks. One night while he's fleeing the latest assassins he literally runs into Amelia Collins, whose family is constantly trying to set her up, so when she sees Reggie in a coffee shop the next day she knows it's fate--he's going to be her fake boyfriend for a family wedding. Hijinks ensue (of course!) and their are some great snicker out loud moments--forget elegant Dracula, these vampires where foam cheeseheads and have posters of Twilight's sparkly Edward on their bedroom walls. It was just the romantic fantasy escape I needed and I enjoye...

My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld by Dan Slater My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Dark Restraint by Katee Robert My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Saga, Volume 11 by Brian K. Vaughan My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

"Apparently Miss Kahn wasn’t quite as phlegmatic on the idea of arranged marriage as I was. When her parents told her what they planned, she immediately dashed off a vitriolic letter, informing me that it is a new century, and she lives not in the ghetto in Europe, but in a country founded on principles of freedom. She added she had no intention of marrying, how did she put it? ‘A swarthy Spanish pirate of low ways and poor prospects.’" He smiled winsomely. "Naturally, I began courting her in earnest." --Captain Sinister's Lady   To translate the post title into English, "Happy 15th Day of the Month of Av!" Why is this day different from all other days? It's the day specifically marking romance and love in the Jewish calendar. Tu B'Av (15th of Av) is a minor festival that's grown in prominence in recent decades, largely because enterprising folks in Israel found a way to monetize it. It's now celebrated much the way Valentine's Day ...

I'm heading out to Glasgow, Scotland for the World Science Fiction Convention--GlasgowIn2024. I'll be moderating two panels, plus doing my usual Worldcon activities: attending other panels to boost my own writing skills, volunteering, hanging out with friends, tea at the Willow Tearoom (a must do anytime I'm in Glasgow), and just having a good time.  Here's my schedule, and I hope to see you there: Saturday, August 10, 2024 Rogues, Pirates and Bandits with Hearts of Gold Alsh 2, Duration: 60 mins 13:00 BST 08:00 EDT Darlene Marshall (moderator) Edgar Governo H.G. Parry N.L. Bates Chris Wooding , Fantasy, Science Fiction, Literature, From Robin Hood to that charming rogue in everyone's D&D campaign, readers and writers love the idea of a kind-hearted criminal. Social inequality and those standing apart from ordered society are at the heart of those stories, but how important is striking the balance between giving outcasts a home and adhering to the social contrac...

Postwar Stories: How Books Made Judaism American by Rachel Gordan My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

I'm working on the first draft of my tenth historical romance, [working title] The Privateer's Bartered Bride . It's the second in an as-yet untitled series of three books: Smuggler/Privateer/Pirate, and  takes the sister of the hero in the first book on her own adventure. The problem is, I'm a "seat of the pants" or "pantser" writer so I sometimes have no idea how my books are going to shape up. She meets him, or he meets her, they're together, stuff happens, and then there's an HEA. But it's that journey to the "happily ever after" that makes the book. I've got tricks and techniques that help me along when I get stuck. Today I pulled out an old research biography, one I'd purchased when I was writing Captain Sinister's Lady some 20 years ago. As I'm reading through some chapters set in the year of my WIP it suddenly struck me what my hero's goal is, why he's sailing, where he's going...and why the ...

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson My rating: 5 of 5 stars There's not much I can add to the glowing reviews, but I was thoroughly engrossed in the world-building of this Appalachia set Depression-era novel. Women's fiction in the best sense of the word, it brings to life a world of determined women, starving families, medical mysteries, and the healing properties of the written word. Cussy--nicknamed "Bluet" for the color of her skin--is one of the last of the blue people of Kentucky, families affected by a recessive gene that created a population of blue-skinned offspring. Outcast, shunned, attacked, and under the law treated as second class "coloreds" by their communities. Even when medical science offers an explanation and a treatment, Bluet is still an outcast and subject to hatred and miscegenation laws. But she perseveres, taking a job as a Packhorse Librarian, women who under the WPA of t...

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World by Eric Jay Dolin My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Goyhood by Reuven Fenton My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

  “You underestimate the will of the American people, Doctor,” he poked his finger in the air for emphasis. “When you push us, we push back. Hard. John Bull cannot bully America into surrendering now any more than you could 40 years ago. Have you already forgotten the lesson of Fort McHenry?” He rummaged in his desk and pulled out a tattered newspaper, much folded and creased. “My mother sent this to me with the letters, a newspaper from home. A Mr. Key wrote a poem about the battle, Doctor, titled ‘The Defence of Fort McHenry’. Look here–‘the land of the free and the home of the brave’. That’s America, Charley!" --- SEA CHANGE   (High Seas, book 1) June 14 is Flag Day, the day the United States honors our nation's star spangled banner.  If you've got a flag, fly it proudly!

Funny Story by Emily Henry My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

System Collapse by Martha Wells My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

When I was a child, #MemorialDay meant the start of summer. Now I'm an adult and it means so much more to me because I know people who died in service to our country, fighting to protect our nation. Take a moment this holiday to reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day. Remember that the freedoms we enjoy this weekend, and all year long, to swim, to gather, to have outdoor concerts, to hike in the national parks, came at a cost. At the start of summer we should always recall those who gave their lives, the "last full measure of devotion" to keep us free.

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Wake Me Most Wickedly by Felicia Grossman My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Starter Villain by John Scalzi My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Lone Wolf by Gregg Andrew Hurwitz My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Bride by Ali Hazelwood My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

The Price You Pay by Nick Petrie My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

I just realized I was having such a good time at #Boskone61 that I forgot to take pictures! Ah well, you'll have to use your imaginations.  I'd missed most of last year's conference as a family emergency called me home, but this year all worked out well. My flights were on-time, the taxi line was short, and best of all, the weather cooperated. No snow or rain, and daily temps in the upper 40sF and evenings in the 30s meant we could comfortably walk to supper. I could even take a brisk walk out of the Westin Seaport now and then. I arrived too late in the day on Friday to be put on panels, but I did get to Registration to pick up my credentials, including the information for my panel, Crossing Genres. I also saw lots of friends and acquaintances I only see at science fiction conventions. We've all aged in the 20+ years since I started attending Boskone, but we still love to hang out and party (albeit not all night--at least not some of us.) It was also a mask-mandatory e...

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Midnight Ruin by Katee Robert My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews