Darlene's Digest

Royal Airs by Sharon Shinn My rating: 3 of 5 stars Excellent world building from Sharon Shinn, as usual. The story was entertaining, but it didn't rock my world like some of her other books. Nonetheless, it will be enjoyed by her fans, especially if they've already read Troubled Waters , the first book in the Elemental Blessings series. 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. Barefoot children chased a brindle hound bitch through the yard,  stopping long enough to beg for slices of buttered cornbread before  heading down to the creek for some of the last swimming they’d do  before the air and the water got chilled by winter. Smuggler's Bride I want to wish all my friends and readers a very happy Thanksgiving holid...

The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was a fascinating peek into American history, women's literature, slave narratives and gothic novels. I gave it five stars because I'm not going to judge the author's sometimes fractured grammar and spelling. The book was spell-binding. "Hannah Crafts" was a literate slave woman, light-skinned, able to pass for white when she needed to. The extensive research Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. puts into tracking down the author of The Bondwoman's Narrative reads itself like a detective novel, and one can almost feel his joy when certain clues cause information to click into place, authenticating the veracity of the tale. Part of what makes The Bondwoman's Narrative so interesting is how Crafts brings a woman's perspective to the story in her discussion of relationships between mistress and maidservant, and her frank inclusion of the sexual abuse slave women faced from both their w...

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another powerful, moving, important novel from Elizabeth Wein. I say "important" because of her gift for bringing history alive for the YA (and adult) reader in her tales of the courage of young women during WWII. Rose is an American teenager, barely out of school, who leaves small town Pennsylvania to fly planes for the British ATA (akin to the US WASPs) during the last years of WWII. There's interaction with Maddie, the protagonist of Code Name Verity , but Rose's story is unique, particularly for younger American readers who may not have a good grasp of the role American women played during the war. Rose is captured in a flight that takes her away from the Allied occupied areas, and because she's a civilian and not a military POW, she's sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp for women. Like Wein's previous work, this novel again makes me want to stop teenage girls on the street, the ones who t...

Charming by Elliott James My rating: 4 of 5 stars Even though the urban fantasy field is saturated with good writers, it's always a pleasure to read a debut novel by another talented author. While many of the characters are the same otherworldly species we've come to expect, Charming is highlighted by snappy dialogue, fast pacing, good action scenes and a conflicted, troubled hero who'd be right at home bending an elbow next to Harry Dresden. I'll be looking forward to the next installment. View all my reviews

Dr. Murray looked like he was about to say something, but Carville spoke up, saying stubbornly, “I still don’t believe the United States surrendered.” “A peace treaty is not a surrender, Carville,” Charley said. “I am sure there is more to this than we know.” 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...

She continued to unpack her belongings as the youngster arranged her dolls on her bunk. A new doll with a china head was part of the crew and Mattie addressed them in a low voice as she played. “…and you must always obey the captain’s orders or else she’ll maroon you!” “Perhaps we can have a tea party with your friends there?” Lydia said a touch frantically. “If you cooperate and have your lessons with me each morning, and do your chores, we will have a tea party later in the voyage.” “Pirates don’t have tea parties, Miss Burke, that would be silly.” --[WIP] The Pirate's Secret Baby I was taking my daily walk around our neighborhood and saw two little girls playing in a front yard. A tree had been cut down, large circles of wood were scattered on the ground, and the girls were rearranging them to be a "fireplace" and "kitchen" in their pretend house. I loved seeing this. Here are two budding mechanical engineers, or architects, or building construction...

Carla Kelly's Christmas Collection by Carla Kelly My rating: 4 of 5 stars As always, Carla Kelly brings the angst, but also the hope for a better tomorrow. I'd read two of these stories in other collections, two were new to me, but all were enjoyable.  Kelly's stories of ordinary people are every bit as satisfying, if not more so, than a thousand Regency tales of dukes and heiresses. View all my reviews

I was at the farmers market yesterday, and it was overflowing with ripe, orange persimmons. Persimmons played a role in  Smuggler's Bride , as kidnapped heiress Julia Delarue cooked her way into the good graces of smuggler Rand Washburn:  “I have to hunt and fish to keep food on the table,” Rand said. “I can’t be spendin’ all day doin’ women’s work!” “If it is women’s work, it is not work  this  woman ever did. At the estate where I lived there were laundresses who did the cleaning for the entire household. I can cook better than you can, but it seems to me that if you have experience doing laundry, then you can continue to do a better job than I would. Not to mention that if I am spending all my time doing laundry I won’t have time to make the pork pie I was planning for dinner. With persimmon cake for dessert.” There was something wrong with this logic, Rand knew it, but he couldn’t come up with a good argument. It becam...

We've all heard of the "slow food movement", which advocates leisurely meals prepared from scratch. I'm a fan. I'm also a fan of the "slow writing movement". Not writing out my manuscripts with a quill pen, but taking notes by hand. I've found over the years that I retain information better if I write it out in longhand. Because I want to maximize my enjoyment of that notetaking, I use the finest "ingredients". Today I was researching 19th C. Key West, Florida. I set up my latest Circa  notebook from Levenger's , filling it with Rhodia paper, organizing new tabbed dividers. Then I got out my fountain pens--two Cross models, a Lamy Safari, a Sensa, all with different inks. Finally, I picked it all up and moved it to my back porch because it's a lovely day in North Florida. The research is going well (though I need to further research a question about sovereign territory), and I enjoyed the notetaking. The flow of ink, the smoothn...

Box Office Poison by Phillipa Bornikova My rating: 4 of 5 stars "Box Office Poison is Boffo, Critics Rave!" Well, this critic is raving. Hooray for Hollywood! Linney Ellery, the young attorney with uncanny luck is back in another adventure as her "white-fang" firm of bloodsucking leeches--yes, the attorneys in her firm really are vampires--sends her to Tinseltown to help arbitrate a dispute between human actors and fey actors, the Alfar.  It's bad enough the humans have to Botox and nip-and-tuck themselves into getting cast for a decent part, but now they're competing against elfin glamour and the humans cry "Foul!" Linnet accompanies vampire partner David Sullivan to a place of artifice where vampires spray on tans, everyone talks movie-speak and the weather is a far cry from NYC in winter. But when Alfar actors go on murderous rampages for no apparent reason, Linnet begins to suspect there's more going on than a simple labor dispute. I ble...

The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this late-Victorian era romance, a period of great change in society, science, and opportunities. Daniel Mackenzie's appeared as a young man in earlier Ashley novels, and it's a pleasure to see him grow into the promise he showed earlier. What I liked best about Daniel was that he's a nice guy. That's it. He's not over-the-top angsty, despite his traumatic childhood, he's a cheerful, optimistic man full of life and for once is someone who says exactly what he means. The heroine, Violet, is a fraud and a trickster, a woman who survives by her wits helping her mother conduct "seances" for the gullible. Daniel immediately sees through her tricks, but more importantly, he sees Violet--the fragile girl, the sharp mind, the inner beauty shining through her difficult life. It was entertaining and enjoyable from start to finish. View all my reviews

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was worried the sequel to The Raven Boys wouldn't hold up to the amazing writing of the first book in The Raven Cycle, but I needn't have worried. The characters, the dialogue, the plotting, all came together for a reading experience that reminds one why we enjoy fantasy fiction. The Ley Lines have been awakened and the fallout continues for Gansey, Ronan, Adam, Blue and Noah. This time it's Ronan's story, as his dreams become reality, but of course, one's dreams include nightmares. The writing is poetic, one of my favorite characters is a hitman, and Blue still doesn't know which boy she'll kill with a kiss. Read The Raven Boys , then read The Dream Thieves and you can suffer with the rest of us waiting for the next book. My only regret is that since the books are shelved in YA many adults will pass them by. The Raven Cycle is worth reading even if you're long past your high school an...

The Top of Her Game by Emma Holly My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a re-read for me, and it's held up well after a number of years on my shelf. Dom Julia is a city slicker stuck in Montana at a snowed-in business retreat. She's on a mission to find out who's engaging in corporate espionage at her Wall Street firm, but it's also an opportunity to explore her desires with some of her co-workers. What Julia doesn't count on is rugged cowboy Zach, who's intrigued by the "take charge" lady. But can a down-home boy like Zach offer anything (besides an amazing body) to a sophisticated woman used to so much variety in her sex life? I enjoyed this partly because there seems to be a glut of Mdom romance on the market right now, and it's nice to have a little Fdom for a change. In addition, Holly is one of my favorite authors for combining romance and hot erotica in a story that leaves the reader satisfied. She's always on the short list of authors I r...

London Falling by Paul Cornell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Excellent urban fantasy/police procedural. The city of London itself is a character in Paul Cornell's take on police work in the heart of England. I hope it's the start of a new series, because I hated to say goodbye to these characters. View all my reviews

This Case Is Gonna Kill Me by Phillipa Bornikova My rating: 4 of 5 stars A delightful new urban fantasy series that's a mash-up of John Grisham, Carrie Vaughn and Julie James. Linnet Ellery is fresh out of Yale Law and working at a "White Fang" firm in NYC, thanks to her vampire foster family connections. Linnet's human in a world where werewolves, vampires and elves have come out, and working with the supernatural beings makes her life that much more complicated. Being targeted for death because of the estates & probate case she's handling is not what she anticipated, but the more she digs into the mystery of why this case has hung around so long, the more dangerous it gets. The urban fantasy field is still alive and kicking, and a new, fresh voice that keeps readers turning pages late into the night is welcome. In addition to a knowledge of the legal profession in 21st C. America, the author brings a love of riding and horses that'll thrill anyone who...

     “Avast, ye scurvy dog! Strike your colors or I’ll…I’ll…what will I do, Mr. Turnbull?” “Say, ‘I’ll scupper your ship and use your guts for garters, ye lily-livered—oh. Captain, sir!” Turnbull knuckled his forehead and said, “Um, I have to be off now, Mattie,” before scurrying below. Mattie looked up then and spotted the governess, her face lighting up. She ran over and Lydia Burke squatted down on the deck to open her arms to Mattie’s embrace. “Miss Burke! Miss Burke! I am so happy to see you again!” “I am happy to see you too, Mathilde. I missed you,” she said fiercely, hugging the child to her chest. Mattie drew back her head and looked at her. “I am not Mathilde any more, Miss Burke. Now I’m Marauding Mattie, the terror of the West Indies!” “Are you indeed, miss?” She said in a voice that might have left icicles on the rigging as she looked up at Marauding Mattie’s father, who devoutly wished he was somewhere else at the moment. The governess stood, still ...

The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a lovely novel that built over the time spent reading it, and I'd recommend it, not as a romance, but as women's fiction. At the core of the story it's what the title says: it's about the Mad Scientist's Daughter, Cat. Cat's world is more futuristic than dystopian, what we might encounter with climate change. Nonetheless, people go shopping, go to school, get jobs, create art and fall in love. Cat's father, far from being the typical "There are some things man was not meant to know!" mad scientist is one of the more sympathetic characters in the novel. Cat's mother is a woman who puts her own career on hold to raise her daughter--parents very much like many of us or our peers. If anything, Finn is the weakest character, which makes sense. He's a machine. It's her life, and how Finn contributes to it, that make the story truly interesting. Her r...

This was my first visit to San Antonio, since I'd had to miss LoneStarCon 2 in 1997, but it was worth the wait. While everyone was complaining about the 100F temperatures, my response was, "Ahhhh...dry heat!" When you live in North Florida, almost anyplace is a better place to be in August. Most of my time was spent at the convention, and I enjoyed it immensely. After picking up my program participant materials and checking my schedule, I tracked down the crew for the Hugo Award Ceremonies and the Green Room, both areas where I'd volunteered. I added rehearsals and Green Room shifts to my schedule, then dropped off books at Old Earth Books in the Dealers Room. They've always given me table space and sold my novels for me at con, which makes my life much easier. For those who've never been to the World SF Convention, it's important to note that unlike other major SF & Fantasy events (Dragon*Con, SDCC), Worldcon runs entirely on volunteer help, from ...

Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another excellent offering from McGuire, with laugh-out-moments, especially when the mice are in the scene, and truly memorable characters. Verity Price's conflicted love life with Dominic (who still may or may not betray her), her amazing family, and their hereditary enemies, The Covenant, all would be interesting enough, but when you throw in the complicated cryptid community it gets that much better. I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series. View all my reviews