Darlene's Digest

Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare My rating: 4 of 5 stars Absolutely delightful addition to the Spindle Cove/Castles Ever After series. I feared the book would lose me after the hero did something exceedingly stupid, but the author kept the story going in just the right way. That's the difference between a journeyman and a master when it comes to romance writing. Scandal is certain to delight Ms. Dare's legion of fans, and can be read as a stand-alone by anyone wanting to check out this always satisfying author. View all my reviews

The Year of the Crocodile by Courtney Milan My rating: 4 of 5 stars There were some great laugh-out-loud lines in this short piece set in the Cyclone storyline. The cross-cultural, take-no-prisoners attitude of the future in-laws is every couple's nightmare, but it was handled with style, humor and panache. Ms. Milan's move into contemporary romance continues to satisfy. View all my reviews

Unquiet Land by Sharon Shinn My rating: 4 of 5 stars Sharon Shinn offers outstanding fantasy worldbuilding, and her stories are a pleasure to read because the characters seem so grounded and human, even when they have enhanced abilities. In Welce there are primes who are connected to the "elements": Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Wood, Soul. We've had stories dealing with Air, Fire and Water, and now we get torz or Earth, people who are connected to the soil and rock. Leah Frothen has returned home after many years abroad, some of them spent as a spy for Welce. Now she's anxious to spend time with the daughter she gave up, a child who doesn't know her birthmother exists. Shinn's characters, especially the women, deal with issues that resonate in the real world. It's not always about finding a magic ring or pulling a sword from a stone. Sometimes, the story is about people who make difficult life decisions that have consequences. I highly recommend her novels...

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas My rating: 4 of 5 stars An entertaining twist on the Sherlock Holmes legend. What if Holmes wasn't who we thought he is, but instead was a woman, constrained by Victorian society and mores, but possessing the same keen mind and abilities? Thomas presents us with a tantalizing new series, where Holmes is teamed with Mrs. John Watson and together they work to unravel a series of mysterious deaths. We're introduced to a number of characters in this first novel, some familiar, some new, and I found the entire experience quite satisfying. There's a hint of a romance, and I wondered if there would be a Mr. Adler in Miss Holmes' future adventures to keep things interesting. View all my reviews

Before we celebrated US-style Thanksgiving in Florida (the Spaniards celebrated Thanksgiving with the Timucua Indians at St. Augustine long before those latecomer Pilgrims set foot aboard ship) we had cane grinding in the autumn to share the work and feast with friends: As the shadows lengthened, the men began gathering around the tables like wasps drawn to sweet fruit, cozying up to their women and trying to talk them out of some of the food before the feast officially began. Ma Ivey ruled her dirt yard like an empress and wasn’t above slapping a reaching hand with a wooden spoon when they drew too close. Finally though, the last of the cane was put through the mill and the syrup cooked down, and as the night sky filled with stars the feast began to a chorus of tree frogs and crickets serenading the workers. They lined up before the platters of roast pig and venison, quails, turkey, and doves. Even a possum or two joined the potatoes in the smoldering coals. There was fish stew a...

Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey My rating: 4 of 5 stars Mark Twain famously said that a writer's job is to take characters and "chase 'em up a tree and throw rocks at 'em." James S.A. Corey's figured out how to do this, and dazzle us with science too. In the penultimate Expanse novel he takes his four protagonists, separates them, and throws them all into danger that just gets more and more intense. It was nice seeing the crew of the Roci away from James Holden, and the set-up for the final book was excellent. There's not much more to say at this point, because if you're not reading the series from the beginning it's hard to explain. On the other hand, if you are reading from the beginning it's a special pleasure to get some of the backstory and character development on the rest of the crew. Amos is now my favorite character. I'm very much looking forward to the final novel. View all my reviews

Mockingbird, Vol. 1: I Can Explain by Chelsea Cain My rating: 5 of 5 stars I want to thank all the internet trolls who get hysterical over girls in comics. Had they not gotten their knickers in a twist I might not have discovered this wonderful, feminist, funny collection by Chelsea Cain. I'm looking forward to re-reading this slowly and leisurely when the final volume pulls it all together. The salty tears of the sad, sad trolls just make it all that much better. View all my reviews

Someone to Love by Mary Balogh My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another winner from Ms. Balogh. I like to return to early scenes in her books to study how she sets up her characters, revealing little bits and pieces of them. This is another example of excellent writing craft, but more importantly, it's a darn good story. Anna Snow is an orphan, but she has a decent life. The orphanage where she was deposited as a young child isn't luxurious, but it's not Dickensian either. Her fees were paid by an unknown benefactor, and now that she's grown she's a teacher at the institution. But one day she receives a life changing letter from a solicitor and nothing is ever the same. Can money buy happiness? Does status and privilege make one's life better? Avery Archer might know. The Duke of Netherby is intrigued by the dignified young woman whose life intersects with his when Anna's true identity is revealed, and nothing for him will ever be the same. I especially enjoyed th...

Image via  Wikipedia Thank You. I wanted to take a moment today to say "thank you" to the veterans. It is because of their service in the armed forces that I get to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Have a meaningful Veterans Day.

“Possum hangin’ in the tree, Raccoon on the ground; Raccoon say, you stingy rat, Shake them ’simmons down!” Julia paused in her singing and frowned down at the spoon stirring through the cake batter. “Possum hanging in the tree?” Where had that come from? “Goodness, I’m becoming countrified!” She chuckled, looking out the kitchen window at the activity in the yard. Rand was doing the morning chores in preparation for their trip to the Iveys’ farm. For a moment she watched him as she stirred, indulging herself in a fantasy that theirs was a normal marriage, two people on the Florida frontier, making a new life together. But it was as much a fantasy as singing raccoons. -- Smuggler's Bride It's that  time of year! The farmers market is full of bright orange fruit, mouth-puckering sour if you eat them too soon, but perfect for eating and baking when they're nice and ripe. Here's my annual posting of the recipe for Smuggler's Bride Persimmon Cake: SMUG...

League of Dragons by Naomi Novik My rating: 4 of 5 stars A satisfying conclusion to an excellent series, but I think, like many fans, I'd want to know what happens next. However, I respect the author's saying this is the final book, and we can leave it at that. View all my reviews

Saint's Blood by Sebastien de Castell My rating: 5 of 5 stars Darn you, de Castell, you killed off one of my favorite characters and made me cry ugly! And yet, I couldn't put it down. I was worried I'd be worn out by all the mayhem visited on the Greatcoats, especially the First Cantor, but you kept the momentum going with a great tale of religion, politics and law. The ending was bittersweet, particularly the extra bit at the end after the acknowledgements. Oh well, that's why I keep tissues on hand when I read really good books. Thank you. View all my reviews

For This We Are Soldiers: Tales of the Frontier Army by Carla Kelly My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoy Carla Kelly's Regency romances, but I really like her tales set in the American West. Her depth of knowledge of the period, her eye for detail, all of it combines with excellent story-telling to make for a great reading experience. This collection of tales from the frontier isn't a romance collection, and three of the stories appeared in the (also excellent) Here's To the Ladies , but it's a good purchase for her fans. I hope Ms. Kelly continues to bring us tales from the frontier army, a milieu she handles better than any other romance author today. View all my reviews

Revenge in a Cold River by Anne Perry My rating: 3 of 5 stars I've been a fan of this series since Face of a Stranger , but I found the ending on this latest William Monk mystery strangely unsatisfying. It felt rushed, and the reader is left practically dangling after the very well done action at see climax. But any Monk novel that reveals more of the detective's hidden past is a must-read for fans, and I enjoyed that aspect of the novel very much. View all my reviews

As many of you know, I've been working hard since Amber Quill Press closed. I edited and re-released three of my earlier novels as ebooks at Amazon  and Smashwords . I've been shopping the manuscript of WHAT THE PARROT SAW, and hope for good news on that front. But in the meantime, I'm still writing. I'd started work on a novel that has possibilities, but yesterday I made the tough decision to set it aside for now at 10K words in, and try a different project. Book #1 was frustrating me because I couldn't figure out enough of the characters' goals, motivations, and conflict, and when the author can't finger the GMC it's time to re-think it. Debra Dixon's classic Goal, Motivation, and Conflict  is often referenced by romance writers, and it's become somewhat of an industry bible for good reason. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to write a novel, in any genre. In the past I've sometimes had to get 1/3 into my manuscript before I knew ...

Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another excellent entry in the Expanse series, with an ending I totally did not see coming (but should have). Corey takes to heart Mark Twain's advice about chasing your characters up trees and throwing stones at them. The crew of the Roci are in it again, this time when they're sent to be mediators in a conflict between squatters and corporations on a newly uncovered habitable planet. The analogies to the Wild West and the American Frontier are drawn in broad strokes. It's the farmers vs. the ranchers, the settlers vs. the railroads and banks, pick your favorite and it's worked in there. The only thing that kept this uber space opera from five stars was the feeling that it could have been trimmed. After a while, you can get burned out on all the danger and violence and favorite characters in jeopardy. But it's still one of the best science fiction epics available today and I highly recommend this series. ...

Knight's Shadow by Sebastien de Castell My rating: 5 of 5 stars More swashbuckling yumminess featuring the greatest fictional swordfight since Inigo Montoya fought The Man In Black. I can't imagine why someone would read this before Traitor's Blade , so let me just throw out there that you should read the first of The Greatcoats novels before picking this one up. Knight's Shadow continues to ask tough questions about whether Right Makes Might and the role of people who stand up and say, "Hold on, that ain't right!" It's a philosophical as well as adventurous story, and should appeal to fans of Dorothy Dunnett, Terry Pratchett, Alexandre Dumas, Rafael Sabatini and Raymond Chandler (The Venn diagram of the fan groups who would enjoy this story should be very interesting.) I eagerly look forward to reading the next book in the series. View all my reviews

"Your eyes are the smoky bronze of coffee, rich and deep. It settles in your belly and warms you from the inside out. Hot, and able to get a man up in the mornin’, and keep him up all day. Without coffee, the day is dull, flat, lifeless. But with that first taste of the stimulatin’ brew, you know you can face anythin’. It makes your heart beat a little faster, and the colors all seem sharper, the air brighter." -- Smuggler's Bride It's #NationalCoffeeDay (Seriously? As if every day is not coffee day?) and I've already celebrated with a few cups of my favorite morning roast. If you're one of those who just can't face the day without that stimulating brew, be like Rand Washburn and raise your cup to coffee!

Sustained by Emma Chase My rating: 4 of 5 stars How do you reform a rake? Throw a plot moppet at him, or in the case of Jake Becker, six of the little darlings. Jake's living the good life as an up-and-coming defense attorney in D.C., on his way to making partner. Sure he defends low-lifes and spoiled brats, but he's good at it, he's handsome, he's buff, and he can get all the women he wants and ensure they're gone the next morning. Then he has his pocket picked and meets Chelsea McQuaid, a young woman caring for her orphaned nieces and nephews, and his life will never be the same again. I liked the dialogue and the depiction of the children, and the plot crisis was pretty much exactly what I expected it to be, but it was handled well and the writing was fast paced and on point. The first person narration makes it harder for us to get a full vision of Chelsea, who had her life completely upended by her new responsibilities. Jake could walk away from the situation...

Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell My rating: 5 of 5 stars A swashbuckling delight, sure to thrill fans of Dumas, Sabatini, and people who know that even though Basil Rathbone plays the villain, his sword work is what you want to watch in the film. I loved the world building. Falcio Val Mond is a Greatcoat, one of the former king's magistrates, trained to sing the law and dispense justice in the king's name. But now the Greatcoats are in disgrace, scattered throughout a kingdom where the rule of law has been supplanted by the rule of venal, greedy men. De Castell does a masterful job of creating flawed but very human characters in Falcio and his companions, and the echoes of The Three Musketeers chime throughout the narrative. The fight scenes in particular are wonderfully done, and worth studying for craft and choreography. I look forward to the further adventures of the Greatcoats, reveling in this grand fantasy with larger than life characters. View all my revi...