Darlene's Digest

Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Peril at the Exposition by Nev March My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Lady Beast's Bridegroom by Jude Knight My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

              Julia sniffed. “I am impressed you can recite poetry, Washburn. Rather like a counting pig at the fair. One watches in amazement, wondering how an animal can do that.”             “Now that hurts! I can say pretty things, too.”             He crossed to where she stood beside the bed, and took her hand in his. His touch was warm, and she gave an involuntary shiver having nothing to do with the night air.             He stroked the ball of her hand with his thumb, soothing over the nicks and calluses raised by the chores of daily farm work. He took his other hand and lifted her chin, looking deep into her eyes.             “Y’know how when you whack the woodpile, and all them big ol’ palmetto bugs come scamperin’ out? Your ...

I'm returning to Boston on February 17 for #Boskone60, New England's oldest science fiction convention, after a two year hiatus while the world grappled with COVID. In fact, one of the panels I was on in February, 2020 discussed the new virus in China and what it could mean. That was the last trip I took until we began to emerge from isolation. I also realized it was 20 years ago that I attended my first Boskone, the infamous Snokone. A blizzard kept us stuck in our hotel downtown an extra day as the drifts piled up outside, but we had all the leftover party supplies from the con. I remember sipping single malts while looking down at the whiteout thinking, "This is hell...with benefits." But we're back, and you can attend Boskone  in person or virtually! I'll be packing my snowboots and long undies because only good times and really good friends would get me up to Boston in February. Brrr! At least I have a return ticket that says "Florida". I'll...

The Women of Rothschild: The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty by Natalie Livingstone My rating: 0 of 5 stars Fascinating and engrossing tale of the women of the Rothschild family, a long-overdue history of the role played by the wives, mothers, daughters and sisters of this storied dynasty. There have been countless books, articles and even films detailing the roles of the Rothschild men, especially the five brothers who spread themselves across Europe establishing a banking house that would fund kingdoms and industries and play a role in the pivotal events of the 19th and 20th centuries. But it all began with Gutle Schnapper marrying Mayer Amschel Rothschild in Frankfurt. Ten of Gutle's children survived, marrying into prominent Anglo-Jewish families like the Montefiores and broadening the scope of the Rothschild house. While the women were not directly involved in the banking business, they played a massive behind the scenes ...

“I find that singing makes the time pass, Doctor. Not gloomy songs, but cheerful ones. Don’t you know any songs? Isn’t there some Scotsman named Brown, or Bowen who wrote some songs?” He stopped cleaning the fish and looked at her with an expression of deep pain. “Might you be referring to Rabbie Burns, the bard of Scotland?” “That sounds right. He wrote a song about a red rose, and one about a hag.” Her brow scrunched. “Though why someone would want to write a song about a hag is beyond me.” He closed his eyes, then opened them and looked at her. “Not a hag, Miss Farnham, a haggis . A haggis is a dish enjoyed by the people of Scotland.” “Really? What is it?” Dr. Murray described, with loving detail, the inner workings of the mysterious haggis. Daphne looked at him, speechless for a long moment. “I would think raw fish a treat after that!” -- CASTAWAY DREAMS (High Seas, #2)    January 25 is celebrated as Burns Night in Scotland, and by people everywhere who appreciate good wh...

An Observant Wife by Naomi Ragen My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

A Hard Day for a Hangover by Darynda Jones My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Book Lovers by Emily Henry My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Blitz by Daniel O'Malley My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

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 and slow-cooked turtle, gator tail and fresh bass, and plenty of home-brewed ale and scuppernong wine to wash it down. The ever present corn was there, too, as meal, mush, bread, pone, grits, and “roasenears,” cooked in the hot coals. Julia grinned to herself. There would be ...

The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Once We Were Slaves: The Extraordinary Journey of a Multi-Racial Jewish Family by Laura Arnold Leibman My rating: 5 of 5 stars View all my reviews

"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 If it's autumn in North Central Florida, it's persimmon time! They're starting to come into our farmers market and I snagged a few. These are still at the firm stage and may not make it to the cakes. I also like them sliced up over my breakfast cereal. However, the season is long e...

  ...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 heard 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 with h...