posts by Jayne S:
B Reviews / Book Reviews1950s / Drumberley series / family drama / family relationships / farming / Historical / Post WWII / Scotland / Small-Town1 Comments
James Dering and his new wife Rhoda are returning from their honeymoon, and Jock and Mamie Johnstone are delighted to welcome them to their new home on a neighbouring farm. But Mamie’s concern proves justified, and Rhoda, a talented painter who has chosen marriage over art, finds rural Scotland lonely ... more >
Book Reviews / C ReviewsHanukkah / holiday novella / Jewish characters / Jewish-faith / New York City / novella / teacher heroine / widowerNo Comments
Benjamin Cohen, widowed father of six-year-old Jessie, is doing his best to hold it together through order and routine. The last thing he needs is his matchmaker mother to set him up with her next door neighbor, no matter how attractive she is. Rachel Schaecter’s dream of becoming a foster ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviewsdysfunctional family / family relationships / fish-out-of-water / Hillwilla series / older woman / West Virginia / Womens-Fiction3 Comments
Beatrice Desmond, 55, lives on a remote farm nestled in a deep hollow in southern West Virginia. Her troubled past–an alcoholic father, growing up borderline poor, a suicidal husband–along with her loyalty to a deceased friend, drove her to this lonely existence. She soldiers on, accompanied by her wry sense ... more >
Book Reviews / C+ ReviewsContemporary / family relationships / Holiday / Kwanzaa / LGBTQA / m/m / short-storyNo Comments
Coworkers and cubicle mates, Ishmael “Ish” Cutter and Adan Flores might come from different backgrounds but they have a good number of things in common. The biggest one? They each have a secret crush on the other. This holiday season they are both single for the first time in thirteen ... more >
B Reviews / Book ReviewsContemporary / holiday novella / Kwanzaa / LGBTQ fiction / LGBTQA / m/m / short-story5 Comments
Before we get started, let me say that this short story is released by Dreamspinner Press. In lieu of buying it, another (perfectly legal and legitimate) way to read it is by seeing if your local library carries it. If they don’t, then check to see if your library subscribes ... more >
B- Reviews / Book Reviewsbaker / Brittany / Comic books / Contemporary / estranged family / family relationships / France / graphic novels / Womens-FictionNo Comments
Rose is not a happy young woman; she is closed off and angry and she hates her job. But her life changes drastically when she inherits her father’s bakery in a small town in Brittany. Returning to a place that brought her both joy and grief forces her to confront ... more >