When Spain Restaurant and Bar closed in 2020, prompted by the health risks the pandemic posed to its owners, the Village lost one of its last signifiers of a bohemianism that had in fact been dead a century. Spain was not known for exquisite food, a refined atmosphere, manicured space, or chipper service. But there […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/08/22/paradise-on-thirteenth-street/
I have been having a blast reading the Hell’s Belles novels and was excited for Lady Imogen Loveless & Detective Thomas Peck’s romance. Knockout by Sarah MacLean delivered with plenty of sizzle. Grab an iced mocha and see why I loved their story…..
Knockout
by Sarah MacLean
Series: Hell’s Belles #3
Genres: Historical Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating: 
Heat Level: 
New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean returns with the next Hell’s Belles novel about a chaotic bluestocking and the buttoned-up detective enlisted to keep her out of trouble (spoiler: She is the trouble).
With her headful of wild curls and wilder ideas and an unabashed love of experiments and explosives, society has labeled Lady Imogen Loveless peculiar…and doesn’t know she’s one of the Hell’s Belles—a group of vigilantes operating outside the notice of most of London.
Thomas Peck is not most of London. The brilliant detective fought his way off the streets and into a promising career through sheer force of will and a keen ability to see things others miss, like the fact that Imogen isn’t peculiar…she’s pandemonium. If you ask him, she requires a keeper. When her powerful family discovers her late-night activities, they couldn’t agree more…and they know just the man for the task.
Thomas wants nothing to do with guarding Imogen. He is a grown man with a proper job and no time for the lady’s incendiary chaos, no matter how lushly it is packaged. But some assignments are too explosive to pass up, and the gruff detective is soon caught up in Imogen’s world, full of her bold smiles and burning secrets…and a fiery passion that threatens to consume them both.
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We’ve met both Lady Imogen and Thomas Peck in previous novels from the Hell’s Belles series. Read the books in order of release to avoid spoiling previous romances and properly meet the characters.
MacLean herself called this couple order & chaos, and it fit perfectly. Lady Imogen is unconventional and prefers tinkering with explosives in her brother’s basement to balls. I rather liked her. She is fearless, carries a large carpetbag filled with bits and baubles and is loyal to her friends.
Previously, Thomas Peck helped the Belles, and they also assisted him in making arrests. The chemistry between them sizzles, but Peck is a man of order and respects his station. However, fate has other ideas, and he keeps bumping into said lady while investigating explosions on the lower east side.
I enjoyed the rescues and the building of trust as much as the stolen kisses. The two will have to work together to crack this case, and the danger only escalates. I tried to saviour the read, but ended up devouring it in just a few sittings.
I enjoyed the arson cases and enjoying piecing together the clues. While this case wrapped up, the author set us up for the next book in the series, which is as yet untitled. I, for one, cannot wait!
Perfect for fans of historical romances with strong heroines, the men who fall for them and a dash of suspense.
Amazon | Audible
Knockout by Sarah MacLean delivered a one-two swoon. Come see why Caffeinated loved the newest novel in the #historicalromance series, Hell's Belles. #NewRelease #romance #autobuy
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MacLean burst onto the romance scene with Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake, the first in her best-selling and critically acclaimed three-book Love By Numbers series. In early 2012, she began her new, pre-Victorian Rules of Scoundrels series with A Rogue by Any Other Name, which received the 2013 RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America. The third book in the series, No Good Duke Goes Unpunished, won the 2014 RITA Award. When she is not writing romance, Sarah travels the country to discuss the romance genre and its place in both gender and cultural studies. She writes a monthly column celebrating the best in romance for the Washington Post, and her columns have appeared in the New York Times Book Review and Parents Magazine. She is also a vocal advocate for issues relating to education and literacy. She lives in New York City with her husband, her daughter and their dog.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2023/08/knockout-by-sarah-maclean.html
Play For Her presents an intimate portrait of Melissa Strother, a gallant warrior in professional American football. The narrative captures her audacious journey through myriad challenges, vividly depicting a life characterized by relentless training, the paradox of having to pay to pursue her passion, and the formidable struggle against the disorganization plaguing the women’s league. Amidst the backdrop of an unpredictable global pandemic and mounting political tensions, Melissa’s unyielding resolve shines bright, a testament to her love for the sport, her teammates, the aspiring young athletes who idolize her, and the unquenchable spirit of the young girl within, who refuses to relinquish her dreams.
Regardless of one’s affinity for American football, Melissa Strother’s saga is a potent infusion of inspiration and motivation. She imparts valuable insights on harnessing the power of the present moment and fostering personal growth. Her words resonate with unfiltered joy as she vividly recounts her immersive state and absolute concentration on the game. This enthusiasm transforms into fiery indignation when she touches upon the haphazard way the league acted. Initial impressions may suggest a bitter woman venting, but as readers delve deeper, they discover a brave character who candidly articulates her sentiments and, notably, channels her emotions into actions.
Play For Her boasts a captivating writing style in which Melissa pens each chapter in real-time and retrospects on prior sections, lending the book an unparalleled sense of authenticity and intimacy. Including photographs of Melissa and her matches adds a delightful personal touch. However, a comprehensive explanation of the technical terminology would be beneficial for readers less acquainted with American football. Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly endorse this empowering narrative to all, especially women who have experienced feelings of inadequacy or discouragement in pursuing their objectives.
Pages: 295 | ASIN : B0C9SLYNY1
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/08/22/play-for-her/
Chris Hood’s “Customer Transformation” is an invaluable guide for leaders striving to align their processes, culture, and technologies with their clientele’s ever-shifting needs and desires. This remarkable tool has the potential to grant businesses the competitive edge they’ve been seeking.
Chris Hood artfully deconstructs his comprehensive strategy into digestible sections that read like a masterclass in customer engagement. He meticulously explores each concept through an interactive approach, utilizing real-world examples as a foundation for deeper understanding. In lucid, accessible English, Hood provides incisive insights on leveraging technology for human interaction, fostering a customer-centric culture, and synchronizing with customer expectations and values. His choice of title is, therefore, impeccably apt.
Divided into seven well-structured stages, the book thoroughly examines the customer experience—a subject most of us seldom ponder beyond a binary judgment of good or bad. Hood delves into the subtle nuances of the customer journey, illustrating how each stage contributes to the overall perception of a business and its offerings.
What sets this book apart is the delightful way Hood personalizes his narrative. His initiation with an intimate recounting of his candy-selling days adds authenticity to his insights. By interspersing personal anecdotes throughout, he exemplifies the principles he preaches, emphasizing the critical roles of empathy, innovation, and digital acceleration in contemporary business practices.
One particularly striking section focuses on creating a customer-centric culture—a pivotal aspect of enduring brand perception. Hood illustrates how positive customer interaction can become the lifeblood of a business’s identity, a legacy that persists even as individual faces within the company evolve.
“Customer Transformation” is an essential companion for anyone in the business field, from owners and managers to individual employees. Its lessons on the power of customer interaction are universally applicable and can truly set a professional apart. Brimming with essential insights and practical wisdom, Hood’s writing constitutes a foolproof recipe for business success. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a business manager, or someone seeking to enrich your professional life, this book is a must-read.
APages: 300 | ASIN: B0C9SK1PJ3
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/08/22/customer-transformation-a-7-stage-strategy-for-customer-alignment-and-business-value/
Amanda, the central character in Intergalactica by F.P. Trotta, is a neuropsychiatrist who experiences a remarkable transition. After lapsing into a coma due to meningitis, she begins envisioning a distant planet she feels destined to visit. Her extraordinary visions manifest into reality upon awakening as she becomes involved with an influential entity known as The Firm. With extensive geopolitical influence and resources, The Firm’s ambitious mission is to discover “Earth 2″—a suitable replacement for our deteriorating home planet.
Intergalactica is an intriguing science fiction narrative that taps into a growing theme in contemporary literature: humanity’s destruction of Earth and the urgent quest for a new world to colonize. This notion is grounded in a sense of urgency, reflecting a growing consensus that the need to find a new home may indeed become a real challenge.
Central to the plot is the conflict between The Firm and NASA, with the latter planning a mission to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. The Firm, however, has designs on hijacking the spacecraft for its own enigmatic purposes. Amanda’s quest to unravel the shadowy intentions of The Firm leads her to engage with its leadership, pretending to align with its goals and vision for humanity’s future.
The novel is not merely an exploration of space and the inevitable prospect of abandoning Earth as its resources dwindle. The more engaging narrative thread is the unveiling of Amanda’s multifaceted character. Her talents for infiltration are akin to the espionage techniques found in Jean le Carre’s novels, facilitated by her neuropsychiatrist background. Trotta’s deft ability to pen scenes from her perspective adds to the authenticity and allure of the story.
The storyline of Intergalactica transcends space travel and cosmic ambitions. Through his storytelling, Trotta subtly communicates that space itself remains indifferent to our desires and struggles. Instead, it’s our interaction, our shared goals, and our connection to each other that infuse life with meaning—even as the specter of time looms over our collective existence. In a world teetering on the brink, Trotta’s novel serves as both a thrilling adventure and a thoughtful reflection on what truly matters.
Pages: 402 | ASIN : B0C9R6TW5M
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/08/22/intergalactica/
Missing Possibilities gives readers sixteen short stories embracing different themes you feel are key components of what it means to be human. What was the inspiration for this collection of stories?
There’s a range of topics in this collection, and each one came with its own inspiration. Each story has its own origin. “Cain Crouching at the Door” was the first story I wrote in this collection. At the time, I was feeling the competing societal forces pulling at our country, and I imagined what might happen if everything continued to progress with such balkanized ‘us vs. them’ mentalities. “Raziel’s Last Enchantment” was in response to a boy named Yonatan here in Los Angeles, who was found deceased at home, with signs of malnutrition and abuse, and the police charged his mother in the case. The muses wouldn’t let me write anything else until I finished that story as a sort of memorial to the boy. “Love Divine” was the most fun to write, and in it, I was looking for a way to give a course correction to strict ways of being often found in certain denominations. Each story connects the reader to some event or condition that hit me personally, and I felt needed some form of artistic expression. Short stories are ideal for that.
What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?
I wasn’t attempting to capture morals when creating the characters in Missing Possibilities. I suppose it’s empathy, rather than morals, that is the north star of character development for me. Each character finds themselves in a situation I think it is safe to say most of us would not want to be in. Rather than attempt to create a moral universe or ethical impulse with my characters, I tried to cultivate a sense of empathy. One way to go about this is to think about whose stories get overlooked and try to write them into the story arc. Any situation involving more than one person has more than one point of view. In “Lazarus,” I imagined what that biblical story must have been like from his perspective. Time and again, that biblical story is told as a way to bolster faith in whatever orthodoxy is current at the time. But I don’t know of anyone attempting to tell the story from Lazarus’ perspective, which, it seems to me, is a hugely important gap. In that way, the story is similar to “Missing Possibilities,” where I made it about the one person we’d never meet, the sort of Dulcinea character that we’re always searching for, and used that as a way to sift through the perspectives of loss and love and family dysfunction from the one person we don’t get to see first had.
What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?
I discovered my love of writing my senior year in high school with a composition teacher who encouraged us to write about anything of interest to us. It was liberating. Once I got to college, I had professors whose classes were formatted like creative writing workshops. We’d read each other’s work and ask questions, provide feedback, and keep writing. I also took a job as a writing tutor at the school’s writing lab. I loved workshopping other students’ stuff, but that also helped me realize I had a gift for writing. Language, description, story, and metaphor all came easily to me, whereas some people who may be gifted in sports or math, or political science struggled with it. So I think my love of writing and the sense of freedom that comes with it, coupled with encouragement from teachers, professors, and peers, highlighted a path for me that includes writing.
Are you planning another collection of short stories or a full novel? If so, when can readers expect it to be available?
I have a couple of novels that I’m working on. One is a science fiction story taking place in the distant future on a planet colonized by humans. It centers on a family trying to build a life away from the confines of society in the wilderness of the planet. Another is a historical fiction taking place in the first century. The premise is that Jesus has a twin brother separated at birth and raised in Roman privilege. It will culminate in the two of them meeting. The sci-fi is much further along, but I’m much more taken by the plot and characters of the historical fiction piece. When will they be out? We’ll have to see. I’m hoping by 2025.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/08/22/cultivating-empathy/
My Place Among Them follows the lives of a 12-year-old boy and a teacher who form an unlikely friendship and bond despite their different cultures. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I was inspired to tell the story because the two main characters actually existed and dealt with the issues and events that are portrayed in the novel. I also believe the mandatory school attendance as a form of cultural change for native children should be told as a part of US history.
What kind of research did you do for this novel to ensure you captured the essence of the story’s theme?
I had my great-grandfather’s employment records from the archives of the Bureau of Indian Affairs as well as a rough manuscript he wrote about the life experiences of John Iron Horse. Because Covid limited my access to library research, I purchased numerous non-fiction books that documented life on native reservations from 1800 to 1950. I also used archival records of the various government schools that are depicted in the story. When details from my research conflicted with current widely accepted information, I reached out to native elders to confirm the authenticity/accuracy of the sources I used.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Some of the themes that intrigued me were:
These themes are as valid today as they were at the turn of the 20th century.
What is the next story that you’re writing, and when will it be published?
I have just begun writing a “coming of age” novel about John’s daughter Johanna, set in the midst of the Women’s Suffrage movement. Its title is “Tonic of Wildness”. The publication date has not been set.
I’m also planning a novel about life on a modern family farm…possibly titled “Worth Fighting For,” but it is still in the basic, basic development stages.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/08/22/themes-that-are-still-valid-today/