Tiffany Girl is set just prior to the 1893 World's Fair. Flossie wants nothing more than to become a painter, so it's a shock when her mother tells her she's going to need to stop attending the New York School of Applied Design, help out more with the sewing (her mother is a dressmaker), and start thinking about getting married. Her father has gambled away enough of the family's money that they can no longer afford her tuition. When Flossie hears about an opportunity to work for Louis Tiffany as one of his "Tiffany Girls" during a glassworkers' strike, she announces that she's moving out and will earn the money for her tuition herself.

Her new life isn't easy, but Flossie is determined to make the best of things. She deals with angry strikers and "bustle pinchers," tries to figure out how to make her finances work out, and deals with her loneliness by encouraging the people at her boarding house to all get to know each other better. One of her fellow boarders is Reeve, a handsome but emotionally closed off journalist who turns his nose up a "New Women" like Flossie.

I feel like I've been in a partial reading slump since coming back from vacation. I haven't been reading much, and I keep losing interest in the things I read. I was worried that the same thing would happen with Tiffany Girl. The book's length was a little daunting, but thankfully it turned out to be a really engaging read. I flew through it and could hardly put it down.

I don't read a lot of Christian romance, and there are only a couple authors I'll pick up without reading reviews first. Deeanne Gist is one of them. The religious aspects of her books are usually pretty light. Faith is important to her characters, but they don't think about it every few pages, and I don't recall ever feeling like Gist preaches at her readers.

The religious aspects of Tiffany Girl were particularly light, although important. One of the things Flossie dealt with was the belief of those around her that God's highest calling for women is bearing children. This was directly opposed to her desire to work for someone like Louis Tiffany, who only allowed women to work for him if they were unmarried. If Flossie wanted her independence, she needed to remain unmarried and childless, or so she believed. Religion also came up a bit while Flossie was looking at Louis Tiffany's finished stained glass windows. For the most part, though, that was it. I could imagine some Christian romance fans wanting more, but for me this worked out just fine.

Watching Flossie and Reeve interact was fun, even though both characters had aspects that annoyed me a little. Reeve's opinions about New Women got my back up, although I'd probably have been on his side where Flossie and her "get to know each other" activities were concerned. The lack of privacy in the boarding house was, in general, a bit horrifying, but Flossie's dinnertime question cards would particularly have made me cringe. There were, in fact, times when her questions touched on sensitive topics. I was a little surprised that Reeve answered some of the questions he was asked, considering how private he tended to be.

Flossie was a bit too in-your-face friendly for me at times. I'm an introvert, and I can clearly imagine myself going out of my way to avoid her for a while in order to avoid her icebreaker games. As far as she was concerned, everyone at the boarding house was like an extended family and, up until the competition for World's Fair tickets started, she probably felt at least a little the same about many of her coworkers.

Although Flossie and Reeve were attracted to each other fairly early on, they both had a bit of growing to do before they properly meshed as a couple. I really liked how things progressed with Reeve. He had to rethink his ideas about women and marriage. He also had to learn to open up more and allow other people into his life, even if only a little. I absolutely adored the scene with Mrs. Dinwiddie near the end. In some ways, it worked better for me than the romance between Reeve and Flossie.

Flossie's developments near the end of the book were pretty painful, and the attention Gist paid to Reeve's efforts to make more friends highlighted, for me, the fact that Flossie didn't seem to have any close female friends. Whereas I enjoyed the direction Reeve's story took, Flossie's "growth" seemed at least in part to involve breaking her down. She learned that not everyone around her was to be trusted, that she couldn't always count on her parents to act as her safety net (although Reeve stepped in and kept this from turning out worse than it might have), and that she'd never

. On the plus side, she learned that all of this could happen to her without breaking her.

The moment when Reeve and Flossie met again was nice, although I was a little sad about how long it took for it to happen. I missed getting to see the two of them together more, and Gist sped through their courtship period way too quickly for my tastes. I really liked how she resolved the issues hanging between Reeve and Flossie, although I raised an eyebrow at the fact that they apparently hadn't talked about any of it prior to getting married. I'd have thought Flossie would have wanted to know how Reeve felt about

before they said their I dos.

All in all, this was a good book and a quicker read than I expected it to be. I need to hunt down more of Gist's stuff.

Extras:

Many of the chapters were accompanied by a one-page black-and-white illustration. Also, there was an author's note with information about Gist's historical research. Gist's author's notes tend to be fascinating, and this one was no exception.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

This is one of those unfortunate reads where I really enjoy the writing, the setting and the characters (except grandpa, he's a cranky goat in a not-endearing kind of way) but the plot was more transparent than the glass the MC works with.  I guessed the importance of the first "clue" and the murderer from their second appearance.  Add to this the love triangle set-up and I deducted 1/2 a star.

Still, it is one of the better-written new series to come out by a big publisher in awhile and I enjoyed it enough to read the third book.

With ILL-GOTTEN PANES, book one in the Stained-Glass Mystery series, author Jennifer McAndrews introduced a charming new series and brought to readers the creative world of the art of stained-glass. Readers also got to meet Georgia Kelly, Pete “Grampy” Georgia’s grandfather, and the town of Wenwood, New York and its cast of intriguing town’s people.

I was so excited at the announcement of this book, DEATH UNDER GLASS and anxiously awaited my chance to read it. Well, it was certainly worth the wait. This book was even better than the first!

Before I knew it, I was so engrossed in the story and thrilling mystery, I was hardly able to put the book down. The action started off quickly and continued to accelerate until reaching the exciting, shocking reveal.

DEATH UNDER GLASS was everything I could have hoped for and more. This excellent second installment has certainly insured a third in the series. I’m already looking forward to it even more than I did this one!

Of all the art forms, I like to watch glass artists create the most. The heat, the liquid nothingness, the color, and fragile strength stun me every time. 

Here is to the Glass Artists of Romance: glassworkers, glass blowers, stain glass artists, and glass painters from every subgenre. 

1.  Edge of Dawn by Patti O'Shea

Glass artist Shona Blackwood has lost her ability to create, but instead of panic, all she feels is apathy. Her detachment is shaken when she narrowly avoids being mugged, thanks to a timely rescue by a man who makes all her senses come roaring to life.

Logan Andrews is a magical troubleshooter assigned to protect Shona from an unseen enemy. Shona is unaware that magic actually exists and Logan is under orders not to tell her, but it isn't long before he finds his loyalty torn between his people and the passionate woman he is guarding.

He thought this would be a straightforward job, but Logan quickly realizes that in an edgy contest between magic and passion, love is destined to win.

2. Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington.  She is stunned and blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal:  her fiancé Kevin has left her.  His new lover is Lucy’s own sister.   Lucy's bitterness over being dumped is multiplied by the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life.   Facing the severe disapproval of Lucy's parents, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucy and hopefully loosen her up and get her over her anger. Complications ensue when Sam and Lucy begin to fall in love, Kevin has second thoughts, and Lucy discovers that the new relationship in her life began under false pretenses. Questions about love, loyalty, old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings are explored as Lucy learns that some things in life—even after being broken—can be made into something new and beautiful.

3. The Glass-Blowers by Daphne du Maurier

The world of the glass-blowers has its own traditions, it's own language - and its own rules. 'If you marry into glass' Pierre Labbe warns his daughter, 'you will say goodbye to everything familiar, and enter a closed world'. But crashing into this world comes the violence and terror of the French Revolution, against which the family struggles to survive.

Years later, Sophie Duval reveals to her long-lost nephew the tragic story of a family of master craftsmen in eighteenth-century France. Drawing on her own family's tale of tradition and sorrow, Daphne du Maurier weaves an unforgettable saga of beauty, war, and family.

4. Beautiful Stranger by Ruth Wind

Raised in a gilded cage, she was the chubby twin sister no one noticed. Now her weight loss made Marissa Pierce the kind of woman every man desired—including Robert Martinez. If only she had the courage to return his seductive gaze…

A proud Native American, Robert resented Marissa's privileged lifestyle. Yet this elegant stranger understood his wounded heart. Now Robert was determined to show her how truly beautiful she was—before the princess could escape to her ivory tower forever.

5. Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowan understands trial by fire. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal's unique talents to prevent it from happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap into a new kind of magic. Yet the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control her powers…powers that could lead to disaster beyond anything she's ever known.

6. And the Bride Wore Plaid by Karen Hawkins

Devon St John has never had a problem in his life—until now. Born to wealth and privilege, surrounded by a warm and loving family, he has pursued a life of leisure, chasing the most beautiful women London has to offer. All told, he has the perfect life and no intentions of ever settling down in any shape, form or fashion. So resolved, he heads to his friend’s Scottish castle, unaware that fate is already hard at work.

As the illegitimate half-sister to Viscount Strathmore, Melody Macdonald refuses to reside under his roof and instead lives in a thatched house on the edge of the forest that borders Strathmore Castle. Ever since she ran off at the tender age of twelve to become an apprentice to a master of stained glass, Melody has been deplorably independent and wild. When Devon arrives at Strathmore Castle, he is taken aback by the rude, overbearing, illegitimate Scotswoman who refuses even to pretend to possess any feminine wiles. But Devon is determined to teach the strong-willed Melody a lesson in love ...

7. Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist

As preparations for the 1893 World’s Fair set Chicago and the nation on fire, Louis Tiffany—heir to the exclusive Fifth Avenue jewelry empire—seizes the opportunity to unveil his state-of-the-art, stained glass, mosaic chapel, the likes of which the world has never seen.

But when Louis’s dream is threatened by a glassworkers’ strike months before the Fair opens, he turns to an unforeseen source for help: the female students at the Art Students League of New York. Eager for adventure, the young women pick up their skirts, move to boarding houses, take up steel cutters, and assume new identities as the “Tiffany Girls.”

8. Dreamweaver Trail by Emily March

After another lonely Valentine’s Day, Gabi Romano trades mountain snowfall for sunshine and sand at a luxurious Caribbean getaway. There she finds not one but two thrilling new passions: creating art glass, and Flynn Brogan, the sexy caretaker next door who brings her fantasies to life. But when violence interrupts their romantic interlude, she learns that Flynn is living a lie. Heartsick, she decides to concentrate on her craft. Playing with fire is safer than loving a man like Flynn.
 
Flynn is determined to make things right with Gabi—until his enemies interfere. Now damaged and driven by a need he cannot define, he seeks out Gabi’s Colorado community as a mystery man searching for peace, though not expecting redemption. But he never imagined a place like Eternity Springs, where lives are changed, second chances are given, and the possibility exists for two wounded souls to find their way home . . . to each other. 
 

9. The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato

Venice, 1681. Glassblowing is the lifeblood of the Republic, and Venetian mirrors are more precious than gold. Jealously guarded by the murderous Council of Ten, the glassblowers of Murano are virtually imprisoned on their island in the lagoon. But the greatest of the artists, Corradino Manin, sells his methods and his soul to the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, to protect his secret daughter. In the present day his descendant, Leonora Manin, leaves an unhappy life in London to begin a new one as a glassblower in Venice. As she finds new life and love in her adoptive city, her fate becomes inextricably linked with that of her ancestor and the treacherous secrets of his life begin to come to light.

10. Bedeviled by Maureen Child

Never again will Maggie Donovan complain that her life is boring. "Boring" sounds pretty good compared to man-eating demons, an ill-tempered pixie, and a way-too-sexy Fae warrior who insists that Maggie is destined to claim the throne - or die trying. One breath of faery dust, and suddenly Maggie's dealing with Otherworld powers she never wanted. and very earthy feelings for a certain immortal.

Do you have a favorite glass artist in Romance? Let me know!

To vote for the best of the best, go to my Goodreads list: Blow: Glassworkers in Romance.

Alice was a normal girl in a normal world, without a concern beyond looking after her little sister and the heavy summer heat

And then the infected appeared. Ravenous zombies determined to eat everything in their path until nothing was left alive. In the first wave destroyed so much and left her with no-one to trust, no-one to rely on

Only herself, her anger and her will to survive.

I can see what this book is trying to do. I can see it trying to mash up Lewis Carol’s Alice with a gritty zombie apocalypse. I can see the attempt to meld the whacky and surreal with the dark and awful. Whimsical meets horrifying. Quixotic meets macabre. Outlandish absurdity meets cruel reality.

It was going to take the characters and concepts of Alice Through the Looking Glass, even lift entire chunks of Carrol’s dialogue and twist it into a desperate, gritty, horrifying fight for survival against the undead horde with lots of gore and loss

That’s a pretty tall order for any book.

And in places this book almost approaches it. I was amused by Catherine Pillar and her zombie killing magic mushrooms. Hare and Hatter weren’t too bad.

But that, sadly, is the limit of what it does manage it. Everything else – the Duchess, the Red Queen, the Cheshire cat (ye gods that was poor – a guy who grinned called “Chez” wasn’t enough, you have to actually have someone say he grinned like a Cheshire Cat? What’s the point of a melding/homage if you directly reference the source material like that?) was terribly convoluted or jarring. It didn’t work, it didn’t work at all.

It wasn’t silly enough, surreal enough or funny enough for the Lewis Carrol elements to work. The imported dialogue was clunky, grossly out of place and felt less like a homage and more like the author had hit their head – or the characters had. The references where either twisted sufficiently into the setting as to make them little more than a name or a reference (like the Mock Turtle or Gryphon) or so grossly out of place as to just break the whole scene – like the Queen of Hearts and her headchoppy silliness. This could work if it were more silly, if it were more absurd and ridiculous and laughable. It could have worked – but it wasn’t. The story wasn’t surreal enough to be intentionally ridiculous – it ended up just being plain ridiculous.

The same goes for the grittiness. We have the gore and the grief and the desperate battle for survival. We even have Alice who could be an interesting character – losing a beloved family member very early in the zombie apocalypse she is consumed by grief, guilt and hatred for the one she deems responsible for the death. She then goes through a series of traumatic disasters, sees groups form and die very quickly on the very first day. It’s actually quite realistic how it would happen – as she is a desperate fleeing survivor multiple times as various people try to come together only to be destroyed over and over again.

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