Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart

 

First Lines: Eagle Springs, North Carolina, 1931. Dorothy Baker's reputation is on the line.

Walking to work one morning, Ruth Foster is stopped by the sheriff, who threatens her with arrest if she doesn't accompany him to a health clinic to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Even though she's done no more than kiss a man, Ruth finds herself at the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women. 

There she finds women from all walks of life, and the reasons why many of them are incarcerated are suspicious indeed. As Ruth becomes acquainted with her fellow inmates, she also learns that Superintendent Dorothy Baker is not a woman to be crossed. 

Baker takes her mission of transforming degenerate souls into upstanding members of society very seriously. If anyone at the Colony flouts anything listed in her rule book, the consequences are swift and harsh. Be that as it may, Ruth is determined to get out-- no matter what it takes.

~

In many respects, I've mellowed as I've gotten older, but not in all. Misogyny now infuriates me. As I learn more about the ridiculous laws women have had to deal with, I'm not only angry, but I also wonder why on earth women have put up with this treatment for centuries. When did we lose our spines? But I digress.

Donna Everhart's Women of a Promiscuous Nature is based on the long-buried history of the American Plan, set in motion during World War I to prevent soldiers from contracting venereal disease. Women could be forced to undergo testing for these diseases and placed in "industrial farm colonies" for the flimsiest reasons. Rumors. Being poor. Eating alone in a restaurant. Speaking to a soldier. Being pretty and unmarried. Yes, prostitutes were also incarcerated, but most of these women were not.

Strong characterizations make this book a winner. I couldn't help but take them all into my heart-- two in particular. Ruth, a young woman who just happened to be too pretty to be walking alone to work, and fifteen-year-old Stella, whose home life was so abominable that the farm colony felt like heaven to her. But three characters figure prominently in Women of a Promiscuous Nature. The third is Superintendent Dorothy Baker. Letting readers into her mind is a stroke of genius. We're given insight into how a woman could actually treat other women in such a horrible way and think she was helping them. Although I never did give up my hearty dislike of Dorothy Baker, her character does have depth. She's not merely the villain of the piece. 

Women of a Promiscuous Nature shines a light on a murky piece of American history, and in so doing, readers can take the book's characters to heart-- becoming angry for them, worrying about them, and wanting to help them escape from their prison. 

Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart

eISBN: 9781496740731

Kensington Books © 2026

eBook, 368 pages

Historical Fiction, Standalone

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

The Times Are Changin' Weekly Link Round-Up

 

I suppose it was to be expected that Denis's death would bring about personal changes in my life. My reading has slowed almost to a crawl compared to what it's been the rest of my life. What I do read is exclusively on my Kindle. Why? Arthritic hands, no towering piles of physical books, the convenience of being able to change the font size and highlight a word to learn its definition. 

I am finding myself wanting to spend more time knitting and doing needlepoint, and when I find myself in need of an item for a project, I get it online so I'll stay out of nearby craft stores. Why? Because, if I go in a craft store, I think my will power would turn tail and run. A reduced income means I have to be smart about what I do and how much I spend. (Not that I wasn't careful before.) What a pain!

From all the hummingbird activity, I think there is a lot of nesting going on, which means there will be plenty of baby hummers learning how to take advantage of my feeders (which I just finished cleaning and refilling).

Here's another photo of my family room to show the Mexican floral designs I've introduced as well as some African handmade items that are bright, cheerful, and make me smile.

I hear the Polar Vortex is gearing up for another blast. If you are in its path, please stay safe and warm--and make sure you have plenty of reading material. Virtual hugs to you all!

Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Concerns about AI-made images have deep roots in the earliest years of filmmaking.
• Many Americans read 0 books in 2025. A new reading challenge wants to change that.
• AI's memorization crisis.
• Audio is "no longer an afterthought" as publishers snap up a raft of audio-first acquisitions.
• Neuroscientists studied more than 80,000 people and found that speaking multiple languages might slow down brain aging.
• An Alabama board has voted to remove books about being transgender from public library youth sections.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• 1,700-year-old Roman marching camps have been discovered in Germany-- along with a multitude of artifacts like coins and remnants of shoes.
• Archaeologists say they've detected the largest stand-alone ancient Roman villa ever unearthed in Wales.
• A 2,400-year-old Hercules shrine and elite tombs were discovered outside ancient Rome's walls.
• In a new documentary, famed archaeologist Zahi Hawaas claims Nefertiti's tomb is close to discovery.
• Remnants of spills on a Renaissance-era textbook reveal recipes for "curing" ailments.
• A DNA study has revealed that one of the last Siberian shamans was an 18th-century woman whose parents were related.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• During the 1918 flu epidemic, pet parents put masks on their cats.
• Pumas returned to Patagonia-- and met penguins. What happened next surprised scientists.
• A cow named Veronika can scratch her back with a broom. Watch the video that scientists are calling the first documented evidence of cattle using tools.
• A coyote scrambled onto Alcatraz Island after a perilous, never-before-seen swim.
• This mama polar bear adopted a young cub-- and you can track the family as they wander around Hudson Bay.
• These male hummingbirds evolved straighter, sharper bills so they could better joust for mates.

►The Wanderer◄

• You can see a swirling sculpture made of 8,000 books at a library in Prague.
• This tiny French archipelago became America's alcohol warehouse during Prohibition.
• Crime and the City: Santo Domingo.
• From historic houses to scenic salt marshes, these 15 photographs capture the charm of Charleston, South Carolina.
• Triple Divide Peak: Montana's unique liquid "crossroads" where water can flow into three oceans.
• Hungary's oldest library races to rescue books from hungry beetles.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Oscar Wilde's portraits, poems, letters, and manuscripts head to auction 125 years after his death.
• George R.R. Martin on his triumphs and torments.
• Vicki Delany on writing what you want to learn: the joy of real-world research when crafting a novel.
• Aina Cederblom, the Swedish female adventurer who sailed solo around the world.
• Elaine Yoneda, a Jewish woman in a Japanese American concentration camp.
• Meet Cristhian Conde-Saldaña who discovered a new genus of curious catfish hiding in Colombia's mot endangered river. 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Crime on the high seas: 8 historical mysteries with pirates and smugglers.
• 7 weird punctuation marks we should bring back.
• BookBub's best mysteries and thrillers of 2026.
• 16 biographies and memoirs coming this year.
• The best crime TV series of 2025.
• 45 terrific slang terms from the last century.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

While Miz Kittling Knits: Return to Paradise

 

It's been a while since you've seen one of these posts, isn't it? 

I've not only been brightening up my kitchen and family room, but I've done the same thing in my bathroom. Here's a photo of the old color scheme.

Yes, I've knitted cotton wash cloths and hand towels for my bathroom. (I have to be different, dontcha know?)

Now, here is a photo of the new color scheme.

I absolutely love the colors in this yarn, so much so that I bought four huge cones of it. It's Lily Sugar'N Cream 100% cotton yarn in "Emerald Energy." I used the sand stitch from one of my stitch encyclopedias. It's sand stitch on one side and dot stitch on the other. I like reversible stitches, and this time around, I prefer the dot side. Since my bath towels were also old and tatty, I bought new ones. (Well over a year ago. Nothing like being behind the times on sharing.) I tried my luck with Amazon, and I could not believe how well I managed to match the colors! Take a look!

It's almost as if I'd gone in person to the store instead of clicking on Buy Now.

One of the programs I watched while I was knitting was Return to Paradise.

Here's the synopsis from IMDb: "Detective Inspector Mackenzie Clarke reluctantly returns to her Australian hometown after leaving her fiancé, only to be pulled into a case testing her tenacity until the culprit is apprehended."

Unfortunately, the best part of the series for me was the Australian scenery. The actress portraying DI Mackenzie Clarke put me off, and it wasn't just because of how her character was written (too abrasive). I hate to admit it, but her bulging, staring eyes bothered me. A lot. I found them creepy. The picture above doesn't come close to her appearance in the series. Her emaciated-looking face didn't help either. It's the first time I ever remember being put off watching something because of an actor's appearance, and I hope it never happens again!

I watched the entire first season because I wanted to see if the stories improved or if my reaction to the main character did. Neither did, so, if there is a second season, I won't be watching it.

A Colorful Weekly Link Round-Up

 

It's been another "interesting" week here at Casa Kittling. I won't go into details, but some of the most interesting bits have concerned the UK revenue folks telling me that, they know Denis is dead, but they sent him too much money and they want it back. And if that wasn't enough, I'm in the midst of trying to find someone... anyone... at the medical supply company and my health insurance who knows their gluteus maximus from their cubitus. Onwards and upwards, folks! (And I promise-- no more Latin.)

Those of you who took a look at my Christmas decorations may remember a bright Christmas tree area rug on the kitchen floor. You may even be wondering if I decided that Christmas would be year round in that particular room. I'm happy to say that I managed to bundle up Christmas and put down a brand-new rug. One that's bright and cheerful and makes me smile every time I see it. Here's the new rug.

I've gone with a bit of a Mexican floral theme in the kitchen and family room, and I kept the little tree so I can change its theme from time to time. (Right now, the tree has hearts and hummingbirds on it.) I've also brought in treasured items that bring me pleasure to look at. In other words, these are all one of my weapons against depression, and while they may not be 100% successful, the smiles they bring certainly help.

Virtual hugs to you all-- especially those of you who have your own battles to fight! Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Six small press editors explain why the hottest new thing in lit is out-of-print books.
• Mattel and Alex Aster team up for the Barbie young adult novel, Barbie: Dreamscape.
• What character are you in a traditional English murder mystery?
• How should a book stack be?
• Andrea Mara on writing suburban crime fiction in the age of social media and digital surveillance.
• Science fiction warned AI could end humanity. We may soon learn if it's possible.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• Archaeologists say they've unearthed a massive medieval cargo ship that's the largest vessel of its kind ever found.
• A monumental tomb discovered in Turkey might be of a member of King Midas' family.
• The story of Carthage isn't necessarily what the Romans committed to history. (None of us should be very surprised.)
• You can now see 750-year-old artifacts recovered from England's oldest shipwreck.
• A site in Pompeii reveals the recipe for Roman concrete. It contradicts a famous architect's writings.
• Why are there so many shipwrecks in the Great Lakes?

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• Six of the most loyal dogs throughout history.
• Some dogs are "gifted word learners" that learn language by eavesdropping-- just like human toddlers.
• Incredibly rare mountain gorilla twins have been born in Virunga.
• How scientists learn from the masters of invisibility: octopuses.
• Coyotes mate for life-- and grieve when their partner dies.
• Is the cassowary really the world's most dangerous bird?

►The Wanderer◄

• The adventures of America's most well-traveled bookstore.
• The most unusual regions of each US state.
• Archaeologists are using laser to clean decades of grime off a towering 1,800-year-old marble column in Rome.
• The ten best books about travel of 2025.
• Take a literary pilgrimage to Jane Austen's England.
• The kingdom of books.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Where are all the women? Discover why women disappear from digital history and what can be done to change it.
• Samuel Green freed himself and others from slavery. Then he was imprisoned over owning a book.
• Months before Rosa Parks made headlines, Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat for a white woman on a segregated bus.
• How Nick Benson crowdsourced more than 500 dashcams for Minneapolis to film ICE.
• Scott Adams, the controversial cartoonist behind Dilbert, has died at the age of 68.
• How women in New Jersey gained-- and lost-- the right to vote more than a century before the 19th Amendment granted suffrage nationwide. 

►I ♥ Lists◄

• Three novels featuring powerful aunts.
• The Rights of Nature: a reading list.
• Crafting cozies for winter.
• Seven mysteries set in the southwestern United States. 
• Can you name all ten of these Disney movies from the '60s?
• These are the most wishlisted mysteries and thrillers of 2025.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

The Cyclist by Tim Sullivan

 

First Line: "Excuse me? How long before my men can get back to work?"

Detective Sergeant George Cross's logic, determination, and precision can make him almost impossible to work with, but since he has the highest crime clearance rate, his co-workers in the Bristol police force make allowances for his peculiarities.

The faint clues on a ravaged body found in a demolition site lead Cross into the world of amateur cycling, drugs, ambition, and a family that is imploding. But just when the police seem to have solved the case, Cross doubles back on his investigation. Is he doing the right thing?

~

Tim Sullivan's George Cross series was one of my favorite discoveries of 2025, and this second book in the series, The Cyclist, definitely makes me want to read more. The mystery is ingenious. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Cross did an about-face and headed in a different direction. Did this anger me? No. This man has "an inbuilt intolerance of things being wrong," and I've quickly learned to trust him.

I'm not the only one who's learned to trust him. One of the best things about this series is that readers don't get the story from Cross's point of view alone; we're treated to how his co-workers, DC Josie Ottey and trainee Police Staff Investigator Alice MacKenzie, are continuously learning how to deal with his eccentricities. Being privy to their thoughts when Cross is being particularly uncooperative is a treat.

And speaking of treats, Cross's relationship with his father is tested in The Cyclist, and his frequent (spot-on) digs at the ongoing cost-cutting methods of the police department turn into a running joke.

Tim Sullivan's characters and plots make this a very enjoyable series, and I'm looking forward to the next book.

The Cyclist by Tim Sullivan

eISBN: 9780802167781

Grove Atlantic © 2026

eBook, 272 pages

Police Procedural, #2 DS George Cross

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

A Gnome Place Like Home Weekly Link Round-Up

 

This has been a time of emotional ups and downs, and I'm expecting it to continue as my birthday/anniversary approaches. I know. Baby steps. 

For those of you who may be wondering, I won the Bee War, and my hummingbirds can safely guzzle nectar at all the feeders. (I did name one of the males "Gus" because he really likes to try to drain a feeder dry at one go.)

Hopefully, this weekend I will be able to get all my Christmas decorations put away and my "new look" for the kitchen/family room in place. One thing in particular will be a struggle: getting the Christmas rug up, folded, and put away, and the new one in place. It's not the easiest thing in the world doing this seated on a mobility scooter, but I am stubborn! It took me an hour of fussing and faffing to get the Christmas one in place. Now that I have some experience with the task, it shouldn't take so long.

Phoenix has been getting more rain. The spring wildflowers should be out-of-this-world. It's been so wet (for here in the desert) that I have a small patch of something that looks suspiciously like moss growing on the driveway. I don't think that's ever happened before!

I decided to share the card I received recently. How the giver knew that I love gnomes, I'll never know!

Virtual hugs to you all. Enjoy the links!

►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄

• Rafqa Touma found herself in a binge-slump reading cycle from following recommendations on social media. Could booksellers in actual bookshops help?
• 100 years of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
• A debate has risen over interactive AI features in eBooks and audiobooks.
• Trump books aren't selling anymore. (Could it possibly be that we now know all we want to know?)
• Last call for mass market paperbacks.
• What's causing the non-fiction slump?
• The Oxford Word of the Year is rage bait.
• See the "Mona Lisa of Illuminated Manuscripts," a 600-year-old Bible covered in intricate illustrations.

►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄

• A centuries-old "trophy head" from Peru reveals the individual survived to adulthood despite a disabling birth defect. 
• Archaeologists discovered a mysterious 7,000-year-old stone wall beneath the waves off the coast of France.
• When the Bayeaux Tapestry makes its historic return to England, the British government will insure it for more than $1 billion.
• 1,100-year-old burials of elite warriors and their ornate weapons have been discovered in Hungary.
• Hundreds of mysterious Victorian-Era shoes are washing up on a beach in Wales. Nobody knows where they came from.
• Egypt has revealed the restored colossal statues of a pharaoh in Luxor.
• A mysterious Viking Age woman was found buried with scallop shells covering her mouth.
• The discovery of microscopic parasites has found that diarrhea and stomachaches plagued Roman soldiers stationed at Hadrian's Wall.

►Channeling My Inner Elly May Clampett◄

• National Geographic's best wildlife photos of 2025.
• Why alpha females reign supreme in the meerkat world.
• When male deer mark trees, those spots may glow like neon lights at dusk and dawn, though humans usually can't see them.
• How Los Angeles and Chicago came to appreciate their coyote neighbors.
• After living alongside humans for millennia, these Italian brown bears have evolved to become less aggressive.
• Honey-making stingless bees in the Peruvian Amazon become the first insects to gain legal rights.
• Did lyrebirds steal these songs from humans? (Articles like this always remind me of the mockingbird we had here that could sing "La Cucaracha" because of the ice cream truck that frequented the neighborhood.)
• Drone images suggest that bird flu has wiped out nearly half of the females in the world's largest elephant seal population.

►The Wanderer◄

• Claude Monet painted this palace overlooking Venice's Grand Canal. Now, the legendary mansion is officially for sale.
• How a sudden winter storm in 1617 sparked the deadliest witchcraft trials in Norwegian history.
• The Louvre has installed metal security bars on the window used during the $102 million jewel heist.
• Trees in Panama's tropical forests are growing longer roots in the face of drought.
• Finding Australia's most beautiful bookstore.
• The oldest restaurant in the world just turned 300 years old.
• Denmark's postal service is about to stop delivering physical letters after 400 years.
• Bermuda: the long and the shorts of it.

►Fascinating Folk◄

• Leonardo da Vinci's DNA may be embedded in his art, and scientists think they've managed to extract some.
• What five objects can tell us about the life of Filipino Americans in the early 20th century.
• Barbara Rose Johns protested school segregation as a teenager. Now she's being honored with a statue at the U.S. Capitol.
• Mary, Queen of Scots, wrote this letter hours before she was executed. Her words are going on display for the first time in years.
• Hans Koenigsmann spent twenty years at SpaceX. Now he's making history with its biggest competitor.
• Artist Anish Kapoor is the only person banned from using the world's pinkest pink.
• Carolyn Mazloomi: making quilts and preserving Black history.
• Did Shakespeare write Hamlet while he was stoned?

►I ♥ Lists◄

• 11 unusual Victorian New Year's traditions.
• BookBub's most anticipated books of 2026.
• The best classic mysteries of all time.
• CrimeReads' best psychological thrillers of 2025.
• CrimeReads' best legal thrillers of 2025.
• CrimeReads' best espionage fiction of 2025.
• CrimeReads' best debut crime novels of 2025.
• CrimeReads' best historical fiction of 2025.
• CrimeReads' best international crime novels of 2025.
• CrimeReads' best traditional mysteries of 2025.

That's all for this week! No matter how busy you may be, don't forget that quality Me Time curled up with a good book!

Three Reviews for the Price of One Post!

 

First Line from Prologue: Île de la Cité, Paris 2019. The fire peels Notre Dame like an illuminated manuscript soaked in water, its layers separating, releasing their secrets.

Skylark is a dual-timeline story about underground Paris. The timelines take place in 1664 and 1939, and concern the daughter of a master dyer at the Gobelin Tapestry Works who tries to save her father when he is unjustly accused of a crime, and a psychiatrist faced with the Nazi persecution of Jews.

The prologue concerning the burning of Notre Dame led me to expect more from the present day; however, it was used just to show readers how certain events can uncover stories and secrets. 

Seventeenth-century dye-making techniques and the three hundred plus kilometers of tunnels and catacombs under Paris made for some very interesting reading, but the story ultimately never engaged me as much as I thought it might. 

Skylark by Paula McLain

eISBN: 9781668028179

Atria Books © 2026

eBook, 464 pages

Historical Fiction, Standalone

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley

First Lines: I never meant to see what was in his drawer. I was never a mother who snooped.

In this thriller, two teenage girls have been found dead in a wealthy Chicago suburb, and high school counselor Abby Rosso begins to suspect that her son might be their killer.

Occasionally, I forget that I have to be careful with the psychological thrillers that I choose to read. In the case of What Boys Learn, I found whodunit to be much too easy to deduce and the neurotic Abby Rosso extremely annoying. The pace of the book was very slow, and more editing would not only have sped the story along but also not given me the time to realize how little I cared for any of the characters.

What Boys Learn by Andromeda Romano-Lax

eISBN: 9781641296922

Soho Press © 2026

eBook, 464 pages

Standalone Psychological Thriller

Rating: D

Source: Net Galley

First Line from Prologue: Cambridge, 1935. The banks of the River Cam were a bustle of activity on the first day of the Lent Bumps.

When Iris Sparks' friend from her Cambridge days is suspected of being a Soviet operative, British Intelligence coerces her to find out the truth. First, she and business partner/friend Gwen Bainbridge must find a way for the suspect to hire their marriage service.

I have enjoyed this series from the very first book, and having the opportunity to see the irrepressible Iris Sparks in her university days was a treat. Fire Must Burn also gives readers a chance to watch a spy-in-training while navigating the murky dealings of the intelligence service. 

While reading this eighth book in the series, I suddenly realized that one of the reasons I like it so much is the repartee between Sparks and Bainbridge, and that repartee is reminiscent of T. E. Kinsey's Lady Hardcastle series, another favorite of mine.  

Bring on the next adventure for Iris and Gwen! These books are definitely "more-ish."

Fire Must Burn by Allison Montclair

eISBN: 9781448315949

Severn House © 2026

eBook, 256 pages

Historical Mystery, #8 Sparks & Bainbridge

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

The Red Shore by William Shaw

 

First Lines: The boy wakes, scared. Something is wrong. It is all his fault.

Metropolitan police detective Eden Driscoll is quite satisfied with his single and childless life, but then the phone call comes. His estranged sister has vanished from her boat, leaving him the responsibility of Finn, a nephew he didn't know he had.

Resettled in the seaside town of Teignmouth, Eden finds adjusting to parenthood to be difficult, but he soldiers on. Problems mount when his sister's body is finally found. Her death is ruled an accident by the local police, but Eden isn't convinced.

Now the only thing he can do is search his sister's life for answers and continue to forge a relationship with a very recalcitrant little boy.

~

Being an unabashed cheerleader for William Shaw's standalone thrillers and his Alexandra Cupidi series, I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Red Shore, the start to a brand new Devon-set crime series. Wow! When my copy arrived from the UK, I jumped right in and was immediately hooked when I met Finn, a scared little boy alone on a boat at sea.

The Red Shore has an atmospheric setting (par for the course for Shaw) and a 

fantastic mystery that kept me turning the pages-- and even thinking about it when I was forced to stop reading, but the characters bring this book to an entirely different level. Eden, seemingly satisfied with his life in London, yet unable to escape his unconventional childhood. Finn, a little boy who's scared to death by his mother's disappearance and wants nothing to do with this uncle he didn't know anything about.

While I was trying to figure out the mystery, I was constantly intrigued by the dynamics between Eden and Finn. I have to admit that I found Finn to be very mouthy and abrasive at first, but his circumstances made his behavior make sense, and I did gradually warm up to the little boy. (Hey, I'm childless, just like Eden.)

The Red Shore is probably the best book I've read in 2025, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. Write faster, Mr. Shaw! 

The Red Shore by William Shaw

ISBN: 9780008720407

Hemlock Press © 2025

Hardcover, 384 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Eden Driscoll

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon UK.