Author Archives: Victoria Janssen

About Victoria Janssen

Victoria Janssen [she, her] currently writes cozy space opera for Kalikoi. The novella series A Place of Refuge begins with Finding Refuge: Telepathic warrior Talia Avi, genius engineer Miki Boudreaux, and augmented soldier Faigin Balfour fought the fascist Federated Colonies for ten years, following the charismatic dissenter Jon Churchill. Then Jon disappeared, Talia was thought dead, and Miki and Faigin struggled to take Jon’s place and stay alive. When the FC is unexpectedly upended, Talia is reunited with her friends and they are given sanctuary on the enigmatic planet Refuge. The trio of former guerillas strive to recover from lifetimes of trauma, build new lives on a planet with endless horizons, and forge tender new connections with each other.

My November Reading Log

Posted on December 19, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb is about finding meaning and purpose in life, and discovering one’s identity. Little Ash is a Jewish demon with hardly any magic, whose Talmud study partner is a genderless … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Celebration!

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey features several celebrations including a wedding, a royal visit, and Christmas in Singapore. This book was delightful. In tone, it reminded me very much of Dorothy Gilman’s work; I felt I was in … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Change of Plans: Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux was very sweet and satisfying, by which I mean there’s a happy ending (of course! it’s a Romance!) and even the villains of the piece become sympathetic in the end, at least to … Continue reading →

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My October Reading Log

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Copper Script by K.J. Charles was a delightful historical romance, set in 1920s London, in which a closeted policeman, Aaron, encounters Joel, a graphologist who lost his dominant hand in World War One. Despite attraction, neither trusts the other … Continue reading →

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“Leaves,” Frederic Manning

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Leaves A frail and tenuous mist lingers on baffled and intricate branches; Little gilt leaves are still, for quietness holds every bough; Pools in the muddy road slumber, reflecting indifferent stars; Steeped in the loveliness of moonlight is earth, and … Continue reading →

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My September Reading Log

Posted on October 17, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Brigands and Breadknives by Travis Baldree will be out in November. It takes a different path from Legends and Lattes and Bookshops and Bonedust; rattkin bookseller Fern is reunited with the orc coffeeshop proprietor Viv in her new life, … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Here There Be Monsters: Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Here There Be Monsters: Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo [2004] is speculative fiction, but also has a feel of literary fiction. I would probably call it dark fantasy because of tone, themes, a killing, and some domestic abuse. … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Friend Squad: Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday is a light historical romance with a mournful beginning. (By “light” I mean light on the historical details and with modern-sounding dialogue, which can be a feature or a bug, depending on your tastes.) Archie … Continue reading →

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My August Reading Log

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: I re-read Lois McMaster Bujold’s initial three books set in the “world of the Five Gods,” The Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls, and The Hallowed Hunt. I’d loved them when they first came out, but it’s been well … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Do the Hustle: The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Content warning: this book has past harm to a dog (but it did not die). The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson would today be considered Middle Grade, I think. It’s set in 1908 Austria. Infant Annika is found abandoned … Continue reading →

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