Category: Book Critic

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

I have been a big fan of Chanel Cleeton for a while now. I have loved all her books and whenever I see that she has a new book coming out, I fan-girl pretty hard! But this book in particular made me really fan-girl. Most of Cleeton’s have a strong historical fiction component but it’s mostly 1930s or 1950s/60s time period, which is fine but its truthfully not my favorite time in history.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Cleeton’s books but historically, the modern era isn’t my fav, but when I saw this book was coming out and it was set at the end of the 19th century, I couldn’t contain my excitement because that is my favorite time period! Since reading her books, I have come to really appreciate Cuban history. It’s history that I know nothing about but Cleeton makes me want to know all the Cuban things!

If you love historical fiction but haven’t read Cleeton’s books, you need to just stop reading this review and go grab one! Her books are so unique in their setting and history that you can’t help but be transported. There is a romance element but for me the real interest is in the history part, I mean I love the romance but the history is just so different and I truly feel like I am reading something fresh and new every time I read one of her books!

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews

Can it even be summer without a new Mary Kay Andrews book? The answer is no—no it cannot! I started reading some of MKA’s books a couple of years ago and they are always good as a beach read or a quick read on a plane on the way to your latest vacation destination! I picked this one up and read it in a matter of days which is what I expect when I pick up any of her books.

This book featured both a romance and a little bit of a murder mystery and I just loved that combo. If you love beach reads you no doubt have read MKA and know how great of a writer she is. She is the Queen of Beach Reads and I cannot dispute that. She is a prolific and seasoned writer who knows exactly how to craft a well written novel.

If you haven’t read MKA before, you really can’t go wrong with any of her books so just grab one and dive in and if you have managed to read this far I would encourage you to just grab this one because it’s another classic MKA book and if you haven’t read anything by her then this one is just as good as any so why not grab it!

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark

Any book that has a similarity between Love Actually noted in the title gets a yes from me to read! I love that movie and when I saw that this book featured a similar braided narrative that also included a wedding planner and all the best parts of various rom-coms, well I simply needed to make room on my review calendar for it.

Lately I have had good luck with some well done rom-coms and this one was just begging for me to read it. It looked so so good and I loved the cover. I haven’t read anything by this author before, but after checking out some of her other titles it looks like she has written a couple of other rom-coms that were well received so I was really looking forward to reading this one.

I did read this one in a day and a half. I could have read it in a day but I did have to take a break to do life things but it was a super fast read for me and entertaining as well. I don’t know that it was a five star read but it was a good book that left me excited for more of her works. If you are a rom-com fan than this book really needs to be on your radar!

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: I Thought You Said This Would Work by Ann Garvin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: I Thought You Said This Would Work by Ann Garvin

This is my first ever Ann Garvin book but I have certainly seen her other books on best seller lists and I was interested in checking this one out. I also belong to the Tall Poppy Bloggers group and I love getting Ann’s email newsletters. They are always so funny and well written so I was excited to get this book to read knowing her humor would shine through!

To be honest I was worried this book would be a little heavy and that Ann’s great humor would be overshadowed by some of the heavier topics in the novel, but I wanted to read one of her novels so much and I was totally open to seeing how this one unfolded!

As they say, trust the process right? The second I started the book, I knew I was reading something special. Heavy emotional topics—check. Well timed humor—-check. Entertaining—-check. I was so glad I didn’t let the heavier topics make me wary, this was an excellent read and one that will likely stay with me for a while now that I am done with it.

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Social Graces by Renee Rosen

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Social Graces by Renee Rosen

Renee Rosen is an author who has been on my radar for years but one of her books just hasn’t found it’s way onto my nightstand yet! Last spring I was part of the cover reveal for this one and ever since then I have been dying to read this one. That cover is absolutely stunning and I love a well done historical fiction novel.

The historical fiction genre is flooded with books set in WWII and the Tudor period so a book like this one stands out as unique simply for the time period it’s set in. Plus the lush backdrop of the uber rich promises something entirely different and feels like a decadent read. I haven’t read a lot of books on the Vanderbilts or the Astors but I of course know the family names and some of their history.

I was eager to check this one out because I hoped to read something that was fairly historically accurate about families that I know some history about but that might dive in deeper to their lives. Plus I won’t say no to a high society gossip read! I sat down to read this one, that was slightly on the longer side (400 ish pages) and was transported. I read it in a couple of days and enjoyed all the Gilded Age had to offer in this one!

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