Category: Book Critic

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

Take Two Review: Where the Dead Lie (Sebastian St. Cyr #12) by C.S. Harris

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Take Two Review: Where the Dead Lie (Sebastian St. Cyr #12) by C.S. Harris

I was first approached to read this series in 2017. At that time I hadn’t heard of Sebastian St Cyr and was hesitant to read the twelfth book in the series, so I read the first book with the intention of reading the series before this one, but sadly that was overly ambitious and I only had time for book 1 and then moved right into this one.

At that time I enjoyed the mystery and didn’t feel lost in the mystery itself, but definitely felt lost with some of the other plot points threaded through out the series. As a result, I felt that it was a worthy while read but I missed the nuances of the narrative and didn’t focus on the mystery as much because I was trying to figure out what had changed since the first book.

Now that I am re-reading the entire series from beginning to end, I am finally back to where it all began, with the twelfth book and I was eager to see if I enjoyed it more or less this time around. Continue reading “Take Two Review: Where the Dead Lie (Sebastian St. Cyr #12) by C.S. Harris” →

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

Review: Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau

This author has written a variety of historical fiction novels that I have enjoyed over the years. And when I say variety, I mean variety. She’s written books about Tudor era mysteries with nuns and eighteenth century porcelain collectors and now here we are moving across the pond to Coney Island in the early 1900s.

That’s a pretty impressive spread! All of her books have been well researched and incredibly detailed so I was more than happy to check this one out as well.

There aren’t many books set in Coney Island and for me, it conjures romantic, carefree, and quirky images of by gone days so I was absolutely on board with reading this book! Continue reading “Review: Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau” →

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

Review: The Borgia Confessions by Alyssa Palombo

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Borgia Confessions by Alyssa Palombo

I have been a fan of Alyssa Palombo since her very first book. I think she is absolutely a fresh voice in historical fiction and I am always down to read one of her new books.

Last year her book on Katrina Van Tassel was so fun and I was eager to see where her next story might take place. When I saw that it was in Italy featuring one of the most notorious families in history, I was so here for it!

Palombo always does a marvelous job researching her novels so that they please history fans but they also have enough character development and intrigue to satisfy fans of fiction too. This book is no exception. Continue reading “Review: The Borgia Confessions by Alyssa Palombo” →

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

Review: When Falcons Fall (Sebastian St. Cyr #11) by C.S. Harris

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: When Falcons Fall (Sebastian St. Cyr #11) by C.S. Harris

Now that I have completed this book, I am caught up with the series however I decided to keep reading and re-read the other books in this series so that I could read the later books with a more complete view of the larger narrative.

I was excited for this one because it was going to take us out of London and into the country with the promise of finding out more about Sebastian’s history. That was the big draw for me with this book, but I have to admit, I sort of missed foggy old London.

If you haven’t read this series, this would be a difficult book to pick up and read as a standalone. This one focuses a lot on other treads of Sebastian and Hero’s narrative so if you are thinking of starting here, pick another book. Even the next book in the series would be easier to pick up and read than this one. The series is excellent and I highly recommend reading them all as a series in order but there are some that can read as standalones but again this book isn’t one of them. Continue reading “Review: When Falcons Fall (Sebastian St. Cyr #11) by C.S. Harris” →

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

Review: An Everyday Hero (A Heart of a Hero #2) by Laura Trentham

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: An Everyday Hero (A Heart of a Hero #2) by Laura Trentham

Let me just put this out there right now, I don’t read a lot of military fiction or romances. While I love military history and have family that have served  and continue to serve in the military, it’s just not a genre that I ever think about picking up to read. Ever. No real reason why, I just simply don’t think of it.

So why now? Here is the shallow answer—I loved the cover. Sure the cover lured me in, but I have to admit I was intrigued by the summary and I love Southern fiction and thought this one might be a diverting read.

Plus, I love romances what can I say. There is just something so satisfying about a happily ever after that I just can’t say no to! That’s how I came to review this one and I am not at all sorry that I read it! Continue reading “Review: An Everyday Hero (A Heart of a Hero #2) by Laura Trentham” →