Category: Book Review

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

Review: Beyond Limits (Tracers #8) by Laura Griffin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Beyond Limits (Tracers #8) by Laura Griffin

This is the book that I have been waiting for! I loved meeting Derek in the sixth book of this series and was really anticipating the romance between him and Elizabeth. I was also kind of ready for another terrorist plot and this book delivered on both counts. While we meet both Derek and Elizabeth briefly in an earlier book, that would in no way impact this one if you are considering picking this one up out of order in the series. The author does a great job orientating readers and making sure they understand that Derek and Elizabeth have at least met before etc.

If you are a fan of thrillers then you will no doubt have Laura Griffin on your radar already but if you haven’t heard of her (like me prior to about 7 weeks ago) then you absolutely need to get this author on your radar! I have featured some of Griffin’s books in the past (The Texas Murder Files) but I hadn’t read any of her books up until about 7 weeks ago when I finally caved. Ever since then I have been knee deep in allllllllllll of her books. While I might love some more than others, overall all the books she has written are fantastic and diverting reads.

I think of all the books that I have read in this series, I think so far this is one of my favorite ones. It comes at a good point in the series as it gives readers something new to read about (counterterrorism) rather than grizzly and horrifying murders. The amount of research and attention to detail in each book is staggering. I feel like Griffin is a master at so many things—-writing sizzling romances, twisty mysteries, and knowing all about police and military procedures! She is truly a master at what she does.

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

Review: Exposed (Tracers #7) by Laura Griffin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Exposed (Tracers #7) by Laura Griffin

After finishing the sixth book in the series, I was fully ready for the next book to be all about Derek—and then I got this book. So it was a surprise that we meet Derek in one book and then to have the next book not be about him seemed a little shocking. But I was willing to go with it, who knows it could be that somehow we meet another character in this book that somehow ties in with Derek’s ultimate love story that will likely be the seventh book I guess.

With any long standing series, there are always some books that I like better than others. I think it’s inevitable that some books are simply just better for different reasons and I have to say that this book was not my favorite. While I might not have loved this one, I still am fully in love with this series. This series can certainly be read out of order but personally if I would not recommend starting with this one. For me it just didn’t read the same as the other books and part of that could be that I didn’t love the main character in this one (Maddie).

Just because one book fails to hit the mark though doesn’t mean that the whole series is a bust for me. I will say that I could be in the minority here as most people liked this one but for me it just didn’t live up to the expectations I have had with this series so far. Even still though, I love this series as a whole. It’s so well written, researched, and executed. If you love thrillers you do not want to miss this series, it’s just so wonderful but this book just left me a little meah by the end.

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Review: Scorched (Tracers #6) by Laura Griffin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Scorched (Tracers #6) by Laura Griffin

I was initially not that excited about this book. Up until this point the main protagonist male as been a cop and I have come to look forward meeting a new detective and seeing a romance sprout between cop and Delphi worker. But this book takes a new turn and introduces former NavySEAL Gage Brewer as the romantic interest with Kelsey being the love interest from Delphi. We have met Kelsey briefly in other books and know that she has called it off with her boyfriend Gage.

Now she is getting her own book and honestly I wasn’t sure where this one was going to go and if I was going to like this new turn in the romance department but I mean come on, does it get any sexier than a NavySEAL? Even if I was unsure where this one was going to go, I was intrigued by the NavySEAL character and curious to see how it was going to play out. I will tell you now, there was no reason for me to be concerned because this book gave me as a reader some thing new and different to explore.

If you haven’t read this series yet then you are missing out. I can fully endorse that reading these books out of order will not matter. So maybe you want to read one book but skip another that is totally fine in this series. Sure we might have briefly met Kelsey in other books but Griffin does a great job making sure new readers don’t miss anything so take heart knowing the author will make sure you aren’t lost! This series is a killer—-pun intended! Do not miss this series!

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Special Feature/Excerpt: Under a Veiled Moon (Inspector Corravan #2) by Karen Odden

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Karen Odden has written a couple of different historical mystery series most of which are set in the Victorian era. She has also written introductions for some well known classics like Hard Time by Charles Dickens. Clearly she has a love of Victorian literature and history. I have enjoyed her Victorian Mysteries series even if there has only been two books so far.

This latest series featuring Inspector Corravan, is currently on its second book. Odden’s books are recommended for fans of CS Harris and Anne Perry and I would agree, her mysteries are more complex and rich in historical detail. The focus is usually on the mystery itself rather than some of the other secondary plots. I haven’t read this series yet and the reason I choose to do a feature instead of a review was so I could go back and read the first book before moving on to the second.

Having read Odden’s first series, I know she does a great job orientating new readers within the series, however when I can, I prefer to read series books in order. Today though, I have a feature AND excerpt to share! If you are a fan of historical fiction mysteries then you are not going to want to miss this diamond in the rough author! She always crafts a smart mystery with fun characters and wonderful historical details!

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

Review: City of Fortune (Counterfeit Lady #6) by Victoria Thompson

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: City of Fortune (Counterfeit Lady #6) by Victoria Thompson

I featured this one last week and ever since then I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it! The cover fully lured me in as well as the horse racing aspect and I just couldn’t get it out of my head! I had planned to read this one a little bit later this spring when my calendar wasn’t so full but sometimes it just happens like this where I can’t get a book out of my head and then boom here we are reading it way before I planned to !

I have read some of Victoria Thompson’s books but have been limited to the Gaslight Mystery series. They are pretty good and that series especially is a long standing series (I think there are around 25 or 26 books!). She has written a couple of other romance books (cowboy romances) but the historical mysteries have been limited to the Gaslight Mystery series. Then in 2017, Thompson released the first book in her new series, Counterfeit Lady series and this series was born.

I haven’t read any of the other books in this series but I have the books on my radar and now that I have read this one, I think I am going to have to go and check out the other books in the series now. You could pick this one up mid series (which is what I did) without having read the other books, but there are clearly some plots that are established from previous books. It wasn’t a deal breaker for me but I did feel like my reading experience was different than someone who might be reading it from the beginning and in order.

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