Category: Book Review

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

Review: Silent in the Grace (Lady Julia Grey #1) by Deanna Raybourn

by The Lit Bitch7 Comments on Review: Silent in the Grace (Lady Julia Grey #1) by Deanna Raybourn

Lady Julia’s husband has literally just dropped dead in the middle of her dinner party.

After being in failing health for most of their marriage, Lady Julia knows he isn’t long for this world but she is shocked when the impertinent Nicolas Brisbane suggests that it might have been foul play.

Brisbane is a private investigator who was hired by Lady Julia’s husband because he believed someone wanted him dead. Brisbane plans on continuing the investigation if Lady Julia would like….but she is reluctant to believe him and dismisses him after the funeral.

A year later, a chance discovery changes her mind and she reaches out to Brisbane for help in solving the crime. Reluctantly he agrees and they begin and unconventional investigation which takes then into a number of alternative lifestyles to try and flush out the murderer.

But somewhere in between their investigating and power struggling, a flicker of attraction sparks between the two and Lady Julie begins to wonder if there could be more to their relationship than just a dead body or two.

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

Take Two Review: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R. R. Martin

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Take Two Review: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) by George R. R. Martin

After watching the rapidly developing plot lines of season 6 of Game of Thrones on HBO, I felt the need to re-read the second book in the ASOIAF series.

It’s been two years since I re-read the first book and I got so much out of the second reading that I vowed to continue re-reading the series over the years.

The last time I read the second book was in 2012 so obviously it’s been a while and lots of details have been forgotten. With no real rush or agenda, I started reading the second book back in May and I just finished it in July…..yes it took me much longer to read this time but I chalk that up to being in my third trimester and having the attention span of a gnat at the moment.

I love this series so much. It’s so rich, textured, and character driven. I can’t say enough good things. You don’t have to be a fantasy reader to enjoy this series at all! It’s one of the best books and series I’ve ever read hands down but I will say it is something to savor and revisit frequently (as in re-reads) because you might miss important plot details!

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

Review: Poison or Protect (Delightfully Deadly #1) by Gail Carriger

by The Lit Bitch5 Comments on Review: Poison or Protect (Delightfully Deadly #1) by Gail Carriger

I have been a huge fan of Gail Carriger since reading Soulless  way back in 2011! Carriger has a wonderful whit that translates so well onto the pages of her stories.

When this short story came across my desk for review, I was thrilled to read another book set in the same world that Carriger has crafted so well!

Over the years she has written the Parasol Protectorate series which is more of an adult read, and then the Finishing School series which is more of a YA read but both are set in the same world that the PP series begins.

This latest novella is also set in the same world…..a steampunk universe full of manners, spies, and of course the supernatural not to mention a few familiar characters from the other books.

Lady Preshea Villentia, the Mourning Star, has four dead husbands and a nasty reputation. Fortunately, she looks fabulous in black. What society doesn’t know is that all her husbands were marked for death by Preshea’s employer. And Preshea has one final assignment.

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

Review: The Secret Language of Stones: A Novel (The Daughters of La Lune #2) by M.J. Rose

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: The Secret Language of Stones: A Novel (The Daughters of La Lune #2) by M.J. Rose

When I read the first book, The Witch of Painted Sorrows, I had no idea that it was going to end up being an actual ‘series’. It read so well as a stand alone book that I was surprised to see it would be becoming a series.

So when this one came across my desk, I was thrilled to review it and see how the ‘series’ was going to develop as there were some loose ends that weren’t exactly completely tied up in the first book.

This book was right up my alley, WWI France. I love books set in this time period not to mention a little hint of the super natural and some romance which made for a unique read all around!

The Romanov dynasty reaches its sudden, brutal end, a young jewelry maker discovers love, passion, and her own healing powers in this rich and romantic ghost story. Nestled within Paris’s historic Palais Royal is a jewelry store unlike any other.

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

Review: Tides of Honour by Genevieve Graham

by The Lit Bitch5 Comments on Review: Tides of Honour by Genevieve Graham

Oh how I love war time romances but I especially enjoy them when they are different.

This book is set in Canada during the Great War which is what immediately drew me in.

I haven’t read any books on the Great War set anywhere other than England or France so this book totally grabbed my attention.

Private Daniel Baker is completely unprepared to meet the love of his life in the middle of a war but that’s exactly what happens in the summer of 1916 when he marches off to France as part of Nova Scotia’s 25th Battalion.

Audrey Poulin lives alone with her grandmother in the quiet French countryside, where her only joy is in her artwork.

By chance, she encounters Danny, the handsome young soldier that captures her heart and inspires her painting. The young lovers believe that only together can they face the hardships the war brings.

Mere months later, Danny is gravely wounded at the Battle of the Somme, and his future is thrown into uncertainty. Soon, he and Audrey find themselves struggling to build a new life in Halifax, a city grieving its lost men.

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