Category: Book Review

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

Review: You Had Me at Hola (Primas of Power #1) by Alexis Daria

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: You Had Me at Hola (Primas of Power #1) by Alexis Daria

This book has been on my radar for quite a while. I even dowloaded a copy a few months ago with the intension of reading it but then my ADHD kicked in and another book caught my eye and this one fell by the wayside. Every once in a while though I would see it pop up on my radar again and in my recommended reading, finally I decided to pick it up! I was really wanting something light and fun, and that fact that it was Hispanic Heritage Month, I thought why not read this one?!

I loved the idea of two soap opera/novella stars coming together for a romance. It sounded kinda cheesy but also kinda fun and just what I needed to keep me engaged but while being light enough where I could sort of ‘zone out’ while reading. I loved soap operas growing up as a kid. When I was home sick I loved throwing on Days of Our Lives to pass the time. I could fall asleep and wake up again and keep right on watching, and that’s what I was hoping for from this book.

So does this sound like fluff? Yes not might sound like it but there was a lot much of the book that wasn’t just ‘fluff’. Personally I am loving more fluff reading of late. There is something about romances that appeal to me so much right now, some of it is the fluff aspect where things are just lighter and fun to read while also getting a HEA. But occasionally there are romances that have more substance and those are fine too but generally I like the lighter fluffy romances. This was more on the fluffy side but there were some parts that had more substance to them—-over all a nice balance.

Continue reading “Review: You Had Me at Hola (Primas of Power #1) by Alexis Daria” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: One Woman’s War by Christine Wells

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: One Woman’s War by Christine Wells

Ya’ll should know by now that I am a sucker for basically any historical fiction, but I have a soft spot for war time historical fiction. This book has a strong espionage angle that I thought sounded interesting. I love spy novels and espionage, lately a lot of historical fiction novels include an espionage angle so naturally I gravitate towards book that include this.

When I saw this one come up for review, it was an easy yes. I loved that the real life story of Victoire Bennett, was the inspiration for the classic James Bond character, Moneypenny! For someone who loves spy novels, there can be no passing on a book whos character inspired such an iconic character in the Bond series. I couldn’t wait to check this one out.

Author Christine Wells, has written other books about women in resistance work throughout history and I felt excited to read this book even if she was a new to me author. I know that sometimes spy novels can be a big undertaking, but since Wells has experience writing historical novels where espionage and spying are the focal point, I had no problem saying yes to this one!

Continue reading “Review: One Woman’s War by Christine Wells” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Murder at the Serpentine Bridge (Wrexford and Sloane #6) by Andrea Penrose

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Murder at the Serpentine Bridge (Wrexford and Sloane #6) by Andrea Penrose

I have really enjoyed this series from the very beginning. It has great characters that while perhaps not unique in their description (wealthy titled man turned detective), when you get right down to their characters they distinguish themselves for readers. Charlotte is the character who has changed the most throughout the series. Wrexford has remained fairly constant in his persona, but Charlotte’s changes have been exciting to watch.

Naturally when this come came up for review, I couldn’t pass it up. I am fully invested in watching the series continue to grow and am excited to see that more books will be forthcoming! If you are a fan of historical fiction novels, no doubt this series is on your radar and you have seen this stunning cover around the blog-o-verse or social media. The cover is truly stunning and the story inside is pretty good too!

This is a great series for fans of Anna Lee Huber, Deanna Raybourn, and Tasha Alexander. Smart heroine, broody male love interest, and of course a solid cozy historical mystery. While there was lots to love about this one, I am going to be curious to see how some of the plot lines are going to be addressed going forward. This book adds in an unexpected character that I am wondering how he will figure into the larger narrative down the road.

Continue reading “Review: Murder at the Serpentine Bridge (Wrexford and Sloane #6) by Andrea Penrose” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

If I had to describe this one, I would say it’s a Golden Girls meets James Bond mashup that you never knew you needed. Deanna Raybourn has been a beloved author of mine for YEARS! Her characters are charming, witty, and smart. I have read almost all of her books and never pass on anything she has written. She is truly a talented writer and I am just so thrilled that she has come out with a new standalone book! Raybourn has such a great prose with humor, charm, and boldness that is rare to find and I absolutely love when she comes out with a new book as I am almost SURE to love it.

When I saw this one was coming out, it sounded a little different from her usual books. Raybourn usually writes more historical fiction and this one sounded more like spies and espionage. But I have full faith in Raybourn’s writing talents and I knew that she would craft something that I would simply love and adore! In so many books, the main characters are young hot talented women, but we all grow up and age—I love seeing more representation of older badass women!

This book was also selected as a Book of the Month pick so if you need anymore endorsement, this is it! Raybourn’s writing mixed with this unique story really made it shine an I can totally see why it was a BOTM selection. You should be able to add this one onto your next book box if you missed it for September. This book really shows that just because you are retired—-doesn’t mean you can’t still be interesting.

Continue reading “Review: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland

I can vividly remember my very first assembly in high school as a freshman. It was the ‘senior assembly’ where they announced all the ‘most likely to’ people. This was the mid 1990’s so they were still doing things like ‘best legs’ and’ most likely to marry a rich guy’. So obviously things like this are pretty outdated now a days but I can still remember wondering what I would be voted ‘most likely’ as when I became a senior. As luck would have it I never got to find out. I moved my senior year of high school to a large school that had done away with this by the time I was as senior.

But that doesn’t mean I still don’t wonder! That is what appealed to me about this book—-the nostalgia. This book looked like it was going to be FULL of 1990s nostalgia and something that I could FULLY relate to now as an adult! I have never attended a single high school reunion even though I am approaching the 25 year mark. I have had zero desire to attend one as I have zero desire to ever revisit my high school years. But now that I have moved back to my small home town, I see a lot of people that I used to go to school with so it’s sort of like having a reunion every time I go to the grocery store.

This book was at the top of my TBR going into the fall, just knowing that someone else out in author-land also wanted to have a mini high school reunion through their new novel made me really excited and I couldn’t WAIT to start this one. I think for a certain demographic, this book is going to be a big hit. Maybe not for everyone, but definitely for the early 40s demographic!

Continue reading “Review: The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland” →