Category: Book Review

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

Review: The Edge of Dreams (Molly Murphy Mysteries #14) by Rhys Bowen

by The Lit Bitch5 Comments on Review: The Edge of Dreams (Molly Murphy Mysteries #14) by Rhys Bowen

For years my mother has been trying to get me to read Rhys Bowen’s books. I have literally received Her Royal Spyness in the mail at least three times now.

Here’s why I haven’t picked up any of Bowen’s books….there are so many book series out there with a female detective set around the same time that how different could it really be? What distinguishes Bowen’s heroines from the others?

OK so maybe mother does know best….mother you were right, I should have picked up Bowen’s books a long time ago!

When The Edge of Dreams came up for review, I knew I would be starting the Molly Murphy series in the middle. But I thought I would give it a try anyway since I’m in love with the cover and have been craving a good mystery.

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

Review: The Counterfeit Heiress (Lady Emily #9) by Tasha Alexander

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Counterfeit Heiress (Lady Emily #9) by Tasha Alexander

Lady Emily and her husband, the dashing Colin, are enjoying their evening out at an exclusive costume ball.

A strange encounter with a masked man leaves Emily scratching her head.

She was certain that she was the only Artemis at the ball but clearly the masked man was expecting a different sort of Artemis.

Well the only other Artemis at the ball is the eccentric Estella Lamar. Estella hasn’t been seen in society for years. She is known for her world travels and is rarely….if ever…..seen in society.

Emily’s long time friend Cecile knows Estella well from a childhood spent together. When Cecile sees Estella at the ball, she knows she’s a fraud. Someone is impersonating Estalla…..but why?

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

Review: Shadows Over Paradise by Isabel Wolff

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Jenni’s has lived in the shadows most of her life. She is an accomplished ghost writer where she never gets any recognition for her work.

She is in a tedious relationship with her boyfriend of two years. She never wanted to have children but did hope to get married one day.

All of her friends are getting married and having families and she does feel a little left out.

Her boyfriend soon starts pressuring her to have children but she refuses. She has been harboring a childhood secret and can’t bare to share it with him.

At a friend’s wedding, Jenni receives an offer to ghost write a woman’s memoirs. It comes at a good time and her and her boyfriend decide to take a break to sort things out.

The only issue is, the woman lives in the Cornish coastal town of Polvarth. The same town where tragedy befell Jenni as a girl.

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

Review: Black Diamonds: The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years That Changed England by Catherine Bailey

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Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. Catherine Bailey chronicles the rise and fall of the Fitzwilliam coal mining dynasty in Yorkshire England.

The Fitzwilliam family was at one time, one of the wealthiest families in all of England.

So how does this extensive fortune and massive house end up on the real estate market in 2014 in need of mass repairs?

Well that’s what Bailey decides to find out. What follows is this outstanding narrative about the rise and fall of this aristocratic family, a fortune worth 3 billion pounds by today’s standards, and a family full of salacious scandal, family feuds, and dark secrets.

This book was scandalous and I loved it! I am a huge fan of Bailey’s first biography, The Secret Rooms which I read last year. I love reading about the British aristocracy and royals, because again, sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.

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

Review: Mistress Firebrand (Renegades of the Revolution) by Donna Thorland

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: Mistress Firebrand (Renegades of the Revolution) by Donna Thorland

Actress Jennifer “Jenny” Leighton is a struggling actress in occupied Manhattan during the American Revolution.

She is living with her aunt who is a big name British actress. Jenny hopes to make a name for herself as a play write and gain an influential British patron.

The only man in Manhattan that might be able to give Jenny the patronage, General John Burgoyne, is sequestered on his ship as his staff fear that American rebels will kill him if he makes an appearance in the city.

Jenny has heard the rumors about General Burgoyne…he is quite the ladies man. Knowing that he will likely try to seduce her instead, Jenny must make a choice.

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