Category: Book Review

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

Review: Marilyn’s Red Diary by E.Z. Friedel

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Marilyn’s Red Diary by E.Z. Friedel

Everyone knows that Marilyn Monroe is American’s sex icon.

The blonde bombshells life is well known to many: the drugs, the sex, the insecurities, the tragic death, the conspiracy, the scandals.

So what makes this novel different the every other Marilyn story out there you ask?

It’s her diary.

I won’t spend too much time with the background of this novel since Marilyn Monroe is such a well known figure. We meet the troubled woman while she is undergoing treatment from her psychiatrist Ralph Greenson.

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

Review: The Queen’s Vow by C.W. Gortner

by The Lit Bitch5 Comments on Review: The Queen’s Vow by C.W. Gortner

One country. One faith. One crown. That was the vision of Isabella I of Castile and her husband King Ferdinand of Aragon.

Together they reigned for over thirty years, working tirelessly to unite a country that was constantly at civil war.

We first meet Isabella at her humble beginnings. Her father the King of Castile has just died and his son from his first marriage, Enrique, is to inherit the thrown.

Enrique and his advisers quickly remove Isabella, her brother Alfonso, and her mother from court.

They are given a small country house with little to no resources and are basically forgotten about. Until one day when Enrique finally has an heir. To celebrate the birth of his daughter, Joanna, Enrique invites both Isabella and Alfonso to court to stand as supporters.

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

Review: The White Princess (The Cousins’ War #5) by Philippa Gregory

by The Lit Bitch6 Comments on Review: The White Princess (The Cousins’ War #5) by Philippa Gregory

Red rose. White rose. Lancaster. York. The War of the Roses is a widely known period in history.

The war ended with the marriage of Henry Tudor to his York bride, Elizabeth of York….the Union Rose bloomed in England as a new symbol of unity, but there were still a number of subjects who wished to see a White Rose on the throne.

Elizabeth of York was not in love with Henry Tudor…not in the least. In fact she was in love with Richard III and has been his lover for a number of years.

After his death, she learned she was to marry Henry instead to ensure a symbolic union between an old house and a new monarchy.

She vows to do her duty to her family, but when she meets Henry for the first time, he has other designs. He intends to get her with child first before they marry and he refuses to crown her his queen until she had produced a male heir.

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

Review: The Never List by Koethi Zan

by The Lit Bitch4 Comments on Review: The Never List by Koethi Zan

Every girl has a list of ‘nevers’ that they follow to keep themselves safe.

Never walk to your car alone late at night. Never accept an open drink from a men you don’t know. Never get into cars with strangers. Never, never, never.

Everyone’s never list is bound to be different. For me the cardinal rule is never get into a car with strangers and that is the same rule that best friends Sarah and Jennifer violate one fateful night.

Sarah and Jennifer have a lengthy list of ‘nevers’ that range from avoiding natural disasters, to avoiding rape and kidnapping. Their never list has served them well all the way up into college until one night they decide to take a cab.

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

Review: The Queen’s Rivals by Brandy Purdy

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Queen’s Rivals by Brandy Purdy

What can I say about Lady Jane Grey that hasn’t already been said?  Everyone knows the story of Lady Jane Grey. If you don’t know her story, she is known in history as the Nine Days Queen.

If you aren’t familiar with this woman’s story then you should really read up on it. The Tudor era is filled with all kinds of fascinating women, Lady Jane Grey being one of them.

Jane did have two sisters, Katherine and Mary Grey who don’t live on in history as infamously as Jane does though which is why this book really appealed to me.

Told through the eyes of the youngest sister, Mary, we learn all about the early lives and difficulties of the Grey sisters. I felt bad for the Grey sisters, they were simply born into the wrong family so to speak.

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