Category: Book Review

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

Review: Along Came a Lady (All the Duke’s Sins #1) by Christi Caldwell

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Along Came a Lady (All the Duke’s Sins #1) by Christi Caldwell

This was my first Christi Caldwell romance and I was so excited to read it! I have seen Caldwell’s novels around the bookish world and I have often wondered how they compare to other historical romances. So when this one came up for review, I knew I had to jump on it even if I had to rearrange my reading calendar to make it happen.

I know a lot of people raved about this one and said it was the perfect book for fans of the Bridgerton books. I have to say, Caldwell has a voice all her own and while there might be similarities to Julia Quinn, they are clearly different writers within the same genre. That’s not saying that Caldwell is inferior to Quinn, just that they have a different flair so if you are thinking this book is going to be exactly like the Bridgerton books then you might be disappointed. But if you are wanting historical romance that is well done with some humor, then yes in that regard they are similar.

I picked this one up and read it super quick, which is typical for me when it comes to historical romance. Historical romances are usually light fun reading for me and this one was no different! If you have read Caldwell before, no doubt you will want to get your hands on this new series as it promises to be a wonderful series for fans of historical romance.

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

Review: Wait for It by Jenn McKinlay

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Wait for It by Jenn McKinlay

I might be from Oregon, but I lived in Arizona for 10 years and I absolutely love the desert. I hate that more books aren’t set in Phoenix. This summer I was going to spend a month in Phoenix and I was really excited to read a book set in Phoenix that was also a romance! Needless to say I times my review for this book with my trip, I couldn’t wait to read this one.

I have read one of McKinlay’s books prior to this and I thought it was good so going into this desert setting book, I was hopeful that I would enjoy it and escape but also find a book that would capture the beauty and desert culture. The desert can be such a romantic place and I was super excited to see how the setting played into this one.

Reading this book went fairly quick. I picked it up and finished it on a matter of a couple of days and I liked it just fine but I don’t know that I loved it. I liked the enemies to lovers troupe but I just don’t know that it was as impactful as I was hoping it would be. But it was a nice quick read that left me feeling content and happy I read it but I would have liked to have something with a bit more something.

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

Review: It Takes Heart (Heart Resort #1) by Tif Marcelo

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: It Takes Heart (Heart Resort #1) by Tif Marcelo

This author has grown on me over the years. When I picked up one of her books I wasn’t sure what to expect but then I was completely lost in her stories and couldn’t wait to read more from her! One thing I noticed though was Marcelo writes a variety of stories. Not just women’s fiction but romance too. I was super excited to read this latest novel that was more contempo romance than women’s fiction.

Second chance romance isn’t really my favorite troupe but I was excited to see what Marcelo did with it in this book. One of the things that I also love about Marcelo’s writing is she incorporates her culture into the lives of the characters. Marcelo is Pilipino and many of her characters are also Pilipino and I just love how much interest that adds to the stories.

I am also excited to see this is part of a new series. I loved the setting and I am excited to see that we will get to return here and get to know more about the family perhaps in future books. If you are looking for a more contempo romance that has heart and culture then I think this will be a great read for you this summer! I know I enjoyed it!

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Review: At Summer’s End by Courtney Ellis

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: At Summer’s End by Courtney Ellis

This book was my most anticipated book of the summer! The cover, the premise, swoon! Everything sounded so incredible! I couldn’t wait to dive into this one and I can tell you right now that I read it in a matter of days. I could have finished it in one siting but I breezed through it in just 2 days. It was so addicting and if you are a fan of historical fiction then you need to read this one. It boasts a unique romance, complex characters with a rich backdrop full of history and human rawness.

I am a huge fan of WWI historical romances and this should have been right up my alley for that reason alone, but I especially loved the ‘Beauty and the Beast meets Phantom of the Opera ‘ element to the story. But all of the amazing praise I have for this book was slightly tarnished by some of the issues between the characters. While I loved this one, I also felt a little conflicted about how the story unfolded and what kind of message it was sending to readers (more on that soon).

I want to say that I think readers should absolutely read this book without question. It’s well written, interesting, and romantic. But it isn’t without some issues.

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

Review: The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison

I had high expectations for this one. I loved the cover and I thought the premise of the story sounded promising not to mention I love historical fiction with romance so I thought this one would be one of my favorite reads of the summer. While I liked it, I don’t know that it lived up to me high expectations but I did like it and was glad I read it.

The 1920s are not necessarily my favorite time period in historical fiction but I liked the glamour that the time period brought to the story plus I liked how the author used that in this story. I will get into some more of that in my actual review but as for what attracted me to this one, I think the glamour of the cover and glamour of the description was what drew me in and made me say yes to this on.

I know that the 1920s are a big fan favorite in the historical fiction world so I think if you love the 1920s then no doubt you will love this book and not be able to get enough, but for me I had a hard time with some of the characters which is typically how I feel in general about books set in the 1920s. Now don’t get me wrong I love the fashion and glamour but it’s something about the party life style that I just can’t get behind.

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