Category: Books

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

Review: A Class Inherited (A Matter of Class #6) by Susie Murphy

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: A Class Inherited (A Matter of Class #6) by Susie Murphy

The last few months have been REALLY challenging for me. I started a new job with a lot more responsibility and I have barely had time to sit down and collect my thoughts let alone read. I have been reading a lot of quick historical romances, especially throughout the summer and early fall. But let’s be real—the late Sumer and early fall are a nightmare for school administrators and teachers. So while I have been trying to find time to read here and there, I haven’t found a lot of time to share reviews on all the books I read but I have been staring reviews on the books I have enjoyed and felt deserved some special attention.

I am hoping now that we are getting into the late fall and into early winter, I will have a lot more time to share reviews on all my reads again! This blog has been such a great outlet for me especially during the different seasons of life. Not to mention I have discovered a TON of great new authors and books through my reviews! That’s how I found this lovely series by Susie Murphy! I have been reading this series since it was first released in 2018 plus over the years I have gotten to know Susie and she is a wonderful person as well as writer!

Every November I know that Susie will have a new installment to the A Matter of Class series and it’s one of the book series I look forward to and try to make adjustments to my schedules I can read her books! This summer and fall I have been scaling back on my reviews so I could focus on my new position at work, but I kept November mostly open so I could have time to read the next installment of her saga—-because yes at this point it’s gone from series to sage for me!

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

Review: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

I am always on the look out for new historical fiction novels—it’s my favorite genre to read. I love history and any combo or history, romance, mystery, or standard historical fiction, is usually right up my alley. Like most genres, it’s saturated with new books on a regular basis. All promising to be ‘new and different’ but when you crack open the book it’s often ‘oh this again’. But that is one of the reasons I love the genre so much. I don’t always need ‘hot new different’ reads, sometimes I just need a good solid historical fiction novel (or any combo of historical fiction and it’s sub genres).

How do you break out of traditional historical fiction stereotypes though if you are a new author? What makes your book stand out and different that readers will want to read it though? For me—you write good solid characters! Characters are what make the stories! Sure the bones of the book sound familiar, but it’s the characters that make books! When someone asks you what stood out in Pride and Prejudice—-I bet 99% of you would NOT say the time period or setting—-I am SURE most of you would say Mr Darcy and Elizabeth!

I love reading different takes on classic troupes with standout characters which is one of the reasons this book stood out to me. On the surface it sounds like ‘just another historical fiction book’—-a young widow solves Agatha Christie style mystery in Regency England but what we got was a fund heroine even if the premise of the book sounded traditional and bland, this book was so much fun and I loved getting to know Lady Petra!

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

Review: Jane Austen and the Final Mystery (The Jane Austen Mystery Series #15) by Stephanie Barron

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Jane Austen and the Final Mystery (The Jane Austen Mystery Series #15) by Stephanie Barron

There is noting like coming into a series on the last book. I have seen many of the Jane Austen mystery books around the blog-o-sphere over the years and for whatever reason, I just didn’t connect that they were all part of a series. For example, I picked up Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas at a book store one day and then I saw Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron on a bunch of blogs when it came out so I immediately added to me TBR.

But I just didn’t connect that those books were all part of this fun little Jane Austen mystery series until l started reading this book! When this one came across my desk for review, I thought it sounded fun and yes I saw that it said ‘final mystery’ but I was thinking maybe it was only like 3-4 books in the series. Then I saw it was book 15 of the series and that’s how I discovered that there were a bunch of others in the series that I had already had my eye on for quite some time!

Even though I knew this book was 15 into the series, I still felt like I wanted to read it. Normally I would pass and do a feature on the book instead if I felt like I was too far behind in the series to appreciate the book and give it a fair review. However, I was in the mood for a cozy mystery and since I had added so many of the other books in the series to my TBR—I thought—why not!

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

Micro Review: The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Micro Review: The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain

Author Suzanne Allain is a hot new historical fiction author who has gained quite a bit of notoriety with her first book, Mr Malcom’s List, which debuted back in 2020. If you are a Bridgerton fan or simply love an Austen style romance with a modern twist, then I think you will enjoy Allain. I have her latest book, The Ladies Rewrite the Rules, already loaded up on my iPad and am actively reading it right now! I have been on a huge historical romance kick and I was eager to dive into this one!

While this book might not be out yet on bookshelves, I was lucky enough to snag an early copy! I am loving her quick wit and fast paced style, plus the romantic comedy is charming and so far the strong women are winning me over! If you are staring down the calendar at upcoming released for winter, you definitely need to add this book to your TBR shelf! I cannot WAIT to share a full review with you guys on January 16th when it’s released. But for now you are going to have to settle for a short elevator review!

Strong women come together to redefine the ‘rules’ of courtship, marriage, and society. I actually enjoyed the friendship element the most in this book, the romance was just a bonus! Get this one on your TBR now!

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Books, Reading

Cover Reveal: Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Cover Reveal: Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner

The bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls returns with a brilliant novel of love and art, of grief and memory, of confronting the past and facing the future.

In 1955, Vivien Lowry is at a crossroads in life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Vivien’s last chance for theatrical success. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. There she finds a vibrant moviemaking scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeate the very soul of Italy.

As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also searches for the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the fate of her deceased fiancé lost in battle. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a bold and moving exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary, from the incomparable author who charmed the world with her novels The Jane Austen Societyand Bloomsbury Girls.

(Every Time We Say Goodbye is linked to The Jane Austen Society, & Bloomsbury Girls by characters, but is a stand-alone novel.) 

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