Category: Books

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

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J Maas (Audible Edition)

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J Maas (Audible Edition)

I am 100% late to the party on this one. This series has been on my radar for YEARS. I would have to be living under a rock not to have heard of it or seen it’s massive cult following all over the internet and book world platforms! I have had the books on my shelves for years with the intention of reading them ‘next book’ but I just haven’t been able to bring myself to read them. My number one fear was I would just want to binge the series and I just wasn’t ready to dive into another series to binge after binge reading a number of other series lately.

I kept putting it off over and over and over, until turbulence made me read this one. I was on my flight back from Ohio with a lengthy layover and a couple of plane changes. I had a book I had planned on reading on the plane but as soon as we took off from Ohio, we had a lot of bad weather and I just couldn’t read anything. So I went to my Audible library and threw on the first thing I could find to distract me which just so happened to be this book! It was the ONLY book that was downloaded on my Audible app and since I was in airplane mode, it would just have to do.

Naturally I am now currently on the fourth book and binge reading just as I suspected. This book series so far has been both familiar and much like I suspected but also not what I was expecting. That’s what I think makes this series so good. This first book really gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes but as the series has gone on that theme has faded in favor of becoming more of a Game of Thrones for YA readers! What can I say about this book and the series that hasn’t already been said, likely not anything but I am going to do my best!

Continue reading “Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J Maas (Audible Edition)” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Well Traveled (Well Met #4) by Jen DeLuca (Audible Edition)

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Well Traveled (Well Met #4) by Jen DeLuca (Audible Edition)

This series was my favorite obsession last year. I binge read the books and loved them all in their own ways and had no idea that Renaissance Fair romance was even a thing that I would be into but here we are. I honestly thought the third book would be the last as most of the reoccurring characters had indeed met their matches but then this one came up as Dex’s story. If you have read the previous books you will remember Dex as the Ren Fair Romeo who has a ‘girl at every fair’ that he hooks up with. So I thought this one sounded like it would be a solid read and was eager to start it!

This series is so quirky, when I think of hot romances I do not think of Renaissance Fairs as the setting for that, but after reading the first book I was fully hooked and thought this was a really new and refreshing take on a contempo romance. I loved the setting and characters that we continue to meet through out the series. I will say that this particular book is the fourth one in the series and while it can certainly be read as a standalone, there are references to former relationships and character history that might be further appreciated by reading the other books in the series first.

I had high hopes for this one. Mostly because Dax has been in every book, or at least mentioned in every book and his history is well established and the ‘rake’. I was so excited to see the woman that finally swept him off his feet and made him settle down. I was a little surprised that it was a character that we had formerly met (hence why I feel like readers would get more out of this one having read the other books in the series first). Louisa wouldn’t have been my first pick for Dax, but I like Louisa and was eager to see how this whole romance came about and played out on the fields of the Ren Fair!

Continue reading “Review: Well Traveled (Well Met #4) by Jen DeLuca (Audible Edition)” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Murder in PostScript (A Lady of Letters Mystery #1) by Mary Winters

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Murder in PostScript (A Lady of Letters Mystery #1) by Mary Winters

When I see books with any mention of “Bridgerton-like’ in the summary or taglines, I am at once skeptical and yet can’t pass up on said book based on hope of finding another wonderful series that is indeed like Bridgerton! I often get asked what books would I recommend for Bridgerton fans, and that is such a hard question because there are so many historical romances out there that have a Bridgerton feel but aren’t necessaitly Bridgerton like if that makes sense. So sometimes when I see this statement on books, I become skeptical because there is nothing like Bridgerton but yet like so many others I can’t resist finding then next Bridgerton like book to fall in love with.

That’s how this book came to be on my review radar. It was described as “… the first novel in a new historical mystery series perfect anyone who loves the secret identity intrigue and swoon-worthy romance of Bridgerton“. So naturally I couldn’t resist even though I was skeptical. The idea of a new murder mystery series with a hot romance even if it didn’t quite live up to the Bridgerton claim, intrigued me enough that there was no way that I would pass on this!

I am a huge fan of historical mysteries and romances and any time that the two cross over is a win-win for me. I am always on the look out for new lady detectives and sleuth series to dive into. There are so many good ones out there—-Veronica Speedwell, Lady Darby, Lady Sherlock—and new female detectives are hitting shelves everyday so when I saw this was a debut and a new series, I knew it must be worth checking out if it had already been acknowledged as an upcoming series rather than just a standalone.

Continue reading “Review: Murder in PostScript (A Lady of Letters Mystery #1) by Mary Winters” →
Books, Reading

Special Feature: Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Stephanie Marie Thornton

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Stephanie Marie Thornton

I discovered Stephanie Marie Thornton years ago when she was writing about ancient women and their untold stories. I have LOVED all of her ancient women novels and am still waiting for a Boudicca story! But in recent years she has moved more toward the stories of more modern women like Alice Roosevelt and spy  Elizabeth Bentley. She always does an amazing amount of research in all of her novels but truth be told, I do miss the ancient women stories as they were so different and made me feel like I was reading something truly unique and new in a historical fiction world that focuses on marketable and well known figures and women.

But that said, I have yet to meet a Thornton book that I didn’t love. Her latest novel is about Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley! I am super excited for this latest novel as I think both of these women often get missed in having their stories told. Sure we know them for their own literary works but do we really know THEIR stories? That is what Thornton is going to explore in this latest novel! While I might not have been a fan of the book Frankenstein, I do have admiration for the courage, grit, and determination that Mary Shelley must have had to put out such a novel. And with a mother like Mary Wollstonecraft how could she not be a total badass?

This book is out just in time to round out women’s history month so I couldn’t think of a better literary duo to feature than this one! I couldn’t fit this one into my review schedule for this month which is why I opted for a feature instead, but I never miss a Thornton book so know that I will be reading this one a little later this summer and will be posting a review here soon! I am so excited to share my love of Thornton’s books with you guys and encourage you to pick up ANY of her books. You will not be disappointed in the level of historical research and her ability to pick interesting female figures to showcase!

Continue reading “Special Feature: Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Stephanie Marie Thornton” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

I first discovered Diana Biller when her first novel, The Widow of Rose House, was released back in 2019. I absolutely loved it and thought Biller had an elegant prose that sucked me into the story right away. Plus the romance was sensual, sweet and a little spicy. It was a wonderful mix and I just recall how much that debut has stood out to me over the years. I often recommend it to friends and family, so naturally when I saw this new release, I had to jump on it!

This is Biller’s fourth novel and while I have missed the other two (though they are on my book shelf currently!) I didn’t want to miss this one! I loved the cover, it caught my eye and drew me in. It is colorful and really eye catching and while I hate judging a book by it’s cover, this one made it hard to resist! Knowing that Biller has written such quality historical romances before made me even more excited for this than the cover though. If you haven’t read her books, you are missing out!

Not only did the cover and the author appeal to me, but the description of this book spoke to me. I loved that this book promised to take us to the glittering world of Vienna and indeed a world of intrigue and spies. If you are looking for a historical romance to escape with this spring, that will leave you feeling like you read something ‘new’ and ‘different’ then I think this book fits the bill. It was a pleasure to read this book and another that I will be sharing with family and friends!

Continue reading “Review: Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller” →