Category: Books

Books, Reading

Special Feature/Excerpt: THE SUMMER OF SUNSHINE AND MARGOT by Susan Mallery

by The Lit Bitch4 Comments on Special Feature/Excerpt: THE SUMMER OF SUNSHINE AND MARGOT by Susan Mallery

Summer reading is in full swing and can I just say that I have been loving so many of the beach reads that I have had up for review lately?!

I am so excited to share this lovely new release just in time for summer from New York Times best selling author, Susan Mallery! I even have an excerpt to share as well so be sure to keep reading to get a little sneak peak before its release on June 11th.

Summery

The Baxter sisters come from a long line of women with disastrous luck in love. But this summer, Sunshine and Margot will turn disasters into destiny…

As an etiquette coach, Margot teaches her clients to fit in. But she’s never faced a client like Bianca, an aging movie star who gained fame—and notoriety—through a campaign of shock and awe. Schooling Bianca on the fine art of behaving like a proper diplomat’s wife requires intensive lessons, forcing Margot to move into the monastery turned mansion owned by the actress’s intensely private son. Like his incredible home, Alec’s stony exterior hides secret depths Margot would love to explore. But will he trust her enough to let her in?

Sunshine has always been the good-time sister, abandoning jobs to chase after guys who used her, then threw her away. No more. She refuses to be “that girl” again. This time, she’ll finish college, dedicate herself to her job as a nanny, and she 100 percent will not screw up her life again by falling for the wrong guy. Especially not the tempting single dad who also happens to be her boss.

Master storyteller Susan Mallery weaves threads of family drama, humor, romance and a wish-you-were-there setting into one of the most satisfying books of the year!

Continue reading “Special Feature/Excerpt: THE SUMMER OF SUNSHINE AND MARGOT by Susan Mallery” →

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

Review: Murder Once Removed (Ancestry Detective #1) by S.C. Perkins

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: Murder Once Removed (Ancestry Detective #1) by S.C. Perkins

I’ve read a lot of cozy mysteries and I love discovering new series that might end up being a long time favorite. The trick seems always be finding something new and different.

This book is the first in a new series featuring Lucy, a genealogist. I had to pause and reread this particular part. I was very intrigued by the genealogist part and was curious to see how that played out in the mystery.

My mom is really into genealogy and I have to say that it’s not the most exciting filed of study in my opinion, but I do love history and uncovering unique characters in family lineages is always fun and exciting. In this case, Lucy discover a murder in a family tree, but I was curious to see how that was going to be relevant in the modern story. Continue reading “Review: Murder Once Removed (Ancestry Detective #1) by S.C. Perkins” →

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

Review: The Alchemist of Lost Souls (Bianca Goddard Mysteries #4) by Mary Lawrence

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Alchemist of Lost Souls (Bianca Goddard Mysteries #4) by Mary Lawrence

As many of you know, I have a weakness for historical mysteries. I adore them and can’t get enough. However, so many of them are written during Victorian or Edwardian era England that often the books blend together, no matter how well written they are.

That’s why this book set itself apart for me….it’s set in Tudor England. When I think of historical mysteries, I don’t think of Tudor England as an optimal setting, but rather a period full of obstacles to detecting/investigating, so I was eager to see how the author used this to her advantage.

I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, so I was a little wary of reading this book with already 4 books into the series. However, the author assured me that it could read as a standalone book. Continue reading “Review: The Alchemist of Lost Souls (Bianca Goddard Mysteries #4) by Mary Lawrence” →

Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Last Thing She Remembers by J.S. Monroe

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: The Last Thing She Remembers by J.S. Monroe

You all know how I love a good thriller. There is nothing better on a lazy weekend or especially on a beach or dark stormy night…..ok who am I kidding, thrillers are always fun to read!

I’m excited to tell you about this new psychological thriller that just came out yesterday!

After achieving international acclaim and bestselling success around the world with his novel Find Me, J.S. Monroe returns to chill readers with a gripping, twisting psychological thriller, THE LAST THING SHE REMEMBERS (Park Row Books; May 28, 2019;  $15.99 U.S./$19.99 CAN).

It’s about a woman who tries to reconstruct her life and identity while suffering from stress induced amnesia when her bag is stolen in Heathrow Airport.  In the vein of S.J. Watson’sBefore I Go to Sleep and Wendy Walker’s All is Not Forgotten, Monroe’s forthcoming novel is a story about memory, identity, and how people are not always what they seem.

Following a rough week of traveling for work, Jemma’s handbag with all her important possessions including her passport, credit cards, laptop, and house keys is stolen at the airport. Even more disturbing, when she goes to report the incident, she realizes she can’t recall her own name. Home and her past no longer exist in her mind, but the only thing in her pocket is a train ticket “home.” Jemma is a source of mystery when she arrives at the sleepy Wiltshire village where she thought she lived and quickly becomes a cause of fear and curiosity amongst the locals when no one recognizes her. Is she a victim or a killer? Where did she come from? All at the same time as she is thinking: Who are these people? Who am I?

In this shocking tale of deception and murky paths, J.S. Monroe forces readers raise dark questions about who we are, who we think we are, and who we pretend to be

About the Author

J.S. Monroe studied English at Cambridge University, worked as a freelance journalist in London and was a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4. He was also a foreign correspondent in Delhi for the Daily Telegraph and was on its staff in London as Weekend editor. He is the author of six other novels and lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their three children.

WHERE TO BUY (AFFILIATE LINKS)

 

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

Review: Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini

This book showed up on my desk for review a few months ago and I was absolutely in love with the cover!

It reminded me of spring and it was elegant and had a lot of visual interest. The summary also sounded like something I would love, as I especially love war time stories.

Chiaverini has written a variety of different books, with her most widely known book being Mrs Lincoln’s Dressmaker as well as a women’s fiction quilting series called, Elm Creek Quilts.

This book seemed completely out of her normal genre. Her signature genre seemed to be historical fiction with crafting and women’s fiction with crafting so I wondered how this book about resistance women in WWII was going to come together and be different than her usual stories! Continue reading “Review: Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini” →