Category: Books

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

Review: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno Garcia

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno Garcia

There was something about this book cover that reminded me of Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series. I kind of thought that I was going to read a steampunk-esque romance with a little paranormal thrown in.

But considering that I have not actually read the Finishing School series, I think I can safely say that I had no idea what this book was going to be about other than maybe something YA with magic.

In a world of etiquette and polite masks, no one is who they seem to be.

Antonina Beaulieu is in the glittering city of Loisail for her first Grand Season, where she will attend balls and mingle among high society. Under the tutelage of the beautiful but cold Valérie Beaulieu, she hopes to find a suitable husband. Continue reading “Review: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno Garcia” →

Books, Random, Reading

Read-a-ton 10 years, 10 books

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Read-a-ton 10 years, 10 books

Get ready for a walk down memory lane readers. Nostalgia warning…..

This year I decided on a whim to participate in Dewey’s 24 hour Readathon. I feel like every single year I miss this event and that just makes me sad so this year I decided it was now or never. At the urging of some of my bookish friends, I did sign up.

So far I am 10 hours in and I’ve finished one book and am almost done with another. I hope to finish 3 books but would be happy with 2. I am documenting my pursuits on Instagram and on Twitter so please follow along.

What is the purpose of this post you ask? Well every hour or so, Dewey’s hosts mini challenges which I have actively been participating in throughout the day on my Twitter and Instagram.

This hour is about 10 years, 10 books where we are asked to post our favorite books published during every year the Dewey’s Readathon has been happening. I decided that a post on Twitter or other social media was rather overwhelming so I thought I would post a singular list here.

So here it goes:

2007: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 

2008: Graceling (Graceling #1)

2009: An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7) 

2010: Mischief of the Mistletoe (Pink Carnation #7)

2011: The Night Circus 

2012: Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy) 

2013: Letters from Skye 

2014: The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1)

2015: The Lake House 

2016: A Murder in Time (Kendra Donovan #1) 

2017: The Last Christmas in Paris 

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

Review: The Betrayal of the Blood Lily (Pink Carnation #6) by Lauren Willig

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: The Betrayal of the Blood Lily (Pink Carnation #6) by Lauren Willig

After the fifth Pink Carnation book, I kind of felt like I needed a little break from the Pink Carnation series. And by little break I mean like five years….thats how long it’s been since I read one of the Pink Carnation books.

I love the series as a whole but the last book in the series that I read, just left me a little wanting in the uniqueness category.

So I abandoned it in favor of other books, though I always knew that someday I would come back to it because lets face it, I am in love with this series, but I needed  little time to step away from it and come back to it in order to love it.

Granted five years seems excessive, but it happened eventually.

Continue reading “Review: The Betrayal of the Blood Lily (Pink Carnation #6) by Lauren Willig” →

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

Review: The Vineyard by Maria Duenas

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Vineyard by Maria Duenas

Maria Duenas is not a familiar author to me at all. I’ve seen her most well known novel The Time in Between, come up on my recommended reading list more time that I can remember, but I just never think to give her books a second look.

I think mostly because her books seem to be more about culture and heaving than something I would normally read, however when her latest book THE VINEYARD came up for review, I loved the cover and the description sounded like it would be right up my alley.

It’s been compared to authors such as Kate Morton and Kristin Hannah which are big names so I thought, why not? It would be something different if nothing else.

Mauro Larrea sees the fortune that he had built after years of hardship and toil come crashing down on the heels of a calamitous event. Swamped by debts and uncertainty, he gambles the last of his last money in a daring move that offers him the opportunity to resuscitate his fortune. But when the unsettling Soledad Montalvo, wife of a London wine merchant, comes into his life, her passionate intensity lures him toward an unanticipated future.

Continue reading “Review: The Vineyard by Maria Duenas” →

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

Review: The English Wife by Lauren Willig

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: The English Wife by Lauren Willig

I first fell in love with Lauren Willig with her Pink Carnation series but I never ventured into her other stand alone books because I simply liked her where she belonged—in the Pink Carnation series.

Her Pink Carnation series was so fantastic and I didn’t want to spoil it with a stand alone book that was subpar, so I avoided anything by her that wasn’t the Pink Carnation series.

That was until this stunning cover screamed READ ME! Just looking at this book promised something fantastic, especially for fall. I needed this book more than I knew and I was reminded exactly why I love Lauren Willig and why I need to get back to the Pink Carnation series!

Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life: he’s the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor manor in England, they had a whirlwind romance in London, they have three year old twins on whom they dote, and he’s recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and renamed it Illyria.

Continue reading “Review: The English Wife by Lauren Willig” →