Category: Books

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

Review: Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

The Jane Austen Society was high up on my TBR list last year and I enjoyed it, but when I saw Natalie Jenner was publishing this book, I was thrilled! The Jane Austen Society was just ok for me, I liked it but there were a few bumps that I felt needed to be ironed out, however I liked it well enough to be eager for Jenner’s next novel!

The Bloomsbury Girls is set in post WWII London which is such an interesting period to me. The world just came out of this massive war and they were still feeling to effects of rationing and economic instability but yet were rapidly bouncing back from a dark period in history. So the 1950s always seem like a very exciting period in modern history which is one of the main reasons this novel really made me pause and take note. Then I saw this book featured books, bookstores, and rare books—I mean come on could this one be calling my name any harder?!

If you love books and historical fiction this is going to be a easy book to pick up and enjoy. I am pleased to report that I liked this one a lot more than The Jane Austen Society, this book really drew me in and reminded me how much I love reading some of these post war era authors like Daphne Du Maurier and why I love reading and bookstores in the first place! This was a wonderful read and I certainly recommend it to book lovers!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: Desperately Seeking a Duchess (All the Duke’s Sins) by Christi Caldwell

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Desperately Seeking a Duchess (All the Duke’s Sins) by Christi Caldwell

I first read Christi Caldwell last summer with the first book in this series, Along Came a Lady. It landed as just ok for me at a 3 star review but it was ‘ok enough’ that I wanted to try other books by Caldwell. I know that Caldwell has written a number of romances and has many fans, Along Came a Lady was a good read but it didn’t stand out to me other than the main hero character was a coal miner. Beyond that it just didn’t distinguish myself. However, here we are almost a year later and that fact that I still remember even that much about the book was enough to make me pause and decide to at least feature this one and naturally add to my TBR.

This one actually sounds better than Along Came a Lady in terms of the plot. It sounds like this is going to be a solid historical romance full of steam and chemistry not to mention a penniless Duke and an heiress who promises to set the Duke’s heart ablaze with her strength. I love historical romances—-cliche or not! Even if I have read books like it before, I always keep coming back to historical romances. They always leave me feeling happy and content. Even if I didn’t love my first Caldwell book, this one sounds like it’s got my name all over it!

I have it all set up to download when it releases next week and can’t wait to read it a little later on this summer! Not only is the cover to die for, but the plot sounds charming and solid. If you love historical romances no doubt you will find something to love in this one. A desperate Duke and a strong heroine always makes for electrifying chemistry in my experience so be sure to check this one out and get it on your radar for this summer!

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Gen Lit, Reading

Review: Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton

I have been a HUGE fan of Chanel Cleeton over the years. I have loved all of her novels in different ways and for different reasons. Each. time I crack open one of her books I am guaranteed to be transported to an exotic location with a thrilling family. I have read some of her books twice just because I love them and also to refresh where we are at in the Perez family story. I have certainly read the books out of order so don’t feel like you need to go back and read the others first before this one, but it certainly helps gain a full understanding of the family history and politics.

I love the Perez girls, especially Beatriz so seeing that she would be part of this latest novel made me really excited to read it! While maybe not the central focus of the novel, she at the very least puts in an appearance so fans of previous books will enjoy that. Cleeton has earned a spot on my auto buy list and I am always eager for the spring to come to see what sort of exciting novel that Cleeton has come up with!

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read and Cleeton’s books always stand out head and shoulders above many of the books in the genre. They are fresh, full of rich history, and so well written and researched. If you have not read these books yet you are absolutely missing out and should stop what you’re doing and read any of the books in this series (including this one!) it’s so good and I can’t sing the praises of the books enough. They are all amazing and for different reasons.

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

Review: Starry-Eyed Love (Spark House #2) by Helena Hunting

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Starry-Eyed Love (Spark House #2) by Helena Hunting

Last year I read Helena Hunting’s first book in the Spark House series, When Sparks Fly. It was ok (came in at 3 stars for me) and while I didn’t LOVE it in the way that I had hoped, I was invested enough in the story and characters that I felt excited to try another book by Hunting. I liked the sound of this one as it sounded like a cross between a missed connection and workplace romance. Overall I thought it sounded cute and just a nice breezy read going into the spring.

So I said yes (obviously!) to reviewing this one and I was glad I did. While this book is part of a series, I would not have been lost in the story if I skipped over the first one. This book has new characters and storylines, the connecting part centers around Spark House and that’s about it—save for the occasional character cross over etc. So if you are worried about reading this one out of order, I would not worry you will be absolutely fine jumping in this series with this one instead of the first book.

If you love more contempo romances, Hunting has quite a few romances under her belt and this book will leave your romance reader heart feeling full! I am glad I decided to give another book by Hunting a go, I did find that I liked this one better than the first book I read by her. I love when that happens!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

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I am always a sucker for books about haunted houses. When I see things like ‘The Haunting of Hill House meets The Perfect Nanny’ then naturally you have my interest! When I read the email caption as this one came across my desk all I could think of in my mind was “ok I’m listening!” I was immediately interested in this book and was eager to read it. But my review calendar always fills up quick so I opted to do a feature instead but as I was working on the feature, it was clear this book was going to work it’s way up my TBR list.

The premise of this story really calls to me, not just as a mom but as a fan of classic horror. I hate slicer dicer horror but bring me all the haunted houses, ghost stories and classic horror! As a mom, I love that one of the main characters, Teddy, is a five year old boy (same age as my boy!). It makes the creep factor feel so so real for me and it gives me something to connect with. Basically what I am saying is this book is calling my name!

If you love classic horror stories you need to get this one on your radar. Judging from the summery it sounds like there might be a little bit of a romantic element to the story too which I personally enjoy in books regardless of genre so I am really excited to have this one on my TBR list for the fall. This is a mystery book with some clear supernatural vibes so if you love books like that then you won’t want to miss this one but even if horror or paranormal isn’t your think, it sounds like there is a mystery too so I wouldn’t write this one off if horror isn’t for you, it sounds like there is a lot more going on than meets the eye!

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