Category: Books

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

Review: Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens (Wrexford & Sloane #5) by Andrea Penrose

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens (Wrexford & Sloane #5) by Andrea Penrose

When I randomly picked up the first book in this series a few years ago, I knew I was reading something special. While not necessarily and earth shattering read or even something ‘new and different’ in the saturated genre of historical mysteries, there is something about Lord Wrexford that just makes me swoon and I just love him!

Charlotte and Wrex have been solving murders and falling in love for the last five books and finally here we are just as they are planning their nuptials and Charlotte’s reentrance into society when another body pops up! This time Charlotte and Wrex don’t really have a reason to investigate this murder but some how they end up getting pulled into the investigation and as expected, readers are treated to another fun filled mystery!

This book is the fifth in the series and while not 100% necessary with some of the books in the series, for this one I recommend reading at least the book before this one as there is some carry over from the previous book. And to be honest, these books are so fun and it would be silly to miss out on all the wonderful sleuthing in this series by starting here so do yourself a favor and go back and read the other books because it will help you to fully appreciate all these characters.

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

Review: A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes

I adore Anita Hughes. I have been a big fan for a while though I have only really read her holiday romances, I have enjoyed each one for a number of different reasons. I think the biggest thing that I have loved about her romances are the locations! Every time I crack open a Christmas romance by Hughes, I am automatically transported to some where cozy and even a bit magical.

Her novels have been set in London and Paris at Christmas as well as other more ‘local’ locations for me like Vermont. Each location gets a heavy holiday makeover and I always find myself wondering why I don’t go somewhere for the holidays! This year my family and I are going somewhere remote for Thanksgiving but we usually stay in Oregon or go to Arizona for Christmas but some day I would love to do Christmas in Paris or Vermont thanks to Hughes’s books!

Her latest novel is set in New York and while not necessarily exotic or ‘cozy’ this setting has a distinct feel all it’s own! I really liked this story the best out of her Christmas books and while I feel like I say that every time Hughes comes out with a new holiday book, in this case I really mean it. It has a little Maid in Manhattan feel to this rom-com full of all the Christmas charm that I love from Hughes!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis

Is it really time for Christmas books? The answer is apparently yes. I normally don’t break out my Christmas reads until at least November but I do have a couple of holiday books I wanted to get on your radar before the season got into full swing and this right here is one of them. While this book has a distinctive winter vibe, I am not exactly sure that’s it qualifies as a Christmas book officially.

The summary indicates that this story will explore the romance between two strangers who are stranded together in a blizzard—-in March. So it sounds like this might not be the Christmas romance you were hoping for but it does have a winter feel and even if it’s still a little on the warm side and we are just going into spooky reading season, this book should definitely be on your radar for this upcoming season!

I love stories about the twists of fate. When I was a teenager one of my favorite films was Only You with a young RDJ and Marisa Tomei. The theme of fate was heavily featured in that movie and from then on I just loved books and movies about fate and romance which is why this book sounds so good to me! Fate/destiny also play a big role in this one and I cannot wait to check it out! Early reviewers are praising this one highly so be sure to check it out!

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

Review: The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

Like so many people, ancient Egypt is a source of endless fascination for me. When I saw this one was coming out, it was a no brainer—I had to read this one. I actually listened to the audio version on my commutes in Arizona. The narrator had a pleasant voice and made the book interesting while I was stuck in the desert traffic. Not to mention the story was equally interesting.

A few years ago I read a non fiction novel on the Countess of Carnarvon and I had a deep affection for Lady Almina when I finished it. This book does not portray the Countess in a favorable light though, at times that rankled but considering the era, the way she was portrayed in this novel would probably be a bit more accurate. In actuality, this book made me want to know more about the Countess of Carnarvon so maybe I will look for more books on her not just about her castle and charitable works.

This book alternates between Lady Evelyn Herbert’s accounting of her life as a young girl and as an older woman. If you love ancient Egypt and your historical fiction with some glamour and a hint of the occult then this is a wonderful novel to pick up and spend some time with. While I enjoyed the audio version, I think I might have been happier if I had read the book rather than listened to it. I like the narrator and found her soothing but I also wanted to devour the book faster than she could read to me. That was my only regret in choosing the audiobook over the hard copy.

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

Review: On Location by Sarah Smith

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: On Location by Sarah Smith

This summer was the summer of National Parks for me! I explored quite a bit of Arizona this summer including The Grand Canyon NP and Saguaro NP along with a number of National Monuments. Then I came home to Oregon and visited Crater Lake NP and am heading the Mt Rainier NP and Olympic NP in Washington later this fall. So when I saw a book that was a travel/work place/vacation romance with National Parks, I was absolutely on board!

This book sounded so promising and I just adore travel romances. Sarah Smith has written a few other romances which I haven’t read but it sounds like the general consensus is this is the best of her romances. So with that in mind I eagerly opened this one and couldn’t wait to get lost in some beautiful landscapes with a sizzling romance.

As I mentioned in a review earlier this week, I have been reading so many historical romances lately that I feel like I need to shift from history to the modern era and read about modern women who fall in love rather than a stuffy old parlor with a crusty chaperone on the fringes. This was just the book that I needed to get me back into modern era romances. I loved the social issues and the characters and of course the settings! It was a great read and I adore Berkley Romances so much that I would eagerly read anything from that publishing house!

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