Category: Books

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

Review: Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Hank Phillippi Ryan has quickly become a favorite author of mine! I have adored all of her books that I have read and I was super excited to check out her latest novel, Her Perfect Life. One of the things that I have loved about Ryan’s novels is that she always writes compelling female characters that are flawed and complex and this book sounded like it would be right up my alley!

Her mysteries are always a fun read and since Ryan is a former investigative reporter each book has this great investigative quality that feels modern and relevant. Ryan has also won numerous awards and accolades for her mysteries which gives me confidence that her novels are solid and well worth the read.

Not only is Ryan a wonderful writer with great books, she is just a general great human being! She is one of my favorite Tall Poppy Writers that I have worked with in the last few years. She is always so great to work with and I simply just enjoy her as a person and I love how her personality translates into her books. If you are even a little on the fence about reading one of Ryan’s books—just do it already. You won’t be disappointed!

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

Review: Among the Poppies by J’nell Ciesielski

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After reading J’nell Ciesielski’s latest novel, The Ice Swan, I was craving more from her and I noticed that I hadn’t read one of her earlier books, Among the Poppies! So a real no-brainer here, as many of you know I am a huge Great War romance fan and this book was literally right up my alley and I couldn’t wait to read it!

It was a super fast read—-because it was good! Ciesielski is a hidden gem author for me. She writes consistently well written and researched books and the romance always feels epic and believable. While Will wasn’t as charming and dashing as some of her other heroes, he was exactly what I expected—handsome, noble, protective, and brave.

I cracked this book open while I was still in Arizona and breezed through it in a matter of days (though I could have finished it much faster if life wasn’t getting in the way!). If you haven’t read anything by Ciesielski then you are missing out—-you absolutely need to read one of her books. All of them are wonderful and to be honest it’s hard for me to pick a favorite though I think I am going to have to go with The Ice Swan is probably my favorite thus far but this one came in a close second.

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Books, Reading

Special Feature and Excerpt: The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen

Give me all the Victorian Romances please! Especially the sweet ones. I am a romantic at heart and there is just something so satisfying about romances. While they might be predictable, there is comfort in that and I always finish a romance and feel genuinely happy and satisfied. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, they over come a conflict, and then live happily ever after! It really is the best kind of book to read for me!

I find myself smiling and falling in love with the hero right along side the heroine. Now when you add in a historical element—well you truly have my attention! Historical romances are so great for an old soul like me. I love the elegance of history and for me when those two things combine, I find it hard to pass up. Not to mention the Victorian era is my absolute favorite.

Today I have an excerpt for all my historical romance fans out there! If you are looking for a charming sweet romance than this is the book for you. After reading this excerpt, I am looking forward to reading more! Be sure to check out other tours on the stop to keep reading different excerpts and to see what people are saying about this one!

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

Review: Along Came a Lady (All the Duke’s Sins #1) by Christi Caldwell

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Along Came a Lady (All the Duke’s Sins #1) by Christi Caldwell

This was my first Christi Caldwell romance and I was so excited to read it! I have seen Caldwell’s novels around the bookish world and I have often wondered how they compare to other historical romances. So when this one came up for review, I knew I had to jump on it even if I had to rearrange my reading calendar to make it happen.

I know a lot of people raved about this one and said it was the perfect book for fans of the Bridgerton books. I have to say, Caldwell has a voice all her own and while there might be similarities to Julia Quinn, they are clearly different writers within the same genre. That’s not saying that Caldwell is inferior to Quinn, just that they have a different flair so if you are thinking this book is going to be exactly like the Bridgerton books then you might be disappointed. But if you are wanting historical romance that is well done with some humor, then yes in that regard they are similar.

I picked this one up and read it super quick, which is typical for me when it comes to historical romance. Historical romances are usually light fun reading for me and this one was no different! If you have read Caldwell before, no doubt you will want to get your hands on this new series as it promises to be a wonderful series for fans of historical romance.

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

Review: Wait for It by Jenn McKinlay

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I might be from Oregon, but I lived in Arizona for 10 years and I absolutely love the desert. I hate that more books aren’t set in Phoenix. This summer I was going to spend a month in Phoenix and I was really excited to read a book set in Phoenix that was also a romance! Needless to say I times my review for this book with my trip, I couldn’t wait to read this one.

I have read one of McKinlay’s books prior to this and I thought it was good so going into this desert setting book, I was hopeful that I would enjoy it and escape but also find a book that would capture the beauty and desert culture. The desert can be such a romantic place and I was super excited to see how the setting played into this one.

Reading this book went fairly quick. I picked it up and finished it on a matter of a couple of days and I liked it just fine but I don’t know that I loved it. I liked the enemies to lovers troupe but I just don’t know that it was as impactful as I was hoping it would be. But it was a nice quick read that left me feeling content and happy I read it but I would have liked to have something with a bit more something.

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