Category: Literary Criticism

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

Review: The Chef’s Secret by Crystal King

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: The Chef’s Secret by Crystal King

When I first saw this title, it made me hungry.

The cover art did nothing to help that situation either. The trey of wine and fruit looks so appealing and I couldn’t help but think that I needed to crack open a bottle of wine to commemorate the beginning of this book!

Now if truth be told—I am neither a foodie or a wine drinker, but for this book I felt like I totally could be! I thought it sounded like a fun and interesting story told in a unique setting–so I said yes to reading it.

My sister got me a book on famous recipes from different Pope’s for Christmas and I thought this book would pair nicely with the book she got me!  Continue reading “Review: The Chef’s Secret by Crystal King” →

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

Review: Secrets at Cedar Cabin (Lavender Tides #3) by Colleen Coble

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: Secrets at Cedar Cabin (Lavender Tides #3) by Colleen Coble

I read one of Colleen Coble’s romantic suspense novels back in August 2018. It was the second book in the Lavender Tides series and I thought it was a really fun read and was eager to read more about this Pacific Northwestern coastal town.

Being from Oregon and loving the Oregon coast, is what initially drew me to this author. I love when places that I know and love are featured in books. Even though Lavender Tides is a fictional city, the descriptions of this little town are vivid and could easily be any Washington or Oregon coastal town.

Coble’s writing is suspenseful and thoughtful with the romance sharing the spotlight with the mystery rather than taking over the story itself, so when this third installment came up for review, I was happy to agree! Continue reading “Review: Secrets at Cedar Cabin (Lavender Tides #3) by Colleen Coble” →

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

Review: The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

Tara Conklin is one of those authors that has a large cult following. With the success of her novel THE HOUSE GIRL, so many people love her and would eagerly read any of her novels. THE HOUSE GIRL has been recommended to me over and over again, but I just haven’t been moved to pick it up.

It came out at a time when I was working on my Master’s in American History and was knee deep in slave research for one of my papers, so the last thing I wanted to read was anything about slavery or the south or the Civil War.

Then THE HOUSE GIRL got buried under all of my other TBR books and long forgotten. Then her latest book started making appearances on  my social media accounts and I was once again struck by how many people rave about her books! I was thrilled when a copy landed on my desk for review—so excited in fact that I made room for it on my review calendar! Continue reading “Review: The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin” →

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

Review: The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross

This book immediately caught my eye when it came across my desk for review. The cover is not only beautiful, but memorable and eye-catching. Plus it is marketed as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

I am of course a huge Belle fan and I was eager to jump on this one and made it my special Valentines Day read. Lately there has been a lot of interest in writing fairy tale retellings and I am one hundred percent on board with that!

The other thing that caught my eye was that it was more of a conventional retelling rather than having a modern twist or removing the ;magic’ from the story, this book stayed true to form by keeping the magic. Continue reading “Review: The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross” →

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

Review: The Curiosities by Susan Gloss

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Curiosities by Susan Gloss

As many of you know, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to read more books outside my comfort zone. I do read a lot of women’s fiction, but I often pass on books that have anything to do with pregnancy loss or infertility.

Not necessarily because it’s a sensitive subject, but more because I often find that it’s incredibly heavy and when I read, I want something happy. This book caught me a little unaware when it came to its subject matter, but that was mostly my fault.

This cover looks so happy and colorful. Just looking at this cover made me think spring. I have also seen a lot of hype for this book on my social media, and mainly my Facebook group, Bloom Tall Poppy Writers. This author is a Tall Poppy Writer and when I saw this book up for review, I eagerly jumped at it for these two reasons. I didn’t really know what it was about—just that I wanted to read it.

Had I actually read the description, I probably would have passed, but I didn’t and that was a stoke of luck.  Continue reading “Review: The Curiosities by Susan Gloss” →