Category: Literary Criticism

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

Review: The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood

This book has been sitting in my Amazon cart for well over a year! I had it in my cart as a paperback and just never could decide if I wanted to pull the trigger to not. This book sounded like something I would like but it was also kind of off the beaten path and from a smaller press and if I was going to spend $14 on it, I wanted to make sure I was 100% sold on it. But then one night while I was sitting with my son, waiting for him to fall asleep, I was bored looking for something new to read.

Suddenly buying the ecopy for $10 sounded like a good idea and the moment felt right. I was instantly glad that I pulled the trigger! I was sucked into this one almost immediately and by the time I was done, I was kicking myself for not buying it sooner! If you are a Victoria Holt fan or Julia Klassen, then you are not going to want to miss this one! This has all the things I love about Gothic romances! Ambiguous characters, haunted castles, and of course romance!

This one absolutely drew me in and captivated me for a few days. I found myself spending longer and longer in my son’s room well after her went to sleep just so I could finish ‘one more page’! If you love Gothic mysteries with some romance you are not going to want to miss this one. Or maybe you have this book in your Amazon cart like I did and just aren’t sure if it’s worth it—well the answer is YES! Absolutely worth it!

Continue reading “Review: The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin

When this book came out, I only had space for a special feature and excerpt. But after reading the excerpt, I was excited for this one and knew that I simply had to make room for it on my review calendar! I am thrilled that I did because this one was a good one! I haven’t read anything by Laura Griffin before but I have feature a few of her books and have had them on my radar for a while. Now that I have read this one, I went out and downloaded four more of her books because I loved this one so much! It was exactly what I needed!

I read this one in basically two days. It was so good and I was hooked instantly. The thing that stood out to me about this book was the location and disappearance angle. I LOVE National Parks and nothing hooks me like a mysterious disappearance! When I was pregnant, I was so sick and basically laid in bed watching crime shows on TV. One of my favorites was Disappeared. I am absolutely baffled by people who just go missing. There is no closure, only speculation. So when I saw this book had this angle I was totally on board to read it.

Not to mention this book has been popping up on a number of ‘must read’ lists! I’ve seen this one recommended in romantic suspense, suspense, mystery, thrillers and on the best seller lists around the blog-o-sphere and knew I just couldn’t pass this one up! And now I have found a new to my author that I absolutely love and have a few new books added. to my fall/winter reading lineup!

Continue reading “Review: Vanishing Hour by Laura Griffin” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder

This cover instantly caught my eye, followed quickly by ‘Gothic style Regency romance’. I LOVE Gothic fiction, especially at this time of year when it’s starting to get colder and all I want to do is be in front of a fire in my cozy blanket with a crumbling estate! I had just finished another Gothic romance and I was eager for more books like that one I finished. This one came across my desk at the perfect time and was exactly what I needed!

Author, Hannah Linder, is a new author and she is from a small publishing house of Christian Fiction. As luck would have it, I love finding new to me authors and ones that are off the beaten path. I adore Julie Klassen who kind of has a cornerstone on Gothic style Christian Fiction, and this new author reminds me a bit of Klassen but with her own unique style. This book is giving me all the haunted estate vibes and has a questionable hero with a fierce heroine, if you are a fan of Gothic fiction you need to check this one out! It’s a fun romp through Regency England that will satisfy your fall reading desires!

I am so glad I picked this one up, I finished it in just a couple of days and was left wondering when we might expect another book by Linder. Lots of atmosphere, some intrigue, and of course romance. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and once I was hooked—I was HOOKED. It did take me a minute to get into this one, but once I did, I didn’t want to leave! Gothic fans, this one has your name all over it!

Continue reading “Review: Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Kiss Me, Catalina by Priscilla Oliveras

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Kiss Me, Catalina by Priscilla Oliveras

I read the first book in this series (West Side Love Story) earlier this year and thought it was really well written with lots to enjoy. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this second novel by Priscilla Oliveras. New readers do not need to read the first book, West Side Love Story, to enjoy this latest book though. It works well as a standalone novel and you will not feel lost with in the story or characters at all as this book has it’s own set of independent characters and it’s own plot.

The thing that caught my eye about this one (besides having read the first book and the author) was of course the beautiful cover and the promise of a unique and untold story. I love that Mariachi plays a big part in these books. It feels like something new and different with a lot of cultural flavor and I loved the sound of a romance formed on the road as part of a Marachi tour.

This is my second book by Oliveras and I was not disappointed. I am eager to pick up other books by this author but this series has been a real delight to read. I know she has written some other standalone novels, a couple of which have been on my radar for quite some time, all of which have been fan hits so if you are looking for your next read you might want to check her out as well as this book, because I liked this one even better than West Side Love Story!

Continue reading “Review: Kiss Me, Catalina by Priscilla Oliveras” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch

I love all the 1990s nostalgia that is going on right now. Dr Martens are making a come back (glad I kept my pair from high school!), the Boo Pails are back at McDonalds, flare jeans and baby doll dresses with a white tee are back with a vengeance! YEAH flare jeans! My 1990s kid heart is so happy and I am just loving it! I love seeing remakes of some of my favorite 1990s films—the remakes aren’t great (looking at you Baywatch!) but it’s fun to see people trying to introduce them to as new audience! And I have seen a number of books thick with 1990s nostalgia and I am absolutely here for it!

That was the number one reason I wanted to read this book—-1990s nostalgia. Well that and it had romance so you know I am all over that! I am not a fan of second chance romances though so I was a little hesitant to read this one based on the fact that the characters already had a complex history, but the promise of a Y2K filled book of nostalgia, I couldn’t pass it up!

This book is definitely not the fluffy romance I was expecting, but it was a lot of fun to read and I love discovering new to me authors. I am excited to read more books by Allison Winn Scotch. I haven’t read anything else by her but after reading this one I am excited to read some of her others. As we start to get into the holiday season, this book might be a great option as it has a strong holiday influence so keep that in mind as you are lining up your holiday reading. If you are a 1990s kid, you will find a lot to enjoy in this one!

Continue reading “Review: The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch” →