Literary Criticism
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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…
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Review: Wait for It by Jenn McKinlay
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…
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Review: It Takes Heart (Heart Resort #1) by Tif Marcelo
This author has grown on me over the years. When I picked up one of her books I wasn’t sure what to expect but then I was completely lost in her stories and couldn’t wait to read more from her! One thing I noticed though was Marcelo writes a variety of stories. Not just women’s fiction but romance too. I was super excited to read this latest novel that was more contempo romance than women’s fiction. Second chance romance isn’t really my favorite troupe but I was excited to see what Marcelo did with it in this book. One of the things that I also love about Marcelo’s writing is…
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Review: At Summer’s End by Courtney Ellis
This book was my most anticipated book of the summer! The cover, the premise, swoon! Everything sounded so incredible! I couldn’t wait to dive into this one and I can tell you right now that I read it in a matter of days. I could have finished it in one siting but I breezed through it in just 2 days. It was so addicting and if you are a fan of historical fiction then you need to read this one. It boasts a unique romance, complex characters with a rich backdrop full of history and human rawness. I am a huge fan of WWI historical romances and this should have…
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Review: The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison
I had high expectations for this one. I loved the cover and I thought the premise of the story sounded promising not to mention I love historical fiction with romance so I thought this one would be one of my favorite reads of the summer. While I liked it, I don’t know that it lived up to me high expectations but I did like it and was glad I read it. The 1920s are not necessarily my favorite time period in historical fiction but I liked the glamour that the time period brought to the story plus I liked how the author used that in this story. I will get…
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Review: Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman
I have read all of Sara Ackerman’s books and I haven’t been disappointed once! I love how her books are set in WWII but they always seem to feel different than the usual WWII books that I have read. I think location really plays a part here. All of her books are set in Hawaii, not only does that add an exotic feel to the books, but it makes them feel fresh—like I am reading something totally new! While her books might have similar themes and settings, I always feel like I am reading something different each time I pick up one of her books. I know that the author…
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Review: Three Words for Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
Veteran authors, Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, really are a winning team if you ask me! I have loved many of their novels and when I saw this one was coming out I just knew I had to get my hands on it! Each author has their own unique voice and style but at the end of the day, they blend together so well that their books never feel disjointed or confusing. Sometimes with multiple authors, it can be hard to marry the two different voices to create a well written story, but I have never felt like that with Gaynor and Webb. I have read their own independent novels…
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Re-Share Review: The End of Her by Shari Lapena
If you love Shari Lapena, you will not doubt have seen this book and most likely read it already! But if you haven’t it is out now in paperback and I am so excited to re-share my review with all of you guys today! I read it when it first came out last year during all of my extensive COVID reading and found that his book was a wonderful mystery that kept my interest and while I have only read a few books by Lapena, I found that this one was one of my favorites so far! Shari Lapena is such a talented writer and she consistently churns out well…
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Review: For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing
I absolutely loved Samantha Downing’s first novel, My Lovely Wife. In fact, I even read it twice because I thought it was such a great read and my book club loved it too! Her second novel He Started It, just didn’t grab me like the first one. I haven’t read it yet but the description just didn’t sound as exciting or interesting as My Lovely Wife sounded when I first heard of it. But when I saw this one was coming out—her third thriller—the description sounded so excellent and I just couldn’t pass up! I love novels about darker academia and this book sounded like it would be a perfect…
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Review: The Devil and the Heiress (The Gilded Age Heiresses #2) by Harper St. George
After reading The Heiress Gets a Duke earlier this year, Harper St George was on my ‘one to watch’ list. I immediately preordered this book and was eager to find out what happened to the more reserved Crenshaw sister, Violet. In the first book, August was more headstrong and a little more bold than her sister so I was eager to see how Violet’s character was explored in this one. Not only do St George’s novels boast fantastic covers but they boast non conventional heroines and dashing heroes with an edge. If you love historical romances I would highly recommend checking this new series out. I found that this book…