Category: Literary Criticism

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

Spotlight/Guest Post: THE WITCH OF PAINTED SORROWS by M.J. Rose

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Spotlight/Guest Post: THE WITCH OF PAINTED SORROWS by M.J. Rose

02_The Witch of Painted Sorrows CoverPublication Date: March 17, 2015
Atria Books
Formats: Hardcover, Ebook
Pages: 384

Genre: Historical Mystery

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READ AN EXCERPT.

Possession. Power. Passion. International bestselling novelist M.J. Rose creates her most provocative and magical spellbinder yet in this erotic, gothic novel set against the lavish spectacle of 1890s Belle Époque Paris.

Sandrine Salome runs away to her grandmother’s Parisian mansion to escape her dangerous husband, but what she finds is even more menacing. The house, famous for its lavish art collection and elegant salons, is mysteriously closed up. Although her grandmother insits it’s dangerous for Sandrine to visit, she defies her and meets Julien Duplessi, a mesmerizing young architect. Together they explore the hidden night world of Paris, the forbidden occult underground and Sandrine’s deepest desires.

Among the bohemians and the demi-monde, Sandrine discovers her erotic nature as a lover and painter. Then darker influences threaten – her cold and cruel husband is tracking her down and something sinister is taking hold, changing Sandrine, altering her. She’s become possessed by La Lune: A witch, a legend and a sixteenth-century courtesan, who opens up her life to a darkness that may become a gift or a curse.

This is Sandrine’s “wild night of the soul,” her odyssey in the magnificent city of Paris, of art, love and witchery.

Continue reading “Spotlight/Guest Post: THE WITCH OF PAINTED SORROWS by M.J. Rose” →

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

Review: The Tapestry (Joanna Stafford #3) by Nancy Bilyeau

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Tapestry (Joanna Stafford #3) by Nancy Bilyeau

Joanna Stafford is still struggling to adjust to life in the sleepy town of Dartford.

Once a novice nun, but now….not, thanks to King Henry VIII, Joanna is content weaving her tapestries at her home.

The sudden disappearance of her would be husband, Edmund Scovill, has left Joanna upset and confused (not to mention the reader!) but she is resolved to continue her work on her tapestries far from the English court.

Well, her weaving has caught the attention of the King. When a royal summons from Whitehall comes, demanding Joanna’s presence at court, she can hardly refuse the royal order.

When she arrives at court, she is literally attacked instantly by an unknown assailant. It becomes clear that someone wants her dead and the attacked was a carefully orchestrated by a trained assassin.

Continue reading “Review: The Tapestry (Joanna Stafford #3) by Nancy Bilyeau” →

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

Review: Mist of Midnight: A Novel (Daughters of Hampshire #1) by Sandra Byrd

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: Mist of Midnight: A Novel (Daughters of Hampshire #1) by Sandra Byrd

Rebecca Ravenshaw has survived an unthinkable tragedy in India.

During the uprising against the English, both of her parents are killed and her brother died from illness.

She is all alone in the world and wants to return to England where her father’s estate is.

When she arrived in England after a long journey, she finds that someone else has already come forward claiming to be her.

No one knows her, she hasn’t been in England since she was a child. She has no other living relations, no friends in England…..nothing to prove she is who she says she is. Rebecca soon discovers that the women claiming to be her has also died under mysterious circumstances. Continue reading “Review: Mist of Midnight: A Novel (Daughters of Hampshire #1) by Sandra Byrd” →

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

Review: Changing Nature (The Immortal Descendants #3) by April White

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: Changing Nature (The Immortal Descendants #3) by April White

The Immortal Descendants has been one of my most favorite new series over the last year or so. I absolutely love the world that the author has created.

Each book moves the story forward and the world and the premise of the story, characters, and plot are all unique but yet work so well together.

In this third book, we find ‘Clocker’ Saira and Archer enjoying a summer of romance when suddenly Immortals start being kidnapped.

The ‘Mongers’ will do anything to gain power and control over the other descendant families, especially after they target a powerful shifter.

Saira and Archers (along with the rest of her crew) must travel back in time again to track down their nemesis, Bishop Wilder. This time they find themselves in Paris…..1429.

At that time, Paris is anything but the city of love that it is today. The city is besieged by marauding wolves led by a fanatical peasant girl who will be known in history as Joan of Arc.

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

Review: The Edge of Dreams (Molly Murphy Mysteries #14) by Rhys Bowen

by The Lit Bitch5 Comments on Review: The Edge of Dreams (Molly Murphy Mysteries #14) by Rhys Bowen

For years my mother has been trying to get me to read Rhys Bowen’s books. I have literally received Her Royal Spyness in the mail at least three times now.

Here’s why I haven’t picked up any of Bowen’s books….there are so many book series out there with a female detective set around the same time that how different could it really be? What distinguishes Bowen’s heroines from the others?

OK so maybe mother does know best….mother you were right, I should have picked up Bowen’s books a long time ago!

When The Edge of Dreams came up for review, I knew I would be starting the Molly Murphy series in the middle. But I thought I would give it a try anyway since I’m in love with the cover and have been craving a good mystery.

Continue reading “Review: The Edge of Dreams (Molly Murphy Mysteries #14) by Rhys Bowen” →