Literary Criticism – Page 27

Special Feature/Excerpt: The Tsarina’s Daughter by Ellen Alpsten

March 17, 2022March 17, 2022by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment

In light of recent world events, there are a lot of eyes on Eastern Europe and Russian right now. As a huge fan of historical fiction I love exploring new cultures and new parts of history and Eastern Europe and Russian history have caught my eye over and over again in recent years but especially now. I want to know more and more about this area of the world and what their history is like. So many historical fiction novels are set in different Western settings like England, France, or the USA. All of these regions and history are more of less familiar to the average historical fiction reader but when it comes to Eastern European history I think historical fiction readers will feel less familiar.

The time period I am most familiar with when it comes to Russian or European history is the Great War, but even that I am woefully limited. This is why. this book really appealed to me, the time period is late 1700s which I know basically nothing about. I am so excited to read more about this time period in a country where my knowledge is limited. I think fans of historical fiction will also enjoy this interesting time period that is full of intrigue and maybe even a little romance!

This cover is absolutely stunning and the author Ellen Alpsten has also written another piece of historical fiction set in Russia during a similar time period so clearly she has a love for 1700s Russia and I think readers will enjoy something new and interesting. I have a lovely excerpt here for you guys to check out so take a look and let me know what you think!

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

Review: The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery

March 15, 2022by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment

It’s that time of year when we have had the ‘false spring’ week in Oregon and have then settled into 6 more weeks of winter. We had this absolutely beautiful week where it was sunny and 60-65 degrees—spring was in the air—until it wasn’t. Suddenly we were back to 40 degree temps with constant rain (like torrential down pour) and like many Oregonians we are all left longing for sunshine and warmer temps! So what is a surefire way to cure the longing in our hearts? A book set in a sunny location that offers a little bit of escapism and a whole lot of sunshine!

Enter this lovely new release from Susan Mallery! I love early spring releases. It’s when I am DYING to read them the absolute most because of the long rainy season here. I literally load up my iPad and TBR list with all the great new summer, beach-y reads in early February that carries me through to the end of April until spring actually arrives here!

Susan Mallery has been a favorite author of mine as she has written numerous series and books over the years and has a massive fan base! I have read a couple of her holiday themed books and have enjoyed them quite a bit so when this one came up for review, I couldn’t help but move it to the top of my beach reading TBR list for early spring!

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

Review: The Lady Tempts an Heir (The Gilded Age Heiresses #3) by Harper St George

March 11, 2022by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment

I fell in love with Harper St George’s series the second I opened the first book! Not only are the covers stunning with gorgeous dresses but the stories are sensual, romantic, and all around great reads. I actually kind of thought that the series would end after the second book since it’s the Gilded Age Heiresses series and there were only two sisters, but I was thrilled to see this book was coming out even if this book featured the brother of the two previous heiresses.

I instantly jumped at the chance to review this one—in fact I had in on pre order for months as soon as I saw it coming out! Since St George is such a great writer I couldn’t pass it up! If you love Bridgerton and other historical romances, you cannot miss this series. It’s full of all the things that are beloved in historical romances, swoon worthy heroes, steamy romantic scenes, the glitz and glamour of the period—-I just love it! Just add it to your TBR already!

While this latest book is the third in a series, I don’t think you need to read the other books first to enjoy this one. I felt the same with the second book, I could easily have jumped in to that one without having read the first one and not been lost at all. But I will ask you this—why would you want to miss out on all the fun romance of the entire series? The answer is you don’t so not only read this book but read the series too!

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

Review: If You Ask Me by Libby Hubscher

March 9, 2022March 8, 2022by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment

I don’t know what drew me to this book first, the hot fireman or the protagonist having a massive public meltdown! It’s like my dream some times to just have a complete meltdown where I give zero f*cks and just go off and still be able to keep my job and relationship but yet I have something to laugh about later. Am I right people? Basically I wish my life was a movie or a story some times where I could get away with that. Like go full on Waiting to Exhale and burn my ex’s stuff and still find love—that’s exactly what this book promises—literally!

I was instantly drawn to this one for that very reason. I felt like I could live vicariously through Violet’s life and get a few laughs. I had this one on my radar very early on. I couldn’t wait to check it out and read a fun little romantic comedy. This one sounded like a fun little rom com and that it would be just what I needed going into the early spring.

The cover promises such a cute little story and that alone made it seem like it was going to be a great romantic comedy with a neat little HEA in the works. What I was not prepared for was how much this book would get me in the feels! I wasn’t prepared for the more serious content in this one. Sure it had it’s romantic parts and it’s own little HEA but there was a lot of emotion in this one too. So if you are looking for romantic fluff this one isn’t that, it has more substance to it than I originally anticipated.

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Book Critic, Book Review, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

March 8, 2022by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have been writing domestic thrillers for the last few years and I love this writing team! I especially loved their first novel together, The Wife Between Us. After reading that one I was super excited to check out the next book which was just ok for me but that said, I enjoyed their writing style and was eager to read other collaborations.

When this book came up for review I was familiar enough with the authors names and the quality of novels they put out so I was obviously on board with a review. While the second book I read wasn’t my fav, it was still enjoyable and sometimes you have a a book that just doesn’t live up to the first and that’s ok, it isn’t a deal breaker for me so I looked forward to this one being like a redemption book for me.

Collaborative works can sometimes be tricky. Each author has their own unique voice and style so trying to mesh those two together can sometimes be a challenge. I have been fairly lucky in my reading of collaborative novels as most have been well written and interesting but sometimes the different styles can be obvious, however with these two authors their different styles have really worked well together.

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