Literary Criticism

  • Review: A Winter by the Sea (On Devonshire Shores #2) by Julie Klassen

    I featured this book when the cover reveal came out and since then I have been so excited to read this one! I read the first book in the series last year and really enjoyed it and couldn’t wait for the next installment in the series. Not to mention I am a big fan of Julie Klassen so naturally I had this one on my radar for months prior to its release! And honestly how could you not get excited about this book when you see the cover??? The Cover is stunning and I just knew it would be a good that would grab my attention! Julia Klassen is a…

  • Review: A Class Inherited (A Matter of Class #6) by Susie Murphy

    The last few months have been REALLY challenging for me. I started a new job with a lot more responsibility and I have barely had time to sit down and collect my thoughts let alone read. I have been reading a lot of quick historical romances, especially throughout the summer and early fall. But let’s be real—the late Sumer and early fall are a nightmare for school administrators and teachers. So while I have been trying to find time to read here and there, I haven’t found a lot of time to share reviews on all the books I read but I have been staring reviews on the books I…

  • Review: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

    I am always on the look out for new historical fiction novels—it’s my favorite genre to read. I love history and any combo or history, romance, mystery, or standard historical fiction, is usually right up my alley. Like most genres, it’s saturated with new books on a regular basis. All promising to be ‘new and different’ but when you crack open the book it’s often ‘oh this again’. But that is one of the reasons I love the genre so much. I don’t always need ‘hot new different’ reads, sometimes I just need a good solid historical fiction novel (or any combo of historical fiction and it’s sub genres). How…

  • Review: Jane Austen and the Final Mystery (The Jane Austen Mystery Series #15) by Stephanie Barron

    There is noting like coming into a series on the last book. I have seen many of the Jane Austen mystery books around the blog-o-sphere over the years and for whatever reason, I just didn’t connect that they were all part of a series. For example, I picked up Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas at a book store one day and then I saw Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron on a bunch of blogs when it came out so I immediately added to me TBR. But I just didn’t connect that those books were all part of this fun little Jane Austen mystery series until l…

  • Micro Review: The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain

    Author Suzanne Allain is a hot new historical fiction author who has gained quite a bit of notoriety with her first book, Mr Malcom’s List, which debuted back in 2020. If you are a Bridgerton fan or simply love an Austen style romance with a modern twist, then I think you will enjoy Allain. I have her latest book, The Ladies Rewrite the Rules, already loaded up on my iPad and am actively reading it right now! I have been on a huge historical romance kick and I was eager to dive into this one! While this book might not be out yet on bookshelves, I was lucky enough to…

  • Review: Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing

    Lat week I shared a special feature for Samantha Downing’s latest suspense novel, Twisted Love Story. So far I have loved Downing’s books and I had no reason to think that Twisted Love Story would be any different. Downing writes such great suspense novels that I couldn’t wait to check this one out and even though my summer reading schedule was really full, I knew I couldn’t pass on this one! One of the things that appealed to me about this book (besides the fact that Downing was the author) is that the story sounded a little more modern and different. In My Lovely Wife, it was an interesting study…

  • Review: Marrying Off Morgan McBride (The McBride’s of Montana #2) by Amy Barry

    I did a special feature on this series last summer and at that time thought it sounded like such a fun series. I am not normally one for western romances, but I loved that the author had a promising modern voice and I thought she might add that as a special twist to western historical romances. The first book had a lot of positive feedback and fans so when this one came up for review, I knew I had to somehow fit it into my summer review schedule. I have to say, I think the show Yellowstone has brought out a little bit of cowboy lover in all of us…

  • Review: After Anne by Logan Steiner

    Is there a reader alive who didn’t love Anne of Green Gables as a kid? I was absolutely addicted to the Anne of Green Gables 1980s tv show when I was a girl. Gilbert Blythe was my first book boyfriend thanks to this show. I recall buying the books in third and fourth grades but not reading the books until I was an adult when the show Anne and with an E came out on Netflix! Anne with an E was my idol as a girl. Mostly because I too was an Anne with an E so I felt like in some way we had a special connection. Now as…

  • Review: The Castle Keepers by Aimee Runyan, J’nell Ciesielski, and Rachel McMillan

    Over the years I have enjoyed each of these authors on an independent basis. I love all of their respective books individually and I was so thrilled to see that these three powerhouse writers were teaming up to write a collaborative novel! Obviously no one had to twist my arm to get me to review this one, it was an absolute no brainer! Sometimes collaborative novels can be difficult. I have only really seen a couple of writing teams successful with it. It can be hard blending different writing styles let alone character visions. I believe this is the first collaboration for these three authors as well which can sometimes…

  • Review: Who Cries for the Lost (Sebastian St Cyr #18) by C.S. Harris

    Over the years I have jumped around in the Sebastian St Cyr series, until I finally decided about a year ago to go back and read all the books in order. Some of the books can be read out of order, others not. This book has some carry over from the last book so I would say this is probably not the one to start with if you are new to the series. I have loved this series and I am so glad to see that it’s going strong. If you love historical mysteries but want something with a bit more grit, this is an excellent option. Every spring I…