Literary Criticism
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Review: The Light at Wyndcliff (Cornwall #3) by Sarah E. Ladd
I have only read one or two books by Sarah Ladd and I have enjoyed them but this isn’t an author that I would go in search of at a bookstore—until now. This cover is what initially drew me in but the description of the book is what made me agree to reviewing it. Before this book, Sarah Ladd would have been an author that I would have picked up if I saw the book on an end cap or something or other, but after reading this one, I would gladly go in search of her novels the next time I go to a bookstore. There is something so mysterious…
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Review: Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
I have only read one book by Lisa Jewell but I loved it and I was so excited to receive and ARC of her latest novel to read this fall! I really enjoyed The Family Upstairs but this one sounded a little darker and more intense than The Family Upstairs, but I was really looking forward to it and was eager to sit down on a dark and stormy lazy weekend to devour this one. One thing that I felt after reading Jewell’s The Family Upstairs was that she has a great way of adding substance and depth to all of her characters which is not always the case in…
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Review: The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox
I read Hester Fox’s debut novel a couple of years ago and I was immediately drawn her to story telling style and characters. I adored her first book and the second book was even better. So to say that I was excited for this one is an understatement. I am such a fan of her Gothic story telling and how quickly I can read her books, while they might not be as spooky as some other books I have read this Halloween season, this one was still a spooky treat for fans of Gothic novels. Also this one is set in Boston which is such a great spooky city and…
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Review: Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten
This was a book that I was looking forward to all year. I was pitched it way back in March or April I think and I had it circled on my calendar for my fall reading. I don’t know that I loved the cover art but I thought the story sounded great. I don’t know much about the Russian monarchy but because I don’t know much about it, I always find books about Russian monarchs fascinating. Like many readers, whenever I think of Russian historical fiction I always think of the Romanovs but this book is not that which was just one more reason why it appealed to me—-something different.…
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Review: Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
When HBO picked up this book to turn into a series, I was thrilled! I didn’t know anything about the book or the author but I know that HBO always turns out well done series so when I saw the previews for this one, I couldn’t wait. I also have been getting more and more into the horror genre and when I was approached to do a feature and interview with the author before the HBO series released, I was intrigued and immediately said yes. After doing the interview and reading more about Lovecraft Country, I decided to wait and watch the HBO series in favor of reading the book…
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Review: Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan by Deborah Reed
The cover of this book looks so calming and elegant. The second I saw this cover it put me in the mood for some high brow literature. The only problem was that I wasn’t quite in that sam mood when I picked this one up to actually start reading. When I first read the description for this one, it was back in early spring and was due to be released in the early summer but then it got pushed back to the fall and while I might have been ready for some heavy reading in the spring/summer, I was not in the mood for that in the fall. But I…
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Review: Daughter of Black Lake by Cathy Marie Buchanan
When this book first came up for review, I simply couldn’t pass it up. I have had The Painted Girls on my TBR since it came out in 2013 so when I saw that this book was by the same author, I knew it was a no brainer….I simply had to read this book! I love historical fiction and it’s always so hard for me to pass on a historical fiction book because I always enjoy them so much. But sometimes with any genre, it can start to feel stale. Over the years, I have started taking systematic breaks from historical fiction in favor of thrillers or horror just to…
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Review: Murder at Queen’s Landing (Wrexford & Sloane #4) by Andrea Penrose
I absolutely fell in love with this series when I read the very first book. I can’t believe the series is only on book 4, I feel like so much has happened in these four books. It’s been quite the journey. When I saw this one on Netgalley, I immediately downloaded it and couldn’t wait to dive in. The book wasn’t due to come out until September and I downloaded the book in June…..needless to say I read it in June because I couldn’t wait to see what happened between Wrexford and Sloane in this book! I read this book in only a couple of sittings and couldn’t put it…
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Review: Murder on Cold Street (Lady Sherlock #5) by Sherry Thomas
This is a series that I am so glad I decided to try again. When I read the first book, I couldn’t even finish it. I struggled to get into the series and the first book. I DNF about 20% of the way through and felt incredibly sad about it because by all accounts this was a series that I should have loved. I kept seeing the books coming out and so many people raving about them that I kept wondering if I just was missing something and maybe needed to give it another go. But I held off because it’s hard to change my mind once I hav DNF…
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Review: The Lavender Garden by Lucinda Riley (Audible Edition)
One night I was browsing for a new audiobook on Audible and the book The Light Behind the Window by Lucinda Riley popped up as a recommended read. I was so excited because I thought it was a new Lucinda Riley book so I downloaded it immediately. Then I realized that it wasn’t a new Lucinda Riley book but rather the UK title for The Lavender Garden. Which was actually ok because I have had The Lavender Garden on my TBR since 2013 so I thought it must have been a sign that it was time to read it. I started listening to it in my car while driving my…