Literary Criticism

  • Review: Who Buries the Dead (Sebastian St. Cyr #10) by C.S. Harris

    I just couldn’t resist picking up another Sebastian St Cyr mystery. I toyed with the idea of taking a break and reading something else but I just kept coming back to this series and wanted to know what was in store for Sebastian so here we are with yet another review. I think it’s safe to say that I will easily surpass my Goodreads reading goal this year considering I’ve already finished 10 books in this series before January was even done! Though I will say, I am tempted to take a break after this one because this was my least favorite in the series thus far and let me…

  • Review: Why Kings Confess (Sebastian St. Cyr #9) by C.S. Harris

    I love binge reading different series, but this is probably the longest series I have endeavored to binge read. I am so torn between soldiering on and taking a break now that I have finished book 10, and yes I know this is the review for book 9, but I finished book 10 last night and was considering taking a break. But I will be honest, I started reading a different book and I couldn’t tear my thoughts away from this series and I eventually abandoned it to return to another Sebastian St Cyr book. Many of you know that I read multiple books at one time. I usually have…

  • Review: What Darkness Brings (Sebastian St. Cyr #8) by C.S. Harris

    I am just about caught up with this series now. I started the series with book 12 and have read through to book 14, but then I decided to go back and read the series from start to finish. I have just about achieved my goal, but I no doubt will go back and do a take two review on the books I read out of sequence so that I have a better grasp of all the events from beginning to end. This mystery was excellent. I loved having a victim that I loathed and I thought the author did a fantastic job at justifying the pursuit of justice that…

  • Review: Cartier’s Hope by M.J. Rose

    I feel like I timed this read just right. I had just finished reading a Sebastian St Cyr mystery that featured the Hope Diamond or the French Blue and I was eager to read this one because it too featured the diamond I had been reading about. I have been a fan of M. J. Rose for a long time as well and it’s been a long time since I’ve read a book by her and as soon as I dove into this one, I remembered how much I loved her books and I can’t believe it’s been so long since I read one! If you have any interest in…

  • Review: When Maidens Mourn (Sebastian St. Cyr #7) by C.S. Harris

    I have decided that I need to start writing my reviews on the Sebastian St Cyr books immediately after finishing them now, because as soon as I put one down, I pick up the next one. Then on days like today when I am going back to write my reviews, I realize that I am on book 9 and have to think back to two books before. What I am trying to say is, the mysteries are running together for me and I am not even mad about it! So let me try and think back to this book which I only finished a couple of days ago, but it…

  • Review: The Hollows (Kinship #2) by Jess Montgomery

    I have had my eye on Jess Montgomery’s debut novel, The Widow’s, for some time so when this one came up for review, I couldn’t pass on it even if it was the second in a series. A number of readers said this book could be read as a standalone even if it is part of a series so I was eager to jump in and see if that was truly the case. I loved the ‘ghost story’ angle in the summary and couldn’t wait to start reading it! Admittedly the midwest area and the 1920s aren’t really my go to location or eras for a historical mystery novel but…

  • Re-Post Review: The Winters by Lisa Gabriele

    With the release of the paperback version of this lovely book, I wanted to take a minute and re-share my review with you guys! I know that many of you loved the classic story of Rebecca and this book here in a modern retake on that classic gothic novel. I really enjoyed this one and easily gave it 4 stars. It had loads of atmosphere and all the gothic hallmarks that I enjoy in a novel. I also have a copy of the paperback version up for giveaway today on my Instagram so be sure to stop by and enter to win a copy! As a side note, I wanted…

  • Review: Many Rivers to Cross (Inspector Banks #26) by Peter Robinson

    This series has obviously been a long standing with. With 26 books in the series, it’s clear that people love Inspector Banks. I was thrilled to review this one when I was approached, but at the same time I was worried that being 26 books in, that I would be lost in the larger story. But if I have learned one thing about well known, longstanding thriller/mystery series, it’s that the authors usually try to keep things simple or at least explain the back story more for a new audience. After some debate, I decided to give this one a try and see how it went. I obviously wasn’t going…

  • Review: Where Shadows Dance (Sebastian St. Cyr #6) by C.S. Harris

    Another day, another Sebastian St Cyr mystery review. I and so deeply invested in this series right now that basically nothing is getting done around my house or any other reading for that matter. So many people ask how I read so many books. Well the answer is simple, I speed read but I also read a lot of the books I have up for review right now, weeks or even months before. For example, I have already read 3 books for review in March and April so I am always ahead of schedule and I do this because I like to know I have time to binge read books…

  • Review: The Country Guesthouse (Sullivan’s Crossing #5) by Robyn Carr

    Robyn Carr was a new to my author a couple of years ago but once I picked up one of her books, I could immediately see why so many people enjoy her novels! Picking this book up in the dead of winter was a little depressing though, because I could practically feel the sun on my skin with this glowing beach style read! Even though the setting is in Colorado, it still reminded me of a fun read on a sunny summer day while I was passing some time at the beach, this is the sort of book that you want to pack with you on a lazy summer day.…