Category: Literary Criticism

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

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

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on 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 have enjoyed and felt deserved some special attention.

I am hoping now that we are getting into the late fall and into early winter, I will have a lot more time to share reviews on all my reads again! This blog has been such a great outlet for me especially during the different seasons of life. Not to mention I have discovered a TON of great new authors and books through my reviews! That’s how I found this lovely series by Susie Murphy! I have been reading this series since it was first released in 2018 plus over the years I have gotten to know Susie and she is a wonderful person as well as writer!

Every November I know that Susie will have a new installment to the A Matter of Class series and it’s one of the book series I look forward to and try to make adjustments to my schedules I can read her books! This summer and fall I have been scaling back on my reviews so I could focus on my new position at work, but I kept November mostly open so I could have time to read the next installment of her saga—-because yes at this point it’s gone from series to sage for me!

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

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

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on 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 do you break out of traditional historical fiction stereotypes though if you are a new author? What makes your book stand out and different that readers will want to read it though? For me—you write good solid characters! Characters are what make the stories! Sure the bones of the book sound familiar, but it’s the characters that make books! When someone asks you what stood out in Pride and Prejudice—-I bet 99% of you would NOT say the time period or setting—-I am SURE most of you would say Mr Darcy and Elizabeth!

I love reading different takes on classic troupes with standout characters which is one of the reasons this book stood out to me. On the surface it sounds like ‘just another historical fiction book’—-a young widow solves Agatha Christie style mystery in Regency England but what we got was a fund heroine even if the premise of the book sounded traditional and bland, this book was so much fun and I loved getting to know Lady Petra!

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

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

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on 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 started reading this book! When this one came across my desk for review, I thought it sounded fun and yes I saw that it said ‘final mystery’ but I was thinking maybe it was only like 3-4 books in the series. Then I saw it was book 15 of the series and that’s how I discovered that there were a bunch of others in the series that I had already had my eye on for quite some time!

Even though I knew this book was 15 into the series, I still felt like I wanted to read it. Normally I would pass and do a feature on the book instead if I felt like I was too far behind in the series to appreciate the book and give it a fair review. However, I was in the mood for a cozy mystery and since I had added so many of the other books in the series to my TBR—I thought—why not!

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

Micro Review: The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on 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 snag an early copy! I am loving her quick wit and fast paced style, plus the romantic comedy is charming and so far the strong women are winning me over! If you are staring down the calendar at upcoming released for winter, you definitely need to add this book to your TBR shelf! I cannot WAIT to share a full review with you guys on January 16th when it’s released. But for now you are going to have to settle for a short elevator review!

Strong women come together to redefine the ‘rules’ of courtship, marriage, and society. I actually enjoyed the friendship element the most in this book, the romance was just a bonus! Get this one on your TBR now!

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

Review: Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on 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 in marriage and housewives but this book sounded like it would focus more on the early relationship parts of romance in a way that her other stories might differ. I think this would appeal to a different demographic of reader to some degree and might make it feel a little more ‘modern’ in the process.

I know for me, I am married and the way that I relate to marriages in books (even if they are twisted and insane) is different than someone who is not married so I think this book has the potential to appeal to readers of a different demographic. However, I think the huddled masses of readers will find al to to enjoy in this one—regardless of their season of life!

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