Literary Criticism
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Review: The Harp of Kings (Warrior Bards #1) by Juliet Marillier
Juliet Marillier is an author that I have had on my radar for quite some time. Her Sevenwaters series is one that I keep looking at and often debate if it’s the right time to pick it up or not…..but then I put it back down for unknown reasons. When this one appeared one day in my mailbox I was absolutely thrilled! I normally don’t get a ton of fantasy or YA historical fantasy so I felt privileged to get this one! I was so excited and couldn’t wait to crack it open! Now that I am finished with this new series, I am absolutely committed to reading her other…
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Review: The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal
To say that I was exited to get this book in the mail is an absolute understatement. I actually squealed in excitement when I opened this book up! The cover is magical and haunting and the summary sounded like something I was absolutely going to sink my teeth into immediately! Victorian England, creepy stalkers, and all sorts of disturbing gothic devices were promised in the summary. I could hardly contain my excitement. I was ecstatic to read this one and cracked it open almost immediately and what awaited me in the pages was a dark and disturbing story in addition to creepy dolls.
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Review: Someone We Know by Shari Lapena
Shari Lapena has a big big big fan base and she has written a number of best sellers. Prior to this book, I had only read one of her books and thought it was pretty good. I was totally open to reading more and when this one came up for review I was excited to check it out and see how her writing held up for me a second time around. One of the things that caught my eye about this one was the neighborhood gossip mill aspect. Neighborhood was strongly featured in the summary and I was eager to see how that played out in the story. Often so…
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Review: The Lost Letter by Mimi Matthews
In my binge reading of Mimi Matthews books, I saved her first book as the last in my binge reading. I loved seeing how her writing evolved over the books and reading this one last was a treat. While her writing might have evolved, all the hallmarks that make me love her books are evident in each and every book from the beginning. Snappy, humorous dialogue, elegant settings, memorable characters, and glorious romantic tension. This book definitely had a Beauty and the Beast feel and I couldn’t get enough of it. Even though it was short (more of a novel length at just over 200 pages), it felt like a…
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Review: Wonton Terror (A Noodle Shop Mystery #4) by Vivien Chien
I stumbled upon Vivien Chien’s Noodle Shop Mystery quite by accident. When I started the first book, I fell in love with Lana Lee’s charm and sass. I also loved all the various food descriptions in this series and found myself perpetually hungry for noodles. While there are times that I have found myself wanting more romance in this series, the fun mysteries that Chien constructs are undeniable—I am hooked on her mysteries. Each book could probably be read on their own. Chien does a great job catching new readers up to date on the most pressing back stories in the series if it pertains to the new book, but…
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Review: The Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter by Mimi Matthews
I have been being reading all of Mimi Matthews books in the last few weeks. I read her holiday book, A Holiday by Gaslight, last fall/winter and loved it but just didn’t get around to reading her other books. Flash forward to the spring, I was asked by a longtime blogger friend if I would participate in the book tour for Matthews latest book, The Work of Art. I was so glad to put this book on my calendar and looked forward to reading it. I burned through it and then was left wanting more Matthews! Since then I have read the two books in her Parish Orphans of Devon…
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Review: A Modest Independence (Parish Orphans of Devon #2) by Mimi Matthews
Ahhh Mimi Matthews, where have you been my whole life?! Matthews writes such wonderful historical romance of the drawing room variety and she does such a fantastic job. I only recently started reading her books and now I simply can’t stop! As soon as I finished The Work of Art, I started this series and polished it off in a matter of days. Now I am on to her other stand alone books and I absolutely love every single one of them. I don’t know what I am going to read once I am done with her books! I need more authors like her to pick from! Her books are…
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Review: The Murder List by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Right from the start this book sounded edgy and different. I haven’t read anything by Hank Phillippi Ryan before, but I liked that the main character in this book sounded like she had her shit together but yet it might all be a lie. I have been having quite a bit of luck with thrillers this summer but I was looking for something with a little more suspense rather than the thrills and chills of a psychological thriller and this book sounded like it would fit the bill. I mean it does have ‘a novel of suspense’ in its formal title on Goodreads! Eager to read this one, I started…
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Review: The Perfect Son by Lauren North
Full disclosure, I wanted to read this book because I loved the cover. It was eye catching and coupled with the title suggested and interesting and complex mystery that I was instantly dying to read. This book is also the author’s debut and I was even more excited to read it since her author bio sounded so relatable! Here’s the CliffNotes version—Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation—I felt like I found my person! Like many kids I had a huge imagination but unlike other kids who were dreaming of unicorns…
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Review: The Matrimonial Advertisement (Parish Orphans of Devon #1) by Mimi Matthews
I read a short story by Mimi Matthews back in December last year and loved it but it was months before I read one of her full novels. In fact, I just read my first full length book by Matthews a couple of weeks ago and I fell even more in love with her writing! So much so, that I knew without a doubt that I needed to read all of her books and the sooner the better. So I binged this book in the space of 24 hours. I started with the Audible edition, but quickly changed to the written form since I read much faster that way and…