Category: Reading Challenges

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Review: The Deception of the Emerald Ring (Pink Carnation #3) by Lauren Willig

by The Lit Bitch8 Comments on Review: The Deception of the Emerald Ring (Pink Carnation #3) by Lauren Willig

Letty Alsworthy has an appalling nasty habit of being whisked way by seemingly innocent carriages! What was it about her that made everyone within grabbing distance want to and act upon the sudden urge to toss her an anything with wheels, one would be abductor in particular–Lord Geoffrey Pinchingdale Snipe.

In Lauren Willig’s latest Pink Carnation romantic spy thriller series, The Deception of the Emerald Ring, Letty Alsworthy finds herself in a precarious situation…her sister Mary is secretly engaged to Lord Pinchingdale and plotting to elope with him.

Letty discovers the plot moments before Mary literally flies out the window right along with her reputation….Letty manages to get to Lord Pinchingdale’s carriage before Mary does and to her satisfaction prevents their elopement but before she can gloat too much, Letty finds herself in the compromised position–NOT Mary.

When the coach delivers Lord Pinchingdale’s bride to him, before he can confirm the identity of his beloved, he finds himself swept up in a moment of passion only to reveal he is snogging the WRONG sister! With Letty’s reputation at stake, Lord Pinchingdale does what any English gentleman would do–he marries Letty. Continue reading “Review: The Deception of the Emerald Ring (Pink Carnation #3) by Lauren Willig” →

Book Challenges, Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Gen Lit, Literary Criticism, Reading, Reading Challenges

Review: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

by The Lit Bitch4 Comments on Review: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

Being a teenager is hard enough without the added stress of suddenly being able to see demons and other downworlders. In Cassandra Clare’s book, City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1), Clarissa ‘Clary’ Frey has gone from being completely oblivious of the shadow world to suddenly being very much aware of demons, downworlders, and shawdowhunters. Clary and her best friend Simon are at a club in NYC when Clary witnesses three other teens kill a boy–well Clary thought he was a boy but really he was a demon–the three other teens are shawdowhunters that only she can see.

When Clary gets home that night, she is still stunned by what she saw, and to make matters worse her mother starts acting very strange. Clary’s mom, Jocelyn, informs her that they will be going on ‘vacation’ suddenly for the entire summer. This brings about a huge argument with Clary storming out of the house, leaving her mom behind. While she is out with her friends, Clary sees one of the other teens from the night before….Jace. She is not sure why Jace is following her but she confronts him, demanding answers.

Jace wants to know why she can see them through their powerful glamouring charms when no one else can….only a follow shadowhunter or downworlder could possibly see through their protections since Clary is clearly neither, Jace wants to know what she is. Continue reading “Review: City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare” →

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Review: Letters In Cardboard Boxes by Abby Slovin

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: Letters In Cardboard Boxes by Abby Slovin

How do you want to be remembered? How would others see you? How would you see yourself? What if you didn’t remember who you were? That is precisely what happens in Abby Slovin’s novel Letters in Cardboard Boxes.

Parker’s beloved grandma has suddenly become a stranger to her….confused and rapidly declining, Parker must face an alarming reality: her eccentric, loving grandmother is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Throughout her life Parker has come to rely on her grandma. While her parents have all but abandoned her, Parker has felt awfully alone with no one to shield her but her grandma.

Parker’s grandma helps her cope with the abandonment of her parents by writing letters…make believe letters from various exotic locations around the world….fantasy worlds far away from the one Parker is living in.

Throughout the story, there aren’t just letter from Dotty (grandma) to Parker and Parker to Dotty–there are also love letters between her grandma an unknown boy  from Dotty’s youth….Parker begins to see an entirely different Dotty than the one she has grown up with. Continue reading “Review: Letters In Cardboard Boxes by Abby Slovin” →

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Review: The Masque of the Black Tulip (Pink Carnation #2) by Lauren Willig

by The Lit Bitch11 Comments on Review: The Masque of the Black Tulip (Pink Carnation #2) by Lauren Willig

If the Pink Carnation left you feeling a little wilted and longing to drink in the next flowery caped crusader….look no further, Lauren Willig’s The Masque of the Black Tulip, is sure to quench any lingering thirst readers had!

Ravishing and bewitching, the whole Regency era upper-class turned spies with cute horticultural names thing is a force to be reckoned with…these books are simply amazing. I am reading them as part of the Regency & Victorian Reads Challenge over at the Royal Review’s blog.

As I was about thirty or so pages out from finishing the first book, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, I had to stop myself, get out of bed, put on something other than PJ’s, and make a quick trip across town (in the rain and cold) to find the next book in the series….as CLEARLY waiting a day or two to pick up the next book was not an option.

At the time this sounded like a capitol idea….though now that I think about it, I could easily have ordered the next book on my iPad with one click ordering but at the time that concept did not compute! Continue reading “Review: The Masque of the Black Tulip (Pink Carnation #2) by Lauren Willig” →

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Review: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Pink Carnation #1) by Lauren Willig

by The Lit Bitch25 Comments on Review: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Pink Carnation #1) by Lauren Willig

I feel like I just entered the most interesting florist shop in London.

I am surrounded by flowers….the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Purple Gentian, and of course the Pink Carnation….but wait I’m in a book! What the deuce are all these flowers doing in a book?? Granted…it’s decidedly less fragrant in the book than in a florist shop but still–what the deuce is going on here? Oh wait….I am reading Lauren Willig’s novel The Secret History of the Pink Carnation!

Pink Carnation is just the beginning of the flowery Regency era series. We begin with Amy, born in France she and her mother flee the French Revolution across the Channel to England were Amy’s mother has relations. Amy dreams of the day she can avenge her father who was a victim to the bloody guillotine.

Growing up with tales of upper crust spies…mainly the Scarlet Pimpernel….Amy longs to join his ranks and become an indispensable aide to the Scarlet Pimpernel while avenging her family. But one problem….the Scarlet Pimpernel has now retired.  Continue reading “Review: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Pink Carnation #1) by Lauren Willig” →