Category: Reading

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

Review: Love and Lavender (Mayfield Family #4) by Josi S Kilpack

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Love and Lavender (Mayfield Family #4) by Josi S Kilpack

Last year I read one of Josi S Kilpack’s sweet historical romances and I thought it was a nice read with a lot of potential. I added a few of her other novels to my TBR list after reading Rakes and Roses so when this one came up for review I thought I would continue with the series. Rakes and Roses was the third in the Mayfield Family series and this one, Love and Lavender is the fourth.

If you enjoy sweet romances you will no doubt recognize Kilpack’s name as she has written quite a few historical romances as well as a few mystery novels. She has a knack for writing interesting main characters with believable romances and Shadow Mountain Publishing is my go to publishing house for proper/sweet romances so if you are a fan of that genre be sure to check them out.

I picked this one up while I was out of town at a weightlifting meet and I was eager to have something positive and quick to read through. Something that would be a little bit fluff and a little bit feel good to distract me. While this was a feel good read with a positive outcome, I didn’t feel like it was ‘fluffy’. It did have quite a bit of substance to it, while it wasn’t necessarily ‘heavy’ it had a range of content to draw on which was nice.

Continue reading “Review: Love and Lavender (Mayfield Family #4) by Josi S Kilpack” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Mistletoe Season (Carolina Girls #2) by Michelle Major

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Mistletoe Season (Carolina Girls #2) by Michelle Major

It’s officially Christmas reading season for me and I couldn’t wait to dive into this one. I loved the cover and it just screamed Christmas magic for me even if I haven’t read anything else by Michelle Major, this one just screamed read me for some reason. I know that Michelle Major is we well known romance author with quite a few series under her belt so I felt confident that I would enjoy this book by a beloved writer!

While this is part of a series, it is not necessary for a new reader to go back and read the other books. I felt right at home in the book and with the characters without having read the first book which is usually typical for most romances. It was very evident that Major is a skilled writer with experience crafting romances and chemistry between her characters. I enjoyed this one so much and actually ordered a couple of her other books to read in the coming months.

If you love holiday romances this book is going to be a great option for you. The cover is stunning and eye catching, and not to mention the story within will warm your heart and make you feel cozy and satisfied. So pick up your eggnog or hot tottie and settle in for some holiday romance with this charming read!

Continue reading “Review: Mistletoe Season (Carolina Girls #2) by Michelle Major” →
Books, Reading

Special Feature and Excerpt: Down a Dark River by Karen Odden

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: Down a Dark River by Karen Odden

Down a Dark River by Karen Odden

Publication Date: November 9, 2021
Crooked Lane Books
Hardcover & eBook; 336 pages

Series: An Inspector Corravan Mystery, Book One
Genre: Historical Mystery

In the vein of C. S. Harris and Anne Perry, Karen Odden’s mystery introduces Inspector Michael Corravan as he investigates a string of vicious murders that has rocked Victorian London’s upper crust.

London, 1878. One April morning, a small boat bearing a young woman’s corpse floats down the murky waters of the Thames. When the victim is identified as Rose Albert, daughter of a prominent judge, the Scotland Yard director gives the case to Michael Corravan, one of the only Senior Inspectors remaining after a corruption scandal the previous autumn left the division in ruins. Reluctantly, Corravan abandons his ongoing case, a search for the missing wife of a shipping magnate, handing it over to his young colleague, Mr. Stiles.

An Irish former bare-knuckles boxer and dockworker from London’s seedy East End, Corravan has good street sense and an inspector’s knack for digging up clues. But he’s confounded when, a week later, a second woman is found dead in a rowboat, and then a third. The dead women seem to have no connection whatsoever. Meanwhile, Mr. Stiles makes an alarming discovery: the shipping magnate’s missing wife, Mrs. Beckford, may not have fled her house because she was insane, as her husband claims, and Mr. Beckford may not be the successful man of business that he appears to be.

Slowly, it becomes clear that the river murders and the case of Mrs. Beckford may be linked through some terrible act of injustice in the past—for which someone has vowed a brutal vengeance. Now, with the newspapers once again trumpeting the Yard’s failures, Corravan must dredge up the truth—before London devolves into a state of panic and before the killer claims another innocent victim.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BAM | IndieBound

Continue reading “Special Feature and Excerpt: Down a Dark River by Karen Odden” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Well Met (Well Met #1) by Jen DeLuca (Audible Edition)

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Well Met (Well Met #1) by Jen DeLuca (Audible Edition)

I saw the latest book in this series quite a bit on my IG and honestly I fully admit that this sounded kinda silly. However, I needed something silly to shake off the pain that was The Little Stranger. I just wanted something that was easy to read and would put me in a good mood because The Little Stranger was slow and I felt myself going toward a reading rut so I saw this one and thought why not.

I downloaded the Audible version so I could listen to it at work and in the car. Something easy breezy and fun. The narrator was great and made the book really really enjoyable. I am happy to see that she also narrates the other books in the series (which I have downloaded all of them I might add!). The only thing I regret is that I didn’t also buy a physical copy of the book because it was so funny and enjoyable that I could easily have finished it in a day or two if I had a physical copy at home!

As noted, this one sounded a little odd-ballish. I mean a romance at a Renaissance faire??? Most like cos play romance just sounds weird right? Have you ever been to a Ren Faire? Well there is a big one in Arizona and I have been multiple times, while fun, it’t not exactly a place that screams hot romance. But hey I was willing to give this one a go and see how it went.

Continue reading “Review: Well Met (Well Met #1) by Jen DeLuca (Audible Edition)” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

I have had this book on my TBR for years. Like years. Every Halloween season, I tell myself that I am going to pick this one up. It’s on all the ‘most scary’ book lists and I have heard such great things about Sarah Waters. Not to mention this book features all the creepy things that I love best in the gothic—a family fallen from grace, a crumbling old mansion, a haunted house. I mean all the things that make the gothic what it is can be found in this book or at least promise to be!

Well this year was finally they year for me to read this one. My sister and I picked this book to read for the month of October, every October we pick a couple of creepy books that we have had on our TBR and do a buddy read for the month and this was our pick. At over 450 pages, I decided to also download the Audible version too, I mean Simon Vance narrates and he always does a great job.

My sister has read other books by Waters and absolutely loves them so I had high hoped for this one and I was fully ready to be scared to death and up all night reading this one. So imagine my shock when I was literally bored to tears. This is my first and only DNF of the year and I couldn’t be more shocked. I went into this one fully ready to devour it!

Continue reading “Review: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters” →