Category: Reading

Books, Reading

Special Feature and Excerpt: In the Shadow of a Queen by Heather B Moore

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: In the Shadow of a Queen by Heather B Moore

Queen Victoria is absolutely my favorite queen. I love her dedication to her duty but also her family, even if the life time of mourning was a little extreme. I just love her and the time that she reigned so anything written about her even if it’s in the abstract is normally a yes for me to feature at the very least. My review calendar fills up so quick so when this one came up, I couldn’t squeeze it in for a review but I was absolutely on board for a feature and excerpt!

While this book isn’t about the Queen Victoria herself, it’s about her daughter, Louise, I was excited to get a glimpse into the life and family world of Queen Victoria’s daughter. I don’t know too much about Louise but she sounds like she was a bit on the wild side and I love that this book is going to explore how that impacted her upbringing and her relationship with her mother the queen.

I know that Victoria had many children but I never really thought to explore her children and their stories as it was mostly her who interested me as a historical figure, but I think there are certainly many untold stories in her family tree and I am thrilled to see Louise is getting one! If you love historical fiction then you are not going to want to miss this ons. Check out the excerpt I have up for you guys to read today and of course be sure to add this one to your TBR list!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature and Excerpt: All is Bright by RaeAnne Thayne

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: All is Bright by RaeAnne Thayne

I have been a long time RaeAnne Thayne fan! Every fall I look forward to her upcoming holiday releases. I usually hold off reading them until it’s closer to the holiday season but I am always down to feature them in early fall! For me personally, I am all about spooky mysteries in the fall so I don’t actually pick up any Christmas-y books until usually November, but I know that in the publishing world, the Christmas books start hitting shelves in September!

To be honest though, RaeAnne Thayne is an excellent choice any time of year. She has written so many wonderful books and series that I have enjoyed holiday themed and not! She is an excellent and proven writer and in my opinion you cannot go wrong with any of her books! I am so excited to share a little excerpt with you guys today for this upcoming holiday release! It sounds like it’s going to be so good! You don’t want to miss this one.

I will no doubt have a review up as the holiday season approaches so be watching for that in the future! If you love feel good, heartwarming, stories about small town life and romance then you don’t want to miss this one—-or anything by Thayne for that matter! I mean that cover is just so cozy and inviting and I cannot want to crack this one open over a cup of hot chocolate this holiday season—or maybe a bit before since I can hardly resist a good romance!

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Books, Reading

Review: Mother Daughter Traitor Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Mother Daughter Traitor Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal

Big big big fan of Susan Elia MacNeal here! I have loved her Maggie Hope series over the years and when I saw this one was coming out, I actually thought it was maybe a novella or something tied to the Maggie Hope series. If you are familiar with the Maggie Hope books, then you will know that spying and familial connections play a big role. So just based on the title I thought surely this book would tie into the Maggie books some how. However, it’s actually a stand alone book! No connection to the Maggie books.

I I know that for some authors it’s hard to branch out into a world of standalone books. Authors get to be ‘known’ for a character, or series etc and next thing you know they have become pigeon holed. I think what works for this one is MacNeal sticks to familiar territory. She knows her history and always does such a great job developing the historical context. While this book wasn’t a Maggie book, I felt connected to the time period and setting in the same way that I would with one of her series books.

I love this book for new fans of MacNeal. The Maggie books are about 10 books into the series and sometimes it can be intimidating to go back and read the whole series in order to get caught up before the next release comes out. This book gives interested and new readers the chance to explore MacNeal’s writing and style without having to go back and read a whole series. It is a great standalone novel and should not be missed!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature and Excerpt: An Autumn Kiss by Annette Lyon, Lisa H. Catmull, and Laura Rollins

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: An Autumn Kiss by Annette Lyon, Lisa H. Catmull, and Laura Rollins

This book cover is giving meals the fall vibes! I am absolutely in love with this dress! I wish I could wear something like this to work, it looks so cozy! This book is coming in hot with the fall theme not just in the cover but in the title as well and I am absolutely here for it. I am ready to usher in fall and all the cozy reading and this book seems like a nice way to do that!

Today I have an excerpt to share with you guys and I am really looking forward to hearing what you guys think! This series is in it’s seventh book but they can be read out of order. This book is on the shorter side (300 pages) so it will make for some quick reading no doubt, and it’s an anthology so there are a couple of stories included in this one!

I love clean romances and of course the Victorian era is right up my alley (yes, I binged Bridgerton)! Each novella features a fun heroine and a charming romance for readers to enjoy and while I often favor full length romances sometimes having a novella/anthology is refreshing. I find that reading a variety of stories can help break up the desire to read something fun without having to fully commit to a full length novel if that makes sense. I am so excited to check this collection out and I hope you enjoy reading the excerpt!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Winter Orphans by Kristin Beck

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I love reading historical fiction that is based on a true story. There are, naturally, tons of stories throughout history that are just waiting to have an author give voice to. Some might be family stories, some might be big figures in history, or just random people that an author stumbled upon in their research for a new novel. Sure an author could come up with their own story, but as the saying goes—-truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. And for me, often the stories based on real events and characters, are often the best.

Author Kristin Beck has written a lovely historical fiction novel that is based no real events and characters and I am simply so excited to check it out! Beck is known for her first novel, Courage, My Love that was released in 2021 with rave reviews. This latest novel will no doubt leave readers feeling satisfied. It is already getting wonderful reviews from early readers and I am simply thrilled to share about this one with you all today!

The Winter Orphans focuses on two young girls and their incredible journey to escape the Nazis. While this might sound like a heavy novel, Beck is a talented writer with a beautiful prose and will leave readers feeling happy that they chose to pick this one up. If you love historical fiction, especially WWII fiction, then you are not going to want to miss this one! It is out now so be sure to get it on your TBR list and pick up a copy now!

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