Books, Reading

Special Feature: When A Stranger Comes to Town by Michael Koryta

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: When A Stranger Comes to Town by Michael Koryta

Where are my murderionos at? Are you obsessed with mysteries? I know I sure am! I love a classic whodunnit and while I love full length novels, there is something enticing about an anthology of short stories. Anthologies or short stories always seen to have one or two really good stories and then a few that just aren’t as great which always makes me a little wary when it comes to reading them, however, I really liked the idea of shorter mysteries for one reason—they reminded me of a tv show set up.

When I was pregnant with my son, I had terrible nausea all day. I spent 6 weeks in bed watching ID Discovery Chanel and some of my favorite shows were ones that featured multiple different mysteries in the episode. That’s what short stories remind me of—-short tv shows versus a longer feature fill (like a novel) so I was instantly attracted to this book and I loved the ‘stranger danger’ troupe!

I love that it takes the ‘stranger danger’ component and really brings that to the forefront of the mystery anthology! There are some serious powerhouse writers featured in this anthology (Joe Hill!) and I cannot wait to check it out. If you love mysteries and are looking for a different approach to mysteries then this might be a great anthology to start with! Be sure to check it out, it’s coming out tomorrow!

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Books, Reading

Excerpt Tour: Before Summer Ends by Susan Mallery

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Excerpt Tour: Before Summer Ends by Susan Mallery

Is it even summer without a new Susan Mallery book?! Susan Mallery is one of the queens of summer beach reads in my book and I am so excited to be part of the excerpt tour! Be sure to check out the schedule of excerpts below and you too can follow along and read all the parts of this new book!

Susan Mallery is a long standing, prolific writer with a number of novels under her belt ranging in topics from romances, to family relationships, to friendships. I have come to expect high quality, good stories from her and I have thus far never been disappointed. Mallery is known for writing nuanced and complexed characters and I have no reason to feel that this latest book is lacking in any of those area!

After reading some of the excerpts, I know this is going to be another great book for your summer time or beach reading! Harlequin always puts out novels that just leave you feeling good and happy with how things resolved. I don’t know about you but I could use with a few more HEAs right now in the world and this sounds like just the book to do that!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Vanishing Museum on the Rue Mistral (Verlaque and Bonnet #9) by M.L. Longworth

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: The Vanishing Museum on the Rue Mistral (Verlaque and Bonnet #9) by M.L. Longworth

I read a few of the earlier Verlaque and Bonnet mysteries and one of the things that stands out about the series as a whole is how sophisticated they feel. Both of the characters feel mature and smart with a distinct air of sophistication that I think other cozy style mysteries don’t always have. I don’t know if it’s because the mysteries are set in the South of France, but something about this series always says ‘classy’ to me!

This is one series that I really need to go back and read from the beginning. I have jumped around in the series but never really felt lost within the larger narrative and characters but I will say that I think I might appreciate the nuances of Verlaque and Bonnet’s relationship had I started the series from the beginning. So this is a series that I am planning on going back and reading from the beginning but I think readers will feel right at home without having to go back and start from the beginning.

Today I am so excited to share a bit about this book and series with you all, the 9th book is out now. This book promises all the same charm, smarts, and mystery long time fans will expect from this series. Plus if you are looking for a little escape (ie; a trip to the South of France!) then look no further than this fun series right here!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature and Excerpt: The Last Book Shop in London by Madeline Martin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: The Last Book Shop in London by Madeline Martin

This book shot up to the top of the TBR list after I saw a number of my friends reading this one over on Instagram! It looks so good and I love the cover! Then I started reading this little excerpt below and I couldn’t wait to download a copy of this book! This book has it all—emotion, history, love, loss, and of course a bookstore! I am really looking forward to it!

It has also been met with really high praise from a number of early reviews. If you are a reader and book lover, there is no way you cannot not love this book. I mean the characters bond over The Count of Monte Cristo for crying out loud! I love books where other books and classics are a large part of the story, so basically this one has my name on it!

The author has written some other steamy historical romances and while this book might have a romance, it sounds like it’s been more on the sweet side rather than the steamy side. As soon as I read this one I will be sure to post a review for you guys, but for now check out the excerpt below and get this one on your TBR list!

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

Review: The Smuggler’s Daughter by Kerry Barrett

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Smuggler’s Daughter by Kerry Barrett

This book’s cover is positively stunning and that’s how it ended up on my TBR list! I love the tempestuous looking sky, rocky coastline, and the pale peach of the girl’s dress on the cover. It suggests innocents and yet something stormy brewing in the sea. Not to mention the title suggests adventure! I love books set on the coast, it’s something so instantly atmospheric about it.

Author Kerry Barrett, has written a couple of other books and while they sound good, this is the one that would naturally stand out to me. I love the description of the book and the setting, and as I noted before, the cover is eye catching. I liked that it’s a duel timeline story with a historical narrative and a modern day one that culminate in the end. This is a storytelling style that I rarely get tired of.

But then there was part of me that was hesitant about this one…..there are a lot of books with ‘daughter’ in the title—The Witches Daughter, The Timekeepers Daughter, The Painters Daughter, The Hangman’s Daughter….the list goes on. Everyone has a daughter and it’s a title that doesn’t really distinguish itself. But nevertheless, I liked the Smuggler portion of the title and I think in a way it did stand out for that.

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