Books, Reading

Special Feature: Windhall by Ava Barry

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Special Feature: Windhall by Ava Barry

Like many devoted Netflix fans, I binge watched the new true crime documentary, Crime Scene the story of Elisa Lam. There is something about mysteries set in Lala Land that just add so much intrigue and a twisted sort of glamour. After watching the documentary, I was interested in finding not only some true crime books but also some thrillers that were also set in Hollywood.

That was one of the reasons that this book is so timely for me—it’s a murder mystery set in old Hollywood. I am so excited to share about this book with you guys today! If you love Hollywood’s golden age, starlets, investigative journalists, and of course murder then this is one you want to get on your radar! I am so excited to read it this spring but it’s out now and if you have been looking for a new murder mystery to read, this one might be your book!

Not to mention this amazing cover! This cover is so reminiscent of a Hollywood movie poster and I am in love with it! This is author Ava Barry’s debut and I think it’s going to be a hit for her and I will be sure to share my review here with you guys once I do read it but for now check out all the details below!

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

Re-Share Review: Who Speaks for the Damned (Sebastian St. Cyr #15) by C.S. Harris

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Re-Share Review: Who Speaks for the Damned (Sebastian St. Cyr #15) by C.S. Harris

Sebastian St Cyr is one of my all time favorite detectives. I love all of the books and I am actually currently reading the next book which is great by the way! I loved the series so much that I went back and read the entire series beginning to end last year so that I could get a more complete picture of Sebastian and the secondary characters.

I had jumped around in the series when I started the books and while I wasn’t exactly lost, there were times when I could tell that I was missing out one some nuances between the characters and the larger narrative. So I went back and started at the beginning and it was so great for me to do that because I fell in love withe the story and characters even more.

That said you don’t have to read all the books in order necessarily. Some you do but for the most part they can stand alone. This one was one of the books that could stand alone. I am so excited to re-share my review with you guys today because I just love this series so much and the characters and mysteries are fantastic! If you love historical mysteries you need Sebastian St Cyr on your radar!

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

Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

When I saw this book, the cover made it hard to pass on. The cover is so eye catching and colorful that I couldn’t look away! I loved it and was immediately curious what this book was all about! Then I read the back…..ummmm sold after the two rules! I couldn’t wait to check this one out!

In the summary the first line is this: Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman. Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register. I mean poison and murder in the late 1700s?! YES! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one!

I also saw that this book was announced as a Book of the Month pick for March and while I have a copy of this one on my iPad, I also ordered the hard copy as my BOTM too! It’s a gorgeous book and the story was so so so good! I am so excited to share this one with you guys today! If you love historical fiction and thrillers this one is wonderful!

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

Review: An Unexpected Peril (Veronica Speedwell #6) by Deanna Raybourn

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: An Unexpected Peril (Veronica Speedwell #6) by Deanna Raybourn

I have been a fan of Veronica Speedwell since the very first book. I adore the slow burn chemistry between Veronica and Stoker (her love interest) and the mysteries are always satisfying. Deanna Raybourn is such a great writer, I read her Lady Julia series as well as some of her standalone books and all have been so delightful!

One of the things that makes this series stand out to me more than some other historical mysteries is that both Veronica and Stoker have unique professions. Veronica is a butterfly scientist/hunter and Stoker is a taxidermist—although he has had quite a few other jobs in his life so maybe it’s better to consider him an adventurer with a colorful background. Their unique professions make them great at solving mysteries because they use their own scientific approach to the mystery.

Every time I pick up one of their books I always expect to read a mystery that included a deductive approach to solving the crime and of course I expect to have a little romance in the book. Stoker and Veronica’s chemistry has been so great, though the last book it finally came to reality but it seemed a little forced so I was really looking forward to seeing how their romance played out in this one.

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

One of the thing that I love about own voices novels is experiencing a story within a story. On the surface you have the actual story and characters etc, but there is a second story within the novel and that’s the authors own unique narrative and how they interpret or experience the story and characters based on their own unique cultural perspective.

This hot little own voices novel is out now and it sounds incredible! Author Nadia Hashimi has written a number of novels and all have been met with rave reviews! I haven’t read any of her books but I have seen them on many best seller lists and on ‘most anticipated’ lists. I am really looking forward to reading this one a little later this year but since it’s out now and sounds incredibly promising, I thought it would be great to share a little about this one with you guys!

I am most excited to see how this one plays out as the main character was a child in Afghanistan and is adopted by an American and lives in America and from the sound of things, basically assimilates and plans to never think about her time in Afghanistan again. I am curious to see explore how the character feels about her home country after returning as an adult and now an ‘American’. I think there will be a lot to unpack and explore in this one and this might be a good pick for book clubs!

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