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

Review: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (Audible Edition)

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (Audible Edition)

This is my very first Riley Sager novel and I can’t believe it took me this long to read one of his books. I have seen a number of his books on my social media and I know that many of his books have book Book of the Month selections, but I have to be honest none of them really grabbed me. Until this one.

I love haunted house stories. I binged The Haunting of Hill House and Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix and have been looking for something to read that would be similar to those shows. I have of course read some haunted house novels but I wanted something with a little more substance to it and this one seemed to fit the bill.

It was a Book of the Month pick last year and I ordered it but put off reading it after my sister said she didn’t love it. She thought that Sager didn’t write believable female characters. That sounded off putting to me, but when the mood struck me to read a haunted house novel this was the first one that came up. And I am incredibly glad that I ignored my sister.

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

Reading and Ranking the Bridgerton Novels

by The Lit Bitch7 Comments on Reading and Ranking the Bridgerton Novels

Like most of the world, the Netflix series Bridgerton, dominated my TV during Christmas Day. I desperately wanted to watch it and asked if my husband wanted to watch with me. He wasn’t sure about it but I told him that he only had to watch one episode and if he didn’t like it then I would just watch it alone on another day. The next thing I know, it was 3 am and we had binged the entire series in one sitting!

My husband loved it as much as I did and truly, it is a remarkable show so if you haven’t watched it yet please do so! That said, when I heard the show was coming out in the spring, I knew that I wanted to try and read the books. I picked up The Duke and I and to be honest I just didn’t love it. It was good but after a while it got cumbersome and irritating, however after watching the show, I was inspired to pick up the books again!

What ensued was a full on book binge of the entire series! I have been documenting my reading of the series on my Instagram page and I had a number of people ask which was my favorite and why so I thought it would be fun to share my ranking of the series in a more comprehensive capacity here on my blog today! So let’s take a look at what I thought of the books from worst to best!

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

Review: The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson

The very first novel that I remember loving was The Silk Vendetta by Victoria Holt. I was eleven or twelve and no doubt missed all the adult nuances of the story, but what I didn’t miss was the Gothic atmosphere of the novel. I went through a lengthy Victoria Holt period in my early teens and then again as an adult. I am always looking for books that capture what I loved about Victoria Holt…..creepy, atmospheric historical fiction with a romantic element.

This book sounded like exactly that—and it was! I have never grown out of my Gothic Lit phase and reading books like this, I am reminded just how much I love Gothic novels with romance. Many authors have tried to strike a similar balance like Victoria Holt, but not many authors have succeeded. I can think of only a few authors who I would consider similar to Victoria Holt but Abigail Wilson is now one such author!

I adored this book even if there were some things that I thought could have been more nuanced or flushed out, over all this novel had me transfixed and in suspense until the very end. I have been looking forward to this one for quite some time and was thrilled with all the atmosphere this one delivered!

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

Review: On the Way to the Wedding (Bridgertons #8) by Julia Quinn

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: On the Way to the Wedding (Bridgertons #8) by Julia Quinn

Well folks here we have it—my final review of the last Bridgerton novel! I can’t believe I have finally reached the end of the series. I am so sad but yet at the same time so satisfied with how the series wrapped up. I was actually glad that we ended the series with Gregory’s story rather than Hyacinth’s, as I felt that Gregory’s story had a bit more action and romance to recommend itself.

Gregory always seemed far removed from the other Bridgerton siblings. Not in the same way that Francesca was but having so many years between him and his other brothers left him adrift in a sea of sisters. It made me wonder if he was going to be more romantic than the others and I was pleasantly surprised that he was.

I tried to savor this one a little more than the other books in the series so it took me a little longer to finish this one than I was expecting, but that was fine by me because I felt like I could slow down and appreciate the romance and the action more than I did in the former books. While this wasn’t my fav of the series, it was a wonderful read and I really enjoyed it!

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

Re-share Review: The King’s Justice (Maggie Hope #9) by Susan Elia MacNeal

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Re-share Review: The King’s Justice (Maggie Hope #9) by Susan Elia MacNeal

The King’s Justice is out in paperback now and I am celebrating the release of the paperback by re-sharing my original review with you guys! When I first stumbled on Maggie Hope, it was early 2012. I was one of the first people to read and review Mr Churchill’s Secretary and I fell head over heals for Maggie right then and there!

I have adored many of the books in the series thus far and I can’t believe we are on the 9th book already! The 10th book is coming out in July 2021 and I cannot wait for that one to release to see what awaits Maggie across the pond as it were.

Obviously when this book came up for review, I was thrilled to be reading more about Maggie’s journey and checking in with many of my favorite characters in the series. After the last book, I had high hopes for this one as well! This is a series that you could jump around in but to fully appreciate Maggie and her personal journey of growth, you will want to start from the beginning. She’s a great heroine and her stories are all so wonderful. I can’t wait for the next one, but until then check out the paperback release and enjoy my original review!

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