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

Review: The Rose and the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn #2) by Renee Ahdieh

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Rose and the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn #2) by Renee Ahdieh

This book has been on my Amazon pre-order for months…..as soon as I finished reading the first book, I had this one on pre order and it was one of my spring ‘most anticipated’ novels!

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan.

She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever.

Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid’s empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn’t yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

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Review: Midnight in Berlin by James MacManus

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Midnight in Berlin by James MacManus

I am a sucker for war romances…..and that’s sort of what I thought I was getting with this book.

While it does have elements of romance, it’s more of a book about the beginning days of WWII and what was going on behind the scenes with diplomatic discussions etc.

Berlin, 1938. Newly-appointed diplomat, Noel Macrae and his wife Primrose arrive at the British Embassy in Berlin.

Prime Minister Chamberlain is intent on placating Nazi Germany, but Macrae is less so.

Convinced Hitler can be stopped by other means than appeasement, he soon discovers he is not the only dissenting voice in the Embassy and finds that some senior officers in the German military are prepared to turn against the Fuhrer.

Gathering vital intelligence, Macrae is drawn to a Nazi bordello and its enigmatic Jewish hostess Sara Sternschein. Sara is a treasure-trove of knowledge about the Nazi hierarchy in a city of lies, spies and secrets.

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

Review: A Fine Imitation by Amber Brock

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: A Fine Imitation by Amber Brock

The 1920s seem to be a very popular period in literature at the moment.

I’ve read a lot of books lately set in this time period which is fun because it’s a period that often gets passed over in historical fiction.

The Regency, Tudor, and Victorian era always seem to garner the most literary action when it comes to historical fiction.

In this book we meet young New York socialite Vera Bellington who passes her days with champagne-soaked socializing and then at night she waits for her less than attentive husband to come home to her, which basically never happens.

Her life is lonely to say the least and she is longing for some kind of excitement…..anything to break up the monotony in her life.

Then along comes French artist, Emil Hallan who moves into her building. He is mysterious and his art work is also a mystery to Vera so she is soon intrigued and curious about this young, handsome painter. Somehow she finds herself drawn to Emil’s warmth and passion but yet she is suspicious about him.

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Spotlight Feature: LOVING ELEANOR by Susan Wittig Albert

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Spotlight Feature: LOVING ELEANOR by Susan Wittig Albert
02_Loving Eleanor

Loving Eleanor By Susan Wittig Albert

Publication Date: February 1, 2016
Persevero Press; Thorndike (Large Print)
Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Large Print
Genre: Historical Fiction/Biographical Fiction
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When AP political reporter Lorena Hickok—Hick—is assigned to cover Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the wife of the 1932 Democratic presidential candidate, the two women become deeply, intimately involved. Their relationship begins with mutual romantic passion, matures through stormy periods of enforced separation and competing interests, and warms into an enduring, encompassing friendship that ends only with both women’s deaths in the 1960s—all of it documented by 3300 letters exchanged over thirty years.

Now, New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert recreates the fascinating story of Hick and Eleanor, set during the chaotic years of the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Second World War. Loving Eleanor is Hick’s personal story, revealing Eleanor as a complex, contradictory, and entirely human woman who is pulled in many directions by her obligations to her husband and family and her role as the nation’s First Lady, as well as by a compelling need to care and be cared for. For her part, Hick is revealed as an accomplished journalist, who, at the pinnacle of her career, gives it all up for the woman she loves. Then, as Eleanor is transformed into Eleanor Everywhere, First Lady of the World, Hick must create her own independent, productive life.

Drawing on extensive research in the letters that were sealed for a decade following Hick’s death, Albert creates a compelling narrative: a dramatic love story, vividly portraying two strikingly unconventional women, neither of whom is satisfied to live according to the script society has written for her. Loving Eleanor is a profoundly moving novel that illuminates a relationship we are seldom privileged to see and celebrates the depth and durability of women’s love.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound

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

Review: The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2) by Lucinda Riley

by The Lit Bitch6 Comments on Review: The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2) by Lucinda Riley

Last spring, I had the pleasure of starting this unique series, The Seven Sisters.

This series tells the story of each of the D’Apliese sisters that were adopted by a rich billionaire, Pa Salt, and named after the Seven Sisters constellation.

This book is the second in the series and chronicles the story of Ally D’Apliese who is a sensible, professional sailor.

After sailing in one of her most challenging races, the smoldering chemistry between skipper, Theo, and Ally is ripe for igniting. The two are vacationing together in the Greek Isles when word reaches Ally that Pa Salt has died.

After this devastating news Ally returns to her home retreat ‘Atlantis’ in Geneva to mourn her father. When she arrives her father has left clues for all seven of the sisters to find out where they come from…..if they choose. Most of the sisters have said said they will find out someday but few have expressed much interest in the subject of their ‘roots’.

Ally returns to Theo and begins to prep for the ‘race of her life’ called Fastnet which promises glory for the winning team but it also promises extremely dangerous conditions.

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