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

Review: A Winter by the Sea (On Devonshire Shores #2) by Julie Klassen

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: A Winter by the Sea (On Devonshire Shores #2) by Julie Klassen

I featured this book when the cover reveal came out and since then I have been so excited to read this one! I read the first book in the series last year and really enjoyed it and couldn’t wait for the next installment in the series. Not to mention I am a big fan of Julie Klassen so naturally I had this one on my radar for months prior to its release! And honestly how could you not get excited about this book when you see the cover??? The Cover is stunning and I just knew it would be a good that would grab my attention!

Julia Klassen is a tried and proven author for me. She has written so many historical fiction books that have many elements that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Some of her books have a bit of a Gothic feel while others have more romance or some have more of a friendship/family feel to them. There are also religious components but for me the religion doesn’t overshadow the story or become preachy.

Whenever I see a new book by Klassen, I rarely hesitate to snatch it up. She is a consistently good writer and I almost always enjoy her books and that is not something I can say about every author I read so I don’t take that statement lightly! If you are looking for a solid historical fiction author then you don’t want to miss Klassen, she is a delight to read!

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Interview: Cyanide and Sensibility (Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery #3) by Katie Oliver

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Interview: Cyanide and Sensibility (Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery #3) by Katie Oliver

Who doesn’t love Jane Austen? She wrote such classic romances and even today, readers can still relate to her stories and characters! I mean look at the 1990s classic movie, Clueless. While it had a modern twist, the Austen story of Emma shines through. Clearly Austen is a classic for a reason! This is one of the reasons that I love reading Jane Austen reimagining stories! This particular series takes both the Austen characters/stories and the author herself and make them into a mystery series!

I loved the idea of this series. Here the author takes Austen and her novels and give them a modern twist and then she throws in some murder to boot! I couldn’t be more excited to share a bit about this series and as a special treat, I have an interview with the author as well! So make sure you keep reading to see what she has to say about her new novel!

This series is only three books in but the author has written quite a few other books that readers of cozies should enjoy too! For me, my favorite Jane Austen novel is Sense and Sensibility so this book obviously appeals to me! I have not read the other books in this series but I have added them to my TBR list for later in the spring. If you are a Jane Austen fan you don’t want to miss this fun little series! Keep reading to get all the details of the latest cozy mystery with an Austen flare!

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Books, Reading

Book Blast: A Brilliant Match (The Earl’s Sisters #1) by Jennie Goutet

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Book Blast: A Brilliant Match (The Earl’s Sisters #1) by Jennie Goutet

I took a bit of a break from all my Regency romances this fall in favor of some spooky books for September and October! But now that things are becoming less spooky and more Merry, I am ready to pick up some fun Regency romances again and this one sounds like it’s going to be right up my alley! This particular author is new to me but it sounds like she has written a number of Regency romances but from a smaller publisher and it looks like she has quite a fan base established and I am super excited to share more about this upcoming series with you guys today!

I am excited to see that there are three books planned in this series with this one being the first! While I have not yet read this one I am planning on reading it here later this winter! It sounds like a nice refreshing read and early reviews are favorable with many reviewers praising the historical authenticity and details! If you are a historical fiction/romance fan you will know how important it is to get the details just right! I know for me I get distracted with glaring historical inaccuracies but I was happy to read that most readers found this book (as well as her others) to be authentic and charming!

If you love historical romances with the peerage that are clean, sweet, with the promise of a HEA then this might be a great read for you this upcoming winter/holiday season! I am so excited to share about this book today and want to know what’s even better? There is a giveaway happening that you can win a free copy over on my IG! Be sure to check it out and you could possibly read this one for free!

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

Review: A Class Inherited (A Matter of Class #6) by Susie Murphy

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: A Class Inherited (A Matter of Class #6) by Susie Murphy

The last few months have been REALLY challenging for me. I started a new job with a lot more responsibility and I have barely had time to sit down and collect my thoughts let alone read. I have been reading a lot of quick historical romances, especially throughout the summer and early fall. But let’s be real—the late Sumer and early fall are a nightmare for school administrators and teachers. So while I have been trying to find time to read here and there, I haven’t found a lot of time to share reviews on all the books I read but I have been staring reviews on the books I have enjoyed and felt deserved some special attention.

I am hoping now that we are getting into the late fall and into early winter, I will have a lot more time to share reviews on all my reads again! This blog has been such a great outlet for me especially during the different seasons of life. Not to mention I have discovered a TON of great new authors and books through my reviews! That’s how I found this lovely series by Susie Murphy! I have been reading this series since it was first released in 2018 plus over the years I have gotten to know Susie and she is a wonderful person as well as writer!

Every November I know that Susie will have a new installment to the A Matter of Class series and it’s one of the book series I look forward to and try to make adjustments to my schedules I can read her books! This summer and fall I have been scaling back on my reviews so I could focus on my new position at work, but I kept November mostly open so I could have time to read the next installment of her saga—-because yes at this point it’s gone from series to sage for me!

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

Review: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

I am always on the look out for new historical fiction novels—it’s my favorite genre to read. I love history and any combo or history, romance, mystery, or standard historical fiction, is usually right up my alley. Like most genres, it’s saturated with new books on a regular basis. All promising to be ‘new and different’ but when you crack open the book it’s often ‘oh this again’. But that is one of the reasons I love the genre so much. I don’t always need ‘hot new different’ reads, sometimes I just need a good solid historical fiction novel (or any combo of historical fiction and it’s sub genres).

How do you break out of traditional historical fiction stereotypes though if you are a new author? What makes your book stand out and different that readers will want to read it though? For me—you write good solid characters! Characters are what make the stories! Sure the bones of the book sound familiar, but it’s the characters that make books! When someone asks you what stood out in Pride and Prejudice—-I bet 99% of you would NOT say the time period or setting—-I am SURE most of you would say Mr Darcy and Elizabeth!

I love reading different takes on classic troupes with standout characters which is one of the reasons this book stood out to me. On the surface it sounds like ‘just another historical fiction book’—-a young widow solves Agatha Christie style mystery in Regency England but what we got was a fund heroine even if the premise of the book sounded traditional and bland, this book was so much fun and I loved getting to know Lady Petra!

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