Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Reading

Review: Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

I think most know the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale of Rapunzel.

The child sold to a witch for a handful of bitter greens who grows up to be the beautiful girl in the world with long golden hair.

Destine to live in a tower forever, a prince rides by and hears a voice and is enchanted by her.

He learns how to get to her by climbing up her hair and ultimately rescues her for the witch and the tower and they live happily ever after.

Sound familiar? But what of the original fairy tale by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force that was published in 1698?

In Kate Forsyth’s book Bitter Greens,  Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force is one of the main characters and we see how her story could have potentially come together.

Continue reading “Review: Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth” →

Books, Reading

Special Feature: M.L. Longworth featured on NPR’s Crime in the City

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: M.L. Longworth featured on NPR’s Crime in the City

When the seasons start to change from summer to fall….I find myself instinctively drawn to reading a good murder mystery.

For me, fall means curling up by the fire with a pumpkin spice latte and reading a good who-dunnit!

I was recently approached by Penguin to review M.L. Longworth’s latest novel Murder on the Île Sordou (Verlaque and Bonnet #4) and let me just say that this book is satisfying my urge to read a good mystery!

I should finish it up tonight, I started reading it this weekend and haven’t put it down since!

My review will be up later this month but in the mean time…..M.L. Longworth was recently featured on NPR’s Crime in the City series (“Mystery Writer Weaves Intricate Puzzles in Sleepy French Town”), in a wonderful introduction to the author, the Verlaque & Bonnet series, and Aix-en-Provence.

This is a wonderful article that I highly encourage you to read!

I can’t wait to read the other books in the series as I am starting in the middle, however you don’t need to read the other books to appreciate this wonderful mystery series set throughout French countryside!

About the Author

M. L . Longworth has written for The Washington Post, The Times (London), The Independent, and Bon Appétit magazine. She divides her time between Aix-en-Provence, where she writes, and Paris, where she teaches writing at New York University’s Paris campus.

For more information on M.L. Longworth, please visit her blog and web page!

Books, Reading

Special Feature: Harbor Island (Sharpe & Donovan #4) by Carla Neggers

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Harbor Island (Sharpe & Donovan #4) by Carla Neggers

I recently reviewed one of Carla Neggers’s Sharpe & Donovan novel, Declan’s Cross and though I didn’t read some of the other novels in the series, it was an interesting plot with with history, romance, and suspense.

I am looking forward to the novel book in the series, Harbor Island.

In this book, Emma Sharpe finds herself on a wild ride which takes her from Boston, to Ireland, and back across the pond to Maine.

I am thrilled to be able to post this except from this thrilling novel! Please enjoy the excerpt and be sure to add it to your TBR list today!

Continue reading “Special Feature: Harbor Island (Sharpe & Donovan #4) by Carla Neggers” →

Books, Random, Reading

Special Feature: Guest Outlander Review

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Guest Outlander Review

For those of you who have followed this blog for a lengthy time, you will know how much I LOVE the Outlander series! It is one of the best series I’ve read and I recommend it to almost everyone I meet who like historic fiction.

So it goes without saying that I have been glued to my TV every Saturday night watching the Starz Outlander series which is based on the books. I have been meaning to write a review of the series for quite some time.

I originally planned on writing a review for reach episode, but decided that might be too ambitious for this season….so I think I will write my own review at the end of the season. However for now, one of my friends, Spencer Blohm, asked if I would like to run his review on my blog in the mean time which I clearly agreed to. So sassenachs please enjoy Spencer’s review of the series here!  Continue reading “Special Feature: Guest Outlander Review” →

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

Review: Inglorious Royal Marriages: A Demi-Millennium of Unholy Mismatrimony by Leslie Carroll

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: Inglorious Royal Marriages: A Demi-Millennium of Unholy Mismatrimony by Leslie Carroll

Don’t we all wish we could be a fly on the wall of a royal marriage. There is something about royalty, romance, and marriage that lures us in and doesn’t let go.

With Leslie Carroll’s new book we get all the juice from some of history’s most notorious marriages!

Let’s just put it this way…..everything that could go wrong in these marriages, often did! And how could they not when marriages were often arranged for political gain and purpose, rather than love and affection.

I won’t go into too much detail as far as background info on the book based on the way it is structured. It’s pretty straight forward and a collections of short stories.

Carroll’s novel spans some 500 years covering stories that some readers will know well and introducing us to others we might not otherwise have known.

Continue reading “Review: Inglorious Royal Marriages: A Demi-Millennium of Unholy Mismatrimony by Leslie Carroll” →