Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (Ill-Mannered Ladies #1) by Alison Goodman

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (Ill-Mannered Ladies #1) by Alison Goodman

If ever there was a cover to lust after—-this is it. I absolutely love the colors and design of this cover! Whoever designed the cover did an amazing job at catching the eye of every single Jane Austen fan in the literary realm! But besides a beautiful cover, what else does this book have to offer? Well I will tell you—-it promises strong feminists and mystery! I love a good historical mystery but even more so when it has a Regency era theme to it!

The first thing that stood out to me about this book was that it had a mature main character. Lady Augusts is 42 and a spinster, so many of the historical mysteries on the market have a heroine that is ‘young’ or ‘in their twenties’. As a 42 year old reader myself, I love seeing a heroine that I already have something in common with. Sometimes it can be hard to read about a young sleuth with little to no life experience. I think this book hold a lot of promise and I cannot wait to read it later this year.

Early readers of this book are praising the story and eager for more installments. While the colorful and cheery cover suggest a more frivolous story, many readers are saying it is far from that. I love that this story promises a realistic view of the time period and the way women were treated while still maintaining a sense of fun and adventure. I think this book is going to provide readers with a lot to digest about the time period but also enjoy by the way of characters that are unique, strong, and different. I cannot wait for the adventure of this one! Keep reading to get all the details!

Continue reading “Special Feature: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (Ill-Mannered Ladies #1) by Alison Goodman” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Marrying Off Morgan McBride (The McBride’s of Montana #2) by Amy Barry

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Marrying Off Morgan McBride (The McBride’s of Montana #2) by Amy Barry

I did a special feature on this series last summer and at that time thought it sounded like such a fun series. I am not normally one for western romances, but I loved that the author had a promising modern voice and I thought she might add that as a special twist to western historical romances. The first book had a lot of positive feedback and fans so when this one came up for review, I knew I had to somehow fit it into my summer review schedule.

I have to say, I think the show Yellowstone has brought out a little bit of cowboy lover in all of us which is one of the reasons this book appealed to me—-even if this book is a historical romance, the rugged cowboys are in abundance in this book so I feel like it ticked a lot of boxes for reader appeal. I also liked that it promised some humor, I love romances that are light hearted and make me laugh, so to say I was excited for this one was an understatement.

I was so certain that I would love this book that I ordered the first one in the series so I could have it on standby. Since I hadn’t read the first book, I went into this one blind, I would say no need to read the other book before this one but there are some characters that make a reappearance from the first book. I will go back and read the first book a little later this summer so I will be sure to update this review if that does not hold true.

Continue reading “Review: Marrying Off Morgan McBride (The McBride’s of Montana #2) by Amy Barry” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: After Anne by Logan Steiner

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: After Anne by Logan Steiner

Is there a reader alive who didn’t love Anne of Green Gables as a kid? I was absolutely addicted to the Anne of Green Gables 1980s tv show when I was a girl. Gilbert Blythe was my first book boyfriend thanks to this show. I recall buying the books in third and fourth grades but not reading the books until I was an adult when the show Anne and with an E came out on Netflix! Anne with an E was my idol as a girl. Mostly because I too was an Anne with an E so I felt like in some way we had a special connection.

Now as an adult, I can’t tell you a single thing about the movie I watched many many times over as a girl, but I remember loving it and I remember that it made me fall in love with all things turn of the century and that I wanted desperately to move to Prince Edward Island and live on a farm, but I can’t really remember the actual story all that well.

After reading the first book, I had all kinds of nostalgia and I loved revisiting my childhood memories and characters that I loved so much growing up. But while I loved the books (even as an adult), I still hoped for something with a little more substance. This is where this book comes into play. This book follows the life of Anne author, Lucy Maud Montgomery. While I was hoping for something more about Anne, I was open to reading more about the woman who gave us one of literatures most loved heroines.

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Book Critic, Book Review

Review: The Duchess Takes a Husband (The Gilded Age Heiresses #4) by Harper St George

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Duchess Takes a Husband (The Gilded Age Heiresses #4) by Harper St George

The first thing that caught my eye about Harper St George’s books was the covers! They are stunning and I LOVE the eye catching, bright colored dresses. I know we aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover but when a cover looks that appealing, it’s hard to pass up! That’s how I ended up with her first novel on my desk—cover lust!

Imagine my thrill when the book turned out to actually be GOOD too—-not just a pretty face as it were. Sometimes pretty covers do not equal pretty books but in this case the book lived up to my hopes rather than my expectation and I found a new auto buy author so all around a win for me. Since the first book a couple of years ago, I have read all the other books in the series.

But never fear dear readers, even though this is part of a series, all of the books can be read out of order. The author does a good job at keeping the focus on the couple at hand and introducing other couples from previous books in passing rather than having them really be the main focus. So no need to worry about going back and reading other books before diving into this one. If you are looking for a steamy read with great characters this one is for you!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Officer and the Spy by Jenny Ashcroft

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: The Officer and the Spy by Jenny Ashcroft

I have read and adored two of Jenny Ashcroft’s books! She has this great flair for exotic feeling books with romance, history, and intrigue. I have really really really loved the books she has put out and I am so excited for this one as well! Set on the island of Crete during WWII, I cannot wait to dive into this book and be fully transported! I was so sad that my spring reading schedule filled up so fast so I had to opt for a feature for this one but you better believe I have it on my TBR for the summer!

I am most excited by how compelling this book sounds—-a romance between two young kids gets turned on its head with war and the occupation of the small island of Crete. The two main characters are now enemies and yet they have this romance that is undeniable. I cannot wait to see how that plays out and how the characters work through those issues. It sounds like a wonderful book and romance!

One of the things that I have always felt with Ashcroft’s books is she does a fabulous amount of research. I wasn’t even aware that the Nazi’s occupied Crete so knowing that she has written a book about it makes me so excited since she always illustrates history so well. If you haven’t read anything by Ashcroft yet, you need to remedy that situation! She is a great writer and the attention to detail is top shelf! I know I am going to get a beautiful love story full of history and an exotic location, if that doesn’t sound like a winning combo then I don’t know what is!

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