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

Review: The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman

I have adored Sara Ackerman’s books over the years. She writes such interesting novels about WWII that are set in Hawaii. Her passion for the island and its history really shine under her pen plus there is always a little bit of romance to entertain readers. I really enjoyed reading all of her books and find that each has been between a 4 and 5 star rating for me.

When I saw this one was coming up, I made room on my review calendar for it. I hadn’t actually planned on reading it as soon as I did but I knew I would read it before the summer was out. I had an excerpt on my blog and once I read the excerpt I found that I simply needed to just read the rest of the book so I picked it up much earlier than I anticipated.

Ackerman’s book offer readers escapism and untold stories. If you love WWII novels but find the genre saturated with similar stories over and over again, Ackerman’s books are a fantastic option! This book itself offers a bit about female codebreakers during the war (a top topic in WWII era historical fiction) but in this book, the codebreaker isn’t in some London bunker trying to break German codes, she is on an exotic island trying to break Japanese codes while trying to grieve the loss of her brother.

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

Review: The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Karen White, and Lauren Willig

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Karen White, and Lauren Willig

I have read all of Lauren Willig’s book and many by both Beatriz Williams and Karen White. All of their books have been some of my most favorite reads. Then they started to team up and write collective books together and I devoured those books so incredibly fast! I love how well written each book is and not just independently but as a writing team. When I saw this book was coming out, I knew I had to read it. I love how in all of their collective books, there are characters that make appearances in other collective books. For example in this book we meet Prunella who has been in some of the other books by this writing team.

These three authors are some of the best in the historical fiction genre and I never feel disappointed in any of their independent books or their collective books. I debated about reading this one of listening to it on audiobook. I actually downloaded it in both formats but ended up reading it instead of listening to it. With the books written by the ‘Three W’s’ as I call them, I find that the audiobook is sometimes preferable as each chapter is based on a different character and written by different authors. So the audiobook usually gives readers more of an experience with the narration changes etc.

If you are looking for a powerhouse historical fiction book, anything by these three women will surely hit the mark whether it’s collective like this book or their own independent books. You simply cannot go wrong with these writers when it comes to historical fiction. While this book had some issues for me, overall it was enjoyable and I would absolutely read it again and anything by them! They are easily autobuy authors for me and I am looking forward to their next collaboration.

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Cover Reveal: Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renee Rosen

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Cover Reveal: Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renee Rosen

Who here has heard of Estee Lauder? Growing up, Estee Lauder cosmetics was the gold standard for women everywhere. I loved the products and still use the same mascara I did as a teen now as an adult. But how much do you really know about the cosmetics queen? I know absolutely nothing about her other than the household cosmetics name.

That is why this book is creeping up to the top of my TBR list! This book is coming out in April of 2023 and I do NOT know if I can wait that long to read it. Especially now that I have seen this stunning cover! Renee Rosen writes so wonderful historical fiction typically set in the glamorous era of New York City and this book promises all the glitz and glamour that Rosen is known for and I cannot wait to check out this book that features a young Estee Lauder and a cast of interesting characters!

If you love historical fiction, there is no doubt you will want this one on your TBR list as well. Even though we have a while to wait before we can get our hands on this lovely book, today we can enjoy and drool over the stunning cover! Do not miss this one! You know that I will be reviewing this one and sharing my thoughts with you guys as we get closer to the release day but for now, enjoy this cover and summary of what promises to be an exciting book for the spring!

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Special Feature: The Secret of Bow Lane (Kat Holloway #6) by Jennifer Ashley

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: The Secret of Bow Lane (Kat Holloway #6) by Jennifer Ashley

I picked up the first book in this series when it very first came out and I was going through some major Downton Abbey withdraws! I loved the upstairs/downstairs elements of the story and thought it was a solid start to a new mystery series. But then I never really continued with the series. As with so many readers, there are so many books but not enough time and I got distracted by other series.

But this series hasn’t been far from my mind. Author, Jennifer Ashley, has written a number of romances (historical and some cowboy romances!) and also developed this beloved character in Kat Holloway. I am so happy to see that this series has continued and we are now at book six! Ashley adds elements of romance to the series and I recall it being an added bonus but not the focus of the series which is nice. If you love historical mysteries with a little bit of romance I think you will find a lot to enjoy with this series.

I had planned on reviewing this one but since I am behind in the series, I didn’t want that to sway my opinion of the book/series so I decided to do a feature instead. I am sure as with many series style books, the author does a good job keeping fans and new readers up to date on the principal characters and larger narrative, however this one sounded like one readers might want to have read the series for. It sounds like it will feature a character from Kat’s past which has been referenced in previous books. So I would imagine that reading the other books before this one would be helpful but perhaps not essential. At any rate this charming historical mystery series is out now and is certainly with checking out!

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

Review: The Forgotten Cottage by Courtney Ellis

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I read Courtney Ellis’s debut novel last summer, At Summer’s End, and good lord was it ever good! I devoured it and it was one of my favorite reads last year. So naturally when I saw this one coming up for review I was thrilled! This one has a great dual timeline aspect which I know is often overdone in historical fiction, but for me it never gets old! I love readling dual timeline books!

This book promises long buried family secrets and complex characters rich in historical detail. And it certainly had all of those things! Ellis write beautiful historical fiction with lots of historical details and heart and this second book was not a disappointment in that regard. I know that fans of the historical fiction genre will not have missed Ellis’s first novel (not with that stunning cover that’s for sure!) but this book doesn’t quite have the ‘curb appeal’ that the first book did. The cover was more simple and not nearly as eye catching as her first book but it was still a wonderful read so don’t let the basic cover fool you!

If you are a fan of historical fiction this book and author should be on your TBR list. Ellis is clearly one to watch in the genre and I for one am going to be eagerly awaiting the next book she writes! This book had a lot to recommend itself based on my expectations from the first book, but at first I did have my doubts that I would love this book though that was quickly dispelled.

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