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

Review: An Impossible Impostor (Veronica Speedwell #7) by Deanna Raybourn

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: An Impossible Impostor (Veronica Speedwell #7) by Deanna Raybourn

Deanna Raybourn has been one of my favorite historical mystery writers since I first discovered the Veronica Speedwell series. I have since read all of her books and loved each of them, some more than others, but overall her books have been fantastic. The Veronica Speedwell series being my personal favorite of her books and series. Veronica is such a wonderfully non conventional character and her chemistry with Stoker has been solid through most of the series.

However, the last book left me a little disappointed, it was ok but just not my favorite in the series so I was really looking forward to this one and seeing how and if the dynamic of the books changed at all after the last one. If you love historical mysteries that are smart, cheeky, and of course with a hint of romance you will find a lot to love in the Veronica Speedwell series! She is such a great heroine and I have loved this series over all.

I can’t believe we are into the seventh book already! It seems like just yesterday I was discovering Veronica for the first time and now here we are seven books in and so much has changed for both Veronica and Stoker through the books. I went into this one expecting some of that familiar sizzle and chemistry to be rediscovered between Veronica and Soker as well as a smart mystery story and I was not disappointed!

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

Review: The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki

If you have poured yourself a bowl of cereal in the last 100 or so years, odds are it was a Post brand cereal! I think most of us are familiar with some uber wealthy names like Vanderbilt, Hearst, Kennedy, and Rockefeller. The name Post doesn’t necessarily ring any bells for me. It sounds like a common name with little attached to it to distinguish itself.

When this book came across my desk for review, I basically thought the cover was pretty and that was about it. The name and title in the book didn’t draw me in or anything, it was purely the elegant cover. I read the blurb and was instantly intrigued. Of course I know the Post name and General Foods brands—-I don’t live under a rock or anything! But I literally never gave much thought to the brand beyond just that—-a food company.

But after reading the blurb I wanted to know all the things about this interesting woman who became the biggest name in food and cereal! She sounded like an interesting figure. There are tons of books on the Vanderbilts, their name just screams ‘romanticism’, the Post name not so much but I was so drawn to this story after the blurb and couldn’t WAIT to read it. I was excited to see a new name and story that promised something different!

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Special Feature: A Perfect Equation (The Secret Scientists of London #2) by Elizabeth Everett

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: A Perfect Equation (The Secret Scientists of London #2) by Elizabeth Everett

Full disclosure, I picked up the first book in this series last year after having pre ordered the book and eagerly waited for it to come, only to be horribly disappointed. I didn’t finish the first book and felt incredibly sad about that. By all accounts this series should be right up my alley. I had majorly high hopes for the first book in the series. There wasn’t anything that really stood out as ‘bad enough to make me DNF’ but it just wasn’t holding my attention and I just didn’t know why.

So why am I featuring this second book if I didn’t even like or finish the first book in the series? Because I believe in redemption. I have to take into consideration that not every book is for me, but this series should have been something I loved! I thought back to the time I read the first book and I wonder if I just wasn’t in the mood for a romance or if I just wasn’t in the mood for that kind of romance? The first book felt like a Victorian version of The Bodyguard movie to me and I just didn’t like it, it’s not really my troupe. But I do like the enemies to lovers troupe so much, which is why I want to give this series another go.

While I couldn’t work it into my review schedule, I ordered the book and am eager to dive into this one and see if I like this romance better than the first book. Sometimes a series is like that for me. I didn’t like the Bridgerton books when I read The Duke and I but I ended up loving the others in the series so I think it’s entirely possible to not like one book in a series but love the others. I will be sure to share my review of this one when I finish the book but in the mean time, I know this series has gained quite a big fan base since the first book released and since it’s the ‘month of love’ why not check it out and see if you find something to love in this one!

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

Review: Ramon and Juileta by Alana Quintana Albertson

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Ramon and Juileta by Alana Quintana Albertson

Am I Hispanic? No. But do I love Hispanic culture and traditions YES! My husband is Hispanic and I love combining our traditions and making something uniquely us so when I saw this retelling of Romeo and Juliet but with tacos, I was absolutely dying to read it! As a teenager, I loved Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet plus the Leonardo DiCaprio film was THE movie of my youth. As an adult, Romeo and Juliet is probably the least favorite of the Shakespeare plays (still love the DiCaprio film though!) but when I saw this book I couldn’t pass on it!

I was so eager to see how this author spun a classic tale and made it not only relevant but feel like something entirely new all at the same time. Needless to say that’s a tall order. This author has written a few other contemporary romance novels, none of which I have read, but this book seems to take on an entirely different tone than some of her other books that she has written previously.

This author has won quite a few awards and currently serves as the president for a couple of respected romance writer guilds. So in my mind that translates into solid writing and storytelling. With some successful romances under her belt and experience, I figured that she this would put her in a solid position to write a retelling of a popular classic and help it to find relevance in the modern age. I wasn’t wrong and I really enjoyed this colorful novel.

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Special Feature/Excerpt: The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull

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The late Victorian/early Edwardian era through WWI is one of my absolute favorite eras in history. It truly is the ending of an era when the glitz and glamour of the social class start to give way and shape the future of the modern age. One of the things I love reading and studying is the fall of some of the big dynasties like the Romanov empire.

One of the reasons the Romanov dynasty appeals to me so much is it feels exotic to me. I think most of us as readers are familiar with books set in England during this time as well as shows like Downton Abbey that really give readers a sense of what was going on during this time. However what we don’t see much of is what was going on in other dynasties throughout Europe at this time. This is why this book really appealed to me. I want to read more books set in this same time period but examine the time period through a different lens.

Not only is this cover stunning, but the story sounds absolutely wonderful. I only know some of the Romanov history so this book sounds like it’s going to really dive in and give readers a taste of something new and different. I am super excited to share an excerpt from this book today with all of you! I have this one HIGH up on my TBR list for the spring and I hope you will too because it just sounds so wonderful. If you are looking for a fresh new historical fiction book to read, I urge you to give this one a shot. Take a look and the excerpt and tell me it doesn’t sound so good?!

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