Books, Reading

Special Feature: 10 Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: 10 Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean

Love is in the air this month with it being Valentine’s Day and I typically lean toward more romances during the month of February! Earlier this year I really focused on reading more contemporary romances and cowboy romances, all of which were great but historical romances have my heart. There is just something that works so well in historical romances for me. I think part of it is that it feels like such a more refined era with wooing being more thought out and intentional. I just love historical romances.

Naturally I always keep my ear to the ground for new historical romances and this one popped up on my radar a few months ago. I haven’t read Michelle McLean before but I see she has written several historical romances and most have been really well received by readers! She is a USA Today Best Selling Author for a reason and that’s what made me excited about this one!

McLean has written three series that have different flavors, The MacGregor Lairds which appears to be a Highlander romance series, The Gunslinger series that looks like a historical cowboy romance series, and the Blood Blade Sisters series which seems like a buccaneer romance series. This latest novel focuses on a Duke so clearly McLean has a lot of range in her romance novels which makes me so excited to check this one out! If you love historical romances, I think you are going to enjoy this steamy novel!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature/Excerpt: The Last Duke Standing (A Royal Match #1) by Julia London

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature/Excerpt: The Last Duke Standing (A Royal Match #1) by Julia London

I randomly picked up a Julia London book last year at Christmas time simply because I loved the dress on the cover! I ended up enjoying it, even if I didn’t LOVE it, I still liked it enough to add Julia London to my list of go to romance writers! London has written a number of romances and romance series which have amassed a large following of fans, so when I saw this latest book (which is first in a new series by the way!) I knew I needed to get it on my radar as well as others who might be looking for a new romance to read!

If you love the Hallmark channel you are going to love Julia London and her books. They are sweet, charming, and bring some great chemistry to the pages! And her speciality seems to be historical romances with a royal flair so if you love the royals this is an author you absolutely need on your radar this spring. Plus look at that cover! It’s so pretty and eye catching, basically I need it!

Today I am fortunate enough to bring a little excerpt to you guys from this lovely new book. I read it and love London’s charm and wit in the pages! I am so looking forward to a quick and easy read that will bring a smile to my face and characters I can cheer for and that seems to be this book. I am eager to read it a little later this spring but for now, I am here for the excerpt and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti by Jennifer Probst

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti by Jennifer Probst

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we had the week of what we call ‘the false spring’. We had a week of sunny and 65 degree weather and then—boom, it was back to 40 and raining worse than ever! It’s always this time of year when I long for the sun on my face and some warmer, longer days. In February and early March that is my prime time for what I call the ‘warm reads’. You know, the books that are set on warm sunny beaches or in this case, set on the Italian rivera!

This book cover is eye catching with its sunny skies and sparkling blue water, and it certainly fits the bill for my ‘warm reads’ criteria! I couldn’t fit this one into my review schedule but this one sounds positively delightful! The cover is striking and eye catching and the title enticed me with it’s ‘secret love letters’ part! I instantly wanted to know what was in said love letters and what made them secret! But this book promises more than just a warm location to escape to and some mystery love letters—-it sounds like it’s going to be an epic story of love and family mixed with some emotion. So if you are looking for an emotional read this spring this might be it!

Author Jennifer Probst has written a number of best selling romances, books, and series! She is a well established author with a large following of fans. Clearly she knows how to craft well written stories, characters, and romances. I am so excited to check this one out a little later this year. But for now if you are looking for your net hot read be sure to consider this one! It is already getting rave reviews so be sure to add it to your TBR list and be watching for a review from me in the future!

Summary

A secret romance sends three estranged sisters to the Amalfi Coast to follow clues about their mother’s past, and challenges them to a whole new future, in this emotional novel from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.

Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey haven’t been close in years, but when the sisters are forced to come together to settle their mother’s estate, they discover a secret. In an old trunk, they happen upon ownership papers for a house on the Amalfi Coast, along with a love letter to their mother from an anonymous man, promising to meet her in Italy during the summer of her sixty-fifth birthday.

Now they’re questioning everything they knew about her history. In order to get answers about the woman they thought they knew, they’ll have to go back to where it all started. The sisters embark on a trip to the stunning cliffside village of Positano, Italy, to track down the mysterious ex-lover, and figure out who their mother really was.

As Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey unearth the truth, they also experience the magic of Italy, the power of sisterly love, a little unexpected romance, and newfound hope for the future. (summary from Goodreads)

WHERE TO BUY (AFFILIATE LINKS)

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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