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

Review: Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women #3) by Evie Dunmore

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women #3) by Evie Dunmore

When I first read Evie Dunmore’s debut novel, Bringing Down the Duke, I absolutely fell in love. I hadn’t been consistently reading a ton of historical romances (meaning, I hadn’t read Julia Quinn yet!) and all I could think of was ‘finally—-a romance novel I can get behind!’ I felt like I was reading something deliciously modern yet set in the Victorian era with all the things I love about historical fiction—strong women with untold stories.

I read the second book in this series and while I didn’t love it as much as I loved the first book, I was eager to continue with the series. I was especially excited to read this one because it promised a Scotsman (hence the title!) and featured one of the most random women in the series, Hattie. In the books before Hattie always seemed so silly and just simply random like she just didn’t belong in the series with the other women.

This was one of the few romance novels that I also downloaded as an audiobook. I rarely download romance novels on my Audible simply because I know that I will burn through them so quick and I don’t want to waste an Audible credit, however I had 6 credits saved up and I was desperate to read this one at every turn so I secured a copy on Audible as well.

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Duchess by Wendy Holden

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Special Feature: The Duchess by Wendy Holden

I read my first Wendy Holden book last year and I loved how well she wrote historical fiction! The Royal Governess was a well researched and interesting novel about the governess of Queen Elizabeth, and I came away from it feeling like I learned some new things while enjoying a great story. When I saw she was coming out with this new book about Wallis Simpson I knew it would be a quality book!

For me personally, I am not a fan of the love story of Wallis Simpson and the man who would be king. I always felt like Wallis Simpson was an opportunist and I questioned if she ever really loved Edward or if it was just about her selfishness. Though I will say as much as I do not care for her, there is a quality of their romance that is intrinsically romantic and I cannot help but be swept up in it. I mean the man gave up his entire future, family, and duty for a woman he loved. That is impressive regardless of how you feel about their romance.

That is why I am always drawn to books about Wallis Simpson and this one in particular. Holden is a great story teller with lots of historical details woven into her novels and I am sure that her latest novel The Duchess will give readers more insight into the relationship between Wallis and Edward. I hope you guys keep an eye out for this one this fall, it is sure to satisfy historical fiction fans!

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

Review: Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens (Wrexford & Sloane #5) by Andrea Penrose

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens (Wrexford & Sloane #5) by Andrea Penrose

When I randomly picked up the first book in this series a few years ago, I knew I was reading something special. While not necessarily and earth shattering read or even something ‘new and different’ in the saturated genre of historical mysteries, there is something about Lord Wrexford that just makes me swoon and I just love him!

Charlotte and Wrex have been solving murders and falling in love for the last five books and finally here we are just as they are planning their nuptials and Charlotte’s reentrance into society when another body pops up! This time Charlotte and Wrex don’t really have a reason to investigate this murder but some how they end up getting pulled into the investigation and as expected, readers are treated to another fun filled mystery!

This book is the fifth in the series and while not 100% necessary with some of the books in the series, for this one I recommend reading at least the book before this one as there is some carry over from the previous book. And to be honest, these books are so fun and it would be silly to miss out on all the wonderful sleuthing in this series by starting here so do yourself a favor and go back and read the other books because it will help you to fully appreciate all these characters.

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

Review: A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: A Magical New York Christmas by Anita Hughes

I adore Anita Hughes. I have been a big fan for a while though I have only really read her holiday romances, I have enjoyed each one for a number of different reasons. I think the biggest thing that I have loved about her romances are the locations! Every time I crack open a Christmas romance by Hughes, I am automatically transported to some where cozy and even a bit magical.

Her novels have been set in London and Paris at Christmas as well as other more ‘local’ locations for me like Vermont. Each location gets a heavy holiday makeover and I always find myself wondering why I don’t go somewhere for the holidays! This year my family and I are going somewhere remote for Thanksgiving but we usually stay in Oregon or go to Arizona for Christmas but some day I would love to do Christmas in Paris or Vermont thanks to Hughes’s books!

Her latest novel is set in New York and while not necessarily exotic or ‘cozy’ this setting has a distinct feel all it’s own! I really liked this story the best out of her Christmas books and while I feel like I say that every time Hughes comes out with a new holiday book, in this case I really mean it. It has a little Maid in Manhattan feel to this rom-com full of all the Christmas charm that I love from Hughes!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis

Is it really time for Christmas books? The answer is apparently yes. I normally don’t break out my Christmas reads until at least November but I do have a couple of holiday books I wanted to get on your radar before the season got into full swing and this right here is one of them. While this book has a distinctive winter vibe, I am not exactly sure that’s it qualifies as a Christmas book officially.

The summary indicates that this story will explore the romance between two strangers who are stranded together in a blizzard—-in March. So it sounds like this might not be the Christmas romance you were hoping for but it does have a winter feel and even if it’s still a little on the warm side and we are just going into spooky reading season, this book should definitely be on your radar for this upcoming season!

I love stories about the twists of fate. When I was a teenager one of my favorite films was Only You with a young RDJ and Marisa Tomei. The theme of fate was heavily featured in that movie and from then on I just loved books and movies about fate and romance which is why this book sounds so good to me! Fate/destiny also play a big role in this one and I cannot wait to check it out! Early reviewers are praising this one highly so be sure to check it out!

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