Tag: Contempo Lit

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

Review: Wait for It by Jenn McKinlay

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Wait for It by Jenn McKinlay

I might be from Oregon, but I lived in Arizona for 10 years and I absolutely love the desert. I hate that more books aren’t set in Phoenix. This summer I was going to spend a month in Phoenix and I was really excited to read a book set in Phoenix that was also a romance! Needless to say I times my review for this book with my trip, I couldn’t wait to read this one.

I have read one of McKinlay’s books prior to this and I thought it was good so going into this desert setting book, I was hopeful that I would enjoy it and escape but also find a book that would capture the beauty and desert culture. The desert can be such a romantic place and I was super excited to see how the setting played into this one.

Reading this book went fairly quick. I picked it up and finished it on a matter of a couple of days and I liked it just fine but I don’t know that I loved it. I liked the enemies to lovers troupe but I just don’t know that it was as impactful as I was hoping it would be. But it was a nice quick read that left me feeling content and happy I read it but I would have liked to have something with a bit more something.

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

Review: It Takes Heart (Heart Resort #1) by Tif Marcelo

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: It Takes Heart (Heart Resort #1) by Tif Marcelo

This author has grown on me over the years. When I picked up one of her books I wasn’t sure what to expect but then I was completely lost in her stories and couldn’t wait to read more from her! One thing I noticed though was Marcelo writes a variety of stories. Not just women’s fiction but romance too. I was super excited to read this latest novel that was more contempo romance than women’s fiction.

Second chance romance isn’t really my favorite troupe but I was excited to see what Marcelo did with it in this book. One of the things that I also love about Marcelo’s writing is she incorporates her culture into the lives of the characters. Marcelo is Pilipino and many of her characters are also Pilipino and I just love how much interest that adds to the stories.

I am also excited to see this is part of a new series. I loved the setting and I am excited to see that we will get to return here and get to know more about the family perhaps in future books. If you are looking for a more contempo romance that has heart and culture then I think this will be a great read for you this summer! I know I enjoyed it!

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Special Feature: The Dating Dare (A Sweet Mess #2) by Jayci Lee

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Who here doesn’t love a good rom-com? I could watch rom-coms all day every day! I love to laugh and I love romance so the comb is a win-win for me. When it comes to my reading tastes, it’s damn near impossible to pass on a rom-com! Korean author Jayci Lee has written a number of romance novels and last year she wrote a charming rom-com called A Sweet Mess and this book right here is the follow up to that fun read! The Sweet Mess series seemed to be the novel she really wanted to write. I haven’t read her other books but this one seemed like it was the book she was most looking forward to writing.

When I saw she has a follow up coming out, I was really looking forward to it. Of course my summer reading calendar filled up super quick so today I am featuring this follow up novel, The Dating Dare, today but I have it on my calendar to read later this fall. I know that most romance novels read as stand alones and I have no reason to think differently when it comes to this novel. In fact many reviewers commented on how it was easily a stand alone book but I think Jayci Lee is a talented writer who writes funny and charming romances so I would certainly read her other books as well as the first book in this series!

If you are looking for a rom-com to round out your summer reading then I think this one will be your jam! Modern, sexy, funny, and of course romantic all wrapped up in one charming rom-com book! Keep reading to get all the details and be sure to snag yourself a copy for your night stand or your beach bag!

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

Special Feature: Have We Met? by Camille Baker

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This hot new release was featured last month on Amazon’s First Reads program and so many readers fell in love with Camille Baker’s writing style! This is Baker’s debut novel and it promises to be a good one sure to draw fans who enjoy women’s fiction as well as romance. I am so excited to read this one later on this summer but right now I want to share about this one and I also have a giveaway happening over on my IG where you can win a copy of this book!

This debut promises heart, romance, social relevance, as well as humor and that sounds like an incredible mash up to me! While it has a serious component (the main character loses her best friend to cancer) there is also a focus on friendships as well as some comedy to break things up and keep it light enough for readers to sit back and relax with.

If you have been looking for a novel with current relevance with a fresh voice, then this is the book for you. I know a lot of readers have loved this one and are eager for more novels by this hot new author and I am pleased to read that from other reviewers that this book set the stage for follow up books so if you read this one and enjoy it then you can rest assured that more books will be coming! Now hop on over to my IG and enter the giveaway!

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Review: Incense and Sensibility (The Rajes #3) by Sonali Dev

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Sonali Dev clearly has a love for Jane Austen! I have had the pleasure of reading the Rajes books that each feature their own unique Austen novel retelling. Naturally, when I saw this one coming out I jumped on it. While Persuasion is my favorite Austen novel, Sense and Sensibility boasts my favorite heroines. I love the contrast between the two Dashwood sisters and I was eager to see how that plays out in the Rajes family in this book.

Dev adds so much spice, flair, and uniqueness to her novels that will leave readers desperate for more. When I first saw that Dev was working her way through the Austen classics and writing modern Indian retellings I was skeptical. Austen books are notoriously hard to do retellings (especially modern ones). People have high expectations and often the things that make the Austen novels ‘classics’ are the same things that make it hard to do retellings.

For example, women needing to find a marriage of means, that’s not really relevant for the modern woman but it would have been during the time of Austen. But when it comes to Dev’s Austen retellings she doesn’t go all in for the typical retelling but instead leaves enough of the recognizable Austen characters and themes but adds her own unique spicy flair to the story and I am so so so here for that!

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