Tag: Historic Fiction

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

Review: Murder in PostScript (A Lady of Letters Mystery #1) by Mary Winters

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Murder in PostScript (A Lady of Letters Mystery #1) by Mary Winters

When I see books with any mention of “Bridgerton-like’ in the summary or taglines, I am at once skeptical and yet can’t pass up on said book based on hope of finding another wonderful series that is indeed like Bridgerton! I often get asked what books would I recommend for Bridgerton fans, and that is such a hard question because there are so many historical romances out there that have a Bridgerton feel but aren’t necessaitly Bridgerton like if that makes sense. So sometimes when I see this statement on books, I become skeptical because there is nothing like Bridgerton but yet like so many others I can’t resist finding then next Bridgerton like book to fall in love with.

That’s how this book came to be on my review radar. It was described as “… the first novel in a new historical mystery series perfect anyone who loves the secret identity intrigue and swoon-worthy romance of Bridgerton“. So naturally I couldn’t resist even though I was skeptical. The idea of a new murder mystery series with a hot romance even if it didn’t quite live up to the Bridgerton claim, intrigued me enough that there was no way that I would pass on this!

I am a huge fan of historical mysteries and romances and any time that the two cross over is a win-win for me. I am always on the look out for new lady detectives and sleuth series to dive into. There are so many good ones out there—-Veronica Speedwell, Lady Darby, Lady Sherlock—and new female detectives are hitting shelves everyday so when I saw this was a debut and a new series, I knew it must be worth checking out if it had already been acknowledged as an upcoming series rather than just a standalone.

Continue reading “Review: Murder in PostScript (A Lady of Letters Mystery #1) by Mary Winters” →
Books, Reading

Special Feature: Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Stephanie Marie Thornton

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Stephanie Marie Thornton

I discovered Stephanie Marie Thornton years ago when she was writing about ancient women and their untold stories. I have LOVED all of her ancient women novels and am still waiting for a Boudicca story! But in recent years she has moved more toward the stories of more modern women like Alice Roosevelt and spy  Elizabeth Bentley. She always does an amazing amount of research in all of her novels but truth be told, I do miss the ancient women stories as they were so different and made me feel like I was reading something truly unique and new in a historical fiction world that focuses on marketable and well known figures and women.

But that said, I have yet to meet a Thornton book that I didn’t love. Her latest novel is about Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley! I am super excited for this latest novel as I think both of these women often get missed in having their stories told. Sure we know them for their own literary works but do we really know THEIR stories? That is what Thornton is going to explore in this latest novel! While I might not have been a fan of the book Frankenstein, I do have admiration for the courage, grit, and determination that Mary Shelley must have had to put out such a novel. And with a mother like Mary Wollstonecraft how could she not be a total badass?

This book is out just in time to round out women’s history month so I couldn’t think of a better literary duo to feature than this one! I couldn’t fit this one into my review schedule for this month which is why I opted for a feature instead, but I never miss a Thornton book so know that I will be reading this one a little later this summer and will be posting a review here soon! I am so excited to share my love of Thornton’s books with you guys and encourage you to pick up ANY of her books. You will not be disappointed in the level of historical research and her ability to pick interesting female figures to showcase!

Continue reading “Special Feature: Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Stephanie Marie Thornton” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

I first discovered Diana Biller when her first novel, The Widow of Rose House, was released back in 2019. I absolutely loved it and thought Biller had an elegant prose that sucked me into the story right away. Plus the romance was sensual, sweet and a little spicy. It was a wonderful mix and I just recall how much that debut has stood out to me over the years. I often recommend it to friends and family, so naturally when I saw this new release, I had to jump on it!

This is Biller’s fourth novel and while I have missed the other two (though they are on my book shelf currently!) I didn’t want to miss this one! I loved the cover, it caught my eye and drew me in. It is colorful and really eye catching and while I hate judging a book by it’s cover, this one made it hard to resist! Knowing that Biller has written such quality historical romances before made me even more excited for this than the cover though. If you haven’t read her books, you are missing out!

Not only did the cover and the author appeal to me, but the description of this book spoke to me. I loved that this book promised to take us to the glittering world of Vienna and indeed a world of intrigue and spies. If you are looking for a historical romance to escape with this spring, that will leave you feeling like you read something ‘new’ and ‘different’ then I think this book fits the bill. It was a pleasure to read this book and another that I will be sharing with family and friends!

Continue reading “Review: Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller” →
Books, Reading

Special Feature: Two Wars and a Wedding by Lauren Willig

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Two Wars and a Wedding by Lauren Willig

You only need to say the name Lauren Willig to get me hooked! I am a huge Lauren Willig fan and have read almost all of her books. She writes such well crafted historical fiction with some romance and I simply cannot pass on any of her books. Though her Pink Carnation series is still my favorite, I have enjoyed may of her standalone books and collaborations as well! Seeing this latest novel from her got me so excited to get back to reading more of her books! Initially I thought this was going to be a WWI historical fiction but I see now that it’s set during the Greece-Turkey conflict and the Spanish-American war and I think that’s going to be a wonderfully untapped period and I cannot WAIT to check this one out!

Willig truly has a gift for historical fiction. She does an incredible amount of research and she always tries to explore untapped history and time periods for her stories rather than sticking to safe time periods like WWI or WWII. She ventures out into other time periods and settings whenever possible. I have loved reading her books and I cannot imagine a world in which I wouldn’t love one of her novels. This book is out now and already receiving rave reviews from early readers so naturally this one is HIGH on my TBR list right now!

I couldn’t fit this one into my reading schedule presently but you better believe I downloaded a copy of this book and will be starting it soon so I will of course share a review here once I am done! If you love well written historical fiction, with excellent characters, a bit of romance and stories that feel ‘sweeping’ then you don’t want to miss anything by Willig. I am eager to start this one based simply of the cover (though I feel like the title needs some work)! How gorgeous is this cover? Historical fiction fans get this one on your TBR!

Continue reading “Special Feature: Two Wars and a Wedding by Lauren Willig” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: A Tempest at Sea (Lady Sherlock #7) by Sherry Thomas

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: A Tempest at Sea (Lady Sherlock #7) by Sherry Thomas

This series started out as a DNF for me. I couldn’t get into the first book when I picked it up the first time so I put it down as a DNF and almost wrote the series off all together. But it bugged me so bad that I didn’t like this series! So many of my friends around the blog-o-sphere loved it and honestly it SHOULD be a series that I love. So after some consideration, I picked up the first book and decided to try again. I am so glad I did because I loved it and binge read all the books that had some out at that point so I could be ready for more in the series!

Sometimes that happens with readers—it’s like the right book and the wrong time and it can be so hard to decide if it was that I wasn’t in the mood for that book or if I really just didn’t care for it. Some books I can absolutely tell that I just don’t like it but with others it could be that I am just not in the right headspace for a particular book, which is why this series needled me so bad! I am glad I decided to give it another go as it has been a very enjoyable series and this book was another great installment.

If you haven’t checked this series out yet it’s great for fans of Sherlock Holmes but with a feminine twist! Author, Sherry Thomas, does a great job staying true to the character of Sherlock Holmes but with a gender bender, but the methods and problem solving that Holmes is known for is seen reflected in these charming characters. If you love historical mysteries this is a great place to start! Both familiar but new!

Continue reading “Review: A Tempest at Sea (Lady Sherlock #7) by Sherry Thomas” →