Tag: Historic Fiction

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

Review: Death of an Unsung Hero (Lady Montfort Mystery #4) by Tessa Arlen

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Death of an Unsung Hero (Lady Montfort Mystery #4) by Tessa Arlen

I’ve had the pleasure of reading all but one of the books in the Lady Montford Mystery series and they have all been wonderful reads. I love watching how Arlen’s writing has evolved over the series so far and this book was such a pleasure to read!

This book really stood out to me as the best in the series thus far though. Maybe it’s my love of WWI that really made this one stand out or maybe it was seeing the progression of Lady Montford and seeing her family, but either way this was a lovely read and I loved it on many levels!

In 1916, the world is at war and the energetic Lady Montfort has persuaded her husband to offer the dower house to the War Office as an auxiliary hospital for officers recovering from shell-shock with their redoubtable housekeeper Mrs. Jackson contributing to the war effort as the hospital’s quartermaster. Continue reading “Review: Death of an Unsung Hero (Lady Montfort Mystery #4) by Tessa Arlen” →

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Special Feature: Lady Helena Investigates by Jane Steen

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Lady Helena Investigates by Jane Steen

Lady Helena Investigates
by Jane Steen

Publication Date: March 14, 2018
Aspidistra Press
eBook; 359 Pages
ASIN: B079SMGC7S

Series: Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, Book One
Genre: Historical Mystery

 

 

A reluctant lady sleuth finds she’s investigating her own family.

Step into Lady Helena Whitcombe’s world with the first novel in a series that will blend family saga and mystery-driven action with a slow-burn romance in seven unputdownable investigations.

1881, Sussex. Lady Helena Scott-De Quincy’s marriage to Sir Justin Whitcombe, three years before, gave new purpose to a life almost destroyed by the death of Lady Helena’s first love. After all, shouldn’t the preoccupations of a wife and hostess be sufficient to fulfill any aristocratic female’s dreams? Such a shame their union wasn’t blessed by children . . . but Lady Helena is content with her quiet country life until Sir Justin is found dead in the river overlooked by their grand baroque mansion.

The intrusion of attractive, mysterious French physician Armand Fortier, with his meddling theory of murder, into Lady Helena’s first weeks of mourning is bad enough. But with her initial ineffective efforts at investigation and her attempts to revive her long-abandoned interest in herbalism comes the realization that she may have been mistaken about her own family’s past. Every family has its secrets—but as this absorbing series will reveal, the Scott-De Quincy family has more than most.

Can Lady Helena survive bereavement the second time around? Can she stand up to her six siblings’ assumption of the right to control her new life as a widow? And what role will Fortier—who, as a physician, is a most unsuitable companion for an earl’s daughter—play in her investigations?

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

Review: Murder at Half Moon Gate (A Wrexford & Sloane Mystery #2) by Andrea Penrose

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: Murder at Half Moon Gate (A Wrexford & Sloane Mystery #2) by Andrea Penrose

Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing the first book in a new series, Murder on Black Swan Lane, which was an exciting first book. I was anxious to read the next book and was thrilled to finally see it on Netgalley!

In the first book, I loved getting to know the protagonist, Lord Wrexford and Mrs Slone. While each had something that I liked independently, the thing I loved most about them was the chemistry. This book would no doubt capitalize on that chemistry.

When Lord Wrexford discovers the body of a gifted inventor in a dark London alley, he promptly alerts the watchman and lets the authorities handle the matter. But Wrexford soon finds himself drawn into the murder investigation when the inventor’s widow begs for his assistance, claiming the crime was not a random robbery. Continue reading “Review: Murder at Half Moon Gate (A Wrexford & Sloane Mystery #2) by Andrea Penrose” →

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Review: The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

I had my eye on this book when it was released in the UK and I was eager to read it once it was published in the US. I am absolutely in love with the UK cover….the US cover not so much but the UK one is totally eye catching and screams READ ME.

When it came across my desk for review I was totally on board, especially since I was kind of on a ghost story kick. A Victorian ghost story….count me 100% in.

When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But with her husband dead just weeks after their marriage, her new servants resentful, and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her husband’s awkward cousin for company. Continue reading “Review: The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell” →

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

Review: The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover (The Darling Dahlias #7) by Susan Wittig Albert

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover (The Darling Dahlias #7) by Susan Wittig Albert

I have only read one book by Susan Wittig Albert and for me it was just ok….a little too cozy for my taste. So why read another one by her? I’ll tell you why, she has written so many books and has so many fans that I am willing to go on a little faith and see if something else by her appeals to me.

This book came across my desk for review and I was willing to give it a shot based on the fact that Wittig Albert has so many fans and I am bound to find something that I like in her works. So why not give this one a try?

It looks like the music has ended for Darling’s favourite barbershop quartet, the Lucky Four Clovers—just days before the Dixie Regional Barbershop Competition. Another unlucky break: a serious foul-up in Darling’s telephone system—and not a penny for repairs. And while liquor is legal again, moonshine isn’t. Sheriff Buddy Norris needs a little luck when he goes into Briar Swamp to confront Cypress County’s most notorious bootlegger. What he finds upends his sense of justice.

Once again, Susan Wittig Albert has told a charming story filled with richly human characters who face the Great Depression with courage and grace. She reminds us that friends offer the best of themselves to each other, community is what holds us together, and luck is what you make it (summary from Goodreads).  Continue reading “Review: The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover (The Darling Dahlias #7) by Susan Wittig Albert” →