Tag: Historic Fiction

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

Review: The Phantom’s Apprentice by Heather Webb

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Phantom’s Apprentice by Heather Webb

This book has been on my radar since I finished Webb’s cowritten novel, THE LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS. I loved that book and was eager to read more by her. Plus throw in that Phantom of the Opera is indeed one of my favorite films/operas and you have a reader who was EXTRA eager to read this book.

This book is told from Christine’s perspective which intrigued me. I have never read the original Phantom of the Opera novel by Gaston Leroux, but I’m curious about how much of the original influenced this retelling.

Christine Daaé sings with her violinist father in salons all over Paris, but she longs to practice her favorite pastime—illusions. When her beloved Papa dies during a conjurer’s show, she abandons her magic and surrenders to grief and guilt. Life as a female illusionist seems too dangerous, and she must honor her father’s memory. Continue reading “Review: The Phantom’s Apprentice by Heather Webb” →

Books, Reading

Special Feature: An Argument of Blood by J.A. Ironside & Matthew Willis

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Special Feature: An Argument of Blood by J.A. Ironside & Matthew Willis

An Argument of Blood
by J.A. Ironside & Matthew Willis

Publication Date: June 19, 2017
Penmore Press
Paperback & eBook; 369 Pages

Series: Oath and Crown, Book 1
Genre: Fiction/Historical/War

 

 

William, the nineteen-year-old duke of Normandy, is enjoying the full fruits of his station. Life is a succession of hunts, feasts, and revels, with little attention paid to the welfare of his vassals. Tired of the young duke’s dissolute behaviour and ashamed of his illegitimate birth, a group of traitorous barons force their way into his castle. While William survives their assassination attempt, his days of leisure are over. He’ll need help from the king of France to secure his dukedom from the rebels.

On the other side of the English Channel lives ten-year-old Ælfgifa, the malformed and unwanted youngest sister to the Anglo-Saxon Jarl, Harold Godwinson. Ælfgifa discovers powerful rivalries in the heart of the state when her sister Ealdgyth is given in a political marriage to King Edward, and she finds herself caught up in intrigues and political manoeuvring as powerful men vie for influence. Her path will collide with William’s, and both must fight to shape the future.

An Argument of Blood is the first of two sweeping historical novels on the life and battles of William the Conqueror.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes and Noble | Chapters

Continue reading “Special Feature: An Argument of Blood by J.A. Ironside & Matthew Willis” →

Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Moral Compass (Shaking the Tree, Book 1) by K.A. Servian

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Special Feature: The Moral Compass (Shaking the Tree, Book 1) by K.A. Servian

The Moral Compass (Shaking the Tree, Book 1)
by K.A. Servian

Publication Date: October 17, 2017
Sweetpea Publishing
Paperback & eBook; 285 Pages

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Romance/Victorian

 

 

Florence lives like a Princess attending dinner parties and balls away from the gritty reality, filth and poverty of Victorian London.

However, her world comes crashing around her when her father suffers a spectacular fall from grace. She must abandon her life of luxury, leave behind the man she loves and sail to the far side of the world where compromise and suffering beyond anything she can imagine await her.

When she is offered the opportunity to regain some of what she has lost, she takes it, but soon discovers that not everything is as it seems. The choice she has made has a high price attached and she must live with the heart-breaking consequences of her decision.

This novel is part one in the ‘Shaking the Tree’ series.

Amazon (eBook) | Amazon (Paperback) | Barnes and Noble

Continue reading “Special Feature: The Moral Compass (Shaking the Tree, Book 1) by K.A. Servian” →

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

Review: The Pearl Sister (The Seven Sisters #4) by Lucinda Riley

by The Lit Bitch5 Comments on Review: The Pearl Sister (The Seven Sisters #4) by Lucinda Riley

I have been a huge fan of Lucina Riley’s novels for quite some time, although I think I missed one back in 2016, THE SHADOW SISTER, which makes me sad because I love her books. I simply must go back and read that one before the year is out and the next book comes out!

That said, I don’t feel like I missed a whole lot by skipping around within the series. Every story is unique and independent of the series as a whole, but that said they are all connected by central characters and other plot points, but again it’s not necessary to read them in order but it does help!

When this one came up I was so excited, though disappointed that I missed one in the series, I was still super excited to jump back into the story of the seven sisters and find out what romance lay ahead.

Continue reading “Review: The Pearl Sister (The Seven Sisters #4) by Lucinda Riley” →

Books, Reading

Special Feature: A Treacherous Curse (Veronica Speedwell #3) by Deanna Raybourn

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Special Feature: A Treacherous Curse (Veronica Speedwell #3) by Deanna Raybourn

The day is finally here…..A TREACHEROUS CURSE is finally out! I had this book on pre-order the instant I was done with the second book. This is one of my all time favorite mysteries and Deanna Raybourn is a fantastic writer of romance and blending it with mystery!

If you haven’t read her books, start with the first book in the Veronica Speedwell series….you won’t be disappointed! If you have already discovered this series, then like me you have been waiting for almost a year for the next book and today it is finally available!

London, 1888. As colorful and unfettered as the butterflies she collects, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell can’t resist the allure of an exotic mystery—particularly one involving her enigmatic colleague, Stoker. His former expedition partner has vanished from an archaeological dig with a priceless diadem unearthed from the newly discovered tomb of an Egyptian princess.

This disappearance is just the latest in a string of unfortunate events that have plagued the controversial expedition, and rumors abound that the curse of the vengeful princess has been unleashed as the shadowy figure of Anubis himself stalks the streets of London.

But the perils of an ancient curse are not the only challenges Veronica must face as sordid details and malevolent enemies emerge from Stoker’s past. Caught in a tangle of conspiracies and threats—and thrust into the public eye by an enterprising new foe—Veronica must separate facts from fantasy to unravel a web of duplicity that threatens to cost Stoker everything (summary from Goodreads).

About the Author

A sixth-generation native Texan, New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a double major in English and history and an emphasis on Shakespearean studies. She taught high school English for three years in San Antonio before leaving education to pursue a career as a novelist. Deanna makes her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband and daughter.

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