Tag: Historic Fiction

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

Review: The Anatomist’s Wife (Lady Darby Mystery #1) by Anna Lee Huber

by The Lit Bitch10 Comments on Review: The Anatomist’s Wife (Lady Darby Mystery #1) by Anna Lee Huber

After reading Anne Lee Huber’s novel Secrets in the Mist, I realized how desperate I was for another Gothic romance novel. I wasn’t really up for a murder mystery but everyone raved about Huber’s Lady Darby mysteries so I thought I would try out her well known mysteries that boast Gothic elements and romance.

The Anatomist’s Wife was on my radar years ago when it released and I recall trying desperately to win a copy when it was published. I obviously didn’t win a copy, but I did try very aggressively for days. Then of course I moved on to some other novels only to have this one resurface again on my radar.

Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister’s estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.

Kiera wants to put her past aside, but when one of the house guests is murdered, her brother-in-law asks her to utilize her knowledge of human anatomy to aid the insufferable Sebastian Gage–a fellow guest with some experience as an inquiry agent. While Gage is clearly more competent than she first assumed, Kiera isn’t about to let her guard down as accusations and rumors swirl. Continue reading “Review: The Anatomist’s Wife (Lady Darby Mystery #1) by Anna Lee Huber” →

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Special Feature: A RING OF TRUTH (A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel #2) by Michelle Cox

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: A RING OF TRUTH (A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel #2) by Michelle Cox

Last year I had the pleasure of reading the first book in this series, A GIRL LIKE YOU. While I enjoyed the first novel, I wasn’t able to fit this second one into my review schedule for this spring but I still wanted to share the release of the next book with all my readers!

A RING OF TRUTH picks finds the newly engages Inspector Howard and sweet Henrietta in quite the predicament…..meeting each other’s families!

This is quite the difficult task because Clive has neglected to tell Henrietta that he is in fact the heir to the Howard estate and fortune, and Henrietta has just discovered that her mother has been hiding secrets about her past as well.

When Clive brings Henrietta to the family estate to meet his parents, they are less than enthused about his impoverished intended. Left alone in this extravagant new world when Clive returns to the city, Henrietta finds herself more at home with the servants than his family, much to the disapproval of Mrs. Howard and soon gets caught up in the disappearance of an elderly servant’s ring, not realizing that in doing so she has become part of a bigger, darker plot.

As Clive and Henrietta attempt to discover the truth in the two very different worlds unraveling around them, they both begin to wonder: Are they meant for each other after all?

Early reviews of this next installment sound promising with some calling the series a dramatic and mysterious love story, full of historical slang and fashion. A RING OF TRUTH delivers romance, historical charm and a plot that will keep you guessing.

This is also a series that would be perfect for fans of books like The Forgotten Room by Karen White, The Other Daughter by Lauren Willig and The Adventuress by Tasha Alexander.

I am looking forward to reviewing this book hopefully in the early summer because it sounds like a thrilling follow up to the first book! Don’t miss out on this wonderful new mystery series!

 

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

Review: Secrets in the Mist (Gothic Myths #1) by Anna Lee Huber

by The Lit Bitch5 Comments on Review: Secrets in the Mist (Gothic Myths #1) by Anna Lee Huber

I have been craving a Gothic romantic suspense novel for a while, I just haven’t been able to find something more contemporary than Victoria Holt. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Victoria Holt but I just wanted something a little more up-to-date.

I downloaded a sample of this one months ago but just never got around to starting it. So on a whim I decided to just read the sample and see how it was. I was completely hooked from the first couple of chapters!

Foggy marshes, a chance encounter on a misty night, a handsome stranger masquerading as someone else, spies, and a damsel in distress? This book had it all! I found myself wondering why in the world I didn’t start this one sooner!

I haven’t read anything by Anna Lee Huber, but I’ve had her book series, Lady Darby Mysteries, on my radar for years, but for some reason I just never have gotten around to reading it.

The description of this book caught my eye, especially since it’s marketed to fans of Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart….I can never resist a Gothic romantic/suspense novel!

Continue reading “Review: Secrets in the Mist (Gothic Myths #1) by Anna Lee Huber” →

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

Review: If I Could Tell You by Elizabeth Wilhide

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: If I Could Tell You by Elizabeth Wilhide

Ahhh war romances how I love you! When this one came across my desk for review, I jumped at the chance to review it. The description was tantalizing and I just knew I had to read this one!

For some reason I just love books about ill-fated or impossible romances and while this one had an adultery element, that wasn’t a deal breaker for me….in fact I was curious to see how that angle would work within the story.

England, 1939: Julia Compton has a beautifully well-ordered life. Once a promising pianist, she now has a handsome husband, a young son she adores, and a housekeeper who takes care of her comfortable home. Then, on the eve of war, a film crew arrives in her coastal town. She falls in love.

The consequences are devastating. Penniless, denied access to her son, and completely unequipped to fend for herself, she finds herself adrift in wartime London with her lover, documentary filmmaker Dougie Birdsall. While Dougie seeks truth wherever he can find it, Julia finds herself lost.

As the German invasion looms and bombs rain down on the city, she faces a choice—succumb to her fate, or fight to forge a new identity in the heat of war (Summary from Goodreads).

Continue reading “Review: If I Could Tell You by Elizabeth Wilhide” →

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

Review: The Enemies of Versailles (The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy #3) by Sally Christie

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Enemies of Versailles (The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy #3) by Sally Christie

Here we are yet again with another book series reaching its conclusion! On the whole this has been a solid, well written, and interesting series and I was sad to see it coming to an end.

I had big expectations for this conclusion and overall I wasn’t disappointed.

Jeanne Becu, a woman of astounding beauty but humble birth, works her way from the grimy back streets of Paris to the palace of Versailles, where the aging King Louis XV has become a jaded and bitter old philanderer.

Jeanne bursts into his life and, as the Comtesse du Barry, quickly becomes his official mistress. “That beastly bourgeois Pompadour was one thing; a common prostitute quite another kettle of fish.”

After decades suffering the King’s endless stream of Royal Favorites, the princesses of the Court have reached a breaking point. Horrified that he would bring the lowborn Comtesse du Barry into the hallowed halls of Versailles, Louis XV’s daughters, led by the indomitable Madame Adelaide, vow eternal enmity and enlist the young dauphiness Marie Antoinette in their fight against the new mistress.

Continue reading “Review: The Enemies of Versailles (The Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy #3) by Sally Christie” →