Tag: Historic Fiction

Books, Reading

Special Feature and Excerpt: An Affair at Stonecliffe (Stonecliffe #1) by Candace Camp

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: An Affair at Stonecliffe (Stonecliffe #1) by Candace Camp

It’s a universally acknowledged truth that I ADORE historical romances. As a younger reader, I would have balked at historical romances calling them ‘fluff’ but as I have gotten older, I have absolutely fallen in LOVE with historical romances and read more of them than almost anything else. I have always loved a great love story even if not exclusively historical romance, but I love books with a romance line regardless of genre.

When I saw this one come up, not only was I drawn to the cover but I also loved the sound of the story, widow who married for love now faced with a menacing relative only to find out that the menacing relative might actually be a nice guy with a potential for love! This one is going to be an enemies to lovers troupe but with a little bit of a twist and ya’ll know how I love enemies to lovers! SO MUCH CHEMISTRY!

I am just so excited to share about this one because the premise sounds charming and just what I am looking to read this coming summer—-happy fluff that leaves me believing in true love! Today I have this lovely excerpt for you guys to check out and after reading it, I am even more excited to check it out. It also looks like the first in a new series so I am looking forward to exploring a new series at its inception! Get this one on your radar now and enjoy this fun excerpt!

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

Review: Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

The Jane Austen Society was high up on my TBR list last year and I enjoyed it, but when I saw Natalie Jenner was publishing this book, I was thrilled! The Jane Austen Society was just ok for me, I liked it but there were a few bumps that I felt needed to be ironed out, however I liked it well enough to be eager for Jenner’s next novel!

The Bloomsbury Girls is set in post WWII London which is such an interesting period to me. The world just came out of this massive war and they were still feeling to effects of rationing and economic instability but yet were rapidly bouncing back from a dark period in history. So the 1950s always seem like a very exciting period in modern history which is one of the main reasons this novel really made me pause and take note. Then I saw this book featured books, bookstores, and rare books—I mean come on could this one be calling my name any harder?!

If you love books and historical fiction this is going to be a easy book to pick up and enjoy. I am pleased to report that I liked this one a lot more than The Jane Austen Society, this book really drew me in and reminded me how much I love reading some of these post war era authors like Daphne Du Maurier and why I love reading and bookstores in the first place! This was a wonderful read and I certainly recommend it to book lovers!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: Desperately Seeking a Duchess (All the Duke’s Sins) by Christi Caldwell

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Desperately Seeking a Duchess (All the Duke’s Sins) by Christi Caldwell

I first read Christi Caldwell last summer with the first book in this series, Along Came a Lady. It landed as just ok for me at a 3 star review but it was ‘ok enough’ that I wanted to try other books by Caldwell. I know that Caldwell has written a number of romances and has many fans, Along Came a Lady was a good read but it didn’t stand out to me other than the main hero character was a coal miner. Beyond that it just didn’t distinguish myself. However, here we are almost a year later and that fact that I still remember even that much about the book was enough to make me pause and decide to at least feature this one and naturally add to my TBR.

This one actually sounds better than Along Came a Lady in terms of the plot. It sounds like this is going to be a solid historical romance full of steam and chemistry not to mention a penniless Duke and an heiress who promises to set the Duke’s heart ablaze with her strength. I love historical romances—-cliche or not! Even if I have read books like it before, I always keep coming back to historical romances. They always leave me feeling happy and content. Even if I didn’t love my first Caldwell book, this one sounds like it’s got my name all over it!

I have it all set up to download when it releases next week and can’t wait to read it a little later on this summer! Not only is the cover to die for, but the plot sounds charming and solid. If you love historical romances no doubt you will find something to love in this one. A desperate Duke and a strong heroine always makes for electrifying chemistry in my experience so be sure to check this one out and get it on your radar for this summer!

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Gen Lit, Reading

Review: Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton

I have been a HUGE fan of Chanel Cleeton over the years. I have loved all of her novels in different ways and for different reasons. Each. time I crack open one of her books I am guaranteed to be transported to an exotic location with a thrilling family. I have read some of her books twice just because I love them and also to refresh where we are at in the Perez family story. I have certainly read the books out of order so don’t feel like you need to go back and read the others first before this one, but it certainly helps gain a full understanding of the family history and politics.

I love the Perez girls, especially Beatriz so seeing that she would be part of this latest novel made me really excited to read it! While maybe not the central focus of the novel, she at the very least puts in an appearance so fans of previous books will enjoy that. Cleeton has earned a spot on my auto buy list and I am always eager for the spring to come to see what sort of exciting novel that Cleeton has come up with!

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read and Cleeton’s books always stand out head and shoulders above many of the books in the genre. They are fresh, full of rich history, and so well written and researched. If you have not read these books yet you are absolutely missing out and should stop what you’re doing and read any of the books in this series (including this one!) it’s so good and I can’t sing the praises of the books enough. They are all amazing and for different reasons.

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

Review: The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

THIS BOOK! This book was at the top of my TBR list for months. The second I read the description, I KNEW this book would be right up my alley! It’s been described as a cross between Rebecca and Mexican Gothic, both of which I loved for different reasons and I think this is absolutely an accurate description of the story. I would also recommend it to anyone who loves Simone St James—-if you love her ghost stories, you will love this book!

I wanted to bust into this book the second it came in the mail, but I held off until it was a little closer to the release day. And let me just tell you that was so hard! I loved the book so much, that I also downloaded the Audible version so I could compare how reading the story was different from listening to it. Personally I liked the Audible version better but reading it was just as exciting.

This book has been on many many top recommended lists and also was featured on Book of the Month. I can say with absolute conviction that this book was absolutely worth all the hype. I loved how rich it was with folklore, religion, and socioeconomics of the time period. This is much more than just a ghost story or a horror story—it had a lot of topics that I think would also work for book clubs. This is the rare book that really works for a lot of people even if you are not a fan of horror or ghost stories.

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