Tag: Historic Fiction

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

Review: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

I have had this book on my TBR for years. Like years. Every Halloween season, I tell myself that I am going to pick this one up. It’s on all the ‘most scary’ book lists and I have heard such great things about Sarah Waters. Not to mention this book features all the creepy things that I love best in the gothic—a family fallen from grace, a crumbling old mansion, a haunted house. I mean all the things that make the gothic what it is can be found in this book or at least promise to be!

Well this year was finally they year for me to read this one. My sister and I picked this book to read for the month of October, every October we pick a couple of creepy books that we have had on our TBR and do a buddy read for the month and this was our pick. At over 450 pages, I decided to also download the Audible version too, I mean Simon Vance narrates and he always does a great job.

My sister has read other books by Waters and absolutely loves them so I had high hoped for this one and I was fully ready to be scared to death and up all night reading this one. So imagine my shock when I was literally bored to tears. This is my first and only DNF of the year and I couldn’t be more shocked. I went into this one fully ready to devour it!

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

Review: Parting the Veil by Paulette Kennedy

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Parting the Veil by Paulette Kennedy

This book had me written all over it. Gothic romance—check. Brooding hero—check. Crumbling old creepy house on the moors—triple check. I needed this book so bad this Halloween season and I couldn’t wait to read it because it clearly had all the hallmarks of a quick read for me not to mention one that I would absolutely love for the ambiance.

It literally took zero convincing for me to agree to read this book simply for all the atmosphere it promised. I think this book will delight readers who love Gothic romances (like me!) as well as historical fiction that is both familiar and yet different. This book has a lot to recommend itself, it is a debut novel and could maybe use a little polish in spots but overall it was a delight to read and I think fans of historical fiction but especially Gothic romance will fall in love with this one.

After finishing this debut, I am excited to see how Kennedy grows as an author in future books. She has a knack for creating atmosphere and a story that I could enjoy that kept me guessing. I really enjoyed this one and I hope you all do too! Keep reading till the end to check out other stops on this blog tour!

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

Review: Miss Moriarty, I Presume? (Lady Sherlock #6) by Sherry Thomas

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Miss Moriarty, I Presume? (Lady Sherlock #6) by Sherry Thomas

This was one of the few series that I have started and didn’t care for but actually decided to go back and give another chance to because everything about this book series promised to be right up my alley! I was so glad that I decided to give it another go because I have fallen in love with the characters (especially Lord Ingram) and I have loved all the books so far!

Obviously when this one came up, I couldn’t WAIT to see what some of my favorite characters had been up to since the last book plus things are really heating up when it comes to the Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty rivalry. If you have not read this series yet, I highly recommend going back and reading the other books first. This series builds on a lot of back stories and inter personal relationships so if you don’t have that context then it makes it more difficult to appreciate the larger narrative.

This book was a great weekend read and I enjoyed this one, though perhaps not as much as some of the others in the series but it was still what I would consider a solid read and I am really looking forward to the next book in the series as this one left things on a high note and I am eager to see what happens next.

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Books, Reading

Special Feature/Excerpt: Sisters of the Great War by Suzanne Feldman

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature/Excerpt: Sisters of the Great War by Suzanne Feldman

You all should know by now that I am a sucker for a novel set during WWI. It’s my favorite historical era and military history is kind of my thing. There is something about the Great War that just speaks to a massive shift in tradition and truly takes the world into the modern era in a way that no other time period has really experienced. Any time I see a new Great War novel I can hardly pass it up but I can’t always review every single novel that comes across my desk and it’s always hard to choose which ones to review.

This one is a book that I couldn’t fit on my review calendar but added to my ever growing TBR although it is near the top because it just sounds so incredible! Not to mention after reading the excerpt I was even more excited to check it out. Today I have that same excerpt to share with you guys and I hope you enjoy it. Author Suzanne Feldman has written a couple other smaller works but this appears to be her first more mainstream novel and I cannot wait to share my thoughts with you guys once I finish it!

If you love historical novels set in the Great War that promises moving storylines and interesting female characters then you definitely want this book on your radar! Keep reading for an excerpt and all the details!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab

Last Christmas season I became obsessed with the Queen’s Gambit on Netflix! I think there were many many many in the same boat. The show was amazing and I of course instantly downloaded the book and bought a chess board. Now have I read said book and played said chess board—-no but I still loved the movie and am slowly trying to learn how to play chess.

That is why this book caught my eye—it is another historical fiction chess book! I am so excited to read this one, I couldn’t fit it on my October review calendar but I couldn’t pass up a chance to share a bit about this one and explain why I am so excited for this book! The content sounds fantastic and interesting not to mention the chess parts!

A few years ago my husband and I visited a concentration camp while we were in the Czech Republic and while it wasn’t anything like an Auschwitz, it was still sobering and impactful. It was probably the most meaningful and important historical site I have ever visited and will continue to resonate in my memory for a lifetime. I feel like I am primed to have a connection with this book and I am just so excited to share it all with you today! It is out now and you definitely want this book on your radar—spoiler, it’s getting lots of 5 star reviews already so don’t miss it!

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