Tag: Historic Fiction

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Review: First Comes Scandal (Rokesbys #4) by Julia Quinn

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: First Comes Scandal (Rokesbys #4) by Julia Quinn

After finishing a couple of other books in this series, I was primed to wrap the series up with this final installment. Nicholas was the brother I knew the least about as he was the youngest and I don’t know that I was looking forward to this one perhaps as much as the others simply because I didn’t know enough about his character from the previous books to really be interested in him.

But as I have said before, Julia Quinn is the master at historical romances so I was happy to see what Nicholas Rokesby got up to in this one. Not to mention this one was a marriage of convenience troupe and I love the marriage of convenience troupe. That alone made me really excited to read this one. Plus this had a very ‘girl next door’ feel to it so based on these two facts alone, I looked forward to the last Rokesby brother getting his HEA.

While I might love some of Julia Quinn’s books better than others, I have never felt fully disappointed in one of her romances. Romances for me are such a great escape and I find myself reading them more and more simply because I know I am going to get a happy ending and I love watching love bloom between two unsuspecting people. Romances always deliver that happy ending and during these stressful times, I find myself turning to them more and more simply to read something happy! No one does romance like Julia Quinn and she does always deliver on the HEA.

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Review: The Other Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys #3) by Julia Quinn

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Other Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys #3) by Julia Quinn

After reading the second book in this series, I immediately closed it and opened this one up. I couldn’t wait to read more about the Rokesby brothers and their romances. Andrew was my favorite brother from the first book and I was really looking forward to reading his romance. I was actually really surprised by this one, it went in directions I just wasn’t expecting.

Julia Quinn is the master of historical romances and after reading just a couple of pages, I had to remind myself of that fact. I definitely questioned some of this book initially, but by the end I was swooning right along with Poppy over Captain Andrew. This book offered a bit of a change in scenery from the usual Kent countryside or London that many of Quinn’s books are set in and instead takes us to the high seas and to Portugal.

If you have been reading historical romances for a while you will know how quality Julia Quinn’s books are—Jane Austen-esque but with tasteful sex. The focus is always on the more tender feelings between hero and heroine and every time I finish one of her books I am always left feeling content and happy about how things resolved. Once again I was not disappointed. If you haven’t read any of Quinn’s books before then you need to stop and go pick one up. The dialogue is witty, the heroes sexy and charming, and the heroines are realistic and fully realized. You will not be disappointed.

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Review: The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (Rokesbys #2) by Julia Quinn

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband (Rokesbys #2) by Julia Quinn

There is absolutely nothing like a Julia Quinn novel to get me through a reading rut. I can literally pick up any Julia Quinn and be transported by the charming story, romance, and witty dialogue. I adore her Bridgerton books and the Rokesby books are a prequel to the main Bridgerton series. I read Because of Miss Bridgerton earlier in the spring, and I quickly ordered the other books in this series.

I actually meant to read this book while I was in Arizona but I forgot it at home and yes I could have downloaded it to my iPad but I already had a copy at home so I decided to wait until I got home to read it. I was sort of stuck in a reading rut and just not feeling excited about reading any of the books I had planned on for late summer/early fall.

But as I said, Quinn’s books always seem to pull me out of that rut. Her stories are always top shelf—-I describe all of her book as Jane Austen with sex—tasteful sex. Her novels can easily be read out of order and I always seem to find that after I read one Julia Quinn book, I immediately want ALL of the Julia Quinn books in said series so thankfully I was prepared because after reading this one, I had the other two queued up and ready to go!

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Review: A Most Clever Girl: A Novel of an American Spy by Stephanie Marie Thornton

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: A Most Clever Girl: A Novel of an American Spy by Stephanie Marie Thornton

I started reading Stephanie Marie Thornton’s books years ago and absolutely feel in love with her story telling style! One of the things I found the most compelling was she wrote stories about women in antiquity. Women that wouldn’t be likely to have a ‘story’ that was well known. For example the Empress Theodora and the women of Genghis Kahn. I loved that she took well known women in antiquity, but were unlikely to generate mainstream stories, and then created a story for them. I adored her early books and when I saw that she was making the shift into the more modern era, I was a little sad.

That said, I have read her more ‘modern’ books which, I am happy to report, were all wonderful too! Although I am still waiting for a story about Boudica, but I have loved her modern novels. But this book was one I was looking forward to above all others to date! I have been really enjoying books set in a post WWII world that include early espionage. This book is set a little later than I was hoping (set in 1963) but still compelling in content and espionage!

This is more of a ‘Cold War’ era spy type novel rather than immediate post WWII, but the content and suspense was on fire and I absolutely loved this one! I devoured it in like a day. It was so good and Thornton’s storytelling style just keeps getting better and better. I still have a special place in my heart for the ancient history novels but this more modern novel has a lot to recommend itself!

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Review: Among the Poppies by J’nell Ciesielski

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After reading J’nell Ciesielski’s latest novel, The Ice Swan, I was craving more from her and I noticed that I hadn’t read one of her earlier books, Among the Poppies! So a real no-brainer here, as many of you know I am a huge Great War romance fan and this book was literally right up my alley and I couldn’t wait to read it!

It was a super fast read—-because it was good! Ciesielski is a hidden gem author for me. She writes consistently well written and researched books and the romance always feels epic and believable. While Will wasn’t as charming and dashing as some of her other heroes, he was exactly what I expected—handsome, noble, protective, and brave.

I cracked this book open while I was still in Arizona and breezed through it in a matter of days (though I could have finished it much faster if life wasn’t getting in the way!). If you haven’t read anything by Ciesielski then you are missing out—-you absolutely need to read one of her books. All of them are wonderful and to be honest it’s hard for me to pick a favorite though I think I am going to have to go with The Ice Swan is probably my favorite thus far but this one came in a close second.

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