Tag: Historic Fiction

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

Review: Relative Fortunes (Julia Kydd #1) by Marlowe Benn

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: Relative Fortunes (Julia Kydd #1) by Marlowe Benn

I decided to read this book based purely on the cover art. The cover art suggests a fun historical mystery with a quirky and fashionable lady detective. Plus it was the first in a new series and I couldn’t help but get excited to be one of the first people to read Julia Kydd!

The 1920s aren’t really my favorite era to read, but I love the art and fashion and have read a few historical mysteries that have been set in that period and loved them so I am typically open to reading more from that time period.

I was excited to see that this was the authors first debut novel and she has already signed on to do 2 more books in this series, which speaks volumes for me! It must be good if the publisher already wants more, so I was excited to dive in and check out a new lady detective! Continue reading “Review: Relative Fortunes (Julia Kydd #1) by Marlowe Benn” →

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

Review: The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews

by The Lit Bitch11 Comments on Review: The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews

At Christmas, I had the privilege of reading Mimi Matthews’ holiday novella, Holiday by Gaslight, and absolutely adored it. I read it in like one sitting and often thought about what a great story it was.

I wanted desperately to pick up her other books, but that the time I just couldn’t fit them in. Since then she has become a USA Today Best Selling Author, and I continue to see people raving about her books all over my social media.

When this  book came up for review, I didn’t have room for it, but I knew I just had to work it in somehow. I remembered reading the holiday book so quickly that I hoped that would be the case for this one. Boy am I glad I made room for this one, even though I had to aggressively read a few of my other books, working this one in was absolutely worth it! Continue reading “Review: The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews” →

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Re Post Review: The Prisoner in the Castle (Maggie Hope Mystery #8) by Susan Elia MacNeal

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Re Post Review: The Prisoner in the Castle (Maggie Hope Mystery #8) by Susan Elia MacNeal

When I first discovered the Maggie Hope books back in 2012, I was overjoyed to find another new and exciting sleuth but this time with a new twist, she was more of a spy versus an amateur detective.

As time has gone by, I have grown incredibly attached to Maggie Hope and her author, Susan Elia MacNeal. I was one of the first readers of this series and one of the first people to openly love and rave about Maggie to anyone who would listen.

Since then, there have been eight books and each one so different from the other. Her character arc has gone in a number of different ways and while I haven’t loved every single change in her character, I am never bored and always come back to this series as an absolute favorite of mine.

I am thrilled to share with you guys that the eighth mystery is out now in paperback and I think could easily be read as a stand alone book. If you have been debating whether to pick up a Maggie Hope mystery or not, now is the time to pull the trigger! In honor of the paperback release this week, I have re posted my review of The Prisoner in the Castle for your enjoyment! Continue reading “Re Post Review: The Prisoner in the Castle (Maggie Hope Mystery #8) by Susan Elia MacNeal” →

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

Review: The Summer Country by Lauren Willig (Audible Edition)

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Summer Country by Lauren Willig (Audible Edition)

To say that Lauren Willig is a favorite author of mine is the understatement of the year. Everything she touches is like magic for me. She is hands down one of my favorite authors and an author I have on auto-buy. Lauren Willig is historical fiction at its best—plain and simple.

When I saw this book was coming out and that it was set in the exotic location of Barbados, I knew it was going to be glorious and I had it on pre-order almost immediately. I was also gifted and early ARC of this book as well, but I knew between the cover and the author, I needed the finished product to put on my shelf!

When it came, I was knee deep in all my other summer reading and I was impatient to start this one, but it was also lengthy. So I decided to get it on Audible as well, that way I could listen to it when I was running my errands and alternate between reading and listening so that I could get it in faster! Continue reading “Review: The Summer Country by Lauren Willig (Audible Edition)” →

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

Review: The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore

The setting of this book instantly caught my eye and made me want to read it. It is set in Reconstruction Era Louisiana and features an undertakers assistant as the heroine. As many of you know, my Masters thesis was on women in Civil War nursing specifically Southern nurses through the Reconstruction era.

So to say that this book caught my eye was an understatement—I was practically chomping at the bit to read it! I finished my Masters degree three years ago, and since then I have not read a ton of books set in the Civil War or Reconstruction eras mostly because I felt burnt out but every once in a while, a book catches my eye and I can’t resist it—hence this book.

The other thing that excited me about this book was the main character, who is a freed slave who returns to the South to work as an embalmer. I thought this was an interesting angle and was excited to see how it played out in the story. Continue reading “Review: The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore” →