Tag: Mystery

Books, Reading

Special Feature and Excerpt: Jane and the Year Without a Summer (Jane Austen Mysteries #14) by Stephanie Barron

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: Jane and the Year Without a Summer (Jane Austen Mysteries #14) by Stephanie Barron

I am so happy to see how well this series is doing! Fourteen books into the mystery series and it’s still going strong! This is a series that has floated around my radar for a while now and it’s been so fun to watch it grow and mature over the years since the first book was published in 1996! That to me shows this series has staying power!

I am so thrilled to bring you guys a sample of the latest book in the series, Jane and the Year Without a Summer. I mean what could be better than Jane Austen with a murder mystery?! Some times I am wary of books with big name characters reimagined like Jane Austen, however with this series, I think it’s been proven to be a popular and well done series that fans of Austen will devour.

I loved this little excerpt so much and am excited to check out not only this one but the other books in the series too! I am hoping this is a series where each book can be read as a standalone. For those of you who have read the books what do you think? Please tell me in the comments and keep reading to check out the excerpt of this witty murder mystery!

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Reading

Review: Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #2) by Mia P Manansala

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #2) by Mia P Manansala

I recognized this cover art almost immediately when the book came across my desk for review! The cover art on the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen books are recognizable and stand out with their bold colors and fun graphics. The first book in the series is Arsenic and Adobo which was a Book of the Month selection last year when it first came out. I snatched it up but then basically forgot about it until this follow up book came across my desk.

The pops of color and the cute done on the front inspired me to pick it up and give it a go……regardless if I had read the first book in the series or not. I decided to just dive right in, in my experience it’s pretty easy to jump into a series with only one book proceeding the latest installment as the author tends to set the stage well for new readers and to refresh fans of the previous book so that everyone is on the same page. So I figured it wouldn’t be too lost picking this one up without having rad the first book.

I love cozy mysteries and if it features food so much the better. This book could easily make me a fan of Filipino cooking, everything sounded so great and I was hungry the entire time I was reading this book! But it wasn’t just the food that was a treat but the story too! This one did have some heavier themes that were a little unexpected in a cozy but over all I though it was a solid read with lots to enjoy and while I played catch up at times, overall I didn’t feel too lost in the story to enjoy it.

Continue reading “Review: Homicide and Halo-Halo (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #2) by Mia P Manansala” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen

I read one of Julie Klassen’s books a few years ago and absolutely loved it. She reminds me of a modern Victoria Holt and by modern I don’t mean her stories, as they are all historical fiction, but modern in that Klassen is a modern woman and she writes strong, vibrant heroines! I was super excited to check out this latest novel from Klassen so when it came up for review, naturally it was a no brainer as a YES!

In the historical fiction world, there are a ton of Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart fans and for good reason. Their novels really took the small ‘Gothic romance’ genre and brought it forward into the modern era. Now tat both of these talented writers have passed away, I know that I am always looking for a new writer to rise to the top of the Gothic romance genre.

Sure there are plenty out there who claim to be similar to Holt or Stewart, however when I think of an author who is most like Holt I always come back to Klassen. I know a lot of people have described this one as Christie meets Austen which I agree with but I still always think of Victoria Holt when I read Klassen’s books! I just love how well done the romances are and how new the mystery or family secrets feel and this book did not disappoint! If you are looking for an excellent gothic romance with a lovely crumbling and possibly haunted abbey—then look no further! I simply adored this book and I am sure you will too!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: From a Dark Horizon (Gregor Reinhardt #4) by Luke McCallin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: From a Dark Horizon (Gregor Reinhardt #4) by Luke McCallin

It’s no secret how much I love WWI historical novels but so many of them have a strong romance element which is totally fine and in fact I often prefer it, but there are times when I want something a little different to sink my teeth into. When I saw this book I knew this was exactly what I had been looking for—a WWI thriller. I am a bit of a military history nerd and when I saw that this book had a lot of military history as well as a strong mystery/thriller component I was all about it!

This is the fourth book in the Gregor Reinhardt series and while I haven’t heard of this series before this book, I already know this is a series I will be reading in it’s entirety. I am reading this book over winter break, it promises to be a quick read with a lot to sink my teeth into and even if it’s number four in the series, the early reviews I have read are saying you can jump around in the series without much trouble. This book has been getting rave reviews already and I cannot wait to read it. It isn’t the typical WWI novel I would read but at the same time I am dying to read it!

It is out now and a perfect match for the thriller reader on your holiday shopping list! Luke McCallin’s Gregor Reinhardt seris has a big fan following and I am eager to see what all the fuss is about! But many readers are saying many of the same things—that this series is action packed, full of great history, thrills and a mystery that promises to keep readers guessing until the very end. Do not miss this one, it’s out now and I will be finishing it before the year is over I am sure so be watching for my review!

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

Review: All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M Morris

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M Morris

In my lady murder book club, we are always looking for the hottest new thriller to read. While we really want to read just murder books, we are also open to more of the thriller variety. But lately, we have been looking for thrillers/murder books that are written by POC. To say that the POC pool for thrillers is scant would be an understatement.

We have been looking for months and nothing has been popping up on our radar—-until this book! We were so excited to see this book when it was pitched to me last summer. We decided in July that it would be our November book to read and we couldn’t wait to check out this debut thriller even if it sounded more like a courtroom drama (the main character is a lawyer) but as a group we were all really committed to reading this one.

We expected this book to have a lot to discuss when we were done especially about race in the workplace. One of our book club members is black and her and I also work together so I was especially eager to see what she thought of this book and what she gleaned from the thriller. This one has been receiving a lot of hype across social media and while sometimes that can be off putting, in our case it only made us more and more excited!

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