Tag: Regency Lit

Books, Reading

Special Feature/Excerpt: Finding Jane Fairfax by Robbin J Peterson

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature/Excerpt: Finding Jane Fairfax by Robbin J Peterson

If you have been around my blog for a while, you will know that I am a big Jane Austen fan. I love reading books that are ‘Austen Spin-offs’ if you will. Not necessarily retellings, but books that take characters from her beloved books and give them either an entirely new story or in some cases an actual story. In this case, Jane Fairfax is a character we meet in Emma and she’s mostly a blip in the larger story and the audience rarely thinks of her again. However, author Robbin Peterson gives us something to think about when it comes to Jane Fairfax in her latest book!

I haven’t read anything from this author before, but I was excited to see how she would portray Jane Fairfax and after reading the excerpt I have here to share today, I admit I am intrigued to see how this book shapes up. In the classic Emma, Frank Churchill is sort of this villain of the story where he leads on our beloved Emma but then dumps her in favor of Jane Fairfax so I am curious to see how Frank goes from being the villain to now the hero and love interest in this retelling!

I am bummed I couldn’t find room in my calendar for this particular book to review but I am super excited to be sharing an excerpt with you all today! If you are a Jane Austen fan, then I think you will enjoy this novel! You do not have to read all of Austen’s books or even Emma to enjoy a book like this. There is still plenty for readers to enjoy who have never read the original. In my experience I feel like authors do a good job giving a nod to classic novels and their characters while also being approachable for new readers or readers who have no interest in classics and based on the excerpt I feel like new readers will be totally fine exploring Austen characters without having to read the original text!

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

The Lilly of Legate Hill (Belles of London #3) by Mimi Matthews

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on The Lilly of Legate Hill (Belles of London #3) by Mimi Matthews

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I have started scaling back on a lot of my reviews for publishers etc quite a bit for 2024. This will not always be the case, but for now I need to juggle family, work, and hobbies so for now I am scaling back. But there are a few authors that I will always make room for in my review calendar. One of those is Mimi Matthews. She is one of my favorite historical romance writers and I have read all of her books.

For me, she has been one of those authors who went overlooked by bigger publishing houses and I couldn’t understand why—–I am so gad to see that Berkley got wise to her writing and signed her and brought to life her Belles of London series! I love Matthews books and always close the book with a smile on my face and this book left me eager for the next book in this series. The last book promises to loop in her other series, Parish Orphans of Devon, which makes my heart so happy because that series is equally intriguing and swoon worthy.

This series (as well as Matthews others) are ones that I frequently recommend to those looking to satisfy their Bridgerton cravings, however I do let them know that Matthews writes more sweet romances than bodice rippers, but that said her books have intertwined characters/books/plots without having to be read in order and you get to revisit familiar characters in new settings, plus no one describes wardrobes like Matthews! I love reading about the clothes and fashion, plus Matthews history details are top shelf.

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Books, Reading

Book Blast: A Brilliant Match (The Earl’s Sisters #1) by Jennie Goutet

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Book Blast: A Brilliant Match (The Earl’s Sisters #1) by Jennie Goutet

I took a bit of a break from all my Regency romances this fall in favor of some spooky books for September and October! But now that things are becoming less spooky and more Merry, I am ready to pick up some fun Regency romances again and this one sounds like it’s going to be right up my alley! This particular author is new to me but it sounds like she has written a number of Regency romances but from a smaller publisher and it looks like she has quite a fan base established and I am super excited to share more about this upcoming series with you guys today!

I am excited to see that there are three books planned in this series with this one being the first! While I have not yet read this one I am planning on reading it here later this winter! It sounds like a nice refreshing read and early reviews are favorable with many reviewers praising the historical authenticity and details! If you are a historical fiction/romance fan you will know how important it is to get the details just right! I know for me I get distracted with glaring historical inaccuracies but I was happy to read that most readers found this book (as well as her others) to be authentic and charming!

If you love historical romances with the peerage that are clean, sweet, with the promise of a HEA then this might be a great read for you this upcoming winter/holiday season! I am so excited to share about this book today and want to know what’s even better? There is a giveaway happening that you can win a free copy over on my IG! Be sure to check it out and you could possibly read this one for free!

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

Review: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

I am always on the look out for new historical fiction novels—it’s my favorite genre to read. I love history and any combo or history, romance, mystery, or standard historical fiction, is usually right up my alley. Like most genres, it’s saturated with new books on a regular basis. All promising to be ‘new and different’ but when you crack open the book it’s often ‘oh this again’. But that is one of the reasons I love the genre so much. I don’t always need ‘hot new different’ reads, sometimes I just need a good solid historical fiction novel (or any combo of historical fiction and it’s sub genres).

How do you break out of traditional historical fiction stereotypes though if you are a new author? What makes your book stand out and different that readers will want to read it though? For me—you write good solid characters! Characters are what make the stories! Sure the bones of the book sound familiar, but it’s the characters that make books! When someone asks you what stood out in Pride and Prejudice—-I bet 99% of you would NOT say the time period or setting—-I am SURE most of you would say Mr Darcy and Elizabeth!

I love reading different takes on classic troupes with standout characters which is one of the reasons this book stood out to me. On the surface it sounds like ‘just another historical fiction book’—-a young widow solves Agatha Christie style mystery in Regency England but what we got was a fund heroine even if the premise of the book sounded traditional and bland, this book was so much fun and I loved getting to know Lady Petra!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies (Ill-Mannered Ladies #1) by Alison Goodman

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If ever there was a cover to lust after—-this is it. I absolutely love the colors and design of this cover! Whoever designed the cover did an amazing job at catching the eye of every single Jane Austen fan in the literary realm! But besides a beautiful cover, what else does this book have to offer? Well I will tell you—-it promises strong feminists and mystery! I love a good historical mystery but even more so when it has a Regency era theme to it!

The first thing that stood out to me about this book was that it had a mature main character. Lady Augusts is 42 and a spinster, so many of the historical mysteries on the market have a heroine that is ‘young’ or ‘in their twenties’. As a 42 year old reader myself, I love seeing a heroine that I already have something in common with. Sometimes it can be hard to read about a young sleuth with little to no life experience. I think this book hold a lot of promise and I cannot wait to read it later this year.

Early readers of this book are praising the story and eager for more installments. While the colorful and cheery cover suggest a more frivolous story, many readers are saying it is far from that. I love that this story promises a realistic view of the time period and the way women were treated while still maintaining a sense of fun and adventure. I think this book is going to provide readers with a lot to digest about the time period but also enjoy by the way of characters that are unique, strong, and different. I cannot wait for the adventure of this one! Keep reading to get all the details!

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