Tag: Romance

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

Review: Hidden (The Texas Murder Files #1) by Laura Griffin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Hidden (The Texas Murder Files #1) by Laura Griffin

The second I finished The Vanishing Tree, I ordered this one on my iPad. I loved The Vanishing Tree and couldn’t wait to get my hands on another book by Griffin. I loved the balance of romance and murder mystery and I was eager to read more by her. I debated about reading another of her stand alone books but this series is fairly short (four books so far) and if I loved the series as much as the stand alone book, then I wanted to have more I could read.

I originally felt like the Tracer series was too long (I think there are 13 or 14 books in that series) and I wanted something that seemed manageable as far as series go. In my mind I was like ok if this series is good I can binge four books no problem and then move on to something else. Well that was BS if I ever heard it as I am currently done with this series and four books into the Tracers series!

I think what I love about Griffin’s books is there is this great, easy to follow romance to break up the murder and investigating. The focus really is the mystery though but the romances are believable and don’t feel like an add on after the fact. They are thought out and well done but also don’t eclipse or over take the mystery. It’s such a good balance and they make for quick easy reads which is just want I need in my life as the holidays ramp up!

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

Review: Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese

I have been knee deep in romantic suspense murder novels and while I am loving them, I always love a good romance. When I decided to review this one it was because I loved the cover (the girl with the sleeve tattoo spoke to me since I have a sleeve too!) and I loved that it was a Much Ado About Nothing retelling! While Much Ado About Nothing isn’t my favorite Shakespeare play, I did enjoy it and was eager to check out this more modern retelling.

I haven’t read anything by author, Chloe Liese, but I loved that she is a dedicated romance writer committed to everyone having their own unique love story. I like the inclusivity and I see that she is an established author which means that she is tried and true so I was eager to check out this latest novel by her, especially since it’s not part of a series. That way I can sample her writing before committing to reading a series if that makes sense.

I quickly scanned early reviews for this novel before reading it and was pleased to see a lot of people enjoyed it, picking up new to me authors can sometimes be intimidating—exciting, but intimidating. I have a handful of authors that I will read whatever they put out and then there are those new authors that I see around the blog-o-sphere that I think I might like, but sometimes it’s hard to pull the trigger on a new author but in this case, I am glad that I did!

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

Review: The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood

This book has been sitting in my Amazon cart for well over a year! I had it in my cart as a paperback and just never could decide if I wanted to pull the trigger to not. This book sounded like something I would like but it was also kind of off the beaten path and from a smaller press and if I was going to spend $14 on it, I wanted to make sure I was 100% sold on it. But then one night while I was sitting with my son, waiting for him to fall asleep, I was bored looking for something new to read.

Suddenly buying the ecopy for $10 sounded like a good idea and the moment felt right. I was instantly glad that I pulled the trigger! I was sucked into this one almost immediately and by the time I was done, I was kicking myself for not buying it sooner! If you are a Victoria Holt fan or Julia Klassen, then you are not going to want to miss this one! This has all the things I love about Gothic romances! Ambiguous characters, haunted castles, and of course romance!

This one absolutely drew me in and captivated me for a few days. I found myself spending longer and longer in my son’s room well after her went to sleep just so I could finish ‘one more page’! If you love Gothic mysteries with some romance you are not going to want to miss this one. Or maybe you have this book in your Amazon cart like I did and just aren’t sure if it’s worth it—well the answer is YES! Absolutely worth it!

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Special Feature: Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin

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I love the tagline of this story. As an avid romance reader, I love the escapism of a dashing hero and a world where love conquers all. But the hard part is remembering that it’s just a book and romance isn’t that way in real life—-well not all the time anyway. But I love the idea of romance being like a book and being able to be the author of your own story. I would love to write a romance novel full of all the romantic things and sayings that I wish men would do in real life!

So when I saw the description and tagline of this story “Love isn’t always by the books in this charming romantic comedy about a bookseller discovering how to be the main character in her story. ” it made me excited to check this one out! It sounded like something that I would absolutely fall in love with. Romcom with books—–yes please!

I also like the idea of the man being the more romantic and sensitive one, rather than the main female lead. I think it gives this book a very modern feel and more relatable for the modern woman. I was so sad I couldn’t fit this one into my reading schedule but I was happy to do a feature and add it to my TBR list since it sounds like just the kind of book I would enjoy!

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

Review: Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Beneath His Silence by Hannah Linder

This cover instantly caught my eye, followed quickly by ‘Gothic style Regency romance’. I LOVE Gothic fiction, especially at this time of year when it’s starting to get colder and all I want to do is be in front of a fire in my cozy blanket with a crumbling estate! I had just finished another Gothic romance and I was eager for more books like that one I finished. This one came across my desk at the perfect time and was exactly what I needed!

Author, Hannah Linder, is a new author and she is from a small publishing house of Christian Fiction. As luck would have it, I love finding new to me authors and ones that are off the beaten path. I adore Julie Klassen who kind of has a cornerstone on Gothic style Christian Fiction, and this new author reminds me a bit of Klassen but with her own unique style. This book is giving me all the haunted estate vibes and has a questionable hero with a fierce heroine, if you are a fan of Gothic fiction you need to check this one out! It’s a fun romp through Regency England that will satisfy your fall reading desires!

I am so glad I picked this one up, I finished it in just a couple of days and was left wondering when we might expect another book by Linder. Lots of atmosphere, some intrigue, and of course romance. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and once I was hooked—I was HOOKED. It did take me a minute to get into this one, but once I did, I didn’t want to leave! Gothic fans, this one has your name all over it!

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