Tag: Suspense

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

Review: What the Devil Knows (Sebastian St. Cyr #16) by C. S. Harris

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: What the Devil Knows (Sebastian St. Cyr #16) by C. S. Harris

I absolutely love Sebastian St Cyr. I read the entire series last year in one long binge read. I adore the books and even if some of them have fallen into a bit of a formula, I still enjoy the characters so much. This one was high up on my TBR pile. I always set aside time in the early spring to read a new Sebastian mystery and I am never sorry about that.

The mysteries are intelligent, a little on the gritty side, and full of questionable characters all with their own motives. Going into this one, I was fully ready for just that and I wasn’t disappointed! But now that we are into book sixteen in the series, I am sure readers can’t help but wonder at what point will this series end? For me, I hope the answer is never but I also know that at some point all good things come to an end.

But until that day comes I am going to keep devouring the Sebastian mysteries and keep returning to my favorite characters. Some books in this series are able to be read as standalones and I think this one here could easily be read as a standalone if you want to check out the series but also don’t want to go back and read all the books to enjoy it!

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Special Feature: Indelible (Sean McPherson #1) by Laurie Buchanan

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Indelible (Sean McPherson #1) by Laurie Buchanan

I love books set in the Pacific Northwest. Having grown up here in Oregon, I always love reading books that set in this general region for a number of reasons. For one, I love when I recognize a town name or place I have been to before and I also love seeing my home region described by others.

When I saw this new mystery series from author Laurie Buchanan was set in the Pacific Northwest, I was eager to check it out. Buchanan hails from Idaho, a neighbor to my home state, and I cannot wait to check this novel out! Besides the setting of the book though, I was pleased to see that the summary sounded just as intriguing.

Early reviews have high praise for the fast paced action and riveting suspense. I am very interested in the character dynamics in this one for sure! After his partner is killed, our protagonist retreats to become a handyman of sorts in a remote area in the Pacific Northwest only to have a brief respite before being drawn back into the criminal world. I cannot wait to check this one out!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison

This book sounds like The Guest List and Rebecca got together and had a baby. I am so excited to check this one out and see if that assumption is correct! This domestic thriller is out tomorrow and I am so excited to check it out. It sounds full of atmosphere, menace, and twists. Not to mention an exotic location.

The book is set on an island off the coast of Italy and I don’t know about everyone else in the world but I can’t wait to travel again once COVID is more manageable, but until then I am more than happy to travel to all the exotic book locations! I think the location is going to be one of the things that really makes this book, I know it’s one of the things that attracted me first!

As the book is out tomorrow, I wanted to offer you all a little teaser for what’s to come with an excerpt from the book! If this sounds like a book that’s going to hook you, then reserve your copy today and keep reading tomorrow when it comes out on Tuesday! J. T. Ellison has a lot of of wonderful novels under her belt so this one promises to be another great addition!

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

Review: The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

Converted sanatorium urned into five star hotel—-stop right there while I clear my reading calendar! I was completely sold on this intense and atmospheric debut from the opening description. Then it was picked as a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and that right there was enough to get me even more excited about this novel!

It has been getting a ton of advanced praise and so much buzz on social media but when I started reading it, it was easy to see that all the buzz was absolutely worth it! I loved the atmosphere of this book and it was exactly what I was hoping that it would be, something dark, twisty, and chilling.

I normally don’t like minimalist or super cold Norwegian/Scandinavian type thrillers but this novel has so much to recommend itself and it’s not to be missed. I also included some videos about the resort and the author talking about the book as well so keep reading to check both of those out and if you are looking for your next thriller, this is it!

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

Review: The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson

The very first novel that I remember loving was The Silk Vendetta by Victoria Holt. I was eleven or twelve and no doubt missed all the adult nuances of the story, but what I didn’t miss was the Gothic atmosphere of the novel. I went through a lengthy Victoria Holt period in my early teens and then again as an adult. I am always looking for books that capture what I loved about Victoria Holt…..creepy, atmospheric historical fiction with a romantic element.

This book sounded like exactly that—and it was! I have never grown out of my Gothic Lit phase and reading books like this, I am reminded just how much I love Gothic novels with romance. Many authors have tried to strike a similar balance like Victoria Holt, but not many authors have succeeded. I can think of only a few authors who I would consider similar to Victoria Holt but Abigail Wilson is now one such author!

I adored this book even if there were some things that I thought could have been more nuanced or flushed out, over all this novel had me transfixed and in suspense until the very end. I have been looking forward to this one for quite some time and was thrilled with all the atmosphere this one delivered!

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