Tag: Victorian Lit

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

Review: Murder in PostScript (A Lady of Letters Mystery #1) by Mary Winters

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Murder in PostScript (A Lady of Letters Mystery #1) by Mary Winters

When I see books with any mention of “Bridgerton-like’ in the summary or taglines, I am at once skeptical and yet can’t pass up on said book based on hope of finding another wonderful series that is indeed like Bridgerton! I often get asked what books would I recommend for Bridgerton fans, and that is such a hard question because there are so many historical romances out there that have a Bridgerton feel but aren’t necessaitly Bridgerton like if that makes sense. So sometimes when I see this statement on books, I become skeptical because there is nothing like Bridgerton but yet like so many others I can’t resist finding then next Bridgerton like book to fall in love with.

That’s how this book came to be on my review radar. It was described as “… the first novel in a new historical mystery series perfect anyone who loves the secret identity intrigue and swoon-worthy romance of Bridgerton“. So naturally I couldn’t resist even though I was skeptical. The idea of a new murder mystery series with a hot romance even if it didn’t quite live up to the Bridgerton claim, intrigued me enough that there was no way that I would pass on this!

I am a huge fan of historical mysteries and romances and any time that the two cross over is a win-win for me. I am always on the look out for new lady detectives and sleuth series to dive into. There are so many good ones out there—-Veronica Speedwell, Lady Darby, Lady Sherlock—and new female detectives are hitting shelves everyday so when I saw this was a debut and a new series, I knew it must be worth checking out if it had already been acknowledged as an upcoming series rather than just a standalone.

Continue reading “Review: Murder in PostScript (A Lady of Letters Mystery #1) by Mary Winters” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: A Tempest at Sea (Lady Sherlock #7) by Sherry Thomas

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: A Tempest at Sea (Lady Sherlock #7) by Sherry Thomas

This series started out as a DNF for me. I couldn’t get into the first book when I picked it up the first time so I put it down as a DNF and almost wrote the series off all together. But it bugged me so bad that I didn’t like this series! So many of my friends around the blog-o-sphere loved it and honestly it SHOULD be a series that I love. So after some consideration, I picked up the first book and decided to try again. I am so glad I did because I loved it and binge read all the books that had some out at that point so I could be ready for more in the series!

Sometimes that happens with readers—it’s like the right book and the wrong time and it can be so hard to decide if it was that I wasn’t in the mood for that book or if I really just didn’t care for it. Some books I can absolutely tell that I just don’t like it but with others it could be that I am just not in the right headspace for a particular book, which is why this series needled me so bad! I am glad I decided to give it another go as it has been a very enjoyable series and this book was another great installment.

If you haven’t checked this series out yet it’s great for fans of Sherlock Holmes but with a feminine twist! Author, Sherry Thomas, does a great job staying true to the character of Sherlock Holmes but with a gender bender, but the methods and problem solving that Holmes is known for is seen reflected in these charming characters. If you love historical mysteries this is a great place to start! Both familiar but new!

Continue reading “Review: A Tempest at Sea (Lady Sherlock #7) by Sherry Thomas” →
Books, Reading

Special Feature: A Love by Design (The Secret Scientists of London #3) by Elizabeth Everett

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: A Love by Design (The Secret Scientists of London #3) by Elizabeth Everett

In the last few years I have been really noticing an upswing in STEM based romances! They seem to be everywhere and I love reading about academic romances. But I feel like most of the STEM based romances are contempo romances with young hot upcoming scientists showing just how excited and sexy science can be. This is one of the reasons this book series stood out to me—it’s a historical fiction series with science at its heart!

I love that these books are all set in the Victorian age, that period is ripe for stories about science and technological advancement! I am really excited to read this series and honestly it’s a shock that I haven’t read the series yet. It should tick all the boxes for me, smart women, swoon worthy heroes, Victorian England, and of course some science to sweeten the pot! From what I am hearing the books can be read out of order so if you are looking for a sexy new historical romance I would say jump into this series wherever you want.

Since this book is out now, I think I am going to see if I can work it in a little later this spring for review. I have some travel coming up and would love to fill my travel days with some happy and fun romances and this seems like it will fit the bill! But for now I only had room for a feature but after reading early reviews and hearing other people rave about this fun series, I am bumping it up on my TBR list and going to check it out later this spring so be watching for a full review coming soon!

Continue reading “Special Feature: A Love by Design (The Secret Scientists of London #3) by Elizabeth Everett” →
Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Special Feature/Excerpt: Under a Veiled Moon (Inspector Corravan #2) by Karen Odden

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature/Excerpt: Under a Veiled Moon (Inspector Corravan #2) by Karen Odden

Karen Odden has written a couple of different historical mystery series most of which are set in the Victorian era. She has also written introductions for some well known classics like Hard Time by Charles Dickens. Clearly she has a love of Victorian literature and history. I have enjoyed her Victorian Mysteries series even if there has only been two books so far.

This latest series featuring Inspector Corravan, is currently on its second book. Odden’s books are recommended for fans of CS Harris and Anne Perry and I would agree, her mysteries are more complex and rich in historical detail. The focus is usually on the mystery itself rather than some of the other secondary plots. I haven’t read this series yet and the reason I choose to do a feature instead of a review was so I could go back and read the first book before moving on to the second.

Having read Odden’s first series, I know she does a great job orientating new readers within the series, however when I can, I prefer to read series books in order. Today though, I have a feature AND excerpt to share! If you are a fan of historical fiction mysteries then you are not going to want to miss this diamond in the rough author! She always crafts a smart mystery with fun characters and wonderful historical details!

Continue reading “Special Feature/Excerpt: Under a Veiled Moon (Inspector Corravan #2) by Karen Odden” →
Books, Reading

Special Feature: City of Fortune (Counterfeit Lady #6) by Victoria Thompson

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: City of Fortune (Counterfeit Lady #6) by Victoria Thompson

Victoria Thompson has multiple successful series under her belt, including the Gaslight Mystery Series that’s currently 26 books strong! I have read a couple of her books in that series and thoroughly enjoyed them however with it being such a long, established series that it’s a little hard to jump around within the series as there are threads of a larger story woven in. However the books I have read have all been fun and enjoyable so I would recommend the over all series.

Thompson has now started this new series, Counterfeit Lady series, and it’s only six books in so certainly a much more manageable series to get caught up on! While I haven’t read the other books in this series, this book jumped out at me for a couple of reasons. One—the cover! How beautiful is this cover you guys?! The other reason is this book has a horse angle (horse racing) and I absolutely love horses! While I couldn’t fit this one into my review calendar, I am super excited to start this series in the coming months so I can be caught up and ready for the next book in the series.

Thompson is a quality writer with such a huge fan base! If you love historical mysteries with a strong heroine and a smart mystery then you are going to find a lot to love in her books! This book has already been receiving rave reviews from other reviewers, since I haven’t read it yet, I cannot say if you need to read the other books in the series first. No doubt the author will do a good job orientating new readers in the series as well as focusing on the mystery but there will likely be some threads of the larger narrative that carry over from other books. Overall though I would probably still give it a try, you cannot go wrong with Thompson! She’s an excellent writer and a proven track record of well written mysteries!

Continue reading “Special Feature: City of Fortune (Counterfeit Lady #6) by Victoria Thompson” →