Tag: War Romance

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

Review: The Hollywood Spy (Maggie Hope #10) by Susan Elia MacNeal

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Hollywood Spy (Maggie Hope #10) by Susan Elia MacNeal

I fell in love with Maggie Hope long ago and watching her journey through these last 10 books has been so fun as a reader. We have seen her go from nervous secretary, to spy, through PTSD, and heartache. As we enter the 10th book in the series ,she is in many ways unrecognizable from the first book.

As a reader you really get a sense of how the war changed her character and I think that’s what really makes this series shine. I haven’t always loved the direction that Maggie’s character has taken or choices that she has made but for me that’s what makes her so real and relatable. You don’t have to love her choices or agree with them but you learn to live with them in the same way that her character must.

I was a little nervous going into this book though because we see the reappearance of one time beau, John Sterling. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. In the previous books I felt like John was charming and wonderful—-up until he wasn’t. Then I was like ‘Maggie girl kick his ass to the curb!’ and now suddenly he’s making a reappearance in her life and I hoped that he had undergone some changes between the books.

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Special Feature and Excerpt: The Last Book Shop in London by Madeline Martin

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: The Last Book Shop in London by Madeline Martin

This book shot up to the top of the TBR list after I saw a number of my friends reading this one over on Instagram! It looks so good and I love the cover! Then I started reading this little excerpt below and I couldn’t wait to download a copy of this book! This book has it all—emotion, history, love, loss, and of course a bookstore! I am really looking forward to it!

It has also been met with really high praise from a number of early reviews. If you are a reader and book lover, there is no way you cannot not love this book. I mean the characters bond over The Count of Monte Cristo for crying out loud! I love books where other books and classics are a large part of the story, so basically this one has my name on it!

The author has written some other steamy historical romances and while this book might have a romance, it sounds like it’s been more on the sweet side rather than the steamy side. As soon as I read this one I will be sure to post a review for you guys, but for now check out the excerpt below and get this one on your TBR list!

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

Review: Under the Light of the Italian Moon by Jennifer Anton

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Under the Light of the Italian Moon by Jennifer Anton

When I was pitched this book, what sold me was the sensational cover! The cover is a show stopper and so eye catching and promises something exotic and romantic. But then I read the description and I couldn’t wait to read it, especially since it was based on a true story.

While it is set during WWII, it’s not set in the traditional countries of France and England, but rather Italy as the title implies. I think Italy often gets overlooked in the WWII historical fiction genre so I was really excited to read about a familiar event in history through a unique pair of eyes.

Plus I was super excited to see that there was a romance in it. I love war time romances. The backdrop of the war adds so much tension and drama to war time romances so I was really looking forward to this one. I picked it up on the first day of spring break and devoured it in a matter of days! There was a lot to love in this one!

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

Review: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

I have only read a handful of Kate Quinn’s books, and while I have enjoyed them, it wasn’t until I read The Alice Network that I really fell in love with her books. After reading The Alice Network, I saw that The Rose Code was coming out and I knew that I had to get my hands on this one.

Not only did I love the idea of women code breakers but Quinn’s writing ability has really grown over her books so I was so excited to check this one out! Quinn is a great writer but the polish she put in The Alice Network really shined and I was eager to check this one out and I have also bought a copy of The Huntress to read soon!

Quinn has a wide range of historical novels that she has written, some are set in ancient Rome, some during the Borgia era, and of course now WWII. Clearly she loves history and all of her novels have been well researched but her WWII era novels seem to have a little something extra special about them which is why I was so thrilled to read The Rose Code!

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

Review: The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron

I have only had the pleasure of reading one of Kristy Cambron’s novels but I have many of them on my TBR of course. I loved The Painted Castle which I read back in 2019 and I was really excited to see that this one was coming out! When it came up for review I was ecstatic and I loved the cover! Easy yes right here!

There are a lot of wonderful WWII novels that come out every year and I try and squeeze in as many as I can. Many are set in Paris or feature unlikely female heroines turned spies or resistance fighters and while the genre is flooded with similar tales and troupes, I simply adore them even if they are not terribly unique.

This book features a dress designer in occupied Paris that once worked for Coco Chanel and turns resistance fighter. But what really caught my eye about this one was that it was based on true events! I couldn’t wait to read this one for that reason. I expected this one to be well researched and well written given Cambron’s history with so many historical fiction novels under her belt.

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