Welcome to Litsy!

Brutal, vicious are just some of the attributes author Camilla Bruce offers up in this dark story.

Has anyone else read this? I'm almost 100 pages in and that's taken me days to get through when I normally finish a book in two days max. I don't know what it is, I'm just not enjoying it and am really bored while reading and don't like anyone in it so far. Does it get better? I've decided to give it to around 120 pages and if it's not any better will dnf

3¾⭐I didn‘t know that much about “The Widow of LaPorte” before starting this. I only knew that it was based on a real female serial killer from the past. While I knew this would be dark; I was surprised by how dark it actually went. There were so many moments that were really, quite tragic. But my most significant issue is the slow-plodding, sometimes repetitive, plot. Despite this…the story did leave quite an impression on me.

7-15-22: My 68th finished book of 2022! Wow! This book was brutal! Historical fiction account of Belle Gunness, a female serial killer who killed men for their money and buried them on her farm. Told from both Belle‘s and her sister, Nellie‘s, perspective during the late 1800s and early 1900s, Belle originally known as little Brynhild from Norway makes her way to America and begins a rampage lasting quite awhile. Fascinating! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣6️⃣8️⃣

This is a fictional account of Bella Gunness, who was a female serial killer in the late 1800s in Chicago. She had herself a murder farm where she lured men to either be her husband or farm help and then killed them. This book was a tad bit too long and dragged in places, but overall a fun read.

I've been neglectful of my reviews, so I'm playing catch up for #LittensDressedInBlood
I really enjoyed this fictionalized take on the life of Belle Gunness, and what might have motivated her to kill so many people. The author takes some liberties with her story- in this book she and her sister are much closer, and there's a mysterious man in the shadows who eggs Belle on and delights in her wickedness. The audio was fantastic!

If I had to choose one word to describe this novel — based on a real-life female serial killer — that word would be INTENSE. A perfect intersection of true crime novel and historical fiction. Disturbing. Harrowing. Excellently crafted. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Library Haul! Excited to get reading

As soon as I heard about this book I knew I wanted to read it. It‘s about one of the most famous female serial killers in America. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, good character development and not too gory. While it is based on a true story, the author embellished quite a bit on it. I‘d be interested in reading more about the black widow of La Pointe.

This is a friendly reminder that mental health is hard and if you need to sit in your driveway on a Saturday evening with a beer and a book about serial killers, do it. 🍺🔪

I received this through NetGalley. I wanted this because it was true crime lightly based from the first female serial killer, the Black Widow. She was a woman that had rich tastes in a situation that was not made for them, so she came up with ways of getting what she wanted, by killing her husbands. I really liked the pace and the insight into the thoughts of her sister.

I received this through NetGalley. I wanted this because it was true crime lightly based from the first female serial killer, the Black Widow. She was a woman that had rich tastes in a situation that was not made for them, so she came up with ways of getting what she wanted, by killing her husbands. I really liked the pace and the insight into the thoughts of her sister.

I loved the dual POV and the multiple narrators really brought this story to life. Belle used her femininity to her advantage and got rid of the people that suspected her. I loved her sister Nellie's POV because it really showed how someone from the outside saw her and then you had Belles perspective which explained why she did what she did. All in all I really enjoyed this book and liked learning about one of the only female serial killers.

Picking up one of my most anticipated reads of 2021!

Book mail today!!! So excited. This is not how to get to the bottom of your TBR pile. 😕

This is how curses are made: someone does something to another, and traps that person in a web with threads so fine they can hardly be seen. There is no escaping that web.

The key to this novel's almost shameful deliciousness is in Bruce's careful humanizing of Belle Gunness. Born Brynhild in a rural village in Norway, her life is marked by violence, lack of care, and cruelty. One act causes Brynhild to wrest what could be righteous revenge, but as Brynhild becomes Belle, and then Bella, things grow increasingly more grotesque, more suspicious, more terrifying, and it becomes impossible to ignore the monster.

Yay! I won another Goodreads Giveaway! 🤗

#goodreadsgiveaway #winner

The cover doesn't translate well in black and white, but I'm loving IN THE GARDEN OF SPITE. The story of a 19th century serial killer, it's not my typical fare, but Bruce is balancing salacious with empathy. It's pretty goosebump-inducing!

Deliciously disturbing. Suspenseful and intriguing after a slow start but quickly started to drag again. I felt bad for the MC initially, eventually hating her easily-in a good way because I think that was the point. At times, it was hard to keep up with the characters. The writing was rather good with strong chapter transitions. A woŕthwhile read that may induce a few shivers. Thank you to NetGalley for granting me an e-book.