The Wicked City
Summary:
New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams recreates the New York City of A Certain Age in this deliciously spicy adventure that mixes past and present and centers on a Jazz Age love triangle involving a rugged Prohibition agent, a saucy redheaded flapper, and a debonair Princetonian from a wealthy family.
When she discovers her husband cheating, Ella Hawthorne impulsively moves out of their SoHo loft and into a small apartment in an old Greenwich Village building. Her surprisingly attractive new neighbor, Hector, warns her to stay out of the basement at night. Tenants have reported strange noises after midnight—laughter, clinking glasses, jazz piano—even though the space has been empty for decades. Back in the Roaring Twenties, the place hid a speakeasy.
In 1924, Geneva "Gin" Kelly, a smart-mouthed flapper from the hills of western Maryland, is a regular at this Village hideaway known as the Christopher Club. Caught up in a raid, Gin becomes entangled with Prohibition enforcement agent Oliver Anson, who persuades her to help him catch her stepfather Duke Kelly, one of Appalachia’s most notorious bootleggers.
Headstrong and independent, Gin is no weak-kneed fool. So how can she be falling in love with the taciturn, straight-arrow Revenue agent when she’s got Princeton boy Billy Marshall, the dashing son of society doyenne Theresa Marshall, begging to make an honest woman of her? While anything goes in the Roaring Twenties, Gin’s adventures will shake proper Manhattan society to its foundations, exposing secrets that shock even this free-spirited redhead—secrets that will echo from Park Avenue to the hollers of her Southern hometown.
As Ella discovers more about the basement speakeasy, she becomes inspired by the spirit of her exuberant predecessor, and decides to live with abandon in the wicked city too. . . . (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Please note: I received a free copy of this book courtesy of TLC Book Tours and Harper Collins and I voluntarily chose to write a review
Review:
This book is definitely fun. Gin likes to be the life of the party and it willing to give anything a shot. She’s witty, keeps everyone on their toes and overall I really enjoyed her character. Ella is going through a tricky time in her life and is trying to figure out how thing are going to change now. I enjoyed seeing her come out of her shell and start to pull her life together. Despite Gin being the main character, I think I actually enjoyed the “modern” day more although there were some questions left unanswered.
The reason I didn’t have a higher rating on this book is that the storyline was a bit convoluted. There were flashback and forwards, thing that happened “off the page” that we find out about afterward and some odd references. I liked seeing revelations of how this book linked with the other Beatriz Williams book I read, but it wasn’t clearly tied up together. If you hadn’t read another book, I think some of the events would have felt a little random. Additionally, the ending felt like it was setting up for subsequent books rather than a conclusive ending. I think if there are follow up books I will give them a shot because I want to know what happens, but if you’re only looking for a stand-alone, be forewarned!
Warning: Contains repeated violence and sexual content.
Rating: 3 stars!
Who should read it? Fans of the 20’s era and looking for a whirlwind story with fun and witty characters.