Series: Flappers #1
Pages: 386 (Paperback)
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: 10th December 2010 (UK) 1st March 2012 (UK)
Source: Sent for review from publisher
Buy it From: Amazon US - Amazon UK
Synopsis:
Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.
Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?
Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . .
Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry. . . .
From debut author Jillian Larkin, VIXEN is the first novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic new series set in the Roaring Twenties . . . when anything goes.
My Review:
You have no idea how much this book made me want to build a
time machine, go back to the 1920s, and be a flapper girl.
I’ll start by saying what a refreshing change this book
made. I’m so used to being surrounded by fantasy and paranormal books; it was
great to read something completely different! I’m a great lover of historical
fiction and I hope that this series encourages more historical YA authors to
get their stories out there!
Vixen is set during the time of the roaring 20s in Chicago
and follows the stories of three young girls’ right at the centre of the
Flapper era. Gloria and her best friend, Lorraine, are high society rich girls
who aspire to be part of the flapper world rather than the worlds of dinner
parties and gossip columns that they’re already a part of. Gloria’s cousin
Clara is a girl with a hidden past who comes to Chicago faking innocence and pretending
to know nothing of the world of flappers and speakeasies.
Gloria is engaged to be married to one of the most wanted
men in Chicago, Sebastian Grey, but she wants her chance to experience some
final freedom before she starts her new life as a bride. So Gloria and her
friend Marcus end up making their way inside the Green Mill, the biggest speakeasy
in Chicago.
That is when she first claps eyes on musician, Jerome
Johnson. Desperate to catch his attention and fit in with the flappers around
her, Gloria starts to transform herself, much to the annoyance of her fiancé and
her mother, and also to the surprise of Lorraine.
The story follows each girl in third person, which makes
getting to know the characters a lot easier. You are able to empathise more
with each of the girls, even when one of them makes mistakes, because you know
and understand their reasoning behind it. Each character is realistic and
relatable.
I have to say, out of all of the fabulous characters in this
book, I loved Clara the most. I was rooting for her from the start and I adored
her relationship with Marcus (who is another amazing character.) I think that all
good stories need a character like Marcus, the loyal and funny guy friend.
I love Jillian’s style of writing. Her descriptions of the
settings are perfect, I felt as if I was sitting at the bar in the Green Mill. The
story really draws you in to the flapper lifestyle.
There were some pretty amazing plot twists at the end! There
are some real tense moments were you have no idea which direction the story
will go in those last few chapters. The epilogue made for a brilliant cliff-hanger.
I’m really excited to start reading the next book in the series!
*I’ll be reviewing the other books in this series soon.*
Royal Rating:
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