REVIEW: Vixen by Jillian Larkin

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.


About the Author

Jillian Larkin’s fascination with flappers and the 1920s began during her childhood, which included frequent home screenings of the classic Julie Andrews/Carol Channing film Thoroughly Modern Millie. She lives in New York.


My Thoughts

These kids are trying to sort out their place in our world-- to figure out their role. And they are trying to play "grown up", and sometimes get themselves into things that they aren't ready for.

Lorraine is just dying to be the center of attention and wants to be Gloria. Clara convincingly plays the role of the "country cad". Gloria finds herself on a path to adulthood that she may not want to be on, and Marcus is living the life of the ladies man.

The 20s were so restrictive, and the Flappers were struggling against those bonds. Women had no freedom. They were ruled by their fathers and their uncles, and husbands and bosses-- heck, even their mothers. The speakeasy gave the girls a sense of freedom. They could shed the restrictive trappings of society and "be free". Even the character Jerome doesn't really seem free. A young black musician of the time, he is ruled by the gangsters and by his skin. Marcus is probably the freest character portrayed in the book. He's a blond, blue-eyed white male. Who could have been "freer" in the 20s?

I found this to be a really enjoyable read. It actually kept me guessing, which doesn't happen very often. It gave me a taste of what it was like to live in the "Roaring Twenties". A time with some kids choosing to grow up quite quickly and opting to live life in the fast lane (not so different from today).

All in all a very good debut novel!


My Rating: 8 out of 10

Thanks to Barnes and Noble for the First Look!