Vixen

Title: Vixen

Author: Jillian Larkin

Pages: 421

Review: ****1/2

Summary (From Goodreads): 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. . . .


Review: Will someone please build a time machine to take me back to the 1920's?? Please?

After a slightly slow beginning, Vixen sucked me in and didn't let go. The drama! The jealousy! The flappers! I simply couldn't get enough! Have any of you guys seen Chicago (the movie)? It reminded me of that story in some points (especially at the end, which I won't give away here, but trust me), but waaay better. And speaking of the end, um WOW! THERE's a twist if I ever saw one! But I'm going to shut up now.

I felt almost as if each of the girl's stories could have been almost individual novels, but they were so tightly woven together that having each side the the story added depth and intrigue to the novel. Each girl had a different view and different life experiences, and thus each girl offered a different vantage point on the situation they all shared.

For once, my favorite character in a romance novel wasn't the male lead--it was Gloria. She knew her obligations, and she knew how much was riding on her. But she also knew how much she wanted a different life. And once the reader sees the reality of her predicted future, you have no choice by to pray she can somehow get the life she wants--but how?! Clara is a close second, and then come the boys.

Oh, the boys. Another reason I think I'm a teenager in the wrong decade. Be it Marcus, the suave ladies' man who happens to be Gloria's best friend, or Jerome, the icon of Gloria's forbidden life, the boys in this novel kick butt. They are tough, but smooth; sharp, but kind. But the 1920's were the years of women--more specifically, the flappers.

This book awoke my lifelong dream of being a flapper. I know, I know, smoking kills and is terribly disgusting and drinking in excess is never wise, especially as a teenager--but the dresses! The hair! The Charleston! I want to be that rebel woman with the devil-may-care attitude with the pearls and short dress. So, please, that time machine?

Recommended for: historical fiction junkies and romance lovers



The sequel, Ingenue, comes out August 9, 2011!!!