Music sparks her world, but can love ignite her heart?
In 1928, soot from the local mills and music from speakeasies linger in the Pittsburgh air. When the manager of The Kelly Club is found dead, nightclub singer Vera Pembroke is thrust into peril. As the only witness to the crime, she’s sentenced to hide away in the Allegheny Forest with a stuffy police sergeant as her guardian.
Sergeant Mick Dinelo harbors a burning hatred for Pittsburgh’s underworld after the devastation it left on his life—and heart. He should be out exposing culpable gangsters rather than tending to the impetuous woman who defies his every effort to keep her safe.
Mick and Vera must set aside their differences to solve the murder that someone wants to keep buried beneath the soot of Steel City.
My Thoughts
Nobody writes 1920’s fiction like Rachel Scott McDaniel! From the smoky haze of historic Pittsburgh nightlife to the quiet beauty of the Allegheny National Forest McDaniel truly transports her readers to another time and place! The way she slowly draws you in, painting the story and scene in such vivid detail, is truly a gift. Everything is skillfully placed, giving us all the important information whether we can see it in the moment or not.
The story starts by giving us a glimpse of the life Vera lives, just enough to truly understand where she’s coming from without bogging the reader down with unnecessary information. Then things take off with a bang, gripping the reader with the mystery, danger, and romance!
Vera was a bit of a hard nut to crack. Life hadn’t been kind and people had been even crueler so it was no surprise that she had a tough exterior but underneath it all was a scared little girl who just wanted to be loved. McDaniel did an excellent job of really making you understand Vera and her emotions so while she might’ve been tough to swallow at the start by the end you loved her and were truly rooting for her!
I really liked Mick and the way he stood on the side of justice even while living in a city where falling in with the bad guys was almost too easy. He stood by his convictions and was willing to do whatever necessary to protect innocent people and see good win out. Vera may have seen him as a square at the start but he was just what she needed, someone who wouldn’t kowtow and gave as good as he got. I loved watching them butt heads and then seeing those sparks turn into a fire of a whole different kind! Falling in love kind of snuck up on both of them and it was fun to see the journey!
McDaniel does a fantastic job of giving her readers a little bit of everything, romance, humor, mystery, action, and all while giving off classic movie vibes! Honestly I adore every single word she writes and she always leaves me begging for more!
Even though Rachel Scott McDaniel won a writing award at the ripe age of eleven, the love of storytelling didn't enter her heart until she became a mother. Now her stories are channeled to an older crowd, but her message of faith and grace remain the same. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched by Love Award, Rachel pens novels brimming with romance and mystery. She embraces her fanatical penchant for classic movies and has never been known to turn down chocolate. Her work is represented by Julie Gwinn from The Seymour Agency. Rachel currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
0 comments:
Post a Comment