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. . . .

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:

First of all, Bravo! to Jillian Larkin for exploring a time period that should be explored in Young Adult fiction.  The Roaring Twenties are so much fun to learn about, not just for the mobsters and speakeasy’s, but also the fashion is bright and fun, the hairstyles are, frankly, gorgeous and cities were filled with wonder and life.

When I was in college, pursuing a degree in Piano Performance, I got a job playing in the backroom of a 50′s diner.  Every Friday and Saturday night I dressed up in fancy dresses, wore sparkling earrings and necklaces and sat down to play Gershwin and Joplin at a piano in a room dimly lit.  The dance floor in front of my piano would hold various couples doing the Charleston, who were admitted through a door up a hall, in the back of the building – the entrance in the alleyway.  When they’d call to make a reservation they’d be given a password – which they had to use or they wouldn’t be admitted.  I played for hours on those nights, watching the tips fall into the large martini glass set on top of the piano for that purpose.  And thus, my real life experience in a Speakeasy was given.

So I hold a love for the 20′s.  I remember those weekends with a lot of fondness and when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. Jillian Larkin did a beautiful job portraying the times, describing the dresses, detailing the class differences and parties held.  There were some aspects of the book that I have a slight issue with (mainly the overuse of certain terms – you can have too much of a good thing), but overall the book was interesting, had an eventful plot, a lot of history and enough romance to satisfy the romantic in me.

I think these books are bound to be a hit.  There’s no magic, no paranormal aspect, and it’s nice to see a book that has a solid story without needing any of that.  Just plain drama – fun-filled 20′s drama.  In other words, this book was the bee’s knees.

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