Welcome to Romancing the Stacks. This is a series of reviews featuring one of my favorite genres: Romance Novels! Nothing is better than curling up with a good romance. This review will explore Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett.

I was looking for another book, when this title caught my eye. When I picked it up and it said “A Roaring Twenties Novel First in a New Series” , I knew I needed to read this book. I rarely find romance novel set in the time periods like the Roaring Twenties. Most are set in the 18th century London time period or around that. I do adore books set in that period, but variety is the spice of life. Plus this book has supernatural elements which involve ghosts and not vampires. (I just feel that vampires are so overused.) I love a good romance with a supernatural twist.

Summary:

Aida Palmer performs a spirit medium show onstage at Chinatown’s illustrious Gris-Gris speakeasy. However, her ability to summon (and expel) the dead is more than just an act.

Winter Magnusson is a notorious bootlegger who’s more comfortable with guns than ghosts—unfortunately for him, he’s the recent target of a malevolent hex that renders him a magnet for hauntings. After Aida’s supernatural assistance is enlisted to banish the ghosts, her spirit-chilled aura heats up as the charming bootlegger casts a different sort of spell on her.

On the hunt for the curseworker responsible for the hex, Aida and Winter become drunk on passion. And the closer they become, the more they realize they have ghosts of their own to exorcise

Book Review:

One word: Disappointing. I guess when I get too excited to read a book I always end up disappointed. The major problem I have with the book is that it doesn’t feel like the 1920s. The setting is a speakeasy, but the characters act the same as if I was reading a novel set in Victorian London. The author failed to teleport me to the time period. The main leads are also disappointing. With a 1920s setting I was expecting the main female character to act like a liberated women like a flapper, but she was the typical shy heroine. Also the romance was lust at first sight. Lust at first sight is okay, but only when written properly. This was not written properly. A lot of the dialogue was “I really want him” or “I desire her” for no reason but their looks. It went on for too long. Every time they met it was like that describing each other’s body parts in weird details. I am fine with lust at first sight stories as long as the characters start to understand there is more to each than their looks. This book fails to do that. There is never that defining detail when lust shifts to love. It was like boom, they slept together so they are in now love for no reason. Little character was given to the two leads. Aida was shy and Winter was rich those are their only defining characteristics. I give it a two broken hearts as I was more invested in the side characters Bo and Velma and the mystery. Velma was who I wanted Aida to be like. She owned her own speakeasy and was suspected of using her voodoo magic to kill her awful abusive husband. Sadly there was little of her after the first part of the novel. Plus the mystery made little to no sense or I couldn’t understand why the villain was a villain. Check out the series if you are really into lust at first sight stories, but not for the setting. I might have continued to read the series if Velma was the next heroine, but alas the author has decided to follow Winter’s siblings instead of the real interesting characters.

Roaring Twenties Series:

1. Bitter Spirits
2. Grim Shadows
3. Grave Phantoms

Rating:

Out of