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Jazz Baby

by Lorelie Brown (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 24 ratings · 10 reviews

"Of all the juice joints he had to bust, this one had to be hers..."

In the world of illegal speakeasies, Kate Kirkland has her life running smoother than a Model T. Maybe moving the family bar into the basement wasn't the best choice for her alcoholic brother, but Kate's making them a living--until a local gangster tries to expand his territory. Right into her bar.

Luckily...more

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Published March 2nd 2010 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd

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Jan 24, 2011 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance-american

This historical romance is set during the Prohibition era in New York city. Micah Trent is a Prohibition agent working undercover to close down illegal outlets selling alcohol. In the course of his work posing as a bootlegger supplying alcohol, he meets Kate Kirkland, the manager of The Kirk, an illegal 'speakeasy'.

This is in many ways a regular historical romance with the usual conflict between the main protagonists, their assured happily-ever-after, and with requisite love scenes in between....more

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Jul 25, 2010 Juli rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review originally appeared on my blog, sonomalass.vox.com.

Jazz Baby by Lorelie Brown is set in the Roaring Twenties, and the heroine, Kate, runs an illegal speakeasy. The hero, Micah, is a federal agent -- okay, that's not unusual in romance, but he's working under cover as a bootlegger. The setting and the characters in it were refreshingly different from more usual historical romance settings, which made some standard romance characters (the villain, the gruff sidekick, the rescued waif,...more This review originally appeared on my blog, sonomalass.vox.com.

Jazz Baby by Lorelie Brown is set in the Roaring Twenties, and the heroine, Kate, runs an illegal speakeasy. The hero, Micah, is a federal agent -- okay, that's not unusual in romance, but he's working under cover as a bootlegger. The setting and the characters in it were refreshingly different from more usual historical romance settings, which made some standard romance characters (the villain, the gruff sidekick, the rescued waif, the brother with problems) fresh and different as well. The period details were important to the story without being intrusive, which is a balance many authors struggle with when writing in a period unfamiliar to their audience. Only a couple of places seemed to say, "My excellent research, let me show it to you!"

One of the best uses of the period setting was in the characterization of Kate. She is a modern woman in an age where that really means something -- standards of fashion and behavior are in flux in this period, and Kate is firmly in the "new woman" camp. She has to fight to have that acknowledged and respected. This makes her a great heroine, because she is strong, independent and self-aware, in regards to business and her personal life, but that's not something anyone in the book accepts easily or takes for granted, including Kate herself. Her commitment to independence becomes a source of conflict when she finds herself wanting to trust Micah and depend on him; I loved watching her negotiate that, and I really appreciated how hard Brown made Kate work to come to terms with her feelings for Micah. "Do I love him?" and "Can I trust him?" are separate questions in this book, and Kate goes back and forth on both of them for good reasons. As a reader, I don't believe in a couple's happy ending unless I feel that both love and trust have been established, and this book dug into that dynamic (with the added complication of hot sexual chemistry) in a very satisfying way.

I also enjoyed the balance of internal and external conflict in this book. I like having the main characters working together against a common adversary (in this case, organized crime bosses), because it shows me how they function as a team. But there are aspects of the situation that put them in conflict with each other, in ways that cannot be easily resolved. I will admit that towards the end of this book, I started dreading a deus ex machina ending, because the barriers between the characters seemed too great to be believable resolved. But the climactic scene worked for me.

I did have a couple of minor concerns about the book. One irritating thing for me was the name of the major villain, Johnny Vittorelli. His father, a big-time gangster, always refers to him by his Italian name, which is Guiseppi. That bugged me every time it came up, since Giovanni is the Italian equivalent of John, and it never made sense to me why Guiseppi wasn't anglicized to Joe or Joey instead. (I said it was minor! But it did throw me out of the story.)

A slightly larger issue was the legal dimension of the ending. While I was thrilled with the way the character conflict was resolved, I was less convinced by the plot resolution. Jayne's B+ review at Dear Author expresses some of the same concerns (I won't here, to avoid spoilers). This was not enough to ruin the book for me by a long shot, though. Also, on a side note, I loved what I took to be a PostSecret nod towards the end of the book. Nicely done.(less)

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Feb 27, 2010 Katie(babs) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really don’t understand why there aren’t more romances being released with an early 20th century Pre World War II setting. I do believe there’s a market for it, and if you have an author like Lorelie Brown penning such a novel, I can see the public eating it up and asking for more. When I heard that Lorelie had written a 1920’s Prohibition romance, I was very intrigued and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Lorelie’s Jazz Baby is one story I recommend you spend your money on. Not only has sh...more I really don’t understand why there aren’t more romances being released with an early 20th century Pre World War II setting. I do believe there’s a market for it, and if you have an author like Lorelie Brown penning such a novel, I can see the public eating it up and asking for more. When I heard that Lorelie had written a 1920’s Prohibition romance, I was very intrigued and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Lorelie’s Jazz Baby is one story I recommend you spend your money on. Not only has she written a wonderful and steamy romance, but her storytelling skills, intricate, thought out plot and characters really hooks you. Perhaps Lorelie will jump start a new trend where the decade of the Roaring Twenties will be the new “in” historical romance?

Jazz Baby introduces us to Micah Trent, an undercover Prohibition agent who travels from city to city helping the local cops take down illegal speakeasies, both large and small. The Volstead Act has been passed where under the 18th Amendment, liquor has been prohibited within the United States. Any place caught serving alcohol will be closed down and those involved will be arrested. Micah has a job to do and makes no excuses how he does it, even if it means taking down the Mom and Pop bars along with the big guys. Micah and his partner Jake have a chance to take down big time mobster, Poppa Paulo who works in New York City. Paulo’s son Johnny Vittorelli is now trying to make a name for himself and out from under his father’s rule. Micah and Jake will go to NYC as bootleggers and try and take down both father and son.

Kate Kirkland runs The Kirk, the former bar her deceased father operated. Now it’s an illegal speakeasy. Kate does the best she can under the circumstance and runs a tight ship where the locals can relax, have a few drinks and listen to some great live music. Kate’s brother, Patrick is a fallen down drunk and lashes out because he feels his life is worthless, mainly because his father always berated him. Kate was always the golden child, and although she loves her brother, she’s sick and tired of his boozing and depression. Its bad enough she had to deal with the likes of Vittorelli, who has become very dangerous and may want in on her business. For the moment, her one main concern is finding a new bootlegger because her main one is retiring. She meets Micah Trent and Jake Sterling, who will take over for her favorite bootlegger’s operations. But, she has some major reservations, especially in regards to Micah who is a big flirt. She wants the respect due to her because she’s a business woman after all, and Micah does seem to appreciate her work ethic, but also treats her like a woman who has needs. Kate has put her own personal needs to the side as she babysits her brother and keeping The Kirk afloat that could be taken away from her at a moment’s notice.

Micah is very attracted to Kate and decides he’ll romance her and is assured they will end up on the bedroom. At first he doesn’t have any remorse because Kate is a criminal, albeit a beautiful and savvy one who is dealing with the cards life handed her. When Vittorelli comes sniffing around Kate and vaguely threatens her into give him a piece of The Kirk, Micah will do whatever he can to protect her and keep her safe. Kate soon welcomes Micah into her life on a more personal level, unaware of who he really is. And when Vittorelli is sick and tired of not being respected, he does something that will cause a major ripple effect for Kate and The Kirk, where Micah is backed into a corner. Now he has to make some very tough decisions with his job and the woman he has come to love.

Jazz Baby exceeded my expectations and more. This is an excellent, well written romance that comes across somewhat literary in its telling. I was lost in the history, which Lorelie explains so well, and felt like I was right in the middle of all the action. The sites and sounds of the 1920’s is near perfect, where I wanted to sit down, have a glass of gin and listen to some jazz.

Kate is a very strong, impressive heroine who refuses to be coddled or give up when things get tough. Micah is one of these smooth types who’s used in getting his way, but Kate makes him work hard for her trust. What I really like about Micah was the way he respected Kate, not only because she is one classy “broad”, but he’s attracted to her because of her mind and how well she handles each situation. These two are each other’s equals in every way, which leads to great steamy love making between the two.

Johnny Vitteroli, and his father who rule the New York City underworld, reminded me of characters you would find in a Martin Scorsese gangster movie. You really come to dislike these two men, even though Johnny is more of a whiny, spoiled man who gets his just desserts in the end. The other secondary characters such as Jake, Kate’s head lining singer, Suzie, and even Patrick really round out the story.

Jazz Baby was a very different type of romance I was so glad in taking a chance on. For a debut author to write such a book that really has amazed me, I can’t help but applaud Lorelie Brown’s wonderful efforts with Jazz Baby.
(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1920s, romance

I was immediately charmed by Jazz Baby, which admittedly has a lot to do with its setting. There's a romanticized glamour about the 1920s, and the effect is in full force here. I was invested in the characters, too, though, which brings me to my biggest grumble. There's a bit of sequel bait in the book, but as far as I can find no other book in this world was ever written. The sequel bait isn't obnoxious, and at first I had thought it would merely be a subplot, but when it wasn't wrapped up at t...more

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Oct 14, 2010 CaliGirlRae rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-historical, jazz-age, roaring-20s, best-of-2010-reads

What an excellent addition to historical romance titles. Lately I've been on the hunt for more historicals that take place from the 20s-40s. The style, the music, the snazzy close, snappy dialogue and volatile society offers so much for so many stories to be told. As we are going through a similar situation today with the depression, it's an interesting reflection upon the times to look back during the time of prohibition.

Jazz Baby doesn't disappoint. It's a romance that focuses around the main...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Las rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance

Loved the Prohibition-era setting. The plot was all over the place and characters' action were often inconsistent with what was going on around them.

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Jul 10, 2010 Gwen Hayes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, kindle

What a refreshing era to read. Loved it. Plus, the dialogue was sharp. I enjoyed losing myself in this story a lot.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 09, 2011 K rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

2.5 stars

I hoped to love this book more but it didn't happen. I was looking forward to being transported to the roaring 20's but instead I felt the era wasn't portrayed vividly enough. I highly doubt the word "abso-fucking-lutely" was used in the prohibition days. The story is not badly written, the plot is pretty solid but I never felt invested in the characters nor did I really care how they would end up. As Randy Jackson would say: It was just alright for me, dawg.

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Jan 24, 2011 Zai Rahman rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book has unusual historical setting and I love it. It also gives me the opportunity to learn American History during this period. We should have more books set during this period.

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Jan 19, 2011 Shona rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance

I loved the unusual historical setting. I wish there were more of them.

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Feb 12, 2013 Peggy Kallenberger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-historical

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