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Give in to the Feeling
by
EVEN IN SPARKLING JAZZ AGE CHICAGO, SPIRITS CAN TRICK YOU INTO BELIEVING THEY'RE MEN
When Susie comes to Jazz Age America, she knows her life will change. Back in China, spirits mingle in the mists of the rice fields and trick humans into believing they’re men so to steal their soul, and the expectations of a daughter are unimportant and ignore. Here in Chicago, Simon gives ...more
When Susie comes to Jazz Age America, she knows her life will change. Back in China, spirits mingle in the mists of the rice fields and trick humans into believing they’re men so to steal their soul, and the expectations of a daughter are unimportant and ignore. Here in Chicago, Simon gives ...more
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ebook, First Edition
Published
March 4th 2016
by Sarah Zama
(first published March 2016)
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Start your review of Give in to the Feeling
Give in to the Feeling, is a short novella, set in 1920s Chicago, mainly within a Speakeasy club.
Susie, or Sue Xie, her real name, is a Chinese immigrant who came over to the USA to be with her husband. Unfortunately, he died before she had completed her long journey.
His associate, Simon, was the owner of the Speakeasy, and someone most men feared. He took it upon himself to look after Susie, and gave her everything she wanted, including a nightly spot as a dancer in his club. He owned her.
Susie ...more
Susie, or Sue Xie, her real name, is a Chinese immigrant who came over to the USA to be with her husband. Unfortunately, he died before she had completed her long journey.
His associate, Simon, was the owner of the Speakeasy, and someone most men feared. He took it upon himself to look after Susie, and gave her everything she wanted, including a nightly spot as a dancer in his club. He owned her.
Susie ...more
Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Review Team
This is an interesting and unusual novella, set in 1920s Chicago, mostly within a speakeasy. Susie (really Su Xie) is a Chinese girl who has been sent to America by her parents (all is explained) and ends up living with 'Simon', the owner of the speakeasy and a gangster (this is implied, rather than stated). She dances for him and his customers each night; she belongs to him. Then one night she dances with the mysterious Blood, and knows ...more
This is an interesting and unusual novella, set in 1920s Chicago, mostly within a speakeasy. Susie (really Su Xie) is a Chinese girl who has been sent to America by her parents (all is explained) and ends up living with 'Simon', the owner of the speakeasy and a gangster (this is implied, rather than stated). She dances for him and his customers each night; she belongs to him. Then one night she dances with the mysterious Blood, and knows ...more
Susie is content with her life as a lead dancer in a speakeasy. She has a boyfriend that gives her everything that she wants. Yet, she feels that she is not completely happy. When a man named Blood walks into the speakeasy, she feels an attraction and for the first time desires to live her own life. The more she spends time with Blood, the more she realizes that her boyfriend is not what he seems to be. Can Susie find her own happiness or must she be bound to the speakeasy?
I really thought that ...more
I really thought that ...more
This is the type of story that will have you wanting to reread it just to see if you missed any of the clues! It is a quick read and will keep you turning the pages long after you should be asleep. The reader becomes hooked into the welfare of Susie and then Blood, caring about them as if they were long lost friends. This is no ordinary romance though and the ending is what will make you turn back to the first page to start again. A great debut work.
Zama combines a vibrant portrayal of the illegal drinking clubs of 1920’s America with the trauma of being a first generation immigrant, then adds a dash of the mystical, to create a paranormal romance that is fresh in both setting and issues.
Two years ago, Susie left her small village in China for America to marry a man she’d never met. Only to discover upon arrival that he’d died. Accepting an offer of sanctuary from Simon, his business partner, she finds herself among the smoke and noise of ...more
Two years ago, Susie left her small village in China for America to marry a man she’d never met. Only to discover upon arrival that he’d died. Accepting an offer of sanctuary from Simon, his business partner, she finds herself among the smoke and noise of ...more
An enjoyable story. Without giving any spoilers, I would consider this to be more historical paranormal than dieselpunk, as I've seen it promoted. Either way, the author paints a vivid picture of the time and place, as well as the characters.
Occasionally the wording felt a bit awkward, as the author is not a native English-speaker. However, it kind of fit with the story, since the main character is not a native English-speaker, either. A few times I got a little lost as to the passage of time ...more
Occasionally the wording felt a bit awkward, as the author is not a native English-speaker. However, it kind of fit with the story, since the main character is not a native English-speaker, either. A few times I got a little lost as to the passage of time ...more
This novella is really unsual - Chicago during 20s. So rare!
It takes place mostly in some kind of club. The atmosphre for me was like from some kind of paranormal book and i liked it (somewhere in the middle but not on the top).
The story goes around Chainise girl named Susie (in english). Her story looks like a paper marrige from that time (like in Lisa See Books) so background was made good and accurate for the time of the story ;)
It's a short and easy read book
It takes place mostly in some kind of club. The atmosphre for me was like from some kind of paranormal book and i liked it (somewhere in the middle but not on the top).
The story goes around Chainise girl named Susie (in english). Her story looks like a paper marrige from that time (like in Lisa See Books) so background was made good and accurate for the time of the story ;)
It's a short and easy read book
A speakeasy in the 1920s is the setting for this paranormal novella.
Chinese immigrant, Susie (Su Xie), has the life she never dreamed possible. Sent by her parents to America to fulfill an arranged marriage contract, circumstances lead Susie to instead end up with Simon. When Simon decides to leave the west coast for a new business venture in Chicago he takes Susie with him.
Susie has more freedom than not only women of her culture but of most women of the time. She drinks, smokes, dresses ...more
Chinese immigrant, Susie (Su Xie), has the life she never dreamed possible. Sent by her parents to America to fulfill an arranged marriage contract, circumstances lead Susie to instead end up with Simon. When Simon decides to leave the west coast for a new business venture in Chicago he takes Susie with him.
Susie has more freedom than not only women of her culture but of most women of the time. She drinks, smokes, dresses ...more
“We can only have if we give first”
Sui Xie, known as Susie lives and works with Mah Su,Simon. In a speakeasy in Chicago in 1924. However, things aren’t always as they seem as a stranger,Blood, and his brother, Michael arrive on the scene, forcing many battles within Susie, with Simon and an emotional entanglement with Blood that might change all their worlds forever.Set during Prohibition, Susie is amazed that in a time of forbidden things, so much is done to still enjoy life: a fight between ...more
Sui Xie, known as Susie lives and works with Mah Su,Simon. In a speakeasy in Chicago in 1924. However, things aren’t always as they seem as a stranger,Blood, and his brother, Michael arrive on the scene, forcing many battles within Susie, with Simon and an emotional entanglement with Blood that might change all their worlds forever.Set during Prohibition, Susie is amazed that in a time of forbidden things, so much is done to still enjoy life: a fight between ...more
A Jazz Age tale, set in a Chicago speakeasy where certain members of the clientele and even of the staff live on another plane. Yes, they are ghosts, and not everyone can see them for what they are. Susie (Su Xie), an immigrant sent from South China to marry a man sight unseen, discovers when she reaches San Francisco that her intended bridegroom has died. His friend helps her out by taking her to Chicago and supporting her, but in return he demands complete and unwavering loyalty. Which becomes
...more
Ms. Zama has clearly done her research - I enjoyed the historical details in the story. This is a short novella, and it has great potential for being turned into a full- length novel. Ms. Zama has character profiles/ background blurbs for her characters on her website. I think this story would be best enjoyed after reading those first. The novella doesn't give a lot of background information for the characters. But, all in all, a quick read, historical details with a mix of fantasy. I would be
...more
This is a great book. I didn’t know much about it, except it was recommended by a friend. Very gothic. The supernatural 1920s speakeasy angle is unique and works really well. It’s a novella so I gobbled it up in one sitting.
This short story is a great read and something very different to what I normally read. Combining Chinese beliefs on spirits, the twenties Chicago jazz scene, and a sprinkling of romance, it's an interesting mix that really works. I enjoyed this story so much I read it all in one sitting (not a hardship when it's a short novella and a fab story!), and have no qualms in recommending it.
I enjoy reading supernatural-themed stories. This one, in particular, had so much potential for me but fell short. Here's why: Underdeveloped and rushed. The premise is interesting and the author's style of writing is pretty smooth, so I had no trouble with it holding my attention. I just had so many questions during and after and I felt they weren't really answered. Like, why were Blood and Michael in the speakeasy in the first place? Was their purpose for being there specifically for Susie?
...more
This supernatural tale is set in 1920s Chicago, with a Chinese flapper at a speakeasy as its main character. Susie is exciting, beautiful, exotic -- and kept in luxury by her savior and patron, the club's owner Simon. But when an alluring stranger enters the club one night, Susie's world is changed -- and the mysteries of the powers surrounding her lead to an otherworldly confrontation.
Excellent depiction of the era and the jazz age feel, plus a compelling main character and dramatic conflict. ...more
Excellent depiction of the era and the jazz age feel, plus a compelling main character and dramatic conflict. ...more
Actual Rating: 3.75 out of 4
Give In To The Feeling blends the allure of paranormal romance with the sensual, rebellious tone of the Prohibition era. Susie, a Chinese mail-order bride, has been satisfied with her new life in Chicago, working as the lead dancer in her lover Simon's speakeasy. Then, one night, two strangers arrive - and one of them, Blood, dances with Susie. While Susie feels torn between her attraction to Blood and her loyalty to Simon, she can't deny what she realizes Blood can ...more
Give In To The Feeling blends the allure of paranormal romance with the sensual, rebellious tone of the Prohibition era. Susie, a Chinese mail-order bride, has been satisfied with her new life in Chicago, working as the lead dancer in her lover Simon's speakeasy. Then, one night, two strangers arrive - and one of them, Blood, dances with Susie. While Susie feels torn between her attraction to Blood and her loyalty to Simon, she can't deny what she realizes Blood can ...more
Ghosts through the Cracks is a paranormal suspense novella. In it, a Chinese mail-order bride immigrant reaches San Francisco to learn her husband has died. Susie (or Sue Xie, her real name) is taken in by Simon, a business partner of her deceased husband-to-be.
A lot happens in this eight-two-page novella. It could have been somewhat longer and fleshed out in some parts while more repetitive bits could have been cut. The author does a good job with the setting, capturing the sense of a 1920s ...more
A lot happens in this eight-two-page novella. It could have been somewhat longer and fleshed out in some parts while more repetitive bits could have been cut. The author does a good job with the setting, capturing the sense of a 1920s ...more
I was attracted to this story because of its setting in the 1920s Chicago and the aspect of the immigrant experience, especially within a speakeasy. Those parts work really well and I felt the author delivered a great deal here.
A Chinese girl is practically owned by a criminal but begins to have feelings for someone else.
We learn about her life in China and in the US and witness her dilemma. The tension over her feelings is well portrayed and overall, Susie is a great main character.
The ...more
A Chinese girl is practically owned by a criminal but begins to have feelings for someone else.
We learn about her life in China and in the US and witness her dilemma. The tension over her feelings is well portrayed and overall, Susie is a great main character.
The ...more
This was my first venture into the dieselpunk genre, and I have to say it was very enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the speakeasy setting. Super cool! The characters are interesting and likeable. Especially Susie; she was strong yet vulnerable, courageous in face of her fear. I liked her a lot.
I would have liked to know a bit more about the characters, though. There's a bonus section at the end with some back story about Susie, and that's great. But I'd like to know more about Blood and Michael ...more
I would have liked to know a bit more about the characters, though. There's a bonus section at the end with some back story about Susie, and that's great. But I'd like to know more about Blood and Michael ...more
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
My first time reading dieselpunk, Give into the Feeling is a Paranormal Romance, dieselpunk novella. We start off meeting Susie, a Chinese American who moved to the United States and is a dancer at a Chicago Speakeasy in the 1920s. When Blood and his brother Michael enter the place and that peculiar feather-brushing sensation overwhelms her, Susie stares toward the black man entering with the long black curly hair passed his ...more
My first time reading dieselpunk, Give into the Feeling is a Paranormal Romance, dieselpunk novella. We start off meeting Susie, a Chinese American who moved to the United States and is a dancer at a Chicago Speakeasy in the 1920s. When Blood and his brother Michael enter the place and that peculiar feather-brushing sensation overwhelms her, Susie stares toward the black man entering with the long black curly hair passed his ...more
Give Into the Feeling is an unusual mix of romance, supernatural, and the Roaring Twenties. I loved how different this book was from what I’ve read of late. Set in a speakeasy (a fabulous setting if ever there was one), featuring both American Indian and Chinese characters, as well as a supernatural element, it makes for a really interesting, and different read.
I very much enjoyed following Susie’s struggles as she found herself torn between Simon (the man to whom she owes loyalty) and Blood ...more
I very much enjoyed following Susie’s struggles as she found herself torn between Simon (the man to whom she owes loyalty) and Blood ...more
Jul 27, 2016
Sarah Zama
added it
· (Review from the author)
Shelves:
1920s-inspired-fiction,
dieselpunk
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Born and raised in Verona (Italy), I've always lived to surround myself with books, so it may be a sort of karma that I ended up being a bookseller and an indie author. A fantasy reader since a kid, a Tolkien nerd almost as long, I've always being fascinated with history and old black-and-white mystery films, which may or may not have had a way in my involvement in the dieselpunk community.
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