Veena’s review of Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties, Book 1) by Jenn Bennett
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 07 Jan 14
I think this title is a delightful play on words since the hero, Winter Magnusson, is a bootlegger who is under attack by vengeful spirits. The heroine is a medium who does séances with a genuine talent for communicating with spirits. She helps him at their first meeting by banishing the ghost who’s haunting him, only to find others who seems to show up around him. Clearly he needs help dealing with his ghostly attackers, plus there’s the mystery behind why they are attracted to him. So the two need to stay together to keep Winter safe, sane, and alive…
The author paints a very realistic picture of San Francisco during the twenties under the full force of the prohibition. Living on the West Coast, I have up close and personal experience of the city and some of its history, but it all came alive for me as I read the book with the various neighborhoods and, more importantly, the significant role of the Chinese immigrants in the history and development of the city.
Winter Magnusson is head of a business empire founded originally by his father consisting of a legitimate fishing business, plus an illegal bootlegging business. It’s no surprise that he would have made enemies along the way, but the attack on him, both with black magic that opens his eyes to the supernatural and the visitations by ghosts, is a bit surprising, especially when he can’t find anything but a mysterious Chinese practitioner called Black Star at the root of his current affliction.
Aida Palmer is an independent young lady who earns her living by holding séances. When she successfully dispatches a ghost chasing Winter and helps deal with the supernatural poison affecting his body, he puts her on a retainer to help him fight his ghostly problem. She uses her own connections to see if she can help locate the mysterious origin of these ghosts, especially since a couple are more substantial than they should be.
Neither of them are looking for love or a long-term relationship, but the attraction between them is red hot and so the affair begins. A purely sexual indulgence where they spend their days in bliss when they are not chasing down clues or working. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip into the seedy back alleys and the Chinese tongs controlling the power in this strategic part of the business scene.
This is my first book by Jenn Bennett. I doubt it will be my last.
Grade: A
Summary:
It’s the roaring twenties, and San Francisco is a hotbed of illegal boozing, raw lust, and black magic. The fog-covered Bay Area can be an intoxicating scene, particularly when you specialize in spirits…
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…
Other books in this series:
