Vixen has 8 ratings and 7 reviews. Kathy said: Well Mr. J.D. Grayson what can I say. I was intrigued just by the name and diving into the book its the pe.
Table of contents
- The Vixen's Lead
- Diary of a Vixen (Book 1)
- Hardback Editions
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Henri Tull is the Alpha for the Coldwater Pack. All he wants is to keep his family safe and working legitimate jobs is the way to do that. Then he meets Tessa.
- Vixen (comics).
- Practical Intracardiac Echocardiography in Electrophysiology.
- Reading Bibles, Writing Bodies: Identity and The Book (Biblical Limits)?
- The Shadow-Line: A Confession (Vintage Classics).
- Vixen (TV Mini-Series – ) - IMDb.
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Until someone breaks into the Golden Goose and Henri runs to rescue her. The world is a much scarier place than she thought—will she be able to have a future with Henri or will her fears take control? Kindle Edition , 63 pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Vixen and the Wolf , please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about The Vixen and the Wolf. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Tessa is an unusual heroine. Henri is a strong Alpha who at first reading is likely to be protective of Tessa but unlikely to be her soulmate. Tessa proves to be unexpectedly strong and overcomes her issues to embrace her new life. This is a good introduction to a new series.
Brandy Jones rated it it was amazing Jun 27, Melissa rated it really liked it Jul 08, Amy Miller rated it really liked it Apr 21, Michelle rated it liked it Jul 20, Lala rated it liked it Jul 03, Hannah rated it liked it Jun 23, Angelique rated it it was ok Jun 19, Pinkura rated it it was ok Jun 21, Dunja rated it liked it Nov 14, In fact, during the course of the book, these girls walk around with flasks tied to their thighs and drink more than I did in four years of college.
Gloria becomes infatuated with the piano player, a young black man named Jerome. On another visit the band's singer quits and - wouldn't you know it - Gloria decides to try out to become the new "torch. The situations are so ridiculous they're laughable. But what really drove me crazy was the totally anachronistic language Was he coming on to her?
It was the engagement party from hell. Clearly the author was trying to appeal to modern teen girls but in doing so she gave up on any sort of historical accuracy. Clearly good writing wasn't a top priority either.
The Vixen's Lead
I know a lot of other people really like these books. Maybe I read something different? Dec 30, Sarah Mac rated it it was ok Shelves: This was pretty bland. Alas, VIXEN is an excellent example of an author not living up to the dramatic potential of her subject matter. We're given a handful of stock teen soap characterizations: Gloria doesn't want to marry her fiance -- instead she falls into insta-lust wi This was pretty bland. Gloria doesn't want to marry her fiance -- instead she falls into insta-lust with Jerome, an Unsuitable Love Interest who actually is unsuitable, given that he's a black piano player.
Lorraine also resents that Gloria doesn't realize how awesome she's got it in the male companionship department -- i. But when Marcus chooses Clara instead, Lorraine exposes a dirty secret from her rival's past And there's a midget gangster named Thor. P Clearly there's no shortage of plot, but the personalities are wooden as hell. If the author has the skill to flesh them out in future installments Compounding the problem is the third-person voice.
I do give the author props for a sprinkling of flapper-era pop culture Buster Keaton movies, Fitzgerald quotes, The Sheik , etc. I also give her credit for the interracial romance angle. But these positives aren't enough to boost my rating. Overall, a big fat 'meh. View all 12 comments. Aug 03, Tara Chevrestt rated it did not like it Shelves: I never read the "Luxe" stuff everyone spoke of when referring to this book so I had no idea what I was in for. The writing is cheesy.
I can't think of a better word. The characters are incredibly shallow and the story line is predictable. I bought this brand spanking new with my hard earned money so I am entitled to give a rating espite the fact I didn't finish. I also read a good quarter of it before bailing. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here. Vixen is the first novel in the new The Flappers series. In this book, Gloria, the beautiful protagonist, is out to claim her identity before her marriage to the prestigious Sebastian Grey. Suddenly, she is more outspoken and mysteriously drawn to Jazz. With her friends Marcus Speakeasies. After several twists and turns and sultry scenes Gloria finds herself breaking every rule she has ever known. Her world is changing faster than she thought possible. Everything is working out for Gloria until someone betrays her.
Could it be Lorraine, her insanely jealous, social-climbing best friend? Her writing style transports the reader to that fantastic era in American history. The passion between Gloria and Jerome is searing, and gives the reader goose bumps. Readers can feel the passion between Marcus and Clara escalating.
The ending of Vixen will leave you with your mouth agape. Lies, scandal, murder, and shocking revelations leave Gloria racing towards a new chapter in her life, and embarking on a journey that no previous Chicago socialite has ever been a part of before. Marcus and Clara have found the beginning of something wonderful, while Lorraine and Bastian are seething in the shadows of jealousy and revenge. Mar 22, RaeLynn Fry rated it it was amazing Shelves: I was giddy when I saw it in hardcover on the shelves of my local book store.
The novel starts with a short prologue at only wo First of all, let me start out by saying, I LOVED this book, and have since passed it on to many friends. The novel starts with a short prologue at only words. And then, before snapping her bag closed, she added the small black handgun. Now she was ready. Vixen is the first in The Flapper series and follows the life of Gloria Carmody. Larkin tells the story from the alternating points of view of Gloria, her cousin Clara Knowles, and her best friend Lorraine Dyer.
And Gloria is in love with a black man. Each girl is tied to the other in her secrets, new friendships are formed, and old ones lost, as each has to deal with the decisions they make and their repercussions those decisions create. Everything Larkin gave me is real and tangible. I could taste the descriptions of the clothes, hair, and atmosphere—from the dark and smoke-filled Speakeasies to the cheap liquor during Prohibition. I felt the jealousy Lorraine had every moment she was with Gloria, the love she held for her best friend, and her unreturned feelings of love towards a boy who would never look at her the same way.
One downfall in the book was that I felt I could connect more with Lorraine rather than Gloria because everything about her was real. I enjoyed the fact that Marcus and Gloria are best friends. This is a great debut novel. But not so with Larkin. Her novel is intricate and detailed, exciting and interesting. When people say a book is character driven this is what they mean. They are what move the plot. And it moves so smoothly.
It was a little over pages, but it felt like a walk in the park. Mar 28, Guillermo rated it really liked it. Somewhere in the back of my head, while reading Vixen, I learned that I'm glad I wasn't born a girl. And it's not for the patriarchal reasons that most men might come up with, but because when it comes to cruelty, you girls take the cake.
Boys will physically bully the weaker one, but girls destroy you socially, emotionally, mentally - which is far worse than the bruise on your forearm.
Diary of a Vixen (Book 1)
Jillian Larkin created a world - set in the s, the flapper generation not to mention the age of the Lost Somewhere in the back of my head, while reading Vixen, I learned that I'm glad I wasn't born a girl. Jillian Larkin created a world - set in the s, the flapper generation not to mention the age of the Lost Generation where expatriates roamed around other countries, each writing great novels - that sucks you right in and leads you down the path of three lives of three rather stunning girls.
There's Gloria, a top-notch socialite whose engagement to Sebastian "Bastian" Grey only means a life of boredom for her. In a last attempt of adventure, Gloria sets off with friend Marcus Eastman to the most notorious speakeasy in Chicago - the Green Mill. There, Gloria is lured into the world of the flapper.
She's seduced by their allure and their brash lifestyle. The singer on the stage sparks her most wildest dream of singing in front of a live crowd - a dream that would never be realized as long as she is engaged to marry Bastian. Most of all, she feels a sudden magnetic attraction to the piano player and jazz musician, Jerome Johnson. Then there's Clara, Gloria's cousin from Pennsylvania, who arrives to Chicago under the assumption to help Gloria with her wedding.
Truth is, Clara's running away from the life she led in New York. She plots to use Chicago as a fresh start. There she is drawn into her cousin's secrets and her inner circle. Most of all, she is drawn to Marcus Eastman. However, strange notes start arriving - first mysteriously left in her room - and a ghost from her past resurfaces. Clara is faced with her secret life unraveling while keeping up her act. And finally, there's Lorraine, Gloria's closet friend. As she realizes those in her world are slowly drifting in several directions, she begins to scheme how to get them back.
However, the more she schemes against her best friend and Clara, the deeper she digs her grave. Jillian Larkin breathes a unique life into each of her characters, never afraid to turn the tables at a whim. Vixen is probably the best young adult novel I've read this year that's not saying a lot considering it's the first I've read this year. Best of all, it lacks what is taken too seriously these days - you won't find cell phones, wizards or vampires in this novel.
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Instead, you get the sheer glamor of a lifestyle your grandparents probably enjoyed or were against. You are dropped into a world where communication between friends isn't as easy as signing onto an instant messenger or picking up your cellphone to text. No, Larkin picked the s because things were difficult back than, while at the same time being much simpler. She created a love story we wouldn't think twice about these days but would have caused an uproar in scandal back then. She created a world in which girls still scheme against each other, but they did it in fashion - no joke, I really do like the s which acts as the sole reason for my interest in the novel.
I surely can't wait until Ingenue hits bookshelves in August of this year. With another new year—-and decade-—upon us, I thought it would be a good time to look at a new book that takes place close to a century ago, during the Roaring '20s. Can you believe it? Another decade and we'll have our own version of the 20s! Debut author Jillian Larkin has released the first in her Flappers trilogy, Vixen. Told in three alternating points of view, the novel is pure historical fiction: There's a little bit of something for everyone, and Larkin paints a picture that makes it easy to picture the vibrant decade in the mind's eye.
The book releases at a good time, too: HBO recently released aired the debut season of its latest TV hit, Boardwalk Empire, and fellow teen author Anna Godbersen author of the popular historical series The Luxe recently released a new book set in the same time period, Bright Young Things. There's also talk of a movie version of the musical The Drowsy Chaperone, which closed on Broadway about three years ago. While I'm not normally a fan of novels with chapters that alternate POV, Larkin handles the shift well and such a break-up of the novel is necessary.
The three main characters in the novel lead very different lives, and through each of them, we're able to flesh out different aspects of the decade. In fact, Clara steals the show despite the fact that her cousin Gloria is the "main character" of the novel. I found myself most eagerly looking forward to Clara's plotline as she tried to make a new, "regular" life for herself after previously being a flapper in one of the most notorious speakeasies.
The novel ends with everything in flux, making it easy for readers to start looking forward to the release of 's Ingenue, coming out in August. The Teen Section needs more historical fiction. So much of what's out there is war-based and a lot of that revolves around the Holocaust. There is so much more that has happened and decades chock-full of stories waiting to be told. It's nice to see a niche forming for a decade that isn't heavily studied in school but still full of intrigue.
I hope this trend continues and that period pieces are finally beginning to make their way back into fashion. Oct 19, Debbie rated it liked it. This book started off slow for me. I loved the whole flappers era aspect and how Gloria, Clara and Lorraine's forays into this underground environment varied so widely. The way it affects each of them is not exactly what you would expect given each girl's personality. The characters Gloria was your typical rich girl who was spoiled growing up and feels the need to rebel before she submits to a marriage of convenience.
The main problem I had with her was that as the story progresses she decides she This book started off slow for me. The main problem I had with her was that as the story progresses she decides she wants to become a jazz singer and is even willing to run away with a forbidden man and try to make it big in New York. This sudden desire seemed to come out of the blue and thrown in there simply to facilitate the forbidden romance. I would have liked to see some build up as to why she would want to become a singer in the first place.
Clara was probably my favorite character. She has a somewhat sordid past that she is sent to Chicago to try and runaway from the results of her actions. She reinvents herself as "country Clara" in order to try and right her life and I loved seeing how parts of her act truly reflect her character and she must grapple with finding the happy medium between her rebellious side and her softer side. The romance Despite the whole singing career aspirations coming out of nowhere I did like the build up of Gloria's fascination with Jerome, an African American piano player in a speak easy.
You are kept guessing if she is really willing to give up everything and face a life of recrimination if she were to pursue a romance with Jerome. For Jerome, he would also face a tough future as white people would distrust his presence with a white girl and his own family and friends would judge him for dating a white girl. Seeing if the two were really willing to make that huge leap was one of the things that kept me reading. The story line The story started off slow but the ending is what grabbed me. When Gloria and Jerome's romance is betrayed you are kept guessing who was the one who turned them in.
The ending will leave you hanging and wanting to know what happens to each of the characters in the next book. Dec 29, Nancy rated it really liked it Shelves: But whereas Godbsersen failed IMHO to deliver her characters, the storyline, and all the scandalous details, Jillian Larkin manages to entice her readers and throw us into the mysterious, dangerous, and ultimately, very sexy world of the Flappers. The storyline was very driven, and scandalous. I found myself eagerly flipping the pages, wondering what juicy bits Larkin The more I read this, the more I realized Vixen sounded like Anna Godbersen's The Luxe , apart from the 's setting, that is.
I found myself eagerly flipping the pages, wondering what juicy bits Larkin was going to spoil me with. I saw a lot of things coming as I did with The Luxe but that didn't take the fun away from reading this. The characters were all socialites, but they had their distinctive personalities as well that made me like them despite everything. Take Lorraine, for instance. I would have hated her, but Larkin's characterization of Lorraine really showed depth and the kind of turmoil she was in. Lorraine was always brimming with jealousy, she was clingy, she was a mess but she was also bold and venturesome, and I admired her for her ability to just pick herself up after a fall.
Lorraine was more than the in-your-face and annoying villain driven by love and hatred, after all. The Luxe never achieved that deeper level of self and development that I really hoped for, but this book really nailed some of the inner conflicts, and the intricate relationships the characters shared with family and friends. The 20's were such an amazing time period to write about! Larkin does extremely well in taking her readers into the dark and dangerous rooms of speakeasies, to the imagery of the independent Flappers with their bobs and luxuriously puffing on cigarettes.
Seriously, I could imagine every scenario, right down to the magnificent confidence Gloria must have exuded when she made her short-lived debut at the underground bar. Overall, Vixen was full of juicy scandal, but at the same time, manages to deliver refreshing characters with development, and yes, a ridiculous amount of expected romance. Of course, I fairly enjoyed that last part. With that said, how torturous is it that Larkin is going to make me wait till August for the next installment??? ARC received through Random House.
I must say that the first half of the book was cute but only so-so. The end of the book was great though! All of a sudden the story really took off. I have to say it was kinda daring for the author to talk about an interracial relationship that took place in the s. I will be curious in future books to see just how accurate to history the author stays. At first I wasn't going to read the sequel but now I am for sure! I gave it three stars only because the first half of the book was Well I gave it three stars only because the first half of the book was a little but of slow.
View all 7 comments. Mar 28, Anna Curiosity comes before Kay rated it it was amazing Shelves: I did not think that it would be as good as it turned out to be. I figured it would be a let down, because how could it match up to the description that it was given?: So that is the description on the inside cover. This book had a very surprising cliffhanger ending that I will not spoil.
I ended up loving all of the girls, but I think my favorite was Clara. She is trying so hard to figure out who she is after a major disappointment in life. I loved Marcus, who is best friends with Gloria. He was the most wonderful guy in the book other than Jerome Johnson. The way Jillian Larkin did this was relatable and realistic. This entire book has absolutely beautiful descriptions and emotional insights. It was in triple third-person omniscient point of view, so each chapter alteranated between the girls Gloria, then Clara, then Lorraine and while it didn't use the word 'I' it got inside of their thoughts in a very personal way.
Bastian Grey is a very odd character, because at first you think that you know who he is; then he turns into someone completely different. It was very shocking the way his character changed, but he was so deliciously villainous! I loved this book almost to much to cast it. I will also be desperately awaiting the release of "Ingenue" in September!
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, romance and intrigue. Enjoy the book and comment below if you wish! Mar 16, Amber rated it liked it Shelves: While not the best s story, it's clear that the author knows this time period enough to make it still entertaining. Dec 05, Bird rated it it was ok Shelves: Kudos to this book for not shying away from controversial subjects - sex, smoking, underage drinking during Prohibition, no less.
The only YA I usually read is paranormal, so this was a bit different from me. However, I loved the world of the 's, and didn't mind the lack of the supernatural at all. The Good - stron Kudos to this book for not shying away from controversial subjects - sex, smoking, underage drinking during Prohibition, no less.
The Good - strong plot, lots of realistic time period details The Bad - stereotypical and disagreeable characters, choppy narration style The book is narrated by three characters. It's nice to get the viewpoint from the three main players, but at the same time there are definite limitations. Many times a character's "chapter" will end on a bit of a cliffhanger, and you then have to read through the next two chapters narrated by the other characters until returning to the original cliffhanger. But by that time, the cliffhanger events have passed, so rather than seeing it firsthand, the reader only sees snatches of it when the character "thinks back.
But my main caveat is that the characters were all horribly stereotypical, and extremely unlikeable.
Hardback Editions
Gloria, the overly privileged teenager who is sure that happiness resides outside of her wealthy world and with some handsome, troubled man. Lorraine, the best friend tired of going unnoticed by everyone, who tries too hard and resents Gloria for having so easily what Lorraine feels she'll never have. Clara, a girl with a troubled past, who pretends to be someone else, then worries if a boy will ever like her for who she truly is.
Then there are some dangerous mobsters, an overbearing, fortune-hunting mother, etc. I could maybe overlook this if all of the characters together had even one redeeming quality. Alas, that was not the case. Or worrying only superficially. This story did have a solid plot, and moved along nicely, but I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters by the end of the novel.
Good plotting isn't enough to make me overlook horrible characters. I won't be continuing on with the series. Shame about the characters, though. They were all so one-dimensional that I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them. Clara was the most interesting, and I genuinely did love her backstory and was rooting for her the whole way through. But Gloria was bland and unlikeable, and as for Lorraine -- what a trainwreck. I can't understand why she and Gloria were ever friends.
There was nothing to expain that. Oh, and What a setting! Oh, and Jerome -- why did Gloria ever fall in love with him? Was it seriously just because he looked at her across a crowded room? I cannot invest in a romance if there's no reason for it. I don't think so. Other than that, this is just typical YA fare with an overuse of the word "flapper". There were whole paragraphs that read a bit like this: Now she looked like a true flapper! She went to the speakeasy where all the other flappers were hanging out and ordered a dirty martini from the bar since that was a flapper drink.
She felt very flapper-esque! The ending was all over the place. He turned up at the party wanting Clara to come back to him, beat up Marcus, and then he was never mentioned again. I find it difficult to believe he just went away after he spent the whole book stalking her. I love how surprised she was when the gangsters turned up. Does this girl have fluff for brains? Aug 22, Maree rated it liked it. A solid book, a lot more adult than I expected from reading the premise.
These aren't silly high society girls who dream of nothing more than marrying rich eligible young men though they may start out as such but real characters with pasts and futures that aren't at all so pretty. The book hops around between three girls, Clara, the former New York flapper who got into a heap of trouble and is now playing the good country girl at her cousin Gloria's. Her cousin is engaged to a handsome old mone A solid book, a lot more adult than I expected from reading the premise.
Her cousin is engaged to a handsome old money man who she feels nothing for, and cuts her hair in a bob and starts going out to the speakeasy for prohibition drinks. Her best friend Lorraine cannot get the man she wants, and is out partying and drinking way too much with men who make her feel desirable to feel better about it. Lorraine has some true problems and doesn't come off as a particularly nice character, but someone who is always in Gloria's shadow and resents it.
Her trouble is motivated by personal selfishness, which makes the reader pity her but not particularly like her. Gloria's romance was a little dull for me too, one of those 'glance across the room and feel the sparks' kind of romance that has very little basis. The fact that she's a society white woman and he's a black man does make it interesting, but very little happens in regard to the race issue in this book, though it's well set up to cause a stir in the next.
Clara's story was the one I liked the best, from her started faux romance with Marcus to her recent past which of course has to come back to haunt her. She's a self-assured flapper having fun being the good girl now, and I was surprised that she didn't have any thoughts about how boring that life was compared to her old one.
Overall, the three girls' stories were interwoven well and it was a fun but quick read. View all 3 comments. Dec 28, Cacey Hopper rated it it was ok. I gave this one two stars, which was generous, believe me. The two stars are simply for the obvious research the author put into the twenties era. She goes to great lengths to describe everything, from the clothing, makeup, hairstyles, to the speakeasies. But, in my opinion, she should have spent an equal amount of time developing her characters.
They are flat and one dimensional if that. They change personalities from one chapter to the next. I suppose some people would say this is how charac I gave this one two stars, which was generous, believe me. I suppose some people would say this is how characters evolve through the story telling, but it didn't come off this way in this book. One of my biggest pet peeves with novels, and their characters, is the characters doing things for no reason. They magically fall in love with another character Tell me why they're love! In this book one of the main characters sees a pianist in a club and falls head over heels.
The first few times they speak he's mean and harsh to her. Of course that makes her love him even more! And that about sums it up: May 19, Nicole Pramik rated it really liked it Shelves: When it comes to historical fiction, I tend to gravitate towards stories set in either the Victorian Era or the Roaring s.
Hence, when this novel appeared on my reading radar, I was intrigued and decided to check it out. This was one of those rare books that I actually made myself finish in a day - not to get it done and over with but because I just had to know what happened! While the quasi-soap opera drama won't be to everyone's tastes and I'm usually not a fan of that myself , it works q When it comes to historical fiction, I tend to gravitate towards stories set in either the Victorian Era or the Roaring s. While the quasi-soap opera drama won't be to everyone's tastes and I'm usually not a fan of that myself , it works quite well here thanks to the grandiose settings and larger-than-life characters who still manage to be relatable.
Normally, I shy away from books with multiple POVs as either a. But Vixen pulls it off as Gloria, Clara, and Lorraine's respective narratives are vastly differently and, even if they're witnessing the same situation simultaneously, they sound like distinct characters and present uniquely individualized viewpoints. I honestly think the story would have been dull if it had been related by just one of these ladies, so in this case I'm glad we were given the chance to see the story through three trains of thought.
As such, there are a great deal of secrets that, as readers, we're let in on, but the fun is seeing how and when these secrets will be revealed to or discovered by other characters and what happens in the aftermath. Our first viewpoint character is Gloria, a high society girl who isn't really all that into her appearances-are-everything lifestyle. Though she's engaged to a young power player among Chicago's elite, she feels more drawn to the forbidden worlds of speakeasies and jazz music.
Naturally, this generates dramatic tension in that, as Gloria tries to start a singing career, as well as a relationship with a Black jazz musician considered a social taboo at the time , she's forced to live a double life. Naturally, there's consequences for if and when her secret is discovered and this only adds to the tension. The second viewpoint character is Clara, Gloria's cousin, who isn't everything she claims to be.
Clara plays the part of a down-home country girl fresh from the farm when inwardly she's anything but. In truth, she's a reformed flapper who's running from her past, something she'll do nearly anything to keep hidden. Naturally, Gloria's family thinks Clara is the bee's knees to use some period-appropriate slang but Clara's old self starts to resurface. Out of the three ladies, I enjoyed Clara the most as she was the voice of reason most of the time. She sees how Gloria is enamored with the flapper lifestyle, something she herself has lived through and lives to regret.
Thus, these two ladies present interesting contrasts: Gloria is the flapper wannabe because she sees it as a glamorous lifestyle, and Clara is the ex-flapper who knows the dark truth behind such a life. The third and final viewpoint character is Gloria's friend, Lorraine, who I liked as an antagonistic character but not so much as a person.
She struck me as a very needy girl who craved being in Gloria's shadow as if it was her lifeline and sought to rise to the same social standing as Gloria.
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In the same way, Lorraine never seemed to be genuinely happy for her friend, which made me question how close their relationship truly was, and I sensed Gloria cared more for Lorraine than the other way around. While I started off feeling bad for Lorraine as she initially puts on airs of being the sidekick to the prettier, more popular girl, it didn't take long for her true colors to bleed through and reveal a vindictive heart.
Collectively, these three ladies were a great combination that played off of each other's light and dark sides. In this way, rather than being force-fed any particular moral, the reader is able to see how the truth catches up with each young woman. Yet each instance carries its own consequences, both good and bad, that shows how each woman's sins finds her out as well as how confession can be good for the soul. Regarding the setting, while I'm not a s history buff, it certainly seems accurate - from the architecture, to the fashion, to the slang - and doesn't feel phoned in. I was also glad this wasn't a historically-placed novel where the characters sounded like they were transplanted from modern times.
The overall atmosphere here is enthralling, from the opulent mansions and penthouses of pristine high society to the smoky, boozy, claustrophobic world of the speakeasy circuit. It fits with the characters and presents an interesting sandbox environment for them to develop and play in. Plus it's a real treat for the senses. Plot-wise, don't expect anything high-brow. This is not literary fiction and, as stated, it's more akin to a soap opera set in the s but with far more class. However, even though the story hinges on three women trying to carve out their own paths in life some more illegal than others , it never struck me as openly immature.
This is intended to be YA but the three leads, to their credit, don't come across as juvenile, not even the spiteful Lorraine. Likewise, there is a shocking betrayal near the end that I honestly didn't see coming, but it doesn't feel like it arrives out of the proverbial left field. It fits with the plot and adds a suspenseful twist that undoubtedly will carry over into the rest of the trilogy.
So while this novel doesn't technically end on a cliffhanger, the characters' stories are left ajar and a new face emerges who promises to be a fascinating addition to the other books. Content-wise, this is a fairly tame novel but I'd probably recommend it for older teens and adults due to its overall story, which I don't sense anyone younger than 16 would really get into. Concerning language, any profanity usage is infrequent and consists of PG-level words.
Regarding violence, there are a few scenes where characters are threatened by mobsters or intimated anonymously but either no one comes to harm or the ones doing the threatening are hurt or killed in self-defense. Concerning sexual content, despite the novel's title, there are no sex scenes but it is implied that Gloria and her boyfriend eventually sleep together but whether it's meant in a sexual context or not is kept vague.
Elsewhere, characters make casual though infrequent references to sexual activity in the form of s slang words, kiss, flirt, and seduce usually while inebriated but nothing is ever graphically described or openly smutty. Elsewhere, some characters admit to affairs or infidelity but nothing is ever described in detail. Honestly, I was surprised at how tame this novel was and, while it certainly sounds like it could have been trashier, it's actually not that risque at all. It is worth nothing though that underage characters do drink and smoke; however, the legal drinking age of 21 wasn't enacted until , nearly 60 years after the time period in which the novel takes place.
Therefore, seeing seventeen-year-old Gloria down drinks in a speakeasy didn't disturb me as it would have fit with the cultural or, perhaps in this case, counter-cultural norms of the time. Overall, Vixen is like a really good ice cream sundae: I really liked this book and was hooked from beginning to end. Yet it possesses some very dark edges that keep it from becoming a fluffy read. Beneath the setting's fashionable facade, we witness three young women struggle with their future Gloria , their past Clara , and their present Lorraine in interlocking ways that present plenty of twists and turns, some of which are unpredictable at least for me.
Fans of historical fiction set in the Roaring s will enjoy this, I sense, especially if they prefer a little more fiction and fun in their historical fiction. And I certainly need to get a wiggle on and read the rest of the trilogy to see how it all wraps up! Apr 15, Christine KizzieReads rated it really liked it Shelves: