About the Book
Music sparks her world, but can love ignite her heart?
In 1928, soot from the local mills and music from speakeasies linger in the Pittsburgh air. When the manager of The Kelly Club is found dead, nightclub singer Vera Pembroke is thrust into peril. As the only witness to the crime, she’s sentenced to hide away in the Allegheny Forest with a stuffy police sergeant as her guardian.
Sergeant Mick Dinelo harbors a burning hatred for Pittsburgh’s underworld after the devastation it left on his life—and heart. He should be out exposing culpable gangsters rather than tending to the impetuous woman who defies his every effort to keep her safe.
Mick and Vera must set aside their differences to solve the murder that someone wants to keep buried beneath the soot of Steel City.
Excerpt
One more chorus to go. The only thing obtained from this charade was a blister rubbing raw on her heel. She glanced down. Oh, and a shoe embellished with someone’s chewing tobacco. Lovely.
A scuffle broke out in front of her. A man who could be Babe Ruth’s twin yanked the collar of a man dressed like a lumberjack. Lumberjack shoved the Bambino’s doppelganger, launching him toward her. With nowhere to go, she pulled her elbows into her sides, ducking her head, bracing for the hit.
It never came.
She cracked an eyelid, and her lungs allowed her to breathe again. A man had stepped between her and the human bullet, shielding her and taking the impact himself. The collision hadn’t budged her rescuer, his massive build standing tall. He glanced at her as if making sure she was okay.
The trumpeter blared his overlong solo, and Vera’s gaze locked on the mystery hero. Definitely not a regular. She would’ve remembered his striking jade eyes and sharp features. Plus, his pin-striped suit wasn’t rumpled or frayed at the cuffs like every other man’s who stumbled in the door.
“What’s your name, stranger?” She spoke in a low tone.
“Mick.” He tipped his hat to her and strode to some vacant tables, his confident manner capturing her stare.
The drummer struck the cymbals, and she blinked, forced her attention off his broad back, and started toward the band. How could she let herself get distracted?
A shaded outline lingered in the corner, snapping her back to the seriousness of the moment.
She stopped. “I’ll never trust your hideaway heart.” The figure moved forward, and her muscles tightened. “No, I’ll never trust your hideaway heart.“
A tall sailor emerged from the darkness with a blonde hanging around his neck. Vera’s shoulders curled forward with an exhale. She tossed a wink his way and sashayed to the stage. Striking a pose, she belted out the finish with her jazz flare. “Your hideaway heart.“
Applause soared as high as her frustration. Everything looked clear. Wait. Offstage. She cut a quick glance to her left. Dottie, the cigarette girl, sat on a stool, counting her profits. Her heavily mascaraed eyes peered over, and Very feigned a smile. Dottie grinned back, unreserved.
The horde cheered for another encore.
Not happening.
One bow. One wave. Done.
Review
Rachel Scott McDaniel has created an immersive read for lovers of 1920s settings, drawing readers into Vera Pembroke’s world from the opening line. What’s more, she recreates the atmosphere of speakeasies and the criminal underworld without leaving readers feeling like they’ve been mired in it themselves. Vera’s voice and attitude not only evoke the hardscrabble world she inhabits but showcase her resiliency and hint at the pain and insecurity lying beneath the surface. Meanwhile, Mick is her gruff but honourable counterpart, working to close down the only way of life Vera knows.
The story is laced with suspense from the get-go, and that suspense is a constant throughout the story, either simmering in the background or surging to the fore depending on what’s happening at the time. Another constant throughout the story is the sparks between Vera and Mick—both from their budding attraction and their fraying tempers! But amidst all that sparking and suspense is the story of a woman who discovers she is not beyond the reach of God’s love.
While there is suspense throughout the book (particularly in relation to Vera’s safety) there isn’t a great deal of focus on solving the mystery of who committed the murder Vera witnessed or why, so in that sense, this story is likely to satisfy readers looking for historical romance rather than historical mystery.
I received a copy of this novel through JustRead Publicity Tours. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
About the Author
Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. She currently enjoys life in Ohio with her husband and two kids.
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Excellent review!
Thank you SO very much! I super appreciate your kind and thoughtful words!❤️