Monday, March 4, 2013

Book Review: Vixen by Jillian Larkin.

Vixen (Flappers, #1) Vixen by Jillian Larkin.
(Flappers #1)
Book Summary: Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.
Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?
Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . . 
Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry. . . . 
From debut author Jillian Larkin, VIXEN is the first novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic new series set in the Roaring Twenties . . . when anything goes.

Liana's Summary: Gloria wants to be a flapper. She's sick of the goody girl lifestyle. She's going to become a flapper-- more to annoy her parents than to satisfy her own desires. She's engaged to be married, so why not live while she can before she's trapped in the responsibilities of being a wife? Clara wants to start over again. She regrets the things she's done in the past but she can't change what's already happened, so what's better than to start all over? In a new place? Her cousin's house is not really the best place to start, but where else can she go? Lorraine is Gloria's best friend, and she's determined to keep things that way. Even to go to surprising limits. You know what they say-- try to keep a little, you end up losing a lot. It's 1923. Anything can happen.

Rate(1-10): 10!

Yeah, I know. I've been giving lots of 10's recently. But can I just tell you guys that this book deserves so much more than a ten? But I won't break the scale because I've never done that before. LOL. I think the exclamation mark is enough.

Can I just say that it would be so cool and dangerous to be a flapper?

THIS BOOK WAS TOO GOOD. TOO FERKEN GOOD. I swear! Let me take a moment to thank my friend for recommending it to me in the first place, a long, long time ago. I'll say 2 years ago. So why did I take so long to pick it up? Fine, I'm guilty. 2 years ago I would have never picked something like this up. And more importantly, I didn't like to read that much back then. That's right, I was a fob back then, just trying to stop going on the computer so much and trying to find a new hobby (although I still go on the computer lots..just stopped playing those Facebook dressup games). Anyways, back to this book.

First of all, let me just say that this cover is completely GORGEOUS. I would say there's something about Clara's (covergirl) pose that's erotic in a way... LOL. My mom just said, 'YOU WANNA BE LIKE DIS GIRL?' And I guess she didn't see the erotic pose that I saw. Anyways, screw the pose. The cover design is completely fab, the title text so swirly and the covergirl like a flawless Barbie doll. Yes. Gorg cover.

So, about the plot.. I've always loved Historical Fiction romance because it would be SO fabulous to read about a protagonist who falls in love with a gentleman, not just some cocky sexy beast that we meet so much nowadays in reading contemporary books. 

If I were to explain this book to someone that didn't read, I would just explain this quite vaguely, something like: There's this girl who falls in love with a black guy, cheating on her fiance.. meanwhile her fiance is cheating on her to have sex with the girl's best friend. And the girl's cousin is just so 'innocent' and she changes a lot, meanwhile falling in love with the girl's best guy friend. So if you ask me, CIRCLES, CIRCLES CIRCLES. It's so ironic in a way that's even funny.

The plot is totally wonderful and I think this is the first book that I've read set in the early 1900's, where there are flappers (yay, new vocab word LOL.) and guys that are either gentlemen or rude ass dicks that act like gentlemen. 

The climax was seriously the cherry on top of this delightful ice cream sundae. 

The romance is absolutely perfect and errrrrmahgerrrrrd. The book kept me sucked in the whole time and I could NOT put it down. Even if I did find myself in a situation in which I HAD to put it down, I had to pick it up again as soon as possible. People were like WTF LIANA PUT THE BOOK DOWN GOSH and I'm just like UGH GO AWAY I'M IN BOOK LAND

Character Discussions--

Gloria- I actually consider her the main character. She's basically the one who started narrating this whole story and she seems like the actual protagonist. But there can be more than one protagonist, can't there? I kinda expected her to be on the cover of the first book, but no, she's on the last one. I'm pretty sure the covergirl is Clara, here. And then Ingenuine's covergirl should be Lorraine. And then Diva's covergirl, the one and only, Gloria. Okay. Gloria is actually a likable character. But I like her rebellious attitude but I like it at the same time. Well. I think she's my favorite out of the 3 girls. She's responsible when she needs to be and independent as well. The only thing is, she doesn't think she can be independent.
Clara- At first I disliked her a lot. Since she had so much secrets. But throughout the book I realized that she's a great character and she's pretty awesome in her own way! Clara is like the big sister anyone would want. She and Gloria hated each other at first but became closer afterwards. It's like the evil stepsister turned good-- except in this case, both of them were evil stepsisters that are turned into Cinderellas. (Now that I think about it Clara was truly evil in the beginning..LOL. Well only because Gloria and Lorraine were both evil to her first.)
Lorraine- Ew someone slap this bitch no one really likes Lorraine anyway
I liked her at first but she became more and more desperate and the things she thought that were right were actually wrong and she was so desperate and frustrated with everything and it was all her fault for giving off such a bad-influence vibe. It annoyed the ferk out of me, I swear!
Marcus- I like the fact that Gloria can have guy friends, unlike Lorraine who just swoon over them. Marcus is hot, besides, and he's more than the rich pretty boy that everyone thinks he is. In a good way. He's really nice and kind and stuff and a fabulous boyfriend.
Jerome- The not-so-mysterious-hot-date-black-pianist boyfriend of Gloria. Ah, the wonder. I like Jerome. He's awesome.
Sebastian- I think I hate Bastian a little more than I hate Lorraine. Enough said..

Yes. I can't wait for the next book. (The ending was too much of a cliffhanger! Gah!) Just let me get the next book already. Wait.. my TBR list is like dying and killing me with it. omg. Brb crying. Well I sure hope I can start Ingenuine soon! 

Quotes!

"First you embarrass me with this hair of yours.."



LOL what? Sebastian is such a penis wrinkle

"Your father and I are getting a divorce."



"He had dimples!"



"Stop that immoral writing and give me twenty jumping jacks!"



Apparently everything they do is dissolute HAHA


"Who are you and where did you come from?"



Right now I want y'all to imagine Haymitch drinking some wine or whatever, saying "Whoa! So eager!"

"They found an
orgy."



"She was falling for Marcus Eastman."




"No. She wanted Gloria back."




"Because you know I've never hidden anything from you."



Is this foreshadowing I smell?


"And she'd thought musicians were supposed to be scrawny."



Does this mean that Jerome is muscly? (; hehee


"You most definitely are not wearing a corset,"



IS HE CALLING HER FAT HAHA


"..like saying merde?"



Is it a sin that my friend and I searched up how to say 'shit' in French just for fun.. OMG THIS MADE ME LAUGH SO HARD.

"Let Lorraine take credit for transforming Clara into a flapper."




"..mosquito-bite boobs."



"It was none other than Sebastian Grey."



"I'm her fiance, colored boy."





"Or rather, how sloppy do you want to get?"



Gosh that sounded so wrong


"..Harris Brown.."




"Lorraine felt only love for Gloria, and everyone knew that."



It's confirmed!! LORRAINE IS A CRAZY BITCH

"..Bastian Grey."



I GET WAY TOO ANNOYED WHENEVER I SEE HIS NAME. It's either his last name that reminds me of erotica or it's just his stupid ugly presence


"Surely, her feelings for Jerome were nothing more than a childish infatuation.."



NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


"With one hand he caught her by the waist."



EW PERV

"I love you."



YES YES YES

"Shoot, I forgot something."



NONONO I AM FORESHADOWING DOOM


"Two figures emerged from the snowy dark."



SEE WHAT DID I TELL Y'ALL

"A shot rang out."




"You saved my life."



"I love you, Gloria. And because I love you, I can't let you come with me."



omg no wtf no

"She had to fix this."



Yes she does

"It's her money I want to marry."



Someone slap this son of a bitch penis wrinkle


"I'll make sure of it."



Looks like Gloria's gotten a guardian angel. (;


"And then she firmly closed the door on him."



-----
One thing I noticed, reading this book, was that it wasn't only white people being racist to black people back then. It was vice versa as well. It was a wonderful historical fiction book; loved it. I think you guys can tell.
What did you think of this review?(;

1 comment:

  1. Your energy is amazing, just saying. I just finished reading Vixen myself, and loved it. I have always wanted to live during that time period to actually experience it, but I have to make due with reading about it. Can we take a moment for Lorraine though??? I wouldn't exactly say I was annoyed with her, but she just seemed so...extra. She was always whining about not being the center of attention, and how it was her duty to stand by Gloria as she received all the attention. Then she whines about Marcus not paying attention to her and not liking her intimately. The whole time I just wanted to shake her by the shoulders and scream in her face to move on and find new friends and a guy who will actually return the feelings. I'm not even going to start on Bastian, because I would never stop bashing on him. Before this comment gets anymore obnoxiously long lol. Great review!

    Meredith @ A Book Lover's Corner

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