As The Liquor Flows

Evelyn Ford is desperately trying to survive after the stock market crash and Great Depression that follows. With no more food in the cupboards, she goes to a burlesque theater for a job and attracts the eye of Don Vincent Giovanni. Through a complicated turn of events, Evelyn must do as the mob boss wants in order to save her brother, but when her life is threatened, she’ll turn to the one man she shouldn’t - Max Catalano, the second-in-command. Can Max protect her in a world where no one is as they seem?

The author does a tremendous job of recreating the aftermath of Black Tuesday with nearly lyrical descriptions of New York, and the stark contrast between the haves and have-nots. Evelyn goes from a naïve young woman who only has a hovel to call her own, to someone who has seen too much the moment she moves into a mob boss’s mansion. She’s got a lot of moxie, however, and her character is easy to relate to as she’s thrown into circumstances beyond her control. The story sparkles with simmering attraction between Max and Evelyn as he tries to protect her from the life they are both mired in. Every reader will be turning pages in anticipation to see if they can survive the danger that surrounds them on all sides. The only drawback was the amount of editing errors, especially homonyms, but the author’s ability to spin a compelling story is definitely showcased here.

Kate Campbell