"Speak Easy" and "Speak Low"
Written by Melanie Harlow
Note: I purchased this ebook box set on Amazon. What follows is my unbiased and honest review.
Series Information
"Speak Easy" and "Speak Low" are the two parts of Melanie Harlow's 1920's historical romance series. The series only has two parts, both of which are contained in this box set.
This series is peripherally related to "Forked" in the "Frenched" series, which also makes specific reference to Tiny O'Mara and Joey Lupo. It is not necessary to read the "Speak Easy" series and the "Frenched" series together. They do not share a storyline, but "Forked" has a link to the "Speak Easy" characters.
Just A Note...
I read this set straight through from beginning to end, so I'm not quite sure at which point in the storyline "Speak Easy" ends and "Speak Low" begins. It is for that reason that I am reviewing this in its totality as a set, rather than doing two separate reviews. Honestly, you really sort of need to read these books together, anyway... and they're good enough and quick enough that you can read straight through without stopping. Plus, it's cheaper to get the set than to buy them separately.
The Story
This story takes place during the time of prohibition, and Tiny O'Mara works for her father's small bootlegging operation, smuggling liquor from Canada into Detroit. Things are all coming up roses, until Tiny's father is kidnapped, and held for ransom by a local mob boss. Tiny has only a week to come up with the $10,000 ransom, and she has no idea how to do it.
Enzo DiFiore is the son of the mob boss holding her father hostage, but Tiny can't seem to keep her mind or her hands off him.
Joey Lupo is Tiny's childhood friend, who has the connections and willingness to help her come up with the cash. He's got his own thoughts on the mob faction rivalry, and the future of his relationship with Tiny.
Motivated by getting her father back, and starting her own life outside of his shadow, Tiny makes some unlikely alliances, and gets caught up in the heady world of booze, boys, and bad decisions. Pretty soon, she's struggling to figure out what the right move is, and who the right guy for her is. Tiny has to survive this whole ordeal, with her body, mind and heart intact... but with all the men in her life, and the added complications of their differing motivations, it's going to be hard for her to do just that.
My Thoughts
I'm usually not into historical romances... but I so enjoyed Melanie Harlow's "Frenched" series that I decided to give this set a try as well, and I am certainly glad that I did. Clearly, I'm a fan of how how Melanie Harlow writes. I am very much looking forward to the next installment of the "Frenched" series. If you liked "Frenched", then you'll like "Speak Easy" and "Speak Low".
The storyline is not just fast-paced and action-packed, it's also highly charged with emotion. It's easy to get engrossed in what's going on, and be so caught up in the plot and description that you forget you're in the present time, and feel like a spectator in the 1920s mob scene. In fact, if you're anything like me, you might find yourself wishing that you were in that era instead of this one.
The love story plays a fairly prominent role in the storyline of these novels, but it's one that is compelling and not forced. It is artfully woven into the story, such that it's an inextricable part of the plot, but is unobtrusive, and not annoyingly pushed on you at all.
It's easy to see why Tiny is conflicted in her choice between Enzo and Joey. Based on the way that they are described, I would probably have the same sort of struggle with the choice. The only issue that I have with this is that having read "Forked" of the "Frenched" series, you already know who she ends up with, and you're just reading to find out how that happens.
I found these books really enjoyable, and found that I didn't notice how much time had passed since I started reading when I finally finished both books. They're that interesting, and they're really that good.
Part of me wishes that there would be a spinoff series for what happens to some of the other characters in this story. I'd like to know what happens to the man who doesn't end up winning Tiny's heart. I'd like to know who Rosie ends up with, if anyone. I'd like to know if Evelyn ends up with Ted, and how their life goes after this book ends. I'd like to know what happens to Tiny's sisters and how their lives turn out after this. These are all minor characters, but they're written in such a compelling manner that I still wonder about what happened to them.
Overall Rating
4.5 stars!
Very enthusiastically, highly recommended!
Read this NOW!
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