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heabooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
I loved that BITTER SPIRITS was set in 1920's San Francisco during prohibition; throw in some magic, ghosts, a spitfire heroine, and a giant of a hero and this has long been a favorite of mine. I loved Winter and his bristly personality and his resistance to falling for Aida. He's immediately attracted to her and he also wants to protect her from whoever is targeting him, but he's not interested in another failed relationship. A tragic accident has also left Winter filled with guilt as well as physically scarred. A large facial scar combined with his hulking size makes Winter an intimidating figure and he doesn't have the best view of himself as husband material. Winter has a bit of a temper and he doesn't play games but at his core he's a really sweet protector.
Aida is also a fantastic character and I loved her spark and her independence. She's been on her own for a while, traveling around the country using her skills as a medium. Aida's a bit of a wandering soul and I laughed every time she held her own against Winter. He might love feisty women but he's also not totally sure how to handle one that doesn't always jump to his commands. I also really enjoyed how Aida begins to show Winter that he's not a monster he believes his outside reflects. Aida brings a level of compassion and caring to Winter's life that wasn't there before.
I enjoyed every second of this unique and fun romance!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
It was natural to want a girl like her, especially one who was so easy to talk to. Just a sign that he was getting back to normal, nothing more. Sure, he’d been thinking about her a lot—too much—but he thought a lot about bacon, too.
- - - - -
“Do you like it?” he finally asked. He hadn’t let go of her hand. He was a little afraid if he did, he might lose her again.
“Yes,” she said softly. “I like it quite a bit. Is this a proposal?”
“I suppose it is.”
“Ah, well, it’s probably a good thing,” she said, as if she were contemplating an everyday matter with practical intent. “Because even though I could live without you, I don’t really want to. I think that means I might love you.”
Aida is also a fantastic character and I loved her spark and her independence. She's been on her own for a while, traveling around the country using her skills as a medium. Aida's a bit of a wandering soul and I laughed every time she held her own against Winter. He might love feisty women but he's also not totally sure how to handle one that doesn't always jump to his commands. I also really enjoyed how Aida begins to show Winter that he's not a monster he believes his outside reflects. Aida brings a level of compassion and caring to Winter's life that wasn't there before.
I enjoyed every second of this unique and fun romance!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
It was natural to want a girl like her, especially one who was so easy to talk to. Just a sign that he was getting back to normal, nothing more. Sure, he’d been thinking about her a lot—too much—but he thought a lot about bacon, too.
- - - - -
“Do you like it?” he finally asked. He hadn’t let go of her hand. He was a little afraid if he did, he might lose her again.
“Yes,” she said softly. “I like it quite a bit. Is this a proposal?”
“I suppose it is.”
“Ah, well, it’s probably a good thing,” she said, as if she were contemplating an everyday matter with practical intent. “Because even though I could live without you, I don’t really want to. I think that means I might love you.”
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First in the Roaring Twenties historical paranormal romance series revolving around a medium and a bootlegger in San Francisco, in, when else, the 1920s, 1927 to be exact.
My Take
I loved this. Not only did Bennett put a nice twist on this, but she also kept this so true to the time period. Especially when it came to the developing romance between Aida and Winter. It took awhile before Bennett let them loose on each other, and it was so worth the wait! Of course, the brief description of the condoms of the time helped set the mood as well, lol.
It's an interesting combination of strong characters, Aida and Winter. She's a medium who channels the dead and roams the country performing while he's a bootlegger, settled into his business while punishing himself for what he sees as a guilty action. Add in a rogue rival who wants to take over the liquor distribution business in San Francisco, the possibility of tong wars, and secret tunnels, and it's game on.
I do hafta say, the ingredients in that antidote are just nasty…and that's understating it!
It's definitely exciting as Winter deftly evades the Feds as they raid and raid again. It's also annoying that Aida is soooo sensitive. Jesus, she leaps to conclusions faster than a race car pushes off from a starting line. All that back-and-forth each of them was doing over the s/he's attracted - s/he couldn't possibly be attracted got rather old. Of course, Winter has his duh-what moments as well. Takes him long enough to figure out what Aida really needs.
I love that Aida is so independent and proud even as she questions where she exists within society. She doesn't take any guff from anyone and doesn't hesitate to let them know. And Winter loves it. Someone with spunk!
Oh, Chinatown. I do miss it. All that lovely food, the smells, the sounds of it. Reading of the tasty treats Aida gets to eat drove me wild for some duck and a bowl of jook.
Bennett's obsession in telling us over and over that Winter is Swedish got me to thinking. We still ask each other where our people come from. Identifying ourselves as German, English, Irish, Indian, Italian, whatever. It's not that long ago, really, that immigrants were pouring into the United States, so it felt perfectly natural for Bennett to keep on this. No, I'm not dissing this or anything, it was simply an observation that cropped up, and I wanted to share it, lol. Part of the fun of writing reviews is shoving off my thoughts on y'all.
The Story
It’s a curse that happens to bring Aida and Winter together. Lucky for Winter that Aida was performing at Velma’s speakeasy. She can at least get rid of the ghost, even if she does give him a whole new problem to deal with.
It’s a ripening relationship that occurs at the wrong time when a rival is pushing at Winter, and using Aida as one of the prods. Poison, arson, murderous ghosts, and kidnapping — nothing is too low for this man.
The Characters
Aida Palmer is a very independently minded young lady who has been taking care of herself since she was seventeen. A trance medium, she invites the departed into her body to speak. Her brother, Sam, was a strong influence on her, except he died too young. Sam is also her mastiff dog. The Lanes took Aida and Sam in when the children lost their parents in the Great Fire of 1906. Emmet Lane was Mr. Lane's brother and not a kindly soul. Mrs. Stone is a medium who took Aida in and trained her in using her skills to earn a living.
Winter Magnusson inherited his father's bootlegging business and is one of the top three suppliers in San Francisco. Bo Yeung is a young Chinese boy Winter rescued; he's now his right hand man. And I wouldn't be a'tall surprised if he hooks up with Astrid! Greta is the housekeeper in his home. Jonte is his chauffeur. Winter's sister, Astrid, is seventeen years old and quite the handful. Benita is Astrid's seamstress. Paulina is the dead wife.
Velma Toussaint runs the Gris-Gris, a black-and-tan speakeasy in North Beach. She's also a witch who practices hoo-doo. Daniels is the club manager. Hezekiah is the compere, the host, for the show. Manny is one of the club's guards.
Chinatown
Dr. Yip is an herbalist. Black Star, a.k.a., Mr. Wu, is a fortune teller with a history. Joe Cheung and Ju-Ray "Ju" Wong are a couple of the tong leaders. Sook Yin is a concubine (although not in the sense I would have defined it) who can choose which men she will lie with. And one of them was Winter.
Mr. and Mrs. Lin run the Golden Lotus, a Chinese restaurant, and rent out apartments, including one to Aida. Mr. Bradley Bix runs The Limbo Room in New Orleans and is interested in her doing a series of shows for him. Florie Beecham is a contemporary of Winter's and having a dinner party in her new mansion. Robert Morran is Florie's drunkard of a cousin. Harold Beecham is her dead husband. Andy Halstead is the lover she was cheating on him with. Adrian St. Laurent was one of the three big time bootleggers. Anthony Parducci goes out of business in a less spectacular way. I think Dina is dispatch at a police station.
Dick Jepsen is the first man Winter ever killed. Arnie Brown drowned but not at Winter's hand.
A black-and-tan speakeasy meant whites and blacks could enter and mingle together.
The Cover
The cover is a vested Winter in lighter gray trousers grasping Aida in her cranberry evening dress and wearing a velvet headband with matching perky feather. They’re about to kiss with the Ferry Building and its clock tower in the background. I do wish the artist had been a bit more true to the storyline in terms of height.
The title is perfect for there are Bitter Spirits hunting Winter down.
My Take
I loved this. Not only did Bennett put a nice twist on this, but she also kept this so true to the time period. Especially when it came to the developing romance between Aida and Winter. It took awhile before Bennett let them loose on each other, and it was so worth the wait! Of course, the brief description of the condoms of the time helped set the mood as well, lol.
It's an interesting combination of strong characters, Aida and Winter. She's a medium who channels the dead and roams the country performing while he's a bootlegger, settled into his business while punishing himself for what he sees as a guilty action. Add in a rogue rival who wants to take over the liquor distribution business in San Francisco, the possibility of tong wars, and secret tunnels, and it's game on.
I do hafta say, the ingredients in that antidote are just nasty…and that's understating it!
It's definitely exciting as Winter deftly evades the Feds as they raid and raid again. It's also annoying that Aida is soooo sensitive. Jesus, she leaps to conclusions faster than a race car pushes off from a starting line. All that back-and-forth each of them was doing over the s/he's attracted - s/he couldn't possibly be attracted got rather old. Of course, Winter has his duh-what moments as well. Takes him long enough to figure out what Aida really needs.
I love that Aida is so independent and proud even as she questions where she exists within society. She doesn't take any guff from anyone and doesn't hesitate to let them know. And Winter loves it. Someone with spunk!
Oh, Chinatown. I do miss it. All that lovely food, the smells, the sounds of it. Reading of the tasty treats Aida gets to eat drove me wild for some duck and a bowl of jook.
Bennett's obsession in telling us over and over that Winter is Swedish got me to thinking. We still ask each other where our people come from. Identifying ourselves as German, English, Irish, Indian, Italian, whatever. It's not that long ago, really, that immigrants were pouring into the United States, so it felt perfectly natural for Bennett to keep on this. No, I'm not dissing this or anything, it was simply an observation that cropped up, and I wanted to share it, lol. Part of the fun of writing reviews is shoving off my thoughts on y'all.
The Story
It’s a curse that happens to bring Aida and Winter together. Lucky for Winter that Aida was performing at Velma’s speakeasy. She can at least get rid of the ghost, even if she does give him a whole new problem to deal with.
It’s a ripening relationship that occurs at the wrong time when a rival is pushing at Winter, and using Aida as one of the prods. Poison, arson, murderous ghosts, and kidnapping — nothing is too low for this man.
The Characters
Aida Palmer is a very independently minded young lady who has been taking care of herself since she was seventeen. A trance medium, she invites the departed into her body to speak. Her brother, Sam, was a strong influence on her, except he died too young. Sam is also her mastiff dog. The Lanes took Aida and Sam in when the children lost their parents in the Great Fire of 1906. Emmet Lane was Mr. Lane's brother and not a kindly soul. Mrs. Stone is a medium who took Aida in and trained her in using her skills to earn a living.
Winter Magnusson inherited his father's bootlegging business and is one of the top three suppliers in San Francisco. Bo Yeung is a young Chinese boy Winter rescued; he's now his right hand man. And I wouldn't be a'tall surprised if he hooks up with Astrid! Greta is the housekeeper in his home. Jonte is his chauffeur. Winter's sister, Astrid, is seventeen years old and quite the handful. Benita is Astrid's seamstress. Paulina is the dead wife.
Velma Toussaint runs the Gris-Gris, a black-and-tan speakeasy in North Beach. She's also a witch who practices hoo-doo. Daniels is the club manager. Hezekiah is the compere, the host, for the show. Manny is one of the club's guards.
Chinatown
Dr. Yip is an herbalist. Black Star, a.k.a., Mr. Wu, is a fortune teller with a history. Joe Cheung and Ju-Ray "Ju" Wong are a couple of the tong leaders. Sook Yin is a concubine (although not in the sense I would have defined it) who can choose which men she will lie with. And one of them was Winter.
Mr. and Mrs. Lin run the Golden Lotus, a Chinese restaurant, and rent out apartments, including one to Aida. Mr. Bradley Bix runs The Limbo Room in New Orleans and is interested in her doing a series of shows for him. Florie Beecham is a contemporary of Winter's and having a dinner party in her new mansion. Robert Morran is Florie's drunkard of a cousin. Harold Beecham is her dead husband. Andy Halstead is the lover she was cheating on him with. Adrian St. Laurent was one of the three big time bootleggers. Anthony Parducci goes out of business in a less spectacular way. I think Dina is dispatch at a police station.
Dick Jepsen is the first man Winter ever killed. Arnie Brown drowned but not at Winter's hand.
A black-and-tan speakeasy meant whites and blacks could enter and mingle together.
The Cover
The cover is a vested Winter in lighter gray trousers grasping Aida in her cranberry evening dress and wearing a velvet headband with matching perky feather. They’re about to kiss with the Ferry Building and its clock tower in the background. I do wish the artist had been a bit more true to the storyline in terms of height.
The title is perfect for there are Bitter Spirits hunting Winter down.
michelle904's review against another edition
4.0
This was book #10 for Romanceopoly 2020.
Challenge Pack: Moon
Square: The Cobbles
Challenge: Read a historical romance not set in London
Challenge Pack: Moon
Square: The Cobbles
Challenge: Read a historical romance not set in London
zaza_bdp's review against another edition
4.0
J'avais tellement aimé la plume de Jenn Bennett dans sa géniale série Arcadia Bell qu'entre la sortie de deux tomes, je me suis procurée le 1er tome d'une autre de ses séries, mais au final, j'aurai mis plus de temps que prévu à le sortir de ma PAL. Et je ne l'ai peut-être pas sorti au moment le plus propice ...
Le décor et l'ambiance de ce roman sont très originaux et c'est vraiment quelque chose qui m'a attiré tout de suite à l'époque où j'ai lu le résumé. Imaginez un peu : San Francisco et son quartier chinois, les années Folles en pleine Prohibition, avec un contrebandier et une medium et cerise sur le gâteau : fantômes et magie !
Voilà donc un univers riche et très bien travaillé par l'autrice, c'est très immersif, et curieusement, il y a un petit côté intemporel dans cette histoire, même si on est clairement dans une autre époque. J'ai beaucoup aimé cet aspect-là du récit.
Les personnages sont également bien travaillés, que ce soit Winter, ses failles, sa famille un brin loufoque, son ambition, sa ténacité et sa façon de réagir à tout ce qu'il traverse avec cette malédiction qui le frappe ; Aida, son indépendance, sa liberté (assez folle quand on y pense vu l'époque), sa force de caractère et son courage.
L'intrigue est bien ficelée, il y a assez d'action et de suspense pour nous tenir en haleine et garder notre intérêt jusqu'au bout, et encore une fois, ce décor de quartier chinois dans le San Francisco des années 20 donne un vrai cachet à l'histoire, c'est vraiment top. La partie magique du récit, avec ses fantômes, ses sorts et ses potions diverses et variées est également bien conçue et bien exploitée, même si j'aurais aimé une petite introduction en la matière, car j'ai trouvé qu'on était jetés dans cet univers directement, sans aucune "explication". Je suis en revanche un poil plus dubitative sur la romance, qui m'a moins emballée, mais qui reste agréable à lire.
Je me suis laissé du temps avant de rédiger ma chronique sur ce roman, car dès la dernière page tournée, j'étais plutôt sur un sentiment de déception, et j'étais contente d'avoir terminé le livre. Je pense que la traduction n'a pas été assez à mon goût, et que ça a joué sur mon ressenti, mais le fait de me laisser un peu de temps avant de venir vous parler de ce roman m'a permis de mettre ça de côté et de me concentrer finalement sur l'essentiel.
On est loin du coup de coeur que j'ai pu avoir pour Arcadia Bell, néanmoins, c'est une bonne romance paranormale au contexte riche et très original, qui sort clairement du lot !
Le décor et l'ambiance de ce roman sont très originaux et c'est vraiment quelque chose qui m'a attiré tout de suite à l'époque où j'ai lu le résumé. Imaginez un peu : San Francisco et son quartier chinois, les années Folles en pleine Prohibition, avec un contrebandier et une medium et cerise sur le gâteau : fantômes et magie !
Voilà donc un univers riche et très bien travaillé par l'autrice, c'est très immersif, et curieusement, il y a un petit côté intemporel dans cette histoire, même si on est clairement dans une autre époque. J'ai beaucoup aimé cet aspect-là du récit.
Les personnages sont également bien travaillés, que ce soit Winter, ses failles, sa famille un brin loufoque, son ambition, sa ténacité et sa façon de réagir à tout ce qu'il traverse avec cette malédiction qui le frappe ; Aida, son indépendance, sa liberté (assez folle quand on y pense vu l'époque), sa force de caractère et son courage.
L'intrigue est bien ficelée, il y a assez d'action et de suspense pour nous tenir en haleine et garder notre intérêt jusqu'au bout, et encore une fois, ce décor de quartier chinois dans le San Francisco des années 20 donne un vrai cachet à l'histoire, c'est vraiment top. La partie magique du récit, avec ses fantômes, ses sorts et ses potions diverses et variées est également bien conçue et bien exploitée, même si j'aurais aimé une petite introduction en la matière, car j'ai trouvé qu'on était jetés dans cet univers directement, sans aucune "explication". Je suis en revanche un poil plus dubitative sur la romance, qui m'a moins emballée, mais qui reste agréable à lire.
Je me suis laissé du temps avant de rédiger ma chronique sur ce roman, car dès la dernière page tournée, j'étais plutôt sur un sentiment de déception, et j'étais contente d'avoir terminé le livre. Je pense que la traduction n'a pas été assez à mon goût, et que ça a joué sur mon ressenti, mais le fait de me laisser un peu de temps avant de venir vous parler de ce roman m'a permis de mettre ça de côté et de me concentrer finalement sur l'essentiel.
On est loin du coup de coeur que j'ai pu avoir pour Arcadia Bell, néanmoins, c'est une bonne romance paranormale au contexte riche et très original, qui sort clairement du lot !
samrushingbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Why must there be a wait for the sequel? Goodness, this book was amazing. It was a quick read for me with a decent pace, two characters who were attracted to each other from the beginning, and for the most part the magic and ghosts was kept to a minimum, making the book feel like more of a historical romance. I ab-so-lute-ly loved it. Based on the preview chapter for the sequel, it seems to start up right where this one ends, which is awesome. I am glad I read this and I can definitely add Jenn Bennett to my auto-buy list.
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Aida Palmer has made her way through life on her own for the past ten years, having lost her parents in the Great San Francisco fire and her brother to WWI. She supports herself by working as a spirit medium, channelling the dead for speakeasy audiences. During her latest gig, in her original hometown of SF, she meets blond Swedish bootlegger Winter Magnusson when he asks for her help in ridding himself of a ghost that's been following him. Turns out that the ghost isn't all that's troubling Winter; he's become one of the targets of an unknown assailant, bent on freeing Chinatown from the control of the whites by first controlling the flow of illegal liquor.
Romance takes precedence over action here, although the attacks on Winter (and, as Aida becomes closer to Winter, on Aida, too) roll out at a pace that keeps the plot moving at a good clip. I enjoyed the interplay between Aida and Winter, two people who have both been less than their best in the wake of dealing with loss and grief, but who still take pleasure in life, and in each other. The unusual setting for a historical romance was also a plus, although the extent of the paranormal in this world wasn't made all that clear.. Will definitely be picking up the next book in the series.
Romance takes precedence over action here, although the attacks on Winter (and, as Aida becomes closer to Winter, on Aida, too) roll out at a pace that keeps the plot moving at a good clip. I enjoyed the interplay between Aida and Winter, two people who have both been less than their best in the wake of dealing with loss and grief, but who still take pleasure in life, and in each other. The unusual setting for a historical romance was also a plus, although the extent of the paranormal in this world wasn't made all that clear.
Spoiler
The big villain turns out to be Chinese, but Bennett's inclusion of many other Chinese characters in non-villain roles allows her to mitigate the taint of an overtly racist tropefishgirl182's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Very fun book and I really liked the setting and 1920's time period. I definitely plan on reading the rest of the series.
Very fun book and I really liked the setting and 1920's time period. I definitely plan on reading the rest of the series.
bookloverchelle's review against another edition
5.0
I’m a really big fan of Jenn Bennett (if you haven’t read her Arcadia Bell series you really need to go do that). With that in mind, I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about picking up her new series Roaring Twenties. Set in 1920s San Francisco China Town, Aida is a medium who performs in a speakeasy calling spirits of the paying patrons. Winter is a notorious bootlegger who finds himself cursed and in need of a of a medium to save himself from the ghosts that are haunting him. They both feel an almost instant attraction but with Aida only in town for a short time longer and Winter hesitant to open himself up again to love, neither is initially willing to act on their feelings. But sometimes attractions are too hard to hide from and these two are drawn together as they work together discovering who is after Winter and why. A really great setting, an amazing romantic connection, and fun characters I’m almost mad at myself for not reading this sooner. I can now say I’m an overall fan of Ms. Bennett and I will be picking up any and all that she publishes.
tashas_books's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I loved this and can't wait to read the rest of the series.
I loved this and can't wait to read the rest of the series.
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
3.0
This was okay rather than great, the magic aspect had potential but didn't really get explored that much and felt like window dressing rather than a crucial part of the story. Aida and Winter's romance was frustrating in parts, they have lust at first sight and then spend the second half failing to communicate. (I also couldn't deal with the name Winter, it sounds more like it belongs in some awful disney romance)