A review by shereadstales
Queen of Humboldt by Tagan Shepard

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Thanks to NetGalley and Bella Books for the digital galley of this book.

I may have slept on this one (it came out in October), but I was fully awake while devouring it, that’s for sure. Marisol Soltero has had a tough life, and the criminal underground is the only place she belongs. She rules over the nightclubs and shadier side of Chicago as The Queen of Humboldt with her pick of women. Sabrina Sloane has been cleaning up the streets her whole career, first as a DA and then as Governor of Illinois. During an assignation attempt, the two women’s lives cross paths, drudging up old memories and endangering the life Marisol has built for herself, that is, if they even make it out alive.

This book is everything I needed right now. I was looking for something engaging and escapist. This book moves at a million miles per hour with plenty of action and romantic tension. With hints of enemies-to-lovers and the-one-that-got-away mixed with high stakes and espionage, I was hooked. When I finished it, I said out loud, “Aw, man! It’s over? I want more.” Been a minute since a romance has captivated me so completely.

Don’t get me wrong, I usually enjoy them, but I don’t lose myself in them like I did this one. I don’t think I’ve read any of Shepard’s previous works, but I’ll definitely be seeking them out after this one. It definitely made a slow, boring workday go by a lot faster.