Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett

Roaring Twenties, Book 1

Synopsis: First in a new romance series: It’s the roaring twenties, and San Francisco is a hotbed of illegal boozing, raw lust, and black magic. The fog-covered Bay Area can be an intoxicating scene, particularly when you specialize in spirits…

Aida Palmer performs a spirit medium show onstage at Chinatown’s illustrious Gris-Gris speakeasy. However, her ability to summon (and expel) the dead is more than just an act.

Winter Magnusson is a notorious bootlegger who’s more comfortable with guns than ghosts—unfortunately for him, he’s the recent target of a malevolent hex that renders him a magnet for hauntings. After Aida’s supernatural assistance is enlisted to banish the ghosts, her spirit-chilled aura heats up as the charming bootlegger casts a different sort of spell on her…

On the hunt for the curseworker responsible for the hex, Aida and Winter become drunk on passion. And the closer they become, the more they realize they have ghosts of their own to exorcise…

Review: I was anxious to read this new novel by Jenn Bennett! If you follow me, you know I’m a big fan of her Arcadia Bell series, and I was curious to read a new series by her hand. This time, she also completely changes the framework, not an urban fantasy series, but this time a paranormal romance one. But what a romance! This all placed during the twenties. And I confess that I love stories from this period, everything is always really fascinating.

Aida is a young medium who works in the whole world without any attachments. And since the death of her brother, she is determined to live as he always said, free and independent. But when she meets Winter, her life will be turned upside down. This man seems to have upset someone and now a curse is hanging over him. Aida is the only one who can help him to exorcise the ghosts following him, this guy who terrifies everyone. Yet a funny link will bind them together and while Aida tries to help him the best she can so he can stay alive, Winter must seek and find who wants his life.

I loved Aida, she is a free spirit and she is determined to do what she wants. Yet it is quite sad to see that she follows the words of her brother without asking a single question. We really learn to discover her throughout the novel, as well as her powers. She always had a difficult life and now counts on herself in all circumstances. We also meet Winter, this man who leads a lonely life. It is a mysterious man we meet here. He has a scar on the face that scares many persons, but not Aida. But he knows he is scary and can not even look himself in a mirror. He also went through many difficult times and we learn to understand him throughout the story. Moreover, it was really fascinating to see all the things this character was hidding. Many points I didn’t expect at all.

Jenn Bennett presents us a very interesting world that allows us to travel through time and to discover old customs. The couple that we find here is great and fun to follow. It’s a pleasure to see a link appear between them and it will strengthen all along the chapters despite their desire to remain only friends. I was also very curious to see where the author would lead us in the investigation in the novel. I was impatient to find the culprit and the person responsible for all the bad things, and I admit that I was completely surprised to learn who he was and the reasons behind it.

To conclude, it was a very good novel up to everything I’ve read by Jenn Bennett. I was completely swept away by the story and Winter (you’ll want to one like him, you’ll see!). Ghosts, conspiracies, and some characters we can only love, all that during the Roaring Twenties, what more can we ask for?

5

mellianefini

11 thoughts on “Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett

  1. Like you, I was a bit anxious about this at first, but it quickly became clear that Jenn can do no wrong. I loved these two so much, I thought they were stubborn and romantic and smart and hilarious. So much fun.

  2. I have been eagerly awaiting this one. I love her writing and characters and this one sounds really unique. So happy that it doesn’t disappoint. Can’t wait to read it.

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