This was a really unusual book for me, I cannot remember when I have read a romance that was set within the Jewish culture and tradition, it was really interesting, with a great dynamic between the seemingly spoiled little rich girl Amalia, who is a 2 time divorcee, and beauty columnist and daughter of a wealthy and well connected couple, and David Zisskind, a recent immigrant from Europe and a former comrade of her brother’s during the war, who is now a Pinkerton Agent.

Amalia Truitt is receiving threatening letters and her brother is very concerned about her. She is travelling by train to her family from Indianapolis to Washington,, to celebrate her nephew’s Brit Milah. Her family is rich and well connected, her mother is. a Banking heiress and political hostess, and her brother and father are very successful businessman. She is reeling a bit from these notes, and some feedback she has had on her column which has been described as “vapid, vacuous and verbose”, Amalia feels that she is not respected by her family and generally, that people see her a shallow and empty headed. She’s not, she has founded and funded a charity to help women who are trying to escape violent unfair and abusive situations, and she is finding it through her earnings. She is desperate to get more money for it and is very nervous about creating the best impression to her parents so they will release her trust to her.

She and David have history, they were attracted to each other when they first met, and were very close, until Amalia realised the depth of David’s radical views against marriage. Hurt, she rejects him cruelly, and rushes into her first marriage.

David has suffered, abandoned by his father as a child, he and his mother suffered, and he feels he was forced into the Russian army by his cousin and uncle, so they could usurp his place, he ran away to America, where he met Amalia brothers in V company, and became friends, he also witnessed the death of Amalias dearly beloved brother Simon.

Amalia is feeling very guilty about how she treated David, and unwillingly attracted to him. David has kept all her letters and photos, and follows her column in secret. He is still very attracted to Amalia, although he sees her as shallow and only interested in money.

As they travel across America together with Will and Meg his colleagues who are in love with each other and in an interracial relationship with each other, they begin to know each other better. Can they resolve their differences and let go of their negative feelings about themselves and how they are seen by their family, and can they protect Amalia from the person who has been threatening her?

I loved the way the author developed their relationship and how she wove in the information about being a Jew in America at that time. I also enjoyed the supporting characters and the gentle humour the author used throughout.

Recommended,

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

Also posted on Goodreads

It was a fun read, engrossing and well written.
Even if it's the second in a series I had no issues with the characters and the plot.
i liked the cast of characters, unusual and interesting, the well researched historical setting and the plot.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley, all opinions are mine.

Grossman's historical romance, which focuses on a Jewish couple in the wake of the Civil War, is a delight. Studded with vivid characters and impeccable details--I loved how knowledgeable Amalia is about both Jewish and civil divorce procedures--Dalliances & Devotion imbues the main couple's (constant, ugh) miscommunications with a sense of mild peril, but also takes time to illustrate the support networks that are available. I really loved how Amalia's family rallied around her, and how David's people loved him and also were able to help him see his role in the (constant!!!) miscommunications. I look forward to more historicals from Grossman, and I hope she continues to share the Truitt family with her readers.

I received an e-arc of Dalliances & Devotion from Carina Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book. 

Earlier this year I read Appetites & Vices, the first in this series and adored everything about it. When I heard there was going to be more books, I had to get on it. Dalliances & Devotion was such a fun and intense read, and I really enjoyed it so much.  

Dalliances & Devotion follows Amalia Truitt as she travels back to Delaware after her second divorce has finally been finalised. And now she needs access to her family fortune because there are women depending on her. But after she starts receiving more death threats, travelling along isn't something that she can do. So her family send along David Zisskind, who's heart Amalia broke years ago. Now they have to cross Pennsylvania together with danger just around the corner, will they both make it back in one piece. 

This was such a fun and intense read. I was both smiling and nervous about what was going to happen next. There is so much at stake in Dalliances & Devotion and both Amalia and David are put to the test. There is so much tension between Amalia and David which makes for such an interesting dynamic between the two of them. Add in the death threats and attempts and you have one hell of a ride. 

Amalia was such an interesting character. I loved her fire and determination, but I also felt for her.  At first, it seemed that Amalia was okay with being divorced twice. But there were times throughout the novel that I think it really hit her. While she never hinted at wanting a real family, deep down I think she did. She just never found the right person. In saying that I loved that Amalia got to really find herself throughout Dalliances & Devotion. 

Felicia Grossman really knows how to write powerful and strong female characters in historical fiction and I can't wait to see what more she can bring. 

David was also a really interesting character in Dalliances & Devotion. It did take me a little while to warm up to him. But as soon as his walls started to break down - he became more real. That is something I've noticed over the last couple of months, characters have to have some realness to them for me to connect with them. At first, David just seemed angry and very stubborn. He started to mellow out as the novel went on and he got closer with Amalia. 

The romance in Dalliances & Devotion wasn't my favourite I'll admit. But I still really loved it. There were times when David's demeanour really put me off loving them together. However, as I started to like David more, I loved seeing him more with Amalia. I loved getting to know the history between the two of them and then seeing them grow as they are now. 

One of the things I love about reading historical romance novels is the differences in characters that you can get. This all depends on what time it's set, where it's set, and even what it's all about. But that is also what makes them so fantastic. I really want to write a post soon more about this. 

The plot of Dalliances & Devotion was really interesting. I loved that it wasn't just a basic historical romance per se. But it also had that crime element throughout. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. The reader is kept guessing on who is sending the threats and everything else that follows. 

Okay, I'm going to have to admit to something. I can remember a lot of things, the one thing that always trips my mind is to remember names and characters. So it took me nearly the whole book to realise who Amalia was. And now I feel ashamed that it took me so long especially since I loved Appetites & Vices. I had to go back and re-read the synopsis for the first book for me to realise. 

I also really loved the secondary characters throughout Dalliances & Devotion. Not only did they make it way more entertaining, but they also really helped with the flow of the book. It wasn't just David and Amalia stuck together, but everyone with them as well.

My favorite part of this book is how unapologetically Jewish it is. I loved seeing all the Yiddish and the discussions that came up around observance and how assimilation has worked for Jews in American history.

I enjoyed the second-chance romance between Amalia and David, but I liked the friendships with Meg and Will and the familial closeness with the Truitts even more (sorry, I’m weak for family bonds and friendship). Both Amalia and David have preconceived ideas about how their family sees them and need to work through those things in order to make their relationship work and find their way to each other. Amalia feels like she’s seen as silly and that her family thinks she’s made poor life choices after being married, and divorced, twice. David ran away from Russia after being conscripted in Tsar’s army and feeling like his cousin took his place in Hebrew school (he wanted to become a rabbi).

This has several great examinations on privilege, monetary/socioeconomic and racial, because it takes place not long after the civil war and Amalia and David come from drastically different financial backgrounds. They both wish to do good in the world, and have made differences in others’ lives, but also at times need to examine their privilege and whether what they’re doing helps others or only helps them feel better.

This was an enjoyable book and I liked the history and the characters. The ending was super sweet and I loved the way everything was resolved and Amalia and David talking about building their family in a way that works best for both of them, regardless of whether that means marriage or not. This does work as a stand-alone though Amalia is the youngest daughter of Jay and Ursula from <I>Appetites & Vices</I> and there are references and allusions to the first book. I especially love seeing a historical romance from a Jewish perspective because it’s definitely not a story I’ve come across before.

Felicia Grossman's 'Dalliances & Devotion' is a wonderfully rendered follow up to the author's stellar debut. In this novel, readers are introduced to Amalia Truitt, daughter of Ursula Nunes and Jay Truitt, and her love, David Zisskind. Their romance is a steady, slow-burn, one that demands the couple deal with the grievances of their pasts before planning the possibilities of their features. I'd say that the historical knowledge integrated into the narrative is even more nuanced this time around. Both Amalia and David are Jewish, but they are of vastly different backgrounds; their discussions of class, religiosity, cultural practices, political ideologies and more reveals just how diverse the American Jewish community was (and is). While I enjoyed Dalliances & Devotion a great deal, I do think that the mystery/thriller aspect of the novel wasn't as deftly woven into the narrative as the romance. That said, it's still a really wonderful book and readers of romance will enjoy it immensely!

This is a story that some might pick up and not really give it a chance but just like Appetites and Vices you have to stay with the story. Beta heroes are not normally my go to reads but I have to say David is out of this world. The connection between David and Amalia is intense. Their story is interesting and the side characters do no detract but make the story even more interesting. These stories are different in a very good way. Love it!

A little different than any historical romance I've read before. I had no idea when I started the book the hero, heroine and their families are of the Jewish faith. Customs, clothing and Yiddish phases threw me off until what little knowledge I have started to kick into the flow of dialogue and descriptions. The heroine who has been divorced twice and works to help other women in a divorce, is under the protection of Pinkertons from death threats. Her former lover, David, is a Pinkerton agent and struggles with his feelings for Amalia, his flashbacks to the battle of Gettysburg and the death of Amalia's brother Simon. While Amalia struggles with her feelings for David and supporting her cause.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

The Lady In Pink and the Pinkerton

Felicia Grossman's sophomore book is, in a word, wonderful.

Amalia Truitt is a glorious heroine. On the outside, she appears flighty and shallow. Twice divorced, fashion-forward, and the spoiled baby of her family, the exterior (and the usual societal expectations that go with those things) mask an interior that the rest of the world does not expect. Amalia knows exactly what most people think of women who present themselves as she does and she uses those expectations to her advantage.

David Zisskind is the Pinkerton her family hires to protect her as she travels home from the Midwest to Delaware for her nephew's bris. And he and Amalia have a history. So, we have historical second chance, enemies-to-lovers, bodyguard, road-trip romance with a Jewish hero and heroine.

Maybe I should have led with that. Because Grossman packs so much into this book. And not just tropes.

I highlighted a LOT of quotes, but I'll share just a few to give you an idea of how good it is. First up, here's David being wryly confessional about how he knows how to pleasure a woman despite having vanishingly little experience:

“First, I’m very skilled at finding interesting reading material. And second, there are only two topics men in the military talk about and I wasn’t that interested in weaponry.”


Oh, I didn't mention that David was a soldier in the Civil War with Amalia's two brothers, one of whom died in front of them. His PTSD from the war takes on a particular poignance with this memory:

We have to bury him. The sun’s setting and tomorrow’s Friday and we have to or it’ll be too late and we won’t at all. We can’t leave him like this. We have to bury him. We can’t wait. You know we can’t wait.


We get to visit for a little bit with Amalia's parents, Ursula and Jay from Grosssman's first book, Appetites & Vices. Ursula continues to be very awesome:

For her part, Mrs. Truitt sidled up to him to whisper the words “consider yourself lucky I have a long memory and am not a hypocrite” in his ear.


And in the end, we get a delicious, swoony speech from David:

“I love you, have always loved you, and just want to find a way to be with you, but so neither of us is at a disadvantage, where neither of us has to change too much. I want us to build a world together, not fit into each other’s, to be a family, no matter what we call it.”


I was given an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dalliances and Devotion is the second book in the series “The Truitts” and follows Amalia Truitt, who is being threatened by a stalker. She has experienced two divorces and is currently working as a beauty columnist. The threats begin when Amalia begins her charity to assist women who are unable to fund their own divorces. As the threats become more serious, her brother calls in David Zisskind, as her security and a means of uncovering who is threatening Amalia. Several events occur to put Amalia and David together such that they can’t hide the feelings that have been simmering.
I did find Amalia’s character in the beginning a bit difficult to warm to, as she is quite a ‘princess’. David was a more likeable character, but I found it hard to believe that he would find her attractive and continue to see the goodness in her, despite her treatment of him. Yet, their growing romance was hard not to become absorbed in.
I must admit that I really enjoyed the first book in the series, so it is hard to live up to. However, it continues to be an interesting series.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved Felicia's first book Appetites and Vices, and was immediately grabby hands for the second as soon as I'd put that one down. I was thrilled to be approved for an ARC from NetGalley so I could plunge right back into her delightful words. This book did not disappoint. I found it curious that rather than setting the book in a contemporaneous time with Appetites and Vices, Felicia chose to follow the next generation of Truitts, and that allows us to move along in history to see how things have changed, or not. The romance itself felt very different as well because the characters had different freedoms and new problems to contend with.

I adored David and Amalia. They re-unite after many years apart, with a history between them that they need to unravel. But the immediate mystery afoot is: Who is sending death threats to Amalia? As they travel together (David is sent to protect Amalia on her journey home), they search for answers to uncover the identity of her would-be assailant while flirting, teasing, battling, and tempting each other as only old friends can do. The banter between them is delicious, and Amalia reminds me at times of Scarlett O'Hara in her wiley use of her femininity and her witty dialogue. Of course, Felicia does not disappoint with a slow burn that heats up at intervals and kept me flipping the pages, rooting for the eventual HEA.

Highly recommend.

I don't normally read books set in America so this one was a nice turn of pace. I enjoyed the characters and the way their relationships developed along with the fairly unique setting and hurdles they faced

Loved this! I definitely love the mix of history, romance, and Jewish ownvoices representation. I feel like there's not enough stories like these, and can't wait to read more from Felicia! I read it all in one sitting because it was so good!

After two disastrous marriages, beauty columnist Amalia Truitt’s life is finally her ownwell, it will be if she can get herself back to Delaware and demand access to her share of the Truitt family fortune. After all, the charity she’s organized for women who can’t afford their own divorces won’t fund itself. When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Felicia Grossman is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.

So I have a confession to make, I never read the first book in this series which I believe is about Amalia’s parents.

I’m definitely going to go back and read that book for sure after this lovely adventure. What’s great about this book is that 1.) it doesn’t take place in Regency England and 2.) the hero and heroine are Jewish! It was so refreshing to read a deifferent kind of historical romance.

I really really liked David but I adored Amalia, she’s a twice divorced newspaper columnist which is awesome. She also really loves fashion and honestly same. I’m so happy we have a heroine who enjoys fashion and doesn’t allow herself to be shamed for it.

The romance is lovely and I can’t wait to go back and read the first book and whenever else this author puts out into the world.

In general when I received and ARC from Netgalley this plot seemed like a good book. Amalia is portrayed as a spoiled brat who on a whim gets married and divorced. However for the 1800s that’s not quite a good thing. Now she is being threatened and her family hires protection. The problem... David is our Jewish hero who started with nothing and has risen above. They were teens in love but now they have a second chance. It just feels like these two characters are so childish and spoiled they can’t gwt their crap together. David holds Amalias rejected against her but because she’s been hurt before she keeps pushing. It could have been more enjoyable but it got old.

Felicia Grossman is writing some of the best "unusual" historical romances right now. I'm not typically drawn to the 1870-1900 time period, but Grossman and Joanna Schupe are changing my mind!

I've also never read a historical featuring Jewish characters, and this story shows the different ways one could be Jewish during this time period. Seeing David's struggle with being an immigrant, a non-native English speaker, someone who wears traditional Jewish religious items, and someone who had to flee his home because of being persecuted for his religious beliefs is fascinating. In a similar vein I liked the juxtaposition to Amalia's Jewish upbringing. Because she is American she is offered, as a woman, more opportunity to understand her faith. More education.

Besides the main couples' heritages, I also adore a heroine who takes charge of her life to the extent she can, isn't apologetic for her desires and wants, and has made mistakes and is learning from them. Amalia is twice-divorced for reasons and I loved that while David was jealous he never shames her.

I also really loved the second-chance aspects of this story. David and Amalia were teenage "lovers" (over the clothes only), and I just love when adults who have lived some of their lives can come back together with all that simmering angst still between them.

Plus trains! Makeup! Bustles! So many wonderful details to enjoy. A must read.

I received a free copy in exchange for a fair review.

I had not read the first book, but it was not difficult to jump into the world, which made it easy to follow along. I loved reading a historical involving a Jewish hero and heroine. Despite this, like any two people of a faith group, their experiences of their faith were completely different. The conflict of Amalia's life being in danger throughout the story was gripping, although the culprit was a bit of a letdown being a rival woman. Amalia was a great heroine and I loved reading a heroine who was divorced twice, especially in a historical. I also loved David's fellow Pinkertons and their love story. I wish there had been more about them, perhaps a few scenes from their perspective, as they were the secondary romance and they had their own struggles wanting to be married in a world that made it difficult. I really enjoyed the book and I can't wait to recommend it to readers at our store.

I read both books in the series back to back and I’d have to say I enjoyed the first one a bit more. Second chance isn’t really a favorite trope of mine plus the underlying plot had a touch of violence mixed in. Despite that, I never not enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed Amalia a lot for her fierce independence and feminism. It was also fun to read Jay and Ursula as parents.

Thank you Harlequin-Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Pretty steamy, the romance is pretty basic, but I’m assuming you don’t read these for the plot. Solid three