When I was originally approved for this on Netgalley, it was impossible to read early due to tech issues. However, since then, I have found this book to be incredibly interesting, one that starts slow but then grabs you, forcing you to not put it down until you finish. While I enjoyed it, it also progressed slowly at points, and had a semi-unsatisfactory ending, leading to a rating of 3.5 stars in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy. I normally love everything 1920s but this book wasn't for me. Only so-so

I'm sorry. It didn't work for me at all. I really liked the concept, and I went into the story with high expectations. Bur right from the beginning, I had a hard time connecting with the characters. They all sounded quite childish to me.
The story moved at a glacial pace, with so much info-dump I could scarcely see the plotline and the characters through it.
I couldn't go past the first few chapters.

Thanks to Kari Bovee for my advanced copy of this book. This mystery was set in the Gilded Age across both NYC and LA (and aboard a train.) The fun part was that is involved a murder mystery with a Ziegfeld’s Follies actress which her sister Grace is trying to solve. This is actually a romantic-suspense mystery book which is a genre I don’t have much experience with and can’t say I care for. It’s just weird to be solving a mystery with your life endanger while discussing your love feelings for your co-detective. The genre isn’t my particular cup of tea – but it might be yours. 2 stars.

I could not get into this book. Grace was so whiny and unrelatable. I was bored while reading this from beginning to end.

Grace in the Wings is the first book in what is ostensibly a new series by Kari Bovée set in 1920's NYC and the California film industry. Released 19th Sept 2019, it's 348 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a murder mystery romance with some thriller overtones. It's set in 1920/21 in New York and California and the plot is peppered with real life characters (Flo Ziegfeld, Hedda Hopper, Mary Pickford, etc) who are woven into the plot with varying degrees of skillfulness. The plot is relatively straightforward and character driven. Main character Grace is a former street kid, taken in by Ziegfeld with her sister Sophia and raised in the theater world under his protection. Despite living on the streets and being raised in the theater world, Grace is a naive virginal damsel (in distress). Enter devastatingly handsome romantic lead guy Chet Riker (stage left), he's a good guy who got on the wrong side of a mobster borrowing money to pay for his estranged mother's surgery.

This could be (and mostly is) a straightforward romance/cozy mystery except for the last half of the book. There's a lot of fairly graphic violence, sexual content (including consensual sex, threatened rape and kidnapping, graphic violence against female characters), drug use, manipulation, etc. I personally found the denouement abrupt and far too convenient.

The writing is unpolished (but promising) and would have benefited from some ruthless editing. Despite the problems with my suspension of disbelief and the 'too much' denouement, I can certainly see this developing into a good period series.

It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

Three stars.

I am obsessed with the Roaring 20s, so naturally I enjoy novels written about and set during this time period. Grace in the Wings does an excellent job of sending you into that era, including staples such as the Ziegfeld Follies, gangsters, and even an appearance by silent screen actress Gloria Swanson. My only complaint is that, while I liked the romantic aspect of the novel, there were a few cliches that made me roll my eyes. Overall, though, it was an enjoyable novel.

Grace in the Wings
A Grace Michelle Mystery

New York! New York! Ziegfeld Follies, Mary Pickford, Fanny Brice and other real characters and situations show up in this romantic mystery. Grace Michelle and her sister Sophia, are orphans taken in by Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. These two have blossomed under his care, with Sophia developing into a “Star” and Grace as a worker bee in the sewing department. Grace, having similar attractions as her sister, lacks interest in the bright lights and prefers a less disingenuous way of life. Placed squarely in the middle of that fancy fishbowl, Grace is conflicted as the book opens at Sophia’s wedding to Jack Pickford – yep, that Pickford - brother of Mary. From there, the story swells with romantic interests that include Chet (handsome PI), and villain Joe Marciano (accompanied by requisite thugs), and a number of jealous lovers that cross-hatch their love-tracks over an ever-widening range of amorous opportunities.

Between the cover, and other limbs, a murder happens, sorrow occurs, blood is spilt, corsets are torn, love is discovered on a beach (who knew?) and virginity is lost – not stolen, but almost. Vengeance and vituperation? Indeed. Resolution and reconciliation? You bet! Is your heart palpitating? Of course, it is. Well, I’m keeping the cat in the bag. . . .3.5 stars from me!

A sincere thanks to Kari Bovee, Bosque Publishing and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

New York City, 1920. Grace Michelle has everything she wants: Pretty good for a girl who once lived on the streets of New York City. But when her sister, Sophia, the star of the show, is murdered, Grace’s safe and protected life is shattered.

An so-so read, not really compelled to continue with the series.

2.5☆

This was a great piece of historical fiction that had well developed characters and a plot that moved quickly and kept me engaged. Highly recommend!

I love the era for this story, I love the time when theater was it, and being a chorus girl could lead to stardom.
I'm not a huge fan of the characters though. Chet Riker is a Private Investigator with a pile of debt to a mobster, and falling into increasingly unscrupulous business tactics to try and pull himself out of the hole. Grace is the sister of recently deceased Follies star Sophia, and finds herself the unwitting pawn of Flo Zeigfeld. Flo has long been her father figure, having taken Grace and Sophia in as orphans off the street, but the more Grace realizes how little she really knew about her sister, the more she learns that Flo will do anything to keep the Follies afloat and use anyone to gain publicity - good or bad.
I found Grace to be a little too waffling. One minute she is so glad no one is around, she just wants to be alone, then the next she's whining because Chet left her alone and unprotected. I also think Grace comes out of her back-stage naivete and into her new-found independence a little suddenly.
Overall, I liked the story, but found it to be a little unpolished. It's good historical fiction with a not-so-twisty mystery (several suspects, but no major red herrings or surprises). If you like Golden Age fiction, give it a try.

Grace and her sister Sophia were living on the streets and they were found by Florenz Ziegfeld, a famous theater mogul, who offered them fame and fortune. What more could they ask for? Then Sophia is found dead and Grace in devastated. It is rumored that her death wasn’t an accident at all, it was murder. Determined to find the truth, Grace finds herself in a position she never imagined with unwanted fame, an egotistical boss, a creepy mob boss, danger and threats against her life. But her new bodyguard Chet, was with her at every turn though and together they just might get to the truth about her sisters death safe and sound.

Grace was a sweet young woman and a little naive to the world, but I will give her one thing, she did voice her opinion when she needed to. Her sheer determination to uncover the truth about her sisters death made me root for. Now, Chet was a mystery to me at first but over time he grew on me the more we learned about him and I found my liking even more. He seemed to care for Grace and wanted to protect her. It wasn’t always easy, she was stubborn to say the least.

The mystery behind Sophia’s death was well done, with little clues here and there leading me down one road and believing I had the mystery figured out only to have another little piece of information given that changed what I was thinking. I like when a mystery can stump me and keep me guessing. All the while, things are changing between Grace and Chet and things get a little steamy between them. But first and foremost, Grace wants the truth about her sister. Love comes second.

The story had just enough suspense and danger lurking to keep me turning the pages to see how is all played out and the slow burn steaminess added in between Grace and Chet and I was hooked and even though they fought it, I rooted for them all the way. The ending was pretty great too!

This is the first book for the series and there is so much we don’t know about Grace, Chet and a few of the other characters that I really enjoyed and I am hoping that we get to learn more about our two main characters as well as the others. I am also curious as to what lies ahead for Grace and Chet in books to come.

Grace in the Wings was a fantastic historical romance with a mystery that just added some suspense and the author did such a wonderful job bringing the 1920’s to life. I will be on the lookout for the next installment for sure!

A fun mystery set in New York during the fabulous 1920s.
The lives of the rich and famous are shaken when a young starlet is found dead. .
Sweet Grace, sister of the deceased starlet cannot believe that her sister would end her own life; but in proving this Grace finds out that she didn’t know her sister as well as she thought.
There is romance, suspense, some violence and a not so rosy picture of what the film industry was like. Especially for a young woman.

I really enjoyed reading this book a d the mystery of who killed Sophie and why and why they are after Grace,it's not like she or her sister has anything special! Always been interested in this time of history with all the Broadway stars and some are mentioned. It's up to you to decide who to trust and who not to!! That's all you will get from me you need to read this good book!! Received from Net Galley!!.

Book Review
3.5 stars
I was sent an eArc of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my thoughts.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I loved the twists & turns, I thought the characters were all done very well & I enjoyed the plot.
However in my opinion the ending was wrapped up too fast & it seemed rushed. It was an easy, fun read & I recommend it if you are in the mood for a light thriller.

This book was actually a lot better than I expected. I really enjoyed the main character because she was innocent and sweet. She was endearing. I could relate with her too because despite her issues with her deceased sister, she loved her and wanted a relationship. My sister reminds me of that character in a lot of ways. I really enjoyed the train ride because it felt like they were really on a train and traveling to California. The authors really gave the setting and characters personality. My only criticism is the climatic moment where all is revealed was very anti-climatic. The book felt like a big build up to some doom and fatal secrets; however, the reality was less dramatic than I anticipated as a reading. Altogether it was an entertaining novel that did suck me into the story with very enjoyable characters, a bit of mystery, and lots of travel.

Grace Michelle and her sister, Sophia, had a very comfortable life working for Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr.’s Ziegfeld Follies. Grace was the costume designer, and Sophia was one of the stars of the show. Not long after Sophia quits the Ziegfeld Follies to get married, she dies unexpectedly, and the police are not sure if her death was an accident, a suicide, or murder. After unwillingly taking over her sister’s part in the show, Grace travels to Los Angeles to promote the Ziegfeld Follies and look into her sister’s death. Private detective Chet Riker tags along to Los Angeles as Grace’s bodyguard, and he joins her on her quest to learn more about what really happened to Sophia. Along the way, the two deal with the mob, runaway horses, and threats to their lives. They also learn secrets about Sophia’s life and the people connected to her.

GRACE IN THE WINGS is an interesting mystery novel set in the early 1920s. Kari Bovee includes real life people – including Mary Pickford and her brother, Jack, as well as Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. – the owner of Ziegfeld Follies. Grace and Chet are both intriguing main characters. They both have unpleasant pasts – the reader learns some about their pasts but there is plenty more to be delved into in later novels. While I enjoyed the novel, there were times when their romance outshone the mystery part of the novel.

I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley and I'm pleased that I did.

Historical romance/mystery books are not my typical genre but I'm ways willing to try something new. This book didn't let me down, in fact, I read it in a day.

The characters were relatable without being larger than life, which can be a challenge when interweaving real people in a work of fiction.

The story itself moved at a good pace and felt believable, to the point I wanted to find out what happened next.

This was a great summer read and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

New York 1920 and sisters Sophia and Grace work for Flo Ziegfeld Jr. But Sophia, the star of the show, on marrying, leaves and goes to Los Angles where she is found dead by her husband. Grace needs to know how she dead and heads to L.A. P.I. Chet Ryker, employed by Ziegfeld goes as her bodyguard.
A historical fiction story with romance and just a touch of mystery, not really enough for me. Ryker was a decent hero but I couldn't really take to Grace. Maybe she will improve as the series continues. Overall an enjoyable solid start to what I would hope will be more of a mystery series.

Half the book was well written.

I enjoy a thoughtful, well written, character driven mystery. This is just such a book, until the mid-point after which the characters become one-dimensional and the interesting story transforms into a slug-fest filled with violent confrontations. It ends nicely, unconvincingly so.

Orphans Grace Michelle and her sister Sophia, were rescued as young girls from the streets of New York by Florenz Ziegfeld, famed creator of the Ziegfeld Follies. It was not really from the goodness of his heart, he assessed how they might fit into his future. Sophia, the eldest was fashioned into a Ziegfeld headliner. Suddenly, just after being married in Hollywood, Sophia dies under mysterious circumstances and her younger sister, Grace, wants to know the reason. Grace, a talented designer and seamstress finds herself catapulted into the limelight by Ziegfeld who wants her to fill her sister’s shoes - and a better return on his investment. Grace reluctantly and because she feels an obligation to Ziegfeld tries to accommodate him, but always with the aim of finding out the truth of her sisters untimely death.

When it come to light that Sophia might have been murdered and that Grace’s life might be in danger, Ziegfeld assigns a Private Investigator, Chet, to shadow Gracie, as protector. There is chemistry between the two.

The second part of the story goes off the deep end and becomes much more extreme and violent - it looses its nuances. It is dramatic and violent many readers like the action in the conclusion. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.