This is a hard book for me to review, mostly because I was left with mixed feelings once I read the last sentence.

As many of her readers know, Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an excellent writer! That was showcased throughout this novel and was what I was expecting. She has a way with words and a way of bringing those words together to create a story that you can see. She makes it easy for the reader to not only see the image she’s creating for us but also feel along with the characters. I did love the noir tone that is infused into her writing and this story.

Speaking of the characters, this is partly where I have mixed feelings. I didn’t find either of our main characters Maite or Elvis to be likable or even easy to connect with. It seemed that Maite was always either whining/complaining or lying. Those two things are what I remember the most about her. Elvis, on the other hand, mostly seemed to me a little mindless. He had orders and he followed them. He had music interests similar to Maite’s, but it was always in the background. It seemed that this tidbit of each personality was placed into the story to connect them more to the plot, but it just felt like a weak connection.

The plot was interesting and just engaging enough for me to continue reading through the end. However, I think I would have preferred slightly different main characters. Or just a different angle on the whole story. The missing woman and her story, understandably, were given a lot of page time throughout the book. I honestly kept reading to find out what she saw, what she knew, how does it connect back to this little enforcer gang for the government, etc. We only get partial answers to some of those questions by the end, which was frustrating. I also felt that the story was missing the slow tension that I imagine is seen in noir (but I wouldn’t 100% know).

And then reading the author’s note gives insight to why she wrote the story yet leaves me wondering why she wrote this particular story and say Leonora’s story (the missing woman). In the end, I didn’t love it, but didn’t hate it.

I was excited for this book as I really enjoyed 2 of Moreno's other books but this one just didn't hold my attention. I wish it had been the first book I had read I may have felt differently but I think I was stuck comparing it to her other work and I just couldn't find the same feelings.

Love the book cover of this fantastic book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia! You have everything you need in a mystery love story where the characters come alive for you as you follow all this mystery!! You start out slow which I think it did but got to going before you knew it where you are wondering where it will take you and if you don't be killed! Received from Net Gallery!! This is a must read for the mystery solving part of you!

I highly enjoyed this novel- it is another Sylvia Moreno great that weaves the noir with a wonderful story ans characters set in Mexico.

A imperfect, yet vivid, contemporary fiction. Yet it's one of Moreno-Garcia's best books! I highly reccommend it.

https://bookriot.com/listen/resolutions-and-reflections/

Hear me talk more about why this book was one of my absolute favorites of 2021. Vivid historical fiction with characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Maybe her best book yet -- the most assured, in its way? There's a confidence to the prose, to the 70s vibe, to the story itself. It's a terrific summer read.

Anti-heroes abound in this novel from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. There's really no character that I loved or even liked, but the story kept me intrigued till the very end and I think that's the noir feeling the author was going for. But a mysterious disappearance and the ensuing amateur investigation by Maite, a daydreamer, loner secretary and the alternating perspective of the Hawk Elvis made for an intriguing story.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not finish this one. I tried really hard, but I just couldn't get myself to care about the characters or what happened to them. I really loved her book "Mexican Gothic," so this was a big disappointment.

Before this book, Silvia Moreno-Garcia was an insta-buy author for me. I am so happy to report that "Velvet Was the Night" continues this tradition.

I'll admit I was skeptical going into this book as it doesn't have Moreno-Garcia's traditional SFF element. Purely historical and noir, "Velvet Was the Night" plunges the reader into a time of tumult in Mexico and drives the stakes higher with a thrilling plot.

As always, Moreno-Garcia's main characters are flawed in all the right ways, with enough sass and life that they nearly jump off the page. Truly, Moreno-Garcia is an incredible storyteller, with a deep understanding of what makes characters human.

No spoilers, but the tension between our dual-perspective (which was a beautiful addition, and desperately needed), protagonists runs hot and deep. Also, this book just proves Moreno-Garcia must have banging tastes in music if her character's collections are of any indication.

In sum, this book shows that Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a storyteller to be reckoned with in any genre. I'd read her grocery list, to be honest.

And for everyone who was worried: the cat makes it out okay.

1970s Mexico City. Maite is a secretary who lives for one thing: the latest issue of Secret Romance. While student protests and political unrest consume the city, Maite escapes into stories of passion and danger.

Her next-door neighbor, Leonora, a beautiful art student, seems to live a life of intrigue and romance that Maite envies. When Leonora disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman - and journeying deeper into Leonora’s secret life of student radicals and dissidents.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction novels. It is one of my favorite genres. I enjoyed the book. It wasn't what I was expecting and I should have done more research on the backstory but I thought it was a good novel. I haven't read her other novel, but I would recommend this title for people who like more military-themed novels. I was hoping for more action. I felt it was a little long and thought it would be more suspenseful.

“Some people are made to be lonely.“

Velvet Was the Night, set in Mexico during the 1970s, covers a lot of true life events- student protests, infiltration and violence by The Hawks, or Los Halcones, and political unrest, but ultimately is a novel about people suffering from loneliness. Told in alternating chapters between Maite and Elvis, we see lives up ended as the search for a missing girl goes on.

I really enjoyed this book and while I guessed one of the “big” twists, I absolutely loved the ending. Highly recommend for fans of a slow burning mystery or historic noir, my one issue is that there was some inner dialogue repetitions, but over all I enjoyed Velvet Was the Night much more than Mexican Gothic. Plus that cover is EVERYTHING!

OKAY, Silvia Moreno-Garcia! After absolutely devouring Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow, I was beyond excited to read Velvet Was the Night. And it. did. not. disappoint. For starters, the way she conveyed the era was incredible. I was immediately immersed in the 1970s Mexico City without even batting an eye. I loved the mystery, the activism, the dive into subversive cultures and the consequences people face for speaking up against oppressive structures, the intrigue and romance. The characters were well-developed and the prose was evocative and powerful. Moreno-Garcia is one of the most unique storytellers of our time, and Velvet Was the Night only solidified her more as one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy.

Overall, I think I discovered historical fiction noir may not be the type of genre for me. I did enjoy 'Velvet Was the Night' and loved Moreno-Garcias writing and the story she told. You will always be put into the descriptive world Moreno-Garcia is building. I wasn't too fond of the characters; Maite was very selfish and self-centered. Maite was very judgmental all things considering. I would say the way her mother felt about her, most readers can acknowledge was true. Elvis was probably my fave character - I loved learning about his misfortunes with the Mexican government. Also, I had a soft spot for all of their vinyl collections! Being a vinyl enthusiast myself as well I enjoy books with music references.

Also, did the cat make it? LOL.

Renowned for her gothic horror novel MEXICAN GOTHIC and beloved for her historical romance THE BEAUTIFUL ONES, Silvia Moreno-Garcia now turns her keen eye for plot and her lyrical prose toward noir with VELVET WAS THE NIGHT.

1970s Mexico City is rife with political upheaval and social unrest. The novel kicks off with a very real telegram from the United States Department of State discussing the “Hawks,” an officially financed, organized and trained repressive group whose goal is the undermining and dismantling of leftist and anti-government groups in Mexico. On June 10, 1971, the Hawks are behind a violent protest-turned-murder-scene that starts with a group of peaceful protesting students and ends in a massacre known as El Halconazo. This is just part of the Mexican Dirty War, in which the Mexican government --- backed by the United States and the CIA --- launches a covert and unofficial, but no less deadly, battle against its own citizens, namely left-leaning students and guerrilla activists.

Such is the world into which Moreno-Garcia leads her readers, a version of Mexico City with high tensions, intrigue and the sense that someone is always watching. We first meet El Elvis, a young Hawk with few ambitions but to impress his leader, El Mago, listen to his beloved Elvis and Nancy Sinatra records, improve his vocabulary by using a dictionary to pick a “word of the day,” and enact as little violence as possible. That's not easy for a Hawk, but then there's always room for Hawks like Elvis: quiet, unassuming young men who can sneak in, crack open locks and gain intel while their bigger, more violent colleagues handle the beatings and dismemberments. But even Elvis can tell that something went wrong the night of June 10th. For one, the subleader of his group was injured and disappeared, and for another, El Mago, a previously unflappable and classy hit man, is now antsy.

Across town lives Maite, a lonely daydreaming secretary who fears that she is past her prime at 30. Though she has her own apartment and a decent job, her mother never forgets to remind her that it all means nothing without a man by her side --- and what man wants a dowdy spinster as his wife? Bored by her provincial life and blind to the terrors unfolding right in her city, Maite spends her time reading romance comics, especially Secret Romance, dreaming about the characters within them and listening to her extensive collection of records.

Maite and Elvis are drawn together when Maite’s neighbor, sultry and artistic Leonora, asks Maite to feed her cat for a weekend. Unbeknownst to Leonora, Maite is a petty thief, and though she upcharges Leonora significantly, she also relishes the chance to dig through the pretty art student’s apartment for a weekend. But when Leonora does not return as expected, and then fails to appear at the copy shop where she asks Maite to meet her with her cat, Maite is pulled into the underbelly of her town --- and closer to Elvis. Tasked with tracking Leonora’s last movements and finding the camera she was allegedly carrying with her, Elvis is stunned to see such a plain, doe-eyed woman following the same tracks. As his search for Leonora aligns with Maite’s, he starts to long for a woman like her, someone lonely like him, but blind to the violence of their town and with a passion for music and romance.

What follows is a delicious, slow burn noir drama about a city on the brink of revolution or destruction and two wildly different people caught up in one unsolvable mystery: What happened to Leonora, and how does it tie into the massacre of June 10th? With her trademark ability for worldbuilding and crafting immersive settings, Moreno-Garcia plunges her readers right into the all-consuming tension and violence of Mexico City. Trapped in a world with a government set on obedience and an amateur resistance slowly building momentum, Elvis and Maite walk among hit men, corrupt government officials, dirty cops and even Russian spies in their hunt for Leonora. But what truly unites them --- even more than their search for the truth --- is their loneliness, an emotion that Moreno-Garcia writes with gravity, believability, and a clear and obvious love for the antihero.

Elvis is a rock ‘n’ roll hero, and Maite is a daydreaming heroine. Although they approach both the political unrest of Mexico City and Leonora from very different perspectives, they recognize a kindred spirit in one another that really sets the course for their actions toward the end of the novel. Because her characters are so grounded and profoundly relatable, Moreno-Garcia can push the intrigue of the plot to its absolute limits, forcing Elvis and Maite to form a powerful alliance and make some shocking decisions about their futures.

Proving yet again that there is no genre she can’t master, Silvia Moreno-Garcia wows with VELVET WAS THE NIGHT, an edgy and smoky noir perfect for those who love slow burn mysteries, intricate plots and loveable antiheroes. My only question is: What will she do next, and how do I read it now?

#velvetwasthenight #silviamorenogarcia #randomhousepublishing #netgalley I am late to the party. It’s been quite a time. This book is told with multiple narrators and perspectives that will weave together a cohesive story. A good read for a night in or on the weekend #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #bookrecommendations #read

It took a while for me to really get into this, but when I did, it took off and didn’t stop!! Maite was such a strange protagonist that I didn’t really related to her until she started looking into Leonora’s disappearance with Rúben. And he wasn’t that interesting for a long time too. I’m fact, Maite annoyed the crud out of me cause while her life is boring, she’s not the best person ever. Her redeeming qualities were… well, slim to none! But once they really got into searching for Leonora, I got hooked and started to like her more.

El Elvis, on the other hand, was fairly interesting from the start. He had such an unconventional background that I couldn’t help but be curious of how his story was going to go. I really liked him once we learn of his history. The rest of the characters weren’t that intriguing, but the three carry the story nicely once you get to about 50% of the way in.

When they really get into the mystery, things just don’t stop. And there’s action, intrigue, a little romance, and some suspense too. A lot of political drama is going on all the while, which is based on the actual history, which makes it more worthwhile.

If you need to be hooked in the beginning, this is definitely not for you. But if you can hang in there till about 50% of the way in, this is well worth the time. It went from being a 3 star read to being a 4 1/2 star read in my mind. I seriously enjoyed that last half!!

So I recommend this to those who enjoy a good action/ mystery novel with a few other genres that are thrown in. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Sylvia Moreno-Garcia for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I recommend this one. It's a good book and everyone should read. Of course I would love to have this book in my bookstore.

This is my fourth SMG book and I loved it! This one is a noir, a genre I’ve never read before, but I enjoyed the pacing of it and the mystery. In this one we follow Maite and Elvis who both for different reasons are investigating the disappearance of a college student, Leonora. The story is set in the 1970s and dives into the political climate of Mexico at the time. I enjoyed reading about this period and the discussions of govt persecution.

While the mystery had me intrigued, I was invested in Maite and Elvis. They both love music and share the same feelings of loneliness. Maite is a secretary who lives a very normal life, but yearns for adventure like the ones she reads in her comics. Elvis loves the king and is trying to figure out what he wants in life. Moreno-Garcia was great at matching the characters with the same feelings, but differentiating them when it came to life experiences and the choices they made. To me the highlight of the story were the main characters.

The mystery was great and I enjoyed how everything unraveled slowly. It had me pretty much hooked and I’m excited to read SMG other noir, Untamed Shore. I recommend this for those who enjoy historical fiction, character studies, or want to read some noir. Also, be sure to check out the author’s playlist on Spotify it’s really good for the story’s atmosphere.

This was not my cup of tea at all. I found the story to be slow and the characters very unlikable.
I found the two main characters annoying and whiny. I had no connection to them or their situations. I had trouble keeping the other characters straight and had no interest in the outcome of the antics they put themselves in.
The writing and pacing felt lackluster overall.