I've been looking forward to reading A Blues Singer to Redeem Him by Elle Jackson ever since I saw it announced on Twitter many months back. It just took me a couple months to get my mind right with the Lord before reading it. Why? Because I knew the violent backdrop, despite being guaranteed romance's happy ending, was going to be a lot. Also, a challenge for the author to navigate to make a happy ending "believable" for the reader. For the most part I think Jackson succeeds. Unfortunately I feel like the editing let her, and her story, down.

Evelyn Laroque lives in Greenwood, Oklahoma with her educated, affluent parents (Mom is a doctor!) when the Tulsa Race Massacre shows up on the family's doorstep. While fleeing the city her parents are murdered by a mob, while she and her brother narrowly escape. They end up outside of Kansas City with their grandmother. Her brother buys a farm and Evelyn lives with "Grand," whose health is in decline. Money is tight so Evelyn takes her desperation and dreams to Lorenzo De Luca's speakeasy to get a job as a blues singer. Naturally he takes one look at her, falls head over feet, and hires her once her audition proves her voice is just as lovely as she is.

Lorenzo is the son of a notorious mob boss, with the baggage you would expect. He severed ties with the family but he's not truly "cut off." His family's reach, their protection, continue to follow him. They also start to pull him back in when his cousin and his Black fiancee' are murdered. Their son mercifully is spared, and bundled off with his Black grandparents - where the kid stays off-page. Anyway, the running theory is that the Ku Klux Klan is behind the deaths, along with the disappearance of young Black women in the city. Lorenzo, being extremely close to his cousin, vows justice - albeit not in the traditional mob way. He really wants to put that life behind him.

There's a lot of conflict floating around in this story. Both Lorenzo's and Evelyn's pasts have been touched (significantly) by violence, and that helps this story avoid a pitfall I was concerned about - that of the hero morphing into a White Savior character. Interracial romance, the historical time period - it easily could have gone this way. He's definitely a protector and this story relies heavily on Rescue Fantasy, but it never goes too far in. Kudos to the author for walking that tricky tight-rope.

Unfortunately the book could have used a firmer hand in editing. This will make perfect sense to category romance readers, but this story just doesn't hit its "beats." Some examples include an oily would-be suitor of Evelyn's who is much older and buys her parents car. He's around long enough to leer but then conveniently never shows up again. I mean, WHY IS THIS SCENE EVEN IN THE BOOK? It serves no purpose. Then you get scenes where things start to escalate with the KKK, as the reader you settle in expecting non-stop action for the next several chapters, then poof! Instead you get romance-y scenes between Lorenzo and Evelyn. The author sets up the jump shot and instead of following through we get an air-ball.

There's also a lot of "I'm not good enough for the likes of her" from the hero. He pushes her away no less than 3 times, and the final instance felt manufactured to necessitate a third act separation. During which time the heroine loses her brain and puts herself in danger that she, logically, should not have been in. I mean, this is a young woman who survived Greenwood. I get that women can be stupid about men, but Evelyn's choices felt thrust upon her by the story instead of feeling authentic to her character.

There's also a bunch of stuff touched on but not deeply explored when it probably should have been. For a guy who owns an illegal distillery, we don't get that much background to that side of Lorenzo's business. There's allusions to crooked cops but there's also mention of the KKK (possibly) disrupting shipments and that's just conveniently dropped entirely. For a while I thought maybe the author was setting up an inside job with one of the secondary characters double-crossing Lorenzo but nope - it just doesn't go anywhere.

Which makes it sound like I didn't like this book. I wouldn't say that, but I just found this aggressively OK. Also frustrating, because I think it could have been a really good book with some tighter attention to detail. I know I harp on this a lot but category length is all about not faffing about. Tight, tighter, tightest is the name of the game. And this one felt like it needed to be tighter in several places. I'm curious to see if we'll get other books set in this world, and certainly the author gives us enough in the way of secondary characters to make a series work. There's enough on the page here that I'll read the next one should it arrive, but oh what might have been with this one...

Final Grade = C

Elle Jackson writing for the Harlequin creates an enjoyable read. It kept my interest and I am hoping Harlequin Historicals publishes more novels that have more characters from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. Love to see the Harlequin world diversifying!

I have never read a romance set in this era before but I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The two terms made yo fall in love with them and really hope for their happy ending!

A Blues Singer to Redeem Him follows Evelyn Laroque, a Black blues singer in jazz age era Kansas City, who finds a job at a nightclub owned by Lorenzo De Luca, the son of a notorious mob boss who is eager to make a name for himself separate from his dangerous family. Evelyn is beautiful, talented, and kind - a welcome change from some of the kinds of people Lorenzo is usually around, which naturally draws him to her. He feels protective of her from the start, and wants to help her build a singing career and stay safe from growing threats from the local members of the KKK.

Perhaps what I found most interesting about this book was that it began with a flashback of sorts that took place during the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, when Evelyn’s parents got caught in a house fire and tragically killed. It’s (unfortunately) rare to read about that event in any kind of fictional context, let alone a romance. It’s something that I only just learned about myself in the past few years, because it’s a part of history that was so covered up and lacking attention for so long. In one particularly poignant scene, Evelyn explains the importance of Black Wall Street, and the tragedy of its destruction.

There is no shortage of excitement and danger involved in the romance between Evelyn and Lorenzo, being an interracial romance in 1926 between a white man and a Black woman - especially when one is connected to the mob. I was also very intrigued by the character of Dred, Lorenzo’s childhood friend, a Black woman who practically acts as a vigilante and helps fight against the KKK. Where is her novel, Harlequin?

Ultimately, I wanted more out of this book in terms of length. I feel like certain scenes, especially towards the end, felt quite rushed and could have been fleshed out more. I also wish that Evelyn and Lorenzo’s romance would have been given more time to gradually develop and feel deeper than it did, rather than happen so immediately. There was a little too much back and forth from Lorenzo about having feelings for her but not wanting to put her in danger. That could have been a conflict that occurred once or twice, but seemed to have happened more than that.

Evelyn Laroque is pleased to start her job as a blues singer. Her voice captures owner and mob boss son, Lorenzo De Luca. Lorenzo is drawn to her and feels the need to protect her when she becomes targeted by the KKK. As Lorenzo seeks to help her, he must decide if he will revert to his gangster roots or stay on his new path?

I absolutely love love the cover and I love historical romance. However, I found it hard to get into the book in the beginning. I persevered but I didn't fall in love.

Thank you, #Netgalley for this read.

Elle Jackson has penned a compelling historical romance that transports the reader to the prohibition, speakeasy, segregated era of the 1920’s. Kansas City is the main backdrop for this intriguing story that features Evelyn Laroque, a talented African American singer, and Lorenzo De Luca, the Italian American owner of Blues Moon, a popular integrated nightclub. This well-written story has many layers that contributes to it being a page-turner.

RATING: A | REVIEWER: Brenda Larnell

REVIEW: Elle Jackson has penned a compelling historical romance that transports the reader to the prohibition, speakeasy, segregated era of the 1920’s. Kansas City is the main backdrop for this intriguing story that features Evelyn Laroque, a talented African American singer, and Lorenzo De Luca, the Italian American owner of Blues Moon, a popular integrated nightclub. This well-written story has many layers that contributes to it being a page-turner.

Evelyn Laroque has a desire to be a blues singer and earn enough money to support herself and her grandmother, who took care of her and her older brother when their parents were killed during the horrendous Greenwood, Oklahoma Massacre of 1921. The massacre plays an historically significant part in the backstory of the heroine. I’ll allow you to discover the details of that devastating experience, and how it affects Evelyn’s life. As I mentioned, the Blues Moon integrated nightclub, owned by the story’s hero is an exception to the rule, as is Lorenzo, himself. Coming from an old Italian Mafia family, Lorenzo is expected to follow in the tradition of the son stepping into his father’s shoes as the Don of la famiglia. However, Lorenzo has other plans for his life, and they don’t include him being a Don. When Evelyn and Lorenzo meet at Blues Moon, the chemistry is instant. Obviously, there are many taboos that the couple faces- the Ku Klux Klan which is alive and well to name one, and the stigma and laws in place against being with one not of your race, to name another. What chance does Evelyn and Lorenzo have of making a life together? They are drawn together in spite of their very different backgrounds. Then, there’s a town called West Eden, where Lorenzo, at first, finds himself unwelcome to his dismay. You are in for a great read when you delve into this story. Kudos to Ms Jackson for an engrossing debut historical that pulls you in at the Prologue.

The minor characters contribute to the intrigue and development of the main characters. I like the diversity of the characters who help to make the story believable - from Lorenzo’s faithful employees and long-time friends to the white supremacists of the KKK, and the Italian mob. It’s a great mix of good and bad guys. The HEA is everything!

A BLUES SINGER TO REDEEM HIM is an entertaining and captivating story. I enjoyed it, and I recommend it for your reading pleasure.

Evelyn is determined to make it as a speakeasy blues singer despite the racial injustice she faces. Owner Lorenzo is caring and supportive despite being the estranged son of a mafia boss. The attraction between them makes it difficult to keep their relationship professional. Under pressure from the warring forces of his father's organization and the KKK, can their love survive?

Given their backgrounds, Evelyn finds it difficult to trust, and Lorenzo to walk the straight and narrow. Yet they consistently demonstrate their willingness to grow and adapt to each other's needs. This sensual, emotional love story plays out amid a high-tension plot that keeps you turning pages until the very end.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I read the synopsis and wondered how the hell the author planned to make this work without Lorenzo coming off as too much a white savior. And after reading the early chapters wondered how a happy ending would come about in the midst of such violence.

Evelyn is living in the hidden town of West Eden after being displaced from her home of Greenwood during the Tulsa Massacre. It's been a few years and to the general public it's as if the event never happened but she still bears physical and emotional scars from that horrific night.

Lorenzo comes from a major crime family in Kansas City. Though he left the family business his father continues to try and pull him back in. But just because he left the mob doesn't mean he's completely legit. Lorenzo runs a popular 24 hr club called Blues Moon and an illegal distillery.

In need of a job and with dreams of becoming a singer Evelyn gets a jpb at Blues Moon where Lorenzo is smitten with her from the start. After Lorenzo saves her from an attack by local KKK members the two start to bond. And soon enough they can't keep away from each other despitw all the reasons they can't and shouldn't be together.

There was just a tad too much, "I love you! But I must push you away because my life is so dangerous!" drama coming from Lorenzo. His emotions gave me whiplash and were a little exhausting towards the end. And then Evelyn just started acting stupid the further in love she fell. She of all people already knew how relentless the KKK are because she felt their wrath before and lost her family and friends in the process. Yet she figured made some actions towards the end that just irritated me because she felt too smart for that. I hate when writers feel the need to dumb characters down to get them in the mix of conflict.

Otherwise I thought this book did a great job portraying a somewhat realistic love story between a Black and white man during the 1920s. Things were not all glitz and glamour and Elle Jackson did not shy aware from the dark, violent, and uncomfortable parts.

I liked A Blues Singer to Redeem Him, though it was a bit too melodramatic (in regards to the push and pull between the main characters). I felt like I was watching a Brazilian telenovela at times. Either way, I quite liked the novel. It's not common to see subjects such as the KKK tackled in romance, and I think that it's important. don't like that some of the conflict was just miscommunication. I enjoyed both main characters, they seemed like caring people.
3.5 stars