3.5 stars
This was a really cool, fresh, and different romance story. Set in 1920s during Prohibition our hero is a bootlegger and our heroine is a medium who can call forth ghosts, talk to them, and send them back to the veil. The details with world building and making me feel the time period and atmosphere were so good, it was the star of the show for me. (I may have a slight crush on Winter's wardrobe; suspenders, undershirts, and vests) It's set in San Francisco with Chinatown getting a lot of mentions because of the warring Tongs (different groups of Chinese criminals running the alcohol or other criminal activities) and how that connects to Winter's storyline of someone siccing ghosts on him to disrupt his bootlegging. The spiritualism/mysticism with spells and descriptions of ghosts was so cool and entertaining.
The first half felt more like insta-lust between Winter and Aida for me; a lot of lusting about freckles and height. They had a fun a back and forth, I give a lot of credit here to the author for the way she wrote Aida. Aida was a strong independent woman but her past involving her family had clearly made her emotional vulnerable and the author did a great job showcasing both sides. The first half was more three stars for me while the second half was fours stars with an immensely improved Winter and Aida's emotional connection; was able to see and believe in their connection.
The part where
Winter tracks down Aida's brother's belongings and takes down her evil uncle-in-law almost had me in tears.
How Winter acted on knowing how important this was to Aida is what makes heroes.
I'm so on board with this series and will definitely be reading the next. If you're looking for a fun, cool, slightly spooky, and hot couple historical set in the 1920s you definitely want to pick this one up!