BOOK BY: Ann Gabhart
In this historical novel readers are introduced to life aboard a showboat. As I read through the story, I was struck by the strong relationships between the performers. It looks like it may have been an interesting adventure, but I’m not sure I could last as long on the river as some of the characters in this story!
The author does an excellent job creating a variety of characters to bring interest to the major plot line. Jacci Reed is the heroine of the story – a character with a past we are introduced to within the first few chapters. The story clips along with intrigue and some suspenseful moments as Jacci and her mother flee one steam boat for another. It’s a puzzle as to why her mother flees. The missing pieces of the introduction will fit together at the end of the novel.
Readers also get to see Jacci all grown up, living aboard the steamship she boarded with her mother fifteen years prior. She’s beautiful and talented – which will bring danger to the stage. And anyone who is close to Jacci.
There are characters to love and characters to dislike. The setting is well-described so that readers can picture themselves on board.
This was a fun read, with a lot of insight and research into a bygone era of entertainment on the river.
I received an ecopy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.