A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

The Prince of Prohibition (Fae of the Roaring Age #1) by Marilyn Marks

Genre:
Historical Fiction, Romance, Roaring Twenties, Historical, the Fae, Fantasy, Fairies, Fiction, Fated Mates, Dark, Enemies to Lovers, the Jazz Age, Paranormal

Triggers:
Author's Page (will contain all triggers for the book)

Publication Date:
March 14, 2023

Rating:
5 out of 5

Blurb:

The year was 1926. Glamour, riches and greed filled the air, but under the facade of glitter and gold lay truths much darker, more sinister, and entirely less human . . .

Adeline Colton was cursed. Everyone in Georgia knew the devil walked her farm, and maybe they were right, because each month she had . . . dreams. Visions of a dark prince and a shadowed forest. A creature so wrong, temptation lurked beneath her skin.

So after escaping to New York City, it’s no surprise when her bad fortune follows. Only this time, it’s in the form of Jack Warren: millionaire bootlegger, infamous gangster, and criminal who makes Addie his fervent obsession.

Jack is everything Addie should avoid, but the more she resists his pull, the deeper she’s drawn into his extravagant world. Lured by a life of freedom and desire, Adeline must make a choice: heed her family’s warnings or follow Jack into the dark. But when fate binds them together, Jack is revealed to be something else—not man, not beast, not even the devil, but a creature much, much worse.


ACOTAR meets The Great Gatsby in The Prince of Prohibition, an adult fantasy romance featuring scandalous flappers, sensual fae, hidden speakeasies and dark magic. It is book one in the Fae of the Roaring Age series.

Review:

Let me begin this by saying I did not like reading The Great Gatsby in high school. It was one of my least favorite books that I had been made to read in high school. I have not even tried to re-read it as I have done And Then There Was None by Agatha Christie and I doubt I will ever add it to my TBR in the future.

I came across this book among the new releases. If I had not been paying close attention to the lists, I would have missed this book. The premise and fae trope is all needed to draw my interest. I did not care that there was a comparison between The Great Gratsby and ACOTAR. The latter I have never read - and yes, it is on my TBR and I am hoping to have it started up during the summer.

But seriously, how could you not want to read this one? You don't have to be a history buff to enjoy the setting or know everything about the roaring twenties. You get to see life before World War 1 and after the war. How war affects a person when it ends. It does not dress up the ptsd nor gloss over the horror of the aftermath of it. You get to see and feel it through Addie's brother.

This story takes us through World War I and the roaring twenties when Prohibition and speakeasies have become part of the American landscape. In the beginning, we get Adeline's, or Addie as she is called, background. She has been fae touched and has always been able to see past the glamor the fairies use to blend into the human population. She has never gone to school and the only thing she has been taught was to pour salt around their homestead and keep iron upon her person. As Addie grows up, a fae seems to be haunting her dreams. Even when her father dies and her brother uproots them to New York, Addie is overwhelmed by the city. Her neighbor, Lillian, decides to dress her up and take her with her to one of the parties.

“Are you the devil?” He leaned in. Close, so close oak and rain and gunmetal washed over me, slathered across my lips. “For you, I’ll be so much fucking worse.”

Jack Warren dances on the morally grey line. He is a gangster dealing in speakeasies and the illegal sales of Prohibition whiskey. He even owns the building where she, Lillian, and her brother live among other shady places. But Jack is not human - he's fae and he is the golden-eyed fae that has haunted her dreams.

The beginning of the story is slow. You get a bit of background history of Addie's life and things don't really pick up until she and Tommy move to New York. Things begin to build up from there. You meet new characters, learn secrets, and learn more about Addie and Jack's connection. This story will keep you riveted from beginning to end. You will find characters that feel underappreciated and villains you hope to get the ending they deserve.

And that ending - just holy moly! This makes me excited that the next book is coming out. Probably be next year and I can impatiently wait for it until then.