The Wild Rose Press
Featuring: Norma Hill; Henry Chapel; Ingrid
251 pages ISBN: 1628302380 EAN: 9781628302387 Kindle: B00ILXYEMS e-Book Add to Wish List
Despite the title love does not come easily to Norma Hill.
She has to work hard for everything in life. The play on
words refers to the speakeasy she frequents in Chicago of
the 1920s. LOVE EASY is mainly set in a newspaper office;
the Chicago Daily News is struggling and a new managing
editor has just been appointed. Henry Chapel speaks loudly
and swaggers, having gained accolades at his last
paper. He is here to turn this paper around, and no silly
little weather reporter girl is going to slow him down.
Norma knows she could do better. The newsroom however is
seen as a male environment and life outside the building
is
dirty and dangerous. Nobody would let a girl work the
crime
beat. While she mostly complies with the legal ban on
alcohol, Norma does sometimes accompany a girl friend,
Ingrid to the speakeasy and one night she witnesses a
crime
against a woman. Shocked and staggering, she runs headlong
into her new boss. He wants to help her, but by now
there's
no sign of the crime, so does he even believe her? And
nobody at the speakeasy wants the cops called. What can
Norma do?
There's plenty of period slang and clothing to match so
the
1920s feel comes across well. The newsroom equipment is
large, loud and made of metal. Part of the times of course
is sexist dismissive talk, and we get a real understanding
of what women used to be up against in jobs. Norma has
attended university and supports herself, but she has no
hope of being treated as equivalent to a male colleague.
Luckily, the boss decides he likes her after all, maybe
even fancies her - but wouldn't that be an unequal
relationship?
Norma's careful investigation of the crime walks her into
danger as the city has no shortage of mob bosses trying to
take over drink distribution territory. There's some
violence and strong language in this historical romance by
Roe Valentine, but nothing the determined heroine can't
handle. LOVE EASY - a vivid romance best read with jazz
playing.
News reporting is the main joy in Norma Hill's life. She
is hell-bent on being more than a weather reporter, but
new tyrant boss, Henry Chapel, doesn't agree. While she is
following a news lead, Henry saves her from a handsy heir.
His words warn her of danger, but his actions stir deeper
emotions. Despite his gruff words, can she find the love
forever absent from her life?
Pompous and determined, Henry Chapel revives sagging rags
and brings them to their former glory. When Lawson
Publishing begs Henry to take over the Chicago Daily News,
he is more than happy to comply; after all, it had been
his favorite newspaper as a child. What he didn't
anticipate was a fiery sass-mouthed weather reporter to
contend with. He also didn't anticipate finding what he'd
been looking for his whole life in the press room.