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Let Us Dream
A rebellious cabaret owner and her stubborn chef pursue, life, liberty, and happiness in 1917 Harlem... and find love where they least expect it.
After spending half her life pretending to be something she’s not, performance is second nature for cabaret owner Bertha Hines. With the election drawing near and women’s voting rights on the ballot, Bertha decides to use her persuasive skills to push the men of New York City in the right direction.
Chef Amir Chowdhury jumped ship in New York to get a taste of the American Dream, only to discover he’s an unwanted ingredient. When ornery Amir reluctantly takes a job at The Cashmere, he thinks he’s hit the bottom of the barrel; however, working at the club reignites his dream of being a force for change. His boss, Bertha, ignites something else in him.
Bertha and Amir clash from the start, but her knowledge of politics and his knowledge of dance force them into a detente that fans the flames of latent desire. But Bertha has the vice squad on her tail, and news from home may end Amir’s dream before it comes to fruition. With their pasts and futures stacked against them, can Amir and Bertha hold on to their growing love?
After spending half her life pretending to be something she’s not, performance is second nature for cabaret owner Bertha Hines. With the election drawing near and women’s voting rights on the ballot, Bertha decides to use her persuasive skills to push the men of New York City in the right direction.
Chef Amir Chowdhury jumped ship in New York to get a taste of the American Dream, only to discover he’s an unwanted ingredient. When ornery Amir reluctantly takes a job at The Cashmere, he thinks he’s hit the bottom of the barrel; however, working at the club reignites his dream of being a force for change. His boss, Bertha, ignites something else in him.
Bertha and Amir clash from the start, but her knowledge of politics and his knowledge of dance force them into a detente that fans the flames of latent desire. But Bertha has the vice squad on her tail, and news from home may end Amir’s dream before it comes to fruition. With their pasts and futures stacked against them, can Amir and Bertha hold on to their growing love?
179 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2017
About the author
Alyssa Cole
41 books6,052 followersAlyssa Cole is an award-winning author of historical, contemporary, and sci-fi romance. Her Civil War-set espionage romance An Extraordinary Union was the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award’s Best Book of 2017 and the American Library Association’s RUSA Best Romance for 2018, and A Princess in Theory was one of the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2018. She’s contributed to publications including Bustle, Shondaland, The Toast, Vulture, RT Book Reviews, and Heroes and Heartbreakers, and her books have received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Library Journal, BuzzFeed, Kirkus, Booklist, Jezebel, Vulture, Book Riot, Entertainment Weekly, and various other outlets. When she’s not working, she can usually be found watching anime or wrangling her pets.
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August 22, 2017
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Women helped each other in ways small and large every day, without thinking, and that was what kept them going even when the world came up with new and exciting ways to crush them (164).
Reading this book made me so happy. I'm so glad I "buddy read" it with Korey, even though I was way too slow and she finished it a week before I did. As she said in her review, this is a satisfying read in Mango Mussolini's America. Two people of color, finding love and their dreams? YES to the please, TYVM.
Bertha is an ex-prostitute who is now madam of her own club for black people. Amir is a Bengali Muslim who she recently hired as a chef. The attraction between them is instant, but also fraught with difficulty because Amir has responsibilities to his family back home and Bertha has trust issues when it comes to men (for good reason). She's also a suffragette (yay!) and doesn't want to be with a man who sees her as a second class citizen.
The writing in this book is very good, and I thought the characterization was incredibly well-done. Cole in this book reminds me of Courtney Milan at her best, particularly with how Cole takes the narratives of people of color and historical feminists and weaves them into the story. We need more of that perspective in historical romances, in my opinion.
This is the third Alyssa Cole book I've read. The first, one of her short stories, didn't really wow me, but the writing was good enough that I thought a full-length novel might be better. The second, AN EXTRAORDINARY UNION, is about a black woman spying for the North while posing as a slave, and it was amazing. LET US DREAM is just as good, although length-wise it falls between the two aforementioned books, as it's not quite a short story, not quite a novel.
As of my writing this review (8/21), it's currently only 99-cents on Amazon. Go check it out!
4 stars!
August 19, 2020
Alyssa Cole is so good at picking the right amount of conflict to make a novella feel substantial and still satisfying, and this one was no different. I loved the unusual historical setting and being in a 1910s cabaret... and of course, the characters were fabulous. I loved seeing Bertha take control of her life on her own terms and how that inspired Amir to do the same. Great chemistry, great plot-- yeah, just all around, a delight to read!
April 28, 2018
4.5 "I worship at the altar of Alyssa Cole" stars rounded up.
Let Us Dream is intense and affecting. I found myself wanting to highlight like mad - and I'm not a highlighter. I found myself moved to tears - and I'm not much of a crier. If you're not rushing off to read this, you really should.
Alyssa Cole is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Whether historical or contemporary, full-length novels or novellas, her work is smart and stirring. Let Us Dream follows the romance between Bertha, who owns a cabaret and advocates for women's suffrage, and Amir, a Bengali Muslim immigrant and dishwasher-turned-chef. Cole brings 1917 Harlem to life, with vibrant colors and potent tastes and thrilling sounds. She brings Bertha and Amir to life, with Amir's initially more politically radical leanings complimenting Bertha's more practical nature as they hope, dream, fear, and embrace their passions. Cole writes such complex and fully-formed characters that feel true to life.
Many of the themes in Let Us Dream will resonate with the modern reader – racism, life as an undocumented immigrant, police corruption, sexism, the disillusionment with our political system and the doubts that we can make a difference. I frequently feel that novellas are constrained by their shortened lengths, and while I would have welcomed additional pages to iron out some small wrinkles, the story was nevertheless well-realized.
A few years ago I began to grow dissatisfied with the historical romance genre. It felt stale. I wanted to read more stories featuring diverse protagonists. I wanted to read more stories featuring feminist messages (and if you're going to say "that didn't exist back then", say it somewhere else). Cole is one author whose work checks those boxes, offering unique and rich alternatives for readers.
Read for SBTB Best Picture Quarterly Challenge: A book set between 1895 - 1936 (the Silent Film era).
Let Us Dream is intense and affecting. I found myself wanting to highlight like mad - and I'm not a highlighter. I found myself moved to tears - and I'm not much of a crier. If you're not rushing off to read this, you really should.
Alyssa Cole is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Whether historical or contemporary, full-length novels or novellas, her work is smart and stirring. Let Us Dream follows the romance between Bertha, who owns a cabaret and advocates for women's suffrage, and Amir, a Bengali Muslim immigrant and dishwasher-turned-chef. Cole brings 1917 Harlem to life, with vibrant colors and potent tastes and thrilling sounds. She brings Bertha and Amir to life, with Amir's initially more politically radical leanings complimenting Bertha's more practical nature as they hope, dream, fear, and embrace their passions. Cole writes such complex and fully-formed characters that feel true to life.
Many of the themes in Let Us Dream will resonate with the modern reader – racism, life as an undocumented immigrant, police corruption, sexism, the disillusionment with our political system and the doubts that we can make a difference. I frequently feel that novellas are constrained by their shortened lengths, and while I would have welcomed additional pages to iron out some small wrinkles, the story was nevertheless well-realized.
A few years ago I began to grow dissatisfied with the historical romance genre. It felt stale. I wanted to read more stories featuring diverse protagonists. I wanted to read more stories featuring feminist messages (and if you're going to say "that didn't exist back then", say it somewhere else). Cole is one author whose work checks those boxes, offering unique and rich alternatives for readers.
Read for SBTB Best Picture Quarterly Challenge: A book set between 1895 - 1936 (the Silent Film era).
February 7, 2023
Edit: I can't stop thinking about this novella, so I bumped it up to 5 stars from 4. It is such a beautiful story and it deserves 5 stars.
It's been a while since I've read an Alyssa Cole, and I was instantly reminded of what a brilliant writer she is.
This was beautiful and powerful. A romance about a black woman seeking the right for ALL women to vote while running a successful business and an immigrant man who needs a job she just so happens to have available and he can't take his eyes off her.
This had an excellent overall story of the inequality facing black and immigrant people in America in 1917 Harlem. The heroine is an incredibly strong woman, and the hero melts for her in the best way possible.
I do wish it had been longer as my only real complaint is that the romance ended too abruptly. But it was a very fast, all-consuming read.
It's been a while since I've read an Alyssa Cole, and I was instantly reminded of what a brilliant writer she is.
This was beautiful and powerful. A romance about a black woman seeking the right for ALL women to vote while running a successful business and an immigrant man who needs a job she just so happens to have available and he can't take his eyes off her.
This had an excellent overall story of the inequality facing black and immigrant people in America in 1917 Harlem. The heroine is an incredibly strong woman, and the hero melts for her in the best way possible.
I do wish it had been longer as my only real complaint is that the romance ended too abruptly. But it was a very fast, all-consuming read.
February 11, 2019
Alyssa Cole can do no wrong. I have loved everything she has written, from present-day NYC to Civil War romantic suspense, to this beauty of a novella set in 1917 Harlem. This story is fiercely feminist with an interracial romance, and addresses so many historical touchstones. From the suffragette movement to playing the numbers to the Great Migration and much more, this novella was a great one to listen to during my month-long read of The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration. It also touches on immigration from India and the discrimination that Indian immigrants faced during that time period.
If you are someone who doesn't typically read romance but want to give Alyssa Cole a try, THIS is the novella to start with. I actually listened to it on audio and it was fabulous. The narration is a bit slow, so I sped it up to 1.5x and it was perfection.
I can't wait to read / listen to the rest of the historical romance novellas by Cole - they are all now available on Audible as part of the Romance package - YAY!
If you are someone who doesn't typically read romance but want to give Alyssa Cole a try, THIS is the novella to start with. I actually listened to it on audio and it was fabulous. The narration is a bit slow, so I sped it up to 1.5x and it was perfection.
I can't wait to read / listen to the rest of the historical romance novellas by Cole - they are all now available on Audible as part of the Romance package - YAY!
February 7, 2021
Set in 1917 Harlem during the women's suffrage movement, Let Us Dream is a wonderful romance novella following the Black owner of a burlesque club and an undocumented immigrant from India who she hires to help in the kitchen. It's a slow burn relationship (as much as it can be given the length of the book) and the story is full of nuanced historical context that addresses intersectional oppression across lines of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and religion, not to mention the negative stereotypes leveled at sex workers who are often just trying to survive. Bertha is a tough as nails woman who has been through pain an abuse, but her friendship turned romance with Amir is beautiful. Alyssa Cole continues to do a great job writing interesting, important romances.
January 25, 2018
I attempted and failed my first time to read this book. Though, to be fair, it was more of a glance to see if I'd read this one right then and there or something else. So I hadn't really gotten that far before turning to something else. Despite that initial failure, I did find that first attempt to tease me with potential. And, once I actually came back to this book, I found the book addictive, unexpected, and quite good and fun.
It is interesting to read a multi-racial book that contains not a single main character of the pale (underside of a orca - as one woman described her skin in a different book) race. The lead female character, and yes the leads did alternate POV between a lead female and a lead male, is/was a dark skin woman. Not 100% sure what exactly a woman of her background would be termed in 1917 Harlem, but she was called, at least once or thrice, 'Colored'. The man? Why, he also had dark skin. But of a different hue (though the woman was close enough to 'fake it' for years, but that's a story to be found in the book), for he was/is an Indian. At least that's what they would have called him in 1917. Today? Why, they'd call him . . . an Indian. Since he is from India (which, at the time, was controlled by the British). Bengal to be more exact - some small village, though he came to America by way of years in Calcutta, then years on a British ship before leaping off to try his luck in New York.
Bertha Hines, the female lead, owns and operates the Cashmire when the story opens. An entertainment type place, a cabaret type place. A place that serves food, alcohol, and offers up entertainment. And rents rooms to their staff, who, per chance, might use said rooms to offer more services. Bertha, when the story opens (I repeat myself), has two main missions in life - operate her place, and try to help women get the vote - it's coming up as an option for the men to vote on in the next election. She's a strong independent woman, and isn't one to 'play with' any man, especially since they'd try to control her. And stuff.
Amir Chowdhury opens the story being examined by Bertha for a possible position in her kitchen. She needs help in there. Specifically for a dish washer. Amir reluctantly accepts the job, for he needs the money, but it isn't really what he came to America to do. It should be noted somewhere along the way that Amir is quite good at cooking - though that is not immediately made known to anyone since he was hired to be a dish washer and Bertha already had a cook (albeit a heavily pregnant cook).
Amir and Bertha slow burn their way to a romance. Through boss/employee, to trading favors to . . I don't know how to continue this line. The trading favors involves the part where Bertha, as part of her lifting up her workers, is teaching her female staff politics - and Amir gets to be a somewhat hidden student himself in exchange for dance lessons (there's a story there about that as well).
I rather enjoyed and had fun devouring this short novel.
Rating: 4.8
January 24 2018
It is interesting to read a multi-racial book that contains not a single main character of the pale (underside of a orca - as one woman described her skin in a different book) race. The lead female character, and yes the leads did alternate POV between a lead female and a lead male, is/was a dark skin woman. Not 100% sure what exactly a woman of her background would be termed in 1917 Harlem, but she was called, at least once or thrice, 'Colored'. The man? Why, he also had dark skin. But of a different hue (though the woman was close enough to 'fake it' for years, but that's a story to be found in the book), for he was/is an Indian. At least that's what they would have called him in 1917. Today? Why, they'd call him . . . an Indian. Since he is from India (which, at the time, was controlled by the British). Bengal to be more exact - some small village, though he came to America by way of years in Calcutta, then years on a British ship before leaping off to try his luck in New York.
Bertha Hines, the female lead, owns and operates the Cashmire when the story opens. An entertainment type place, a cabaret type place. A place that serves food, alcohol, and offers up entertainment. And rents rooms to their staff, who, per chance, might use said rooms to offer more services. Bertha, when the story opens (I repeat myself), has two main missions in life - operate her place, and try to help women get the vote - it's coming up as an option for the men to vote on in the next election. She's a strong independent woman, and isn't one to 'play with' any man, especially since they'd try to control her. And stuff.
Amir Chowdhury opens the story being examined by Bertha for a possible position in her kitchen. She needs help in there. Specifically for a dish washer. Amir reluctantly accepts the job, for he needs the money, but it isn't really what he came to America to do. It should be noted somewhere along the way that Amir is quite good at cooking - though that is not immediately made known to anyone since he was hired to be a dish washer and Bertha already had a cook (albeit a heavily pregnant cook).
Amir and Bertha slow burn their way to a romance. Through boss/employee, to trading favors to . . I don't know how to continue this line. The trading favors involves the part where Bertha, as part of her lifting up her workers, is teaching her female staff politics - and Amir gets to be a somewhat hidden student himself in exchange for dance lessons (there's a story there about that as well).
I rather enjoyed and had fun devouring this short novel.
Rating: 4.8
January 24 2018
November 23, 2020
3.75 stars!
Loved the setting of this book in 1917. It was interesting to experience women’s suffrage in New York at that time at a time when it was still so segregated. I loved that the love story involved a strong black woman, who was a cabaret owner. She had no rights and couldn’t vote and yet she ran her own business. Interesting things happen when she gets in a pickle and hires an illegal immigrant, Amir and they are forced to work together. Amir works hard breaking down Bertha’s hard walls that she’s built out of necessity and survival in times of intense struggle and oppression.
In true Alyssa Cole fashion I always come away enlightened and educated on things I didn’t quite know before. Love her books.
Loved the setting of this book in 1917. It was interesting to experience women’s suffrage in New York at that time at a time when it was still so segregated. I loved that the love story involved a strong black woman, who was a cabaret owner. She had no rights and couldn’t vote and yet she ran her own business. Interesting things happen when she gets in a pickle and hires an illegal immigrant, Amir and they are forced to work together. Amir works hard breaking down Bertha’s hard walls that she’s built out of necessity and survival in times of intense struggle and oppression.
In true Alyssa Cole fashion I always come away enlightened and educated on things I didn’t quite know before. Love her books.
February 19, 2023
A satisfyingly political romance set in 1917 Harlem between Bertha Hines, a determined African-American woman who owns a cabaret called The Cashmere and organizes for women's suffrage, and Amir Chowdhury, a Muslim Bengali immigrant to the U.S. who's hired at The Cashmere as a chef after discovering that the "American dream" isn't really open to people like him. Bertha is So Over Men, for good reasons, and both she and Amir are extremely prickly people, also for good reasons, but they somehow manage to fumble towards mutual respect and then affection.
I love how smart and quietly funny Bertha and Amir both are, and how Cole doesn't throw out either their smarts or Bertha's reservations about relationships when they both start having feelings. The historical setting comes alive through both events and distinctive secondary characters - in fact, so much happens to so many people that in retrospect I can't figure out how Cole fit all this into a novella. It never feels rushed or cramped, just rich and interesting. It's a feminist social justice anti-racist multicultural romance that opens up part of the past we often see only through white people's eyes.
I love how smart and quietly funny Bertha and Amir both are, and how Cole doesn't throw out either their smarts or Bertha's reservations about relationships when they both start having feelings. The historical setting comes alive through both events and distinctive secondary characters - in fact, so much happens to so many people that in retrospect I can't figure out how Cole fit all this into a novella. It never feels rushed or cramped, just rich and interesting. It's a feminist social justice anti-racist multicultural romance that opens up part of the past we often see only through white people's eyes.
August 23, 2021
This book is difficult to rate because the story itself is great, the story beats are great but the execution is not that great. Alyssa Cole is, to me, a great historical romance writer (I like her historicals more than her contemporaries) however this one is not her best. Nothing is factually wrong or anachronistic here, I just wanted to be immersed in the period more and get more information about the era, I'll get back to that. I always recommend An Extraordinary Union which is her best IMHO. I also really lovedLet It Shine.
Back to the book: the fight for the vote this was very interesting but not developed enough. We see a glimpse, in the beginning, of the racial and class fractures within the suffragette's movement and that is fascinating but then it was mostly forgotten which is a shame. Bertha gives civics classes to women like her (women who are frowned upon because of they are sex workers) but we don't see those classes and that's a miss for me. We see the beginning of a class and that's it. We are told that they hand pamphlet in the street but we don't see them interacting and trying to convince men to vote for women's suffrage. Again, a shame.
Vice we are repeatedly told that vice is breathing down their neck but we don't really see it. Bertha and her employees give bribes to cops but again we don't see those interactions.
the romance I really liked the couple. I wasn't a fan of Amir asking to take part in the civics lesson in exchange for danse classes. We could have done without that. We are repeatedly told they talk politics for hours on the couch but don't see those interactions, again it's a shame. They connect intellectually we don't see it. He is supposed to be a socialist (we are before the cold war so it's less of a problem for him) and he is illegal immigrant from India. I wish the author had explained why he couldn't, under ANY circumstances, become a citizen. He couldn't because of his race, only whites (that included people from the middle-east) and "people of African descent" could be naturalized at the time. I also wished the author had explained why they CANNOT get married. It's not because of anti-miscegenation laws (NY has never had one and those laws targeted mostly white people and white women in particular) but because if they got married Bertha would automatically lose her nationality and could not get it back unless they divorce or he dies. If they had gotten married they could both have been deported. If you want to know more about women's citizenship you can read A Nationality of Her Own: Women, Marriage, and the Law of Citizenship. Women of ANY race would lose their nationality if they married a foreigner of ANY race between 1907 and 1931. The story takes place in 1917. After 1922, women coule get their nationality back IF their husband got naturalized but since Amir cannot be naturalized because he is Asian she could not have recovered her nationality that way. In 2014, Al Franken apologized on behalf of Congress to a white man whose white grandmother had lost her nationality when she had married his swedish (white) grandfather. The grandmother had died a foreigner: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-c.... You can imagine what would have happened to our african-american heroine here.
All in all, not a bad book but a lot of details were not shown or explained enough for me (that's probably because of my job, but still)
Back to the book: the fight for the vote this was very interesting but not developed enough. We see a glimpse, in the beginning, of the racial and class fractures within the suffragette's movement and that is fascinating but then it was mostly forgotten which is a shame. Bertha gives civics classes to women like her (women who are frowned upon because of they are sex workers) but we don't see those classes and that's a miss for me. We see the beginning of a class and that's it. We are told that they hand pamphlet in the street but we don't see them interacting and trying to convince men to vote for women's suffrage. Again, a shame.
Vice we are repeatedly told that vice is breathing down their neck but we don't really see it. Bertha and her employees give bribes to cops but again we don't see those interactions.
the romance I really liked the couple. I wasn't a fan of Amir asking to take part in the civics lesson in exchange for danse classes. We could have done without that. We are repeatedly told they talk politics for hours on the couch but don't see those interactions, again it's a shame. They connect intellectually we don't see it. He is supposed to be a socialist (we are before the cold war so it's less of a problem for him) and he is illegal immigrant from India. I wish the author had explained why he couldn't, under ANY circumstances, become a citizen. He couldn't because of his race, only whites (that included people from the middle-east) and "people of African descent" could be naturalized at the time. I also wished the author had explained why they CANNOT get married. It's not because of anti-miscegenation laws (NY has never had one and those laws targeted mostly white people and white women in particular) but because if they got married Bertha would automatically lose her nationality and could not get it back unless they divorce or he dies. If they had gotten married they could both have been deported. If you want to know more about women's citizenship you can read A Nationality of Her Own: Women, Marriage, and the Law of Citizenship. Women of ANY race would lose their nationality if they married a foreigner of ANY race between 1907 and 1931. The story takes place in 1917. After 1922, women coule get their nationality back IF their husband got naturalized but since Amir cannot be naturalized because he is Asian she could not have recovered her nationality that way. In 2014, Al Franken apologized on behalf of Congress to a white man whose white grandmother had lost her nationality when she had married his swedish (white) grandfather. The grandmother had died a foreigner: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-c.... You can imagine what would have happened to our african-american heroine here.
All in all, not a bad book but a lot of details were not shown or explained enough for me (that's probably because of my job, but still)
August 9, 2017
Cole has been on my radar as an author since she released volume one of her Civil War series "An Extraordinary Union" in March, I've been meaning to check her out, and Nenia's suggestion to buddy read this was just the motivation I needed to take the plunge.
Bertha is a former prostitute and current nightclub owner who is a passionate advocate for women's suffrage. She has to contend with not only the racism and sexism of the anti-suffragists, but even her fellow suffragettes who look down upon her for her former profession. When she tries to organize her female employees they cynically dismiss the power of the vote. Vice cops threaten to close down her club. She hires Amir, a Bengali immigrant and a socialist who is in the country illegally, to be her dishwasher. Sparks fly as she tutors him about the finer points of American politics, and he instructs her in the art of Bengali dance.
I really enjoyed that Bertha and Amir as protagonists, individually and together. They both had creative and well thought out back stories. I enjoyed that their interactions were based around shared values and goals, not just sexual attraction. Give me a well written meeting of the minds any day. I could see some readers finding Bertha and Amir anachronistically modern in their thinking and/or a bit Mary Sue-ish. This was something I debated with myself as I read. I had a few brief moments where I felt like maybe these characters were too good to be true. However, for the most part Cole does a very good job making them feel like real people who happen to be on the social vanguard given their intellects, their commitments to social justice, and their life experiences. Even in times of great prejudice and backwardness, there are individuals who are capable of seeing the flaws and distortions of the "conventional wisdom" of their time and fighting for justice. Their stories deserve to be told.
Also, reading two unapologetically progressive, feminist, upright, and well intentioned people find happiness with each other despite the odds stacked against them is a particularly satisfying read in Trump's America. This offers some great counter programming for those of us who are so angered and ashamed by the horror show that is 2017 American politics.
This is not long. It clocks in at 174 pages. The setting was so rich that of course I wished for this to be longer. I liked it a lot though, and I'll definitely be checking out Cole's other work.
Bertha is a former prostitute and current nightclub owner who is a passionate advocate for women's suffrage. She has to contend with not only the racism and sexism of the anti-suffragists, but even her fellow suffragettes who look down upon her for her former profession. When she tries to organize her female employees they cynically dismiss the power of the vote. Vice cops threaten to close down her club. She hires Amir, a Bengali immigrant and a socialist who is in the country illegally, to be her dishwasher. Sparks fly as she tutors him about the finer points of American politics, and he instructs her in the art of Bengali dance.
I really enjoyed that Bertha and Amir as protagonists, individually and together. They both had creative and well thought out back stories. I enjoyed that their interactions were based around shared values and goals, not just sexual attraction. Give me a well written meeting of the minds any day. I could see some readers finding Bertha and Amir anachronistically modern in their thinking and/or a bit Mary Sue-ish. This was something I debated with myself as I read. I had a few brief moments where I felt like maybe these characters were too good to be true. However, for the most part Cole does a very good job making them feel like real people who happen to be on the social vanguard given their intellects, their commitments to social justice, and their life experiences. Even in times of great prejudice and backwardness, there are individuals who are capable of seeing the flaws and distortions of the "conventional wisdom" of their time and fighting for justice. Their stories deserve to be told.
Also, reading two unapologetically progressive, feminist, upright, and well intentioned people find happiness with each other despite the odds stacked against them is a particularly satisfying read in Trump's America. This offers some great counter programming for those of us who are so angered and ashamed by the horror show that is 2017 American politics.
This is not long. It clocks in at 174 pages. The setting was so rich that of course I wished for this to be longer. I liked it a lot though, and I'll definitely be checking out Cole's other work.
September 12, 2019
3.5 stars
April 1, 2022
2019 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo: Show Business
Can you tell that I’m frantically trying to finish my bingo before August ends? LOL. I was so happy to realize that one of my unread Alyssa Cole novellas fit an unfinished square. This novella is sheer perfection and I cannot think of a single thing I didn’t like about it.
Can you tell that I’m frantically trying to finish my bingo before August ends? LOL. I was so happy to realize that one of my unread Alyssa Cole novellas fit an unfinished square. This novella is sheer perfection and I cannot think of a single thing I didn’t like about it.
December 3, 2020
is Alyssa Cole becoming one of my favorite authors?
well, yes YES she does!!
sweet & important
charming & teachable
everything you are looking for in a romance novel and she did it exceptionally well for such a short book!!
well, yes YES she does!!
sweet & important
charming & teachable
everything you are looking for in a romance novel and she did it exceptionally well for such a short book!!
September 13, 2019
4 Stars / 2 Fans
OMG, I found another historical black romance that I didn't hate. This is the first historical romance that I have read from Alyssa Cole and I really enjoyed the way she laid out this story. Set in 1917, New York during women's suffrage movement and a segregated United States. Bertha is a cabaret owner which is rare because women have no right to vote, no real right to own anything, and the fact that she is black just compounds how difficult her life is. Amir is an illegal immigrant trying to make it in the United States. The two of them have to work together and they may end up finding some love during this crazy time.
This specific video review will be included in the September 2019 wrap-up.
For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
OMG, I found another historical black romance that I didn't hate. This is the first historical romance that I have read from Alyssa Cole and I really enjoyed the way she laid out this story. Set in 1917, New York during women's suffrage movement and a segregated United States. Bertha is a cabaret owner which is rare because women have no right to vote, no real right to own anything, and the fact that she is black just compounds how difficult her life is. Amir is an illegal immigrant trying to make it in the United States. The two of them have to work together and they may end up finding some love during this crazy time.
This specific video review will be included in the September 2019 wrap-up.
For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
August 4, 2017
This was genuinely one of the best novellas I've ever read. If you like smart, feminist romance - or just really good historical fiction! - you should absolutely check it out. I loooooved Bertha and Amir, I loved the rich setting in early 20th-century Harlem, and I adored all the different women working to help each other in different ways in this story.
Between this and An Extraordinary Union, Alyssa Cole has rapidly become my very favorite historical romance author, which is saying a lot. And I'm looking forward to trying her work in other subgenres, too!
Between this and An Extraordinary Union, Alyssa Cole has rapidly become my very favorite historical romance author, which is saying a lot. And I'm looking forward to trying her work in other subgenres, too!
February 5, 2019
I loved this story so much that it got me reading other Alyssa Cole books. It had beautiful, evocative writing, a scrumptious hero, and a prickly heroine with a heart of gold, which is my catnip. Plus, the unique setting and plot taught me something about history, which I always love. It's short, but well worth the read.
February 8, 2022
Exceptionally well done.
I read this as an independent story but it was part of the 'Daughters of a Nation: A Black Suffragette Historical Romance Anthology'.
I was unable to get a copy of the book so I purchased and read the stories separately.
I read this as an independent story but it was part of the 'Daughters of a Nation: A Black Suffragette Historical Romance Anthology'.
I was unable to get a copy of the book so I purchased and read the stories separately.
November 7, 2020
"Can I help you, Amir?"
"May I sit?" he asked.
She nodded and he settled into the seat in front of her desk. She tried to read his expression to determine whether he was going to quit, demand a raise, or try to give her some friendly advice, as men were wont to do.
Alyssa Cole is awesome and this is my favorite so far (Let It Shine a close second). Because suffragettes!
"One day I just couldn't stand another minute of it. Of being told what to do and how to do it and that I'd better do it with a smile."
Bertha is amazing and so is Amir. I don't even know where to start with this one. There's fighting for the vote, women helping each other, gender roles are subtly subverted and and... So much more but that's five star worthy already so. Oh and it's set in New York in 1917 and the parallels to today are both brilliant and heartbreaking and Cole still manages to write a convincing and optimistic HEA.
August 11, 2018
DNF 52%
This is a historical romance, emphasis on historical. The setting is interesting, the characters are engaging and the details paint a good picture of the time. So why just two stars? Because there isn't much story. It is too militant.
This is a historical romance, emphasis on historical. The setting is interesting, the characters are engaging and the details paint a good picture of the time. So why just two stars? Because there isn't much story. It is too militant.
August 24, 2020
Bertha owns the Cashmere- a dance club, restaurant, brothel. An ex-prostitute, she provided protection for her girls. She is a suffragist and gives civics lessons to the girls working for her. Amir wanted more, so he jumped ship and came to the US. Amir is here illegally as immigration laws did not favor those who were not white and from Europe. (Amir is from India and is a Muslim). Amir gets a job in Bertha's kitchen.
After Amir listens in on one of Bertha's civics lessons, they broker an agreement. Civics lessons for him and dance lessons for her. Their relationship builds gradually over time. While I could believe their romance, it was also very dry. Bertha is a very no-nonsense person and it took some time to warm up to her. I understand where she came from and why certain things offended her. Amir would apologize for offense, but I felt it was very one-sided. He would do something, learn from it, and apologize, but that same growth didn't come from Bertha.
Overall, I still liked this amidst the backdrop of the women's suffragist movement in 1917, police raids and bribes.
I am using this for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo Suffragette square.
After Amir listens in on one of Bertha's civics lessons, they broker an agreement. Civics lessons for him and dance lessons for her. Their relationship builds gradually over time. While I could believe their romance, it was also very dry. Bertha is a very no-nonsense person and it took some time to warm up to her. I understand where she came from and why certain things offended her. Amir would apologize for offense, but I felt it was very one-sided. He would do something, learn from it, and apologize, but that same growth didn't come from Bertha.
Overall, I still liked this amidst the backdrop of the women's suffragist movement in 1917, police raids and bribes.
I am using this for the Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo Suffragette square.
August 30, 2024
With elections just around the corner, this felt like a powerful read regarding women's rights, but I also liked the romance within. I enjoyed this though beware of some graphic violence towards women mentioned within this book. 5 ⭐
September 30, 2022
This was excellent! Probably the strongest romance novella I’ve read. While I think this book would’ve been even stronger as a full length novel, I am impressed with Alyssa Cole’s ability to craft such a well rounded story tackling important subjects in such a few amount of pages. This is a historical romance that truly does what I think good historical romance/fiction should do: explores the issues of the time period thoroughly and with depth, not just in a superficial way that merely acknowledges that these issues existed and says nothing more. Combined with excellent character work and a swoon worthy romance, this book reminded me I *do* like romance but I just demand some depth from it too (like I do all genres) and this delivered just that. This definitely has me excited to pick up more from Cole.
Read
August 1, 2017This book is SO GOOD. Gah. It makes 1917 Harlem come alive, with the politicians and nightclub owners, the prostitutes and church ladies, the immigrants and the police, the number runners and the hairdressers, all moving in and out of each other's orbits in a tight-knit world of labor and corruption and gossip and kindness. Bertha is magnificent. She is fierce and demanding and controlling and care-taking. And Amir is angry and judgmental and kind and sexy as hell. I just loved the both of them, and the secondary characters too.
This is the kind of book where, after I finished it, I wanted to turn right back to page one and start all over again. It's fantastic. <3 Highly recommended.
This is the kind of book where, after I finished it, I wanted to turn right back to page one and start all over again. It's fantastic. <3 Highly recommended.
August 21, 2017
Awesome. I so appreciated this glimpse into two non-white New Yorkers' lives 100 years ago. Plus, deliciously feminist. And the hero works for the business-owning heroine.
It's frustrating though, thinking how much hope folks had about getting the vote and how much we are still fighting the same battles.
It's frustrating though, thinking how much hope folks had about getting the vote and how much we are still fighting the same battles.
January 17, 2019
How does Alyssa Cole master every time period and genre she decides to write????
February 14, 2021
Bertha is a woman of color who is a shrewd businesswoman running a nightclub/brothel in 1917 NYC, constantly under threat of shutdown. She is also active in women's suffrage and advocating for the necessity of a voice/vote for lower class women, she teaches her ladies civics during the day. On top of all that the romantic interest, Amir, is an illegal immigrant from Bengal who works his way up from dishwasher to cook in her kitchen, adapting the southern dishes with his own flavor and spices. This was my first historical from Cole and it did not disappoint at all, this was a quick yet multi-layered read.
*Aside: I just realized how extremely appropriate it is I'm finishing this on Valentines day! I started my journey into the Romance genre 2 years ago for Valentines day to challenge my internal bias about it, with A Princess in Theory. This is now my EIGHTH book read from Alyssa Cole, she proved my preconceptions all wrong.
*Aside: I just realized how extremely appropriate it is I'm finishing this on Valentines day! I started my journey into the Romance genre 2 years ago for Valentines day to challenge my internal bias about it, with A Princess in Theory. This is now my EIGHTH book read from Alyssa Cole, she proved my preconceptions all wrong.
December 2, 2023
I'd have read this much sooner if I'd realized there was a (slight) bit of enemies-to-lovers going on here. That always bumps a book up my list.
I also always appreciate a historical romance set outside of 19th century England (in this case, 1917 Harlem), and this was delightful. I think I'd have really loved it if it had been full length instead of a novella, but I still had a great time.
I also always appreciate a historical romance set outside of 19th century England (in this case, 1917 Harlem), and this was delightful. I think I'd have really loved it if it had been full length instead of a novella, but I still had a great time.
July 5, 2020
So good. Wish it was longer!
Enjoyed reading about a time and place I don't know much about. Makes me want to learn more. Alyssa has a great list of resources and references at the end.
Enjoyed reading about a time and place I don't know much about. Makes me want to learn more. Alyssa has a great list of resources and references at the end.
March 31, 2024
This was a wonderfully plotted, beautiful story! I loved the main characters! And it’s obvious the author did a lot of research to accurately portray the history. I felt like I was watching a movie. So well done! Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars
Historical romance with Black and Indian main characters, one of whom is Muslim and an immigrant
Historical romance with Black and Indian main characters, one of whom is Muslim and an immigrant
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