I enjoyed this book. The author has an Eloquent writing style. The characters were vivid and well developed. I’ll definitely be reading more by this author. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review
This book.

I love historical fiction. The 1920s are a great era, and Nancy Bilyeau creates an immersive atmosphere that pulls you in and keeps you there.

Bilyeau brings a very believable life experience of emigration and makes it so interesting, whilst including the ups and downs of what a life in a different country means.

Add a spattering of romance, and this makes a very enjoyable and amazing book.

Thank you NetGalley for approving me for this book. I am so glad I was able to read this book as I really enjoyed this and will read more by this author.

Yet again, I probably should've written this review right after I read the book, not over nine months later... I remember the plot being incredibly farfetched and not really understanding why the characters were making such strange choices that seemed both out of character and unnecessary. It took a long time for the story to pick up and then everything felt rushed in the end. Overall a pretty average read.

I loved all the references to the 20’s, Mafia and New York. Zia told a great story of her Sicilian Family.
A fab read!

In the intoxicating world of 1920s New York City, where jazz melodies and clandestine speakeasies intertwine, Zia De Luca finds herself caught in a web of secrets and danger. As a widow of the First World War, Zia lives with her young son and in-laws in the close-knit community of Little Italy. Her life revolves around working at the public library, until a quiet poetry lover is murdered outside its doors. Suddenly, Zia becomes the focus of a police investigation.

But that’s not the only tragedy to strike her family. When her father-in-law is shot dead, Zia is convinced the police have the wrong man. Determined to uncover the truth, she delves into the shadowy world of The Orchid Hour, a new speakeasy in Greenwich Village. This exclusive club can only be accessed through a certain florist on a cobblestone street, and it holds the key to both murders.

The novel unfolds primarily through Zia’s first-person perspective, allowing readers to experience her determination, vulnerability, and growing curiosity. Alongside her, we encounter Lieutenant Frank Hudgins, a decent policeman who wants to help but is ordered to back off, and Louis Buchalter, a stooge of The Fixer who owns The Orchid Hour. These characters weave a complex tapestry of intrigue, corruption, and hidden desires.

The novel captures the essence of the Prohibition era, immersing readers in the sights, sounds, and smells of 1920s New York. The speakeasies come alive, and the tension between legality and rebellion pulses beneath every scene. While the novel took a moment to fully engage me, it ultimately proved to be a rewarding read. The lack of intense suspense is compensated by the richly detailed setting and the gradual unraveling of secrets. The author’s portrayal of Zia’s transformation—from a grieving widow to a woman willing to rewrite her life’s rules—is both poignant and empowering. “The Orchid Hour” is a well-researched and well-described novel that offers a glimpse into a place and era that may be unfamiliar to many readers.

Little Italy in 1920s New York is rife with the seeds of infamy. Prohibition is in full swing and bootleggers are running booze up and down the east coast. These bootleggers supply speakeasies, which also serve as meeting points for mob bosses and their associates. Powerful players start to stake territory across NYC, laying the foundation for the Five Families. Mafia bosses and their crew pay off local police and polititians, but the G-man is about to pick up the racket and, before long, a war will break out.

The Orchid Hour is like Goodfellas or Public Enemies, but during the early years. Before Charles "Lucky" Luciano officially founded the five families and everything is just getting started. The book has many real life characters in it. Some are mentioned in passing, while others are used to help set the stage. Names like Arnold Rothstein, Guiseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria, Owney Madden, Vito Genovese, Frank Costello, Meyer Lansky, and others can be found in the pages.

The Orchid Hour is at the center of it all, and one woman stands behind the curtain watching it all unfold. The Orchid Hour is a work of historical fiction but it is alive with colorful characters. Some are fictional and are an amalgimation of characteristics that people whould have possessed during the time. Italian immigrants forced into a small corner of New York, the crowded tenements and the stores that dotted Little Italy. Jews fighting for space alongside them and experiencing only slightly less Xenophobia than the Italians. Showgirls and film stars strutting about Manhattan next to the comman man.

Zia De Luca (Lucania) is the woman behind the curtain, working at The Orchid Hour which is owned, in part, by her cousin, Salvatore Lucania aka Charles "Lucky" Luciano. She is only involved in the mafia scene indirectly, but her nearness is the thing that gets her deeper involved. The whole thing feels like the inspiration for a film noire, starring James Cagney or Clark Gable, and Zia is played by someone like Bette Davis. This is something I would love to see translated to a film to bring all these real characters to life right next to these life-like fictional characters.

Audenzia De Luca has a number of names in this story set in Little Italy section of New York in the 1920's. She goes by Zia to her large extended family, who live under the independence limiting rule of ordine della famiglia - something she soon finds she needs to get out from under. The major portion of Zia's story is during Prohibition, and she finds herself mixed up with the start-up of a new speakeasy named The Orchid Hour. . . .her special talents with plants, specifically orchids (quickly gained by her last employment at the local library) gives her access to the care and maintenance of a kind of hybrid that kicks in super scents at night. . .hence the name of the new establishment:

It was time to find out if the Brassavola magic was real. I leaned down, breathless with suspense, to inhale. My senses came alive. The scent of the Brassavola was like a gardenia but with a trace of something I could only compare to a rich soap, one created for pampering, and best of all, a dash of lemon. I adored lemon, the fruit of Sicily.

My head spun with the delight of the orchid, our Lady of the Night.

An engaging read, transporting one back to the days of F. Scott & Zelda, and the dark shadows of mob bosses.

*A sincere thank you to Nancy Bilyeau, Lume Books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* 52:2

Set in 1923 New York City, Audenzia (Zia) De Luca lives with her son in her in-laws' home. She's still suffering from the shock of the loss of both her husband and brother in WWI. Her in-laws run a small shop, selling what they think are the best cheeses; Zia does their books, and also works at a public library. Her father-in-law, and other business owners in the area, must pay a local heavy protection money regularly.

Zia misses her cousin Sal, with whom she and her family made the crossing to America from Sicily. Sal is always scheming and has his eye on opportunity, and is often in trouble, something that does not endear him to Zia's in-laws or Zia's older, overly protective brother.

One of the library patrons who loves poetry is friendly to Zia, inflaming the jealousy of a coworker. One day, he is murdered outside the library, and Zia is horrified, both by the murder, and angry when the police suspect her because she's originally from Sicily. When violence comes to the shop, Zia learns that both crimes have a connection to a speakeasy called the Orchid Hour. Sal is coincidentally an investor in The Orchid Hour.

Zia decides to investigate when the police get nowhere, getting Sal to help her infiltrate the club. Zia's world opens up to excitement, beauty, and friendship, leading to big changes in her life.

Author Nancy Bilyeau gives us an entertaining historical novel. Set at the intersection of Prohibition, growing organized crime, and immigration, she shows how New York City is transforming during this period.

Zia is a solid lead, doing what she has to to make a better life for her son. Zia is intelligent and adaptable, speaks multiple languages, and is determined to find the truth and take it to the police. She has to decide if she's going to continue to do things the way her in-laws want, living a small, quiet life under their control. Or is she going to do whatever is necessary to reinvent herself to fit in with her new complex, double life. Her determination moves much of the plot forward, bringing her many new experiences meeting people not quite on the right side of the law, as well as dancers and actors, while growing past the confines others want her to stay in.

This was a compelling story, as Zia gets a sense of who is behind the crimes that have touched her life, as well as a better sense of who her beloved cousin Sal is becoming. I love a story that mixes real facts credibly into fiction, and also creates characters one comes to care deeply for. Bilyeau definitely succeeded.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Lume Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Zia De Luca is an Italian living in New York City in 1923. She loves her library job, but cutbacks and her nationality force her to move on. She tries to contribute to her in-laws's cheese shop until another tragedy strikes. Now, she decides to move outside of the family circle and work at The Orchid Hour, a new speakeasy in Greenwich Village. Here, she's exposed to crime and learns more about her family and herself.
I like Zia's coming of age. Even though she's a 27-year-old widow with a child, she has lived sheltered in the protective and safe cocoon offered by her extended family. I appreciated watching her make her own decisions and embrace change as she evolved.
I enjoyed the historical aspect of this novel, too. It portrays a potentially true look at everyday, crime and political life in NYC in the 1920s. And it helped me understand how poorly immigrants were treated.
The end felt disjointed and rushed, which was disappointing.
I want to learn more about orchids now!

A slow but interesting story that gives us a glimpse at speakeasies, gangsters, and life in New York during the Roaring Twenties.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

A great mystery story full of historical content and very clever. I enjoyed this book and couldn't stop reading it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I was immediately engaged with this novel's setting, characters and plot, so much so that when I finished reading it, I was so disappointed that it had ended. I wasn't sure how to review this book because WHAT I read I loved….I just found it very disappointing not to have learned more about the time in history and the backstory and further development of several of its characters (like Lieutenant Hudgins….which would have made his "story" more emotional. This novel had so much potential for layering the plot and the development of character that I felt as though a massive balloon of anticipation had been unceremoniously popped.
So, WHAT I read is definitely a 5, but I can't seem to recover from the disappointment I felt at the end, so with that, I feel compelled to give it a 3.
Thank you to Lume and Netgalley for the free copy.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was very pleased to receive an early copy of this book as I had seen good recommendations. Based in NYC in 1923 and following the life of Zia De Luca after she is framed for the murder of a poet in her home town of Little ITaly where she lives with her son and in-laws (following the death of her husband in The Great War). However when the police struggle with the investigation Zia seeks out her cousin who guides her to the shadow realm of The Orchid Hour so she can find the real perpetrators before the find her and discover what she can do.

I really enjoyed this read, it captivated me and was full of mystery, historical fiction and the suspense was so atmospheric.

I really like this author, but this work is not my favorite. I had hoped the orchid reference worked further into the story, but not so. The story centered around the Mafia is good and sad at times, but I feel it fell a bit short of how much more the author could have added to explain the blurb, "The orchid's scent will bewitch you...."

It’s 1923 and librarian Zia De Luca’s life is turned upside down when a patron is gunned down outside her library, and she’s named the prime suspect. From there it’s a domino of tragic events. With the police blinded by prejudice and corruption, she decides to find the truth on her own. Her quest leads her to The Orchid Hour, a speakeasy run by her shady cousin Sal. Little by little she finds herself seduced by the glamor and excitement of the underworld and discovers a facet of herself she didn’t know existed.

There’s a mystery involving orchids, prohibition agents, and mistaken identity as well.

The good: Bilyeau does a great job of capturing the anti-immigrant environment in the 1920s. We hear a lot about the glamor of the Roaring Twenties, but rarely do we look at how racist and inequitable that time could be. Zia becomes a suspect solely because she’s Italian. Other characters are insulted because they are Irish or Jewish.

I also liked Bilyeau’s portrayal of Mulberry Street and NYC’s Italian ghetto. Cheese shops, wagon venders, over-crowded streets – she captured them nicely.

The bad:. I found the opening chapters bogged down by long passages of info dumping and I didn’t warm to the heroine. I ended up skimming to the end.

All that said, the book has a 4.3 rating on Amazon, so clearly others liked it far more. (In contract, The Vanished Days has only a 3.7 rating.) And, I’ll admit that I might have been sensitive about the info dumping because it was information that I’d gleaned from the same research books. This is why I’m adding it as a recommended read. Your experience with the book could be far more positive.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced read in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Not what I expected.
I enjoy Nancy Bilyeau's novels so did not take much notice of the blurb, expecting it to be a botanical themed book.
I was surprised to find it set in New York with two time lines and set in the time of prohibition..
Audenzia is a widow with a young son, she lives in little Italy with her in laws, they have a delicatessen and she helps out there, she is close to them both but particularly her Father-in-law. Adenzia has a job at the local library so does have some independence, she befriends a library user a shabby, older man and also has some conflicts with another member of staff. Staff at the library have to be reduced and Audenzia is the one to loose her job, at the same time Mr Watkins her shabby friend is shot and killed. During a police interview, it is revealed that Mr Watkins was deputy Mayor of New York and involved in cleaning up speakeasies and the import of illegal liquor. The local gangs in Little Italy are involved in all of the illegal operations and murders.
Audenzia has to strive to break from the traditional Italian family role to help find the killers of Mr Watkins and her Father-in-Law, this leads her on a very dangerous path.
Slightly confusing at first, but once the characters are sorted out a compelling and interesting read.
Thank you Nancy and NetGalley.

New York in the '20's is a far cry from today, and a far cry from the old country of Italy for Zia, a young widow in her twenties with a young son. Working as a librarian at a Carnegie library with a large number of immigrant patrons, Zia is the model Italian daughter-in-law until an enigmatic patron is murdered right outside the library. Zia didn't know him well, but he had asked her to do an Italian to English translation of some poetry, and his death, besides being distressing, was also financially impacting. When Zia initially seems to be a suspect, she becomes obsessed in finding the real killer. Her investigation will take her from an undercover job in a speakeasy for the politically connected and seemingly immune from consequences. to an attempt on her life. In a way it's a coming of age story as Zia questions her old country beliefs and aspires to more than traditional norms. The Orchid Hour is a super compelling read, a fantastic historical mystery!

Who doesn't want to jump in the roaring 20s world of gangsters and speakeasies?
This book promised a glittering world and a roaring story, but for me it lacked luster. Where it did excel and interest was in the history of the Orchid and the clubs of the day. I found that very fascinating.
The characters.... I just didn't root for them or find them endearing. I wasn't invested in them or their story. Despite offering numerous insights into them with the chapters shifting points of view.
As for that chapters from other points of view that just interrupted the flow for me and give it a disjointed feel.
Overall it wasn't for me.
Grab this book and few drinks to slip between the chapters and enjoy a tipple.