The cover of this book made me pick it up and read the synopsis. Vivid, full of life, the different hues of blue. I knew I would fall in love with this book. It took me some time to come into it. To find the thread that linked me to the book. I loved the sense of family Hank wanted to have. Yet it all started to crumble around him after he ran into the robber that morning. When he was trying to sell fruit and veg to pay his rent. To make his family proud of him. When in reality, his temptation, and quick thinking made a mess of their lives. Having to pick up and quickly leave their home and Lucille's grandfather behind. Criss crossing from town to town. Living with one family to the next, until they come up with a plan. It all leads to Lucille's beautiful voice.

I loved how singing always brought this family of three together. Calmed the anxiety, made everything clear again. Having to shelter and not stick out in a crowd when you are new in a small town in south during this era was difficult to say the least. You never know who you can trust and who is around the next bend. Thank you to Monica Chenault-Kilgore, Graydon House, and Uplit Reads for my gifted copy.

One moment changes the lives of Hank, Evelyn, and young Lucille forever. This is interesting historical fiction about a young woman blues singer who finds she's still at the mercy of the men who have been hunting her father. It's more focused on her life on the vaudeville circuit as well as her love life. The would have benefited from another edit to reset the momentum- it starts out with a pow and then goes slow-and to pare away a bit of repetition. That said the atmospherics are good and you'll root for Lucille. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

One stupid decision caused Hank Love and his family to have to leave town.

The trip out of town was not without drama, but they finally found a place where they could be comfortable and could work.

They were staying in Miss Opal’s rooming house where many people came and went. You will meet many interesting characters that stay there.

Hank, Evelyn, and little Lucille were comfortable there, but Evelyn missed her father and their home.

But they couldn’t go back because of Hank’s mistake and started singing at churches, but Lucille was the star and had a gift - a beautiful voice.

An agent approached Lucille's parents and made her famous, but will this life away from her parents change her?

Would her voice save her family or would her father’s decision from years ago catch up with them and ruin their lives after all this time?

The characters were well developed - I worried for Lillian and liked Evelyn since she was the most sensible. Some of the characters were "characters."

Even though the book got wordy at times, it was an interesting read about Lucille’s family’s worries, the travels and struggles of the singing troop, and this 1920s era.

I do have to say the ending was a bit corny, but still an entertaining, well-researched read. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the eARC!

I’ll start by saying, the writing in this book is great. The author has a strong voice and she does well at showing each character’s perspective.
But I did have to DNF because of the pacing. This book starts with a bang (literally) and immediately slows to a crawl. There’s no suspense to the “mystery.” We, the readers, know what happened when Lucille was a child, so it’s not hard to predict the plot in her adulthood. I had no interest in sticking out the book to see if there was any big twist.
It also feels like there was more telling than showing. It reads almost like a biography, where the author tells you everything that the character is thinking without showing the actions that go with their thoughts.

CW: racism; murder; gun violence; injury (leading to permanent scar)

This story is set in the vibrant 1920s jazz era.
The story follows Lucille Arnetta Love, a young performer who has spent her life on the run with her family’s traveling band. Known as “The Little Girl with the Big Voice,” Lucille dreams of making it big on Broadway.
But Her journey takes a dramatic turn when she is discovered by a talent manager, Marcus Williams, who helps her form a band
If you like historical fiction set in the 1920’s during the Jazz age you’ll like this book.
Thanks netgalley

Lucille's family is on the run from some shady people from her father's past. Since nowhere is safe, they travel and perform together as they move from place to place. One day, her big voice was noticed by Marcus, who is an aspiring talent manager. He promises to watch over her and make her a big star. Lucille transitions from a girl singing gospel music to a woman navigating the complexities of the music industry in this coming of age tale.

Thoughts 💭
The idea for the story was creative and exceptionally detailed. I could picture the outfits Lucille was wearing so clearly! I'm also a huge fan of historical fiction, and the setting and details of the story for that time period were excellent. The author does a wonderful job making you understand the challenges Lucille had to face at that time. With that being said, the story moved at a slow pace and felt a bit disjointed. There was an event at the beginning that catapulted the story into action but then was forgotten about after that. It almost seemed like two completely different stories that weren't tied together until really late. I think the idea is strong, but the plot needs to be condensed a bit to really make it shine.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is a great book, but I would not purchase it for a high school. Perhaps a college or public library.

Set in the early 1900's and concluding in the 1920's, The Jewel of the Blues follows the story of Lucille Love. She was the little girl with the big voice in her family’s gospel group before catching the eye of a talent manager. Miss Lucille’s Black Troubadours is born. The story covers the racial conflicts of that era, the hardship faced by the jazz group and ultimately love. The story does start to drag around the midpoint and it felt almost like each chapter repeated itself. The writing did remain strong throughout the book.

I had high hopes for this book, but it wasn't for me. It was a bit all over the place and I never connected with the characters or the story.
Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher, for access to this eARC.

This book wasn't for me. I didn't expect the story to start the way it did based on the premise, and it turned me off immediately. That's not to say that this book is bad; the book could work for other readers.

Life is tough for people of color in 1906—not only in the Southern states, which have put Reconstruction firmly behind them in favor of Jim Crow laws, but also in states like Indiana, which share a border with more restrictive governments. So when Hank Love, who sells fruits and vegetables grown on his farm in Evansville, Indiana, has a run-in with a group of bank robbers that ends with one man dead and Hank with a bag of gold he can’t account for, he’s under no illusions about who will hang for this crime that he witnessed. At the advice of his father-in-law, a local pastor, Hank loads whatever he can fit onto a small wagon and heads south with his wife and five-year-old daughter, Lucille. Most of the stolen cash remains in Evansville, buried in his father-in-law’s church.

The Love family seeks refuge with relatives, then in an out-of-the-way boarding house as Lucille grows into her teens and acquires a basic education. There’s never much doubt that the bank robbers are still on Hank’s trail—they, too, blame him for their gang member’s death—but the Loves have to make a living, and they do by singing at revivals and churches. Evelyn Love has a beautiful soprano, which she displays in operatic arias, but it’s Lucille, the Little Girl with the Big Voice, who becomes the family star. And Lucille dreams of making her name on Broadway and eventually moving to Paris like Josephine Baker, leaving behind the prejudices that restrict black women in the United States. When Marcus Williams appears and offers to manage Lucille’s singing career, she’s sure that reaching her goal is just a matter of time.. She can’t imagine that the men who pursued her father might find her instead …

This richly developed story intertwines a love of music and musicians, an exploration of color prejudice at its most extreme, and a tense drama of criminals with long memories and few scruples. At its heart stands Lucille—a passionate, determined young woman who doesn’t always make the best choices but whose heart is in the right place. I found it an engrossing read, and I look forward to talking with the author on the New Books Network (link below) in November 2024.

The Jewels of Blues is a vibrant historical novel set in the lively 1920s, capturing the essence of the vaudeville era. The story follows Lucille, renowned for her exceptional voice at a young age. She transitions from being a gospel singer in a traveling family band to becoming an alluring blues queen. Accompanied by her manager, Marcus, Lucille sets off to forge her own musical path with the Troubadours amidst the trials and tribulations that come their way. Lucille goes through many ups and downs and meets some interesting people, but the past does catch up to her. As she grows from a "young girl with the big voice" to a beautifully talented and strong woman, she discovers love and many challenges throughout the novel.

Monica Chenault-Kilgore's writing is brilliant and vivid, immersing the reader in the era. While I thoroughly enjoyed the book and could envision it being adapted into a film, I must admit that I found the beginning of the story a bit challenging. However, after the first chapter, I was hooked. I believe that the initial incident could have been portrayed differently and given more attention throughout the novel. Despite this, the book overall was captivating, and I truly loved it. I also learned a lot about the vaudeville era. I love reading about strong characters and how they overcome tough situations and pursue their dream when obstacles get in the way.

I want to thank #NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy. It was a delight to read this book and discover a new author. I am excited to read another book by Monica Chenault-Kilgore.

I was really excited to read this book based on the description and also, the cover art is beautiful! While the book initially drew me in with a little thrill and family on the go, I just struggled to keep my interest. The story felt disjointed and I sometimes felt like I had to backtrack but was still often confused in my reading experience.

I had the pleasure of receiving an advanced reader copy of The Jewel of the Blues by Monica Chenault Kilgore. This coming-of-age story of a Black woman in the vaudeville era beautifully captures her journey from a young girl singing gospel to navigating the complexities of the entertainment industry. Alongside this, she contends with a family secret that leads to ominous instances throughout the book.

The writing vividly brings the music and performances to life—you can see the costumes and hear the chords. The book shines when it focuses on her growth, from a child to a teenager learning life’s harsh realities, against the backdrop of early 1920s entertainment. There are also bits of humor and romance that take readers on a whimsical journey through the 1920s jazz era.

However, the plot becomes convoluted as it tries to tie the family secret to the protagonist’s journey. Not enough happens at the beginning or throughout the book for this secret to carry the weight it is given, and making it a central plot point is a disappointment. The narrative feels dense, with unnecessary exposition that could benefit from tightening before its November release.

Despite this, the core of the story is strong, and with some refinement, it has great potential.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The cover and the title and the story started fantastically but
unfortunately I was unable to connect with the story and chose not to finish reading it at the 30% mark.

I enjoy a good 1920s book. I seriously couldn't put the book down. What did I do this weekend? Nothing but read lol

First, thank Monica Chenault-Kilgore, the publisher, and NetGalley for this advanced copy to read for my unbiased opinion. Now let's get into it. I wanted to like this book more. I feel like it started strong and dissolved a bit. The story starts with the Love family and the father falling into unintended trouble. The family heads out of town, once again encountering further trouble. They move around, surviving on a kind of pieced-together life, that is, until they discover their daughter Lucille can sing. At this point, they move around singing at churches, etc. Lucille's star rises, though, and eventually, she parts from her family on her adventure. Things start to get wonky here for me. Many of the relationships are disjointed and lack depth and, in some cases, follow-through or explanation. And really, much of this starts to happen more towards the book's last quarter. There are characters mentioned in major scenes in passing and then not mentioned again as if they weren't there. And it seems like everything falls apart quickly and somewhat unexpectedly. I'm not sure how to explain it. I was just disappointed as I got closer and closer to the end. I liked a lot of the historical portions and explanations of the situation. I loved the time frame and growth of Lucille as a character.

The Jewel of the Blues by Monica Chenault-Kilgore is an historical fiction novel based in the roaring 20's during the jazz era. The story of Lucille begins with her parents and their hardships during a rough time in history. Finding themselves in a dire situation, the family decides to tour as an entertainment act. Lucille is referred to as the little girl with a big voice. It is her life and career ambition and struggles during segregation, prohibition and at a time when promoters took advantage of the talent. A coming-of-age tale as well as overcoming odds.
I enjoyed it for the most part. Some of the details of the story took it in different directions but it ultimately stayed on track.

Set in the early 1900s, Lucille and her family live on the run in search of safety after her father is inadvertently pulled into a bank robbery by one of the fleeing robbers. More than a decade later, Lucille’s big voice brings fame to the family, but they can’t escape the secrets surrounding that robbery.

Unfortunately I was unable to connect with the story and chose not to finish reading it at the 20% mark. The story has potential and I was very excited to read it, but it was a little slow to start and I was unable to get past the first 100 pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book piqued my interest right away because of the cover instantly caught my attention! However, it was the story itself that truly hooked me from the very beginning. While the ending wasn't particularly surprising, I felt it tied up the narrative neatly. The characters were likable and had certain aspects that made them relatable. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book, especially to friends who enjoy historical fiction.