Harlem's Last Dance

by Peppur Chambers

It's 1945, and eighteen-year-old Harlem Markeson is still imprisoned in Lady Magdalena’s brothel, withering beneath the masquerade of sultry stage lights, jazz, and beautiful dancing girls. Caught in a tangled web of glamorous greed and sex, she has no one to trust, and no way to escape. As Lady Magdalena's carefully woven tapestry begins to fray, and lascivious flames lap at the binds that keep Harlem, the Brown Betties, and other girls captive, young Miss Markeson must embrace the fire within her to start anew, losing the last of her family's fortune in the process. To change her life, Harlem must turn away from the spotlight and dive headlong into darkness. But first... one last dance. Cover by Benjamin Mills

541 pages, Paperback

Published March 24, 2023

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed this read and enjoyed the author even more! She is such a sweet, down-to-earth writer who loves to engage with readers. While this novel is a sequel, it can easily be read as a standalone too. The characters are passionate, intriguing, and the story flows at a great pace. Excited to read more from Peppur!

[Brenda Gonzales · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book.. but I enjoyed meeting the author better! Lol- she is a fascinating woman. Interesting story and it was great to hear how she developed the story and her inspiration.

[Moe Zwelling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peppur, why do you have to go and break our hearts. You let us fall in love with some secondary characters and then do what you did!!! This is the second book to Harlem’s Awakening where we see how she is managing inside of Lady Magdalena’s Manor. This house is not for the faint of heart and you quickly realize how children need to grow up quickly when they are brought to this house… because it certainly isn’t a home. Harlem is such a strong female MC and doesn’t take no for answer. She won’t settle that her situation isn’t okay like most of the girls did. She inspires others to be stronger and to stand up for themselves and she literally fight tooth and nail for their freedom. Peppur wrote some phenomenal secondary characters that you kept wanting to read more about! Especially Jonas, Honey, and Tilda! Her writing literary makes you feel like you’re witnessing this story in real life! While the ending wasn’t rainbows and butterflies for all our cherished characters I’m hopeful we will get to read about Harlem’s freedom!

Read this if you like:
➜ found family
➜ coming of age
➜ historical fiction
➜ burlesque/vintage vibes
➜ women’s fiction