What do you think?
Rate this book
The Eve of Our September
Edythe Jamison, a young debutante of the 1920s, has been pining for Henry Barton Jr. ever since he rescued her from embarrassment. But her thoughts of him are just a fantasy. She's convinced that he would never be interested in a girl like her. Henry, a newly licensed attorney, is not ready to settle down with any girl just yet. But his wants are quickly put on hold the day he is found alone in a room in a very compromising position with Edythe Jamison. Much to his consternation, he is joined in a shot-gun wedding to Edythe. Edythe desires a loving romantic marriage, but Henry demands a marriage of convenience and separation. But when Edythe decides to remove herself from under Henry’s thumb, Henry quickly realizes that Edythe is the woman that he always wanted. If Henry can get over his inflaming jealousy that erupts over his beautiful wife, and convince her he wants a real marriage, things will be fine…he hopes. There is the pesky issue of his family’s dark secret that complicates his life all the more, and threatens to rip the two apart.
334 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2016
232 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 14, 2020
Unread shelf project 2020: book 5.
Ugh. Man, I so wanted to like this.
But it wasn’t the typos that ruined it for me, shockingly enough (I went into this expecting editing errors so that probably helped!). Nope. It was the research done into Baltimore in the 1920s that ruined this one.
*pause*
Okay so I actually looked up some things and it turns out that I had some beliefs that needed to be corrected. One of my issues with this book is that one of the characters’ old flames (an African-American woman) graduated from college as a nutritionist.
Nutrition & dietetics became a field of study in 1917 but was focused initially on how to make food last longer during the war. So while it was an actual field of study in this time period, it wouldn’t have been focused on cooking (and I’m also not 100% sure if the term “nutritionist” was used then either) as one of the MCs made it sound.
I don’t know. I overwhelmingly felt like there were attempts to make this book fit into the 1920s but the social norms, speaking style/topics discussed (not talking about dialect, more just the openness of various “taboo” topics), and interactions between characters (like where is the respect that you provide your elders?) felt far more modern than the 1920s.
I will give the author this — I loved Edy and how she broke societal norms. And how she stood up for herself with Henry. Though I did cry a little inside when she determined to lose weight to make him like her (though to be fair, it was more a side benefit of her hobbies than just her decision to lose weight for the sake of “becoming pretty”).
So I’ll round up the rating from a 2/5 to a 3/5 because some of my GRRRiness was due to my own incorrect perceptions. 🤔🤦🏻♀️
Ugh. Man, I so wanted to like this.
But it wasn’t the typos that ruined it for me, shockingly enough (I went into this expecting editing errors so that probably helped!). Nope. It was the research done into Baltimore in the 1920s that ruined this one.
*pause*
Okay so I actually looked up some things and it turns out that I had some beliefs that needed to be corrected. One of my issues with this book is that one of the characters’ old flames (an African-American woman) graduated from college as a nutritionist.
Nutrition & dietetics became a field of study in 1917 but was focused initially on how to make food last longer during the war. So while it was an actual field of study in this time period, it wouldn’t have been focused on cooking (and I’m also not 100% sure if the term “nutritionist” was used then either) as one of the MCs made it sound.
I don’t know. I overwhelmingly felt like there were attempts to make this book fit into the 1920s but the social norms, speaking style/topics discussed (not talking about dialect, more just the openness of various “taboo” topics), and interactions between characters (like where is the respect that you provide your elders?) felt far more modern than the 1920s.
I will give the author this — I loved Edy and how she broke societal norms. And how she stood up for herself with Henry. Though I did cry a little inside when she determined to lose weight to make him like her (though to be fair, it was more a side benefit of her hobbies than just her decision to lose weight for the sake of “becoming pretty”).
So I’ll round up the rating from a 2/5 to a 3/5 because some of my GRRRiness was due to my own incorrect perceptions. 🤔🤦🏻♀️
March 14, 2019
P.R. Keys. Bio says she is a lawyer by day, and then writes as well. Set in the inter-war era of the 1920's, during Prohibition and Jazz time in the USA, I have to confess it was better than I thought it would be. Some. I don't like the Romance genre, and Black romances seem to be pretty much the same content as white romances. This one DID develop a tense plot, well-drawn characters, and the times - deep racism, prohibition, stratified society, etc. - play a major part and impact the plot. That was good. Less good was the romance part - kinda gratuitous, out-of- control sex scenes that seem incongruous, always spontaneous in response to urges, and unrelated to the main plot line, as far as I could see. I'm no prude, it was just boring, after the first one. Someone is raising a haughty body part again. Yawn. She writes well, though, so maybe she should write a straight-up novel and see what happens. Other gripe I have is with the publisher, who did not see fit to assign a copywriter to this work that has a glaring typo about every chapter.
February 11, 2019
I really enjoyed this debut historial romance by PR Keys. I won't give any spoilers but I enjoyed the characters involved and there is so much room to develop more stories out of this group of friends, enemies, and family members. I haven't read a lot of historical fiction from this time period so that was a nice change of pace for me. I think the author does a good job of setting the tone of the times and drawing you into the mood of the early 20s. The delineations between the social elite and the way race ties into it all offered a perspective you aren't going to get from many novels. I'm interested in seeing where the author goes with her future works and will be starting her second novel, The Sweetest November, soon.
January 5, 2020
Very classy
I liked this book. I got it because it was a little different from what I usually read.. an AA historical fiction romance mystery novel... I like that Henry liked Edyth despite her weight & that he knew he loved her .. I didn’t like that he tried to fight it and keep a correspondence with Christina. I kinda figured why James was so angry and wanted revenge, that was a bit predictable.. Grams frustrated me with her secrecy .. I think this book would have been 100x better without the mystery side piece b/c I was really interested in Henry and Edyth falling in love.
All in all, it was a good book
I liked this book. I got it because it was a little different from what I usually read.. an AA historical fiction romance mystery novel... I like that Henry liked Edyth despite her weight & that he knew he loved her .. I didn’t like that he tried to fight it and keep a correspondence with Christina. I kinda figured why James was so angry and wanted revenge, that was a bit predictable.. Grams frustrated me with her secrecy .. I think this book would have been 100x better without the mystery side piece b/c I was really interested in Henry and Edyth falling in love.
All in all, it was a good book
December 13, 2021
There is so much potential with this book. A little more research on the time period and an editor to make sure the writing stayed consistent to the time period would have been helpful. More time spent developing the characters through words and actions rather than telling us what they thought would have made this an easier read. The plot picked up halfway through and became much more interesting. I wanted things to work out for the characters so, clearly, I was enjoying them. I would read more by this author to see how she develops and grows in her craft.
April 29, 2019
Well told tale!
at first I wondered if all the 5 star reviews were valid. Having completed the book, I see they truly are warranted. Well developed characters, detailed story and plenty of background and secrets. Excellently crafted story that will make you want to continue the series. Well done!
at first I wondered if all the 5 star reviews were valid. Having completed the book, I see they truly are warranted. Well developed characters, detailed story and plenty of background and secrets. Excellently crafted story that will make you want to continue the series. Well done!
June 21, 2019
I thought that this was a great first book and am looking forward to reading more by this author. I loved Henry as the hero. Although clearly a man of his class, he was smart and had a beautiful tender side. I agree with some of the other reviewers that we need more books set in this time period, and I think there are a lot of stories to tell.
January 4, 2020
This is an ebook. Upper middle class Black family, preparing an unwilling daughter for the Debutants' ball in the 1920's. This is an OK book, but there are many books that show the way Black families had to live then, from upper middle to lowest, the color of skin they were born with held them back, often for ridiculous reasons.
May 23, 2020
Needs Some Editing
It was a good story. It started kind of rough and I didn't like the characters much but Edythe and Henry really started growing on me as they grew on each other. I was just severely distracted by the spelling errors, missing quotations, and other simple grammar mistakes that could be caught by a proofreader.
It was a good story. It started kind of rough and I didn't like the characters much but Edythe and Henry really started growing on me as they grew on each other. I was just severely distracted by the spelling errors, missing quotations, and other simple grammar mistakes that could be caught by a proofreader.
February 21, 2019
Loved it!
I truly think this was a beautiful written book. The author brought the time and characters to life. There was a growth to the story and the characters that pulled me along with them.
I truly think this was a beautiful written book. The author brought the time and characters to life. There was a growth to the story and the characters that pulled me along with them.
February 24, 2019
Love
Come thru Mrs. Keys with this romance! Loved every page. The writing really had me imagining being present during that time period. Can’t wait to read the next novel in the series.
Come thru Mrs. Keys with this romance! Loved every page. The writing really had me imagining being present during that time period. Can’t wait to read the next novel in the series.
September 19, 2019
Love our history
Loved the story Arc and character development. I'm a fan
This was not what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story although it was clearly a romance
Loved the story Arc and character development. I'm a fan
This was not what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story although it was clearly a romance
October 20, 2019
A must read black historical romance
Excellent plot. Except for a few typos really captivating. Loved the characters. Would have loved to see James come around. A bit sad on that end.
Excellent plot. Except for a few typos really captivating. Loved the characters. Would have loved to see James come around. A bit sad on that end.
October 23, 2019
I love historical romance
I have not read a good historical romance in a while. This is one of the best that I have read. There was a lot of drama, suspense, and romance. A solid 5 start novel.
I have not read a good historical romance in a while. This is one of the best that I have read. There was a lot of drama, suspense, and romance. A solid 5 start novel.
December 31, 2020
I really didn't think I was going to like this book. It started off super slow but when it picked up I absolutely enjoyed it. Such character development and growth. P.R is a great writer. Would definitely love to read the rest of the series.
February 20, 2019
Beautiful story
This was such a sweet story. I loved it. If you want to read about a sweet romance, Read this book. 😍😍
This was such a sweet story. I loved it. If you want to read about a sweet romance, Read this book. 😍😍
March 1, 2019
Good
This book is one that goes back in history when black people were still having problems with against there race.
This book is one that goes back in history when black people were still having problems with against there race.
June 22, 2019
this book was absolutly wonderful
November 7, 2019
A good story.
December 5, 2019
Good read! Loved that it was set in the flapper era...the first romance that I’ve read in this setting.
December 6, 2019
I loved the plot and story ❤️
I have nothing else to say. Why do we have to have a story after reading s story.
It was good that is it...
I have nothing else to say. Why do we have to have a story after reading s story.
It was good that is it...
July 31, 2020
I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a historical romance with debutantes and high society. I was enthralled from beginning to end, and I look forward to continuing the series.
October 9, 2023
I love Edy and Henry. This tells a wonderful story of an unexpected discovery of love. All the characters were wonderful, from Pauline who resides over the family to Twix who delivers a prayer of monumental vengeance. The best is Edy who grew from an insecure young girl into a woman who found her voice and discovered her beauty. Yes, there is racism and also passing that fits into the plot of the storyline.
There were typos in almost every chapter and some of the historical information is questionable, but you know what, it didn't ruin the book for me. The story was well written with lots of twists and turns, secrets and lies that keep you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next book.
There were typos in almost every chapter and some of the historical information is questionable, but you know what, it didn't ruin the book for me. The story was well written with lots of twists and turns, secrets and lies that keep you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next book.
March 2, 2016
The Eve of Our September
Wow that was awesome book it was worth more. Edyty that girl went thru so much. She was tormented as a child she really though that food was her source,she just want her pear to like her her father want his daughter to fit in by going to some balls but she was having that she tried her best to destroy it by put that paper in to late above the date/ but her father had other plan,but I n the end she did fine happiest I can't tell u everything u have to read for yourselves. great job to the writer it deserves a 5 *****
Wow that was awesome book it was worth more. Edyty that girl went thru so much. She was tormented as a child she really though that food was her source,she just want her pear to like her her father want his daughter to fit in by going to some balls but she was having that she tried her best to destroy it by put that paper in to late above the date/ but her father had other plan,but I n the end she did fine happiest I can't tell u everything u have to read for yourselves. great job to the writer it deserves a 5 *****
March 26, 2020
Wonderful Read
This book captured me from the first page. I stayed up all night reading iy and it was worth every moment of tiredness I will have today! The author did an excellent job painting vivid pictures and creating unforgettable characters. This is the kind of book I want to curl up and read on a cold winter day with a cup of spiked hot chocolate. Do yourself a favor and BUY THE BOOK!!!!
This book captured me from the first page. I stayed up all night reading iy and it was worth every moment of tiredness I will have today! The author did an excellent job painting vivid pictures and creating unforgettable characters. This is the kind of book I want to curl up and read on a cold winter day with a cup of spiked hot chocolate. Do yourself a favor and BUY THE BOOK!!!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews