Tuesday, 18 February 2020

Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Review: Let it Shine by Alyssa Cole



We’re baaaack. Happy New Year everyone. So far 2020 has been fabulous, I hope the same is true for you and will continue to be so. To start off our review year we chose Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole (one of my all time favorite writers). It didn’t hit me until I started reading it just how appropriate the book is for Black History Month. A great choice for February. Remember to stop by Constantine and Baryeh’s blogs to see what they thought of the book.


Blurb
Sofronia Wallis knows that proper Black women don’t court trouble by upending the status quo, but it’s 1961 and the Civil Rights movement is in full swing. Sofie’s spent half her life being prim, proper, and reserved—as if that could bring her mother back—but the nonviolent protests happening across the South bring out her inner agitator.

Ivan Friedman has devoted his life to boxing, loving the finesse of a well-delivered punch and the penance of receiving one. His family escaped from Europe before the horrors of WWII, and Ivan decides to help fight injustice in their new country, even if it goes against all his instincts as a fighter.

When Ivan and Sofie meet, they realize that their pasts are intertwined and—with the sparks that fly between them—perhaps their futures will be too. With everything in their society lined up against them, will Sofie and Ivan be able to beat the odds? Or will their chance at love be destroyed by the tumultuous times they live in?

My Review
A spectacular read that had me engrossed in the characters lives and the stressful environment they lived. This is a historical romance that bought the issues of race, equal rights and differences of religion to the forefront. I’ll be honest and say that stories about historical race relations tends to get me upset because the truth of people encountering such situations was and still is real.

Ms. Cole’s telling of Sofie and Ivan’s story was both heart-breaking and inspiring. The story had me on pins and needles wondering just how it would end. I was satisfied with how it turned out.
I give this book five out of five boxing glove shaped chocolate bars.
I purchased my copy from Amazon UK on sale for $0.99 which I think is still going on.



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