Saints and Sinners

Moira Monaghan is bedazzled by an Irish devil with mesmerizing blue eyes, whose touch lights a blaze in her body to rival that of Mrs. O’Leary’s cow and the Great Fire of Chicago. She ignores the rumors flying around Greenwich Village about him and his family as she goes from respectable shop clerk during the day to scandalous flapper at the disreputable Continental Club in the wee hours of the night.

Reilly Dunne wants to leave the family business and make a sweet life for himself, with a bonnie wife and children to bounce on his knee. But he wants a lively lass, someone who will be willing to experience life at it’s fullest. Moira tempts him to be more than he is, makes him yearn for that which he dreams. And he is determined to make this Irish Rose his very own darling, stamp his ownership for any to see.

During one fateful night, at the carnal Meridian, a police raid opens their eyes to truths, about each other, their lives and their passion. But, with all that is involved, can the Irish Rose make a saint out of the sinner?

Delving into the world of bootleg whiskey, secret bawdy clubs, hidden gambling establishments, and questionable characters, Ms. Moore takes us on a rollicking journey into the underbelly of 1923 New York’s speakeasy atmosphere in her book Saints and Sinners. Sexual tension, so thick you could cut it with a knife, encompasses the hero and heroine in this insightful rendition of a time when the unscrupulous profited from the sale of whiskey and flesh. Moira, stepping out into the unknown with firm resolution and gumption, is determined to make a better life for herself. Reilly is rough and untamed, sensual and persistent, going after the woman he desires and doing what he believes to be right.

Anyone with the love for this era will enjoy the unabashed sensuality, and live-life-for-the-moment attitude, portrayed in this 1920's saga. The descriptive broad spectrum of characters, highlighted by Shawna Moore, offers us both the best and worst of those times.

Reviewed by: Gayle