Chloe by Lyn Cote

I had a trip to make to Milwaukee last weekend for work, so I picked up Chloe, the first of the four part Women of Ivy Manor saga at the library on audiobook. I really enjoyed listening to this book and actually picked up the second in the series today.

I love historical fiction and Chloe was set during a riveting part of our nation's history. Chloe was a pampered girl that grew up in the family's Ivy Manor in Maryland. She meets Theran Black, a young man who has just graduated with a civil engineering degree and has a passion for infrastructure (as a environmental/civil engineer I especially liked this part). They run off to NYC to be married and Black ships off for WWI only two days later. Chloe starts an exciting modeling career in NYC with her friend Minnie. To say more would ruin the plot, but the book ultimately takes us through WWI and it's after effects, the roaring 20's, and the beginnings of the Great Depression. The Great Depression sequences seemed particularly relevant in these times. It was an exciting look at history and I also liked the racial themes.

The only parts I didn't like were Chloe herself had troubles taking action at times, which annoyed me, but were ultimately part of the plot. I also didn't like how some storylines were left hanging - whatever happened to the Black family? Overall though it was a good book and I can't wait to "listen" to the second novel.