The year is 1920, prohibition is in full swing, women are clamoring for the vote, and a narrow-minded intolerance is on the rise. Life isn't easy for an unmarried woman, not in a little town like Gentry, Louisiana, especially after she's sent to jail for swimming in an indecent bathing costume with a group of suffragettes.
It's not as if Belle doesn't know how to behave. She knows the rules. She keeps the Primer of Propriety firmly in mind. But sometimes -- most of the time -- she has to twist the rules a little, or break them, or give them a permanent kink, because they all say the same thing: "Don't."
And a girl has got to live.
Sexy, sassy, with laugh-out-loud humor and a cast of zany characters you won't be able to forget, The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell is a big comic love story and a page-turner. But on a deeper level, this is a story about a woman struggling to find her moral center and to stand up to the forces that are determined to destroy the soul of a town and the people she loves.
Performed by Zoe Thomas
Download and start listening now!
"This book was on my wishlist for years, ever since I read The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc maybe like 5 or 6 years ago. So when I found a copy on one of my usual Goodwill ventures, I was psyched! And it was a brand-new looking hardback too. Even better as I'm a fool for a hardback, especially for books I plan on hanging on to. The time finally felt right to read this book, and I dove right in. I was hooked from that quirky beginning. I immediately liked Belle as a character, she was totally relatable, and made me laugh. I could feel for her when she was down too. I never stopped rooting for her, even when she did silly things. And I can say I'm damn sure glad that the women back then went through the things they did to ensure the equal treatment and the rights I have today. I wasn't expecting to really learn anything about that with this book, and was pleasantly surprised. I think it helped give the story even more depth and impact. In fact, it wasn't the only weighty issue in this story. And I loved it. I went in thinking it was going to be a light, fluffy romp with some comedy and mischief, but I came away feeling like I had seen a moment in time in a real small town, good and bad. I even liked Miss Effie by the end, when in the beginning I didn't like the old battle-ax at all. All the characters interested me though, the Rubinsteins and Rafe especially. Man, I would've hated being back then, everyone in town all up in my business about who I'm dating, who I'm hanging out with, telling me I can't have the most excellent farm manager in the county because of his race, telling me I can't date a guy who's a different religion, all up in my business if I get a damn haircut! Sheesh. Poor Belle, no wonder she wanted to be rebellious at times. I was interested in Claude too, I was actually sad he died so soon, I wanted to see more of him lol. But I liked Rafe, and I liked their relationship, how she kinda earned to live a little. Oh man, but Bouree, while it was intriguing to see him, he made me so mad! What an ass, I would've shot him probably. Even though I got frustrated at Belle's place in the time period, I still found it awesome to see the story set in this era. I can count the number of stories I've read in this time period probably on a finger or two, so I loved it. The emergence of the modern warring with the old-fashioned ways, the atmosphere of something new coming over the horizon... Even though technically I know the Depression was coming, I still could feel that excitement of a new day when the vote to ratify womens' voting was announced there at the party. It was also the small glimpses into the family life back then, seeing Cady and Nina dealing with teenage things that don't seem too different than nowadays (minus all the nonstop in-your-face social networking and crap). The family dinners, the work on the farm. It was good. The slower pace of things back then was nice too. I want to learn more about the era now, I have a craving to start looking stuff up. There was even some action towards the end, the showdown moment, with the townsfolk on both sides, the anger-inducing way the Rubinsteins were being treated... it kinda got my heart going, I was worried, lol. It was a good ending, even if it was sort of open ended and not necessarily the expected HEA. I have a craving to give Sissy LeBlanc a re-read now that I know Belle's story. I remember the basic outline of what happened, but all the fascinating little details have faded with time. Seriously thinking about digging it out and going for it, though I know I've got like 200 books on the ol' TBR mountain... So, we'll see. Really tempted though...
So glad I found this book. I'm really hoping the author comes out with another story of some sort, I really like the style, the way she gets me right into the characters and the town. Not necessarily even a story related to the other two, just a new story would be cool, I hope it happens one day :D"
—
Kit★ (4 out of 5 stars)