I’m not sure why, but I randomly added this book to my Book of the Month box for June. For the longest time I avoided Historical Fiction because I thought it would bore me. I chalk this up to the most boring history teachers known to man when I was in high school.

This year I told myself that not only was I going to read more, but I was also going to step out of my comfort zone and try other genres. To accommodate this self-imposed rule, I told myself I had to read every Reese’s Book Club pick as well as one other book club pick per month, even if these lists included cutesy romances and historical fiction.

I read House of Eve, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & the Six, The Nightingale and Did You Hear About Kitty Karr and enjoyed all of them. When June rolled around, I pushed myself further by willingly selecting a historical fiction novel all on my own and I ended up really enjoying it.

I have read nothing by Fiona Davis before, and I think I can safely say that this won’t be my last. I’ll likely check out some of her other works as well. I loved Marion (the main character in this book) and from what I understand, strong female leads are a staple in this author’s work, which I love.

At the top of the book, Marion is fired from her job as a dance instructor at a pretty prestigious New York dance academy because the head teacher doesn’t feel she is tough enough on her students. Marion goes against convention and this rubs people the wrong way. The year is 1957 and they still expected women to fit nicely in the “do as you’re told” mold.

Dancing is all Marion has ever really loved, and this loss is devastating, but she learns of an audition for the Rockette’s which will take place the following day and goes for it, driven mainly by the fact that her father wants nothing more for her to settle down, get married and have some kids. In fact, he’s already planning her marriage with Marion’s boyfriend, who just returned from Europe. But Marion isn’t ready. Her mother gave up her dream of acting years ago to be a wife and mother and Marion isn’t ready to do the same just yet, so she auditions and spoiler alert – she makes the cut. She’s a Rockette! But her father isn’t happy with her and tells her if she is going to defy him, then she will not do it while living under his roof, so she moves out, shacking up in a hostel of sorts for women who are up-and-coming dancers and actors.

Mirroring this main storyline is a serial bomber who has plagued the city for decades. Several bombs have gone off around the city and the police have no leads at all. It’s not until the bomber strikes during the Rockette’s Christmas show, and one of Marion’s loved ones is killed, that she steps up to help bring the guy down. She saw him sitting in the audience and has a vague idea of what he looks like. She employs the help of a psychologist friend and together they work with the police to bring the guy down.

I think what I liked most about the story was how strong Marion was. She was not about to let anyone – including her misogynistic father – tell her what to do. I also loved that she had her own fire about her, and not only did she not conform to her father (and other men’s) wishes, but she also stood out amongst other women. It was mentioned a lot how she was constantly getting notes from the directors and choreographers about how she stood out from the other dancers, which is a big no-no for a Rockette.

I also loved how committed she was to bringing down the bomber and how she stood up to some of the police who had been on the case for years, and certainly didn’t like a woman pushing them.

I also learned something new. I had no idea that New York City really did have a serial bomber, and if you read the Author’s Notes at the end of the book, she’ll tell you all about it.

A strong female lead and a compelling story kept me riveted. I finished this one in just a couple of days. If you are a lover of historical fiction I would definitely recommend that you add this to your pile immediately.