Duck: Friends, from first dip, it took me a minute to get immersed in The Devil in Blue Jeans by Stacey Kennedy, but once I was hooked, I was shooting through this story like a coot on a speedboat. The chemistry between the protagonists Charly and Jaxon was electric from early on, and the fish-out-of-water and enemies-to-lovers themes really warmed my beak-holes.
Star: Here’s the rough plot, folks: Charly and her two friends (neither of them ducks) move to a small Montana town where they’ve bought a bar to run together. They refurbish the place and swap out the craft-beer menu for fancy cocktails in order to attract a new clientele, consisting mostly of women who seek supportive community. There’s only one problem: The cowboy locals are beak-to-flippers pissed. At the end of a long, grueling day, their craft-beer haven no longer provides for or welcomes them. And cowboy Jaxon Reid is especially ducked off. After all, he used to own this bar. But as angry as he is at Charly, and as defensive as she is with him, the chemistry between them could scorch your Sunday flippers.
Duck: And scorch it did! The building heat and the sex scenes were all sizzlingly good, and the pacing was quicker than a flipper-flick. There was a gentle hand, or wing, with intensely emotional situations, and this author’s ability to paint a complex scene is super-ducking-duper. Though pacey, the plot didn’t rocket by so quickly that it failed to linger and build depth. Nope, I was hooked! Super-ducking awesome writing!
Star: Plus as the story progressed, Charly became increasingly lovable, as did Jaxon. Stacey Kennedy did a wonderful job of showing how Charly’s rage about the infidelity that broke up her last relationship affects her choices when it comes to attraction and relationships. We go deep with her story—and with Jaxon’s too. He is a wonderfully mature character with a difficult past and a noble present.
Duck: The plot was ducking captivating, and the characters were beautifully feathered out. Also, both Star and I appreciated the theme of gentrification. The novel takes the only bar in a small Montana town where many of the inhabitants are hard-working cowboys, and turns it into a place that seeks to serve out-of-towners—specifically, women of a different class and background. It becomes a safe space for them, but not for the bar’s original inhabitants. That introduces an important discussion about entitlement and exclusion. Nice work.
Star: Unfortunately, where the novel fell down for us was in terms of diversity and inclusion.
Duck: It’s true. And we’re going to be a bit fierce about this because the novel itself focused on creating a “safe space” in that bar. But for us, and for those from other marginalized groups, that bar was never a safe space—even at the end.
Star: It seems there are lots of straight, white, cis, het characters in The Devil In Blue Jeans. We do have some characters of color, but they aren’t among the protagonists. There also seems to be little awareness of LGBTQIA+ identities at all. Curiously, although the storyline itself is filled with promise when it comes to diversity politics, a duck of a lot of opportunities are missed, IMDO. For instance, the three young women running the bar are brainstorming events that will attract women from the city to this “safe space.” Given the amount of “listing of themed nights” that happens, it would be soooo easy for them to simply mention the idea of an LGBTQIA+ and Allies night, or a night that celebrates strong Black women, say. Or an Aretha Franklyn Night! Anything! It’s such an easy thing to reach for!
Duck: A Hallmark movie we watched last night—Sweet Pecan Summer—showed a fuzzy (okay, very fuzzy) Pride flag in a bar where some of the main characters met up. There was no other reference to LGBTQIA+ characters in this movie at all, but the inclusion of this Pride flag (however fuzzy!) lets us know that LGBTQIA+ folks are acknowledged. Small, but ducking great. What a good example.
Star: Agreed! Little things make a huge difference to the pond at large. In The Devil in Blue Jeans, more references to diversity would make the “safe space” feel like an actual safe space. And it would make the novel feel safer too.
Duck: A bar can be like a peaceful pond where the swans are as welcome as the geese, and the frogs are cool, murmuring creatures carrying trans pride flags.
Star: What we did ducking love was the quiet exploration in this novel of the damage that classism can do, and the rich understanding of how raising one group up (in this case, city women who seek community) can mean oppressing and displacing another, less-privileged group (local, hard-working men of a lower class who have access to just one bar at the end of their day). And we super-ducking appreciated that exploration. Stacey Kennedy has a GREAT ear for this. So let’s go!
Duck: Stacey Kennedy, you KICK DUCK-TAIL! You’re an incredibly talented writer! Please remember diversity counts—and that you, with your amazing heart and poetic flippers, can absolutely contribute to building a more inclusive world. (Pride flag on the wall? Great start.) Loves ya.
You can buy The Devil in Blue Jeans here:
And check out Stacey Kennedy’s work here.
Featured image courtesy of Harlequin/Afterglow Books and Star Tavares
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