Cover Image: Vixen

Vixen

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Member Reviews

This is the third instalment in this series.
The writing is the authors usual standard and is so descriptive
This book is filled with characters that you hate but love too.
Can’t wait for number 4

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Another super addition to what is turning out to be a fab series.
Top notch writing, keeping me hooked throughout. I’ve moved right on to book 4 now.

This series has gotten better and better the more I have read. I'm really loving the characters and have grown fond of Georgina Garratt.
Sam Michaels has become one of my favorite gangland crime authors since reading these books, she has an amazing tallent for giving you everything you need in a damn good story.

The criminal underworld fiction is fantastic to read about and Georgina Garratt is up there with some of the finest characters created in the genre. A kick ass woman who has not always had life easy. She's paving the way for more and more in her world. I can't wait to continue with this series.

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Vixen by Sam Michaels is the third instalment in the Georgina Garrett series and I have a confession - I have not read the other two books. This book is set from September 1939 and the World War II has just broken out. However, for ​Georgina and her gang
​its' business as usual for her. She has to keep the business. She is printing ration books to give to people who are less fortunate ones and who are exemption certificates for her men so that they don't have to go to war.
Sadly, she las a lot of enemies and they would love to take over her business on her patch. She has Johnny and Victor watching her back whilst she is keeping her Hubby and her three year old son Alfie safe. But, unfortunately this does not stop bad things from happening.
This book was Brilliant with Lots of twists and Turns throughout and you may need tissues throughout this book as I really felt for Georgina and her family. This was an excellent read and I will go back and play catch up with the other books within this series........It was a Gem of a Find especially as Sam Michaels is a new author to me.

I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Aria and the author Sam Michaels for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Vixen by Sam Michaels.
Geogina Garrett book 3.
Georgina is running things with an iron fist but someone wants to bring her down. Will they succeed?
A brilliant read. I do live this series. I was rooting for Geogina. Didn't like Nancy at all. Looking for to book 4. 5*.

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The first book i have read by sam michaels. Wished i had read the other books in this series. This book is up there with the best. Couldnt put it down. Great story twists and turns. Left hanging on at the end............ hope there will be another one very soon

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I try not to start reading a series halfway through, its a personal rule of mine mostly I do stick to it, but there are occasions when a book comes along that is so intriguing and which sounded to be right up my street, then I do throw my own rule book out of the window and give the book a go. And, I am so pleased I did, I thoroughly enjoyed this, I have to admit that it was the tag line of ‘Perfect for fan’s of Peaky Blinders‘ that caught my attention first – for those who know me, will know how much I love that series and I am so pleased that it didn’t disappoint.
Even though I do think that by jumping into this one – book three – and not reading the previous two first, I have missed out on vital parts of the plot regarding Georgina Garrett, this is definably one of those series’ that you really should read from the beginning. Which is nothing at all do with the writing or the story itself; both of which are amazing and flawless, its all to do with the fact that I was impatient, but I will definitely be reading the previous two in the series which will probably follow by re-reading this one again – just to see how the story flows throughout the series. Which is an odd little quirk of mine, which I do when I have on the rare occasion started a series in the middle.
Anyhow, enough about me and my odd reading habits!
I can’t fault the writing one bit, it’s flawless; captivating, vivid, compelling, it’s an absolute joy to read, the story is fast-paced, thrilling and thoroughly engaging – this book has TV series/film written all over it.
The characters are brilliant, they each bring some magic to the overall story, they are brilliantly created with such realism you would think that they were real people which certainly grabbed my attention. There are times when your heart really goes out to Georgina; she is tough, brutal, savvy, dangerous, she is a born leader, but then you have the other side of her mask; the mother, the wife she is caring and passionate. She isn’t the most liked person in the area where she lives, but I don’t think she particularly cares about that, she does her part for the war with her counterfeiting ring; forging ration books and the like and she helps when people need help. In my opinion, she is an amazing, resourceful, hardworking, devoted and admirable woman who has pushed herself to the front of her game in what is essentially a man’s world – you know me, I do love a book which has a strong woman who can stand on her own two feet in a man’s world.
If you’re like me and love tales of east end villains, the likes of the ‘Peaky Blinders’ brutal, bloody, ducking and diving all led by a woman then this is the perfect book. I loved it, I honestly cannot say a single negative word against it. I loved the action-packed and fast-paced plot, which was highly addictive but very grounded in the fact that Georgina is very family-focused. I loved the diverse and fabulous characters, it’s a thrilling, dramatic engaging game of cat and mouse which will take the reader on a whirlwind adventure through back streets and the darker side of London and the war,
As the tag line says; if you love Peaky Blinders, then you will love this and I couldn’t agree more!

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Sam Michaels’ redoubtable heroine Georgina Garrett is back in Vixen, a gritty, shocking and enthralling instalment of danger, jeopardy and revenge in this captivating series set in Battersea during World War Two.

The world might still be engaged in yet another bloody conflict with millions all across the globe losing their homes, their loved ones and their lives as bombs continue to relentlessly fall with painful regularity every night, yet on the streets of London there is another war being waged with rival gangs fighting till the death for their turf and at the centre of this bloody battle lies a ruthless woman who runs her business with an iron fist and who refuses to back down from a fight even when all the odds are stacked against her: Georgina Garrett. Georgina has worked hard and shattered glass ceiling after glass ceiling to rise to the top. Her ascendancy as the queen of the London streets has not been easy, but she refuses to surrender to anybody – even if her rivals are constantly snapping at her heels looking for any excuse to topple her off her throne. Georgina has always resisted. But in this latest war, it looks like she has more than met her match…

With great power comes immense responsibility, a lesson which Georgina is certainly learning. As her power increases, so do the number of enemies who are all baying for her blood. With a target on her back and her family in impossible danger, Georgina needs to be on her guard because one wrong move is all it takes for her enemies to sweep in and completely annihilate her and the people she loves most in the world. When the unthinkable happens and Georgina finds herself with her back against the wall and her empire about to slip through her fingers, she finds herself faced with an impossible choice: should she finally surrender or should she use the ruthlessness that had served her in such good stead to rise up above the ashes and reign victorious again? Or has the mighty Georgina Garrett fallen for good?

Sam Michaels’ Georgina Garrett saga rivals Peaky Blinders for the dark and dangerous portrayal of gangland life in the beginning of the 20th Century. Addictive, tense, terrifying and so brilliantly written and rendered that readers will feel as if they are experiencing the story alongside her protagonists, Vixen is an enthralling tale of ruthless ambition, dangerous secrets and devastating lies that is brilliantly paced, twisted and so shocking, it will keep readers on the edge of their seats and absolutely desperate to discover what is going to happen next.

Sam Michaels’ Vixen will satisfy saga and gangland thriller fans alike with a beguiling blend of expert characterization, relentless suspense and dramatic twists and turns nobody will see coming.

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Vixen is the first novel I have come across by Sam Michaels. It’s early September, 1939 and Britain is at war with Germany. Georgina and her gang from Battersea are back.

Johnny Dymond and Victor, fellow good friends if hers and excellent workers to boot, help her out. Georgina shows her caring side and contributes to the war effort by printing ration books for London’s poorest residents as well as exemption certificates for her two friends.

Georgina is a hard woman and can be known to use violence and sharp wit on more than one occasion at work to save herself and her gang. But what melts her heat are her family. Her husband Lash and three-year-old son Alfie are all she has.
Vixen is gripping mysterious and dark. Wartime London was a dangerous, hostile place.
Although Vixen is the first novel of Sam Michaels’ I have reviewed, I could tell she has an amazing style of writing which transported me into the sinister and unstable world of wartime London.

I was hooked on this book!

I definitely need to find books 1 and 2 if I can get copies because I did feel I was coming in late and missed a lot of previous backstory and character development.

That said, the characters were well fleshed our and the settings and descriptions were vivid.
Thanks to Sam Michaels and Aria for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
Book #2 Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon 2020.

4 stars

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Yet again Sam has given us a page turner that you won’t want to put down. Georgina-Garrett has a lot of upset in this book. Georgina is a strong gutsy woman, but when some of the things were happening it makes you want to give her a hug. As usual with this series I am left wanting more. Hurry up with book four please Sam.

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I have been a fan of Sam's work for a little while now. In fact I have been a fan of her work since I had the good fortune to pick up the first book ('Trickster') in the Georgina Garrett series. 'Vixen' is the third book of the series and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it but more about that in a bit.
What can I say about Georgina Garrett? Well apart from the fact that she scares the doo doo out of me. Georgina is a kick ass woman, who is asserting herself in the criminal underworld, which is a traditionally male environment. I think Georgina feels that she has got to be twice as hard as any man to gain the respect that she deserves. Georgina is ruthless, devious, cruel, menacing but she also has another side to her as she can be very caring, kind and compassionate. The ease with which she can switch between her two sides is quite intimidating in itself. She's not the sort of person I would want to upset or meet down a dark alley or in fact meet down any alley.
Oh my flipping (not the word I wanted to use but I thought I had better be polite) goodness gracious me, 'Vixen' was one hell of a fantastic read and then some. To say that reading 'Vixen' became an addiction is a massive understatement. I initially picked the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters and to fill in an hour but I was still reading over three hours later. I just found it impossible to put the book down. The book wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I just didn't want to miss a single second of the story. I had my own suspicions as to what was going to happen and I had to keep reading to see if I would be proven correct or not. The pages flew past increasingly quickly as my desperation to get to the conclusion of the story grew and grew. All too quickly, I got to the end of the story and I had to say goodbye to Georgina Garrett.
'Vixen' is superbly written but then I thought that of the first two books in the series. Just when you think that a series can't possibly get any better, the author pulls it out of the bag with each subsequent book that she releases. In other words, each new book is better than the last. Sam certainly knows how to grab your attention with a striking cover, she draws you into the book with the synopsis and then you are taken on one hell of a scary and often unpredictable rollercoaster ride through the more undesirable areas of London and the murky world of the criminal fraternity. Sam uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself- even if I would be the wimp diving for cover behind the sofa.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Vixen' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. 'Vixen' was a gripping read, which had me on the edge of my seat throughout. I will definitely be reading more of Sam's work in the future. Here's hoping we don't have too long to wait for her next book. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

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Like many books set in WW2, this story is atmospheric and full of historical detail. Georgina Garrett and her gang adapt to wartime Battersea. Georgina engenders mixed feelings in the reader. Her loyalty and willingness to provide for those she takes under her wing is admirable. Conversely, she isn't afraid of using violence and committing crimes to ensure she protects her own and continues their way of life.

Georgina faces resentment and threats. Her love of her family make her vulnerable, yet this love is what makes her easy to empathise. Authentic, multifaceted characters drive an action and conflict rich plot.

The surprising ending leaves you wondering what next?

I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus -Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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I am a huge fan of the Georgina Garrett series by Sam Michaels and couldn’t wait to get my hands on Vixen. I’d say that this book could be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the previous two books, Trickster and and Rivals, first to get the full enjoyment and emotional impact that Vixen delivers.

Sam Michaels is a fantastic author and has written three of the best books I have read in the gangland genre. Since Trickster we have followed Georgina Garrett across the course of one hell of a life. From childhood right through to her adult life, here in Vixen set during World War II. It was a refreshing change to read a gangland book set during the war. It added a whole new dynamic to this type of story and I felt that Sam captured that era perfectly. The fear felt by the characters was palpable, and the descriptive elements of the war were so brutal, written in a way that had you visualising all too easily this awful period in history. It’s a truly atmospheric read the whole way through. The dark side of the war, and how people used it to their advantage is on full display here, but so too is how Georgina uses it to help the people in her area. Breaking the law yes, but it’s not always as black and white as that when it comes to Georgina and her firm.

Whilst Georgina Garrett is definitely her own character, if asked to liken her to somebody, I would say she is like Annie Carter from Jessie Keane’s series, and that series is one of the reasons why I love this genre so much. Georgina is a fascinating character, and one who faces danger from many different corners, despite the fact she always puts others first and does everything she can to help those who come to her. It just shows how things like wealth and power can bring out the evil, nasty and jealous side to some people and whilst Georgina is sometimes like a cat with nine lives, Vixen is a book that had me thinking those lives were about to run out with each page turn of my Kindle. I just couldn't believe how much she had thrown at her, but I was rooting the whole way through for her to overcome everything.

The story in Vixen is outstanding. I was absolutely gripped to everything that I was reading. It was great to be back with all of the regular characters, but also good to meet some new ones too. I have to say that aside from Georgina, my favourite character was probably Charlotte. One thing I enjoy most is when an author makes you hate a character, only for your opinion to have completely changed by the end of the story. That happens here with a few of the characters, such is the journey we see them going on. Georgina only ever tries to help people, yet you wonder why when you see people just throw it back in her face. One such character who I have always hated is Fanny. A woman who expected her daughter, the weak and timid Molly to take over the business earlier in the series, not realising that she didn’t have the fearlessness, boldness and confidence that Georgina has in spades. Nor does she realise that the life she currently has is thanks to Georgina. But again, that is the talent Sam Michaels has in drawing out this emotion in me as a reader, seeing these characters and their situations as wholly believable and making me get completely caught up in everything that I am reading.

Vixen was a book that had me thinking about it whenever I was away from my Kindle. I was constantly thinking in my head about what was going to happen next, and I couldn’t wait to pick my Kindle back up and get right back into the story. Sam Michaels kept me on my toes the whole way through the story. Another thing I like about her is how she doesn’t hold back. It’s not always a given that the characters I like the most will survive each chapter, and so I was more than a little nervous at times at just what was going to happen next. It is a heartbreaking read in places, with a story I won't be forgetting in a hurry. This series is a must read for fans of the gangland genre and it’s one that I will be recommending everywhere. It reminds me of early Martina Cole where her books weren’t just one story, they were multiple stories within one book. Real, gripping sagas and that is exactly what each of these books by Sam Michaels have been too.

My only hope after finishing Vixen is that we will be getting another instalment in the near future. But for now, for those who are yet to read this series, I cannot recommend it enough.

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Vixen is the third instalment in the Georgina Garrett series and this is another cracker of a read from Ms Michaels and a solid contribution to a super series. Although not strictly necessary I would recommend picking up the two predecessors before embarking on this instalment in order to ensure maximum enjoyment and understanding. It's the early days of September 1939 and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has declared Britain to be at war with Germany yet it's simply business as usual for the gang from Battersea. Working alongside two of her closest and best workers, Johnny Dymond and gentle Victor, Georgina begins to contribute to the war effort by printing ration books for the poorer residents of the capital and certificates of exemption for her men to allow them to avoid conscription. With all of the danger she usually faces confounded by the outbreak of war and many of the rival gangster's and the local criminal fraternity wishing to see her fall, her family - husband Lash and three-year-old son Alfie - become even more important in centring her.

Georgina is a superb character who shows the men how to do it in their own backyard; of cours, they are resentful and don't appreciate a woman being at the helm which is very much is in-line with the discriminatory views of the time. Despite proving she can do just as good a job she is belittled by many. The cast of characters are developed excellently and most are relatable with the setting of early WWII London being deeply atmospheric with both the locations and characters coming alive and leaping from the pages. This is a compulsive, danger-filled, high stakes tale and one that kept my attention from the first page right through to last. Ruling the streets with an iron fist she earns the respect of both residents and gangsters in the area slowly but surely as they come to realise she's not a woman to be messed with. Written in a flowing and highly engaging style, it's difficult not to go racing through it in one sitting. The ending took me completely by surprise and has me pining for book four already. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Aria for an ARC.

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Sam Michaels nails it again! Love the Georgina Garrett books. You never know what will happen. Engrossed from beginning to end. Thank you netgalley for the ARC. Loved it. When is the next one????

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Georgina Garrett #3

This story follows on from where we left the last book. It's September 1939 and World War II has just broken out. But for Georgina and her gang, it's business as usual. She has people printing ration books to give to the less fortunate and exemption certificates for her men so that they don't have to go to war. She has lots of enemies who would like to take over her patch. But she has her husband, Lash and her 3 yearl old son, Alfie tomato home and relax with. Johnny and Victor are still watching her back. But unfortunately, this does not stop bad things from happening.

WOW. Where do I start. What an action packed read this is. Georgina will do anything in her powertomprotect her friends and family. She doesn't suffer fools gladly. All the characters are back from from the previous books. My heart broke for Georgina on two or three occasions. There is quite a lot of violence in this tense and gripping read. I could not put the book down. I love this series. But Sam Michaels, you are very naughty. I don't know this was the end of the series or a cliffhanger. Please do not leave it too long until we find out! I highly recommend this book and series. A fantastic read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Aria and the author Sam Michaels for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This is the third book in the Georgina Garrett series and each book just gets better and better. This is an explosive, fast paced read, full of drama, violence and tragedy. The gripping storyline will keep you turning the pages right up until the very end. A highly recommended read and worthy of the 5 star reviews.

Thank you to Netgalley, Aria and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Another exceptional read in the Georgina Garrett series. This instalment is explosive and fast paced as Georgina faces some of her toughest battles. Brilliantly paced but wow what a cliffhanger to finish on! Looking forward to the next one.

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This book was fantastic I have read the other 2 now I can't wait for the next one as surely this can't be the last one. I would recommend buying this book you won't be disappointed .

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Another cracking read from this author! I love this series; each book furthers the story and keeps me glued to the pages!

Georgina has now sealed her position at the top of the Battersea gang; however, she can't rest on her laurels - there's always someone who want's her crown. As the second world war explodes around them on a daily basis, she has branched out in their activities accordingly - always with an eye on the bottom line. However, there are rival gangs still smarting at a woman having the audacity to be in charge, so Georgina must never drop her guard.

Georgina Garret possesses an unflinching belief in herself and rules with a rod of iron. She is a woman in a man's world but must never show her softer side. Beautifully written in a compelling style, I flew through this one; in fact, I struggled to put it down at all! The characters are skilfully crafted with each one entirely believable. This third novel advances the story considerably and is different to the preceding two and I would never have guessed how it ended! That came right out of the blue and has left me eagerly awaiting the fourth book! A stunning read, one I enjoyed very much and definitely recommend; I'm very happy to give this one a full five sparkling stars!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley and to Vicky Joss for my spot in this tour; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

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The third in the series of Georgina Garrett and was well worth the wait.

War has been declared it is 1939, for Georgina and her crime gang its business as usual. Someone is a threat and wants to try and take over her life. She is pulled from pillar to post trying to support and help everybody that asks her. Her husband Lash and small son Alfie being the top of her list.
She has managed to counterfeit ration books to help local people and produce exemption certificates for her men, so she can still run the business without interruption. She has many enemies and some folk that don't like her because of her way of life.

There is quite a dramatic occurrence which has me welling up.
Such an excellent book with drama, violence and heartbreak. I suggest reading the first 2 books as you could easily become confused. Saying that you will not be disappointed.
Really enjoyed it. and worth 5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. x

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