Talk of Tokyo by Heather Hallman

Talk of Tokyo by Heather Hallman
Tokyo Whispers Series
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Genre: Historical, Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Chamomile

CAREFUL WITH YOUR WORDS

1897 Tokyo is no different than anywhere else in the world: men are exploiting women. Specifically, Western men are exploiting Japanese women, and Suki Malveaux holds no punches in her condemnation of their behavior in her weekly column in the Tokyo Daily News.

Suki knows firsthand when Western men arrive at Tokyo Bay there’s only one outcome for Japanese women: a child and new mother left behind as nothing more than discarded shrapnel from the heartless war on love.

Griffith Spenser is her latest target. He’s been seen with Natsu Watanabe, one of Tokyo’s esteemed war widows. Under full anonymity of the moniker “The Tokyo Tattler,” Suki makes sure Griffith knows exactly why his behavior with Natsu won’t be tolerated.

Away from her Japanese mask as a columnist, Suki never intended to meet the cad. When he seeks her out to hire as a tutor for his niece and nephew, she’s faced with seeing him day in and day out without him ever knowing who she really is.

Caught in her struggle for anonymity so she can keep battling for women’s rights, Suki’s about to learn the full impact of her words on the people behind the story, especially on Griff.

After reading the prequel to this series, I was excited to know these characters more, and Talk of Tokyo didn’t disappoint! This series overall was a slightly more explicit and sensually focused than I’d had originally expected, but again after the prequel, I had a better idea of this author’s writing style, and found I enjoyed this one!

I found it interesting that we get to meet some of the side-characters introduced in Scandals of Tokyo instead of jumping right to the MCs in the prequel. In this one we meet Suki and Griffith. Not at all a pairing I’d first expected to work out, but I loved how their story plays into the culture and history of Japan in the 1890’s and seeing how their interracial relationship was also affected by those things.

There is only one ‘sex’ scene in this one, although we know it’s been building for much of the book by the time it actually happens. There are body parts mentioned though, which I only mention as I know some readers (romance and otherwise) rather use ‘code names’ instead of the actual names in steamy scenes, but nothing unexpected in a sensual romance. Along with the romance the theme of newspaper journalists, often focusing on the female journalists showing how their gender is also seen in the role.

I loved seeing Suki (along with being half French, half Japanese) find her place as this story goes on, and seeing both her reporter story and her romance with Griffith are affected by the events that unfold! I haven’t seen many stories like this one that combine Japanese culture, a historical setting, and newspaper reporters from around the world calling Tokyo home in the late 1800s, I must say, it’s an interesting idea and I’m loving how this series is coming along!