The Undertaker's Assistant by Amanda Skenandore - Bookin' It With Jen

I was so pleased to receive this ARC from Netgalley. I was even happier when I started the book and found myself engrossed in a beautiful but eye opening tale set in my favorite place - New Orleans. 

The author did a fantastic job with the setting and it felt very authentically New Orleans, almost as if I was there with Effie, strolling along the streets that I love. New Orleans has such a romance about it, modern yet steeped in history and tradition, and this book does as well.

Set during the Reconstruction Era, Effie, a former slave and current embalmer, has returned to New Orleans in search of her past as well as a new beginning. She begins her new life content in who and where she is until a chance encounter with an outspoken and handsome stranger sets her on a path that changes everything she thought she knew. A story of heritage and heartbreak, there is an underlying sense of sadness/morose that is so necessary to accurately portray Effie and all of the uncertainty and upheaval of the time. 
  
This book is SO good.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.