Sometimes I purposely request advance reader copies of books from authors that I want to read but I haven’t gotten to yet. That’s what I did when I requested the latest historical romance from Beverly Jenkins earlier this year. And since I know that I generally like to read series in order, I borrowed the other books in this series as well. Overall, these three books read as standalone to each other set in post-Civil War America, though they are connected to other earlier works by Beverly Jenkins. They vary in terms spice/steam level which is appropriate to the characters’ histories and personalities. While there are often heavier themes related to racial discrimination, the overall stories are engaging and have bits of humor within.
1. Rebel (2019)
Schoolteacher meets army captain in this book set in New Orleans. Although our teacher is betrothed to someone else when we meet her, she quickly falls for the dashing hero who saves her from a physical attack and helps her to rebuild her schoolrooms. The happy couples we meet from the hero’s family have previously been introduced in their own stories: Through the Storm (1998), Winds of the Storm (2004), and Captured (2009).
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
2. Wild Rain (2021)
A snowstorm rescue, instant attraction, and sickbed care in this one. Our heroine is a rancher in Wyoming and her brother is the town doctor. A newspaperman from back East is there to interview the doctor and gets caught in the snow, needing rescue. In this story, we have a non-virgin historical heroine who clearly communicates that she does not want children. All sorts of steam in this one, which is true to character. This story was not connected to the previous book. The heroine’s brother and sister-in-law’s story is told in Tempest (2018).
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
3. To Catch a Raven (2022)
This book covers a lot of geographical ground, but at some point we are back in New Orleans with a grifter family that is being coerced into assisting with the recovery of a stolen copy of the Declaration of Independence. Our straightlaced hero is teamed up with the swindler heroine, and they need to fake being married and servants of the house they’re investigating. Though they’re total opposites in many ways, we get to see them start a steamy affair. Meanwhile, his father and her mother are rekindling their own romance that ended decades ago. We cross paths a bit with the matriarch from Rebel who assists in a double-cross scheme.
Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance print book provided by Avon Books.
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