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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was cruising towards five stars for the awesome characters, setting and great chemistry until the last arc of the story.
Spoiler
After being so open and honest with each other for the first 80%, why do Drake and Valinda completely regress to be guarded with their romantic feelings the second they become engaged to be married? It was so out of character for both of them. However, I really loved that Valinda was the driving force behind both getting engaged, and eventually admitting her feelings first to break Drake out of his freeze out. And all of her (and the other women side character's) annoyance at how much the men in their society purposely keep women naïve in order to control them. She was a fantastic heroine.
Dare to be a woman who rebels
I always learn so much about our history (black history is for everyone and should be available to everyone) through May. Jenkins’ titles and it was no different with Valinda Lacy’s story. The love she learns to accept from Drake and the LeVeq family is a s much an act of rebellion as her heading off to New Orleans to reach. Absolutely loved this book and it’s always great to return to the House of LeVeq.
I always learn so much about our history (black history is for everyone and should be available to everyone) through May. Jenkins’ titles and it was no different with Valinda Lacy’s story. The love she learns to accept from Drake and the LeVeq family is a s much an act of rebellion as her heading off to New Orleans to reach. Absolutely loved this book and it’s always great to return to the House of LeVeq.
Valinda Lacy has come to New Orleans with a mission - to help to teach the Freedmen and their families to read and write. She is beloved by her students of all ages, until a group of ruffians break in and destroy everything she has worked on. Unfortunately for her, they are still nearby as she is assessing the damage. She fights them off as best she can, but she is more than relieved when Drake LeVeq intervenes on her behalf. It also doesn't hurt that he's so handsome. This was the time I ever audibly squealed when getting approved for an ARC. I was a big fan of the Old West series, and I felt so honored to get my hands on Rebel (thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins!). I was not disappointed. Jenkins has a special talent for both teaching me actual history that far too many public schools ignore, while also serving me a steamy romance that I become emotionally invested in. I loved this book, as expected, and will be picking up more of her books ASAP!
Rated 4.5 Stars
I adored this story. It was thought provoking and a history lesson all wrapped in one. That’s one of the things I love the most about this author’s work, how she manages to tell a great story interwoven with a history lesson. You might think that that aspect would bog down the story but it doesn’t it enhances it to perfection. This book was an absolute joy to read even though there were moments that made me angry. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
I adored this story. It was thought provoking and a history lesson all wrapped in one. That’s one of the things I love the most about this author’s work, how she manages to tell a great story interwoven with a history lesson. You might think that that aspect would bog down the story but it doesn’t it enhances it to perfection. This book was an absolute joy to read even though there were moments that made me angry. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
This takes place right after The Civil War, during Reconstruction. Val travels from New York to New Orleans with the hopes of helping the new freed Black Americans by teaching then to read and write. She finds more than she anticipated when she encounters Drake LaVeq and his family. As usual Beverly Jenkins does an amazing job of blending history and romance and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
A sweet historical romance set in New Orleans during Reconstruction. There is a lot of depressing (and depressingly real) violence, trauma, and unrest, particularly around white supremacy and the difficulty of rebuilding after war, which disproportionately impacts those already vulnerable, so if you're looking for an escape from those things, this is probably not the book for you right now. I really liked the leads as well as a lot of the side characters, but I'd love to see some flaws from both of these too-perfect leads. I thought the historical aspects were excellently woven in, but I wish in addition to the historical fiction details, we had gotten to see more of the details of Valinda and Drake's developing relationship--there was a bit of telling rather than showing going on there. In our book club, it seemed that those of us who listened to the audiobook enjoyed this better than those who didn't, which is a testament to Kim Staunton's work as a narrator.
This was definitely my favorite Beverly Jenkins that I’ve read so far! The romance felt more central to the plot than some of her others, and Drake was such a swoony big bear of a hero!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence
Minor: Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury
I don't know what it was. I loved the premise and the overall plot was great. The writing just didn't get me into the story and I ended up not finishing it.