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mdoerr's review against another edition
3.0
Better than the first book in the series but still nothing that I loved. I think the writing style is what is putting me off of this series. It’s very this happened then this and this and this character said this and this character reacted this way. It felt too narrated.
readingwithstardust's review against another edition
5.0
Accidentally read this series out of order but I think this one has been my favorite. The last chapter was utterly unnecessary (followed, however, by a delightful epilogue) but other than that the entire rest of the book was fantastic. Deeply appreciated Kent, and Portia was an incredible protagonist. Loved her intelligence and ambitions. All of the Heroines in this series have had incredible moxie and dreams and it has been so wonderful to read. Ms Bev is just a gem.
greylandreviews's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars
Trigger Warnings: loss of a loved one, murder, violence, kidnapping, racism, and mention of child neglect
Trigger Warnings: loss of a loved one, murder, violence, kidnapping, racism, and mention of child neglect
suburbrat's review against another edition
4.0
this was absolutely a 4 star read (similar to forbidden) but i definitely had a few personal issues that utimately brought it down to a 3.5. still, i enjoyed reading this and can't wait for tempest!
my issues:
- there is a steamy scene where portia is basically saying FUCK ME BRO and kent says "no, no, you're first time shouldn't be like this" and later portia is THANKFUL that he made that decision for her. i could not have rolled my eyes any harder. if i'm TELLING you that i want you to do me, don't tell me what you think i want. that just really stuck out to me and i didn't find it romantic at all.
- maybe it will make sense in the next book, but i was very thrown off by the sudden appearance of her mother and then .... nothing happened?
- portia's naivete was fairly obnoxious but not to the point of dislike. in fact, i appreciated her headstrong attitude overall.
again, these are petty instances but they truly brought down my enjoyment.
my issues:
Spoiler
- i wasn't as smitten with kent as portia seemed to be. he had a rough history (fine, obviously) but i didn't find him all that charming or lovable. it was clear he cared and loved portia, i just found him kind of "blah"?- there is a steamy scene where portia is basically saying FUCK ME BRO and kent says "no, no, you're first time shouldn't be like this" and later portia is THANKFUL that he made that decision for her. i could not have rolled my eyes any harder. if i'm TELLING you that i want you to do me, don't tell me what you think i want. that just really stuck out to me and i didn't find it romantic at all.
- maybe it will make sense in the next book, but i was very thrown off by the sudden appearance of her mother and then .... nothing happened?
- portia's naivete was fairly obnoxious but not to the point of dislike. in fact, i appreciated her headstrong attitude overall.
again, these are petty instances but they truly brought down my enjoyment.
callieisreading's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. There were aspects of this I really enjoyed- the western setting, the late 19th century time, the historical references, to make a few. But the dialog was a little cheesy for my taste, and in general the whole story was a little cozy for my taste. Everything turned out fine for everybody, there was no real conflict to overcome. Some readers will be totally fine with that, it's just not my preference.
The love scenes were spicy, but again, the dialog was kind of strange and almost cliche romance novel-y.
I will say, however, that the women (especially Portia) were all fabulous characters. In general, this very strongly reminded me of the Sunfire books I read and loved as a teen, and really made me want to go back and read some of those.
The love scenes were spicy, but again, the dialog was kind of strange and almost cliche romance novel-y.
I will say, however, that the women (especially Portia) were all fabulous characters. In general, this very strongly reminded me of the Sunfire books I read and loved as a teen, and really made me want to go back and read some of those.
katherinezofrea's review against another edition
I felt similarly to Forbidden in terms of the the stilted language and I things moved a little too quickly, but I LOVED Portia and Kent's relationship and how it was based on a childhood friendship and them reconnecting as adults. The two of them have that sort of "no one sees me the way you do" type of relationship that I just eat up
fringebookreviews's review against another edition
3.75
But where’s MY naughty cowboy husband??? This one felt a lot softer than book one and the plot was a bit more mellow. I really enjoyed the main relationship, especially when he taught her how to cook??? Also Ms. Bev is an EXPERT at having her heroes say “baby.” It’s rare, but when it shows up my knees go WEAK.
We were SO close to having zero ZERO characters kidnapped and then the marker reached 97% and all hell broke loose 😭 Why so close to the end??? It was sooooo random even the kidnapper was like yeah bro that was very random of me. Praying Regan kidnaps someone instead!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 🌶️.5*/5
*He was very hot and gifted sexually. The scenes were short and pretty low detail but their wedding night was fun.
We were SO close to having zero ZERO characters kidnapped and then the marker reached 97% and all hell broke loose 😭 Why so close to the end??? It was sooooo random even the kidnapper was like yeah bro that was very random of me. Praying Regan kidnaps someone instead!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 🌶️.5*/5
*He was very hot and gifted sexually. The scenes were short and pretty low detail but their wedding night was fun.
bookish_wife16's review against another edition
5.0
This was a very sweet and loving story. I love the innocence of Portia. I love the fact that she was able to be loved by a man such as Kent, who had a past but was able to encourage and help Portia in all she wanted to do. Many men wanted to wed Portia but they wanted to silence her and the dreams that she came with. Kent was the total opposite and the fact that they knew each other previously was a bonus.
Once again, Beverly Jenkins has way with historical facts and a way with words. To weave these stories years ago, and for me to enjoy these stories in this time speaks volumes of the impact of her writing. I say it time and time again, the way she views love and the way she pens it, you have no other choice but to want that for yourself, all of your loved ones, and hope that other writes body this style as well. She is definitely one of the best to ever do it.
Once again, Beverly Jenkins has way with historical facts and a way with words. To weave these stories years ago, and for me to enjoy these stories in this time speaks volumes of the impact of her writing. I say it time and time again, the way she views love and the way she pens it, you have no other choice but to want that for yourself, all of your loved ones, and hope that other writes body this style as well. She is definitely one of the best to ever do it.
zombiezami's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Death, Grief, Sexism, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Racism, Abandonment, and Violence
Minor: War, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Blood
lanidacey's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. Portia was a great heroine, but Kent was actually pretty gross.