Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by erika_winters
Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Beverly Jenkins and I can understand the hype now. Although this book too me quite some time to get through (it’s more heavy on the historical part of the “historical romance”), I really enjoyed learning about the Wild West in the latter half of the 1800s, especially from the POV of the Black community post-Slavery.
Eddy Carmichael goes through a lot in this book—which is an understatement after you read this. She is strong, independent, resilient, talented, and determined. I loved how confident she is and is never easily swayed by those around her, except for Rhine Fontaine, who is immediately charming from the moment he finds Eddy in the desert. The complexity of his story pertains to passing as white, and that is something that doesn’t get discussed enough in history and fictional books, I feel. Jenkins’s decision to utilize something so socially complex made the story more interesting IMO.
Overall, if you’re interested in a romance set in the Wild West with the backdrop of the gold rush happening, along with a layered discussion of racism and systemic oppression in the US as it tried to reshape itself differently after Slavery, I recommend this book. I also thoroughly enjoyed the small town of Virginia City, Nevada with all the many lovely and interesting townspeople (the ones who aren’t racist; albeit these folks are historically and socially accurate) you meet along the way who made the story feel more real and complete.
Final thought: I wish it were more heavy on the romance element, but I understand what Jenkins was doing here (wanting to balance the historical placement of the story alongside the heated romance between Eddy & Rhine). Great character development throughout though and sets everything up for the next book quite well!
Eddy Carmichael goes through a lot in this book—which is an understatement after you read this. She is strong, independent, resilient, talented, and determined. I loved how confident she is and is never easily swayed by those around her, except for Rhine Fontaine, who is immediately charming from the moment he finds Eddy in the desert. The complexity of his story pertains to passing as white, and that is something that doesn’t get discussed enough in history and fictional books, I feel. Jenkins’s decision to utilize something so socially complex made the story more interesting IMO.
Overall, if you’re interested in a romance set in the Wild West with the backdrop of the gold rush happening, along with a layered discussion of racism and systemic oppression in the US as it tried to reshape itself differently after Slavery, I recommend this book. I also thoroughly enjoyed the small town of Virginia City, Nevada with all the many lovely and interesting townspeople (the ones who aren’t racist; albeit these folks are historically and socially accurate) you meet along the way who made the story feel more real and complete.
Final thought: I wish it were more heavy on the romance element, but I understand what Jenkins was doing here (wanting to balance the historical placement of the story alongside the heated romance between Eddy & Rhine). Great character development throughout though and sets everything up for the next book quite well!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content