Beverly JenkinsRecensioni

I had to DNF this book pretty soon after starting it and not because it was a bad book. Only because I had a hard time relating to either of the charactera, due simply to the fact that both of them are POC in the late 1880s. The writing style was wonderful and descriptive but just not for me :)

That first paragraph!!! Was it the sexiest opener I’ve read? Probably! I really enjoy Jenkins’s westerns and look forward to reading the rest of this series (out of order, or course, as is my habit)

A perfect novella! Beverly Jenkins sure packed a lot of character and plot into this 70-ish page novella!

This bodice ripper is set in New Orleans during the reconstruction period after the Civil War. Valinda Lacy has come south to teach the newly emancipated freedmen and their children. But just as she is making headway her school is destroyed by thugs. As she runs for her life, she meets Captain Drake LeVeq, one of the sons of a wealthy Black family who made their money some generations back by piracy. Drake, however, is an architect and builder, intent on helping the freedmen survive and thrive.

It's a typical romance with heaving bosoms, knees made weak by kisses, demure women and strong men who are talented and generous lovers. Valinda and Drake make a nice couple, and his family (mother and three brothers) fills out the cast of characters quite well. Jenkins added some interesting tidbits of information regarding this period in American history.

The action is fast, even if the plot is fairly predictable. This novel even includes a minor subplot involving two gay men.

The previous book in this series was a romantic adventure, but I think this one is more of a straight romance, albeit with a health scare/accident (not quite an adventure exactly), and more of a social commentary layer than most books of this type—mostly in the form of contrast between what I guess you could call (mostly) full-control patriarchy, all the norms of those times fully funded so to speak, and life on the frontier.

It’s not brilliant, but in the ordinary way it seems entirely free of blemishes.

…. I want to write something about common elements in romance plots and the Black experience (and the Anglo experience).

Part of romance, part of the shame assigned to it, is its spontaneity, its irregularity. Part from the fact that the words lovers use are rarely literally true, and that unlike robots they are using squishy parts, is the aspect that unlike robots they are probably not keeping to a plan or, certainly, not a schedule, right. At first you say that such and such will never happen, but later it does. (That’s a character in a romance novel; in a gen fict novel or in real life, it might be vice versa. But that’s not fun.) Thomas Jefferson, who was obviously a slave owner, and certainly part of the Anglo intellectual experience, is somebody I read about in this book about Black vs Anglo culture in 18th century Virginia. At one point he wrote a letter to his daughter, assigning her a schedule (really almost a monastic rule of life): she was to spend X minutes/half hours reading in English, Y amount in French, and take breaks only at prescribed intervals, etc. Obviously there is some use sometimes to regularity if one agrees to or creates it oneself, and I suppose there is a minimum amount of regularity to a good life. But the 100% planned 24/7/365 intellectual monasticism Tom tried to apply to his daughter would be totally inappropriate and unrealistic even as a self-created plan for self-control, you know.

Sex can be unreasonable, and sometimes is, not least for taking place in a shame-filled, often unreasonable world. But sometimes what we are shamed about IS what’s good about sex, which is sometimes what can seem peripheral to it, or even the cost involved.

…. I do think it is a straight (non-adventure) romance, even if it isn’t the sort of ‘sheltered’ setting that often implies. It’s the romance of people living in a violent, challenging setting, and that violence can kinda interrupt and influence the plot, but I don’t think that the struggle for life itself becomes a real rival for the struggle for love, the way it would be if you were looking to find out who killed the great god Pan, and spared a look sideways at your sidekick along the way; the physical attacks/lack of safety are just an obstacle to overcome on the way to love, and not a really independent sort of plot influence; there are different kinds of books, of course.

…. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that a system built on raid & pillage, slash-and-burn-down-to-the-bottom—the confiscation of Native land—developed into a sort of crook-capitalism with a lot of fraud and irregularity, you know. We burned everything that was there before, and often rush-built rather primitive stuff on the ash and rubble. The ‘old west’.

But it’s nice to have the whole finance crisis as the end is coming up. The old elite, the old guard politeness police, decline to talk about money—‘I’m rich, but I hardly notice’—but romance does have a lot to do with prosperity. Pentacles and cups are both feminine.

…. I used to think that the whole Jane Eyre plot thing that people like, where you inherit money when you’ve discovered the secret of life or whatever, was silly, “unrealistic”, because really it’s all “random”, and anyway what people like can’t be good; but now I think that that is how money comes sometimes, even today but especially back then, by inheritance, and really despite all the nonsense of life, some of which we can’t control, a great portion of it is voluntary, and when you learn the secret of things, life promotes you.

You *know* I have to read a historical romance series with my name in it. Lucky me, I thought this was great! It was surprisingly lacking in drama. Every time I thought there was a barrier rising up between Mariah and Logan, I was wrong. Instead things work out pretty smoothly and there’s really interesting true history woven in to boot. So no soap opera here. Just true love in a sort of cowboy Cinderella setup.

I freely admit to knowing next to nothing about Pre-Civil War America. I learned enough in school to skate by on history tests, but it wasn't a topic covered in great depth until High School when you could take the specific history class for it. So a lot of the 'topical' discussions that went on throughout the story, specifically people and laws, I later went on to look up (when I first read the book I mean, not this re-read). Within the context of the story since Belle is from the South and obviously wouldn't be hearing about famous African-Americans (let alone famous female African-Americans), she had to learn all about them too so the reader is given a good overview of the people's importance.

I liked this book for its simplicity. There wasn't anything very complex about the relationships or people. The shrew acted like a shrew, the oily newcomer acted like the oily newcomer and the good folk acted like good folk. There's no gray area in other words.

The romance between Belle and Daniel starts slowly and you can see how their friendship slowly progressed. Even though Belle begins in something akin to hero worship of Daniel (well of his entire family for that matter), she quickly overcomes that and realizes that it was more important to be his friend then to have aspirations to being his ladylove. She sought his approval, but she basked equally in his praise as his parents' praise.

There is a certain just consequences to the actions of nearly everyone. Without spoiling it, Daniel's fiancee learns a hard lesson about toying with people.

Comparatively speaking this book was a little more daring then Samantha and the Cowboy, but still within tame boundaries of a young adult novel (considering Belle begins the story at 16 and ends it around 17 or so).

It's been so long since we've been to Henry Adams it took a while to clock who everyone was. Ms Bev did a pretty good job in catching us up to speed. Big changes are coming to the town as they keep losing their young people to places more exciting. Rev Paula finally gets someone to take care of her, Bernadine and Mal tie the knot, and Preston has a lot of stuff that he navigates well.

Always a pleasure to visit these people and I hope we don't have to wait so long for the next one!

Love This Series

I read the books out of order so I am rereading again. I love how it gives life lessons without being preachy

This book just did not make sense. The plot didn't work. The characters were contradictory. Most of the time, I was scratching my head, trying to figure out what the conflict was because it would evaporate after a couple of chapters.

First of all, Mariah's mother and aunt don't talk. But after one argument, she runs away to her aunt's. Again, these women haven't talked in years, yet the aunt lives in the same town, and Mariah knows exactly where it is. Not only that, it's clear she's visited her aunt before. How can she do that and have never asked why the two don't get along? She waited 30 years, until the reader opens the book, to ask that question. Without giving too much away, I can assure you, it was the dumbest reason.

So, Mariah leaves for California and vows to never be a pushover ever again. Here's the thing: when someone's been verbally and physically abused for their entire life, they don't magically get better and never have another issue. Mariah just decided she wasn't going to be depressed anymore, and then she wasn't. Truly miraculous without the help of drugs, and I don't buy it for a second.

This is a pattern throughout the book, and it's disappointing because I can't get invested in their growth. There's also no growth, except the miracle turnaround of Mariah. What's even more obnoxious is that there isn't a climactic moment! There's no point where you think the hero and heroine won't end up together. Nothing to make you clench the book and wonder how on earth they're going to resolve it in 30 pages. And then no payoff. It was all very bland.

Logan's mom was the only cool part of this book. I'd read more with just her in it. She single-handedly saved this book from getting only 1 star.

There's a lot more than just the holidays happening in Henry Adams. There's romance afoot and several weddings. Who's getting married? First up is Gary Clark and his high-school sweetheart, Eleanor "Nori" Price, and next is the long-awaited union of Malachi "Mal" July and Bernadine Brown. If that's not enough, romance is definitely in the air between Rev. Paula Grant and Henry Adams newcomer, Thornton "Thorn" Webb, chef for the new restaurant The Three Spinsters, as well as between Gemma Dahl and Mike Freewater. But all is not holiday cheer and romance, Preston Mays Payne and his girlfriend, Leah Clark, have broken up. Apparently Leah is concerned that Preston will discover "beautiful" girls at MIT and kick her to the curb, so she decides to be proactive and end their relationship early. Preston isn't sure how to react to Leah's decision, but he's also trying to respect it despite disagreeing with it. Things are changing, sometimes for the better and sometimes not, for all of the residents of Henry Adams in A Christmas to Remember, the eleventh addition to the Blessings series by Beverly Jenkins.

I love the Blessings series by Beverly Jenkins and have read it at least seven times. Even if I don't enjoy the rural life, I'm a huge fan of this small rural town. Bernadine Brown bought (yes I said bought!) the town of Henry Adams, Kansas on eBay several years ago. She helped breathe new life into this dying town by bringing in foster parents and children. Under her guidance and courtesy of her wealth (her divorce settlement allows her great latitude in spreading her largesse), Henry Adams has town-wide WiFi, street lights, paved roads, a new community center, a new school, a new community swimming pool, a grocery store, an updated diner, a fire station, and more. The foster children have all been adopted by their foster parents and some have established relationships with their birth parents. New families have been attracted to the township and more are potentially coming. There's a new mayor, Sheila Payne, who's trying to get Henry Adams declared a historic location as well as help local farmers via wind farming initiatives. There's a local beauty and barber shop being operated by Crystal Chambers Brown's friend, Kelly "Kiki" Douglass. Kelly's husband is finishing up at a regional community college and is going into business with former town mayor and auto repair shop owner, Trenton July. Even with all of the growth in the town, the romances are still the big ticket items, and Mal and Bernadine's on-again-off-again relationship is closely watched by all.

It has been a pleasure seeing the emotional growth and development of all of the people in Henry Adams. Most residents have embraced the change, and a few long for things the way they were in the past (very few). I was elated when Bernadine forgave Mal in On the Corner of Hope and Main and proposed to him. They still have a few bumps to deal with in their relationship, but they love one another and are committed to growing together. Preston and Leah's relationship ending was a bit of a surprise, but it will be interesting to see how their story develops. Has Reverend Paula found the man she's been praying for? Will Gemma's relationship develop into something more permanent? Then there's Clay Dobbs, Marie Jefferson, fire chief Luis Alvarez, and others who are currently without partners. In A Christmas to Remember we also learn that Tamar has a lifelong secret admirer. If this series continues (please let the series continue for at least a few more books), it'll be interesting to see how things develop for the tweens, teens, and adults in this lovely rural town. For those of you who have read previous books in the Blessings series, I'm sure you've already pre-ordered your copy of A Christmas to Remember. I've pre-ordered a digital and print copy for myself and a print copy for my 88-y.o. mother. (FYI: I don't celebrate Christmas but I thoroughly enjoyed this story!) If you haven't discovered the joy that is the Blessings Series, I urge you to begin with Bring on the Blessings through A Christmas to Remember. I can't wait to revisit Henry Adams, Kansas, and all its residents in the future, whether it's via new books in this series or simply re-reading the entire series for the eighth time.

Happy reading, y'all!

This review originally posted on 09/25/2023 at https://thebookdivasreads.com/2023/09/25/book-review-a-christmas-to-remember-by-....

Title: A Christmas to Remember
Author: Beverly Jenkins
Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager, William Morrow Paperbacks
Series: Blessings Book 11
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"A Christmas to Remember" by Beverly Jenkins
My Sentiments:

'A Christmas to Remember' was a lovely read about what happened during this Christmas season in the small town of Henry Adams, Kansas. The story was standalone; however, I suggest that you read the series because there are many characters that I would like to know more about. This is series eleven. But it was still quite an exciting story. It had plenty of drama with emotions all over the place where we see people coming and going in the fantastic town along with some great people.

It was a beautiful read of how this town showed the reader how this place was getting ready for this holiday season...with couples that found love, forever homes for foster children, and big plans for this Christmas season. How will things go for Henry Adams as the new chef, Thornton Webb, who arrives a little early? I don't want to leave out Mayor Sheila, Rev. Paul Grant, Bernadine Brown, Malachi July, Tina Craig, and other interesting characters that give the readers one fantastic series. This was indeed 'A Christmas to Remember' for the town of Henry Adams.

Thank you to Net Gallery and the publisher for the early ARC read and for giving my opinion.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed a copy of this on audiobook from my library.

Thoughts: For the most part I really enjoyed this. I loved all the history that is covered here and the relationship between Hester and Galen is respectful and steamy.

This story follows Hester, who was born into slavery and then sold into freedom at a young age. Hester was raised by her aunt who helped run the underground slave railroad; transporting escaped slaves from the south to Michigan and steps into this role when her aunt dies. Things have been going smoothly until a famous conductor named the "Black Daniel" ends up under her care. Sparks fly as Hester and the Black Daniel get to know each other. Hester backs off when she finds out that the Black Daniel is actually a wealthy man named Galen Vachon. When Galen is forced to flee, Hester goes on with her life not expecting him to turn up ever again.

I really loved all the history here. I learned more about the US during the slave era than I had previously known (or maybe I had known it but forgotten it). While this is primarily a romance, Jenkins does focus on the political events happening at the time and delves into the trials and tribulations these black families went through.

The romance between Hester and Galen is well done. It's a relationship that develops over time and is founded on respect, which I really enjoyed. There are many steamy scenes in here that are decently done, not super creative and sometimes the flowery descriptions made me roll my eyes, but well done.

There is a nice side story about a bounty hunter that comes up from the South that is pestering Hester. This adds a touch of danger to the story. Things never get really dire or dangerous but this does make the story more engaging.

My main issue with this story was with Hester as a character. She was just too naive and good to be real and comes off as way too perfect throughout. She has been through a lot in her life but she acts as if she hasn't. Her excellent composure under high stress situations is at odds with her supposed naivete and I struggled to understand her character.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well narrated. The narrator did sound a bit stiff but I got used to that over time.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. There is some excellent history in here and the two main characters have excellent chemistry together. I enjoyed the blend of historical events, romance, and the danger of having to evade the attention of a bounty hunter. The only thing I didn't enjoy was Hester as the main character, she came off as way too naive and perfect throughout. I will definitely look at picking up more of Jenkins' books when I am in the mode for a good historical romance.

Miss Bev does it again. This time she takes our leads from Forbidden, the first book in the series, to Arizona in a truly awful but realistic way in the prologue. It's now 15 years later and our MCs, originally seen as 12 and 18 respectively, are now adults who have learned some tough life lessons and are ready for love. Besides a tender romance, we also get a great glimpse into 1885 events, see some evolution of stories in the first book, and get a real feel for life at that time. The third book is also set up here and I look forward to reading it.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I didn’t really take to the main characters until they were past the ‘enemies’ stage and on to ‘lovers’. It just felt like they were taking turns poking each other with sticks or something. And the heroine seemed especially “sassy”. I liked the class difference though and that the heroine was capable. And I particularly liked all the history worked in. So a pretty solid ending to the series.

Historical fiction is one of my most favorite reads, coupled with romance, mystery and true events makes for good storytelling. Well, this rings true with Beverly Jenkins’ novels. The LeVeq series is all about the characters, and it’s historical facts. Captured is the third book in the series, and then the characters segway into the Woman Who dare series. I’m truly a fan and will continue reading her books packed with her great writing skills.

I enjoyed the pirate, Dominic LeVeq and Clare Sullivan. The background stories of the crewman is great storytelling. The capturing and selling of children by slavers from the continent of Africa was a reality that we have endured in our legacy. Severing ties to our families. It appears that the black and or African male has so much to risk in their everyday lives for survival and freedom of being, either in the past or now and the future.

Ok, now I’m ranting. The dark stories temporarily distracts and transforms you by the romance between the two main characters, whom

Once again, Jenkins has introduced historical facts into the story, such as a slave named James Somerset who’d won his freedom back in 1772. The British judge presiding over the case declared slavery to be so odious that not even law could support it. The controversial ruling didn’t force slave owners in the colonies to free their captives, it did call into question the legality of bringing captives into England.

The vivid description of the Cuba homestead of Dominic was breathtaking. It made me want to take a trip there. The planning and plotting to rescue Clare’s children began in chapter eleven. Will Dominic LeVeq do it? Will Clare remain free? Will Eduard and Nancine receive their due?

This was a page turner that never got boring and kept me engaged.

A great end to the series. Happy that this book didn't spend a lot of time putting our couple in danger but focused on them bridging their different worlds. Also lovely having a LeVeq guest appearance!

It's been a long wait but the latest Blessings novel was worth it! This time around, we follow the town preparing to elect a new mayor, while the romance in this one is Bernadine finding a way around her feelings of anger to take a second chance with Mal. It's always a treat to re-enter the world of Henry Adams. Beverly Jenkins has done a fantastic job with this world she's built and I hope to keep visiting for years to come.

We have the unruly Julys return, as well as Leo, Bernadine's clueless ex. We get to see Leo and old nemeses Riley and his hog Cletus get their comeuppances in delightful ways. We learn about a big secret about one of town's most tight-lipped residences, we see new resident Robyn start to come to terms with her past and be part of the community, and most delightfully we see Sheila Payne move into her self. There's the usual fun moments with the various residents as well.

There's a question in the section for book club discussions that ask if this series is played out. Hell no! I can't wait to have Tina move to town and I can't wait to spend more time with the chefs that get introduced in this one. I want more of the Rev Paula and the people working to build the new restaurant and B&B. This series shows us at our best - trying to help even if sometimes we're not being able to but at least making the attempt, and more importantly, people loving each other and seeing that love transform others. I truly hope Miss Bev isn't tired of this world yet, because I'm not.

Miss Bev does it again! Spring is wonderful. She does it all and takes no guff from anyone. And then she meets "cinnamon roll" Garrett, who is an utterly delight. Love the world, the supporting characters, and the story. I look forward to the next one in this series!

When I ran across this book, I was surprised to see Beverly Jenkins writing a contemporary story. I read the description and I was all in. Loved the premise, love the beautifully drawn characters, love the world-building, and really loved the story told. Can't recommend this enough.

As always Ms, Bev knows how to tell a story. Raven and Brax are a wonderfully even match for one another. I loved how they both started the story wary of one another but were able to see just how much the other had to offer. The beginning was a tiny bit slow to start, but once the story began, it moved at a fast pace! I kept sneaking off to read more so I could find out what happened next. Like all of her other books, Ms. Bev fills the story with history in such a way that you learn by accident. If she had been in charge of writing my history text books in high school, I'd know a lot more about our past. Reading one of her novels just makes me want to read another.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy

Colton Lee has come to Wyoming to interview a black doctor there, for his father's black newspaper. When he gets lost in a snowstorm he encounters the Doctor's sister Spring and the two of them begin to spark. He has plans for his future back home back east but she has carved a life out in Wyoming for herself that she is determined to maintain. Can they work a relationship, particularly when their families get involved.
Good fun with a very determined and competent female lead.

Sadly, I'm going to have to bail on this one. The author head-hops between the two main characters nearly constantly when they're together and it is driving me up the wall. I was the first scene into the third chapter, only 8% into the story. I'm glad It's a library book.

I don’t know why I’ve never read anything by this author, but here we are. And I really enjoyed this. For obvious reasons, I don’t love reading about slavery and what people like me went through during that point in time in American history. But again … here we are.

Rhine meets and rescues Eddy from the middle of the Nevada desert. She’s on her way to California to make a new life for herself when she runs into some trouble. She’s forced to stay in Nevada for awhile and grows to really love the town and the people. Including Rhine. To her eyes, they can’t be because he’s white and she’s black. But what she doesn’t know is that he was slave born and has been passing for white his whole life.

Rhine and Eddy have the chemistry from the start. He was a powerful and respected man around town, yet very generous and compassionate. Eddy had a hard time resisting him just as he had a hard time resisting her fire and sass. But the two have a lot to overcome and navigating the race issue becomes tricky. But in the end, love wins and they get their HEA.

The book was important in so many ways. It opens the readers eyes to the realities black people endured around the time of the civil war. And even though this is fiction and there was a happy ending, there was still the reality of limits. Boundaries. Things that Rhine could do as a white man that disappeared when he was not a white man. That part was sad. That a happy ending can only be so happy for them because of the world they lived in.

Valinda Lacy's mission in the steamy heart of New Orleans is to help the newly emancipated community survive and flourish. But soon she discovers that here, freedom can also mean danger. When thugs destroy the school she has set up and then target her, Valinda runs for her life-and straight into the arms of Captain Drake LeVeq.

Since residing in the south, I learned that kitchens were not part of the main residence of a home, but a separate building perhaps connected by a breezeway. This was an unknown fact for me.

A ragtag supremacist group called Protectors of the South made up of illiterate poor White men, determined to turn back time, and terrorizes Drake Le Veq. I was so moved by the forty plus men, mounted and on foot, who put themselves in danger to protect and aid the Le Veq’s in the stance against Supremacists.

The novel touches on several subjects, such as miscegenation (the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types), Freedmen’s Bureau, Black Civil War veterans, familiar issues, and passing.

The Le Veq Family is introduced in previous novels by Jenkins in Through the Storm (the first book in the Le Veq Family series), Winds of the Storm (the second boon in the series), and Captured (the third book in the series). Again, Beverly Jenkins keeps me captivated, entertained and learning. The next read in the Women Who Dare series is Wild Rain.½