Tag: Beverly Jenkins

Review: Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins

Posted October 25, 2021 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Forbidden by Beverly JenkinsReviewer: Holly
Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins
Series: Old West #1
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: January 26, 2016
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: Alternating Third Person
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Historical Romance, Westerns
Pages: 389
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Holly's 2021 Goodreads Challenge, Holly's 2021 New to Me Challenge
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

USA Today bestselling author Beverly Jenkins returns with the first book in a breathtaking new series set in the Old West

Rhine Fontaine is building the successful life he's always dreamed of—one that depends upon him passing for White. But for the first time in years, he wishes he could step out from behind the façade. The reason: Eddy Carmichael, the young woman he rescued in the desert. Outspoken, defiant, and beautiful, Eddy tempts Rhine in ways that could cost him everything . . . and the price seems worth paying.

Eddy owes her life to Rhine, but she won't risk her heart for him. As soon as she's saved enough money from her cooking, she'll leave this Nevada town and move to California. No matter how handsome he is, no matter how fiery the heat between them, Rhine will never be hers. Giving in for just one night might quench this longing. Or it might ignite an affair as reckless and irresistible as it is forbidden . . .

My book club chose Forbidden for this month. I am not a fan of historical Westerns in general. I did really enjoy this one, however. As a friend pointed out, this felt more like a small-town contemporary romance set in the old West, rather than a true Western. While that may not appeal to some, it definitely appealed to me.

I really loved Eddy. She was such a smart, capable woman who stood by her convictions and worked hard for a better future, I easily connected with her. She stood up for herself and wasn’t willing to compromise her ethics or morals, which was lovely. She also had a great sense of humor.

I didn’t care for Rhine as much. I’m not exactly sure why Eddy was fixated on him. She didn’t seem the type to be swayed by the physical only, yet I didn’t see much of a connection between them outside of good ol’ sexual chemistry. He did do a lot of good for the community, but he was such an ass that I really had a hard time liking him.

Forbidden is a well-written, easy-to-read novel. I loved the town, the secondary characters, and Eddy. I even liked the romance. I just wished she’d ended up with someone else.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Old West

four-stars


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Booksgiving with Book Binge: Day 14

Posted November 20, 2018 by Rowena in Giveaways | 10 Comments

November is a month of giving and a month of sharing so we had a thought. We’ve been at this book blogging thing for over eleven years now and to show our appreciation for all of you lovely readers taking this journey with us, we’ve got books to give away! We’re making this a month of Booksgiving and we hope you’ll join us.

Today’s giveaway includes the following:

Wilde in Love by Eloisa James
The Duke of Her Desire by Sophie Barnes
Tempest by Beverly Jenkins

To enter, please use the Gleam widget below. All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post, answering the question included in the widget and you are good to go.

Booksgiving with Book Binge, Day 14

What’s the last song you heard recently that you enjoyed and why?

Good luck!


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Booksgiving with Book Binge: Day 9

Posted November 13, 2018 by Rowena in Giveaways | 11 Comments

November is a month of giving and a month of sharing so we had a thought. We’ve been at this book blogging thing for over eleven years now and to show our appreciation for all of you lovely readers taking this journey with us, we’ve got books to give away! We’re making this a month of Booksgiving and we hope you’ll join us.

Today’s giveaway includes the following:

Chasing Lady Amelia by Maya Rodale
Bliss by Lynsay Sands
Breathless by Beverly Jenkins

To enter, please use the Gleam widget below. All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post, answering the question included in the widget and you are good to go.

Booksgiving with Book Binge, Day 9

Who made a positive difference in your life recently?

Good luck!


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Review: Destiny’s Surrender by Beverly Jenkins

Posted September 24, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

The child he didn’t know he had . . .

Andrew Yates has come to a decision: it’s time to stop sowing those oats and start a family. But searching for a bride isn’t as simple as he’d hoped, and many of the respectable women of his acquaintance feel . . .lacking. Then beautiful, feisty Wilhelmina “Billie” Wells arrives at the family ranch with a toddler in her arms, claiming Drew is the father!

The woman he didn’t know he loved . . .

Billie had no choice but to show up at Destiny in search of Drew. For the sake of their child, she’s willing to leave him with his father so the boy can have a better life, but then, before she can blink, she’s saying “I do” in front of a preacher in a marriage of convenience. All Billie and Drew have in common is the heat that brought them together, but can their sizzling passion lead to an everlasting love?

Drew had been making time with Billie – a whore in San Francisco – for about 2 years. He takes off for Mexico with the thought that he would find himself a wife. He doesn’t have any luck but when he returns he sees Rosaline Ruiz and starts courting her. He heads to the bordello where Billie works but she’s gone. He’s told by Prince DuChance, son of the owner of the bordello, that he has no idea where she is – which is a lie.

Billie has been a whore for almost 10 years and she’s not ashamed of what she does. When she finds out she’s pregnant she obviously has no idea who the father is but she decides that she wants to keep the baby but asks Pearl, owner of the bordello the Black Pearl, if she can find a good home for the child. Pearl agrees that Billie will give up the child when it’s a year (as so many babies didn’t live longer than that). She works on her back until she starts to show and then does work around the bordello scrubbing floors and other work. When she’s in her 7th month she goes to live with Addy who was the housekeeper at the bordello. She’s treated well there and when she gives birth she’s immediately attached to the child – something she had no idea would happen. When she sees the birthmark on the child’s back that is an exact replica of the one that Drew has on his back she immediately knows who the father of her child is. When Prince DuChance comes to get the baby after a year Billie doesn’t want to give him up and runs to save herself and her child, Antonio.

Billie heads to Drew’s family home (I think somewhere around Stockton, maybe?) for protection for her child but interrupts Drew’s engagement party. Drew isn’t exactly happy to see Billie even though he once treated her like a queen. When she says that the toddler is his he flips out and gets angry but not as angry as he gets when his fiance’s mother breaks off his engagement. Drew and Billie are barely civil to each other but end up getting married and eventually come to grips with the rest of their lives. Drew starts to see Billie as the kind, giving woman that she is and Billie starts to see some of the man that she fell in love with years ago. Unfortunately with Prince DuChance still after Billie life will not be quiet.

The main characters:

Drew was what I would think of a regular guy. Though his family had wealth he worked as a lawyer and enjoyed it greatly. He wasn’t a man tied down to a woman so being with Billie whenever he felt like it was great. He was so kind to her – buying her pretty clothes, giving her side money that her madam didn’t know about, teaching her to read, it was all very sweet. That was until Billie ruined his engagement. Wow – did that guy have a temper, or what? Of course he met his temper match in Billie but I still thought he could have been nicer. Once he wrapped his mind around things and finally realized that his life had changed completely he opened himself up to his feelings for her and turned into a nice guy again.

Billie was wonderful. I so liked that woman. She had gumption and she wasn’t about to let anyone bring her down. She wasn’t ashamed of being a whore – even after she was married to a wealthy land/ranch owner. She knew who she was and you could take it or leave it. She loved wholeheartedly and that gave her many gold stars in my book. 

The secondary characters were no less interesting.  We met Drew’s mother who was a wonderful grandmother, Drew’s brother and sister-in-law and a couple of minor additions to the story.  All of them were well written.

The way the book was written we got excitement and intrigue at the beginning and the end of the book and then romance and settling in at the ranch in the middle. The middle wasn’t any less good but it was definitely more staid than the other two parts. This was my first book by Beverly Jenkins and I’ll be picking up more of hers in the future (I have to find out what happens with Drew’s brother, Noah!).

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Beverly Jenkins


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What I Read Last Week (Finally!)

Posted August 8, 2013 by Tracy in Features | 3 Comments

Oh my goodness I’m so behind! Between my hubby being gone (he’s on his yearly trip to Sturgis) which means I’m a single mom and my boss coming back from vacation I’ve been one busy girl. I’m finally getting this post up – better late than never, right?

The excitement for last week was…my oldest got her hair colored and is now a blonde. Wow. I can’t believe how different she looks. I really like it but yet am having a hard time getting used to it. I loved her hair color before because it had so many different shades in it. Ah well they all grow up. This home dye job was a chore as we colored her hair and since she’d previously had a purple semi-permanent in it some of her ends turned green. Lovely. lol Besides that it looked good though! 🙂 My hairdresser fixed it up and 3 hours, my right arm and half of my left leg later voila – a blonde. lol

Here’s before and after:

And here’s a picture of her in black and white that I just love cuz she’s got a true smile on her face:

My first read for the week was Dead Sexy Dragon by Lolita Lopez. This is the first story in a new series and it’s a novella. The story was about a centuries old dragon that is in heat when his dead best friends sister shows up and needs his help. You can guess what happens but we also learn a lot of back story so I liked it. I’ll post my review for this one soon. 3.75 out of 5

Can’t Help Falling in Love by Bella Andre is book 3 in The Sullivan series and is Gabe’s story. He tries not to fall for a woman that he saved from a fire because he doesn’t date his rescue victims and Megan doesn’t date men with dangerous jobs. That works out for a while but soon Gabe is intent on changing Megan’s mind. This was the best book of the series so far – good stuff. You can read my full review here on Book Binge and there’s a giveaway going until 8/15/13 – I think) 4 out of 5  

Ad-Dick-tion Vol 3 by a variety of author (see them here) was a mostly m/m erotic romance short story anthology. I really liked most of the stories with a couple that I could have done without. I liked reading stuff from new-to-me authors. 3.75/4 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

Destiny’s Surrender by Beverly Jenkins is the story of a prostitute who has a wealthy man’s baby. She tries to save her child and herself by seeking his assistance but ends up married to him instead. I really liked the story. I was surprised at some things and loved others. My first read from this author. 3.75 out of 5 (releases 9/24/13)

Salvage by Meljean Brook is a novella found in the Enthralled anthology. I do plan on reading the other stories but this one I HAD to read. It was the story of Georgiana who has been left time and time again by her husband who is out on his boat doing salvage work. He sends money home but this time has been gone 4 years. She’s just DONE with the man. He unexpectedly washes up on shore by their house and she nurses him back to health with the intention of then getting a divorce. Unfortunately – or fortunately – they get abducted by airship pirates first. This was so very good! I loved Thom and Georgiana both. I loved the situation they were in because it brought them closer. I loved the awesome senses of humor that Brook gives her characters. Can you tell I loved it? lol If you don’t read any others in this novella I definitely think no one should miss this one. 5 out of 5

Last for the week was Demon Marked by Meljean Brook. I was getting ready to read Guardian Demon and thought that I should refresh my memory of events leading up to that book. This was just almost as good as the first time I read it. Ash – a Halfling (part human, part demon) was such an original character and I loved seeing Nicholas come to terms with the fact that what he believed about demons was wrong when it came to Ash. Good stuff. 4.5 out of 5 (it only went down half a point from my original rating)

 

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries
Can’t Help Falling in Love by Bella Andre

Happy Reading!


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