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dinipandareads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
TL;DR: I can proudly call myself a historical romance girlie now because I've finally read a Bev Jenkins historical romance! 😂 I'm ashamed it took me so long to pick one up, even if I've read one of her contemporary romantic suspense novellas before. And what everyone says is true—this was fantastic! Not only was this delightfully sensual and heartwarming but I learned so much about parts of American history that were completely new to me (and perhaps will be to other readers as well). I'm so glad I've already got more Bev Jenkins on my Kindle because I'll be reading more this year!
What a freaking journey we went through in this book. I loved every moment with Maggie and Ian—even the ones when they were stupidly happy in love and everything was going perfectly, and I was gritting my teeth expecting hell to follow suit. It kind of did but also not on the dramatic scale I was expecting and I was perfectly okay with that! We wind our way from East to West, from train to train, and small town to mid-city in this romance. I loved the scenes of the Wild West and Jenkins' writing makes it so easy to picture each location and scene. The story isn't typical in the sense that there's not one main conflict or one main antagonist but several of them who come in the form of nasty, rage-inducing bigoted asshats, racists and misogynists. It kept me on my toes (slightly in dread) wondering who they'd encounter next and which one of them assholes would come back and stupidly try for revenge against the complete ass-whoopin' Ian serves them time and again. Surely, it was the dumbest of the lot although they were all spectacularly dumb, lol.
Our main characters and many of the side characters were fantastic. I especially loved Charlie and the quick connection he forged with Maggie. It was adorable but then again, Maggie was INCREDIBLE. She's one helluva FMC and an absolute force to be reckoned with. I adored her spunk, sass, smarts, and her will to keep getting back up each time she’d get viciously knocked down. I hated everything that she had to endure but it also made me adore and admire her more. She was an absolute delight and a whirlwind and it’s no wonder that Ian fell head over feet in love with her because mate, SAME! 😍 Ian was also a fantastic MMC. He was so multifaceted and I loved uncovering something new about him with each new acquaintance of his we meet throughout the book. From outlaw turned lawman, he had a generous soul and a kind heart but took no prisoners when it came to defending those who needed it and getting justice for those who deserved it. Plus, he was a total simp fool for Maggie and I loved seeing his walls crumble and those waves of emotion come crashing in. That thing he said about the books? About completing his soul? Swoontastic perfection. Yes! 😭🥹
They have a fierce and tender love and oh boy, does Jenkins know how to write passionately steamy passages that drip with sensuality! 🥵 I can’t recall the last time I read sexy scenes written like this but it was done in such a tastefully erotic way. Their romance was a delightful slow burn and their passion, chemistry and connection were built up so beautifully as the story progressed. I loved it so much.
As I mentioned, I also learned so much about facets of American history that I'd heard little mention of or not heard of at all before. This was so educational and I wanted more. It was refreshing (and also shocking and infuriating) to read about the side of American history from BIPOC perspectives and stories. Several events mentioned almost sent me spiralling down a Wikipedia black hole to learn more about the saddening and maddening historical events Jenkins mentions throughout the book. I also loved the diversity in this and it was so refreshing to see BIPOC in a historical romance because YES, we existed! 😂
Clearly, my prediction that Jenkins would become a new favourite author this year was accurate and I couldn't be happier. I’m so glad I have plenty more of her romances lined up on my Kindle and ready to be read. 😍
What a freaking journey we went through in this book. I loved every moment with Maggie and Ian—even the ones when they were stupidly happy in love and everything was going perfectly, and I was gritting my teeth expecting hell to follow suit. It kind of did but also not on the dramatic scale I was expecting and I was perfectly okay with that! We wind our way from East to West, from train to train, and small town to mid-city in this romance. I loved the scenes of the Wild West and Jenkins' writing makes it so easy to picture each location and scene. The story isn't typical in the sense that there's not one main conflict or one main antagonist but several of them who come in the form of nasty, rage-inducing bigoted asshats, racists and misogynists. It kept me on my toes (slightly in dread) wondering who they'd encounter next and which one of them assholes would come back and stupidly try for revenge against the complete ass-whoopin' Ian serves them time and again. Surely, it was the dumbest of the lot although they were all spectacularly dumb, lol.
Our main characters and many of the side characters were fantastic. I especially loved Charlie and the quick connection he forged with Maggie. It was adorable but then again, Maggie was INCREDIBLE. She's one helluva FMC and an absolute force to be reckoned with. I adored her spunk, sass, smarts, and her will to keep getting back up each time she’d get viciously knocked down. I hated everything that she had to endure but it also made me adore and admire her more. She was an absolute delight and a whirlwind and it’s no wonder that Ian fell head over feet in love with her because mate, SAME! 😍 Ian was also a fantastic MMC. He was so multifaceted and I loved uncovering something new about him with each new acquaintance of his we meet throughout the book. From outlaw turned lawman, he had a generous soul and a kind heart but took no prisoners when it came to defending those who needed it and getting justice for those who deserved it. Plus, he was a total simp fool for Maggie and I loved seeing his walls crumble and those waves of emotion come crashing in. That thing he said about the books? About completing his soul? Swoontastic perfection. Yes! 😭🥹
They have a fierce and tender love and oh boy, does Jenkins know how to write passionately steamy passages that drip with sensuality! 🥵 I can’t recall the last time I read sexy scenes written like this but it was done in such a tastefully erotic way. Their romance was a delightful slow burn and their passion, chemistry and connection were built up so beautifully as the story progressed. I loved it so much.
As I mentioned, I also learned so much about facets of American history that I'd heard little mention of or not heard of at all before. This was so educational and I wanted more. It was refreshing (and also shocking and infuriating) to read about the side of American history from BIPOC perspectives and stories. Several events mentioned almost sent me spiralling down a Wikipedia black hole to learn more about the saddening and maddening historical events Jenkins mentions throughout the book. I also loved the diversity in this and it was so refreshing to see BIPOC in a historical romance because YES, we existed! 😂
Clearly, my prediction that Jenkins would become a new favourite author this year was accurate and I couldn't be happier. I’m so glad I have plenty more of her romances lined up on my Kindle and ready to be read. 😍
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Slavery, Police brutality, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent
Mentions of mob violence and lynching, mentions of forced assimilation and residential schoolsunsuccessfulbookclub's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Did you order a bananas Western with a heavy helping of history? You got it!
Ian Vance, our MMC, is an outlaw turned U.S. Marshal and quite honestly he has just *had it* with all of the bs (same, Ian, same). He is the illegitimate son of the daughter of a Scottish duke and a Black sailor, and thus was raised in Scotland on the edges of society, educated in Edinburgh, and then left to find his fortune in America.
Maggie Freeman, our FMC, is a Black and Indigenous woman whose parents died when she was 12. Since then she has been making her own (very hard) way in Kansas.
In typical Beverly Jenkins fashion, this book is all-gas-no-brakes on plot. It has numerous shootouts, a kidnapping, a couple of murders, and lots of banging between the leads (it’s full of euphemisms, though, be forewarned). I loved Maggie - she is fiery and takes absolutely no sh*t - while Ian is a man of few words who lets his actions speak for themselves. It is gritty and violent and it does have several racial slurs on page (challenged, of course). It reads like an action movie and would be an amazing miniseries.
👍🏻Recommended! If you like Westerns with lots of plot and you’re interested in the American West as well as diverse historical romance, get into this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault