A review by ihateprozac
Destiny's Surrender by Beverly Jenkins

4.0

This had so much action and drama and I was living for every second of it! It’s a lot edgier than Beverly Jenkins’ books typically are, and it was a breath of fresh air.

Billie is such a feisty kickass woman who owns her profession as a sex worker, and doesn’t give a fuck what any snooty high society ladies think of it. She’s such a queen and I desperately need to read more HR heroines like her!

I really appreciated that Drew came from a different cultural and socioeconomic background than Billie; it was a joy getting to explore the ranch and their Latinx community! The novel still explores racism and social issues of the time, but this novel focused heavily on Mexican land rights, Drew’s race, as well as the stigma involved in being a sex worker at the time.

I honestly wasn’t sure how Billie and Drew could reconcile after the initial baby shock and subsequent fight, because Drew was a DICK. But the two of them communicated openly and honestly, and both tried to learn and better themselves in different ways. We didn’t have to spend the whole book watching Drew grovel for being an asshole, which was lowkey refreshing. (There was enough going on with the rest of the plot that kept me stressed)

This book was a lot darker than the other Beverly Jenkins’ novels I’ve read, and I was so entertained by the murder/abduction plot! The villain is VILE and the cat & mouse game added a really fun element. I also loved the dashes of occult! As much as I love how comforting and sweet Beverly Jenkins’ romances are, turns out she’s just as good at executing an action plot.

And that ending had me wanting to pick up Noah’s book immediately