Beverly Jenkins

Sometimes you read the right book at the right time, and in the right format. I think that was important here, because I could take my time, I had pauses for processing, and I snaked my way through this over a week rather than my regular "inhale first, think later."

There was so much to love in this novel; though admittedly, while I loved the overall backdrop - and a book in another Midwest state with excellent geographic details, the way some of the work that Hester dedicated her life to was show more peppered in didn't work as well as some of the slices of the Galen-Hester encounters did. I love the style in general, but it could feel quite abrupt. Again, today that worked for me. In her other works, it hasn't always.

BUT...I LOVED THIS! LOVED. This couple is unforgettable and wonderfully drawn. I really enjoyed this read. show less

Exactly what it says on the tin: Miss Loreli Winters traveled on a wagon train bringing mail order brides to the tiny town on Henks, Kansas. Loreli has no intention of staying, but as she's leaving the celebrations, a pair of twins waylay her and ask her to be their new mama. The two are eight years old and have traveled to the brides celebration on their own, so Loreli decides she will at least get them back home. On the way, she learns that the girls' mother recently died, and they are show more living with their bachelor uncle, Jake Reed. Jake's idea of a good woman is the sour-faced pastor's daughter Rebecca Appleby, who subscribes to the notion that children should be seen and not heard. The twins, Bebe and Dede, do not care for Rebecca, and they have decided that if their uncle won't look for a wife, they will do so on his behalf.

Jake runs into the group on their way back to his farm and he is thunderstruck by Loreli's beauty. Once he manages to get over himself, he notes how well the girls get along with Loreli, in contrast to Rebecca, who usually keeps them when he's away on business. He wants what is best for his nieces, and has already decided against marrying Rebecca, but wants to take his own time and find the ideal wife and mother, which the beautiful and confident Loreli very obviously is not.

Loreli has no notion of being a mother; she's been on her own since she was 14, supporting herself with her daddy's trade (high stakes gambling). She's independently wealthy and definitely knows how to look after #1. She's looking for adventure, but deep down, a little piece of her wants a family to call her own. The twins charm her, and Jake is rather enticing himself. He's her complete opposite - straitlaced, stuffed shirt, dutiful son of a preacher himself, and very content to stay on the same plot of land he was born on.

The twins contrive to bring their reluctant uncle and Miss Loreli together, and eventually he does ask for her hand in marriage - a temporary marriage, that is, so that the girls have a feminine hand in their raising while he's off looking for this ideal woman to be his helpmeet. The idea of Loreli settling down in Henks is pretty shocking to everyone, including Loreli herself, but why not?

The town is divided between those who welcome the new brides and those who shun them. Loreli, the Gambling Queen, is given an especially hostile 'welcome'. She pays them no mind; she takes care of her business and makes plans for her wedding, looking forward to bringing joy into the twins' lives after the trauma of losing their mother.

It's not just the town biddies who are against the marriage (watch as they all line up behind the "scorned" Rebecca), but a few dark secrets from Loreli's past also surface to put her future with Jake and the girls in peril.

I like to think that every ode to, or celebration of, independent women is written for the bevy of Ms Bev's fabulous heroines, who are feisty, confident, and competent in spades. Loreli teaches the twins that they need to know how to do things like open a bank account or order items they need, because they may not have a husband to fall back on. She models a lot of strong ideals for the girls, and the girls and Jake pretty much can't help but fall in love with her. She's right up there with Regan and Billie as one of my favorites heroines, and I'm thrilled to learn that she makes appearances in at least two other novels!

Jake is an excellent stuffed shirt hero. He does not have the worldly experience that Loreli does, but he does not hide behind manly pride (too much) - he is willing to learn what she can teach him, especially when it comes to pleasuring a woman! These two have chemistry out the wazoo and scorch a path through the second half of the book.

I knocked off half a star because the end kinda gets away from the author a little bit; the wedding is disrupted and things just go way off the rails in a myriad of unexpected ways, leading to a third act breakup that really didn't have to happen. This makes the ending feel a bit rushed; some of the strands of secondary stories are dropped (like Bebe racing in The Circle race). But this is a romance novel, and all's well that ends well.

Ms Bev is also known for weaving real history into her novels, and here she touches on not only the mail order bride situation, but also union organizing (extremely prescient to read about in 2025) - not only Pullman porters, but farmers and wage workers who need to make money from their crops in order to support themselves. This was also dropped a bit at the end, but what's here is fascinating!

I would 1000% recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys quieter stories. The drama is all internal - no mystery to solve or fate to overcome or anything like that. Sometimes, in the midst of chaos, it's exactly the sort of escapism that we need. show less

This was an action-packed romantic drama with all of the fixings. Not a moment went by that I wasn't highlighting Jenkins' beautiful prose or well-researched facts about the abolitionist movement. I appreciated that there was no "fixing" of Hester, our selfless and witty protagonist. She's the caretaker of her free ancestors' land in Michigan, aiding and protecting escaped enslaved families in her simple home. She's perfectly happy to settle down with a man who tolerates her but doesn't show more truly love her and dedicate her whole self to the cause, until a (very handsome) fellow conductor arrives injured on her doorstep and begrudgingly needs her help.

There are twists and turns and betrayals and gossip along the way, but at its core the story is about trust and personal freedom. Hester has a community that supports her work, but no-one to appreciate her as a beautiful, desirable woman until Galen falls hard for her sharp tongue and reliability. From there it blooms into a pseudo-Cinderella story-- a dashing hero offering her not just rich gifts and experiences, but also a promise of safety and unbreakable love. There is a lot of steamy romance and temptation coming from this hunk of a fellow, but for the most part, power is always in Hester's hands. Galen is a gentleman who has met his match, and they giggle and banter like an old married couple that will be together for life.

The only plot point that caught me off guard, as some other reviews mentioned, was (minor spoiler) Galen claiming that Hester must wed him in case she's carrying his child. His intentions are good-- he wants to save her from the humiliation of rumors that they're messing around out of wedlock-- but it does feel like a breach of consent. If this is something you can look beyond as a period romance trope, then this book will rock your stockings clean off with the rest of the ride. An excellent read for people dipping their toes, as well as seasoned mudpie makers alike. show less

I received a digital edition of uncorrected proofs courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The final entry into this author's beloved Blessings series, I knew going in that it would likely be both wonderful and a bit sad, and Ms Bev does not disappoint. The town of Henry Adams is growing, whether town owner Bernadine Brown likes it or not, and that's not the only thing changing in her show more life: her daughter Crystal is spreading her wings as well. Elsewhere, Reverend Paula gets married, Tina's B&B is ready to open, and the Three Spinsters fine dining restaurant is unveiled to the world. Over at the Marie Jefferson Academy, the principal decides to move to a no-homework policy, which delights the kids but ruffles a few parents' feathers.

The two main storylines in the novel revolve around town matriarch Tamar, who is nearing the end of her life and finds herself facing some unwelcome truths. We learn what really happened on her wedding day all those years ago, and how the reverberations have rippled down through the generations - both for good, and for bad. And Devon July, desperate to believe he is the anointed one his grandmother proclaimed him to be as a child, learns the hard way that pride goeth before the fall. He makes some spectacularly bad choices and has to do a lot of hard work to make things right again. These stories intertwine because Devon wants to go on the Spirit Quest that Tamar promised him, and she's not so sure he's mature enough to handle it yet.

It's always a little sad when a beloved series comes to an end, especially one that's about an entire community of people. Almost everyone makes at least a cameo appearance here (including Riley and Cletus the pig), and perhaps what's great about this book is that it doesn't feel like the end. It's just another episode in the lives of our beloved Henry Adams townfolk, and the door is left ajar, both for the possibility of a revisit at some point (maybe some novellas or short stories?), and in such a way that it makes me, at least, want to turn right around and begin the series all over again.

Ms Bev even throws in some mentions of historical Henry Adams, mentioning her heroines and heroes from Night Song, Something Like Love, and Wild Sweet Love. It was an absolute honor to have the chance to read this before publication, and I can't wait to buy a copy to complete my collection. show less