Beverly Jenkins

Destiny’s Captive (Destiny #3)

Destinys Captive

Destiny’s Captive (Destiny #3)

By: Beverly Jenkins

Blurb:

Noah Yates fully believes in the joys of a happy family and a good wife. But that’s not the life for him. No, he would much rather sail the wild seas in search of adventure, not tied down. But then the unthinkable happens . . . he finds himself literally tied down. To a bed. By a woman.

And Pilar isn’t just an ordinary woman. She’s descended from pirates. And after giving him one of the worst nights of his life, she steals his ship! Now Noah is on the hunt, and he’ll stop at nothing to find this extraordinary woman . . . and make her his.

Review:

Destiny’s Captive is the last book in the Destiny series and follows the final Yates brother. Pirates, rebels, PTSD, and Cuban history are all included, and it’s, of course, very well done.

Trigger Warning

Noah was shanghaied on his eighteenth birthday and ended up living through hell. He was starved, given a scar on his face, beaten, and raped. He’s never talked about what happened to him and is an entirely different person than who he was growing up. Dark and brooding and never having fun, then he meets Pilar.

Pilar is part of a group of rebels fighting against the Spanish rule of Cuba. She’s a thief and smuggler. She steals Noah’s boat, and naturally, he tracks her down. She immediately intrigues him, and he proposes almost on the spot.

I’m glad Jenkins included the segregation on the train. It was a reminder of what people had to live with at that time. A lot of the book you feel like you’re in a bubble with the characters, so the dash of realism made Destiny’s Captive better.

I could relate to Pilar’s homesickness. I did think that she got over being a rebel very quickly. It had been her life for a decade, more if you count the fact that her father was one as well. She basically grew up in that world. Then she was told she was being hunted and it would be best if she disappeared, so she did. There was no fight. It was the smart thing to do, but she never even struggled with it, which I found odd for her.

This was an excellent climax to the series. We got to see all of the storylines wrapped up. Seeing Alanza get married was perfect. I do wish we could have seen little novellas of a couple of the minor characters, like Naomi and Pilar’s sister, but it doesn’t seem like those were written. I’m am really looking forward to reading more Beverly Jenkins.

4/5

Advertisement

Destiny’s Surrender (Destiny #2)

Destinys Surrender

Destiny’s Surrender (Destiny #2)

By: Beverly Jenkins

Blurb:

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?

Review:

Billie and Drew were a different couple. Billie was a whore, and Drew was her customer. At the end of Destiny’s Embrace, we saw her have a baby, which turns out to be Drew’s. Before that though, they were both a bit in love with each other, but because of her job, neither acknowledged it. Things, of course, change.

Billie was an interesting character to read. She was a prostitute. In westerns, there’s the trope of a hooker with a heart of gold. They may be good, but they never have a happy ending. It was nice to see that trope changed.

Drew was a lawyer that was starting to have issues practicing law due to racism. Then when he finds out he’s a father, things get worse for him. He’s not really my favorite hero, he came off as a pretty rich boy, but he could have been worse.

Like the Destiny’s Embrace, their romance was pretty quick. They did have years of buildup prior to the book, but once they were forced together, things went super-fast.

One of my favorite parts of the series is seeing their mother’s romance blossom. The conversation she had with Billie about sex was amusing. I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

3/5

Destiny’s Embrace (Destiny #1)

Destinys Embrace

Destiny’s Embrace (Destiny #1)

By: Beverly Jenkins

Blurb:

Gentleman Seeks Housekeeper. Must be willing to travel.

Desperate for another life away from Philadelphia, headstrong and beautiful Mariah Cooper answers an advertisement for a housekeeper at the other end of the continent. Waiting in California is the most breathtaking—and arrogant—man she has ever met…and he’d like nothing better than for Mariah to go back home!

Logan Yates has run Destiny, the family ranch, since he was a boy. He doesn’t need this Eastern miss his stepmother hired, though his home’s chaotic state suggests otherwise. Still, he’s secretly pleased that Mariah gives as good as she gets—and he must fight the urge to take her in his arms and kiss her whenever she proudly stands her ground. But when he’s in danger of losing her, Logan will have to choose between pride…and his heart’s true desire.

Review:

Finally, the justice I wanted! Lol

Mariah is abused by her mother, emotionally and physically. It’s heartbreaking. At the age of thirty, after basically doing everything for her mother, she finally realized the woman would never love her. So she left.

Logan lives in California and desperately needs a housekeeper. For whatever reason, he is pretty lazy when it comes to doing anything domestic. He lets his house become a pigsty and doesn’t build a bunkhouse after a year of not having one. Honestly, I don’t know why that was such a big hurdle for him. It was odd.

Their love story was fast, lasting just about a week. Not too surprising since it happened in the old West and women were very scarce. There were multiple fights, feisty banter, a loving mother, and good friends. All things I love.

I did find Mariah’s almost complete change in temperament a bit hard to believe, but honestly, I enjoyed it. The image of a woman trapped in such a horrible situation; being able to stand up and conquer everything in her way is beautiful.

As soon as I finished this, I immediately downloaded the next in the series. I’m excited to plow through Beverly Jenkins catalog.

4/5