{"id":24058,"date":"2019-05-29T08:10:42","date_gmt":"2019-05-29T12:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=24058"},"modified":"2022-10-11T16:59:33","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T16:59:33","slug":"review-rebel-by-beverly-jenkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/29\/review-rebel-by-beverly-jenkins\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f Rebel by Beverly Jenkins"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-24058\" data-postid=\"24058\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-24058 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_bbbcac8 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner gutter-narrow col_align_top tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_49667e8 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_7036296 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/rebel-beverly-jenkins.jpg?w=640\" title=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f Rebel by Beverly Jenkins\" alt=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f Rebel by Beverly Jenkins\">\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_a1982ef customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">Valinda Lacy\u2019s mission in the\u00a0steamy heart of New Orleans is to help the newly emancipated community survive and flourish. But soon she discovers that here, freedom can also mean danger. When thugs destroy the school she has set up and then target her, Valinda runs for her life\u2014and straight into the arms of Captain Drake LeVeq.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">As an architect from an old New Orleans family, Drake has a deeply personal interest in rebuilding the city. Raised by strong women, he recognizes Valinda\u2019s determination. And he can\u2019t stop admiring\u2014or wanting\u2014her.\u00a0But when Valinda\u2019s father demands she return home to marry a man she doesn\u2019t love, her daring rebellion draws Drake into an irresistible intrigue.<\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_23787e9 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_2d1ea91  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img class=\\\"size-full wp-image-16466 aligncenter\\\" src=\\\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/3-hearts.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"135\\\" height=\\\"44\\\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> May 28, 2019<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Women Who Dare<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>1<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Avon Books<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $6.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\"><strong>Valinda Lacey<\/strong> is a northern schoolteacher in New Orleans, helping newly freed slaves learn how to read. She encounters danger as many in the town are not welcome to the new opportunities that are afforded to the newly freed. She meets <strong>Drake Le Veq<\/strong> and his family as they help her out of a jam.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">Her path is set. She will marry a man of choosing who is currently away in Paris for a business venture. Drake\u2019s continuously flirting with her makes it hard for her to focus on trying to find her way in the south. She starts to love it there and envisions a future that is not quite like the one she thought she wanted.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">This story is heavily focused on the sexual tension between Drake and Valinda. The romance is there but it comes a bit later which is unusual for a <em><strong>Beverly Jenkins\u2019s<\/strong><\/em> novel. One of the main conflicts surrounding Val\u2019s desire to stay in New Orleans was the fact that her intended, Cole, was to arrive early and take her back home to wed.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">He finally does show up and the issue is handled with one conversation. We learn of their true relationship so I never understood why it would be an issue since Val knew early on that she was in love with Drake. With the departure of Cole, Val is worried her family won\u2019t approve of her plans to stay in New Orleans. When they arrive it is dealt with in a page or two at the end with a quick resolution after a bit of a twist.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">The issue of the hate group harassing Val went nowhere as well. I truly love Ms. Jenkins\u2019s stories but this is not my favorite. The sexual pull and the intrigue of the town learning how to move forward after the war kept my attention.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">Overall, <em><strong>Beverly Jenkins<\/strong><\/em> is the best in the game for American historical romance featuring African Americans. I would still say it is enjoyable but not completely satistifying. I\u2019m willing to move forward with the rest of the series.<\/p><p><em>~ Samantha<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_eb0616c customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\\\"text-align: center;\\\"><strong><span class=\\\"s1\\\"><a href=\\\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2WxLyVf\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\\\"s2\\\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\\\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/rebel\/id1336069500?mt=11&amp;app=itunes&amp;at=11l88k\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"><span class=\\\"s3\\\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\\\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/rebel-michael-jenkins\/1009048332?ean=9780062861696#\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"><span class=\\\"s3\\\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\\\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/rebel-73\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"><span class=\\\"s3\\\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\\\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Beverly_Jenkins_Rebel?id=T6BrDwAAQBAJ\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\"><span class=\\\"s3\\\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Valinda Lacy\u2019s mission in the\u00a0steamy heart of New Orleans is to help the newly emancipated community survive and flourish. But soon she discovers that here, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,48,50],"tags":[146,307,365,420],"class_list":["post-24058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avon-books","category-reviews","category-samantha","tag-3-stars","tag-historicals","tag-multicultural","tag-romance"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f Rebel by Beverly Jenkins - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/29\/review-rebel-by-beverly-jenkins\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f Rebel by Beverly Jenkins - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Valinda Lacy\u2019s mission in the\u00a0steamy heart of New Orleans is to help the newly emancipated community survive and flourish. 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But soon she discovers that here, freedom can also mean danger. When thugs destroy the school she has set up and then target her, Valinda runs for her life\u2014and straight into the arms of Captain Drake LeVeq.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">As an architect from an old New Orleans family, Drake has a deeply personal interest in rebuilding the city. Raised by strong women, he recognizes Valinda\u2019s determination. And he can\u2019t stop admiring\u2014or wanting\u2014her.\u00a0But when Valinda\u2019s father demands she return home to marry a man she doesn\u2019t love, her daring rebellion draws Drake into an irresistible intrigue.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\\\"size-full wp-image-16466 aligncenter\\\" src=\\\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/3-hearts.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"135\\\" height=\\\"44\\\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> May 28, 2019<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Women Who Dare<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>1<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Avon Books<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $6.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\"><strong>Valinda Lacey<\/strong> is a northern schoolteacher in New Orleans, helping newly freed slaves learn how to read. She encounters danger as many in the town are not welcome to the new opportunities that are afforded to the newly freed. She meets <strong>Drake Le Veq<\/strong> and his family as they help her out of a jam.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">Her path is set. She will marry a man of choosing who is currently away in Paris for a business venture. Drake\u2019s continuously flirting with her makes it hard for her to focus on trying to find her way in the south. She starts to love it there and envisions a future that is not quite like the one she thought she wanted.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">This story is heavily focused on the sexual tension between Drake and Valinda. The romance is there but it comes a bit later which is unusual for a <em><strong>Beverly Jenkins\u2019s<\/strong><\/em> novel. One of the main conflicts surrounding Val\u2019s desire to stay in New Orleans was the fact that her intended, Cole, was to arrive early and take her back home to wed.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">He finally does show up and the issue is handled with one conversation. We learn of their true relationship so I never understood why it would be an issue since Val knew early on that she was in love with Drake. With the departure of Cole, Val is worried her family won\u2019t approve of her plans to stay in New Orleans. When they arrive it is dealt with in a page or two at the end with a quick resolution after a bit of a twist.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">The issue of the hate group harassing Val went nowhere as well. I truly love Ms. Jenkins\u2019s stories but this is not my favorite. The sexual pull and the intrigue of the town learning how to move forward after the war kept my attention.<\/p><p style=\\\"text-align: justify;\\\">Overall, <em><strong>Beverly Jenkins<\/strong><\/em> is the best in the game for American historical romance featuring African Americans. I would still say it is enjoyable but not completely satistifying. I\u2019m willing to move forward with the rest of the series.<\/p><p><em>~ Samantha<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\\\"text-align: center;\\\"><strong><a href=\\\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2WxLyVf\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\\\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/rebel\/id1336069500?mt=11&amp;app=itunes&amp;at=11l88k\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\\\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/rebel-michael-jenkins\/1009048332?ean=9780062861696#\/\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\\\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/rebel-73\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\\\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Beverly_Jenkins_Rebel?id=T6BrDwAAQBAJ\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"noopener\\\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}