M

I am Lover of romance, who indulges in the romantic adventures of literature

My name is Renee, and I am the host of this site. I am a 34 year old woman, on the prowl for her mate, searching out the best of books, exploring the wilds of the imagination and delving into the heart of a beautiful love story.

 

Book Review-Something Like Love by Beverly Jenkins

by | May 8, 2016 | Book Reviews | 4 comments

Book Review-Something Like Love by Beverly Jenkins

Book Review-Something Like Love by Beverly JenkinsSomething Like Love by Beverly Jenkins
Published by Avon on April 26th 2005
Genres: Historical Romance, American West
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
ISBN: 0060575328
Goodreads
AmazonLibrary ThingLibrary ThingLibrary Thing
four-stars

Blackboard bestselling author Beverly Jenkins delivers another lush historical novel featuring brothers that were first introduced in her award-winning novel Always and Forever. This is the story that readers have been waiting for.
He was a wanted man.But no one wanted him more than she did.
Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, Olivia Sterling flees Chicago and heads west. She dreams of setting up her own seamstress shop in Henry Adams, a small all Black town in Kansas. But her plans are derailed when her train is robbed by Neil July and his notorious band of outlaws.
Neil is enchanted by the headstrong and lovely Olivia. No woman has ever set his blood on fire before, and he suspects no other woman ever will. When they meet again, Olivia is the town's newly elected mayor and Neil is still the wanted outlaw. With bounty hunters on his trail, he would be wise not to linger, yet he can't seem to leave her. Will Neil be able to convince Olivia to ride off into the sunset with him? Or will he finally lay down his guns for love?

My Review Updated

Summary 

Olivia Sterling seeks an escape. She has gone through an eduction, set up her own business as a dressmaker but when her father arranges a marriage with a much older man that only wants the money he can gain from their marriage. She flees into the night, with her savings sewn into her dress. On her travels to a new town, her train is robbed where she meets the famous twin train robbers and one in particular she has a chemistry with that she doesn’t expect. She has never felt such a strong connection to anyone. She knows he is “forbidden fruit” and knows that nothing can come from it but doesn’t expect to see him again. When she arrives in Kansas, to a small black town she settles in quite nicely. She gets involved in the community, and she ends up being mayor which is shocking and exciting. But what she doesn’t expect is to find Neil July entering her life again. Neil excites Olivia in a way she has never known in her life, and even though he is an outlaw and bounty hunters are after him, she can’t deny that she loves him and doesn’t wish to waste one moment without him but will she lose him forever when his enemies close around him?

Plot and Story Line 

Something Like Love is a single title, although from the author’s notes in the book, there are quite a few other single titles that connect to this one that I am fully eager to read!!! So many fun side characters I want to know more and the women they fall in love with. Now the story begins a bit slowly, but it didn’t take much for me to get into the story and I loved Olivia and Neil. These forbidden romances are amazing, and Beverly Jenkins did great with the outlaw theme for the hero. Now our hero is a bit of a bad boy, but still has a good heart beneath his recent robberies of trains hehe He is Seminole, he worked for the government during the Civil War, but his people are starving after the war, and certain government officials betrayed them with fake promises, and he must feed what is left of his people including his brother and sister. Our heroine is a wonderful match for Neil. She is feisty, spirited and strong. She stands on her own and fights for what is right. It was interesting to see how she was torn between what was right and her feelings for an outlaw. I found their relationship fun and sexy, and I always had a smile on my face while reading this. I think what I fell in love with was how every aspect of the story just came together in the end and the final scenes of the story were simply superb!! I couldn’t have pictured a better ending and I felt a fascination with certain characters that have their own books. Quite a lovely love story with some historical authenticity to balance it out.

The Cover 

LOVE this cover….such a western feel to it and yeah I adore the diversity of it. Love the field of wildflowers and her dress is so pretty, simple but I really like purple and it fits the setting.

Overall View 

Something Like Love is brilliant, satisfying and sexy as sin from beginning to end!! I couldn’t get enough of this pair and the setting that Beverly Jenkins gives us.

About The Author Updated

About Beverly Jenkins

Beverly Jenkins is an African-American historical romance writer. She and her family live in southeastern Michigan. Born in Detroit, she graduated from Cass Technical High School and attended Michigan State University where she majored in Journalism and English Literature.
Ms. Jenkins has written sixteen books to date and has received numerous awards for her works, including: the Detroit Free Press Book of the Year, three Waldenbooks Best Sellers Awards; two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine; a Golden Pen Award from the Black Writer’s Guild, and in 1999, Ms. Jenkins was voted one of the Top Fifty Favorite African-American writers of the 20th Century by AABLC, the nation’s largest on-line African-American book club. In May of 2002, Ms. Jenkins published her first historical novel for young adults, titled: Belle and the Beau. Her second YA, Josephine and the Soldier followed in 2003.
Ms. Jenkins has been featured in many national publications, including the Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, Dallas Morning News and Vibe Magazine. She has lectured at such prestigious universities as Oberlin University; the University of Illinois; and the University of Michigan. She speaks widely on both romance and 19th century African-American history at libraries, schools and organizations including Romance Writers of America, and the Afro–American Historical and Genalogical Society. She is active in her church and community, and in November 2001 was a recipient of the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award.
In February of 2004, Ms. Jenkins’ first contemporary novel of romantic suspense, The Edge of Midnight was released. Sexy/Dangerous, her fourth novel of romantic suspense will be in stores in November 2006.

You May Also Like…

ARC Book Review-My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long

ARC Book Review-My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long

About The Book In USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long’s latest installment in the Palace of Rogues series, a notorious rake meets his match in a doe-eyed girl from the country, changing the course of both of their futures… A London season is the chance of a...

Book Review-Wilde for You by Jennifer Ryan

Book Review-Wilde for You by Jennifer Ryan

About The Book New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ryan’s page-turning Dark Horse Dive Bar series continues with this story of love lost...and found…as a widow seeking to heal her heart crosses paths with a rancher/bartender who offers her a taste of...

Book Review-Leopard’s Hunt by Christine Feehan

Book Review-Leopard’s Hunt by Christine Feehan

About The Book The next exhilarating Leopard novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan. In this pulse-pounding novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Leopard series, animal instinct unites two elite shifters whose heads are at war...

4 Comments

  1. Blodeuedd

    How does that dress even stay on?

    Reply
  2. Ann Lorz

    I’ve never read her but her books look so good!

    Reply
  3. Eva

    This sounds great — I definitely want to read something by this author. Lovely review

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Ann LorzCancel reply