buffyreads's Reviews (575)

5⭐️ all those age age short cdramas prepared me for this... | tropes: age gap, forced proximity, taboo | high steam | digital + audio
Overall Thoughts 💭:
I loved this book! I've just gotten into my western era, and this book was perfect at mixing the darker tropes I like with the western aesthetics I've been craving more of. Briar and Stôrmand's push and pull was everything. The first chapter had my jaw dropping, and things were on a rollercoaster from then on. Most people are not going to like the fact that they're "related", but they never interacted and aren't related by blood, so it didn't bother me. I liked how free and vulnerable they were able to become together, and the climax of this story pulled at my heartstrings. 

3.5⭐️ The first half was exceptional, I'm mixed on the later parts | tropes: second chance, marriage of convenience, miscommunication/misunderstanding | medium steam | digital + audio

Sable and Raimond has incredible chemistry and I loved seeing them together. The first half was full of really good moments between them and I understand why they fell for each other. I also appreciated the conversation about mistress-hood and how that appealed to Sable. I both understand men at this time had mistresses but I'm always going to get the ick from male leads who have one. Raimond was charming and brave and I loved so much about his character but I struggled with the misunderstanding between him and Sable in the second half and how though he loved her, he didn't treat her the best and again, I just got the ick from him. I understood the reason for the misunderstanding and why he was conflicted, but I already had the ick from him having a mistress and asking Sable to be his mistress that it was double ick seeing her trying to please him. This book also had a few cross overs! I recognized Rhine from Forbidden and found it interesting that he could pass for white while Sable couldn't and how that affected their lives. I'm not reading these books in order so I know I'm missing some connections but it will make future rereads interesting. 

On the historical aspect, Harriet Tubman cameo?! I liked that  her legacy as not only as a woman freeing slaves but as an important spy for the Union. I hadn't yet read a Jenkins book where slavery and violence was this present and the last 20% of this book was difficult for me to get through. I knew it was realistic and a danger of that time and a lot of this book discussed the realities of freed and born free Black people but threats of sexual violence and just Morse in general was hard for me to read. I feel as thought this book in particular had a more dense sections of history than some of the others which was interesting but I felt dampened the romance aspect in a more noticeable way than the others I've read from Jenkins.