Gosh, this book is a delight. I love Beverly Jenkins’ books more with each one I read, and this one is especially good.
Raven is part of a family of grifters who are very skilled at what they do. When her mom, Hazel’s ex returns to town with Pinkerton detective Ruth Welch, she gets coerced into going to South Carolina to pose as a domestic and find a stolen copy of the Declaration of Independence. While playing the role of domestic, Raven is also playing wide to Braxton, the son of the man her mother once loved. Much to Raven’s chagrin she finds Brax to be a beguiling man who dotes on her. Because she’s always had to work hard, he takes great delight in giving her nice things like bath salts and pretty dresses.
One of the things I always love in a Ms Bev book is the way the men adore the women, but I also love the way the women love and challenge their men. There is so much care and love given to the romantic relationship, and always a heavy emphasis on family and community. I really loved everything about the relationship between Braxton and Raven, especially the way he gave her room to be vulnerable and he treated that vulnerability as a gift.
All in all, this is such a great romance and a fascinating historical story. Ms Bev always does splendid research and builds stories that perfectly fill the heart and the imagination. I highly recommend this if you love historical romances where the heroine is savvy and unafraid to call the hero out, and a hero who is utterly besotted and wants to give her the world. Just, all around such a sweet book and probably my new favorite Ms Bev historical!
[I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley; this in no way influences my review.]