Review: Breathless by Beverly Jenkins
Breathless by Beverly Jenkins Published by HarperCollins on January 31st 2017
Genres: African American, Fiction, General, Historical, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
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A strong-willed beauty finds herself in the arms of the handsome drifter from her past, in this second book in the sizzling series set in the Old West, from USA Today Bestselling Author Beverly JenkinsAs manager of one of the finest hotels in Arizona Territory, Portia Carmichael has respect and stability—qualities sorely missing from her harsh childhood. She refuses to jeopardize that by hitching herself to the wrong man. Suitors are plentiful, but none of them has ever looked quite as tempting as the family friend who just rode into town…and none has looked at her with such intensity and heat.Duchess. That’s the nickname Kent Randolph gave Portia when she was a young girl. Now she’s a stunning, intelligent woman—and Kent has learned his share of hard lessons. After drifting through the West, he’s learned the value of a place to settle down, and in Portia’s arms he’s found that and more. But convincing her to trust him with her heart, not just her passion, will be the greatest challenge he’s known—and one he intends to win…
Beverly Jenkins is back with her latest release in the Rhine Fontaine trilogy, Breathless. While this book didn’t necessarily leave me breathless like the title suggests, it was a fairly good read.
I love when I get to peek into the lives of old characters in new books. When I first picked up this book I didn’t realize that it was a continuation of sorts from Forbidden. (Call me crazy!)
Breathless follows Eddy Carmichael’s niece, Portia, 15 years after Portia and Regan ended up on Eddy’s doorstep. The girls are now all grown up, Portia is now the manager of The Fontaine Hotel set in The Old West. While her sister is quite outspoken and likes the attention of the opposite sex, Portia has sworn to never marry or have children.
Portia is very weary and distrustful of most men. This has to do with the fact that her mother was a prostitute and Portia regular watched her entertain countless men, many times at the risk of her and her sister. Before they went to their Aunt’s, their mother Corinne was planning to sell Portia’s virginity to the highest bidder. To say that Corrine isn’t a likable person would be putting it mildly.
So what will it take to get Portia to change her mind in regards to starting a family? Lots of patience, kindness and the right amount of romance and authority. Turns out the perfect person for the job is an old family friend, Kent Randolph.
What I liked: Portia was an intelligent, strong heroine. Kent was a progressive thinker and didn’t try to diminish Portia’s business plans and was willing to support her every step of the way.
What I didn’t like: There was a lack of tension. The few problems that arise in the book are wrapped up pretty quickly before the reader has a chance to become invested. Most of Jenkins’ books have a big villain or overarching plot point, this was one of the few that lacked both. The characters were nice but I wasn’t able to form a bond with them.
Breathless didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had when I began the book but it was a nice addition to the Fontaine family and I’m eager to read Regan’s story. Something tells me she’ll definitely turn up the drama factor there.
Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.
You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.
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