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Le Veq Family #2
Winds of the Storm
Archer Le Veq owes his life to the woman who rescued him from certain death at the height of the Civil War...a woman known only as "the Butterfly." Now, in the dark, waning days of Reconstruction, he needs the courageous and beautiful former spy...in more ways than before!
Zahra Lafayette thinks her days of intrigue are far behind her, until she is asked to go on one more mission. Posing as an infamous madam in New Orleans, Zahra must gather information to ensure the safety of the South's freedmen. The last thing she expected was to see Archer Le Veq again. He is as arrogant as he is handsome, but there is something about this dusky and debonair hotelier that sends her senses singing. Zahra knows she will need to guard her secrets, but no peril awaiting her compares with the treachery of Zahra's own heart—for, Lord help her, she burns to taste the man and to lose herself in his powerful embrace.
Zahra Lafayette thinks her days of intrigue are far behind her, until she is asked to go on one more mission. Posing as an infamous madam in New Orleans, Zahra must gather information to ensure the safety of the South's freedmen. The last thing she expected was to see Archer Le Veq again. He is as arrogant as he is handsome, but there is something about this dusky and debonair hotelier that sends her senses singing. Zahra knows she will need to guard her secrets, but no peril awaiting her compares with the treachery of Zahra's own heart—for, Lord help her, she burns to taste the man and to lose herself in his powerful embrace.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 25, 2006
149 people are currently reading
1366 people want to read
About the author
Beverly Jenkins
70 books4,818 followersBeverly Jenkins is the recipient of the 2017 Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2016 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for historical romance.
She has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature, was featured both in the documentary “Love Between the Covers” and on CBS Sunday Morning.
Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has been leading the charge for inclusive romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, and NPR. Her critically acclaimed Blessings series has been optioned for film by John Legend’s and Mike Jackson’s production company Get Lifted, and Hollywood and Broadway powerhouse Deborah Martin Chase.
To read more about Beverly and sign up for her newsletter, visit her at www.BeverlyJenkins.net.
She has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature, was featured both in the documentary “Love Between the Covers” and on CBS Sunday Morning.
Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has been leading the charge for inclusive romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, and NPR. Her critically acclaimed Blessings series has been optioned for film by John Legend’s and Mike Jackson’s production company Get Lifted, and Hollywood and Broadway powerhouse Deborah Martin Chase.
To read more about Beverly and sign up for her newsletter, visit her at www.BeverlyJenkins.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
April 30, 2021
4.5 Stars
TW for racism, kidnapping
Finally some angst! Beverly Jenkins is typically low angst, but this one definitely had some angst that was keeping our couple from completely falling for each other for quite some time. Zahra is a spy and saves Archer's life during the Civil War. Now, Zahra is on a new job as the madam of a brothel while trying to uncover secrets of men leading white supremacist groups and Archer stumbles back into her life. The two start a passionate affair, but Zahra can't risk him know who she is while on her mission. The setting of this story was so fun and I love a good spy romance. Zahra got along well with the other women she was working with and things definitely got interesting at some points! Zahra is such a strong heroine and dedicated to her job of protecting freedom of everyone in their country. It was fun watching her pose as a madam and then have disguises and break into places. She struggled so much with falling for Archer while knowing she could never truly be with him. My heart! I'm really excited to go back and read book one!
TW for racism, kidnapping
Finally some angst! Beverly Jenkins is typically low angst, but this one definitely had some angst that was keeping our couple from completely falling for each other for quite some time. Zahra is a spy and saves Archer's life during the Civil War. Now, Zahra is on a new job as the madam of a brothel while trying to uncover secrets of men leading white supremacist groups and Archer stumbles back into her life. The two start a passionate affair, but Zahra can't risk him know who she is while on her mission. The setting of this story was so fun and I love a good spy romance. Zahra got along well with the other women she was working with and things definitely got interesting at some points! Zahra is such a strong heroine and dedicated to her job of protecting freedom of everyone in their country. It was fun watching her pose as a madam and then have disguises and break into places. She struggled so much with falling for Archer while knowing she could never truly be with him. My heart! I'm really excited to go back and read book one!
Read
January 13, 2020An older Ms Bev with quite an old-skool feel to it (setup: heroine is a spy who poses as a madam to get information). Zahra is a terrific heroine, who is happy to shoot people and deliver a sneaky punch to the balls when one is required, and I loved her and her happy gang of women. I didn't quite feel Archer came across as powerfully--he slightly suffered from the comparisons both to his super-alpha big bro Raimond (Through the Storm) and the utter cinnamon roll charm of his little bro Drake in the much more recent Rebel. Still a highly enjoyable read, and head and shoulders over the crowd.
June 18, 2022
3.5 stars
March 15, 2019
If you want a bit of history with your romance, you’ve got to try this author. It’s my favorite thing about her books. I wasn’t as engaged with this couple as I was with book 1. But I love the time period and the strength shown by blacks who join the military despite being treated like second class citizens
February 18, 2021
Still love this
Previous review:
I'm awed at the history the author manages to explore, accurately as always, as plot.
I loved the heroine of this and enjoyed her adventures immensely.
This is an extremely ugly and little known part of US History. The author is able to explore this horror while at the same time tell a fun, sexy, engaging and upbeat story is nothing short of astounding.
This author is severely underrated.
Previous review:
I'm awed at the history the author manages to explore, accurately as always, as plot.
I loved the heroine of this and enjoyed her adventures immensely.
This is an extremely ugly and little known part of US History. The author is able to explore this horror while at the same time tell a fun, sexy, engaging and upbeat story is nothing short of astounding.
This author is severely underrated.
July 14, 2024
Definitely not my fave of the series, but enjoyed it in parts. Onto the next BJ book!!
March 21, 2024
Listen. It’s Beverly. Ofc it’s perfect.
I feel like every time I try to review one of her books I end up praising the same things. But that’s because she just NAILS IT every time. She’s a legend for a reason.
Archer is down BAD and their tension was delicious, the plot was not only compelling and unique, but rich with some really dark history that I personally did not know about, and was shocked to learn. And yes, someone does get kidnapped. Because, of course lmao.
She is a genius. I love her brain. I will read ANYTHING she writes. That is all.
I feel like every time I try to review one of her books I end up praising the same things. But that’s because she just NAILS IT every time. She’s a legend for a reason.
Archer is down BAD and their tension was delicious, the plot was not only compelling and unique, but rich with some really dark history that I personally did not know about, and was shocked to learn. And yes, someone does get kidnapped. Because, of course lmao.
She is a genius. I love her brain. I will read ANYTHING she writes. That is all.
July 17, 2019
I read this one so fast!!! And I def wanna say this is my favorite in the Le eq family series so far. The romance btw Archer and Zarah was felt so right and the historical aspects, as always,were done so well. It was good to see Raimond and Sable again and the lovely Juliana has grown to be one of my favorite mother characters I've come across in books.
January 21, 2025
I love a Beverly Jenkins book. Her prose isn’t my favorite, but her plots are great and, most importantly, I always come out of one of her books feeling like I learned something really important (and interesting) about the Black American experience.
Winds of the Storm is the second in her Le Veq trilogy, which revolves around the super sexy vigilante Le Veq brothers and the women who bring them to their knees. This one is about Zahra, a famous Black spy who was part of Harriet Tubman’s network and is known as the Black Butterfly. She goes undercover as a madam in New Orleans to help determine if the white supremacists’ violent activities are bad enough to make a Great Migration out west a wise move. Zahra moves into a hilariously overdecorated brothel along with her charming girls and proceeds to take New Orleans’ population of rich men for everything they’ve got.
Her love interest is Archer Le Veq, who she once rescued from a murderous plantation owner. He’s a total shagger but is soon head over heels for the Domino, as she’s known in Nola.
The hurdles to their HEA (mainly, class difference) take a backseat to external plot points; we learn a lot about how white supremacists ran rampant in the south during Reconstruction, and how the president’s appetite to keep funding Union troops’ presence there was waning.
Honestly, they should teach these in high school history classes.
Winds of the Storm is the second in her Le Veq trilogy, which revolves around the super sexy vigilante Le Veq brothers and the women who bring them to their knees. This one is about Zahra, a famous Black spy who was part of Harriet Tubman’s network and is known as the Black Butterfly. She goes undercover as a madam in New Orleans to help determine if the white supremacists’ violent activities are bad enough to make a Great Migration out west a wise move. Zahra moves into a hilariously overdecorated brothel along with her charming girls and proceeds to take New Orleans’ population of rich men for everything they’ve got.
Her love interest is Archer Le Veq, who she once rescued from a murderous plantation owner. He’s a total shagger but is soon head over heels for the Domino, as she’s known in Nola.
The hurdles to their HEA (mainly, class difference) take a backseat to external plot points; we learn a lot about how white supremacists ran rampant in the south during Reconstruction, and how the president’s appetite to keep funding Union troops’ presence there was waning.
Honestly, they should teach these in high school history classes.
October 12, 2025
We revisit the Le Veq family with Archer as the MMC and a union agent Zahra (code name Butterfly) as the FMC. The prologue is such a great start - Zahra is sent to save Archer, who was also working undercover, but was caught. They’re only together briefly, but she saves his life.
Years later, Zahra is sent to New Orleans to pose as a brothel owner while looking for evidence of white supremacist groups during reconstruction. Archer is back in Nola where his family is from and is unexpectedly drawn to Zahra, though he didn’t recognize her.
I love historical romances with spies and this story hit all the right notes.
Years later, Zahra is sent to New Orleans to pose as a brothel owner while looking for evidence of white supremacist groups during reconstruction. Archer is back in Nola where his family is from and is unexpectedly drawn to Zahra, though he didn’t recognize her.
I love historical romances with spies and this story hit all the right notes.
October 22, 2018
My favorite Beverly Jenkins book I've read so far. I just can't dislike a romance that opens with the heroine rescuing the hero. It's one of my favorite tropes, and much to my delight, Zahra remained competent and awesome throughout the entire book.
During the Civil War, Zahra worked as a dispatch, part of Harriet Tubman's intelligence network, and now during the challenge of Reconstruction, she's gone undercover again. One of her missions had involved rescuing Archer Le Veq, and when she meets him again--while she's posing as a notorious madam opening a new brothel in New Orleans--she has to hide her true identity while resisting getting too attached to the charming and radical Archer.
Jenkins weaves true history into her plots. Sometimes this made for clunky writing, but most of the time, I was hungry to keep learning more. I really enjoyed Zahra and Archer's relationship; there wasn't actually a lot of unnecessary emotional turbulence to it--after he figures out her identity, there's no drama about it; she know he's a trustworthy ally--and the main conflict involves whether they're willing to admit to themselves they're in love. This low-key emotional conflict between them protagonists was nicely balanced by the life-or-death stakes invoked by the peril/action plot.
During the Civil War, Zahra worked as a dispatch, part of Harriet Tubman's intelligence network, and now during the challenge of Reconstruction, she's gone undercover again. One of her missions had involved rescuing Archer Le Veq, and when she meets him again--while she's posing as a notorious madam opening a new brothel in New Orleans--she has to hide her true identity while resisting getting too attached to the charming and radical Archer.
Jenkins weaves true history into her plots. Sometimes this made for clunky writing, but most of the time, I was hungry to keep learning more. I really enjoyed Zahra and Archer's relationship; there wasn't actually a lot of unnecessary emotional turbulence to it--after he figures out her identity, there's no drama about it; she know he's a trustworthy ally--and the main conflict involves whether they're willing to admit to themselves they're in love. This low-key emotional conflict between them protagonists was nicely balanced by the life-or-death stakes invoked by the peril/action plot.
November 15, 2022
Winds of the Storm is the 2nd book in Beverly Jenkins’ Le Veq family series and I had such a great time with this spy historical romance.
The story opens with Archer Le Veq’s life being saved during the height of the Civil War from a mysterious woman known only as “The Butterfly”. Now in the dark days of Reconstruction, Archer is even more in need of finding the courageous former spy, Zahra. Archer is now a hotelier in New Orleans and when a new brothel opens up in town, his brother and he go to see the mysterious new woman working there. Archer doesn’t realize that Zahra is posing as a madame in the brothel and is the same mysterious woman who saved him in the past. The passion between Archer and Zahra was so good and the action/plot in this just keep me entertained and invested all the way through!
The best part to me was the family as well! I love appearances of all the Le Veq family, matriarch Julianna and all her sons. I loved the first book in the series, Through the Storm, so much and really loved seeing Raimond & Sable make appearances. We also see Drake who is the hero of Rebel.
The story opens with Archer Le Veq’s life being saved during the height of the Civil War from a mysterious woman known only as “The Butterfly”. Now in the dark days of Reconstruction, Archer is even more in need of finding the courageous former spy, Zahra. Archer is now a hotelier in New Orleans and when a new brothel opens up in town, his brother and he go to see the mysterious new woman working there. Archer doesn’t realize that Zahra is posing as a madame in the brothel and is the same mysterious woman who saved him in the past. The passion between Archer and Zahra was so good and the action/plot in this just keep me entertained and invested all the way through!
The best part to me was the family as well! I love appearances of all the Le Veq family, matriarch Julianna and all her sons. I loved the first book in the series, Through the Storm, so much and really loved seeing Raimond & Sable make appearances. We also see Drake who is the hero of Rebel.
June 5, 2020
4 stars. Book one was better but that doesn't take away from this one at all. I really enjoyed this and I'm loving this series. Zahra and Archer were fantastic characters and I loved their relationship. Zahra is so strong and she knows what she wants and is not afraid to go after it. Archer is charming but I also liked how he was kinda weary about love and relationships and that it took him a while to realize that he wanted all of that with Zahra. There was some hot, intense scenes and the ending had some great action. I really enjoyed it all and I'm very excited to get to the next book since it takes place on a ship. Sounds like fun.
June 19, 2024
The hidden identity gave this book a different element than other Ms. Bev books I've read, and it was great! I could not imagine a better way for Zahra and Archer's romance to occur. Zahra knew what she wanted and Archer self had to wake up and smell reality, but it didn't take long. Plus he applied pressure! The saying 'don't take my kindness for weakness' applies heavy to Zahra and Archer. Knives and guns. This couple really should have a 6 star rating, but it's okay I digress. Hats off to every character. Even Lynette with her nasty self.. smh.
I'm continuing my reading of Ms. Bev's books, but I will keep this quote with me. . 'I want to make love to you in a hundred ways. One night, Domino, this night'
I'm continuing my reading of Ms. Bev's books, but I will keep this quote with me. . 'I want to make love to you in a hundred ways. One night, Domino, this night'
December 16, 2025
This was everything and more. This was so good I'm mad it's not televised. This had me swooning the entire time. They make such a cute couple; I'm here for it.
September 27, 2019
I'm always kind of amazed by romance writers who can put a lot of heat and and an important story in the same book, and that seems to be Jenkins' special talent. This time we get to learn about Union spies and how their work continued through Reconstruction, in this case, following the spy who saved Archer LeVeq's life during the Civil War.
January 10, 2020
I have committed myself to reading everything by Beverly
Jenkins. I am her biggest fan. If I don't have it in print I have it digital. And I am pre-ordering For Your Love. Thanks Beverly.
Jenkins. I am her biggest fan. If I don't have it in print I have it digital. And I am pre-ordering For Your Love. Thanks Beverly.
January 11, 2021
WINDS OF THE STORM is the second book in the "LeVeq Family" saga and even if I wasn't a stickler for following series in order, I would've bought this romance for the cover alone. I love the strong jewel-toned colors, the bouquet of flowers in the foreground, and the way that the hero is clearly kissing the heroine's breasts while her body is tipped backwards in sexual ecstasy. LOVE IT. I'm also always down for a love story that involves spies.
Besides the prologue where the heroine rescues the hero from captivity during the Civil War, WINDS OF THE STORM takes place in New Orleans during Reconstruction. Zahra Lafayette, a former Black Dispatch spy during the war, is sent to the city to work undercover for Harriet Tubman's network. The public will know her as Madam Domino, a masked madam who has recently opened a brothel, while she gains information on the machinations of various political factions, the importance of the continued military presence, and the violent designs of white supremacist groups. Once she's established, she seeks assistance from Archer LeVeq, local hotelier and younger brother to the hero from Through the Storm. Eventually, he correctly guesses her identity, they gradually fall in love and decide to join forces to locate a Death Book, a list of prominent Black leaders whom white supremacists plan to assassinate.
As always, Jenkins has a marvelous sense of time and place. The first book in the series, Through the Storm, captures the mood in 1865 when the immediate postwar period was marked by the grief over Lincoln's murder, the betrayal of his successor Johnson's Confederate sympathies, the chaos of refugee movement and white opportunism, and most importantly, the communal strength and celebratory optimism of newly free Black Americans. Jumping ahead to 1871, when WINDS OF THE STORM takes place, that mood has changed. Although there have been significant inroads in elected office, the promise of postwar freedom is threatened by the racist Black Codes, the constant vigilante violence of supremacist societies, and the removal of national forces from former Confederate states. Just like in Indigo and Through the Storm, I loved how much WINDS OF THE STORM taught me about an era in American history that my education failed to cover.
As much as I enjoyed reading about the history of the time period, I was disappointed with this novel's approach to sex work. After 2004's Slightly Sinful and 2017's The Duke, WINDS OF THE STORM is the third romance novel I've read this year that places it's virginal heroine in the context of sex work and has the hero falling in love with her as a sex worker, only to undermine that complexity by revealing the heroine's sexual "innocence". All three of these novels explicitly clarify that there's nothing "wrong" with sex work while insisting on the implicit sexual "purity" of their main female character.
In WINDS OF THE STORM, Zahra has a wonderful response when Archer, who still thinks she's a sex worker, points out that "a man like me shouldn't be interested in a woman like you":
Great, right?
Unfortunately, Archer and his family's relief when it's revealed that she hasn't engaged with sex work (after previously disrespecting and dismissing her when they believed she was a "real whore") and Zahra's scandalized reaction to the decoration of the brothel and the behavior of it's occupants negates her inclusive statement above.
Ugh, you can't have it both ways.
In Slightly Sinful, The Duke and WINDS OF THE STORM, the way these novels recoil from including their heroine in the sex work that surrounds them contradicts the message that sex workers are just like other women who are similarly deserving of love. If there's nothing "wrong" with sex work, then it makes sense that a heroine who exclusively lives with, works alongside, or manages sex workers would be a sex worker herself. To add insult to injury, all three of these heroines have either social or economic motivation to engage with the sex work they're adjacent to. If Zahra had been seeing clients at the brothel, she would've been considerably closer to the sources of information she was seeking.
About two thirds of the way through WINDS OF THE STORM, Jenkins abandons the brothel subplot and Zahra turns into a regular spy who dons disguises, searches for informants, and conducts a nighttime search. Like Indigo and Through the Storm, the focus of the novel widens out from the central relationship and the (mostly) settled couple grapple with a representative enemy of the Black community (slave catchers, former slave owners, white supremacists), rather than continuing to tangle with interpersonal conflict. Jenkins is a marvelous writer and the shift is done smoothly, but I always feel marooned by the change.
WINDS OF THE STORM was full of Jenkins's passionate attention to historical detail, but her treatment of sex work pressed all my buttons. Grade: B-.
Besides the prologue where the heroine rescues the hero from captivity during the Civil War, WINDS OF THE STORM takes place in New Orleans during Reconstruction. Zahra Lafayette, a former Black Dispatch spy during the war, is sent to the city to work undercover for Harriet Tubman's network. The public will know her as Madam Domino, a masked madam who has recently opened a brothel, while she gains information on the machinations of various political factions, the importance of the continued military presence, and the violent designs of white supremacist groups. Once she's established, she seeks assistance from Archer LeVeq, local hotelier and younger brother to the hero from Through the Storm. Eventually, he correctly guesses her identity, they gradually fall in love and decide to join forces to locate a Death Book, a list of prominent Black leaders whom white supremacists plan to assassinate.
As always, Jenkins has a marvelous sense of time and place. The first book in the series, Through the Storm, captures the mood in 1865 when the immediate postwar period was marked by the grief over Lincoln's murder, the betrayal of his successor Johnson's Confederate sympathies, the chaos of refugee movement and white opportunism, and most importantly, the communal strength and celebratory optimism of newly free Black Americans. Jumping ahead to 1871, when WINDS OF THE STORM takes place, that mood has changed. Although there have been significant inroads in elected office, the promise of postwar freedom is threatened by the racist Black Codes, the constant vigilante violence of supremacist societies, and the removal of national forces from former Confederate states. Just like in Indigo and Through the Storm, I loved how much WINDS OF THE STORM taught me about an era in American history that my education failed to cover.
As much as I enjoyed reading about the history of the time period, I was disappointed with this novel's approach to sex work. After 2004's Slightly Sinful and 2017's The Duke, WINDS OF THE STORM is the third romance novel I've read this year that places it's virginal heroine in the context of sex work and has the hero falling in love with her as a sex worker, only to undermine that complexity by revealing the heroine's sexual "innocence". All three of these novels explicitly clarify that there's nothing "wrong" with sex work while insisting on the implicit sexual "purity" of their main female character.
In WINDS OF THE STORM, Zahra has a wonderful response when Archer, who still thinks she's a sex worker, points out that "a man like me shouldn't be interested in a woman like you":
"Most men like you are always interested in women like myself, but what they fail to see is this is my job, it isn't necessarily who I am. People tend to meld the two and fail to realize that distinction...Just because women whore doesn't mean they don't have hopes or dreams or desires of their own. There is little glamour in taking strange men into your bed. Most women in this life barely make enough to live on."
Great, right?
Unfortunately, Archer and his family's relief when it's revealed that she hasn't engaged with sex work (after previously disrespecting and dismissing her when they believed she was a "real whore") and Zahra's scandalized reaction to the decoration of the brothel and the behavior of it's occupants negates her inclusive statement above.
Ugh, you can't have it both ways.
In Slightly Sinful, The Duke and WINDS OF THE STORM, the way these novels recoil from including their heroine in the sex work that surrounds them contradicts the message that sex workers are just like other women who are similarly deserving of love. If there's nothing "wrong" with sex work, then it makes sense that a heroine who exclusively lives with, works alongside, or manages sex workers would be a sex worker herself. To add insult to injury, all three of these heroines have either social or economic motivation to engage with the sex work they're adjacent to. If Zahra had been seeing clients at the brothel, she would've been considerably closer to the sources of information she was seeking.
About two thirds of the way through WINDS OF THE STORM, Jenkins abandons the brothel subplot and Zahra turns into a regular spy who dons disguises, searches for informants, and conducts a nighttime search. Like Indigo and Through the Storm, the focus of the novel widens out from the central relationship and the (mostly) settled couple grapple with a representative enemy of the Black community (slave catchers, former slave owners, white supremacists), rather than continuing to tangle with interpersonal conflict. Jenkins is a marvelous writer and the shift is done smoothly, but I always feel marooned by the change.
WINDS OF THE STORM was full of Jenkins's passionate attention to historical detail, but her treatment of sex work pressed all my buttons. Grade: B-.
March 8, 2021
One thing that I’m enjoying about the author’s books is that they are a good length, not so long that you get bogged down and not so short that it ends too quickly or should have been a short story.
In this novel, we read about another Le Veq brother’s fall from bachelorhood. Again, although the plot follows the typical trial for a romance novel, the historical context makes is so much more enjoyable and less predictable. Of course our couple have sparks from the moment they meet but there’s an unexpectedly long period before their romance is rekindled.
As true for all of Beverly’s books, our heroine is a woman that must be admired: fiercely independent, brave and a trailblazer. They encounter danger and intrigue as their romance progresses. There’s only one major problem, Archer doesn’t believe in love and Zahra doesn’t believe that she can thrive in his world. However, despite their misgivings, they can’t deny their attraction goes beyond the physical.
In this novel, we read about another Le Veq brother’s fall from bachelorhood. Again, although the plot follows the typical trial for a romance novel, the historical context makes is so much more enjoyable and less predictable. Of course our couple have sparks from the moment they meet but there’s an unexpectedly long period before their romance is rekindled.
As true for all of Beverly’s books, our heroine is a woman that must be admired: fiercely independent, brave and a trailblazer. They encounter danger and intrigue as their romance progresses. There’s only one major problem, Archer doesn’t believe in love and Zahra doesn’t believe that she can thrive in his world. However, despite their misgivings, they can’t deny their attraction goes beyond the physical.
December 19, 2024
The way Beverly Jenkins writes her female characters??? Chef’s kiss bc I wanna be like them when I grow up😭 And the foul mouth on Archer?! He’s definitely my favorite flirt but the way Rai threw Sable over his shoulder in this last book still has me swooning😂 Drake is very much still number one in my eyes though bc acts of service was that man’s specialty🙂↕️ ALSO! I’m obsessed with Juliana like you wouldn’t understand! She’s so smart and savvy and truly is walking circles around her poor boys, but her finesse as the LeVeq-Vincent matriarch is truly unmatched👏
August 4, 2020
Winds of the Storm was a sensuous read. Archer and Zahra were strong characters with layered backgrounds. This book had a bit of everything, spies, race survival, political conspiracies, witty banter, and one of the 🔥🔥🔥🔥romances by Jenkins I’ve read to date🧡
April 27, 2021
Wow this is quickly making its way to my favorites. It had spying, romance, a really great heroine, and a great family. Zara is now one of my favorite Beverly Jenkins heroines and I really enjoyed this one
October 2, 2021
The premise was very interesting but I just wasn’t engaged with the couple nor the romance compared to the first book in this series. Overall this was just ok
July 18, 2021
3.5 ⭐️
September 22, 2020
As soon as I finished book one, I hopped right into this. Winds Of the Storm is different from the other books in the series, and while it’s my least favourite – I still really enjoyed it.
Archer was seriously fantastic. He was funny, romance and just made me smile. The banter he had with his brothers was brilliant and added another layer to his book. As the novel went on I loved that we got to know more and more about Archer. This book made me laugh a lot and it was mostly because of Archer.
Zahra was such an interesting character. I wasn’t expecting to like her as such as I did, but as the novel went on. I like her even more and more. She was fascinating and wasn’t like other female leads that I had read before. Zahra stands out to me from other characters and I loved that. I also love the friendships that she has throughout the book. They made me smile a lot.
The romance in this one was adorable and steamy. And it was just fantastic. I loved these two together. Especially there no strings attached thing that turns into something more. They both swore they wouldn’t fall for one another and then they did and I loved it.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Winds Of the Storm, a lot. The romance was different and engaging. And both protagonists grabbed me from the start. I loved being back with the Le Veq family. They are seriously a blast. If you haven’t picked up this series, please do. It’s fantastic.
Archer was seriously fantastic. He was funny, romance and just made me smile. The banter he had with his brothers was brilliant and added another layer to his book. As the novel went on I loved that we got to know more and more about Archer. This book made me laugh a lot and it was mostly because of Archer.
Zahra was such an interesting character. I wasn’t expecting to like her as such as I did, but as the novel went on. I like her even more and more. She was fascinating and wasn’t like other female leads that I had read before. Zahra stands out to me from other characters and I loved that. I also love the friendships that she has throughout the book. They made me smile a lot.
The romance in this one was adorable and steamy. And it was just fantastic. I loved these two together. Especially there no strings attached thing that turns into something more. They both swore they wouldn’t fall for one another and then they did and I loved it.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Winds Of the Storm, a lot. The romance was different and engaging. And both protagonists grabbed me from the start. I loved being back with the Le Veq family. They are seriously a blast. If you haven’t picked up this series, please do. It’s fantastic.
July 11, 2012
light work, BUT the main characters are Black and it's a historical romance. keyword: historical. i actually learned something from this light Summer read. it's set in Louisiana during the Reconstruction Era. some of the characters in the story are real figures, like Harriet Tubman. it discusses dispatches, the elected Black officials of that time, white supremacy groups, and the atrocities they committed against Black people, including death books, essentially a hit list. the author provides list of books and sources that she used for her research at the end, if one chooses to dig deeper.
side note: on the cover, they picture a dark skinned man and a light skinned woman, despite the fact that he is described as being light and a gen de couleur and her description varying from brown to golden (as i loosely recollect). it's interesting that they switch them in depiction, seemingly an indication of what is perceived more palpable. it reminds me of the selection of Prue in the movie for Hunger Games. she is fairer than described in the book. sadly, despite the casting director's effort to make her more palpable, some were still upset that she was any shade of Black.
side note: on the cover, they picture a dark skinned man and a light skinned woman, despite the fact that he is described as being light and a gen de couleur and her description varying from brown to golden (as i loosely recollect). it's interesting that they switch them in depiction, seemingly an indication of what is perceived more palpable. it reminds me of the selection of Prue in the movie for Hunger Games. she is fairer than described in the book. sadly, despite the casting director's effort to make her more palpable, some were still upset that she was any shade of Black.
February 6, 2017
The thing I love most about Beverly Jenkins' romance novels is that they come with a history lesson attached. I loved learning about the network of Black spies dispatched in the South during the war and Reconstruction.
Per usual, the characters were interesting; the banter was witty. This novel has the added layer of a New Orleans setting. Perfect finish to DiverseAThon.
Also, LitsyAtoZ: Part I- J
Per usual, the characters were interesting; the banter was witty. This novel has the added layer of a New Orleans setting. Perfect finish to DiverseAThon.
Also, LitsyAtoZ: Part I- J
September 24, 2020
I swear before Jehovah if I have to listen to this narrator swallow one more time I may snap. It sounds like his throat is dry and his swallowing is thick and sticky. It's effing gross. And obnoxious. Like take a drink dude. Ugh.
13% Done: So far so good. The Le Veq story line is hit or miss for me so we shall see.
Someone tell this narrator to quit his job.
13% Done: So far so good. The Le Veq story line is hit or miss for me so we shall see.
Someone tell this narrator to quit his job.
May 23, 2024
Somewhere around 3.5 or 3.75
September 13, 2024
"You bitch," he spat at Zahra. She responded easily, "But I'm an armed bitch."
And that is Zahra. Strong, confident, intelligent. Zahra was a spy during the war. Now she is back home in the swamps of South Carolina. She is asked to do one last job. That job is to set up shop in New Orleans as a high class brothel owner and sniff out the individuals who could be causing trouble. President Grant wants to pull the remaining Union soldiers from the South.
Archer and his family call New Orleans home. Archer's older brother had his story in Through the Storm. He and Sable do make an appearance in this one. Archer was a soldier for the Union during the war. Unbeknownst to him, he and Zahra have a history. As "The Butterfly," she rescued him from a Confederate barn during the war.
I liked the interplay between Zahra and Archer. He finally meets his match after deciding to never fall in love.
As always Beverly Jenkins books are a wonderful love story with a history lesson. She covers things that were glossed over, minimally discussed, or not taught in history class. She covers how dangerous it was to be Black in Reconstruction South. How traitors to the country got their land back and got the Freedman to sign Indenture agreements that made the slaves again in everything but name only.
Mother Jones published an excellent article this summer that talked about some of the things mentioned in this book. Here is the link:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/...
And that is Zahra. Strong, confident, intelligent. Zahra was a spy during the war. Now she is back home in the swamps of South Carolina. She is asked to do one last job. That job is to set up shop in New Orleans as a high class brothel owner and sniff out the individuals who could be causing trouble. President Grant wants to pull the remaining Union soldiers from the South.
Archer and his family call New Orleans home. Archer's older brother had his story in Through the Storm. He and Sable do make an appearance in this one. Archer was a soldier for the Union during the war. Unbeknownst to him, he and Zahra have a history. As "The Butterfly," she rescued him from a Confederate barn during the war.
I liked the interplay between Zahra and Archer. He finally meets his match after deciding to never fall in love.
As always Beverly Jenkins books are a wonderful love story with a history lesson. She covers things that were glossed over, minimally discussed, or not taught in history class. She covers how dangerous it was to be Black in Reconstruction South. How traitors to the country got their land back and got the Freedman to sign Indenture agreements that made the slaves again in everything but name only.
Mother Jones published an excellent article this summer that talked about some of the things mentioned in this book. Here is the link:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/...
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