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Women Who Dare #2
Wild Rain
The second novel in USA Today bestselling author Beverly Jenkins’ compelling new Women Who Dare series follows a female rancher in Wyoming after the Civil War.
A reporter has come to Wyoming to do a story on doctors for his Black newspaper back east. He thinks Colton Lee will be an interesting subject…until he meets Colton’s sister, Spring. She runs her own ranch, wears denim pants instead of dresses, and is the most fascinating woman he’s ever met.
But Spring, who has overcome a raucous and scandalous past, isn’t looking for, nor does she want, love. As their attraction grows, will their differences come between them or unite them for an everlasting love?
A reporter has come to Wyoming to do a story on doctors for his Black newspaper back east. He thinks Colton Lee will be an interesting subject…until he meets Colton’s sister, Spring. She runs her own ranch, wears denim pants instead of dresses, and is the most fascinating woman he’s ever met.
But Spring, who has overcome a raucous and scandalous past, isn’t looking for, nor does she want, love. As their attraction grows, will their differences come between them or unite them for an everlasting love?
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 9, 2021
461 people are currently reading
5712 people want to read
About the author
Beverly Jenkins
71 books4,837 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 690 reviews
June 17, 2021
My first instinct was to give this book 4 stars because the plot with the villain it all wrapped up so quickly at the end, but then I had this thought: Spring wasn't going to give that jackass more of her time, so why on Earth would this book give him more of her time?
One thing I'd like to say is that Ms. Bev's prose is so smooth, so utterly perfectly crafted. It's like fine wine. It's perfectly readable and it's just masterful how easily she pulls us into the story and into the world. Sitting down with a Beverly Jenkins book is just pure. reading. pleasure.
I loved Spring and I loved Garrett.
I read an ARC from the publisher.
One thing I'd like to say is that Ms. Bev's prose is so smooth, so utterly perfectly crafted. It's like fine wine. It's perfectly readable and it's just masterful how easily she pulls us into the story and into the world. Sitting down with a Beverly Jenkins book is just pure. reading. pleasure.
I loved Spring and I loved Garrett.
I read an ARC from the publisher.
Read
March 14, 2021I mean, Beverly Jenkins. Say no more.
Spring is a wonderful heroine--competent, grouchy, self reliant and a bit of a loner because she's been badly hurt, but deeply loving and generous even if she mumbles about it. She's got a pretty traumatic backstory involving sexual exploitation, so it's perfect she gets a total cinnamon roll hero who listens, admires her for who she is, doesn't judge. It's a super sweet romance, which balances the often hard and violent backdrop including the rise of Jim Crow.
This is such a good series. I read this one in a gulp.
Spring is a wonderful heroine--competent, grouchy, self reliant and a bit of a loner because she's been badly hurt, but deeply loving and generous even if she mumbles about it. She's got a pretty traumatic backstory involving sexual exploitation, so it's perfect she gets a total cinnamon roll hero who listens, admires her for who she is, doesn't judge. It's a super sweet romance, which balances the often hard and violent backdrop including the rise of Jim Crow.
This is such a good series. I read this one in a gulp.
February 29, 2024
This hero is more dinner roll than cinnamon roll.
This was my first Beverly Jenkins novel and I’m sorry to say that it was incredibly boring. At first I thought it was more of a light, cozy read and tried to roll with it, but honestly, I struggled.
This was insta-love between a not like other girls, untameable heroine and a very boring, pretty much background noise, hero.
He was basically furniture in this. There was nothing captivating, interesting or sexy about him.
The heroine was more interesting and extremely capable but *very* unbelievable so it was hard for me to be invested in her struggle at all. She had it rough but I did not care.
The villains were one dimensional and the plot thin and I mostly skipped the sex scenes, they were uninteresting. All the interesting stuff that happened to these characters had happened before the book started and this seemed more like a 350 page epilogue.
I did like the straight forward writing style and really wanted to like this but it had zero depth, zero angst and zero drama. The hero was shot in the back five times and still I yawned because he didn’t see anything because he was watching a family of ducks cross the road! I could not have been more disconnected from this.
Ugh. I’ll try another by this author at some point, maybe I just picked up the wrong one.
This was my first Beverly Jenkins novel and I’m sorry to say that it was incredibly boring. At first I thought it was more of a light, cozy read and tried to roll with it, but honestly, I struggled.
This was insta-love between a not like other girls, untameable heroine and a very boring, pretty much background noise, hero.
He was basically furniture in this. There was nothing captivating, interesting or sexy about him.
The heroine was more interesting and extremely capable but *very* unbelievable so it was hard for me to be invested in her struggle at all. She had it rough but I did not care.
The villains were one dimensional and the plot thin and I mostly skipped the sex scenes, they were uninteresting. All the interesting stuff that happened to these characters had happened before the book started and this seemed more like a 350 page epilogue.
I did like the straight forward writing style and really wanted to like this but it had zero depth, zero angst and zero drama. The hero was shot in the back five times and still I yawned because he didn’t see anything because he was watching a family of ducks cross the road! I could not have been more disconnected from this.
Ugh. I’ll try another by this author at some point, maybe I just picked up the wrong one.
February 5, 2021
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Spring Lee was seemingly as untamed as the Wyoming mountains, and frankly, just as impressive.
Second in the Women Who Dare series, Wild Rain, returns to the town of Paradise in the Wyoming Territory. Frequent readers of Ms. Jenkins will recognize a lot of characters and relations of former stars from previous books but I would only suggest Tempest, book three in the Old West series, as a possible book that you might want to read before this. The starring heroine here is Spring Lee, the sister of Dr. Colton Lee from Tempest but our hero Garrett McCray is a new character from out east, coming to interview Colton for his father's sundown newspaper. Spring comes upon Garrett after he is thrown from his horse and with an early spring blizzard, normally surly Spring lets Garrett stay at her cabin until his knee heals.
He’d left her feeling treasured, desired, something she’d never experienced before. It awakened a long-buried part of herself to the possibility of what could be, and that scared her.
Spring was the star of the show for me, she's fiercely and competently independent, strong willed, has some bite, and a little bit of vulnerability. When she was eighteen her grandfather threw her out of the house when she wouldn't marry the man he'd chosen for her. She ends up working on a ranch where the owner makes her trade sexual favors for the job and even “shares” her with his son. There's no flashbacks to this but the few times Spring thinks back to it, clearly shows how traumatic it was for her but how she survived and fought for the independent life she has now. Spring is one of those heroines who is deeply clear, what you see is what you get but there's an ocean to her thoughts and feelings.
Being enslaved, who he wanted to be had been beyond his grasp. Now free, his life, ambitions, and dreams were his own. He’d not turn the reins over to anyone else.
Spring was such a strong character that Garrett paled in comparison. A little farther into the book, we learn that he ran away from enslavement when he was fourteen and joined the Union Navy, read law because that was what his father wanted but ultimately became a carpenter for his own self-fulfillment. The author calls him a “cinnamon roll” hero and while he sweetly loved Spring and introduces her to foreplay and desire, he was too blankly just there for a lot of the story. There was some instant love going on too, he's ready to move out west to be with Spring already at around the 40% mark.
She’d chosen him for now, so he contented himself with holding her close and listening to the rain.
As always, Ms. Jenkins shines with her family dynamics and the second half provides that with Garrett having a heart-to-heart with his father about how he wants to live his life his way (it's a pretty emotional conversation as Garrett's father explains why he tries to control and hold so tightly to his two children) and Spring having to deal with unresolved issues with her grandfather. There's some drama with the son of the man Spring worked for, which I thought added good angst, but he brought along another character that wanted to build a saw mill and that whole storyline and its characters never felt settled in right and broke up some cohesive story structure for me. Along with emotional family dynamics, you'll always get interesting historical portions that help create a feel for the setting and characters. There's mention of sundown newspapers, the Sandy Creek Massacre, a Civil War ship battle, and the beginning of Jim Crow.
Being around Garrett McCray had altered her thinking about life and her place in it in ways that were new and challenging: from how she defined respect, to what she deserved from a man in bed. In his calm, quiet way he’d changed her, not necessarily into a better person but a different one.
With Spring and Garrett's love feeling too instant for me, I never fully felt the emotion in their bedroom scenes and those were what was left to carry the heft of their relationship in the second half. There's some ending angst with Spring not wanting children that gets resolved fairly quickly but still in a way that left me feeling their relationship was more of a happily for now instead of a happy sigh ever after. Ms. Jenkins does the old west vibe wonderfully, this couple just didn't strike any heavy emotionally chords for me.
Spring Lee was seemingly as untamed as the Wyoming mountains, and frankly, just as impressive.
Second in the Women Who Dare series, Wild Rain, returns to the town of Paradise in the Wyoming Territory. Frequent readers of Ms. Jenkins will recognize a lot of characters and relations of former stars from previous books but I would only suggest Tempest, book three in the Old West series, as a possible book that you might want to read before this. The starring heroine here is Spring Lee, the sister of Dr. Colton Lee from Tempest but our hero Garrett McCray is a new character from out east, coming to interview Colton for his father's sundown newspaper. Spring comes upon Garrett after he is thrown from his horse and with an early spring blizzard, normally surly Spring lets Garrett stay at her cabin until his knee heals.
He’d left her feeling treasured, desired, something she’d never experienced before. It awakened a long-buried part of herself to the possibility of what could be, and that scared her.
Spring was the star of the show for me, she's fiercely and competently independent, strong willed, has some bite, and a little bit of vulnerability. When she was eighteen her grandfather threw her out of the house when she wouldn't marry the man he'd chosen for her. She ends up working on a ranch where the owner makes her trade sexual favors for the job and even “shares” her with his son. There's no flashbacks to this but the few times Spring thinks back to it, clearly shows how traumatic it was for her but how she survived and fought for the independent life she has now. Spring is one of those heroines who is deeply clear, what you see is what you get but there's an ocean to her thoughts and feelings.
Being enslaved, who he wanted to be had been beyond his grasp. Now free, his life, ambitions, and dreams were his own. He’d not turn the reins over to anyone else.
Spring was such a strong character that Garrett paled in comparison. A little farther into the book, we learn that he ran away from enslavement when he was fourteen and joined the Union Navy, read law because that was what his father wanted but ultimately became a carpenter for his own self-fulfillment. The author calls him a “cinnamon roll” hero and while he sweetly loved Spring and introduces her to foreplay and desire, he was too blankly just there for a lot of the story. There was some instant love going on too, he's ready to move out west to be with Spring already at around the 40% mark.
She’d chosen him for now, so he contented himself with holding her close and listening to the rain.
As always, Ms. Jenkins shines with her family dynamics and the second half provides that with Garrett having a heart-to-heart with his father about how he wants to live his life his way (it's a pretty emotional conversation as Garrett's father explains why he tries to control and hold so tightly to his two children) and Spring having to deal with unresolved issues with her grandfather. There's some drama with the son of the man Spring worked for, which I thought added good angst, but he brought along another character that wanted to build a saw mill and that whole storyline and its characters never felt settled in right and broke up some cohesive story structure for me. Along with emotional family dynamics, you'll always get interesting historical portions that help create a feel for the setting and characters. There's mention of sundown newspapers, the Sandy Creek Massacre, a Civil War ship battle, and the beginning of Jim Crow.
Being around Garrett McCray had altered her thinking about life and her place in it in ways that were new and challenging: from how she defined respect, to what she deserved from a man in bed. In his calm, quiet way he’d changed her, not necessarily into a better person but a different one.
With Spring and Garrett's love feeling too instant for me, I never fully felt the emotion in their bedroom scenes and those were what was left to carry the heft of their relationship in the second half. There's some ending angst with Spring not wanting children that gets resolved fairly quickly but still in a way that left me feeling their relationship was more of a happily for now instead of a happy sigh ever after. Ms. Jenkins does the old west vibe wonderfully, this couple just didn't strike any heavy emotionally chords for me.
February 14, 2021
2020 Winter Bingo (#SnowInLoveBingo❄️): Childfree HEA
Nothing makes me more emotional than a prickly, confident woman being cherished by a partner who encourages a streak of vulnerability to shine through. I really hope Ms. Bev returns to Paradise, Wyoming for another book (maybe with Garrett’s sister Melody?).
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Nothing makes me more emotional than a prickly, confident woman being cherished by a partner who encourages a streak of vulnerability to shine through. I really hope Ms. Bev returns to Paradise, Wyoming for another book (maybe with Garrett’s sister Melody?).
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
April 13, 2021
3.5 stars -- I'm not sure why I didn't just love this the way I loved TEMPEST. It has a lot of the same ingredients: awesome female lead, small town feels, interesting setting, external conflict. Plus this time we get a much more enjoyable hero IMO (cinnamon roll FTW). But for some reason, the parts did not sum up to as much on a whole as the previous book did. I had a fun time with this, but maybe my expectations were just too high
April 6, 2021
Beverly Jenkins is definitely low angst, so this was just a sweet romance between Spring and Garrett, who is a reporter coming into town to do a story on Spring's brother. I really loved seeing the characters from the previous books in this series and how they all interact with one another. Since this is low angst, there wasn't too much drama within the romance itself. Instead, the romance is at the forefront for the first half of the book and then definitely focuses more on a mystery for the second half of the book. I do think the conflict in the romance at the end resolved itself a little too quickly, but overall I really enjoyed Spring's book and having her as a heroine!
September 30, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyable, historically accurate romance with just the right amount of heat. The main character, a strong woman forging her own way in the aftermath of the Civil War crosses paths with a handsome stranger in need. Author's notes at the end provide context and suggested reading material. I'm officially a fan. Read three of her books and have three more on TBR shelves.
November 18, 2021
I step into a Beverly Jenkins romance and it feels like the height of comfort. There is swoony romance, some beautiful steam, strong heroines, and fabulous heroes.
She deals with some heavy themes but she does it in a way that feels low angst.
I loved this one. Loved how independent and strong Spring was while still being soft and tender with her love.
Just beautiful.
She deals with some heavy themes but she does it in a way that feels low angst.
I loved this one. Loved how independent and strong Spring was while still being soft and tender with her love.
Just beautiful.
July 19, 2022
Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit of clever banter!
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine’s perspectives
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
I did not read the first book and I’m not sure if it’s related to the characters in this one. This one felt fine to pick up as a stand alone!
Basic plot:
Garrett is a reporter that has come to do a story on doctors for his Black newspaper out East. He wants to interview Colton Lee, but meets his sister, Spring, and is attracted right away.
Give this a try if you want:
- Wyoming territory in the post Civil War America
- Heroine nurses hero back to health
- Reverse grump and sunshine feel (happy, talkative hero and prickly, closed off heroine)
- Childless HEA and contraception used regularly
- Instalove/lust feel here
Ages:
- heroine is 33, hero is around 32 (These are done from context clues about the amount of time passed from prior events so I could be off)
My thoughts:
I found this romance so refreshingly unique in so many ways! Black characters taking the stage and owning their lives – the strength in both of them is so admirable. The fact that contraception was used and the heroine was adament that she didn’t want children and didn’t budge on that for ‘true love’. I also enjoyed the reverse sunshine/grump feel – Garrett is just such a joy and as much as Spring pushes back on him initially, he of courses melts her opposition just by being is amazingly endearing, cheerful, gentle self.
I did struggle a bit with the actual romance/sexual tension in this book. There is a feeling of instalust here and they were ready to jump each other pretty quickly. I just didn’t feel the tension building up between them and so their romantic relationship fell a touch flat for me.
This was my first by Jenkins and I was impressed with her writing style and would definitely try more from her!
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit of clever banter!
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine’s perspectives
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
I did not read the first book and I’m not sure if it’s related to the characters in this one. This one felt fine to pick up as a stand alone!
Basic plot:
Garrett is a reporter that has come to do a story on doctors for his Black newspaper out East. He wants to interview Colton Lee, but meets his sister, Spring, and is attracted right away.
Give this a try if you want:
- Wyoming territory in the post Civil War America
- Heroine nurses hero back to health
- Reverse grump and sunshine feel (happy, talkative hero and prickly, closed off heroine)
- Childless HEA and contraception used regularly
- Instalove/lust feel here
Ages:
- heroine is 33, hero is around 32 (These are done from context clues about the amount of time passed from prior events so I could be off)
My thoughts:
I found this romance so refreshingly unique in so many ways! Black characters taking the stage and owning their lives – the strength in both of them is so admirable. The fact that contraception was used and the heroine was adament that she didn’t want children and didn’t budge on that for ‘true love’. I also enjoyed the reverse sunshine/grump feel – Garrett is just such a joy and as much as Spring pushes back on him initially, he of courses melts her opposition just by being is amazingly endearing, cheerful, gentle self.
I did struggle a bit with the actual romance/sexual tension in this book. There is a feeling of instalust here and they were ready to jump each other pretty quickly. I just didn’t feel the tension building up between them and so their romantic relationship fell a touch flat for me.
This was my first by Jenkins and I was impressed with her writing style and would definitely try more from her!
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
February 9, 2021
Stories about women living in the newly settled western parts of America fascinate me. I remember reading Ann Weisgarber’s The Personal History of Rachel Dupree years ago. The story of a Black woman who left a big city to move to the Badlands of South Dakota with her new husband and homestead in the early 20th century was mind blowing. But with Wild Rain, Beverly Jenkins introduces an even bigger badass!
Spring Lee is a fierce, no nonsense, kick ass now ask questions later “lady.” And while it's true that the romance between her and Garrett McCray, a formerly enslaved journalist who's come to Paradise, Wyoming to interview Spring’s brother, is the overarching theme of the book, Spring’s approach to life is the heartbeat of Wild Rain. Eschewing social norms of the times, she's a land owning rancher, she hangs out in saloons, she breaks wild horses and she embraces her sexuality! It's so refreshing to see a female character who doesn't pretend she doesn't have a past, is open about what and who she wants, and makes the first, second or third move, if she has to.
Wild Rain is the second novel in the Women Who Dare series, Rebel was the first. If you're trying to remember where you've seen Spring Lee before, check out Tempest, the third book in Beverly Jenkins's Old West series, where we first meet Spring’s brother Dr. Colton Lee and his bride to be, Regan Carmichael.
Thanks to the people at William Morrow Books/Avon for sending this my way!
Spring Lee is a fierce, no nonsense, kick ass now ask questions later “lady.” And while it's true that the romance between her and Garrett McCray, a formerly enslaved journalist who's come to Paradise, Wyoming to interview Spring’s brother, is the overarching theme of the book, Spring’s approach to life is the heartbeat of Wild Rain. Eschewing social norms of the times, she's a land owning rancher, she hangs out in saloons, she breaks wild horses and she embraces her sexuality! It's so refreshing to see a female character who doesn't pretend she doesn't have a past, is open about what and who she wants, and makes the first, second or third move, if she has to.
Wild Rain is the second novel in the Women Who Dare series, Rebel was the first. If you're trying to remember where you've seen Spring Lee before, check out Tempest, the third book in Beverly Jenkins's Old West series, where we first meet Spring’s brother Dr. Colton Lee and his bride to be, Regan Carmichael.
Thanks to the people at William Morrow Books/Avon for sending this my way!
December 3, 2020
This romance was superb, sweet, romantic, sexy — Ms Bev is the queen.
Spring is a horse girl, rancher, denim-wearing heroine who meets one day a cinnamon roll, bookish, newspaper hero, Garrett, in a blizzard. She saves him after falling off his horse! He says he fell in love with her since that moment on.
This was so great and ugh the feels, the feels. Their relationship happened so naturally like every Beverly Jenkins book. Spring and Garrett brought me back to Regan and Colt and that little town. It was very good and I think many many will enjoy this book!
Also nice to read more and more about heroines who don’t want children and where the hero or the circumstances in the story don’t make her change her mind. Spring doesn’t want to get married and doesn’t want children and that’s okay! I’m so happy Garrett was there to make her happy in any way possible and he just wanted to wake up beside her every morning. Love these two!
I got a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Spring is a horse girl, rancher, denim-wearing heroine who meets one day a cinnamon roll, bookish, newspaper hero, Garrett, in a blizzard. She saves him after falling off his horse! He says he fell in love with her since that moment on.
This was so great and ugh the feels, the feels. Their relationship happened so naturally like every Beverly Jenkins book. Spring and Garrett brought me back to Regan and Colt and that little town. It was very good and I think many many will enjoy this book!
Also nice to read more and more about heroines who don’t want children and where the hero or the circumstances in the story don’t make her change her mind. Spring doesn’t want to get married and doesn’t want children and that’s okay! I’m so happy Garrett was there to make her happy in any way possible and he just wanted to wake up beside her every morning. Love these two!
I got a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
October 11, 2021
This is Colton’s sister Spring’s book. Colton’s story is Tempest with heroine Regan who is the niece of Eddy the heroine from Forbidden. Eddy is Rhine’s wife who is the brother of Sable, the heroine of Through the Storm. We get to visit Sable and Raimond in Rebel. The first book of this current series which is Raimond’s brother, Drake’s book. We meet Raimond in Indigo. He is the hero Galen's best friend.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
July 4, 2021
Wild Rain is one of those releases for the year I have been most anticipating, but it took me a while to get in the mood. I ended up having it on my TBR for the #HRREADATHON and rotating between the audio and the ebook. Wild Rain is the second book in the latest series by Bev Jenkins and a western romance. It definitely has the typical flair that one will find with Bev Jenkins books, but I love her style with westerns. Now it wasn't a perfect book or one that won my heart completely. The ending was so NOT my cup of tea and I just felt the heroine could be selfish at times at the expense of the hero and it just rubbed me the wrong way.
Wild Rain begins with Spring Lee who is rancher and on her way home she stumbles across an injured rider and she takes him back to her home to tend to him. Garrett is a Eastern news reporter who has come to interview her brother who is a black man practicing medicine. Garrett is a respectful honest man that is intriguing to Spring. Spring is proud of the woman that she has become. She is independent, self sufficient and doesn't depend on anyone but herself. She loves being a rancher and the ability to be able to pave her own life. But there is a chemistry between herself and Garrett and Spring doesn't know what to do with this attraction with Garrett. She knows their lives are at a crossroads but can't resist the temptation of a strong yet kind man who has only treated her with kindness and respect. Garrett has in his own, gone his own way. His parents fought for him since he was young and sacrificed much. But he is own man and wants to find his own way. He finds Spring and the western way of living such a temptation. He feels a sense of completeness he couldn't ever feel in the city way of life. But he knows Spring will have to be the one to choose him because she is on her own path but hopes that their love will be enough for them both.
Wild Rain was a sweet and poetically penned romance. I had such a blast with this book and all the bright and colorful personalities that come into play into this story. Now while its definitely not one of my favorites, westerns always breath new life into my reading and this queen of an author can always draw me into her books and I love seeing the way it beckons me into it. I will say that as this one was an audio book, I was impressed with the talent of Kim Staunton. She really brought the perfect balance in the narration of this story. Spring and Garrett were definitely a unique mix together and I did enjoy their relationship and seeing the sacrifices. But I did feel that Garrett was really the one making all the concessions and sacrifices and it didn't feel like Spring was willing to do nearly as much for the relationship. Garrett seemed to be much more invested in the relationship and I did find that the heroine was very selfish at times and yeah the ending just didn't feel final or that HEA feel to it at all. I just finished reading the book with feeling like there needed to be more.
Now don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike the heroine at all. I found her to be very impressive and I adored the way she would stand up for herself and what she believed in. I just felt like there wasn't much growth to her as I was expecting and there were aspects to her character that wasn't my favorite to read in. But Garretty? As the male lead and hero, was superb in every way. I loved his dynamic character. I would say he is a beta with some alpha tendacies especially in being a protector. This part of his character comes when you least expect it. I loved seeing him grow in this story and being such a dynamic character.
The plot in this book was quite interesting. I honestly never know what to expect in the plot developments of Beverly Jenkins reads and this one was no different. There are aspects of suspense and it was a unique experience to go along for the ride with this book and see where this author was taking us on the journey. There were mutliple of aspects that drew me into this book and I had no problem staying engaged, I found the pacing the plot to be steady and didn't falter as sometimes happens in historical's. I really get a kick out of Beverly Jenkins, she has always been an author whose writing style has just worked for me. I really respect her level of rich historical authenticity that is so rare in modern historical authors these days. Its obvious that she knows her history and does her research and "high respect".
Overall I found Wild Rain to be a thrilling tale of western culture, rich historical context and a tender romance to curl your toes.
Wild Rain begins with Spring Lee who is rancher and on her way home she stumbles across an injured rider and she takes him back to her home to tend to him. Garrett is a Eastern news reporter who has come to interview her brother who is a black man practicing medicine. Garrett is a respectful honest man that is intriguing to Spring. Spring is proud of the woman that she has become. She is independent, self sufficient and doesn't depend on anyone but herself. She loves being a rancher and the ability to be able to pave her own life. But there is a chemistry between herself and Garrett and Spring doesn't know what to do with this attraction with Garrett. She knows their lives are at a crossroads but can't resist the temptation of a strong yet kind man who has only treated her with kindness and respect. Garrett has in his own, gone his own way. His parents fought for him since he was young and sacrificed much. But he is own man and wants to find his own way. He finds Spring and the western way of living such a temptation. He feels a sense of completeness he couldn't ever feel in the city way of life. But he knows Spring will have to be the one to choose him because she is on her own path but hopes that their love will be enough for them both.
Wild Rain was a sweet and poetically penned romance. I had such a blast with this book and all the bright and colorful personalities that come into play into this story. Now while its definitely not one of my favorites, westerns always breath new life into my reading and this queen of an author can always draw me into her books and I love seeing the way it beckons me into it. I will say that as this one was an audio book, I was impressed with the talent of Kim Staunton. She really brought the perfect balance in the narration of this story. Spring and Garrett were definitely a unique mix together and I did enjoy their relationship and seeing the sacrifices. But I did feel that Garrett was really the one making all the concessions and sacrifices and it didn't feel like Spring was willing to do nearly as much for the relationship. Garrett seemed to be much more invested in the relationship and I did find that the heroine was very selfish at times and yeah the ending just didn't feel final or that HEA feel to it at all. I just finished reading the book with feeling like there needed to be more.
Now don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike the heroine at all. I found her to be very impressive and I adored the way she would stand up for herself and what she believed in. I just felt like there wasn't much growth to her as I was expecting and there were aspects to her character that wasn't my favorite to read in. But Garretty? As the male lead and hero, was superb in every way. I loved his dynamic character. I would say he is a beta with some alpha tendacies especially in being a protector. This part of his character comes when you least expect it. I loved seeing him grow in this story and being such a dynamic character.
The plot in this book was quite interesting. I honestly never know what to expect in the plot developments of Beverly Jenkins reads and this one was no different. There are aspects of suspense and it was a unique experience to go along for the ride with this book and see where this author was taking us on the journey. There were mutliple of aspects that drew me into this book and I had no problem staying engaged, I found the pacing the plot to be steady and didn't falter as sometimes happens in historical's. I really get a kick out of Beverly Jenkins, she has always been an author whose writing style has just worked for me. I really respect her level of rich historical authenticity that is so rare in modern historical authors these days. Its obvious that she knows her history and does her research and "high respect".
Overall I found Wild Rain to be a thrilling tale of western culture, rich historical context and a tender romance to curl your toes.
August 7, 2023
I really enjoyed this.
It's a frontier romance featuring a tough as nails mixed-race heroine who is capable in all things, and a softer city boy journalist. Jenkins managed to work in solid racial commentary, gender dynamics, lots of injury care and hurt+comfort, and even gave a happy ending in the 1800s to a formerly promiscuous woman who didn't want children. Chef's kiss in a historical romance.
It's a frontier romance featuring a tough as nails mixed-race heroine who is capable in all things, and a softer city boy journalist. Jenkins managed to work in solid racial commentary, gender dynamics, lots of injury care and hurt+comfort, and even gave a happy ending in the 1800s to a formerly promiscuous woman who didn't want children. Chef's kiss in a historical romance.
June 10, 2021
A great book in Jenkins's "Women Who Dare" series. The only reason why I didn't give this 5 stars is that the book just kind of ends abruptly. I think an epilogue would have made it stronger. Also the book just read to me anyway as a Happy For Now and not a Happily Ever After.
"Wild Rain" follows the sister of Doctor Colton Lee, the character we met in "Tempest". We heard bits and pieces about Spring in that book and what led her to be a woman living alone on a ranch, estranged partially from her brother and their grandfather. Jenkins follows us about a year after the events in that book with Spring happier than she has been in a while due to her new sister in law. She and her brother get along much better, but she still refuses to have anything to do with her grandfather. As Spring goes out in a blizzard, she finds a man injured and takes him home. She finds out that his name is Garrett McCray. McCray is a newspaperman from out East who traveled to the territory to do a story on Colton. He was born a slave, and is now free after the Civil War. He struggles with trying to do what he can to make his father happy (marrying a rich woman whose family has been Freeborn since the Revolutionary War) even though his heart isn't in it. When he meets Spring he starts having a different dream.
Spring was a great character. I absolutely loved her in this one. We get more details on what she had to deal with when her grandfather threw her out and how angry it had made many people. But Spring still has to deal with the slights to her reputation by the wives and men in Wyoming. That definitely felt true (though not fair) and you have her holding her head up and not carrying at all what people are saying.
Garret was okay. I didn't dislike him, but he felt a bit blank to me. He trained as a lawyer, but didn't want to be one. Is now working at a newspaper, but not really into that and then we find out that he's a really good carpenter. It was a lot. Also, there was instant love for Garret regarding Spring and I always always dislike that kind of thing in romance books. It just didn't feel realistic at all. And I thought that Garrett deciding to have a "relationship" with Spring isn't something that the character would have done due to how he is introduced to us. I thought that he was just changing way too quickly to suit the story and not the other way around.
The love scenes were written very well I thought, but once again, due to the times/place that the book was written in, I have a hard time believing that people would be all yes this is happening and not say anything about it.
I was happy we got scenes with Regan and Colton, but thought they should be in the story way more than they were. We get a resolution or whatever you want to call it with Spring's grandfather. And there's still the mystery of the grandmother who ran away from him because Colton and Spring's grandfather kept trying to teach her how to be a "proper woman."
The plot not only is about Spring and Garret's romance, but also the fact that a man from Spring's past keeps harassing her and brings another man in their midst who doesn't like the idea of "coloreds" talking to him any type of way.
"Wild Rain" follows the sister of Doctor Colton Lee, the character we met in "Tempest". We heard bits and pieces about Spring in that book and what led her to be a woman living alone on a ranch, estranged partially from her brother and their grandfather. Jenkins follows us about a year after the events in that book with Spring happier than she has been in a while due to her new sister in law. She and her brother get along much better, but she still refuses to have anything to do with her grandfather. As Spring goes out in a blizzard, she finds a man injured and takes him home. She finds out that his name is Garrett McCray. McCray is a newspaperman from out East who traveled to the territory to do a story on Colton. He was born a slave, and is now free after the Civil War. He struggles with trying to do what he can to make his father happy (marrying a rich woman whose family has been Freeborn since the Revolutionary War) even though his heart isn't in it. When he meets Spring he starts having a different dream.
Spring was a great character. I absolutely loved her in this one. We get more details on what she had to deal with when her grandfather threw her out and how angry it had made many people. But Spring still has to deal with the slights to her reputation by the wives and men in Wyoming. That definitely felt true (though not fair) and you have her holding her head up and not carrying at all what people are saying.
Garret was okay. I didn't dislike him, but he felt a bit blank to me. He trained as a lawyer, but didn't want to be one. Is now working at a newspaper, but not really into that and then we find out that he's a really good carpenter. It was a lot. Also, there was instant love for Garret regarding Spring and I always always dislike that kind of thing in romance books. It just didn't feel realistic at all. And I thought that Garrett deciding to have a "relationship" with Spring isn't something that the character would have done due to how he is introduced to us. I thought that he was just changing way too quickly to suit the story and not the other way around.
The love scenes were written very well I thought, but once again, due to the times/place that the book was written in, I have a hard time believing that people would be all yes this is happening and not say anything about it.
I was happy we got scenes with Regan and Colton, but thought they should be in the story way more than they were. We get a resolution or whatever you want to call it with Spring's grandfather. And there's still the mystery of the grandmother who ran away from him because Colton and Spring's grandfather kept trying to teach her how to be a "proper woman."
The plot not only is about Spring and Garret's romance, but also the fact that a man from Spring's past keeps harassing her and brings another man in their midst who doesn't like the idea of "coloreds" talking to him any type of way.
September 4, 2022
Okay, I’m convinced that Beverly J hands down writes some of the best heroines I’ve had the pleasure to read. They’re strong and yet tender at times. I love how capable they are and how they get things done. Black romance just hits different. It gives me so many feels and fills me with pride. The level of research and history that Ms. Bev pours into each novel is so evident and rich. I’m addicted to her writing.
January 26, 2021
He came west for a story and found a woman rancher who refused to follow the script. The old west comes alive in all it's colorful, gritty hues from the pen of a talented author and I was eager for this reading adventure to begin.
Wild Rain is the second of the Women Who Dare standalone stories, but it is fourth in the Old West series that are an inter-connected series of books about the women of Carmichael/Lee family. I had no trouble reading it without the earlier Old West stories, but I could see the strong connection to the previous book Tempest, in particular.
Wild Rain opens with woman rancher, Spring Lee, on her way home from caring for a horse. A blizzard has come up and she comes across a horse with an empty saddle and then the injured rider. Turns out the rider is the eastern newspaperman who wants to interview her doctor brother since he's a colored man practicing medicine. Spring likes to be to herself and be left alone, but something about the courteous and respectful Garrett McGrady makes his company not the irksome burden she assumed when she grudgingly brought him to her cabin and looked after him.
McGrady is full of questions like any news reporter about her brother, about life in Paradise, WY, and about her life on the ranch raising stock horses and more, but he accepts her as she is and doesn't pry. She learns something about the handsome, gentlemanly easterner who is a former slave, former navy sailor, carpenter, and reporter and for all he is, he is more impressed with her and treats her like a lady no matter what he hears around town about her wild past and most unladylike conduct. Unfortunately, he hears a lot because the slimy son of her former boss portrays her as a whore and nastily brings it up in company. He threatens her, but Spring isn't afraid to pull out her Colt pistol and fill him with lead if he pushes her. The fancy Easterners he brings to town threaten the ownership of her land, but Spring is more concerned about a certain reporter than anything else.
Garrett came to get a story and falls in love with the ways of the west, the townfolk, and especially a strong woman who isn't afraid to buck the system to be herself. He gradually learns Spring's story of being forced out on her own to make her way as best she could. Back east, his father has a woman picked out for him from a slightly higher class in colored society and wants Garrett settled in a respectable law office, but Garrett has other ideas about both. He'd rather pursue his carpentry work and figure out a way to be in Spring's life. In the mean time, he meets her doctor brother and sister in law Regal, makes friends with many in town, and makes a bitter enemy of the man who insults Spring and threatens her. Will he hang tough and be the man to match Spring or take the easy road back East?
I enjoyed my first Beverly Jenkins book last year, Rebel, so I picked up this second Women Who Dare. Now, perhaps it is the setting- I am partial to westerns- but I thought this story was even stronger and kept me riveted from cover to cover. Spring is my hero. That woman went through so much and she came out as tempered steel though she is generous, loyal, hardworking, and loving in her gruff way. And, Garrett is a rare and lovely beta hero. He's skilled and poised and has been through his own tough early years, but he's no domineering alpha sort. He's not afraid of strong, capable women and respects Spring to death even her wish to stay unmarried and without a family. He will accept her terms to be with her. And, Spring, who had no plans beyond scratching an itch with the handsome man, soon learns what a real man is like and learns that she can have so much more if she can open herself to Garrett.
Beyond the romance, there was an exciting, gritty plot. Spring goes up against an Easterner investor who won't take no for an answer and an old enemy who bullied and used her when she was too young and desperate to defend herself. It got exciting and had some suspenseful scenes.
The ranch town setting was added to with colorful western characters from all backgrounds. As with the earlier book, I enjoyed the details of African American history that were new to me and how it fit in with other aspects of post-Civil War history of the time. I was intrigued by the class-consciousness that the author referenced of how those who were former slaves were sometimes looked down upon by those who were born free. It was also fascinating to learn a little about life as a black sailor in the navy as well as the 'sundown' newspapers of the day. I'll definitely be following up on several historical details that grabbed me.
But, for all the details, the story driving forward was the most prominent and the details enriched that story. I can't wait to see what daring woman gets her story next though I wouldn't be upset if she is the love interest of a certain Native American rancher-engineer... Those who love their historical western romances sensual, exciting, and authentic should give the Old West and/or Women Who Dare series a go.
I rec'd this book through Net Galley to be read in exchange for an honest review.
I read this for COYER as a buddy read with Kara.
Wild Rain is the second of the Women Who Dare standalone stories, but it is fourth in the Old West series that are an inter-connected series of books about the women of Carmichael/Lee family. I had no trouble reading it without the earlier Old West stories, but I could see the strong connection to the previous book Tempest, in particular.
Wild Rain opens with woman rancher, Spring Lee, on her way home from caring for a horse. A blizzard has come up and she comes across a horse with an empty saddle and then the injured rider. Turns out the rider is the eastern newspaperman who wants to interview her doctor brother since he's a colored man practicing medicine. Spring likes to be to herself and be left alone, but something about the courteous and respectful Garrett McGrady makes his company not the irksome burden she assumed when she grudgingly brought him to her cabin and looked after him.
McGrady is full of questions like any news reporter about her brother, about life in Paradise, WY, and about her life on the ranch raising stock horses and more, but he accepts her as she is and doesn't pry. She learns something about the handsome, gentlemanly easterner who is a former slave, former navy sailor, carpenter, and reporter and for all he is, he is more impressed with her and treats her like a lady no matter what he hears around town about her wild past and most unladylike conduct. Unfortunately, he hears a lot because the slimy son of her former boss portrays her as a whore and nastily brings it up in company. He threatens her, but Spring isn't afraid to pull out her Colt pistol and fill him with lead if he pushes her. The fancy Easterners he brings to town threaten the ownership of her land, but Spring is more concerned about a certain reporter than anything else.
Garrett came to get a story and falls in love with the ways of the west, the townfolk, and especially a strong woman who isn't afraid to buck the system to be herself. He gradually learns Spring's story of being forced out on her own to make her way as best she could. Back east, his father has a woman picked out for him from a slightly higher class in colored society and wants Garrett settled in a respectable law office, but Garrett has other ideas about both. He'd rather pursue his carpentry work and figure out a way to be in Spring's life. In the mean time, he meets her doctor brother and sister in law Regal, makes friends with many in town, and makes a bitter enemy of the man who insults Spring and threatens her. Will he hang tough and be the man to match Spring or take the easy road back East?
I enjoyed my first Beverly Jenkins book last year, Rebel, so I picked up this second Women Who Dare. Now, perhaps it is the setting- I am partial to westerns- but I thought this story was even stronger and kept me riveted from cover to cover. Spring is my hero. That woman went through so much and she came out as tempered steel though she is generous, loyal, hardworking, and loving in her gruff way. And, Garrett is a rare and lovely beta hero. He's skilled and poised and has been through his own tough early years, but he's no domineering alpha sort. He's not afraid of strong, capable women and respects Spring to death even her wish to stay unmarried and without a family. He will accept her terms to be with her. And, Spring, who had no plans beyond scratching an itch with the handsome man, soon learns what a real man is like and learns that she can have so much more if she can open herself to Garrett.
Beyond the romance, there was an exciting, gritty plot. Spring goes up against an Easterner investor who won't take no for an answer and an old enemy who bullied and used her when she was too young and desperate to defend herself. It got exciting and had some suspenseful scenes.
The ranch town setting was added to with colorful western characters from all backgrounds. As with the earlier book, I enjoyed the details of African American history that were new to me and how it fit in with other aspects of post-Civil War history of the time. I was intrigued by the class-consciousness that the author referenced of how those who were former slaves were sometimes looked down upon by those who were born free. It was also fascinating to learn a little about life as a black sailor in the navy as well as the 'sundown' newspapers of the day. I'll definitely be following up on several historical details that grabbed me.
But, for all the details, the story driving forward was the most prominent and the details enriched that story. I can't wait to see what daring woman gets her story next though I wouldn't be upset if she is the love interest of a certain Native American rancher-engineer... Those who love their historical western romances sensual, exciting, and authentic should give the Old West and/or Women Who Dare series a go.
I rec'd this book through Net Galley to be read in exchange for an honest review.
I read this for COYER as a buddy read with Kara.
March 10, 2021
I highly recommend reading Beverly Jenkins books in order because the characters are connected to each other and often make appearances in subsequent installments of a series.
In this book, the heroine Spring Lee is the sister of D. Colton Lee from book 3 of the Old West series. His story was just as good as this one.
The story begins with writer Garrett McCray traveling to the Wyoming to interview Spring's brother Colton for his newspaper. On his travel, Garrett was thrown from his horse and got hurt. Spring reluctantly gives aid and then Garrett slowly draws Spring out of her prickly shell.
What I love about Beverly Jenkins is that she never gives me a heroine that I can't relate to and admire. The woman are strong, independent, hardworking, loyal, just good people. There was so much so Spring. Many layers that made her sarcastic and strong. She had been through a lot. This book was really about Spring's growth and how Garrett's love aided her in the journey. Their scene together were done well because of the respect as well as the attraction between them.
In addition, the black family dynamics always makes me feel whole. There is a sense of community that she conveys with the freed blacks that educates the reader as to accomplishments and achievements. So this is more than a love story, its just a feel good historical fiction. This was one as another winner for me.
In this book, the heroine Spring Lee is the sister of D. Colton Lee from book 3 of the Old West series. His story was just as good as this one.
The story begins with writer Garrett McCray traveling to the Wyoming to interview Spring's brother Colton for his newspaper. On his travel, Garrett was thrown from his horse and got hurt. Spring reluctantly gives aid and then Garrett slowly draws Spring out of her prickly shell.
What I love about Beverly Jenkins is that she never gives me a heroine that I can't relate to and admire. The woman are strong, independent, hardworking, loyal, just good people. There was so much so Spring. Many layers that made her sarcastic and strong. She had been through a lot. This book was really about Spring's growth and how Garrett's love aided her in the journey. Their scene together were done well because of the respect as well as the attraction between them.
In addition, the black family dynamics always makes me feel whole. There is a sense of community that she conveys with the freed blacks that educates the reader as to accomplishments and achievements. So this is more than a love story, its just a feel good historical fiction. This was one as another winner for me.
April 13, 2023
Fantastically cozy
This story had me fully invested from start to finish. I love how well the two MCs complimented each other and even more so how much of life they learned through learning each other.
Usually with historicals I struggle with information dumping so that’s def a ME thing. Some of that threw me off but I’m working on that.
This story had me fully invested from start to finish. I love how well the two MCs complimented each other and even more so how much of life they learned through learning each other.
Usually with historicals I struggle with information dumping so that’s def a ME thing. Some of that threw me off but I’m working on that.
Read
February 21, 2022CW:
AAAH YES! loved this one! love this series! Ms. Bev's historical romances are just *mwah* and this one is no different.
The Women Who Dare books especially have a special spot for me, the heroines in them are fierce and capable in a time period whem women were "ideally" subdued, very home oriented and unopinionated. Especially Black women. In this one in particular I loved that Spring rejected the institution of marriage from start to finish and Garrett never once tried to change her mind. I loved how that didn't mean she rejected romantic love for herself and that she was open to it when it came knocking at her door. The chemistry between the two of them was also effortless and palpable.
AAAH YES! loved this one! love this series! Ms. Bev's historical romances are just *mwah* and this one is no different.
The Women Who Dare books especially have a special spot for me, the heroines in them are fierce and capable in a time period whem women were "ideally" subdued, very home oriented and unopinionated. Especially Black women. In this one in particular I loved that Spring rejected the institution of marriage from start to finish and Garrett never once tried to change her mind. I loved how that didn't mean she rejected romantic love for herself and that she was open to it when it came knocking at her door. The chemistry between the two of them was also effortless and palpable.
March 1, 2021
Wild Rain has a fantastic heroine, Spring, who’s intelligent, tough as nails, and fiercely independent. Spring is a gun toting, lone rancher residing near Paradise, Wyoming who’s the kind of woman that never wants to marry or have any children (and is totally fine with that.) She meets our hero, Garrett, in a snowstorm, saves his life, brings him into her home and takes care of him. Garrett’s a sweetheart of a hero who’s in awe of Spring. He’s a carpenter and reporter, practiced law, who’s traveled to Paradise from the east coast to interview Spring’s brother (a doctor) for his father’s sundown newspaper. Instead, he is fascinated by Spring, falls in love with her and wants her just as she is. I adored Spring and Garrett, their chemistry was off the charts. Beverly Jenkins writes their world so vividly it leaves nothing to the imagination. I really enjoyed my short escape to the old west, and will be reading more of this series as they’re released.
September 6, 2022
It's hard to find things to say about the greatness of Beverly Jenkins's work that haven't been said a million times already because, well, she's a legend of the genre for a reason. But every time I pick up one of her books, I'm struck anew at how consistent and reliable her back catalog is, without ever feeling predictable or stale or lacking ambition or emotional challenges. What a gift to romance readers.
Wild Rain is Spring Lee's story, and I was already pretty sure I would love her from her appearance in Tempest. And indeed, she totally delivers as a romance heroine. She's self-sufficient and a bit prickly and "unconventional" for a woman in her set-in-its-ways Western town: she's a rancher, she lives alone, she drinks in saloons, she doesn't want to get married or have children. There was a lot about her character that felt careful and well-judged to me. Spring has a really, really difficult backstory, one in which she was forced to do things to survive that made her an outcast and a topic of gossip and judgment. Her past is part of what makes her so tough and independent, yet at the same time, without ever suggesting she feels shame about it, we can see how her past has made life harder and lonelier for her as well. Her "unconventionality" felt lived-in, rather than externally signaled to the reader, and I appreciated that the book celebrated Spring being exactly who she is, without downplaying the difficulty of existing as she does in the world.
I was VERY curious what kind of hero Spring was going to be paired up with. Because, on the one hand, Spring was SO amazing, and clearly deserved no less than a man who loved and accepted everything about her. But on the other hand... I think it would have strained belief to have some random dude show up and - when presented with this woman whom nobody really seems to understand and whose ostracization and isolation have been made very believable - just immediately "get" her and magically provide everything she needs emotionally. It felt like the plot simultaneously demanded immediate perfection, and excluded the possibility at the same time.
So I think Jenkins made a really smart choice in having Garrett's primary trait be his genuine curiosity. That personality fit with his job as a newspaper reporter, of course. But it also allowed him to show interest in Spring, and respect for her, and attraction to her as a person, without shoving him into an idealized "literally no man has ever known what to make of this woman except THIS magical unicorn" kind of situation. I really appreciated the push and pull of their relationship, where Garrett could sometimes be surprised or taken aback by Spring's unconventional ways, but always from a place of wanting to know more and to understand, rather than to judge. I enjoyed watching their love unfold immensely.
And really, the slow unfolding of their love and trust for each other takes up most of the plot, here. There's a fairly one-dimensional group of villains you can see coming from a mile away, but that felt more like a minor addendum to the strong central romance. My only complaint, really, is that the appearance of Garrett's family at the end brought up some truly fascinating dynamics that I wish had been given more space. Garrett's father has strong ideas about class mobility and the importance of carrying on his family line - ideas that are grounded in his history of being enslaved and having to fight for his family's survival. I thought it was so fascinating how Garrett understood those ideas and where they came from (having been enslaved as a child himself), but held fast to his budding desire to move out West, and be with a woman of a very different social class who wanted neither marriage nor, importantly, children. All the complexity of that dynamic was right there on the page, I just wish it had been given a bit more space to breathe into the narrative. Similarly, Spring's own difficult family backstory got dispatched just a bit too quickly, I think.
But, overall, this was such a satisfying read. Since I can't ever stop myself from saying *something* about the prose, I will add that the writing style here is of a kind that doesn't always work for me, but felt perfect for this book. Normally my heart lies a bit more towards the "overworked and purple" end of the prose spectrum, and I often balk at being told directly about feelings. But there was something about the directness, the spareness of the prose that felt like part of the setting: the writing had the same harsh beauty as the Wyoming frontier, and played perfectly into the world-building of the novel.
Wild Rain is Spring Lee's story, and I was already pretty sure I would love her from her appearance in Tempest. And indeed, she totally delivers as a romance heroine. She's self-sufficient and a bit prickly and "unconventional" for a woman in her set-in-its-ways Western town: she's a rancher, she lives alone, she drinks in saloons, she doesn't want to get married or have children. There was a lot about her character that felt careful and well-judged to me. Spring has a really, really difficult backstory, one in which she was forced to do things to survive that made her an outcast and a topic of gossip and judgment. Her past is part of what makes her so tough and independent, yet at the same time, without ever suggesting she feels shame about it, we can see how her past has made life harder and lonelier for her as well. Her "unconventionality" felt lived-in, rather than externally signaled to the reader, and I appreciated that the book celebrated Spring being exactly who she is, without downplaying the difficulty of existing as she does in the world.
I was VERY curious what kind of hero Spring was going to be paired up with. Because, on the one hand, Spring was SO amazing, and clearly deserved no less than a man who loved and accepted everything about her. But on the other hand... I think it would have strained belief to have some random dude show up and - when presented with this woman whom nobody really seems to understand and whose ostracization and isolation have been made very believable - just immediately "get" her and magically provide everything she needs emotionally. It felt like the plot simultaneously demanded immediate perfection, and excluded the possibility at the same time.
So I think Jenkins made a really smart choice in having Garrett's primary trait be his genuine curiosity. That personality fit with his job as a newspaper reporter, of course. But it also allowed him to show interest in Spring, and respect for her, and attraction to her as a person, without shoving him into an idealized "literally no man has ever known what to make of this woman except THIS magical unicorn" kind of situation. I really appreciated the push and pull of their relationship, where Garrett could sometimes be surprised or taken aback by Spring's unconventional ways, but always from a place of wanting to know more and to understand, rather than to judge. I enjoyed watching their love unfold immensely.
And really, the slow unfolding of their love and trust for each other takes up most of the plot, here. There's a fairly one-dimensional group of villains you can see coming from a mile away, but that felt more like a minor addendum to the strong central romance. My only complaint, really, is that the appearance of Garrett's family at the end brought up some truly fascinating dynamics that I wish had been given more space. Garrett's father has strong ideas about class mobility and the importance of carrying on his family line - ideas that are grounded in his history of being enslaved and having to fight for his family's survival. I thought it was so fascinating how Garrett understood those ideas and where they came from (having been enslaved as a child himself), but held fast to his budding desire to move out West, and be with a woman of a very different social class who wanted neither marriage nor, importantly, children. All the complexity of that dynamic was right there on the page, I just wish it had been given a bit more space to breathe into the narrative. Similarly, Spring's own difficult family backstory got dispatched just a bit too quickly, I think.
But, overall, this was such a satisfying read. Since I can't ever stop myself from saying *something* about the prose, I will add that the writing style here is of a kind that doesn't always work for me, but felt perfect for this book. Normally my heart lies a bit more towards the "overworked and purple" end of the prose spectrum, and I often balk at being told directly about feelings. But there was something about the directness, the spareness of the prose that felt like part of the setting: the writing had the same harsh beauty as the Wyoming frontier, and played perfectly into the world-building of the novel.
March 20, 2021
A sweet historical romance is sometimes exactly what the doctor calls for, and this novel fits the prescription perfectly. This is such a sweet, low-key romance about a badass female rancher and the reporter who falls in love with her after coming to town to write a story on her brother. I loved the dynamic between the two of them, the way there was this genuine care and affection for each other right from the beginning. Seeing Spring care for Garrett was so lovely. I loved that there wasn’t that much angst between them, and their relationship evolved so organically. Even the fact that the main character doesn’t want kids was a nice touch, because it’s so rare in historical romances for the HEA to not include children. As someone who isn’t sure if I want kids, even if I do get married one day, the representation was nice to see.
In addition, Beverly Jenkins was able to situate this romance within its historical context so well. She dealt with the realities of race, power, and privilege in such nuanced, important ways, and she brought the Old West setting to life so well. I could envision everything.
The one main detractor for me is still the writing style. I appreciate how light and understated it is, but this novel (and the previous book in this series) is pretty dialogue-heavy. I prefer more exposition and inner monologue in my narratives, but I recognize this is just personal preference. I certainly see why so many people love Beverly Jenkins, and I am sure that I will read many more of her romances in the future.
In addition, Beverly Jenkins was able to situate this romance within its historical context so well. She dealt with the realities of race, power, and privilege in such nuanced, important ways, and she brought the Old West setting to life so well. I could envision everything.
The one main detractor for me is still the writing style. I appreciate how light and understated it is, but this novel (and the previous book in this series) is pretty dialogue-heavy. I prefer more exposition and inner monologue in my narratives, but I recognize this is just personal preference. I certainly see why so many people love Beverly Jenkins, and I am sure that I will read many more of her romances in the future.
February 6, 2021
4.5 stars
Wild Rain was full of surprises, but then Spring Lee isn’t your typical heroine either. Spring, Dr. Colton Lee’s sister, first appeared in Tempest and I’ve been hoping some type of happy would happen to her after her difficult past. She deserved a special someone who appreciated her uniqueness and Garrett was more than up for the job! I couldn’t have asked for a better fit. He’s respectful, kind and is able to see Spring for who and what she is. He was a lovable cinnamon roll hero (I learned a new term for these super sweet hero types!) and I was cheering him on, along with the rest of Paradise’s residents to win Spring over!
Of course this wouldn’t be a Jenkins book without historical mentions-sundown newspapers and Black sailors in the Union Navy just to name a couple of things-but once again, I walk away from Ms. B’s story with new wrinkles on the brain and armed with a list of sources to research further.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley/Avon and Harper Voyager and this is my honest review.
Wild Rain was full of surprises, but then Spring Lee isn’t your typical heroine either. Spring, Dr. Colton Lee’s sister, first appeared in Tempest and I’ve been hoping some type of happy would happen to her after her difficult past. She deserved a special someone who appreciated her uniqueness and Garrett was more than up for the job! I couldn’t have asked for a better fit. He’s respectful, kind and is able to see Spring for who and what she is. He was a lovable cinnamon roll hero (I learned a new term for these super sweet hero types!) and I was cheering him on, along with the rest of Paradise’s residents to win Spring over!
Of course this wouldn’t be a Jenkins book without historical mentions-sundown newspapers and Black sailors in the Union Navy just to name a couple of things-but once again, I walk away from Ms. B’s story with new wrinkles on the brain and armed with a list of sources to research further.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley/Avon and Harper Voyager and this is my honest review.
March 24, 2025
⭐ 3.8/5
♡ THIS BOOK WAS CHARMING ♡
✩°｡⋆ 107th Review of 2024 ⋆｡°✩
♡ MY REVIEW:
I've never read a romance where there was action involved, and it was thrilling! The setting of this story scared me a bit because I was unsure about historical romances being for me, and after reading this, I'm now open to it. I really enjoyed Beverly Jenkins' writing, and I'm happy that I randomly picked this up. The romance between Garrett and Spring was exciting, tantalizing, and charming. The events that happened in this book were surprising to me, and I really hated the antagonist as well as what happened to Spring during her upbringing.
Also, I love the nod to women who don't have the desire to have kids, and I feel like that opinion should be discussed with no judgement and accepted more! I will be reading more from Beverly Jenkins. I flew through this novel in one day and really enjoyed the ups and downs of the story.
♡ THIS BOOK WAS CHARMING ♡
✩°｡⋆ 107th Review of 2024 ⋆｡°✩
♡ MY REVIEW:
I've never read a romance where there was action involved, and it was thrilling! The setting of this story scared me a bit because I was unsure about historical romances being for me, and after reading this, I'm now open to it. I really enjoyed Beverly Jenkins' writing, and I'm happy that I randomly picked this up. The romance between Garrett and Spring was exciting, tantalizing, and charming. The events that happened in this book were surprising to me, and I really hated the antagonist as well as what happened to Spring during her upbringing.
Also, I love the nod to women who don't have the desire to have kids, and I feel like that opinion should be discussed with no judgement and accepted more! I will be reading more from Beverly Jenkins. I flew through this novel in one day and really enjoyed the ups and downs of the story.
December 7, 2023
Garrett is a reporter coming into town to do a story on Spring’s brother. Spring is such a badass heroine, I adored her. She is a rancher, prefers jeans, regularly visits the saloon (alone *gasp*) to drink whiskey. And Garrett? MEGA cinnamon roll hero, I love him. Beverly does it again, this is phenomenal. It’s set in Wyoming after the Cival War, and is filled with true historical events, like the rise of Jim Crow. Beverly is a master at her craft, truly.
February 25, 2021
I totally finished this book and loved it.
I mean truly loved this.
I liked the delicacy that went into crafting this style romance in that time period.
Well done Ms Jenkins.
I mean truly loved this.
I liked the delicacy that went into crafting this style romance in that time period.
Well done Ms Jenkins.
April 13, 2025
This was my first book from Miss Beverly and I'm excited to get into more of her books in the future.
I love a good strong FMC paired with a cinnamon roll MMC and these two were wonderful together. My only complaint would be that I wish we would have gotten a future take, but that's just me being greedy.
I love a good strong FMC paired with a cinnamon roll MMC and these two were wonderful together. My only complaint would be that I wish we would have gotten a future take, but that's just me being greedy.
July 4, 2021
Full Review below:
The latest from the infamous Beverly Jenkins 100% did NOT disappoint!
'Wild Rain' is the newest installment of her Women Who Dare series, book #2, and also, book #4 of her Old West series (our heroine, Spring Lee is the sister of the infamous Colton Lee, whose story with his lady, Regan, of Tempest!)
This story was, sweet, it was sexy, and as I've learned to expect from Ms. Bev, full of history lessons. I have admittedly not read her entire backlist yet, but that is one of my goals this year because I love her writing, and how she sets up an entire world that you can see so vividly through her words.
Spring happens upon our hero, Garrett McCray, in the middle of a blizzard in Wyoming. Garrett was thrown from his horse as he was traveling west to interview Spring's brother, Dr. Colton Lee. Garrett hails from the east coast and is a reporter for his father's sundown paper.
The story revolves around a small town called Paradise, with a whole collection of characters we've seen, and some new ones as well. Garrett grapples with his attraction to the prickly Spring almost immediately - he's never met a woman like her! She lives alone, she's a rancher, she liked going to saloons to drink whiskey, she wears jeans and a gun belt! She breaks wild horses, she does her own manual labor - honestly, Spring is the total package, and Garrett is the ooey gooey cinnamon roll who just wants to love her. Spring has been resolved to a life alone and she is just fine with that... or is she?
Like a lot of Ms. Bev's books, we see what life is like post Civil War, and the prejudices that folks who aren't white, faced. As we're in the old west, we get a glimpse into what people out east thought/said about the Native Americans, as well as the horrible double standard freed Black slaves had to endure. Another thing that set this book apart for me was that Spring did not want children. I never know what to expect when that stance comes up in a book because I always get nervous there's going to be some sweeping declaration to change the heroine's mind... Not here. And I can't tell you how much that made me smile. I absolutely LOVED this story and I'll be singing its praises until everyone I know has read this incredible book.
Many thanks to the author, Avon, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The latest from the infamous Beverly Jenkins 100% did NOT disappoint!
'Wild Rain' is the newest installment of her Women Who Dare series, book #2, and also, book #4 of her Old West series (our heroine, Spring Lee is the sister of the infamous Colton Lee, whose story with his lady, Regan, of Tempest!)
This story was, sweet, it was sexy, and as I've learned to expect from Ms. Bev, full of history lessons. I have admittedly not read her entire backlist yet, but that is one of my goals this year because I love her writing, and how she sets up an entire world that you can see so vividly through her words.
Spring happens upon our hero, Garrett McCray, in the middle of a blizzard in Wyoming. Garrett was thrown from his horse as he was traveling west to interview Spring's brother, Dr. Colton Lee. Garrett hails from the east coast and is a reporter for his father's sundown paper.
The story revolves around a small town called Paradise, with a whole collection of characters we've seen, and some new ones as well. Garrett grapples with his attraction to the prickly Spring almost immediately - he's never met a woman like her! She lives alone, she's a rancher, she liked going to saloons to drink whiskey, she wears jeans and a gun belt! She breaks wild horses, she does her own manual labor - honestly, Spring is the total package, and Garrett is the ooey gooey cinnamon roll who just wants to love her. Spring has been resolved to a life alone and she is just fine with that... or is she?
Like a lot of Ms. Bev's books, we see what life is like post Civil War, and the prejudices that folks who aren't white, faced. As we're in the old west, we get a glimpse into what people out east thought/said about the Native Americans, as well as the horrible double standard freed Black slaves had to endure. Another thing that set this book apart for me was that Spring did not want children. I never know what to expect when that stance comes up in a book because I always get nervous there's going to be some sweeping declaration to change the heroine's mind... Not here. And I can't tell you how much that made me smile. I absolutely LOVED this story and I'll be singing its praises until everyone I know has read this incredible book.
Many thanks to the author, Avon, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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