Forbidden

While this romance set in the Old West is somewhat slow to unfold and the ending is surprisingly rushed, Kim Staunton's warm and skilled narration amply compensates. This is the first title in a new historical series by Jenkins. Eddy Carmichael dreams of owning her own restaurant, but when she's robbed and left for dead in the desert, her dreams could be done for. Rhine Fontaine is living a dangerous lie: He's passing as white during Reconstruction. And he's never once regretted his choice--until he meets Eddy, and finally realizes everything he's given up. Staunton's theater experience serves her well in creating a memorable cast of characters. Especially gratifying is her avoidance of equating shrillness with a child's voice. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

January 4, 2016
In this appealing launch of a series set in the 19th-century American West, veteran romance author Jenkins (Destiny’s Captive) introduces the warm and supportive mining town of Virginia City, Nev., where a diverse community mostly manages to live in harmony. Eddy Carmichael is a lovely young African-American woman on her way to California from Denver, with the goal of opening a restaurant. Robbed by a man posing as a priest and left in the desert to die, she is rescued by one of Virginia City’s most noted citizens, Rhine Fontaine. Rhine was born a slave, but he’s light-skinned enough to pass as white and has used this to rise to prominence in the town, less for his own gain than to advance the rights of the African-American community. He owns real estate and a popular saloon, sits on the town council, and is engaged to the daughter of a prominent white family. Rhine is captivated by Eddy’s courage and beauty, but he knows their love is forbidden by those who think they are from different races, and revealing the truth would jeopardize everything he has fought for. Jenkins combines vivid characters and sexual intensity with historical accuracy in a story and setting that will appeal to her core fans and newcomers alike. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary Agency.