"Valinda Lacey's mission in the steamy heart of New Orleans is to help the newly emancipated community survive and flourish. But soon she discovers that here, freedom can also mean danger. When thugs destroy the school she has set up and then target her, Valinda runs for her life—and straight into the arms of Captain Drake LeVeq. As an architect from an old New Orleans family, Drake has a deeply personal interest in rebuilding the city. Raised by strong women, he recognizes Valinda's determination. And he can't stop admiring—or wanting—her. But when Valinda's father demands she return home to marry a man she doesn't love, her daring rebellion draws Drake into an irresistible intrigue."

I approached this book with great anticipation, as I had intended to explore this author's work for years. The Reconstruction Era South and the old-world charm of New Orleans made this a delight to read and I swiftly realized that the author had done her research meticulously, vividly portraying the backdrop and ambiance of this historical setting.

The narrative introduced a variety of perspectives, including a free Northerner's viewpoint, a prosperous Black businesswoman, the occasionally elitist Creole society, and the turbulent times and tribulations faced by those seeking to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the Civil War, I found the story to be engaging, and I particularly relished the opportunity to glean insights into American history pertaining to New Orleans during the Reconstruction era, as well as the challenges faced by newly emancipated Black Americans.

Historical romance?!? Yes please!! This story was full of history - reconstruction period after the Civil War- and the wooing of a romantic man. Such a fun read! I’ll definitely have to read the others in the series. Thank you to Net Galley & William Morrow for this Free Friday giveaway in 2020!

Oh my, this was one of the BEST Historical Romance I have read. I loved how Jenkins wrote this beautiful story of suspense, history and so much swoony love. Val and Drake were SO SEXY!! I think reading these stories, where they talk about love matches vs. arranged marriages are always the best. You have all the drama of will they FINALLY realize they love each other, but also you tend to fall in love with the characters as well. I am pretty sure this is a series, so I will be picking up the next one at some point.
Thanks to William Morrow and Book Club Girl for this Freebie Friday I finally got to read!

I requested this book because it was about life after the Civil War. I did not realize it was a Romance novel, which is not a genre I typically read. I found the graphic nature of this novel shocking, but I guess that is what a romance novel is. I think the author did a nice job of developing the characters and the storyline was interesting. She addressed many issues that people faced after being freed.

I enjoyed being able to escape into this atmospheric novel. The author did an incredible amount of research to ensure this book was historically accurate. I did not expect a romance novel to so accurately portray the racism faced after the civil war. New Orleans was brought to life so vividly seeing the way people had to fight to gain their independence and freedom. Valinda and Captain Drake gave the novel enough humor, love, and hopefulness to lighten up this great read! I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

DNF. This book was just not for me. I didn’t feel any connection with the characters. I love historical fiction, but I found myself not caring what would happen next. I didn’t want to pick up the book because I was uninterested.

Ok so romance is not usually my thing but my this was fantastic. I read this as part of a book club and I loved it. Set in Reconstruction era of 1860's with a harsh world for our 2 lovers. Val and Drake were perfect and I loved them. Just wonderful reading.

I felt that the book was well researched and well written, but I did not connect strongly enough with the main character so I did not finish the book.

This was a decent romance with sort of diverse characters. To be honest, these characters are little different than those you’d find in any traditional romance. Drake LeVeq, a wealthy, highly educated man. Valinda Lacy, a poorer, but well educated woman, who wants to help those facing difficulty in any way she can, be it teaching or handing out food and supplies. The only difference is that we were told that their skin tones are different, and they faced some discrimination.

I really liked Drake LeVeq, a former army captain with the Louisiana native Guard. I also liked his family, his mother and brothers. They worked together, supported each other, loved each other. His sister-in-law, Sable, proved a true friend to Valinda, the heroine of this tale.

I thought some things inaccurate. It was going to take, by train, “a month or so,” for Valinda’s friends to travel from Louisiana to California, but her father traveled from New York City to Louisiana, also by train, in less than two weeks.

This was an okay read, but I thought it could have been better.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher. I thank them for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

I haven't read a ton of romance novels, but this author keeps popping up on "must read" historical romance lists, so I was excited to check out the first book in the Women Who Dare series. The novel is set in New Orleans shortly after the end of the Civil War. The main character, Val (short for Valinda) Lacey, has come to the South and intends to work as a teacher. Her independent Northern ways are not embraced by everyone she encounters. After the school she is setting up is destroyed by local thugs, she meets the dashing Captain Drake LeVeq, whose family has deep ties to Val's newly adopted city. The heat between the two is evident from their first encounter and you know that they are destined to be together. There are bumps along the way, to include Val's engagement to another man. However, the reader knows they will find a way to overcome. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical time and setting of the story, as well as the characters.

Many thanks to William Morrow and the Book Club Girl Free Friday program for the chance to read this digital copy courtesy of NetGalley!

Ari Eden is enrolled in a Jewish academy in Miami after moving from an Orthodox Brooklyn lifestyle . He is influenced by the rabbi and his new friends to explore and push boundaries. A powerful coming of age story.

Really enjoyed this romance. I loved Valinda’s strong, independent character. It was a quick, easy read. Set itself up nicely to have future stand alone books, which I love!

Rebel is the first book I've read by "Ms. Bev" and I really enjoyed it. If Goodreads allowed a half star option, I would mark it at 4 and a half stars, because while it's really good it's not quite into the stratosphere that I would give to a five star romance. It does feature a good story, with strong characters, facing the challenges of their day. In this case it would be Valinda, a woman who travels to New Orleans from New York fleeing her oppressive father and pursuing her desire to teach the newly free people of the Reconstruction south. There she meets Drake Leveq and his family, an established and well respected group that is working hard for equality in their community. And while the issues that Black people faced (and still face) play an ever present part in the story, Jenkins does a masterful job of making it an unfair fact of life and challenges the pair have to overcome instead of letting it completely overtake the development of a romance between Val and Drake. Which is where my one bugaboo comes in. I wanted to feel fully engaged with the love the characters felt for each other and I just struggled to really feel the strong emotional connection between the two of them that made me feel like I was experiencing falling in love. While Val went into this story not believing in love, I still feel like a stronger emotional story could have been written to make this story even better.

This was my first book by this author. Thoroughly enjoyed it & needed something different to read. This Nergalley book didn't disappoint. I love reading Civil War. Books. Thank you!!

Valinda Lacy was born into freedom in the North. Although she has always known freedom as a woman of color, she hasn't been allowed the opportunity to pursue her dreams of furthering her education. Valinda's father feels that an advanced education is wasted on women and educated women won't be able to have children. Valinda doesn't agree with her father, but since she can't study without his permission she does the best she can. When the opportunity arises to get "engaged" to a childhood friend then travel South, Valinda does just that. Her fiance and his business partner travel to France seeking funding for their business and Valinda heads to New Orleans. The war between the states may be over, but there are still former slave owners that don't feel the need to pay wages to their workers despite signed contracts. There are still bad feelings toward Northerners and Blacks, especially freed Blacks, and it doesn't help that Valinda is a Northerner helping freed Blacks learn to read. Valinda has difficulties with one of her landladies, difficulties getting the small stipend she was guaranteed for her work, supplies necessary to teach her students (children and adults), then her school is targeted and destroyed. Fortunately for Ms. Lacy, she had come across one of New Orleans' infamous Le Veq sons during an unfortunate run-in with some soldiers. Now Drake LeVeq and the entire LeVeq family is willing to help Valinda when things take a turn from bad to worse. Will Valinda marry her fiance even though she doesn't love him and he doesn't love her? If she foregoes a loveless marriage will she be forced to return North by her fierce and overbearing father?

I read <b>Rebel</b> the first in the Women Who Dare series by Beverly Jenkins in just one afternoon. Although I was dealing with a migraine that was rapidly progressing from a moderate to a severe level, along with some allergy and asthma issues, I could not put this book down. I love reading Queen Beverly's books, and I do mean all of her books. Seriously, I reread all of her books at least once every other year. <b>Rebel</b> is a historical romance set in the late 1860s in New Orleans during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. Blacks that have been freed from the bonds of slavery are searching for loved ones that were sold away. They're trying to find gainful employment and, for the first time for many, learn to read and write. Although Valinda Lacy isn't a trained educator, she can and does help freed Black adults and children learn to read and write. She also helps writes letters, reads letters, writes newspaper advertisements, and does whatever she can to help reunite families. Yes, Valinda is idealistic but she is also realistic having grown up in the North where slavery is outlawed but Blacks were still treated as less than. For the first time ever, Valinda feels needed and when she meets Drake she is more than a little bit infatuated. The great thing about reading romance novels is that you know that there will be a happy-ever-after (HEA) ending no matter what trials and tribulations the couple may go through, but it's those trials and tribulations that make the story interesting. One of the many things I enjoy about reading Ms. Jenkins' historical romance is that she weaves a lot of historical tidbits into her stories, the bitter along with the sweet. So this is for my romancelandia readers, if you've previously read any books in the LeVeq series by Beverly Jenkins, then I strongly encourage you to grab a copy of <b>Rebel</b> to read. If you haven't read any of the books in the LeVeq series, go and read those then grab a copy of <b>Rebel</b> to read. For those of you that don't read romance, I encourage you to start (you don't know what you're missing), and <b>Rebel</b> is a good book to start you off. Seriously, <b>Rebel</b> is another fine addition to the long list of great reads by the one and only, "Slayer of Words," Beverly Jenkins.