A surprise to no one, I really enjoyed this! Almost stayed up too late to read it but didn’t want to fall asleep and miss a crucial moment. I know a lot of us romance readers don’t want a black moment but some authors out here really turn that moment into a gloriously romantic grand gesture and proof of everlasting love. Just… settle in and enjoy this one!

Can’t wait to see what Ms. Bev has coming up next!

To Catch a Raven
Book 3 in the Women Who Dare Series
Rating: 4 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

*****SPOILER AHEAD******

To Catch a Raven was almost a three star book. For a minute I thought I was going to be bored because the hate they had for each other didn't last too long. I thought I was going to see some intense bantering and bickering while trying to pretend to be a married couple...but no. They decide that they could have fun with each other while pretending to be married and in search of the missing document that they were blackmailed into looking for.
I really enjoyed their story. What made it gain one more star was how the more time they spent with each other the better they got to know each other and those prejudices they thought of each other were soon rid of since each was proven wrong. Also, I loved how Brax showered and pampered Raven with gifts and kind gestures. While she surprised him with her high knowledge of investigative skills.

This book is amazing! I love Ms. Bev and I don't know anyone else who could manage a plot that is filled with absolutely wacky hi jinks with all sorts of great historical information and a really heartfelt love story at the center. She's magic. The couple in this stories fakes a marriage to steal a copy of the Declaration of Independence!!!! I laughed, I swooned. It's the most fun romance I've read this year by a mile.

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

4.5 Stars!

This booked hooked me right from the start!

One of my favorite things about this authors book is how much research and history she bases her characters around. (Make sure to read the author note for additional information).

Raven and her entire family are so intriguing, I wanted to know all their back stories, and the jobs they had completed.

Braxton and Raven have such instant chemistry even though they are so different from each other. Raven’s honest sassy mouth and Braxton’s dry humor had me laughing aloud.

The adventure aspect of this book had me glued to my seat, needing to know what happened next.

Raven and Brax are total opposites and can't imagine having to play husband and wife as they infiltrate a politician's home to find some stolen relic. They end up surprising each other with parts of their personalities that weren't seen right off the bat: Brax is flirty and seductive despite his straightlaced appearance, and Raven is exceptionally hard-working despite being a professional swindler. It was fun seeing these two find common ground and work together.

Beverly Jenkins is the best in the business and I adore her. This book had a great little mystery and a steamy romance and I adored it. The pacing was a little off which is why it doesn’t get a higher rating. They don’t get to Charleston until almost 60% if the way through the book and they accomplish their big task in a matter of days. Then everything with the Pinkerton lady wraps up in the last 5% of the book. I rounded up to 4 stars because it’s better than 3 stars for sure, but the pacing of the story confused me and had me a little irritated at the end. But the romance, the spice, the Moreau family, all wonderful.

First off--now that's how you do a fucking romance novel cover. Good God. The shirtlessness! The cleavage! The touching! The artfully draped dress!

Anyway. To Catch A Raven centers on (for a lovely change of pace) a con artist heroine. Raven Moreaux was raised by a grifter mother and quite good at the art of the steal herself--but unfortunately, she's now being tasked by the Pinkertons with catching a thief herself (or else). A former high-ranking Confederate is suspected of stealing the Declaration of Independence, and it's up to Raven to get it back.

She's meant to accomplish this by posing a housekeeper of the accused thief... and the super hot, super smooth Braxton Steel is meant to play the household valet--and her husband. Obviously. Raven immediately can't stand Brax. But, you know. Love and hate. All that.

Doesn't that sound like a fun, slightly bonkers plot? That's because it is. And there are actually more bonkers details sprinkled throughout. For one, Hazel has a young, adopted sister of sorts named Dorcas who has the gift of the Sight (and she immediately pronounces that Brax and Raven will be getting married for real, natch). This was such an old school touch that I almost lost my mind. A psychic child who just goes around being like "that's your husband"? Why not? Additionally, Brax's father and Hazel's mother have a history (don't worry--from well before Raven was conceived) and don't take much time to pick it back up again. The hilarity of Brax and Raven hearing their parents gleefully get it on in the next room over while attempting to deal with their own lust was.... too much. Drive Me Crazy, anyone?

I wouldn't call this an enemies to lovers romance, exactly--because while Raven has an issue with Brax off the bat, he's pretty quickly charmed by her and isn't shy about it. A lot of the driving plot is the bananas elements of going undercover as a married couple, finding the person who stole the Declaration of Independence (not Nic Cage) and so on. The book has that Beverly Jenkins quality of having a really well-established world and environment, as well as great chemistry between the leads.

And by the way--the foreplay in this novel? Really good. Brax is a tailor, and Jenkins gets a ton of mileage out of the eroticism of a man who knows how to make clothes admiring the drape and cut of fabric on his lover's body, loving watching her unbutton her gowns. It's great. Also, the fucking lines?

"May I have some cock now, please?" I. DIED. WAS DEAD TO THE GROUND.

I feel like this is a bit lighter than some of Beverly's older books, though there's still a good bit of drama. The caper elements keep it from getting too heavy, but there's a poignancy to Raven trying to figure out where she stands in Brax's world. She's a grifter, he's upper class. And as drawn as he is to her, you kind of get the idea that he's a bit worried about how she'll fit into his life, and not without reason.

If you love Beverly Jenkins, you'll enjoy the hell out of this. If you've never read Beverly Jenkins, you should, and you'll most likely enjoy the hell out of this. It's just a lot of fun, and don't we need that at this moment?

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spicy heroine, very modern hero ... completely dragged down by strangely stilted language. It felt very off, and this isn't my first Jenkins.

*4.5

I wasn’t sure about this book at first but once Braxton started messing with Raven I was sold. The way they teased each other was so much fun. I wish the book had a few more domestic scenes between them but I still loved it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This is only my second Beverly Jenkins book, but what I love about both of them is the complex portrayal of Black life and culture through history. In this one, we specifically get to dive into the differences and commonalities between a poor black family in New Orleans, who do all kinds of domestic work alongside running cons to lift the next generation out of poverty, and a rich black family from Boston who have servants and a whole fleet of merchant vessels. When they are blackmailed by a Pinkerton detective to work together to recover a stolen copy of the Declaration of Independence, sparks fly in two generations.

I loved the relationship between Raven and Braxton, they were both such charismatic characters who knew their own minds and they had more steamy scenes than I was expecting. Their class differences are real, and they grapple with them throughout the book. The banter they have and the mutual appreciation they grow into after their initial head butting was fun to read.

Braxton really knows how to treat a woman right, both in and out of the bedroom, and watching him take care of Raven, who is constantly baffled by his help, was super sweet.

The plot was both too much, and not enough for me. I love a character driven book, and didn’t feel quite satisfied with the growth or change with these two, though I did enjoy their romance. At the same time, the heist plot was actually a bit lackluster as they spent most of their time playing house for the ruse. It was resolved quickly, and up until the last 10 pages it didn’t seem like anything was going to be resolved, but then it all wrapped up so quickly it was a little unsatisfying.

I will definitely be reading more Beverly Jenkins, because she does such a good job of teasing out bits of history that have been glossed over or ignored, and I love to see glimpses of what life was really like for black people throughout history in this country. The joys and sorrows, successes and failures, and always, always, so much love.

Beverly Jenkins is a tried and true legend, who once again hit it out of the park. The author created the characters of Raven and Brax who were a perfect example of showing love through small actions that eventually built into more. The way that Brax and Raven fell in love was sweet and natural. I also enjoyed the adventure of finding the Declaration of Independence and the events that transpired around the adventure. Also I enjoyed the the series of side characters and events that rounded out the book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

It’s amazing how much this book felt more like watching a good movie than reading. From start to finish I was intrigued and could visualize every color, fabric, and emotion. The book painted the story for me so that I was more like an observer in the room watching it unfold. This shouldn’t surprise me. This is Beverly Jenkins after all, and she is fantastic. Period. If you aren’t familiar with her books then you should be.

Since To Catch a Raven hasn’t been released yet I can’t give my full review but I definitely recommend that you put it on your to be read list. This author’s historical romances never fail to deliver. While it isn’t perfect or my favorite book by BJ, it maintains a high bar of excellence nonetheless. The characters are definitely a plus. Especially Raven who isn’t your average female lead by any means. Alright now. I have to mention Braxton too. I just love a male character who’s effortlessly and deliciously sexy. Stay tuned for my in-depth review (with no spoilers of course). 4.5 out of 5 stars!

In the last book of her highly popular Women Who Dare series, Jenkins tells a complex, nuanced story of a courageous, enterprising woman from New Orleans who lives by her wits and a wealthy, philanthropic tailor from Boston. They have absolutely nothing in common.

Starred Review: https://www.booklistonline.com/To-Catch-a-Raven-/pid=9765233

Well, the inimitable Beverly Jenkins has done it again! TO CATCH A RAVEN is a masterpiece of historical romance that will have you spell-bound from the first chapter to the last. Nobody writes like the living legend, Beverly Jenkins. She crafts a mean story that entertains and educates at the same time.
This is the last book of the Women Who Dare series. We are introduced to Raven Moreaux , a worthy Beverly Jenkins heroine., and Braxton Steele, a bit of a Cinnamon Roll hero who is forced to enter into a fake relationship with Raven. That’s all I will say about that.! You will have to read the story to answer your questions —why, how, and what for.
I loved the role of one of the side-characters, Dorris. She’s Eight years old and gifted with Sight. You’ll get that when you read the story, On the other side of that side character coin is the disgusting Pinkerton Agent who has no redeeming qualities at all. We also get a chance to hear from the lovely Julianna LeVeq-Vincent, the matriarch of the LeVeq family. Speaking if families….that Moreau family is something else.
The history lessons that are weaved into the enthralling storyline are priceless. This book is a total winner! Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. You can thank me later.

The women who dare series is utterly captivating and To Catch A Raven ends the series on an excellent note. The love story between Raven and Brax is like a slow burn. Coming from different backgrounds you would think that they wouldn't fit together but they do. I really adored the way the communicated with each other. The second chance love story of their parents Hazel and Harrison shows you are never to old to fall in love or to fall in love again.

Beverly Jenkins continues her Women Who Dare series with this third book. (The stories are not related.) Raven Moreau and Braxton Steele are forced by a Pinkerton agent to pose as a married couple. They are sent to be servants in the home a state senator who is believed to have an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. Brax is from Boston, wealthy and educated. But his father dabbled in forgeries years ago and now he must join the ruse to avoid trouble for both of them. Raven Moreau lives in New Orleans and is part of a large family of grifters, smugglers, and anything else you can name. She has sung on street corners for money and has worked as a servant since childhood in the post Civil War south. She is proud and independent but doesn’t want to go to jail for her last con.

I thought the story would be more about finding the missing historic treasure but instead it is opposites attracting. Two people learning about each other on the journey. And of course having to share a room with one bed. It starts slowly getting the characters in place but then I couldn’t put it down. Along the way Jenkins gives a history lessons regarding everything from northern abolitionists, black regiments in the war, Jim Crow laws, the plague of yellow fever in New Orleans and even what woman is featured on confederate currency. There is more humor than brutality and the romance is steamy hot. I will always be on the lookout for the next Jenkins novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beverly Jenkins is the master of historical fiction. Just the right blend of history and story. This was another great read. I was throughly engaged and enjoyed the interaction of this couple.

As always Ms, Bev knows how to tell a story. Raven and Brax are a wonderfully even match for one another. I loved how they both started the story wary of one another but were able to see just how much the other had to offer. The beginning was a tiny bit slow to start, but once the story began, it moved at a fast pace! I kept sneaking off to read more so I could find out what happened next. Like all of her other books, Ms. Bev fills the story with history in such a way that you learn by accident. If she had been in charge of writing my history text books in high school, I'd know a lot more about our past. Reading one of her novels just makes me want to read another.

Beverly Jenkins does it again with another intriguing story of Raven Moreau and Braxton Steele in the post-Civil War South. Raven and her extended family, mostly based in New Orleans, have been grifters and con artists and are good at it. Braxton was raised on the straight-and-narrow path in Boston. However, his dad had a hidden past that comes back to haunt them both, triggered by a visit by a Pinkerton agent who threatens them with prison if they don't help to find a missing copy of the Declaration of Independence stolen by a Confederate legislator. That's also the threat that brings Raven into the picture as she and Braxton pose as a married couple working for the thief's family in order to recover the document. They both initially consider the other one too different to make the ruse work, but the chemistry and slow-burn romance gradually change their minds. How these characters, as people of color, deal with the transition between Reconstruction and the segregated South adds extra perspective about this time in history and brings out the strength and determination of the people involved. While the book's wrap-up is a little bit pat, the story is well worth the read.