The romance, while not my favorite of the Jenkins books I’ve read, is definitely engaging and swoonworthy.

Having read some of her more recent work, I’m glad to see her attention to detail has been a constant since early on in her career, bringing to light some of the untold stories of African Americans in the 19th century that go beyond the sad stories of slavery that some people assume is all the Black history of the era can offer. While there has been a lot of talk lately about older romances and how they haven’t aged well, Jenkins proves that she was always ahead of her time, writing works that stand the test of time even without the benefit of rose-colored glasses. I received a copy of Indigo as part of a Secret-Santa book exchange, and upon finding myself needing to put down a different book due to it being far more objectionable than I first naively realized, I decided to give this a go, in hopes that starting off with a book lauded by Beverly Jenkins fans as one of her best (I’d not her best, period) would set the right tone as I kick off the 2021 reading year.Īnd it does indeed. Her innocence fills him like a breath of fresh air and he is determined to make her his, but traitors have to be found, slave catchers have to be routed and Hester’s refusal to trust her own heart have to be overcome before she and Galen can find the freedom only love can bring. However, as he heals he cannot turn his back on Hester Wyatt. As a member of one of the wealthiest free Black families in New Orleans, Galen has turned his back on the lavish living he is accustomed to in order to provide freedom to those enslaved in the south. When the injured and beaten Galen Vachon, aka, the Black Daniel awakens in Hester’s cellar, he is unprepared for the feisty young conductor providing his care. The man in question is the great conductor known as the “Black Daniel” a vital member of the north’s Underground railroad network, but Hester finds him so rude and arrogant, she begins to question her vow to hide him.

When one of her fellow conductors brings her an injured man to hide, Hester doesn’t hesitate even after she is told about the price on his head. ISBN-13: 978-1495368219 | $16.99 USD | 393 pages | Historical RomanceĪs a child Hester Wyatt escaped slavery, but now the dark skinned beauty is a dedicated member of Michigan’s Underground railroad, offering other runaways a chance at the freedom she has learned to love. : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014.

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins