To Catch a Raven

Starred review from June 20, 2022
A con artist and a tailor join forces to retrieve a stolen copy of the Declaration of Independence in Jenkins’s characteristically brilliant finale to the Women Who Dare series (after Wild Rain), which returns to post–Civil War America and introduces a new pair of bold Black protagonists whom readers will love. The Pinkerton Detective Agency recruits New Orleans scammer Raven Moreau and Boston businessman Braxton Steele to aide in its latest investigation, threatening false imprisonment if the unlikely duo fails to comply. These strangers must go undercover as husband-and-wife domestic servants to a former Confederate soldier suspected of the theft. Though both start out harshly judgmental of their preconceived notions of the other, their fake marriage and efforts to crack the case soon lead to deep conversations, mutual understanding, and passion. Meanwhile, in an equally swoonworthy subplot, Raven’s mother and Braxton’s father, former lovers themselves, rekindle their old romance. As ever, Jenkins makes no bones about the difficulties facing Black Americans during the Reconstruction, but neither does she overemphasize hardship and trauma, keeping the spotlight firmly on Black love, joy, and triumph. The heat between Raven and Braxton is palpable and the twisty mystery keeps the pages flying. Fans will be sad to see the end of this outstanding series. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary.

July 1, 2022

In 1870s New Orleans, Raven Moreaux can abscond with precious jewels and pick any lock set before her, but she can't escape detective Ruth Welch's ultimatum. Raven must pose as domestic help in order to smuggle a historic document from a state senator's home, or she and her family will face prosecution for years of illicit gambits. Braxton Steele is coerced into pretending to be Raven's husband in order to keep her on task. Brax's wealthy Boston upbringing isn't the best preparation for the mission and provides much vexation for Raven, but the burning chemistry between them makes it easy to settle into the role of husband and wife. Raven and Brax will have to overcome Welch's schemes, the racist senator and his wife, and their very different pasts to secure their happily ever after. VERDICT Jenkins's latest title in the "Women Who Dare" series (following Wild Rain) is steeped in an understanding of the social structures of 19th-century Boston and New Orleans, has complex and emotionally intelligent characters, and steamy scenes. Readers craving historical detail and a bold, brave heroine should put this at the top of their check-out list.--Shanel Slater

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2022
In post-Civil War Charleston, an accomplished swindler and a law-abiding tailor pose as a married couple to recover a stolen document. Raven Moreau and Braxton Steele could not be more different. She's a fiery Black woman from New Orleans, part of a colorful family of thieves, forgers, and tricksters. He's a respectable tailor from Boston, heir to a shipping fortune and a pillar of New England's Black business community. But Braxton's family history is less straightforward than he imagined. He learns that his father was once a forger who worked with the Moreau family and that he was in love with the beautiful Hazel Moreau, Raven's mother. Raven and Braxton are both dismayed when an ambitious Pinkerton agent threatens their families and forces them to work together on a mission to recover a stolen copy of the Declaration of Independence. They become domestic servants to a loathsome White woman who wants them to act as if they are enslaved. Inevitably, their daytime ruse leads to late-night passion, and they must both decide whether love is a good enough reason to scuttle their other plans. Either way, they won't be able to avoid each other now that their parents have rekindled their youthful romance. In this third and final novel of the Women Who Dare series, Jenkins once again invites modern readers into the world of Black Americans in the 19th century. Jenkins' normally smooth pacing and skillful plot construction are lacking here, making for a choppier reading experience. But don't miss this book. Her characters are as compelling and richly detailed as always, and she tackles societal issues that are all too relevant today. A love story with insights about the economic and social realities for African Americans in the years after emancipation.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2022
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. Growing up poor, Raven left school at the age of nine to help her mother by doing domestic jobs and the occasional heist. Now she lives among a large chaotic family of grifters. Braxton Steele grew up rich and well-educated and worked on his maternal grandfather's merchant ships, learning his trade. He wants a quiet, uneventful married life of shared values; she wants to be passionately loved. They are yoked together by a racist and ruthless Pinkerton detective who holds Brax's father's dodgy past and the Moreaux clan's dodgy present over their heads to compel Raven and Brax to pose as a married couple to steal back a purloined original copy of the Declaration of Independence from an unscrupulous South Carolina state senator. In the midst of this suspense and intrigue, Raven and Brax discover that there is no joy like the joy of being your own self and finding people who love you for it.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2022
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. Growing up poor, Raven left school at the age of nine to help her mother by doing domestic jobs and the occasional heist. Now she lives among a large chaotic family of grifters. Braxton Steele grew up rich and well-educated and worked on his maternal grandfather's merchant ships, learning his trade. He wants a quiet, uneventful married life of shared values; she wants to be passionately loved. They are yoked together by a racist and ruthless Pinkerton detective who holds Brax's father's dodgy past and the Moreaux clan's dodgy present over their heads to compel Raven and Brax to pose as a married couple to steal back a purloined original copy of the Declaration of Independence from an unscrupulous South Carolina state senator. In the midst of this suspense and intrigue, Raven and Brax discover that there is no joy like the joy of being your own self and finding people who love you for it.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.