Destiny's Surrender

A good read but a bit too cheesy for me. I do like Billie, though!

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance Summary Andrew Yates know that the time has come for him to be married soon. His mother keeps pressing the issue, and he has been searching for the right woman but has yet to locate her. He finally meets a young woman that meets the desired requirement and would be a companion, but he knows he will never love her. On the eve of his engagement, a passionate Billie arrives with a toddler in her arms, claiming it is his son. Billie has only loved one man, she has had to make difficult choices to survive. But when she and her son are at risk, she plans on giving her son over to Drew and going back east so that he son remains safe. But Drew's family have different plans for her.  Before she realizes it, she is getting married to Drew, even though she knows she is the last woman that they would ever pair the esteemed Andrew Yates with. At first Drew and Billie have a bit of tension to resolve, but soon they put their anger aside and focus on building a relationship. But soon Drew and Billie will be faced with an enemy that is determined to tear their family apart. The Hero  Andrew Yates is a learned and intelligent man. He has worked hard to build up his reputation as a reliable lawyer. With recent laws that have changed Drew is determined to fight to keep their land and keep his career. Drew is a man that is a connoisseur of women, and there is one woman he has cared about more than any other, but he knows there is no future for them until she shows up on his doorstep. Drew has always felt responsible for his family and his career, but when he chooses to be with Billie, his priorities change. He soon learns that he must be firm and stand his ground. What was most fun about Drew is that even though at first he seems to be a bit of a "playboy" there is something more to him that we don't see at first. He loves reading, is intelligent, a talented lawyer and loves his family. He can stubborn and pig-headed at times, but once his temper cools, he sees the logic of a situation. The Heroine  Billie is not one that is afraid of anything except the threat to her son. Billie was an orphan at a very young age and had to learn to survive by eating scrappings on the street, but eventually she became a prostitute at the age of 12 to survive. She is known as one of the most beautiful and talented. She knows what it takes to please a man in bed...its all she has ever known. But when she meets Drew and they have a two-year long affair, she knows that he is so different. Unlike her other customers, buys her clothing, takes her to shows and picnics. And she fell in love with him even knowing she could never have him. When he leaves on a trip for eight months she finds herself pregnant and leaves her career and stays with an older woman that takes her in and she does chores for her. But she never realized how much she would love her son, or what she would do to protect it at any cost. Billie is strong, courageous and quite fierce at times. I loved her character. She has had to learn to be tough at a young age, to survive, but still retains goodness in her. We see how she adapts to a new life among the Yates, and she has such a giving heart. Plot and Story Line  This is the second book in this trilogy, and the last book I had to read to finish and what a fun ride it has been reading these Yates brothers. This book just might be my favorite of the three or its a tie with the third book!! I honestly can't say which one I enjoyed more. What was most fascinating about this book was the characters. At the beginning of the book, we see these two living their lives separately. Andrew taking his time courting a woman he is attracted to but knows he will never love. Billie finding herself pregnant and having to deal with a new set of circumstances. We see both sides of their lives, and the way that their lives change once they come together. I admired both of these characters because they are equaled in temperament (and oh boy the arguments...so funny if there wasn't a toddler between them hehe) but they also have passion and even though they don't admit it at first...they desperately love each other just don't fully realize it at the beginning. Probably why they fight so much. Then we have the supportive characters and boy were they fun. We have Logan and Maisey and their little girl which is close to Billie and Drew son's age. Then we have the mother, the feisty Mrs. Yates and boy is she one firecracker. From the first moment we meet her you love her. And there is a side love story for her as well. What I found most admirable about her character is how accepting she is of Billie. “Careful, young woman. Smart-mouthed females are prized here.” Even though Billie is a prostitute, she sees that Billie is a woman that is need of love and acceptance. One of my favorite scenes was seeing Billie teach the mother in law about desire and passion--quite entertaining. Because Mrs. Yates is in love she doesn't trust it yet because her first husband deceived her but we see how she begins to soften. I loved that, because in the first book we see how resistant she is to Max, but in this book we see her soften with the arrival of Billie. Then we have the villain that comes into play here, and boy he is one bad dude. It is quite sad what happens (which I refuse to reveal so you will read it) but you see how at this moment when his plan goes into the works...how strong Drew and Billie are and they are one force of nature and I loved seeing them fight not only to survive but to stay together and keep their family strong and united. She was being kissed with an intesity that touched her soul. The past didn't matter and neither did the future, only the present where he tasted her tears with soft brushed of his lips and she held him close enough to breath into her heart. Later, when they made love, it wasn't their usual spirited, bordering on acrobatic coming together. Instead they figted each other with an interlude that was slow and sweet as a Spanish guitar. He worshipped her as if she were the most precious thing in his world. His kisses enchanted. His touch enthralled. The feel of him inside her--magnificent. It was a night Billie would remember for the rest of her life. This was quite a memorable story for me and I love the way Jenkins writes her stories...truly magical. The Cover  I adore this cover...so romantic yet sensual at the same time. I love the pose, and her dress--you don't always see purple in covers. And I love the background there in the mountains. Overall View Destiny's Surrender is a truly powerful tale of what it takes to fight for what you love, to sacrifice and to never give up on your dreams!! A wondrous romance that kept me fascinated and enthralled. Jenkins is an author not to be missed out on!! Destiny's Embrace (1) Destiny's Surrender (2) Destiny's Captive (3)

I surrender to the queen of historical fiction… Ms Beverly Jenkins! Hot damn Destiny’s Surrender was good. Like I could read this again after I just finished it type good. I’m concerned that it just set my expectations too high for the rest of her books. However I know I’ll continue the series if nothing else. I probably shouldn’t have started in the middle of the series but the plot of this story made me do it. Black sexually liberated badass female protagonist. Supportive, caring and dutiful Latino hero. Spirited Supporting characters. Wretched villain. Strong plot with two peaks. Witty one liners. Little bit of magic. High stakes action scenes. What more could I ask for? Beverly did a great job of enriching the characters with cultural context without making it seemed forced. Alanza and Drew would use important worlds that convey their relationships such as novia, abuela, etc. You could feel the significance of that title when it was used on page. If you are looking for a POC love story that depicts strong female characters with male character who love them just as they are this is the story for you.

For a long time now, I've seen a lot of historical romance fans talking about how wonderful Beverly Jenkins novels are. And they were absolutely right. When I started listening to the book, I had no idea about the plot. The fact that Bailey was a prostitute took me completely by surprise, but I liked her very much, she's very strong and she doesn't accept defiance from anyone. In Drew's case, things are a little different, I liked him at first, then he pissed me off, but then he started getting better. Andrew's mom was a good surprise.And I'm really glad she's living her romance, too.

How does this series get better with each book? Woooow Ms. Bev did THAAT.

3.5-4