If
I resided in the US I would hunt down author Leslie Wright and give her
a high five and a hug for introducing me to Indigo
by Beverly Jenkins. I asked her a few months ago for a book recommendation and
without hesitation she mentioned Indigo.
I
have no idea how I could have missed such a tremendous African American writer
for so many years of my life.
Indigo was a touching
romance novel. Ms. Jenkins blends history, action, and true love. I learned so
many things about slavery that I never knew before, and it was all captivating.
Ms. Jenkins has a way of dispersing the information within the story that gives
the novel a greater depth.
The
romance between Galen and Hester was classic. The story was told in such a way
that I really wanted them to get together, but because of the circumstances I
wasn’t sure if they would end up together (even though I knew that they would
be). Their love was beautiful to read about. Ms Jenkins can weave a romantic
scene (translate as sex) with such fluid sensuality that it almost reads like poetry.
I
will shout it out to the world (in the privacy of my home of course) that I am
in love with Beverly Jenkins’ writing and will definitely be ordering and
reading more from her.
I
give Indigo five chocolate bars.
I
purchased my copy at Amazon.com
The
Blurb
As 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. 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. 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 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. 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.
However, as he heals he cannot turn his back on Hester Wyatt. 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 has to be overcome before she and Galen can find
the freedom only love can bring.
