Rare Dangerby Beverly Jenkins
Publisher: Montlake
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
Genres: Romance
Source: NetGalley
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My rating:
A librarian’s quiet life becomes a page-turner of adventure, romance, and murder in a thrilling novella by USA Today bestselling author Beverly Jenkins.
For Jasmine Ware, curating books for an exclusive clientele is her passion. Until an old friend, a dealer of rare books, goes missing and his partner is murdered. Linked to an artifact smuggled out of the ancient library at Timbuktu, the mystery draws Jasmine deeper into a plot that could cost her her life.
Air force veteran and private security ace Torr Noble is accustomed to adrenaline-pumping stakes. He never expected a private librarian would be so intriguing, but Jasmine is full of surprises. As the connection between them burns hot, a powerful old enemy raises his head. Torr and Jasmine must work together to find the missing dealer.
Will the search be the start of a happily ever after or a disastrous THE END?
That cover is absolutely perfect for the book! Lots of books, a woman who looks like she knows what she’s doing, just perfection. I’ve never read a novella from Beverly Jenkins before, let alone one of her romantic suspense books, so while I’m a huge fan of the Queen of Romancelandia, this was a new experience for me. Even with a shorter word count, she still delivers lots of humor, heat and action.
“Good grief, I go away for ten days, and you get involved with all kinds of stuff. Fine-as-frog-hair jet pilots. Missing old folks. Town cars. Suspect foreigners.”
Jas left her job as a librarian to run her own business providing custom libraries tailored to her high-earning clients’ reading interests, from local authors to rare first editions to, uh, monochrome backgrounds for Instagram. A first date disaster ends in epic karma when her date’s car gets repossessed, and a very handsome bystander waits with her until her ride arrives. It’s even more of a surprise when that man turns out to be a new client. But a family friend – and one of Jas’s suppliers – has ended up in hot water, and Torr is also inextricably involved. Can they trust each other – and their attraction – long enough to find the supplier?
“I know that kelvin is a temperature measurement. But no idea what torr refers to.”
“A measure of pressure.”
The response held such a sensual tone, her pressure climbed like a cartoon thermometer on a hot day.
Jas was a wonderful character, confidant and self-assured. And with two retired cops for parents, Jas knows how to defend herself. She knows her own worth and refuses to settle for anything less, and even if Torr is charming and hot, that doesn’t mean their attraction has to go anywhere. Torr runs a private security firm, and while he usually has a good idea of a person’s character, that doesn’t mean he can trust Jas off the bat, especially if his family might be involved. But he’s confidant that he can handle whatever comes up. I loved the banter between them, how Jas gave as good as she got, and their chemistry sizzled off the page. I also loved that when an issue cropped up in their relationship, rather than ghosting him, Jas instead insists on talking to him in person. They’re able to talk it out with a minimum of angst, and it was just so refreshing.
Overall, a very enjoyable novella, though of course I wish it was longer! I’m definitely going to have to put some of Ms. Bev’s contemporaries higher up on my TBR.
content notes: View Spoiler »
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