NAACP nominee and USA Today bestselling author Beverly Jenkins celebrates her beloved Blessings series with a heartwarming novel set in Henry Adams, Kansas.
“If you haven’t yet gotten your hands on [this] author’s work, you should do so immediately.”—Shondaland
Citizens of Henry Adams, Kansas, know there’s never a dull moment in their small town… their small town…
Trent July has been the mayor of this historic town for the past four years, but now he’s ready to let someone else take up the mantle. Barrett Payne, a former Marine, decides he wants the job. But when a surprise candidate also enters the ring, the town has opinions on who would be the best candidate.
And of course that’s not the only drama, as Malachi “Mal” July continues to make reparations for the damage he’s caused and to the people he’s betrayed, especially his lady love Bernadine. Is she finally ready to forgive him and let the past go?
As the residents of Henry Adams have learned, life will throw obstacles their way, but it’s how they come together and rise above these challenges that keep the bonds of their close-knit community strong.
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An Awesome Addition To An Amazing Series!
I always open a book written by Beverly Jenkins with great expectation and finish it smiling in supreme satisfaction. On The Corner Of Hope And Main did not disappoint! This latest book in the Blessings series had me shaking my head at some of the outrageous acts committed by Bernadine’s oily ex-husband Leo and the continued grand delusions of former Henry Adams mayor, Riley Curry. There are so many laugh out loud, cry out loud, gasp in disbelief, and heart felt sigh moments packed between the covers of this wonderful book, that I hated to put it down.
On the Corner of Hope and Main welcomes you to the charming little town of Henry Adams, Kansas, and puts you front and center into all of the towns drama and on-goings. With a mayoral election looming the town is a buzz about it’s next leader. Barrett Payne has added his name to the ballot, but there is also a surprise candidate about to enter the race and turn the election upside down.
And that is not only dramatic thing to hit this little town… the town’s matriarch has managed stir up some drama too!
This was my first visit to Henry Adams, Kansas, and I have to stay it’s endearing residents made me feel right at home. There was plenty happening amongst the pages of this one to keep my eyes busy, each page held lots of entertaining drama, humor, and heartfelt emotion. I enjoyed what I found here, it’s words kept me thoroughly entertained and it’s characters had me smiling throughout. Highly recommend!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.
This series is perfectly named the “Blessing Series”, because it is always a blessing to read one of the books. It is hard to do a quick review, but the point is what the real blessings in life are. It isn’t on money spent, but rather the investment in relationships the the blessing of working to make them work & not just giving in.
This is part of the Blessings series and clearly it follows an entertaining and engaging path
Citizens of Henry Adams, Kansas are in the midst of a mayoral election. Trent July has been mayor for the past four years since Bernadine Brown purchased the town online and brought about much change for the small, historically black town built by freedmen. They are once again fighting those who would betray their trust and steal their homes and land. In this awesome, Blessings tale, Beverly Jenkins shows us that might does not make right, and often it is the humble and meek who bring about change and who are the true heroes of the day.
I loved this story with it’s mix of older and younger characters. Ms. Jenkins gives us romance, intrigue, suspense, friendship, and inspiration. In Henry Adams we see what a small town could be like if everyone works together for the greater good. She also shows us the mistakes we make as humans, are failings and shortcomings but how we can overcome these to be better and stronger. Her positive female characters with their strength and courage
As I listened to this story, I dreamed of what I could do in my own small town if only I had the money and opportunity. Like Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, I too have a dream of saving my hometown and making it a place where all children, all people live together in harmony.
Ms. Jenkins gives us a map of what it could be like if we could create our town and give its inhabitants safe places to live, share and seek solace. Henry Adams, Kansas is as close to paradise as we on earth can hope for and I’d love to live there.
Great story. Have read her books in the past. Always waiting for the next one. Now,anticipating the next one.
Thanks to LibraryThing and William Morrow Publishers for an advance reader’s copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.
This is #10 in Beverly Jenkins’ “Blessings” series, and the author skillfully filled in the info from past books, so even though I hadn’t read any of the others, I was able to follow this novel’s plot – but there were a lot of characters to keep track of. The book contained a map of the town of Henry Adams, Kansas, but I wish there was also a list of characters with an explanation of their relationships to each other. Some people were divorced, some had adopted children, there were some large families….it was confusing. And at first every time “Henry Adams” was referred to, it was difficult to remember that this wasn’t a person, but the name of the town.
What I truly liked was the premise: Bernadine Brown uses her large divorce settlement to buy the town of Henry Adams, a tiny Kansas town founded by freed slaves after the Civil War. Five years after her purchase (in the early 2000’s?) this novel begins. All the characters in town are African American, and Jenkins shares this subtly and matter-of-factly. I also liked that many of the characters are people of faith.
You’ll enjoy this novel if you like sweet stories with a varied cast of characters, the drama of a small town mayoral campaign, teenagers who try to do the right things, a bit of romance and the honest relationships of a close-knit community.
Sigh…, hey y’all . Bare with me, I’ve just got my entire life together with this book.
This is so incredibly good. It is soul and scene stealing. It is familiar and new. It is poetic and dramatic. It is funny and sad. It is electric and soothing. It is a classic and contemporary.
Simply put, it is everything. This is the tenth installment of the #Blessing series and it didn’t/couldn’t disappoint, ever.
Despite it being part of a group it is also a stand alone. Beverly Jenkins manages to share everyone’s past without the story becoming overwhelming. She performed her magic so effortlessly.
She can do with two sentences that others can’t do with ten paragraphs, ‘I promise’.
The beauty of this book and all the ones before it is each character has they’re own book within the book and it is just glorious to experience.
I wanted to weep at the tone and pace and the feelings that were like wisps of smoke seeping from the pages. I was and still am enthralled.
Whew! I’m still in the township founded by free peoples, #HenryAdams, I’m currently missing everybody .
So…treat yourself, Loves, because you deserve it. Truly .
Beverly Jenkins is one of my favorite authors. I love the town of Henry Adams. Reading a new episode in the life of this town is like sipping rich chocolate. I savor every moment. This is the tenth entry in the Blessings series and every time, I hate to see the book end.
No spoilers. I will say that few strings were tied up and a few new seeds planted. I can’t wait to read Book 11.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway – the first giveaway I ever won. Thank you Beverly Jenkins and Goodreads.
Beverly is on my blog week of February 19-25. Please drop by. https://susanbjames.blogspot.com/2020/02/beverly-jenkins-writes-independent.html