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Bring on the Blessings (Blessings #1)
On Bernadine Brown's fifty-second birthday she received an unexpected gift—she caught her husband, Leo, cheating with his secretary. She was hurt—angry, too—but she didn't cry woe is me. Nope, she hired herself a top-notch lawyer and ended up with a cool $275 million. Having been raised in the church, she knew that when much is given much is expected, so she asked God to s...more
ebook, 384 pages
Published
October 6th 2009
by HarperCollins e-books
(first published February 1st 2009)
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Mar 25, 2012
Dianna
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Dianna by:
Goodreads
Shelves:
fiction,
inzpirationa
This is a great book. It's a story of second chances. When Bernadine Brown divorced her philandering husband she became a very rich millionaire many times over. While reading the paper she saw a story of a town that joined retired people with children who had no parents. She later read another story of a town that was for sale.
This is the beginning of a wonderful journey for Bernadine, children in foster care, and a dying town.
A brief synopsis is given for each child involved in this story. It...more
This is the beginning of a wonderful journey for Bernadine, children in foster care, and a dying town.
A brief synopsis is given for each child involved in this story. It...more
I really liked this character why? because she didn't go off on her husband, just got the goods on him, calmly and took him to court and got what she was entitled to. After travelling, she decided to settle down and buy a town in disrepair as well as bring children who have been in foster care and bring them into the town after reading about a similar situation in Illinois. Of course, the folks are expecting a white woman to come, but after seeing a sister, they warm up to her a bit, and then ju...more
After Bernadine's divorce settlement, she is a rich woman. But she wants to do something with that money besides sit back and count it all. She decides to use it to help others. So she buys a whole town on the internet and starts setting it up as a community that will help foster children.
The children arrive, and what a mixed lot they are. One is a chronic runaway; one is a serial car thief, one just burned down his foster mother's house, plus two more little ones with their full share of troubl...more
The children arrive, and what a mixed lot they are. One is a chronic runaway; one is a serial car thief, one just burned down his foster mother's house, plus two more little ones with their full share of troubl...more
Author: Beverly Jenkins
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Series # 1
Rating: 5
Review:
"Bring on the Blessings" by Beverly Jenkins was very uplighting and engaging that turned out to be a quick, easy read. You will be presented with a vaiety of emotions from laughing and even tearing up somewhat as I read though this novel. I found "Bring on the Blessings" a moving novel about Bernadine Brown, who was a divorcee that became a multi-millionaire due...more
I’ve never read a Beverly Jenkins book before; never heard of her, in fact, but I got “Bring on the Blessings” as a special Nook Book deal several months ago. I started reading it Saturday morning, figuring to read a few chapters, do my chores and get back to it later. I finished it at 3:30 PM, and none of my chores got done. It was an enjoyable read, inspirational and heart-warming, with a fascinating dollop of Black history thrown in, and some very nice comedic elements. I liked that most of t...more
Well, I do have to admit that at first I had a hard time putting this book down. It's because I am a social worker and I was really excited to see how the author managed the characters she'd created.
Then I had a hard time putting it down because I just couldn't believe that the book wasn't getting good anywhere. The elements were all there: Millionare divorcee buys a historical african-american community to revamp it and use it as a treatment site for especially troubled foster kids.
What's not...more
Then I had a hard time putting it down because I just couldn't believe that the book wasn't getting good anywhere. The elements were all there: Millionare divorcee buys a historical african-american community to revamp it and use it as a treatment site for especially troubled foster kids.
What's not...more
Beverly Jenkins, best known for steamy African American historical romances, goes contemporary with this sweet,life-affirming story. Wealthy black divorcee Bernadine Brown hears 2 news story that awaken her philanthropic impulses: a historic African American town in Kansas is about to go bankrupt, and a clutch of hard luck foster children are in desperate need of homes. Deciding to rescue 2 birds with one trust fund, Bernadine buys the town, rebuilds it, and then imports 5 hand-picked foster kid...more
Oct 04, 2009
Meagan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
inspirational-fiction
Bernadine Brown was the first wife of a man who made millions, only to cheat on her with his secretary. Bernadine walked out of the marriage with half his money and never looked back. As a single, wealthy woman with a Master's degree in social work, she can't help but feel compelled to do something more with her money. When she sees a news story about the town of Henry Adams, a historic Kansas town founded by African-Americans, which has hit hard times and placed itself up for sale, she knows wh...more
This is a good, light summer read. Bernadine finds her husband cheating with his secretary, divorces him and ends up with $275 million. After a year or two of splurging on herself, she decides that God has a higher purpose for her. Two incidents inspire her: (1) She finds one of the last surviving townships founded by freed slaves after the Civil War for sale on the Internet and (2) She sees and article in the newspaper about a community set up specifically for foster children and their families...more
It's hard to say you didn't like a book with such an inspiring premise, but I just could not get into this book. I picked it up on free Friday for my Nook, hoping that it would give me the chance to read something I might otherwise pass by yet ultimately find enjoyable. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those books.
The story itself is inspiring. A woman walks in on her husband with the secretary, divorces him, gets millions, and decides to buy a historical town in which to raise troubled foster...more
The story itself is inspiring. A woman walks in on her husband with the secretary, divorces him, gets millions, and decides to buy a historical town in which to raise troubled foster...more
I really enjoyed this book. I actually read the third book first and found out there
were two others! This book is about Bernadine Brown. She caught her husband cheating, but didn't make a big fuss about it. She just hired a top notch lawyer and got millions in the divorce settlement and lots of property. She knows that with
that much money she was blessed with, she has to give back. So she decides to buy a
town, and create a loving, nurturing environment by bringing in foster children.
I thought bu...more
were two others! This book is about Bernadine Brown. She caught her husband cheating, but didn't make a big fuss about it. She just hired a top notch lawyer and got millions in the divorce settlement and lots of property. She knows that with
that much money she was blessed with, she has to give back. So she decides to buy a
town, and create a loving, nurturing environment by bringing in foster children.
I thought bu...more
This was a "Free Friday" Nook book that I picked up. I tore through it in three days. Divorcee Bernadine E. Brown receives hundreds of millions of dollars in her settlement. She is a Christian, so she believes that when much is given, much is expected.
So she decides to save a historically Black town in Kansas by buying it and decides to re-home foster children there. Everyone in the town except 2 people are immediately for her plan. All of the foster kids have hearts of gold. Any problem that co...more
So she decides to save a historically Black town in Kansas by buying it and decides to re-home foster children there. Everyone in the town except 2 people are immediately for her plan. All of the foster kids have hearts of gold. Any problem that co...more
I found myself drawn into this story about an Oprah-like benefactor rescuing a town that was being sold on E-bay to revitalize it into being a community for foster kids and their foster parents. The basis of this book came from a real-life article - "A Place Called Hope" featured in the July 7, 2002 issue of Parade magazine. It read as almost too-good-to-be-true, but I liked this feel-good story and its cast of characters. It earned its 5 stars because I really liked the story and at one point,...more
Jun 11, 2011
Rose Ann
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ebooks,
read-in-2011
A feel good, warm hearted story. 3.5 stars (could be 4....waiting to see how the second is)
I won the 3rd, in this series as a First Reads giveaway, and decided I needed to read the first and second books first.
I really enjoyed it, although I did have a couple of small issues...
(Not necessarily spoilers, but my thoughts on parts of the book)
Sometimes I felt like Bernadine was flaunting all that money...
For instance...this excerpt irritated me...
“Yep, and my parents didn’t have the money to buy fa...more
I won the 3rd, in this series as a First Reads giveaway, and decided I needed to read the first and second books first.
I really enjoyed it, although I did have a couple of small issues...
(Not necessarily spoilers, but my thoughts on parts of the book)
Sometimes I felt like Bernadine was flaunting all that money...
For instance...this excerpt irritated me...
“Yep, and my parents didn’t have the money to buy fa...more
Bring On The Blessings is the story of Bernadine E. Brown and the blessings she brought to Henry Adams, Kansas. Bernadine was confident and determined to bring love to a group of unwanted children. She wanted to restore a piece of history. Jenkins brings a cast of new characters that are funny and loving.
A woman of color turns a town right side up, to give life to a town that was almost nonexistent. Giving hope for kids who had none, at the same time, allowing the elderly to enjoy life again...more
I was hoping to like this book more than I actually did.
Woman catches husband cheating on her & wins big in the divorce settlement. She buys a failing midwestern town and populates it with foster children and their new foster parents.
The premise was good, but overall, it was a big letdown.
While I liked all the characters, every single one of them was one dimensional and I eventually lost interest in all of them. Every troublesome situation encountered throughout the book was quickly and e...more
Woman catches husband cheating on her & wins big in the divorce settlement. She buys a failing midwestern town and populates it with foster children and their new foster parents.
The premise was good, but overall, it was a big letdown.
While I liked all the characters, every single one of them was one dimensional and I eventually lost interest in all of them. Every troublesome situation encountered throughout the book was quickly and e...more
On her fifty-second birthday, Bernadine Brown catches her husband cheating with his secretary. This frees her from a marriage that has become dead, and with the help of a good lawyer, she gets out with $275 million. Free to do anything she wants, she spends some time indulging herself, but also looking for a purpose--because to whom much is given, from them much is expected. In time, she finds one--the town of Henry Adams, an historic all-black town in Kansas, founded by members of the Black Exo...more
I liked this book. It was like a breathe of fresh air.
Bernadine cathces her husband cheating on her so she decides to take his money and do something good with it.
She decides to buy a Town - Henry Adams. Henry Adams is falling apart and there is nothing left in the town. Bernadine decides to buy it and save the town. Her good deeds don't stop there, she decides that she wants to bring in 5 foster children and help turn their lives around.
Bernadine is a great character - shes funny and charming.
T...more
Bernadine cathces her husband cheating on her so she decides to take his money and do something good with it.
She decides to buy a Town - Henry Adams. Henry Adams is falling apart and there is nothing left in the town. Bernadine decides to buy it and save the town. Her good deeds don't stop there, she decides that she wants to bring in 5 foster children and help turn their lives around.
Bernadine is a great character - shes funny and charming.
T...more
What a sweet book about love, faith, children, money and a big fat pig! Seems the hero got a bunch, a whole bunch, of money in a divorce at the age of 54. She spent some of her money, made some more and then returned to her social work roots and bought a town. She then build homes for, found children to be fostered, found parents to foster them, and rebuilt the faith of the townspeople. The protagonist is the owner of a big fat pig. The big fat pig makes me laugh since he's all dolled up in an a...more
Great Book!!
This story takes you on the journey the revolves around a woman that is grateful for her blessings, named the end a marriage that stifled her blooming in the area of helping children and the windfall that resulted. Bernadine E. Brown started another book of life determined to bring dreams she dispensed with during her marriage by sharing her blessings with them with others, named five children whom needed homes, family, direction and love.
She does this while saving a financially star...more
This story takes you on the journey the revolves around a woman that is grateful for her blessings, named the end a marriage that stifled her blooming in the area of helping children and the windfall that resulted. Bernadine E. Brown started another book of life determined to bring dreams she dispensed with during her marriage by sharing her blessings with them with others, named five children whom needed homes, family, direction and love.
She does this while saving a financially star...more
Disclaimer - Free Fridays ebook from B&N
I get a lot of free books from B&N plus quite a few of the ones they offer on special (.99) sale. I will read almost any kind of fiction at least once and I read for many hours each week (plus I am a bit cheap and you can't get any cheaper than free.)
This book I would pay for. I intend to see if Ms. Jenkins has written any more about the people in this little Kansas town. It is a great feel good story that part of you doesn't want to believe is pos...more
I get a lot of free books from B&N plus quite a few of the ones they offer on special (.99) sale. I will read almost any kind of fiction at least once and I read for many hours each week (plus I am a bit cheap and you can't get any cheaper than free.)
This book I would pay for. I intend to see if Ms. Jenkins has written any more about the people in this little Kansas town. It is a great feel good story that part of you doesn't want to believe is pos...more
I had no idea what to expect from this book - it was a Free Friday book from B&N for my nook, so I got it. So far I am enjoying it and the characters. I really like the town characters and how their lives and stories weve together. It's nice to read something so uplifting about someone doing great (big) things with their money, and perhaps taking on more then they can chew, but getting it done all the same. (With some help.) I'm not sure about the indroduction of the foster children. I don't...more
I loved this book. For me the storyline carried the book. I recommend this book for anyone who aspires to leave a legacy by changing the world. If this doesn't describe you, I'm not sure you will appreciate Bring on the Blessings.
Except for Donna Hill and Brenda Jackson, I don't usually read romance novels, so Beverly Jenkins is a new author for me. I will most likely read her work again. As a Black History Buff, I love her inclusion of information about African Americans going West in the late...more
Except for Donna Hill and Brenda Jackson, I don't usually read romance novels, so Beverly Jenkins is a new author for me. I will most likely read her work again. As a Black History Buff, I love her inclusion of information about African Americans going West in the late...more
I really enjoyed this book. This story is about a very wealthy divorcee, Ms. Bernadine Brown, who buys a failing town in Henry Adams, Kansas. Most of the town is unhappy about the sale, and very afraid of what the new owners plans to do with it. They're very surprised to find out the woman who bought the town is Black and plans to start a child adoption center and wants volunteers. Most of the people in this town are older people, with no aspirations to raise any more children.
To top it off, th...more
To top it off, th...more
a good little story about a rich woman who purchases (does that actually happen?) a small town called Henry Adams. Her intent is to go there, spend a few of her many millions bringing it back to its former glory, and then bring several foster families to town so that foster kids can have a small town to grow up in, away from the temptations of the larger cities. Her goal is to help the people already in this almost ghost town, but also to make it a place for these abandoned and failing kids to f...more
Jul 15, 2010
Jessi
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
general-fiction,
womens-fiction
I was in a feel-good mood and couldn't resist this story. Bernadine Brown becomes a very wealthy divorcee when she catches her husband with his secretary. She is in search of a way to put her money to good use when she hears two stories on the news. The first tells the story of a town founded by African Americans that is going broke and has decided to sell the town rather than closing down. Then, she sees a story about a town that has adopted and raised several at-risk foster children. She uses...more
I loved this book so much. Being a foster mom it really hit home with me. This is not a traditional romance novel it is more inspirational than anything else. I really loved that this book brings me back to Henry Adams and the descendants of my favorite characters from other books.
The background stories for each of the foster children is so moving.
There is the teenage girl to old for her own good. Selling her body to make it on the streets.
The car thief, left behind and the best car thief in...more
The background stories for each of the foster children is so moving.
There is the teenage girl to old for her own good. Selling her body to make it on the streets.
The car thief, left behind and the best car thief in...more
I loved, loved, loved this book. The main character, Bernadine Brown, chose to redefine herself after discovering that her husband was having an affair. The story line takes on that philosophical question, “What would you do if you suddenly received a fortune?” Bernadine Brown buys a town and reaches out to a few very needy children in the foster care system. Of course, when you have a book set in a small town you get CHARACTERS -- loved (and hated) them.
The author, Beverly Jenkins, has written...more
The author, Beverly Jenkins, has written...more
I had planned to give maybe a two-star review until the book came to an abrupt end with no plot strings tied down at all.
Jenkins writing, for starters, is extremely flat. She does not at all seem to comprehend the rule of "show, don't tell." And descriptions are extremely lacking. For all I know, the town is made of cardboard. And looks like it, too, for that matter. I read the entire book with a mental red pen, wanting to scratch in some suggestions for retractions and elaborations.
Aside from...more
Jenkins writing, for starters, is extremely flat. She does not at all seem to comprehend the rule of "show, don't tell." And descriptions are extremely lacking. For all I know, the town is made of cardboard. And looks like it, too, for that matter. I read the entire book with a mental red pen, wanting to scratch in some suggestions for retractions and elaborations.
Aside from...more
It took me a few chapters to get in to this book, and once I did it was really enjoyable. The history, character development, storyline, and personalities. After being fully committed to the story and its characters, I quickly noticed that I was over halfway through the book. Wondering how Beverly Jenkins would wrap this up so quickly, I became frustrated. The last 40ish pages needed more development and time, but it seemed like she was in a rush to finish and move on to another project.
All in a...more
All in a...more
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Beverly Jenkins is an African-American historical romance writer. She and her family live in southeastern Michigan. Born in Detroit, she graduated from Cass Technical High School and attended Michigan State University where she majored in Journalism and English Literature.
Ms. Jenkins has written sixteen books to date and has received numerous awards for her works, including: the Detroit Free Pres...more
More about Beverly Jenkins...
Ms. Jenkins has written sixteen books to date and has received numerous awards for her works, including: the Detroit Free Pres...more
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Feb 28, 2013 07:10pm