--- description: Find out why 'Indigo' made the list. title: 'Indigo' Is on TIME’s List of the 50 Best Romance Novels image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30dfafae602e209b/698a5942d07533a1b4e7109b/Indigo-Beverly-Jenkins.png?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Aug 01, 2024 # Indigo by [Annabel Gutterman](/author/annabel-gutterman/) ## Annabel Gutterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Editor  At the forefront of inclusivity in the romance genre is Beverly Jenkins, the prolific author of more than 40 novels all centered on the experiences of Black characters and grounded in real-life details from history. Beginning in the 1990s, Jenkins made a name for herself by writing evocative, 19th-century romances that showcased characters that were diverse not just in terms of their racial identities, but also when it came to their careers and aspirations. Her 1996 novel _Indigo_ celebrates Black love and liberation while simultaneously wrestling with racism and classism. The book follows Hester Wyatt, a young conductor of Michigan’s Underground Railroad who has been saddled with hiding Galen Vachon, an arrogant yet treasured conductor otherwise known as “Black Daniel.” Vachon’s a big deal and he knows it. His ego turns off Hester, but she can’t deny her attraction to him, and a twisty romance ensues against the backdrop of Jenkins’ thoroughly researched world. Jenkins is known for her feisty and brilliant protagonists, and Hester is no exception. In the decades since _Indigo’_s publication, Jenkins has gone on to receive awards including the 2017 Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature in 2013 for her novel _A Wish and a Prayer._ **Buy Now:** _Indigo_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781495368219 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/4cWLqSY "undefined") These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. Indigo: Best Romance Books ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996666/indigo/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996666/indigo/"},"headline":"Indigo","datePublished":"2024-08-01T12:05:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T02:28:23.881Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996666/indigo/","keywords":["Books","E-Commerce","list","Special Project"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30dfafae602e209b/698a5942d07533a1b4e7109b/Indigo-Beverly-Jenkins.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Annabel Gutterman","jobTitle":"Senior Editor","url":"https://time.com/author/annabel-gutterman/"}],"creator":"Annabel Gutterman","articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt30dfafae602e209b/698a5942d07533a1b4e7109b/Indigo-Beverly-Jenkins.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996666/indigo/","name":"Indigo"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Romance Authors Share the Steamiest Book They've Ever Read","description":"Romance authors like Emily Henry and Beverly Jenkins talk about the steamiest book they've ever read.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/jXMACfdW/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2024-07-30T10:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/jXMACfdW.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996666/indigo/","duration":"PT1M21S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/best-romance-books/6996666/indigo/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```