Regina Jennings: Courting Misfortune

 By Kelly Bridgewater

Calista York needs one more successful case as a Pinkerton operative to secure her job. When she's assigned to find the kidnapped daughter of a mob boss, she's sent to the rowdy mining town of Joplin, Missouri, despite having extended family in the area. Will their meddling expose her mission and keep Lila Seaton from being recovered?

When Matthew Cook decided to be a missionary, he never expected to be sent only a short train ride away. While fighting against corruption of all sorts, Matthew hears of a baby raffle being held to raise funds for a children's home. He'll do what he can to stop it, but he also wants to stop the reckless Miss York, whose bad judgment consistently seems to be putting her in harm's way.

Calista doesn't need the handsome pastor interfering with her investigation, and she can't let her disguise slip. Her job and the life of a young lady depend on keeping Matthew in the dark. (Image comes from Goodreads.)

 

 

My Thoughts:

 Courting Misfortune by Regina Jennings is a novel about a female Pinkerton Agent in Kansas City, KS. The cover was beautiful. Hints of mystery. Hints of history. Eye-catching. The main issue that I had with the story is the romance. While a preacher and an agent can find love with each other, it bothered me that for the first 62% of the novel sparks didn’t blossom at all, but then all of a sudden, they were touching each other and feeling these growing emotions. I didn’t buy it. I know it is a historical romance, but it just didn’t ring true to me. As for the plot, the whole purpose of the heroine being in Kansas City was to hunt for a missing woman. But the heroine did mention her search a number of times, and she went to seedy places looking for her, BUT she got distracted a lot too. Joined a Baby Raffle. Found ways to bump into Matt, the preacher. Met with her Kansas City family. Helped a nearby family. The hunt didn’t seem to override or drive her actions. While the writing was wonderful, I believe the delivery of the story was not on point. Overall, Courting Misfortune by Regina Jennings has a beautiful cover, but the story fell flat for me.

I received a complimentary copy of Courting Misfortune by Regina Jennings from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Purchase Courting Misfortune

Serving Up Love

By Kelly Bridgewater

Bestselling novelist Tracie Peterson joins Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, and Jen Turano in this collection of four novellas, each featuring a Harvey Girl heroine. From Kansas to Texas, the Grand Canyon to New Mexico, the stories cross the country with tales of sweet romance and entertaining history.

In Karen Witemeyer's "More Than a Pretty Face," a young woman works her hardest to escape poor choices from her youth. Tracie Peterson offers "A Flood of Love," where reuniting with an old flame after more than a decade offers unexpected results. Regina Jennings's "Intrigue a la Mode" delights with a tale of a young woman determined to help support her family, despite warnings of danger nearby. And Jen Turano's "Grand Encounters" heads to the Grand Canyon with a tale of a society belle intent on finding a new life for herself.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

"A Flood of Love" by Tracie Peterson

A sweet romance sprinkled with a hint of the realities of the Harvey Girls. Peterson uses a little girl to capture readers and Gretchen's heart from the encounter in the beginning of the novella.  My favorite character was the little girl. The romance sprung up from the past and flirted across time into the beginning of the story. The plot was short and sweet. Definitely a little too fast for my taste. Not enough depth to the plot. Peterson does a fabulous job at writing a story in the word limit and allowed her character's transformation to occur in the small space.

"More Than A Pretty Face" by Karen Witemeyer

If readers are familiar with Witemeyer's previous book, More Than Words Can Say , readers will recognize Rosalind Kemp and her past which was mentioned in this novel. Witemeyer does a wonderful job at creating a character that fits right into her original writing. The romance was just right for the page limit. I enjoyed reading Rosalind's story and glad to see her reach her happily-ever-after moment. The plot kept me focused on the plot. The transformation of the character was a complete with a romantic gesture by Caleb.

"Intrique a la Mode" by Regina Jennings

Another wonderful addition to this novella collection. Regina Jennings is the only author in this collection that I have not read anything else by her. I enjoyed the mystery element mingled with the historical element of hiding things across the rail lines. Willow shares a unique way to help Graham solve the mystery. The plot was different, and I actually liked it. Again, the romance was predictable, but well-written and entertaining at the same time.

"Grand Encounters" by Jen Turano

Jen Turano is one of my favorite writers, so I couldn't wait to dive into Grand Encounters. If readers have read her Wallflower's series, than Mytrle should be a familiar character. It was nice to see a story for her, even if it was a short story. Turano again does a fabulous job at bringing her character's stories to life for the readers. Even though the romance is predictable, I really enjoy the way the romance comes to a head at the end of the story. It had me laughing, and I really proud of Myrtle standing up for what she really believed in.  The plot really captured my attention and was my favorite of the four novellas.

I received a complimentary copy of Serving Up Love by Tracie Peterson, Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, and Jen Turano from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Serving Up Love