Friday, December 30, 2016

For the Record by Regina Jennings

 
 Rather than Wait for a Hero,
Betsy Huckabee Decided to Create One


Merry Christmas Readers!   

I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday.
I know that the focus around the holidays is often getting and giving gifts but I pray that this year we remembered that Christmas is not about all of the gifts we gave or the things we received but about the tiny baby boy, born in a manger over 2,000 years ago, Our Savior who was sent down to earth. Jesus Christ was the first Christmas present to everyone all around the world.

So even though this time of year is incredibly busy and I have felt like I was running around in circles,  I was able to finish a wonderful new book by Regina Jennings. This story put a smile on my face and I hope it does the same to you when you read it.

For the Record by Regina Jennings is the story of Betsy Huckabee, a girl who dreams of living on her own, writing for a big city newspaper and being independent. The only problem with her plan? No one outside of Pine Gap, Missouri wants her articles. They like her writing style but the stories are not what they are looking for. So she decides to look for something different to write about...
Deputy Joel Puckett reluctantly left his home in Texas after some complicated circumstances made him have two options. Transfer to  the middle of nowhere or lose his badge. He decides to go to Pine Gap but is shocked when he is greeted by a gang of men on horseback wearing burlap masks, screaming and carrying bundles of sticks.  Joel immediately confronts the men and ask who they are but all they said was that they were " The Law".  The men disappear and as Joel is trying to find his way to town he runs into a young women  named Betsy. Joel has vowed to stir clear of women because of the before mentioned circumstances in Texas so he tries to get away from her but she seems to stick to him like glue. With all of these things happening on his first night in Pine Gap, Joel is beginning to wonder if he is in over his head.
Betsy cannot believe her luck! Her story just literally walked into town. The new deputy from Texas with his handsome smile and good looks is the perfect inspiration for the articles she has decided to write. So she creates the fictional character, The Dashing Deputy, Eduardo Pickett. He is a man so handsome that ladies swoon when he gets near them. He always right on time and always saves the day. So Betsy begins to follow Joel around since after all, he is her inspiration. So anytime he does something small, The " Dashing Deputy" does the same thing but a bit more dramatically.  Betsy is thrilled when she gets word that several big city newspapers want her articles so she continues to create her stories and is so excited when she receives the bigger cities newspaper, that she eagerly looks for her stories and is shocked to find them on the 2nd page news!  She wrote those stories to put in the women's "fluff " piece section, because it is fiction, not news! However Betsy decides to continue sending her stories even though the stories are not true, because no one in Pine Gap reads the bigger cities newspaper so they will never find out... Right?!
Joel is having a hard time fitting in. The townfolk are weary of him because the previous Sheriff did not do his job  and the crime had gotten bad. Joel also discovered that the gang of men he encountered on his first night were the towns "vigilantes" . They were the ones who kept the peace in the town.  He is also finding himself attracted to the quirky yet independent Betsy Huckabee who seems to follow him everywhere. but when the trouble in Texas finds him in Pine Gap, Will he lose his badge forever?

Guess you will have to read it to find out!


What did I think of the book?
 So this is the the third book in the Ozark Mountain Romance series but I read the book as a standalone. 
I thought the book was wonderful!  I love the characters and the interaction between Joel and Betsy. I loved reading Betsy writings about "The Dashing Deputy" and her very exaggerated accounts of what the Deputy was doing around town. Though there is no suspense in the plot,  the slight bit of romance and the charming characters make the book hard to put down. It was especially hard to put it down when Betsy ... Oh, I can't tell you because I would ruin the story :)
I would recommend this book  for anyone looking for a witty, historical romance novel.
  Overall I give it 5 out of 5 Stars *****




So I have not read that many of Regina Jennings books but I have enjoyed this one and her most recent Novella, Her Dearly Unintended ( You can find it in  "With This Ring" a collection of Proposals gone awry)  so much that I can't wait to check out her other books.
If you want to check this book out or her other fantastic writings, Here is the link!
http://www.reginajennings.com/for-the-record


  I would like to thank Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy. I was not asked to write a favorable review, Just a honest one.