Fun, Heart, Adventure, and Laughs // Holding the Fort, by Regina Jennings

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: Five out of five hearts ♥♥♥♥♥= excellent!

Book one in the Fort Reno series

Description:

Former saloon singer Louisa Bell (otherwise known as the "Lovely Lola Bell") has nowhere to go. Fired from her job, she decides to turn to Fort Reno, where her brother is a cavalry soldier with a knack for getting in trouble- maybe she can put him in line. However, circumstances rarely turn out the way we expect...

The major of the fort, Daniel Adams, has his hands full. Running a fort, keeping the Indians happy and in line, and perhaps the hardest thing of all- raising two adolescent daughters- has been keeping him on his toes. A governess could be just the thing he has been needing to teach his daughters decorum (an older widow, stern enough to handle his children, preferred), but he is in no way prepared for the lady who shows up.

Louisa never meant to fall into the roll of a governess, but it may be just what she needs for the time being. Calling upon her stage experience, she embarks upon the hardest performance of her life...

My Review:

Oh my; I can't say enough good things about this book. If I was a bit nervous that Mrs. Jennings' Fort Reno series wouldn't be as good as her Ozark Mountain Romance one, I'm not anymore. This series may very well prove to be even better!

Let's start with the characters. Lovable and engaging are two words that fit the bill, and I am so very much looking forward to book two, where I hopefully will be able to catch up with them again. Louisa is a fun character, whose efforts in trying to keep up her ruse (coupled with Daniel's efforts to figure out her secrets) make up most of the story and keep it interesting. Daniel and Louisa work beyond perfectly together- her fun and his discipline making quite the pairing, and his daughters (sixteen-year-old Caroline and ten-year-old Daisy) complete the family. Sometimes I feel, in books, that the children of the main character tend to slow the book down, or make the parent seem a bit boring, but that is anything but the case for Daniel and his daughters. They instead complete the story, and help to make it a delightful tale. I absolutely cannot wait to see which character(s) (I have my guesses, although I can't decide which I'd rather read about first) will be featured in the next and subsequent novels in the series!

The content of this story is brilliant. Combine characters with varying personalities, an Indian sighting or two, a governess who is actually a singer of unknown repute, a major who is always in control, and two unwieldy daughters who seem determined to destroy his image, and you've got Holding the Fort in all its charm.

If you've loved Regina Jenning's other books, are a fan of author Karen Witemeyer, or just want a good western romance filled with love and laughter (this book has the kind of fun I love- the believable kind you probably could find in your own life. Not the focus of the story but enough to spice it up), then you should definitely try Holding the Fort- it's certainly worth the read!

Note: I got this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.