Book Review: For the Record by Regina Jennings

Betsy Huckabee might be a small-town girl, but she has big-city dreams. Writing for her uncle’s newspaper will never lead to independence, and the bigger newspapers don’t seem interested in the Hart County news.

Trying a new approach, Betsy pens a romanticized serial for the ladies’ pages, and the new deputy provides the perfect inspiration for her submissions. She’d be horrified if he read her breathless descriptions of him, but these articles are for a newspaper far away. No one in Pine Gap will ever know.

Deputy Joel Puckett didn’t want to leave Texas, but this job in tiny Pine Gap is his only shot at keeping his badge. With masked marauders riding every night, his skills and patience are tested, but even more challenging is the sassy journalist lady chasing him.

SERIES: Ozark Mountain Romance #3
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2016
PAGES: 336

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“Because a hero always came back for his lady.”

I have been waiting on Betsy Huckabee’s story since I met her as an adorably precocious child in A Most Inconvenient Marriage.  Needless to say, she hasn’t quite grown out of her precociousness as an adult. When combined with Deputy Joel Puckett’s prickliness, it translates into some quite delightful banter between the two as well as multiple opportunities for giggles at Joel’s expense. (You may also remember Joel from Caught in the Middle, part of her Ladies of Caldwell County series.)

One of my favorite parts of Betsy and Joel’s relationship is how Betsy umm… borrows … Joel’s identity for her Dashing Deputy stories she is submitting to the Kansas City newspaper. Deputy Eduardo Pickett is a rather unrecognizable version of Joel (understatement) because to be perfectly honest Joel isn’t the most swoonworthy of heroes. He’s not particularly swoonworthy as far as dashing deputies go, and Betsy is forever having to embellish his heroic acts to be in fact more heroic. And of course this backfires on her – and Joel – in more ways than one. But that just makes the story all the more entertaining!

“You are the second most bothersome woman I’ve ever come across. Please, for the love of Pete, don’t make being number one your aim.”

And you know… Joel winds up being quite heroic after all 🙂

There’s also a fascinating bit of history in For the Record – specifically of the Bald Knobbers, a group of vigilantes in the Ozarks in the late 1800s.  Are they good guys? Are they bad guys? Who are they behind their masks? One thing is for sure, they certainly cause Joel much consternation. They aren’t exactly the friendliest welcoming committee to Pine Gap. I love reading historical fiction that makes me want to head to the Googles to find out more about the history element when I’m finished reading the book.

Bottom Line: For The Record by Regina Jennings is entertaining and funny and romantic. Intriguing history, delightful characters, and a writing voice that just makes you smile – all of these elements combine to make this a truly enjoyable read. If you like Mary Connealy and Melissa Jagears, then you’re going to love Regina Jennings too!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / Delightful!

KissingBook Level: 3 / May forget to breathe on occasion

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a history minor. She has worked at The Mustang News and First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She now lives outside Oklahoma City with her ornery husband and four dangerously charming children.

When she has spare time she loves to talk books, history and quirky characters (real and fictional). Check out her Blog – and jump on in to any such discussion. Email her, find her on Facebook or leave a comment on her website.

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