Book Review: For the Record by Regina Jennings

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

I read At Love’s Bidding (review here) and was absolutely charmed by Betsy Huckabee, a sharp-witted, independent, and somewhat wily almost-teen who inserted herself into the story of Wyatt and Miranda.

In Regina Jennings’s newest historical romance set in the Missouri Ozarks, For the Record, Betsy is all grown up, but still as sharp-witted and wily as before. The only thing she’s lacking now is independence. But if she can just establish a career with a large newspaper, she can move out of her uncle’s house and her aunt’s hair. If radar had been around in 1885, romance wouldn’t even be a blip on her screen. Then Joel Puckett, a deputy sheriff from Texas, arrives to rid the area of the vigilante Bald Knobbers, and Betsy believes she’s found the answer to her independence problems in the exploits of a fictional hero named Eduardo Pickett.

She looked him over again. On occasion, Betsy was known to overindulge on candy and sweets, then later have a bellyache and wish she hadn’t gorged so. That was what she feared now, studying him. Tomorrow she’d need some coffee and jerky to chase away all the fluff.

Only then did she notice the pistols gleaming from his gun belt. Another look at his cowboy hat and fancy boots, and a piece of information surfaced…a deputy from Texas. A handsome, young deputy from Texas.

The inspiration for her story had just arrived.

Joel was every bit the match for Betsy. Proud and out to prove himself, he took the job in Missouri to avoid a love scandal in Texas. While it’s best to face your problems rather than run from them, he did provide Betsy with something positive that came from his running.  😉 He was also a bit wily and didn’t play fair on at least one occasion, which made for a scene to snicker through.

I had a great time reading this book, not only for the romance and humor, but the sense of history. The Bald Knobbers were a familiar term to me, though it was one of those “Now where have I heard it before?” kind of things. So I took the time before getting too far into the story to look them up. (Don’t be surprised if you see a Historical Flavor about them sometime in the next months.) 

As for the characters, the issue of trust is a big factor in their growth–especially Joel’s. But Betsy is faced with her own need to trust.

There are three books in this series and at one point, it refers back to a novel in another series, but they all stand alone. I highly recommend the antics of Betsy and Joel in For the Record!

What book have you read lately that brought a snicker or outright laughter?

Hey, y’all, the Kindle version of A Reluctant Melody is $.99 at this writing. Grab it for that price while it’s available!

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