Review: A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings

Book One in the Ozark Mountain Romance series

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

Synopsis

A Marriage of Convenience Turns Most Inconvenient in this Historical Charmer

Having fled a difficult home life, Civil War nurse Abigail Stuart feels like her only friend in the world is sweet but gravely wounded patient Jeremiah Calhoun. Fearing he won't survive, the Confederate soldier's last wish is that Abigail look after his sickly sister at home. Marry him, return to his horse farm, and it'll be hers.

Left with few choices, Abigail takes him up on his offer and moves to Missouri after his death, but just as the family learns to accept her, the real Jeremiah Calhoun appears--puzzled to find a confounding woman posing as his wife. Jeremiah is determined to have his life back to how it was before the war, but his own wounds limit what he can do on his own. Still not fully convinced Abigail isn't duping him, he's left with no choice but to let the woman stay and help--not admitting to himself she may provide the healing his entire family needs.

My Review

The unusual plot made this story one that was hard to put down! Abigail and Jeremiah are both determined and stubborn, and it was fun to see their personalities clash before they began to work together for his family and the farm. There are complicated family dynamics with Jeremiah's grown sister who is dying and making everyone miserable with her, a sweet-hearted mother who is devoted to both Jeremiah and Abigail, and a community still dealing with the dangerous aftermath of war. Balancing out the entertaining banter are the themes of loss, grief, and forgiveness, which bring depth and purpose to the day to day efforts of the characters. A bright spot in the story is the mischievous neighbor children, Josiah and Betsy, who each have their own tales later in the series. There is some suspense and action as Josiah and Abigail defend their land against those who would take advantage.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)

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Check out the other books in the Ozark Mountain Romance series . . .

Book Two

Synopsis

After helping her grandfather at their Boston auction house, Miranda Wimplegate discovers she's accidentally sold a powerful family's prized portrait to an anonymous bidder. Desperate to appease the furious family, her grandfather tracks it to the Missouri Ozarks and makes an outlandish offer to buy the local auction house if they promise not to sell anything until he arrives.

Upon their arrival, however, they discover their new business doesn't deal in fine antiques, but in livestock. And its manager, ruggedly handsome Wyatt Ballentine, is frustrated to discover his fussy new bosses don't know a thing about the business he's single-handedly kept afloat. Faced with more cattle than they can count--but no mysterious painting--Miranda and Wyatt form an unlikely but charged partnership to try and salvage a bad situation getting worse.

Book 2.5 (From the With This Ring? novella collection)

Synopsis

1870s Missouri

Heavy rain means trouble for Katie Ellen. With her parents away, she's left to take care of the mountaintop farm alone until Josiah Huckabee happens to check on her. She used to think him charming--used to--but before she can run Josiah off, a stranger appears. The bridge has washed out, stranding a weathered and threatening man with them. Immediately sensing danger, Josiah steps in and claims the place--and Katie Ellen--as his own. His farm, his wife, and this Silas Ruger character better be respectful. Furious, Katie Ellen is forced to play along. Readers of Regina's Ozark Mountain Romance series will love seeing favorite characters all grown up.

Book Three

Synopsis

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.