For the Record

Starred review from September 12, 2016
Betsy Huckabee is a spirited, adventurous woman writing for her uncle’s newspaper in the little town of Pine Gap, Mo.—not the most common occurrence during the 19th century. She dreams of being published in a big-city newspaper, and her rejections seem to be over when handsome Joel Puckett arrives as the new town deputy and inspiration strikes for a fictionalized story. Although believing she is destined to be free from a man’s grip, Betsy is charmed by Joel’s rugged good looks and creates a tale featuring the handsome “Deputy Eduardo Pickett.” Eduardo, burned by his former mistress, has sworn off love and never expects to fall for the charms of a small-town reporter. While Joel tries to maintain the peace in Pine Gap, he is faced with conflict from the masked vigilantes who ride through the town at night. Unable to trust anyone, Joel struggles to cleanse the town of its corrupt leadership and prove that he is worthy of his badge, all while maintaining his swoon-inducing motto: “A hero always comes back for his lady.” Jennings (At Love’s Bidding) creates a perfect blend of love, mystery, and wit in this 19th-century romance.

November 1, 2016

Reluctantly leaving Texas to take the sheriff's job in Pine Gap, MO, Joel Puckett soon has his hands full trying to maintain law and order while handling an intrepid lady reporter determined to get his story. Aspiring author Betsy Huckabee has a stack of rejection letters from Kansas City newspapers uninterested in her accounts of gangs and vandals. When she meets Joel as he rescues a woman from a husband everyone thought was dead, Betsy finds a new subject for her journalistic ambitions. But she also can't get him out of her mind. Joel has the same problem. Snappy wordplay and laugh-out-loud humor sets the scene for some truly crazy antics committed by the residents of Pine Gap. VERDICT Jennings's (At Love's Bidding) lighthearted tone, likable characters, and feel-good narrative with a touch of drama makes for another swoon-worthy historical romance set in the American West. Readers who appreciate Jen Turano won't be disappointed.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2016
Deputy Joel Puckett is done with conniving women, but he never imagined meeting a sassy spitfire like journalist Betsy Huckabee. When the swoon-worthy Joel arrives in Pine Gap, Missouri, to bring order to the feuding town, Betsy secretly makes him the dashing hero of a steamy serial for the ladies' column. But what starts as an innocent fantasy soon turns deadly when a local gang undermines Joel's efforts. As the lines between her fictional hero and deputy Puckett blur, Betsy and Joel must solve the mystery behind the chaos in townand write a happy ending to their own storybefore it's too late. Jennings' (A Most Inconvenient Marriage, 2014) latest is a delightfully entertaining historical romance featuring charismatic humor, unpredictable thrills, and vigilante justice. The plot is tense and exciting, and the novel sparkles with the wit and charm of its spirited heroine. It is more romantic and less stuffy than your average inspirational, and Jennings uses classic western touches like six-shooters, spurs, and white Stetsons to land readers squarely in the Ozark Mountains of 1885.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)