Regina Jennings's "Caught in the Middle" Reviewed by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Caught in the Middle

Caught in the Middle by Regina Jennings

Book 3 of the Ladies of Caldwell County

Bethany House Publishers

My OWG blog angels introduced me to Regina Jennings books two years ago, but I didn't get a chance to read her work until recently.  I began with the novel that the Angels raved about: Sixty Acres and a Bride.

In the month of March, while recovering from foot surgery, I made up for lost time and read all three of her books on my Kindle!

Anne Tillerton is the abused wife from Sixty Acres and a Bride. SPOILER: She had ended up killing her husband when he tried to assault Rosa. The story starts out with a literal bang when Anne rescues a train being robbed and she shoots the toe off one of the bandits! She'd intervened when Hero Nicholas Lovelace (the antagonist's brother from book one) was trying to protect one of the young ladies. He would have been attacked if Anne had not acted. 

In Regina's latest book we finally get to understand what had happened to Anne. She'd been brought up by an unloving father and then been lured into intimate relations with her teacher, who becomes her husband.  After marriage this pedophile also becomes physically abusive. Is it any wonder that Anne has no desire to remarry? She's been hanging out with a bunch of buffalo hunters and is still a crack shot.  Nick is now living where Anne has ventured off to while searching for her old friend to bring back to a nearby town to serve as a cook. But her "friend," who has had an illegitimate child, is living is what we soon discover is a bawdy house. And the woman departs with a new consort leaving behind her infant son!

Anne takes the child to  Nick's office, since he offered his assistance, if she needed it, after the train robbery   Nick meanwhile is running for a political office and Anne wants to return to her group of buffalo hunters. But the baby grows on both of them as they begin to love the little boy and grow in their relationship with each other.

You will find yourself rooting for this unlikely couple all the way through! Strong story and character arcs.  Well done, Regina!

Bibliotherapy elements: Abandonment, abuse, adoption, trust, and learning to love again!

You can purchase this and other books by Regina at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and CBD and other bookstores.

Giveaway: We're giving away two books this week. One is an autographed copy of Caught in the Middle and the other is winner's choice of any of Regina's books, choice of format.