Holding the Fort

Holding the Fort
The Fort Reno Series, Book 1
Regina Jennings
(Bethany House Publishers)
ISBN: 978-0764218934
December 2017/352 pages/$15.99

With Miss Bell as the Teacher, Everyone's Bound to Learn an Interesting Lesson

Dance hall singer Louisa Bell has always lived one step from destitution. When she loses her job at the Cat-Eye Saloon, she has nowhere else to go but to her brother, a cavalry soldier stationed in Indian Territory. But he's run afoul of his commanding officer. Unsure what she can do to help him and desperate for a job, she doesn't protest when she's mistaken for a governess at the fort. How hard can teaching really be?

Major Daniel Adams has his hands full at Fort Reno, especially raising two adolescent daughters alone. If this new governess doesn't work out, his mother-in-law insists she'll raise the girls herself--far away from the fort. Miss Bell bears little resemblance to Daniel's notion of a governess--they're not supposed to be so blamed pretty--but he finds himself turning a blind eye to her unconventional methods. Louisa has never faced so important a performance. Can she keep her act together long enough to help her brother and to secure the respectable future she's sought for so long?


Read an excerpt.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a minor in history. She's the winner of the National Readers' Choice Award, a two-time Golden Quill finalist and a finalist for the Oklahoma Book of the Year Award. Regina has worked at the Mustang News and at First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She lives outside of Oklahoma City with her husband and four children and can be found online at www.reginajennings.com.


MY THOUGHTS

Regina Jennings is a must-read author for me, and she kicks off her new series with another delightful novel. In her trademark style, Jennings creates a beguiling story with engaging characters and scenes that range from laugh-out-loud funny to hold-your-breath tense. The conventions of the era and the double standards of expected behavior between genders is well-portrayed. While Louisa's dilemma is heart-wrenching, her endeavors to improve her lot in society provide numerous awkward and amusing moments. Woven throughout this thoroughly enjoyable read is a steady thread of faith and grace. Don't miss this compelling tale, as well as the subsequent related novella, Bound and Determined, available now. Holding the Fort is the perfect way to spend a cozy winter evening!



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book free from Regina Jennings and Bethany House Publishers for a blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


BONUS Q&A WITH REGINA JENNINGS

1. What was your inspiration for Holding the Fort?

I’d already decided that I was going to set this series at Fort Reno, a historical site not far from my home, but there was a difficulty. Research revealed that there weren’t many single ladies visiting the fort, being how it was set in the middle of Indian Territory, so I had to come up with a compelling reason for Louisa Bell to get in the general proximity of Major Daniel Adams and stay there for a spell.

Military man, a widower with children . . . sound familiar? Could it be my very own Sound of Music on the Prairie? But it needed a twist. What if Louisa Bell wasn’t intentionally coming to teach Major Adams’s children? What if she was mistaken for a governess, when she was really something very different? Something shocking? Something like a dance hall singer? The thought made me laugh, and that’s when I knew I had to write this story.

2. What were some of the challenges in writing this book?

When writing about pioneers, or ranchers, or cowboys, there are a lot of details you have to research, but for the most part, those characters are their own bosses. If they feel like skipping dinner to stay out hunting, they will. If they want to sit up late and visit with their lady, no problem if she’s willing.

Writing about fort life is very different. I had to research uniforms, ranks, schedules, and regulations. The men don’t even get to choose when they wake up and when they go to bed. Since Daniel is an officer, he has freedoms that the enlisted men don’t, but his home and family are situated in a very structured environment. There’s not a lot of room for error. On the other hand, having a regimented setting makes the perfect backdrop for an impulsive, imaginative performer—especially one as captivating as Miss Bell.

3. In one word, what’s your novel about?

Authenticity. Lovely Lola Bell has always known who she was (a dance hall singer) and what she wanted out of life (to perform). After she loses her job at the Cat-Eye Saloon, she finds herself at Fort Reno being mistaken for the new governess. She doesn’t correct the mistake—after all, she needs work—but pretending to be something she’s not takes a toll on her.

Being true to ourselves isn’t always an easy thing. There’s a complexity that catches Lola/Louisa unprepared. How much of her past should she reveal? What if she does need to change? What parts of her character does God want her to keep, and what part is He waiting to redeem? Louisa learns that being authentic isn’t as simple as it sounds.

4. What’s next for readers?

You’ll be surprised to hear that the next Fort Reno story is just around the corner. Bound and Determined is a novella in the collection Hearts Entwined. You remember that roustabout brother of Louisa’s? Well, Private Bradley Willis is in trouble again with one last chance to keep his commission. As punishment for his recklessness, Bradley is sent on an errand to help a retired cavalry officer move a herd across Indian Territory. No one told him the herd would be camels instead of cattle, or that the officer’s headstrong daughter, Ambrosia Herald, would be undermining the whole enterprise. He’s definitely been saddled with more than he’s bargained for.

Don't miss Bound and Determined, available in January 2018!