Courting Misfortune (The Joplin Chronicles Book #1)

This is book one in the Joplin Chronicles series, what a great place to start. Calista York comes from a unique, loving and involved family. While she tries to hid her true job, it may be harder than she thinks once she is assigned a job near family. Matthew Cook was a little harder character for me to connect with, but when I did I liked him. This book is full of misunderstanding, mystery, history, family and romance. I look forward to reading book two in this series. I look forward to learning more about the characters that we met in this series.

Wow! This book was AMAZING! I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved it! It had me laughing out loud, nail-bitingly anxious and my heart beating in all the right places. Once again, Author Regina Jennings has created an incredible world to open your book and get lost in (no pun intended, lol) and I’m reminded why I need to make sure to keep up with her books! She is quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to authors (especially if I’m in need of a few good laughs mixed in with my reading!) Courting Misfortune is a beautiful blend of mystery, romance, comedy and a lesson in learning to follow God’s direction for your life, even when it seems it’s in the opposite direction of what it ought to be! If you’re a fan of Ms. Jennings’ previous works, you’re sure to be thrilled with this latest addition to her collection! I, for one, will be anxiously awaiting the next installation in her Joplin Chronicles series and snatching up a copy as soon as humanly possible to continue this adventure!

THOROUGHLY ENJOYED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK, especially Calista's crazy family. ************************ When I first read "Intrigue a La Mode", a story featured in “Serving up Love: A Harvey House Brides Collection”, I knew this story was immediately going on my TBR list. *********************** Set in Joplin, Missouri 1898 *********************** Calista York is determined to prove herself as a Pinkerton detective; currently on probation. "Jinxy stood when she entered. Two hundred and fifty pounds of sausage and cannelloni stuffed into a striped suit." The gangster's daughter has gone missing, and Calista is tasked with finding her. Unfortunately, she is sent to a heathenous town filled with miners and harlots just very near where many of her relatives live. "Years of rough-and-tumble summers full of pranks and plots had honed all of the family's senses to expect the unexpected and to improvise when necessary, but if word got back to Calista's parents that she was undertaking such a dangerous profession that would be the end of it." "When Calista had applied for the job, she'd known she would be sacrificing safety and comfort. She hadn't known she'd be asked to forfeit love as well." *********************** A newcomer to Joplin is determined to win the souls of said heathens and stop a local baby raffle. "It had seemed so simple back home in Pine Gap. Matthew Cook had heard the call of God since he was young." "From the altar of his country church, Matthew had promised God to go to the darkest, most desperate place on earth." However, Calista York seems to confound him at every turn, and saving her soul may just be what breaks him. *********************** Calista's cousins are a hoot and boy did they make me laugh. "Oh, we know the fear of the Lord, but there's lots of ways to have fun that the Lord hasn't thought to expressly prohibit," Amos said. "Finding those things is our specialty." He wasn’t kidding! Read for yourself and laugh out loud! *********************** TEA QUOTE: Loretta came inside cradling a jar of stout tea with tea bags still floating. "If you have a pitcher, I'll dilute it," she said, "Made no sense to mix it at the tent and carry it over heavy." *********************** As I am getting stingier with my five-star ratings, it's saying something that this is one I rate as EXCELLENT. This story was gifted to me via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion without expectation or compensation. *********************** Note: Intrigue a La Mode is 0.5 in the series.