Regina Jennings's Caught in the Middle ~ Reviewed

Caught in the Middle

By Regina Jennings

Published by Bethany House

201 Pages

ISBN#978-0-7641-0992-5

ABOUT BOOK: 

She Wants the Freedom of the Open Plains.
He Wants the Prestige of a Successful Career.
Neither is Ready for What Comes Instead.

The train to Garber, Texas, is supposed to bring life's next victory to Nicholas Lovelace. Instead, it gets held up by robbers who are thwarted by the last person Nick ever expected--Anne Tillerton from back home in Prairie Lea.

Anne's been hiding away as a buffalo hunter. She's only in town to find their runaway cook, but the woman flees--leaving Anne with her infant son. With Nick the only person Anne knows in town, the two form an unlikely team as they try to figure out what to do with the child.

But being in town means acting and dressing for polite society--and it's not going well for Anne. Meanwhile, Nick's work is bringing new pressures, and being seen with a rough-around-the-edges woman isn't helping his reputation. Caught between their own dreams, a deepening relationship, and others' expectations, can the pair find their way to love?

REVIEW:

I’m thankful for a review copy of a book that drew me in though the book cover and the time period! The novel starts out in Sept 1883 Pushmataha Indian Territory and introduces readers to a thick skinned woman named Anne Tillerton. She’s a strong woman who dresses like a man and works as a buffalo hunter. 

While she’s on a mission to find their run away cook the train she’s riding is robbed. Anne’s angry.  She doesn’t sit idly and let these men take from innocent people. That’s when she runs into someone from her past. They have a chance to talk and catch up when their train gets to town. Anne blurts out to Mr. Lovelace, (the brother of a good friend) .…”Stop staring at me. I’m beginning to regret saving your hide.” 

“Too late for regrets. You’re in my town and I can’t have you going around unprotected.” Mr. Lovelace points out. 

“You’re going to protect me? You weren’t much help during the train hold up.” Anne reminds him. 

Now Mr. Lovelace was annoyed. His arms crossed, “But you certainly appreciated my company afterwards.” 

“Anne’s throat closed at the memory of her weakness. Shame on her for having one.” 

Anne catches up with their runaway female cook and her little son, Sammy. Anne tells the cook to get a grip and be the mother her young son needed her to be. Sammy deserved that and more. This cook takes Anne’s advice and leaves little Sammy in her care, along with a note telling Anne she was right she didn’t make a good mother but she felt Anne did. She trusted Anne to do the right thing. She ended the note “thanks for taking care of Sammy.” Anne’s world is turned up-side down and inside out. She didn’t know anything about babies. 

This emotionally charged story will pull at your heart strings as Anne is caught in the middle of a mess and with a delightful little boy named Sammy. She fights for what is right, learns to face her demons and challenge Mr. Lovelace’s faith. Anne has experienced a lot of life’s blows that would have killed others. But she’s managed to pick herself up and put one foot in front of the other, making it one day at a time with no help from God. Thank you very much.  Anne thought to herself, “Sometimes it wasn’t about winning or losing. Sometimes it was about living to fight another day.” That was her flight. No man would use her again. She would call the shots. That’s why she hid behind men’s clothes.

Anne says to Mr. Lovelace, “No wonder you find Christianity an easy stroll down a flower-lined path. You only obey if God asks you to do something you want! It does make sense now that you’ve explained it.” 

Nick felt sick, “Why did Anne’s questions seem to distort his beliefs into something incredibly shallow and self –serving?” 

Anne is starting to think and feel differently now that this little innocent man child, Sammy was in her life capturing her heart, cracking the hard shell she put round it. She was willing to fight for him and do whatever she had to be what he needed to make sure he had a proper childhood. 

You’ll adore Sammy and Anne Tillerton and feel for Mr. Nick Lovelace as Anne really gets him thinking about life, his faith and so much more! I recommend this as a fun read and a book club pick. There is so much to talk about. This is the first book I’ve read by this author it won’t be the last!

Reviewed by: Nora :o)

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