Book Review: The Lieutenant’s Bargain

The Lieutenant’s Bargain
Regina Jennings
Bethany House, 2018

Hattie Walker is on her way to Denver to paint the Rocky Mountains and finally show her parents that she can make it as an artist and avoid their efforts to marry her off, but her plans go awry and she finds herself stranded and alone in the middle of Indian Territory. When Lieutenant Jack Hennessey gets orders to travel to the nearby Arapaho camp to bring back the lone survivor of a stage coach attack, he is stunned to discover that she is none other than the girl he has been dreaming about since primary school.

A translation error between Jack and the tribe’s chief leads to a misunderstanding that keeps Hattie stuck at Fort Reno far longer than she planned. Jack proposes a bargain that will help them sort out the mess without compromising the hard work Jack has done to foster good relations with the tribe and grow the mission school for the Indian children. At first Hattie is upset with the delay in her journey to Denver, but as she watches Jack at work her feelings for him begin to change. Will Hattie ask the lieutenant to change his bargain?

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Thanks to the author for sending me a copy to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First off, thanks to Regina Jennings for sending me a copy of The Lieutenant’s Bargain and including me in the launch team! If you are a fan of hilarious misunderstandings (and I am) then you will love The Lieutenant’s Bargain. Hattie and Jack are about as opposite as you can be. An artist, Hattie is creative and great with people. Jack is a bookworm of the first order, and social nuance is lost on him, particularly where women are concerned. But both are kind and empathetic, and that, combined with the childhood history they share, is enough in common to draw them together even when they try to stay apart.

As Hattie bides her time at Fort Reno we get a glimpse at the rich history surrounding that place and time. There is a lot of discussion around the different Native American tribes in the area and whether or not the mission school truly benefits the children who attend. I enjoyed the way the author presented their culture as something to be valued and not brushed aside, even as the need to integrate with the settlers becomes apparent. Jack’s character does a lot in this regard, trying to make sure that the children at the school are educated in things that will help them in the future without washing away the values and traditions of their families.

Think The Lieutenant’s Bargain sounds interesting? You should also check out Holding the Fort, the first book in the Fort Reno series.

Hattie doesn’t immediately realize that the Arapaho are her allies. After the stage attack she is picked up by Chief Right Hand’s men and brought back to their camp. She mistakes their hospitality as threatening, precipitating the hilarious comment in the graphic below from the soldier who brings news to Jack that there is a survivor that needs to be retrieved.

There’s also a bit of a mystery surrounding the mission school and a ‘ghost’ that is frightening the children. Neither Jack nor Hattie believe that the presence the children describe is supernatural, but it takes some digging to get to the bottom of things. They soon find that certain recent events are more connected than they originally thought.

Another issue that the author deals with is the ongoing trauma that Hattie deals with after the attack on the stage. She suffers from nightmares and anxiety at being alone, as the perpetrator has yet to be apprehended. It’s heartening to see her work through those fears and triumph over them in the end. 

Even though The Lieutenant’s Bargain deals with several serious topics, it maintains a lighthearted, even funny, tone throughout. I greatly admire Regina Jennings ability to combine those aspects into a novel that both entertains and inspires. Two thumbs up from me!

Do you generally gravitate toward funny books or serious books?