Book Review: Courting Misfortune

By Regina Jennings
Bethany House, 2020
333 pages

Amazon Description: Calista York needs one more successful case as a Pinkerton operative to secure her job. When she’s assigned to find the kidnapped daughter of a mob boss, she’s sent to the rowdy mining town of Joplin, Missouri, despite having extended family in the area. Will their meddling expose her mission and keep Lila Seaton from being recovered?

When Matthew Cook decided to be a missionary, he never expected to be sent only a short train ride away. While fighting against corruption of all sorts, Matthew hears of a baby raffle being held to raise funds for a children’s home. He’ll do what he can to stop it, but he also wants to stop the reckless Miss York, whose bad judgment consistently seems to be putting her in harm’s way.

Calista doesn’t need the handsome pastor interfering with her investigation, and she can’t let her disguise slip. Her job and the life of a young lady depend on keeping Matthew in the dark.  

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Thanks to the author, Regina Jennings, for sending me a copy and including me in the promotion tour for Courting Misfortune.

I am such a huge fan of Regina Jennings and her fun, witty, action-packed romances. Her characters are so clever and I love all the shenanigans that ensue in her stories, although the humor never covers up more serious underlying themes that bring depth to her stories.

In Courting Misfortune, we follow a female Pinkerton agent and an idealistic country preacher as they cross paths and butt heads in the wild mining town of Joplin Missouri. Matthew’s initial assumption that Calista is part of the lost crowd in Joplin is challenged by her knowledge of the bible and the integrity she shows. This contrasts later in the story with a character who turns out not to be the upstanding gentleman he appears to be, proving the old adage that appearances can be deceiving.

This story is chock full of historical detail that makes for an interesting setting. I’ve never read a book set in Joplin before, and I thought the author did a great job weaving in historical facts and situations in a really believable way. There are sweet moments, funny moments, and plenty of action that keep the story moving forward. Two thumbs up for Courting Misfortune!