“The Lieutenant’s Bargain” by Regina Jennings is the second book in her Fort Reno series.  I had previously read “Holding the Fort” and enjoyed the book very much.  The second book is just as good.

Hattie Walker is traveling to Denver to see if her artwork will be accepted in one of the museums there.  This is her last chance to prove herself to her parents.  They want her to stay in Van Buren and get married and have a family.  She, on the other hand, is only interested in furthering her artistic talent.

As she travels on a stage through Indian Territory, it is attacked and she is the lone survivor. When the stage doesn’t show up at Fort Reno, soldiers are sent to find it.  Hattie has been rescued by the Arapahoe.  However, she believes that they are hostile and that she is in danger. Unbeknownst to her, an old friend from home is a lieutenant at the fort.  She was never keen on him because he seemed to feel he was superior because he was always correcting her.  In reality, he cared for her very much and was such a bookworm, that he really did know more than most of his peers.

Lieutenant Jack Hennesy comes to the Indian village to get Hattie.  The chief plots to see that Jack and Hattie are wed in an Indian ceremony and in the eyes of the tribe they are lawfully married.  Hattie is definitely not happy about this situation which forces her to curtail her trip to Denver for a while.  In the meantime, she and Jack find companionship that eventually resolves itself.  The danger is still great because the outlaw has not been apprehended and Hattie is in danger.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It was a light romance and was just the thing for a cozy Saturday evening.

The Lieutenant's Bargain by Regina Jennings is the continuation of the Fort Reno Series now zooming in on some of the smaller figures part of the first book in the series, Holding the Fort. The Lieutenant's Bargain delves into Major Adam's right hand man, Lieutenant Jack Hennessey as his once distant past history collides dramatically with his present situation. Jack has dedicated himself to his work with the Arapho people (local Native Americans to Fort Reno) attempting to somehow weave the two cultures together in a peaceful manner.  His work is gravely threatened when news reaches the area of a deadly stagecoach robbery--the stagecoach that was delivering the Arapho's gold.  As Jack investigates this deadly attack, he runs into a former childhood friend whom he once had feelings for and soon becomes entangled in a series of unforseen and almost hilariously complicated ties and situations. 
Hattie Walker's ambition of becoming a world-renown painter seems to quickly fade away as she is thrown into a very dangerous situation in her travels out to Denver, Colorado.  Not only are her hopes of making it to Denver dashed, but she also is victim to a violent stagecoach attack and left in the cold wild on her own.  Miraculously, Hattie is rescued from her dire situation, but she fears that her current predicament is even more dangerous--she is held by a wild native people---the Araphos! Even though the Native Americans mean no harm to Hattie, her terror leads her to distrust her rescuers and make several attempts to escape their friendly care.  To Hattie's amazement she is rescued from her "captors" by none other than her childhood friend, Jack Hennessey! As the story unfolds, their friendship is tested and each of their dreams and plans become more and more unreachable.  Read it for yourself to see if they can survive each other and the dangerous situations they are thrown into.    
I greatly enjoyed this sweet continuance of the Fort Reno Series by Ms. Jennings. The characters in this work were relatable and very easy to understand. Jack's past history with Hattie wove into the story without a page becoming dry character history. Hattie's strong and willful personality was reasonable. Often I have seen authors make their female characters unnaturally stubborn, strong, and independent without making them have any sweetness or weaknesses.  Hattie's character with her selfish tendencies and uncertainties reminds readers that no one is perfect. I also appreciated the very rawness of Jack and Hattie's relationship as they dealt with extremely difficult and irritating circumstances, their honesty and reluctance to share with each other, their uncertanties and fears, and their faith in God throughout all of it. Overall, I would recommend this book as a wholesome read for anyone interested in a sweet romance with suspense, humor, and faith.      

Disclaimer: Bethany House Publishers graciously provided me with a copy of this book.  All opinions are my own and part of an unbiased honest review.

This book was received as an ARC from Netgalley and Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Lieutenant's Bargain was unlike any Christian Fiction Love Story I have ever read and I mean this in the good sense. The story of Hattie who dreams of becoming a famous painter is forced to go into town and find herself a real job or else she gives up on her dream forever later encounters with a soldier who she views as the enemy and he spends most of the story convincing her that he is the good guy in hope to win her heart. What impressed me about this story in particular in that the novel focused on the heroine being the dominant character in the story rather than the hero masculine character falling in love with a woman. Our readers will be fondly attracted to this book because of that it's unlike any story they have read.

We will definitely consider adding this title to our Chistian Fiction collection at our library since we are always on the lookout for more Christian Fiction books. That is why we give this book 5 stars!