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A review by hugbandit7
Holding the Fort by Regina Jennings
4.0
When you are in the mood for a trip to the old west, life in a fort, and a sweet story about faith, love and forgiveness then this should be one of the books you pick up to indulge that feeling.
While this book is labeled as western Christian romance, it is not heavy on the religious aspect. There is the right balance of faith/religion, love, action and the wisdom of two young ladies.
This story touched my heart in many ways. Louisa was way out of her element pretending to be a governess to the Major's two daughters. But she would stay up reading ahead so that she could instruct these young ladies in their studies. Don't get me wrong, she was not unintelligent, she had just not gone very far in school which is not surprising for the time. But when it came to instruction on areas such as singing - this is where she excelled. The way Louisa handled herself in various difficult situations was admirable...however, she probably should have come clean much sooner about who she was and why she was at the fort. Daniel (the Major) was a widower trying to do his best in raising two rambunctious girls, away from civilization...and with an overbearing mother-in-law that wanted the girls to live with her. He is strong in his faith which is what ultimately helps Louisa admit her past and accept her destiny. I cringed at the thought of how Daniel would react when the truth came out about Louisa. However, his reaction was that of a Godly man that believed in truth and forgiveness. I laughed along with Daisy and Caroline as they fought against instruction from Louisa, but came to love her in the end. Daisy's innocence is quite captivating as she has no filters on what comes out of her mouth. As they say, "out of the mouths of babes!" But I felt this just added to the complexity of the characters and the situations they faced.
This story was also educational as it depicted life in a fort during the late 1800's. There were Indian raids from those tribes not wanting to change their ways. The author researched the background on this story quite well and I might have even learned a few things.
While this book is labeled as western Christian romance, it is not heavy on the religious aspect. There is the right balance of faith/religion, love, action and the wisdom of two young ladies.
This story touched my heart in many ways. Louisa was way out of her element pretending to be a governess to the Major's two daughters. But she would stay up reading ahead so that she could instruct these young ladies in their studies. Don't get me wrong, she was not unintelligent, she had just not gone very far in school which is not surprising for the time. But when it came to instruction on areas such as singing - this is where she excelled. The way Louisa handled herself in various difficult situations was admirable...however, she probably should have come clean much sooner about who she was and why she was at the fort. Daniel (the Major) was a widower trying to do his best in raising two rambunctious girls, away from civilization...and with an overbearing mother-in-law that wanted the girls to live with her. He is strong in his faith which is what ultimately helps Louisa admit her past and accept her destiny. I cringed at the thought of how Daniel would react when the truth came out about Louisa. However, his reaction was that of a Godly man that believed in truth and forgiveness. I laughed along with Daisy and Caroline as they fought against instruction from Louisa, but came to love her in the end. Daisy's innocence is quite captivating as she has no filters on what comes out of her mouth. As they say, "out of the mouths of babes!" But I felt this just added to the complexity of the characters and the situations they faced.
This story was also educational as it depicted life in a fort during the late 1800's. There were Indian raids from those tribes not wanting to change their ways. The author researched the background on this story quite well and I might have even learned a few things.