Proposing Mischief

For never having visited Joplin,MO the author has now made me want to do it. I love to visit places that I think sound fascinating that I've read about in books.
I am sure there are a lot of interesting things to see but what I am interested in is hearing more about the history of the crystal caverns underneath a part of the city. I got this fascinating information from the note in the back of the book.
Now our girl Maisie Kentworth, love her, she is a girl after my own heart. After a disastrous romance her parents force her to stay on the ranch for her own safety. Bored out of her skull she tries to think of a way out of it. Exploring one day she finds an incredible find in an abandoned mining cave and has to tell the man she meets in the cave. Now this just happens to be the mine owner going in to see who has broken into his boarded up cave and he's checking on their safety, that's when he meets Maisie.
Now Maisie is the kind of girl who isn't exactly looking for trouble it just seems to find her. I absolutely love the author's sense of humor in this book, Maisie has to be by favorite character she's ever written about, from an on fire dress to an accidental kick in the face to a marriage of convenience to arm wrestling matches Boone has met his match in Maisie. Is Boone's family and the town of Joplin ready for spitfire Maisie when she'd rather be mucking in the garden digging potatoes than attending board meetings and fancied up with the ladies?
You are going to love this book! Quick read, I just couldn't put it down!

Pub Date 07 Dec 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Oh my! I really liked Maisie in Courting Misfortune but she just became a favorite character in this book! I haven’t read a lot of Regina Jennings books but she’s up there with Jen Turano in my eyes. Funny, quirky characters that are interesting and keep you on your toes! I can’t wait to read the next book and catch up on the antics of Calista & Matthew and Maisie & Boone.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

Maisie Kentworth made a mistake, and the consequences just might kill her. Her overprotective family won’t let her go to town alone, and they’ve conspired together to keep her from having any adventures. While she doesn’t rightly trust herself after falling for a scoundrel with no morals, she wishes her kin would allow her a little diversion. After all, she’s a grown woman.

When she ventures onto the neighbor’s property one day, she decides to create her own adventure. And ends up discovering a great treasure in an abandoned mineshaft. When she runs out of the shaft to share her discovery, she smacks plumb into a man. A man she’s never met before. Not what her family had in mind when they sent her out to fix a fence.

Boone Bragg has a lot of problems. Most of them wear skirts and try to finagle an invitation from him for a brunch or an engagement. He has no interest in the empty-headed shenanigans of society women hunting for husbands. Keeping his mines operating and his miners employed weighs heavily on his mind. On the verge of selling one of his mines, he decides to look around one last time.

Boone never expects to find a crazy woman inside his mine shouting about her amazing discovery. Once he realizes she has no intentions of compromising him, he follows her back down the mineshaft. What he sees will change the course of his life.

What I Loved About This Book

Maisie Kentworth and the Kentworth clan remind me of the Sacketts from Louis L’Amour’s westerns—a series I read repeatedly. Maisie, while not refined and ladylike like some of her other cousins, has a charm of her own. She sprinkles her speech with down-home phrases, doesn’t shy from the truth, and knows her weaknesses.

Jennings has found the perfect match for Boone Brag—an upright man with no plans to marry, and Maisie—a wounded woman who wants people to accept her as she is. Readers will laugh, get carried away, and find themselves wondering which member of the Kentworth clan will make an appearance in Jennings’ next book. Maisie first appeared in Courting Misfortune, the first book in the Joplin Chronicles. Readers can enjoy either book as a standalone novel—but why not read them both?

Fans of Jen Turano and Karen Witemeyer will enjoy Proposing Mischief.

I really enjoyed this read, and yes, it is part of a series, but this can be read alone!

This is Maisie Kentworth's story, a girl who is not afraid to get her hands dirty, and it is also Boone Bragg's story, a man who comes from money, but is trying to establish his own fortune in the mines. Boone is also being pursued by all the local socialites, and is not interested. You are about to find the twist that happens in this delightful story!

We are also gifted, through the words of the author, of a beautiful crystal cave, and how it is found!

The antics between Maisie and Boon are delightful, "that's one", and made me want more!

There is some evil lurking here, and we are there as things unfold!

This is a read that will have you page turning, and in the end wanting more!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, I was not required to give a positive review.

Have you ever heard of a Crystal Cave? Proposing Mischief by Regina Jennings is a wonderful story about a crystal cavern found in Joplin MO.

Maisie Kentworth is pretty much a prisoner of her parents' home. After being led astray by the wrong man, she must stay within her parents home or be chaperoned by her protective family. Working on her family's farm, she wanders over to an abandoned mine where she makes an amazing discovery.

Boone Bragg just about gives up on the depleted mine, ready to sell it to Justina's father. Justina has her claws out to get Boone, but he makes a spontaneous decision to marry farm girl Maisie. It will solve her problem for freedom, and his to being taken. Things get pretty messy when Masie is introduced to the upper class Boone's family is related to.

Fun, hilarious and somewhat true, as there really was a crystal cave in the late 1800's. I loved how the romance bloomed as Maisie and Boone get to know each other but are restricted by their contract to marrying to protect each other.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the second book in the delightful series by Regina Jennings highlighting the history of Joplin, MO. Of course it is a work of fiction, but it includes some facts about Joplin's history and gives you the feeling of Joplin around 1900. Maisie Kentworth, one of the Kentworth cousins we met in the last book, meets Boone Bragg, the owner of the mine skirting the Kentworth property. She is trespassing in his mine when he discovers her. She has just discovered a crystal cave. Boone is being pursued by women looking for a rich husband and Maisie is being pursued by a man of questionable character and she longs to be free to go about as she wishes. Her family is so set on protecting her from the man that she can't go anywhere. Boone and Maisie come to a contractual agreement whereby they get married to protect each other. You can imagine where that leads and I will leave it to your imagination. The actual story is hilarious and I highly recommend you search it out for yourself.

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Proposing Mischief was a fun read. It was clear from the beginning that Maisie didn't fit into Boone's world, and vice versa, but they needed each other. Boone was a stabilizing influence on Maisie and she brought light and joy into his world. It was a pleasure watching this couple learn about each other, and themselves, as they forged a partnership and a marriage.

Maisie's family was unconventional and you never knew what kind of hijinks they'd be up to which made for some laugh-out-loud funny moments.

Readers will be reminded that appearances aren't everything. The woman who stuck out and didn't fit into to the neat society was loyal, kind, and loving; the cave hidden beneath the surface contained a miracle that showcased God's glory; while those who appeared to be beautiful on the surface were greedy and unkind.

It's important for us to use discernment and not get fooled by what appears to be genuine but is only fool's gold.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley; a positive review was not required.

The second in the Joplin series (third if you count the novella that started it all), we are already familiar with our heroine's family. She is a strong female character and I like her non dramatic attitude to problems.

This book is a romance and a mystery books. There are elements of comedy through the book as well which made it an enjoyable read. While it is a series, I feel that this could be easily read without reading the other books. However, I feel that you'd be missing out if you don't. I'm really looking forward to future books.

I got this in an exchange for an honest review. I'm happy to recommend it to others - I liked it and I brought it for my library so I can't offer a higher recommendation in my book!

A HUMDINGER OF GOOD, CLEAN FUN!
Set in Joplin, Missouri late 1800s ***
19-year-old Maisie Kentworth and her brother Amos were a hoot in the last book so I was excited to have them in the forefront here. “Maisie wasn’t a troublemaker, but she needed adventure like a cornfield needed sunlight.” “Just outside her family’s ranch was enough excitement to flip a corpse. Joplin had it all – society, music, and wealth.” ***
24-year-old Boone Bragg was an interesting character. He gets stuck in his head problem solving, often when he should be paying attention to people or the time. He comes up with a crazy solution involving Maisie after she makes an amazing discovery in his mine.
“Unless God saw fit to drop a man from the sky and land him on the Kentworth ranch, Maisie wasn’t going to have any luck at all.” ***
TEA QUOTE: The chair was uncomfortable, the tea weak, and he had work to do. “It’s a nice – Boone looked above him – building." ***
FAITH QUOTE: “There were times you prayed for God’s guidance, prayed for His wisdom, and then you had to act without knowing for sure that you were doing the right thing.” ***
LAUGH-OUT-LOUD: “Stop with the hogwash,” said Amos. Get to the point, you no-account, fragrant man-swine.” Amos’s vocabulary in the language of insults was quite extensive. ***
I loved the Secret Tree and how it played into parts of the story! I laughed out loud several times EXCELLENT READ. ***
This story was gifted to me via NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are mine alone without expectation or compensation. ***
5 stars ***
SERIES:
0.5 INTRIGUE A LA MODE (eBook or within Serving Up Love novella collection) ***
1 COURTING MISFORTUNE ***
2 PROPOSING MISCHIEF ***

REVIEWS POSTED TO: My Blog, My IG, Amazon pending for 12/7, Barnes and Noble, BooksAMillion, Goodreads, Kobo pending for 12/7, Google Play Books, Pinterest,

MEME created

As we read about Maisie Kentworth and Boone Bragg’s unusual relationship in PROPOSING MISCHIEF by REGINA JENNINGS, we find ourselves in the middle of an extremely amusing story. In fact there were times that I could not help laughing out loud, especially at Maisie’s antics.
Because of her indiscretions with Silas Marsh, Maisie is kept as a virtual prisoner on her family’s farm. One day when she is exploring the Curious Bear Mine on their boundary, she finds an extraordinary cave. Boone comes across her down the mine and is amazed at what she has found.
Boone sees the beautiful cave as an incredible gift from God, showing the wonders of His creation, and wants as many people as possible to see it.
Boone’s proposal that they get married in order to keep him safe from designing females that are after his money whilst keeping Maisie safe from unwanted attention from Silas, seems foolproof, but will it really work? First of all how will Maisie’s family react to this secret marriage: and then how will Maisie cope with her mother-in-law’s determination to make a lady out of her?
Add to all this a plot to destroy the mine and the crystal cave, the romanticising by the press of their sudden marriage for advertising purposes, and the fact that things are not always as they seem, and you have a really great story and one I highly recmmend.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

This second book in the Joplin Chronicles series was just as fun and full of adventure and mischief as the first! Due to some poor choices, Maisie is virtually a prisoner on her family ranch. Breaking into a nearby mine to swing a few blows with her axe seems like just the way to relieve some pent up frustration. When her blows reveal an amazing sight, she knows she can't keep it to herself. Throughout the story, Maisie's beauty becomes more apparent as she stands up for those she cares for whatever the cost. She is a fun, lively character who doesn't often know the proper way a lady should behave. She's wonderful!

Boone is so dedicated to making a go of things while his parents are gone that he sometimes misses what is right in front of him...whether it has to do with mining or the beautiful young lady he finds trespassing in his mine. Still he does grow and sees where true beauty and value are found. He's a risk taker. I liked him a lot.

It was fascinating learning about the crystal cave and finding that there was a real one in Joplin. I'm sure it was a sight to behold. I enjoyed seeing the project coming together through the setbacks. There's a little mystery but the highlight of the book for me were the people, especially Maisie. She has a way of putting snooty people in their place. I admit I enjoyed seeing some of the high society people squirm. Maisie is a breath of fresh air in a cloying society. I hope there'll be more about her family in the next book. They stand up for each other.

Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I'd recommend it. All opinions are my own.

A sweet, fun story from Regina Jennings! Proposing Mischief is a cute marriage of convenience story with unique elements that make Joplin’s history pop. I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I wished to, but I enjoyed the overall story. 3.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.