relzreviewz.com Proposing Mischief by Regina Jennings

Synopsis:~

Only one person can give her the freedom she seeks–but is it worth the risk?

Maisie Kentworth is being forced to stay on her parents’ ranch. After a short-lived relationship with the wrong man, she’s worried about inflaming things further between her former beau and her protective family. Left to rue her mistakes, she keeps busy exploring the idle mine at the edge of their property, where she discovers a great treasure.

Boone Bragg is also stuck. With his parents on vacation, the management of Bragg Mining falls on him, and one of his advisors wants him as a son-in-law. One wrong move, and Boone will end up either offending an associate or marrying a woman he can’t endure.

While closing up a spent mine, Boone gets two surprises. One is a spitfire farm girl who’s trespassing with a pickax, and the other is the amazing crystal cavern that she’s discovered. Suddenly Boone sees a way to overhaul the family business. With part of the cavern on Kentworth land, Boone makes Maisie a proposal that he hopes will solve all of their problems. Instead it throws Joplin into chaos, and it will take all of Maisie’s gumption to set things right.

Necee’s take:~

“Women. Women everywhere. He’d snuck away from his own home to avoid them only to run into one deep in the bowels of his mine. Was there nowhere that he’d be free of them?”

If you’re looking for a marriage of convenience story with a quirky, but fun Young Adult storyline, Proposing Mischief may be a good choice. Leading lady, Maisie is a strong character that can be lovable and frustrating. Boone seems clueless, but Maisie is letting him see there is more to life than business. There is a lot of naivety in the relationship that made it a little hard for me to fully engage with the characters. However, I do believe this would be an interesting read for the teenage and young adult reader.

“Boone was grateful that she had the words he lacked. A rich treasure hidden beneath a rough surface. He was growing fonder of that type of treasure day by day.”

There is also interesting history on Joplin, it’s community and mining. This made for an interesting look into farming and mining in America. The romance was sweet and wholesome, too.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and have been given honestly.

Regina Jennings (www.reginajennings.com) is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a minor in history. She’s the winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award, a two-time Golden Quill finalist and a finalist for the Oklahoma Book of the Year Award. Regina has worked at the Mustang News and at First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She lives outside of Oklahoma City with her husband and four children.