"Bound and Determined" by Regina Jennings

 


Do you love a good adventure with fun and unique angles? "Bound and Determined" checks all the right boxes, and was a pure delight with its originality and wit.

Private Bradley Willis will be familiar to readers of Jennings' Fort Reno series. As someone not always in good graces with his superior officers, Bradley often finds himself needing to prove his merit and worth to the cavalry. After another questionable incident, Bradley is given the task of escorting a retired captain across Indian territory. How hard could that be?

It turns out Major Adams left out a few details about his assignment. The captain has acquired a train of camels and is seeking to travel overland with them to his Texas home. The assignment also didn't mention Captain Herald's daughter Ambrosia, who is along for the journey and is sweetly but stubbornly on the lookout for ways to convince her father to abandon the camels.

Ambrosia is worried about her father's health and she doesn't want to give up their garden to house a bunch of smelly camels. She thought if she couldn't convince her father to change his mind that she'd at least be able to find ways to dissuade anyone who was sent to help them. It turns out she's met her match in Private Willis. As determined as she is to find ways to abort this mission, he's equally as determined to see it through.

The camels add a wonderful amount of personality to this novella. I learned a lot of things about these wonderful animals that I never knew before! I laughed out loud at Bradley and Ambrosia's antics, and there's enough action and danger to keep you glued to the pages. A highly recommended story from Regina Jennings!