Nothing Short of Wondrous by Regina Scott – Book Blog Tour and Review

I’m excited to join up with Lone Star Book Blog Tours to bring you one gorgeous historical fiction/romance! Nothing Short of Wondrous is the second book in Regina Scott’s “American Wonders Collection“, and it’s simply lovely. Read on to learn more about this book and enter the giveaway for a chance to win your own copy of the book and some fun book swag!

I received an advanced copy of the book from the author via Lone Star Book Blog Tours for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

NOTHING SHORT OF WONDROUS

(American Wonders Collection, Book Two)
by
REGINA SCOTT

Genre: Historical Fiction / Christian Romance 
Publisher: Revell
Date of Publication: October 20, 2020
Number of Pages: 336

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 In 1886, the U.S. government gave control of Yellowstone, the country’s first national park, to the cavalry to stop predation by poachers, hunters, and vandals. Mrs. Kate Tremaine is all for the change. The young widow and her late husband held the lease to operate one of the hotels in the park. She has raised her six-year-old son among God’s wonders and knows every inch of the mountainous park like the back of her hand. It is her home, and she has vowed to protect it.

Lieutenant William Prescott needs someone of Kate’s caliber more than he knows. Congress has appropriated funds for only one guide, who is required elsewhere in the park, and the cavalryman is having some trouble finding his way around much less tracking down the troublemakers. As Kate and her son help him, he doesn’t dare give in to the tender feelings she raises in him. A tragic mistake eight years ago nearly derailed his career and made him question his own abilities. Not even Kate’s encouragement or God’s forgiveness can blot out the stain on his conscience.

When Kate’s son disappears, Will and Kate must work together to rescue the boy and protect the park. In doing so, they may just find that two wounded hearts can lead to one powerful love when God is in control.

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Nothing Short of Wondrous by Regina Scott is a sweet Christian historical fiction. Inspired by the discovery that the US Cavalry were among the first to manage Yellowstone National Park, Scott crafted an inspiring tale of a widow who manages a hotel in the park, and a dishonored-but-honorable Cavalryman who guards the park and falls for her. This is the second book in her American Wonders series and is a stand-alone story.

The story unfolds steadily, and while predictable, I was surprised to find myself drawn in emotionally, protective of Kate and her fight for her hotel. Danger presents itself in the form of both man and nature. The dialogue is strong and the action well-written.

Scott draws wonderful, colorful characters. Kate Tremaine is strong but kind, determined and brave, and can stand up to threats from pompous men while being soft and loving for her son. Will Prescott has something in his past that he believes he has to atone for, and while he is attracted to Kate, he doesn’t feel worthy. However, to his men, and to Kate’s son Danny, Will shows over and over that he is more than worthy of both Kate’s and God’s love. The side characters are colorful and evoked various emotions (from delight to annoyance to distrust).

The author also does an incredible job with the setting. I have not yet had the opportunity to visit Yellowstone, but her vivid descriptions of its natural features, as well as of the hotels, capture the beauty of the area, from the bubbling “paint pots” to the chalky soil that floats up every time someone hops off their horse. This kind of escape is particularly welcome now, when travel has been put on the backburner for me.

Yellowstone was at that time, like the West, beautiful but untamed, uncharted, and held dangers within its beauty, and the story captures it well.

Revell publishes lovely Christian romances, and the one between Kate and Will is one that grows slowly and chastely (as one would in 1886). Faith is gently woven into the narrative.

The cause of Will’s shame isn’t revealed until much later in the story, and when I learned of it, I don’t know that it merited the buildup and wish it had been revealed sooner. There were also a few mysteries in the story that I figured out far before the characters in the book did, but that didn’t take away from the tension and the conflict.

Overall, Nothing Short of Wondrous offers colorful characters, a gentle romance, a bit of mystery and danger, and a breathtaking setting with historical details that feel well researched. Fans of historical fiction set in the early days of the American West will delight in this book. I’m giving this novel four-and-a-half stars, rounded to five for reporting in booksellers.

Regina Scott is the author of fifty works of warm, witty historical romance, including A Distance Too Grand. She was twice awarded the prestigious RT Book Reviews best book of the year in her category. A devotee of history, she has learned to fence, driven four-in-hand, and sailed on a tall ship, all in the name of research. She and her husband of thirty years live south of Tacoma, Washington, on the way to Mt. Rainier.

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GIVEAWAY!

THREE WINNERS!
FIRST PRIZE: Both books in the American Wonders collection, tote bag, book swag, and $25 B&N gift card; 
SECOND & THIRD PRIZES: Copy of Nothing Short of Wondrous and book swag. 

October 13-October 23, 2020

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CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY. 
Or, visit the blogs directly:

10/13/20	Notable Quotables	Forgotten Winds
10/13/20	BONUS post	Hall Ways Blog
10/14/20	Excerpt	Chapter Break Book Blog
10/15/20	Review	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
10/16/20	Review	Book Bustle
10/17/20	Excerpt	Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
10/18/20	Scrapbook Page	The Page Unbound
10/19/20	Review	Momma on the Rocks
10/20/20	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
10/21/20	Series Spotlight	All the Ups and Downs
10/22/20	Review	StoreyBook Reviews