"A Distance Too Grand" by Regina Scott

A Distance Too Grand (Oct. 1, 2019) by Regina Scott.*

She didn’t know how sick her photographer father was until it was too late. Margaret (Meg) Pero has been working with photographic equipment since she was big enough to tote it around and intends to make photography her life’s career. Getting the shot is always her passion. She reports to Fort Wilverton, Arizona Territory, as the official photographer on an Army survey of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is 1871. Her dad, Matthew, had signed the contract M. Pero, making it legit for Meg as well, and, indeed, some of the photographs attributed to her father were taken by her. The contract was accepted and signed by Colonel Coleridge, but it’s Captain Ben Coleridge whom she finds at Fort Wilverton. They have a past; Meg’s the woman who broke Ben’s heart when he was still a West Point cadet.

            Ben knows Meg’s skills, but he isn’t thrilled to have her on the survey; he was expecting her father, but he doesn’t want to delay the survey for even one more day. They’re venturing out later than expected as it is. The small group expects they’re simply surveying the land in order to try to find a feasible wagon road across the canyon, but it’s far more personal for Ben. He wants to find his missing father, but the others cannot know about this part of the mission. As if that weren’t enough, a “midnight visitor” is lurking about. Nothing seems to be missing, but something precious to Meg is destroyed. Then there’s nature itself and the possibility of things such as cougars and flash floods. Ben has never given up on Meg, but Meg doesn’t believe Ben could love her for the smart, independent, camera-wielding woman that she is. Will their love rekindle in the great wide world? Or will any new attempts at courtship go up in flames like a wildfire?

            My first story from Regina Scott, I was pleasantly surprised by how well I liked it. It read like a smoothly-flowing stream until you’re approaching the rapids and drama and conflict descend like waterfalls. The story includes the beauty of nature as well as the harshness of it, glorious vistas unseen by many in 1871 and the brutal reality of foraging and making do with the clothes on one’s back. This inspirational fiction, historical romance novel encourages keeping the faith in the toughest of times and during dire situations. It’s a story of endurance and teamwork, bravery, grit and, yes, stubbornness.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”