Age Range: Adult
Series: Short Straw Bride (Can be read as a stand-alone)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; 1 edition (June 1, 2013)
Genre: Christian/Historical Romance
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
About the Book:
Inspirational Historical Romance's Rising Star
On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can scarcely believe it when he's forced off the train by a retired outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the minister she requested for her birthday. Worried this unfortunate detour will ruin his chances of finally serving a congregation of his own, Crockett is determined to escape. But when he finally gets away, he's haunted by the memory of the young woman he left behind--a woman whose dreams now hinge on him.
For months, Joanna Robbins prayed for a preacher. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. A man to help her discover answers to the questions that have been on her heart for so long. But just when it seems God has answered her prayers, it turns out the parson is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett to stay in her little backwoods community? And does the attraction between them have any chance of blossoming when Joanna's outlaw father is dead set against his daughter courting a preacher?
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About the Author:
Two-time RITA® Finalist and winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion and ACFW Carol Award, CBA bestselling author, Karen Witemeyer, writes historical romance fiction for Bethany House, believing that the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She is an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.
My Thoughts:
This isn't my favorite book by Karen Witemeyer, but it was still very enjoyable. There is much more religion in this book than in her other ones, but that's to be expected since the entire story revolves around a preacher.
As usual, I absolutely loved the love story. Karen Witemeyer has a knack for creating chemistry between her characters that I adore. I really enjoyed the development of Crockett and Joanna's relationship. Crockett was one of my favorite characters from Short Straw Bride, so I was really happy to get an entire book featuring him. While this book is a spinoff of Short Straw Bride, it can be read entirely on its own.
I enjoyed the majority of the book, but the last 25% or so felt too packed and busy. There was so much going on, and it all happened in rapid succession, that it left me feeling tired.
Overall, it was an enjoyable book that most Witemeyer fans will love.
Content: Clean
This was the first book I read by Karen Whitemeyer and I loved it. This book converted me to her and I'll read anything she writes! If you keep an eye out for deals, it's not to hard to grab her books when they're on sale for just a few dollars.
ReplyDeleteVery true. My first book of hers was A Tailor Made Bride. I loved it and I've been hooked on her books ever since. They go on sale a lot, so I've been able to keep up with most of her work.
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