Book Review: Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer

Back Cover: When love simmers between a reclusive scientist and a wealthy debutante, will they abandon ship or is it full steam ahead?

Nicole Renard returns home to Galveston, Texas, to find her father deathly ill. Though she loves him, Nicole's father has always focused on what she's not. Not male. Not married. Not able to run Renard Shipping.

Vowing to find a suitable husband to give her father the heir he desires before it's too late, Nicole sets out with the Renard family's greatest treasure as her dowry: the highly coveted Lafitte Dagger. But her father's rivals come after the dagger, forcing a change in Nicole's plans.

After a boiler explosion aboard the Louisiana nearly took his life, Darius Thornton has been a man obsessed. He will do anything to stop even one more steamship disaster. Even if it means letting a female secretary into his secluded world.

Nicole is determined not to let her odd employer scare her off with his explosive experiments, yet when respect and mutual attraction grow between them, a new fear arises. How can she acquire an heir for her father when her heart belongs to another? And when her father's rivals discover her hiding place, will she have to choose between that love and her family's legacy?

My Review: Karen Witemeyer is my go-to author for historical romance. I love her novels and Full Steam Ahead is a great example. Witemeyer's characters are wonderfully complex and believably flawed. Where else will you find a knife throwing debutant working for a reclusive scientist haunted by nightmares? The chemistry between the two leaves little doubt on what they feel for each other, but both have other concerns that keep their hearts in check. I devoured this novel in a single day (not an easy feat as a mother of a two-year-old bent on world domination). I love the little surprises that pop up in the pages. Just when I think I have the characters figured out, they do something unexpected (but completely believable.) I can not wait for Witemeyer's next book to come out.

My Rating:

My Recommendation: I highly recommend this book to readers of historical romance.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Book Review: Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Back Cover: A cowboy who wants to be a preacher. An outlaw's daughter who wants to change his mind.

On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can't believe it when he's forced off the train by an outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the preacher she requested for her birthday. He's determined to escape--which would be much easier if he could stop thinking about Joanna Robbins and her unexpected request.

For months, Joanna had prayed for a minister. 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. But just when it seems her prayers have been answered, 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 he ended up right where he was supposed to be?

My Review: Karen Witemeyer has become one of my favorite historical romance writers. Her characters and plots are so much fun to read. I was delighted to read Stealing the Preacher. This story follows Crockett Archer (who readers met in Short Straw Bride) and Joanna Robbins. Joanna is an outlaw's daughter, but the story starts with her father stealing Crockett off a train. Those this story does not have as much danger as many of Witemeyer's works, it is still a very enjoyable read. Witemeyer spends a lot of time focusing on salvation and living the gospel in this book, as Crockett and Joanna team up to convert a stubborn old outlaw. I believe that Witemeyer did a great job with the topic, and as always her characters are a delight. I can't wait to read what Karen Witemeyer writes next.

My Rating:
My Recommendation: I highly recommend this book to readers of Christian historical romance.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Book Review: Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Excerpt: "You have to ride out to the Archers' place and keep this terrible thing from happening. At the very least, warn Mr. Archer that trouble is headed his way."

Hiram shook his head. "I ain't riding all the way out there on the say-so of some woman who can't be sure of what she heard. You always were the kind to get all worked up about one thing or another for no good reason. Besides, I gotta stay here and protect the good citizens of Palestine while the sheriff's gone. We can talk to Archer when Randall gets back."

"By then it will be too late!"

Hiram just shrugged. "I'll make a note in the log book that you came by to make a report. That's the best I can do."

Of all the lazy, arrogant, self-aggrandizing men she'd ever had the misfortune to meet, Hiram Ellis sat at the top of the list.

As Meredith marched out of the sheriff's office, one thing became exceedingly clear. If there was to be any hope of getting a warning to Travis Archer in time, she was going to have to deliver it herself. Short-Straw Bride, pg 36-37.

Back Cover: Four brothers. Four straws. One bride.

No one steps on Archer land. Not if they value their life. But when Meredith Hayes overhears a plot to burn the Archer brothers off their ranch, a long-standing debt compels her to take the risk.

Years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer comes across a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can't bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt prompt him to attempt to rescue her once again.

Despite the fact that Travis is no longer the gallant youth Meredith once dreamed about, she vows to stand by his side. But will love ever be hers? Or will Travis always see her as merely a short-straw bride?

My Review: Karen Witemeyer has become one of my absolute favorite authors of historical romance. Her characters are fun, lively, larger-than-life, yet completely believable. The story line of Short-Straw Bride drew me in from the first page, and made it hard for me to put the book down. I completely enjoyed the way the plot twists and turns and how the romantic element wove through the story. I thought that Witemeyer did a great job creating a cast of characters that drove the novel and left the reader wanting more. I can't wait to read Witemeyer's next book.
My Rating:

My Recommendation: I highly recommend this book to readers of historical romance.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Book Review: To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer

Excerpt: "That one."

"Around the World in Eighty Days?" Eden looked up at him.

He nodded.

Of course he nodded. The man horded words as if he were being charged a dollar for each on he uttered.

She handed the book up to him and returned the others to the shelf. As she reached for the edge of the bookcase to aid her balance in standing, a hand cupped her elbow. A large, warm hand that lifted her to her feet so easily she felt more like a puppet than a person with muscle and sinew of her own.

Her gaze melded with his, and an unexpected stirring meandered through her abdomen. She lowered her lashes at once and hid her discomfiture behind a mumbled thank-you.

As soon as she regained her full height, Mr. Grant removed his hand, and one completely irrational corner of her heart actually regretted the loss. Just because a man was strong didn't mean his commitments were, she reminded herself. Eden had felt secure with Stephen, too, right up until the day he accepted her father's money and left her behind with a wedding dress that would never be worn. To Win Her Heart, pg 49.

Back Cover: Do they have a fighting chance at love?

After completing his sentence for the unintentional crime that derailed his youthful plans for fame and fortune, Levi Grant looks to start over in the town of Spencer, Texas. Spencer needs a blacksmith, a trade Levi learned at his father's knee, and he needs a place where no one knows his past.

Eden Spencer has sworn off men, choosing instead to devote her time to the lending library she runs in the town her father founded. When a mountain-sized stranger walks through her door and asks to borrow a book, she's reluctant to trust him. Yet as the mysteries of the town's new blacksmith unfold, Eden discovers hidden depths in him that tempt her heart.

Eden believes she's finally found a man of honor and integrity. But when the truth about Levi's prodigal past comes to light, can this tarnished hero find a way to win back the librarian's affections?

My Review: I was trilled when I was offered to review Karen Witemeyer's third book, To Win Her Heart. Karen is quickly rising to the top of my favorite authors list. To Win Her Heart is another masterfully told story that keeps the readers flipping pages to find out what is going to happen in this wonderful historical romance. Karen's characters come off the page with their humor, and quirky behavior. The deep message of the story is not lost when as a reader we are reminded that God is a God of second chances.

My Rating:

My Recommendation: I can't recommend this book highly enough!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Book Review: Head in the Clouds by Karen Witemeyer

Excerpt: "Should Mr. Westcott hire you, be prepared for a challenge."

Maybe his daughter was a hellion who terrorized governesses with snakes and lizards in their beds. Well, Adelaide had been raised on a ranch, too. She'd pulled her own share of stunts on the ranch hands and the cook her father paid extra to tend his little girl.

"I think I can handle a few pranks," she stated with confidence.

"It's not pranks you have to worry about. It's communication."

She waited for him to elaborate.

"The child is barely five years of age and has yet to learn her letters."

"I don't see how that will be a problem. I've taught numerous students -" She stopped when he started shaking his head.

"Miss Proctor, the child is mute." Head in the Clouds, pg 31.

Back Cover: When a recovering romantic goes to work for a handsome ranch owner, her heart's not the only think in danger!

Adelaide Proctor longs to find a real-life storybook hero to claim as her own. But when a husband-hunting debacle leaves her humiliated, she interviews for a governess position on a remote Texas sheep ranch and vows to leave her silly romantic yearnings behind.

Gideon Westcott left his privileged life in England to make a name for himself in America's wool industry, never expecting to end up with a child. To his dismay, five-year-old Isabella hasn't uttered a word since she lost her mother. The unconventionality of the new governess concerns Gideon - and intrigues him at the same time. But he can't afford distractions.

When Isabella's uncle comes to claim the girl - and her inheritance - Gideon and Adelaide must work together to protect Isabella from the man's evil schemes. Soon neither can deny their growing attraction. But after so many heartbreaks, will Adelaide be willing to get her head out of the clouds and put her heart on the line?

My Review: This is one of the best books I've read in a long time, and I like to read books. Karen Witemeyer takes us on a delightful trip to historical Texas. Her character overflow with personality. Head in the Clouds offers a refreshing style that is easy to read. The humor and action in this book kept me turning the pages. I didn't want to put it down!

My Rating:

My Recommendation: I highly recommend this wonderful novel to lovers of historical romance.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.