My Review of Short-Straw Bride (CFBA Blog Tour)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Short-Straw Bride Bethany House Publishers (June 1, 2012) by Karen Witemeyer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Witemeyer is a deacon's wife and mother of three who believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. To that end, she combines her love of bygone eras with her passion for helping women mature in Christ to craft historical romance novels that lift the spirit and nurture the soul.

After growing up in California, Karen moved to Texas to attend Abilene Christian University where she earned bachelor and master's degrees in Psychology. It was also there that she met and married her own Texas hero. He roped her in good, for she has lived in Texas ever since. In fact, she fell so in love with this rugged land of sweeping sunsets and enduring pioneer spirit, that she incorporates it into the pages of her novels, setting her stories in the small towns of a state that burgeoned into greatness in the mid- to late1800s.

Karen is living her dream by writing Christian historical romance novels for Bethany House.

ABOUT THE BOOK

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

Fourteen years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer confronts 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 send him riding to her rescue once again.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Short-Straw Bride, go HERE.

MY RATING

Summer

MY REVIEW

I saved the reading of this book for my birthday, and what a treat it was! Karen Witemeyer's books are delicious - from the absolutely delightful covers to the meaningful romance stories between them. This particular book, with a few character and plot elements that resemble those of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (a movie a dear friend got me hooked on), is really quite endearing!

This story starts out with a lot of naivete and misunderstandings. Travis, while doing his best to appear tough, is really a sweet man who will do anything to protect the people he loves. And Meredith is a thoughtful young woman who challenges him at every turn - starting at their first meeting as children when she unknowingly challenges him to do what is right no matter what the consequences, and then later on when she finds herself at Travis' ranch again, challenging his authority and his long-held customs. What is Travis to do when a female with a heart as big as Texas is suddenly thrown into his all-male, isolated life?

Witemeyer knows how to write a satisfying and inspiring historical romance story. The ending of Short-Straw Bride is a bit far-fetched, but the story overall is wonderful - from the adorable prologue that introduces a young Travis and Meredith, to their continued interactions throughout the story that offer a look at an admirable and caring heroine, along with a sacrificing and loving hero. Paranoid brothers, a short-straw bride, and some valuable lessons in humility...yep, this book has it all!

*With thanks to Bethany House through CFBA for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.*