The Short-Straw Bride

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 THOUGHTS  

Oh my, this is such a fun book! I couldn't imagine how or why four brothers would be so reclusive that they had no contact with the outside world and why they would threaten anyone who stepped on their land, but they do mean business! Karen Witemeyer has created some wonderful characters in this story. The belligerent insistence on privacy, fierce protectiveness and loyalty which Travis and his brothers exhibit are countered by their integrity, sense of honor, and faith. Meredith is strong and spunky yet her tender-hearted nature is evident, both in the emotional scars she tries to hide and in the love she longs to give and receive. Plenty of conflict within and without the ranch's borders add heat to this story. Don't draw straws to see if this book will be included on your summer reading list; put The Short-Straw Bride at the top!