Book Review: The Christmas Heirloom

Title: The Christmas Heirloom: Four Holiday Novellas of Love through the Generations
Written By: Kristi Ann Hunter, Karen Witemeyer, Sarah Loudin Thomas, and Becky Wade
Genre: Christian Romance
Recommended Ages: 13 & up

Introduction:

When I had the opportunity to receive a review copy of this book, I knew I wanted to. Mainly because one of my favorite authors wrote one of these novellas. I wasn’t disappointed by her book. The others… Well, one was rather disappointing and the other two were only fairly good. I loved how the brooch fit in to every story.

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Book Review: More than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer

Title: More than Meets the Eye
Written By: Karen Witemeyer
Genre: Christian Western Romance
Recommended Ages: 16 & up

Introduction:

The cover intrigued me a lot! But that’s not why I read the book. I read it because I like Karen Witemeyer’s books and wanted to find out if this one lived up to my expectations. It did and then some. Lately, I’ve had some problems with her books, but this one restored my faith in her abilities.

Characters: 1/1

Evie, Seth, Zach, and Logan. Wow. I loved each of them for different reasons. Seth because like Evie, I have a sister who had asthma and I have a brother named Seth. My sister’s asthma wasn’t as bad as Seth’s thankfully, but I loved how Karen handled this handicap. Zach was gruff and not terribly communicative, but from the moment he started to change, you could feel for him. Evie, well, she’s kind, cheerful, and loves everyone. What’s not to like there? As for Logan, at first it is hard to like him much, but that’s intentional. As you get to know him, though, he grows on you.

Dialogue: 1/1

Witty, sad, laugh-out-loud funny, tears welling up, thought-provoking. Those words describe the dialogue very well. Not once did I get pulled out of the story because of what they were saying.

Plot/Storyline: 1/1

Unique. I can’t think of a single book that is similar to this one regarding plot. Sure there are a lot of the same basic formulas as with most romances, but even that is slightly different. Very refreshing since what I’ve always found to be true in romances wasn’t as pronounced in this one. (Being slightly vague to avoid spoilers).

Overall Writing Quality: 1/1

Very good! I didn’t find a typo or a hard to understand sentence in the whole book. I loved it!

Un-put-down-ability: 1/1

Well, let’s see here. Despite a slightly busy schedule this week, I finished the book in less than 6 days. So yes, I did put it down, but most of the time it was only because I absolutely had to.

Conclusion: 5/5

If you are looking for a unique romance story, pick up a copy of this book. I think you’ll like it. Or if you just like reading about orphans overcoming their situation, then this book is for you, too. Go get your copy today!

Book Review: Hearts Entwined

Title: Hearts Entwined
Written by: Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Regina Jennings, Melissa Jagears
Genre: Christian Western Romace
Recommended Age: 15 and up

The Love Knot by Karen Witemeyer
This is the best novella in the book. The uniqueness of the plot and the completeness of the story definitely had something to do with it. This novella is the continuation of a series I have read, but even if I hadn’t, I would have been able to understand everything going on in the story. There might have been a few characters I was slightly confused about, but otherwise, no problems.

Book Review: Worth the Wait

Title: Worth the Wait
Written By: Karen Witemeyer
Genre: Christian Western novella
Recommended Ages: 13 & up

Introduction:

This book all takes place in one day in Tori and Ben’s life. And what a day it is. I’ve read both of the novels in this series and must say that I personally prefer the novels over the novellas, but more on that later.

Characters: 1/1

As always, the characters are done well. Each of them has a unique personality and grows in some way during the story. My only complaint is that I think Ben was a little bit too perfect in this book. He may not have all the struggles that Tori does, but I think he should have had at least one flaw. He does get angry in a couple spots, but both times it is justified and he doesn’t overreact.

Dialogue: .75/1

The dialogue was well done, period accurate, and perfect for each situation. There was wit, frustration, arguments, and so much more. Some of the dialogue did seem a little stilted or rushed. I think that’s one problem with many novellas. If the author doesn’t want it to get too long, the dialogue tends to speed up a little more than it should.

Plot/storyline: .5/1

Overall, the plot and storyline are good. However, when I finished the book, I was a bit disappointed. I felt like the plot wrapped up a little too suddenly. I think Tori and I have similar personalities, especially with hiding emotions and if I had been in her situations, I’m not sure I could have been so quick to do what she does at the end (trying to avoid spoilers here). Yes, she had a little bit of time to think about it, but I personally would have wanted to take at least another day to mull things through and work out my own personal demons so to say before taking that next step.

Overall writing quality: .75/1

The writing quality was excellent as usual with Karen’s books. Besides the rushed nature I mention above, I have no other complaints.

Un-put-down-ability: 1/1

This book was nice and short and I got to read it while bottle-feeding and holding a baby all in about two hours. Even if I hadn’t had that wonderful chore, I wouldn’t have been able to put it down.

Conclusion: 4/5

Despite the flaws I pointed out before, I still really liked this book and would recommend it for anyone who wants a quick read.

Book Review: Heart On the Line

Title: Heart on the Line
Written By: Karen Witemeyer
Genre: Christian Western Romance
Recommended Ages: 15 & up

 

Introduction:

“There is nothing new under the sun.” So says Solomon in Ecclesiastes and I believe he is correct. You know all those online dating sites? Well, apparently the Old West had something similar. The telegraph. Telegraph operator was one of the few jobs a female could have back then and in this book, two operators fall in love over the line.

Characters: 1/1

I really enjoyed meeting each of the characters in this book. Some of them I knew from when I read “No Other Will Do,” but many of them were new to me. As always, Mrs. Witemeyer did a great job with developing her characters.

Dialogue: 1/1

The dialogue had me laughing more than once in this book. Of course, there was some serious dialogue as well, but the author certainly knows how to turn a phrase.

Plot/storyline: 1/1

I liked the originality of this story was refreshing. I’ve read many books and it seems so many of them are basically the same, but with different names and slightly different plots. This one was different.

Overall writing quality: 1/1

Not a single typo and great sentence structure. Karen Witemeyer did a great job with this story.

Un-put-down-ability: 1/1

I started this before church on Sunday and really didn’t want to stop, but I did. Then I spent most of the day finishing it. So yeah, I think that qualifies as being hard to put down.

Conclusion: 5/5

If you like unique Christian romances, you’ll like this book. It also has humor, difficult situations, and ***SPOILER WARNING*** there is some torture as the antagonist tries to get information from one of the characters. ***END SPOILER*** I really liked the book and highly recommend it.

No Other Will Do: Review

Introduction:

I have read almost all, if not all, of Karen’s books so far. This one is one of my favorites for a very specific reason. The hero and heroine knew each other longer than one week to a month before developing feelings for each other. I won’t say more for fear of spoiling too much.

Characters:

1/1

Malachi and Emma were some of the more realistic characters I have read about in quite some time. I loved the growth they both went through in the book. My favorite character, though, was Andrew. He was barely in the book, but when he was, he stole the show.

Dialogue:

1/1

Every piece of dialogue was perfect in No Other Will Do. It was historically accurate, witty, serious, and well-paced.

Plot/storyline:

1/1

I found the plot of this book original, creative, and exciting. The plot twist at the end was as unexpected as it was terrifying. There were just the right amount of subplots to make the side characters more interesting and also be good setups for sequels. I’m especially looking forward to a sequel about a certain storekeeper.

Overall writing quality:

1/1

They say there are few things that get better with age, unless it is a fine wine. Well, I beg to differ. Writing quality can also get better with age. Or maybe that’s experience. Either way, this book was very well-written and I’ll likely be reading it again. Probably more than once.

Un-put-down-ability:

1/1

First of all, I wasn’t feeling super well when I read this book, so I didn’t have a lot of motivation to put it down. BUT, even if I had been 100%, I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to put it down for any reason except extreme necessity. This book starts out fast and keeps on that breakneck speed to the very end.

Conclusion

5/5

If you like Westerns, romance, fights to the death, strong women, strong men, action, or stories with people of strong faith, this book is for you. Even if you only like one of the things listed.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

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A Worthy Pursuit: A Review

Introduction:

Three exceptional children, one feisty schoolteacher, a bounty hunter turned “retriever,” an unscrupulous man, and a jealous man make for one interesting book. Kidnappings, acting, gorgeous piano playing, inventions, romance, and all out brawls (from the schoolteacher no less) are all involved in this story. Will Charlotte convince Stone to let her keep Lily? Will they be able to keep Lily safe?

Characters: 1/1

The characters were diverse, amazing, and well developed. I felt like I was right there with them, witnessing everything they saw and seeing them in the flesh.