Review: Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Bethany House / 2013

Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

About the book:

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?

With her signature blend of humor, history, and lively western romance, two-time RITA Award finalist and bestselling author Karen Witemeyer delivers a Texas love story sure to steal your heart.

My rating:

My thoughts:

After reading my first Karen Witemeyer book (Short-Straw Bride) last year, I could hardly wait to read this next Archer book. Stealing the Preacher was such a wonderful read that I had a hard time putting down.

I absolutely loved the characters in Stealing the Preacher! I was already familiar with the Archer brothers (Travis, Jim, Crockett, and Neill) and knew I liked them from Short-Straw Bride, but I was a little surprised by how much I loved Crockett in this book - he definitely was my favorite character. In addition to the brothers, I also really liked Joanna, Silas, and Jackson.

The story was very good and I liked the action/danger in Stealing the Preacher - it made me want to just keep flipping the pages. :) The romance was sweet and brought a smile to my face. I loved the ending, but some things seemed a little too perfectly wrapped-up - that is one of the only negatives I had with Stealing the Preacher.

While I loved Short-Straw Bride, I enjoyed Stealing the Preacher even more and it's now on my "Favorites" shelf. The book had me grinning, smiling, and laughing. I kind of wish Crockett's brothers would have been in this book a bit more, but I'm really happy with the updates/appearances that were included.

Overall, Stealing the Preacher was such a good read and I completely recommend it to fans of historical romance novels. I am eagerly awaiting Karen Witemeyer's next book! :)

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review as a part of the author's influencer team. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

Was my review helpful? If so, please click "yes" on Amazon. Thanks!!

~Excerpt from Stealing the Preacher~

Stealing the Preacher by Bethany House Publishers