Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Lisa

One author I turn to when I need a guaranteed good read: Review of A Worthy Pursuit by Karen Witemeyer

A note about book reviews: Generally I post them on Wednesdays only, but I’m adding in a few extra ones here and there in June and July. Maybe you’ll find a fun summer read!

a worthy pursuitSome people have comfort food; I have comfort authors. (Okay, I have comfort food, too.) During a recent multi-day stretch of solo parenting while my husband was away, I read two books by two favorite authors because I needed the comfort of a well-written, entertaining, inspirational romance. One of the authors guaranteed to provide that for me is Karen Witemeyer and her new book A Worthy Pursuit is worth picking up. (Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my review.)

Witemeyer creatively places her heroine and hero in situations that cause conflict and stand in the way of their feelings. In this one, Stone Hammond is a tracker sent to find the woman who kidnapped the granddaughter of his wealthy client. He’s the best in the business and the clues lead him to the Texas homestead of Charlotte Atherton, the girl’s former teacher. Charlotte claims she was acting as the girl’s legal guardian and produces paperwork to prove it, placing Stone in the position of wondering if he’s trusted the wrong person in this circumstance. When danger threatens Charlotte and her charges, Stone vows to protect them. Both of them have to decide if it’s worth the risk to trust.

Though it’s an inspirational romance set in the 1800s Texas frontier, Witemeyer rarely casts her heroines as damsels in distress. They are strong women capable of taking care of themselves and making decisions but who find themselves in situations where they need the help of a good man. Charlotte is fiesty and independent but scared to trust. Stone is as hard as his name sounds when he’s in pursuit of his prey but fiercely determined to protect the innocent and win the heart of this woman.

Danger and romance combine for a story I could hardly step away from. Another solid story from Witemeyer and just what I needed for the mood I was in.

For reviews on other Witemeyer books I’ve read, check out these:

An emotional journey: Review of The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert

Two things I can count on when I read a novel by Katie Ganshert: deeply developed characters and gut-wrenching conflict. The Art of Losing Yourself has the former in half-sisters Carmen and Gracie, who are unexpectedly “reunited” when 17-year-old Gracie runs away from home to find refuge in the only place that brought her joy. And it’s full of the latter. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher through the Blogging for Books program.)losing yourself

One of Ganshert’s strengths in her books is addressing issues that are neither simple nor sweet. (Her previous books have contained themes of grief, widowhood, and brokenness.) In this book, Gracie has an alcoholic mother and has basically raised herself for a lot of years. She’s a troubled teen who doesn’t always make the best decisions. And Carmen, though her life looks outwardly perfect, has suffered infertility and her marriage is breaking because of it. There are deep emotions from both of these women, scenes where I could almost hear the shouting and ones that left me in tears because of the words that weren’t said.

Ganshert writes this book from the first-person point of view of both characters, which was a hard shift for my brain to make sometimes but I still enjoyed the perspective. I loved the dialogue between characters and the turns of phrase Ganshert uses to describe feelings and situations. Gracie’s POV was believable for a teenager, and Carmen’s was accurate for a woman whose outward appearance is a mask for her inward turmoil.

It’s the kind of complex story I’ve come to appreciate from Ganshert. Not a straight-up romance full of fluff but a book about all kinds of relationships: with God, others and self.

If you’ve known the devastation of infertility, you might be able to relate to Carmen’s character, but if the wounds are still fresh, maybe save this one for another time.