To Win Her Heart | Karen Witemeyer | Book Review & Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed.

The winner will be announced Monday, 8/29/2011. 

Thanks a bunch!!

{ Buy @ BethanyHouse }



To Win Her Heart

by

Karen Witemeyer

BethanyHouse

347 pages

I am very excited to share with you not only my review of this exciting new book, but announce that the beautiful and talented author ~ Karen Witemeyer ~ has agreed to a series of interviews and to give away a copy of To Win Her Heart to one lucky reader of Little Bit Of Wonderful! Make sure you read all the way to the bottom for details...


{ ABOUT THE BOOK }

After completing his sentence for the unintentional crime that derailed his youthful plans for fame and fortune, Levi Grant looks to start over in the town of Spencer, Texas. Spencer needs a blacksmith, a trade Levi learned at his father's knee, and he needs a place where no one knows his past.

Eden Spencer has sworn off men, choosing instead to devote her time to the lending library she runs in the town her father founded. When a mountain-sized stranger walks through her door and asks to borrow a book, she's reluctant to trust him. Yet as the mysteries of the town's new blacksmith unfold, Eden discovers hidden depths in him that tempt her heart.

Eden believes she's finally found a man of honor and integrity. But when the truth about Levi's past comes to light, can this tarnished hero find a way to win back the librarian's affection?

~ From the back cover of To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer.

{ ABOUT THE AUTHOR }

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

Karen holds a master's degree in Psychology from Abilene Christian University and is a member of ACFW, RWA, and her local writer's guild. She is the author of A Tailor-Made Bride, which was honored as one of the Best Western Romances of 2010 by the Love Western Romances Web site. To Win Her Heart is her third novel. Karen lives in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children.

To learn more about Karen, visit her "About" page at this weblink ~  http://www.karenwitemeyer.com/

To sign up for her newsletter or send her a note (and get a chance to win books every month), visit this weblink ~ http://www.karenwitemeyer.com/get_connected.html

Do you love to write fiction as much as you love to read it? Enter her fan fiction contest here ~ http://www.karenwitemeyer.com/contest.php

"Like" Karen on Facebook ~ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000147715017#!/profile.php?id=100000147715017&sk=wall

  

{ BUY THIS BOOK }

You can find To Win Her Heart several places online, and here are my top three picks...

1. BethanyHouse ~ To Win Her Heart ~ $14.99 ~ BUY NOW
2. Amazon.com ~ To Win Her Heart ~ $9.87 ~ BUY NOW
3. Christian Book Distributors ~ To Win Her Heart ~ $8.99 ~ BUY NOW

{ MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK }

It has been a long time since I have read a Christian romantic novel that didn't make me wince, just a little, for one reason or another. I am happy to report that To Win Her Heart broke that uncomfortable pattern completely!! Karen Witemeyer is a master of her craft, and I am absolutely dying to see what she writes next!

To Win Her Heart is the story of a man named Levi Grant who takes up the post of blacksmith in Spencer, Texas, after his release from prison for involuntary manslaughter.

An impetuous youth eager to prove his masculinity in the face of an unfortunate lispe, Levi "the Anvil" Grant was a prize fighter for several years until an ill-fated round with a lesser fighter resulted in the other man's death, and Levi's incarceration. During his time in prison, Levi came face to face with Christ Jesus, repenting of his life of violence and self-service, and vowing to never again raise his hands in violence against another human being.

Upon his release from prison, the chaplain directs Levi to Spencer and the local pastor and his wife, with the chance to start over and live as a law abiding citizen. Levi eagerly takes over the long empty smithy, and just as eagerly visits the local reading room, a small library belonging to the town's founder. What Levi wasn't counting on was falling for the librarian, Eden Spencer, daughter to the founder. While fearful that revelation of his criminal past may destroy his chances at a clean start, both for himself and with the beautiful librarian, Levi takes to heart scripture's promises of "no condemnation" and that God "will remember their iniquities no more", and carefully begins to court Eden, despite her evident disinterest.

Eden Spencer moved to her father's holdings in Spencer, Texas, five years ago, in an attempt to distance herself from an engagement gone awry. Believing herself destined to be a spinster, she embraces her love of children by holding weekly reading sessions in her father's reading room, and making her prodigeous personal library available to the citizens of the small town. When the tall, handsome blacksmith first walks into her library, asking for a copy of Jules Verne's Journey To The Center Of The Earth, she is startled and assumes that he is just pretending an interest in literature to ingratiate himself to her, and she dismisses him as uneducated. But as the weeks pass, and he faithfully spends his lunch break from the forge in the corner of her little library, devouring book after book, she begins to see him in a new light - one she finds uncomfortable after years of assumed disinterest in men and love.

To Win Her Heart is a delightful blend of innocent romance and historical detail, woven together with a powerful story of redemption from poor choices, and the ages old truth of forgiveness. Karen Witemeyer has created characters with depth and personality, and most importantly with a believability in thier actions that completely floored me! Where previous books in this genre left me rolling my eyes in annoyance at female characters who seek to "save" their sin-hardened love interests, Eden scorns the advances of the irrascible, saloon-frequenting sheriff. Where previous heroines, discovering the dubious past of the male lead, leapt into their arms with instant forgiveness, Eden reacts with all-too-human fear and distrust, and it takes another person reminding her of God's life changing power to help her look past Levi's violent past to the changed man he had become because of Christ. And where the heroes of other books in this genre may have constantly struggled to overcome their violent tendencies, Levi takes his faith to the ultimate test and wins!! A better testiment to the changing power of the Gospel, I have never read.

I highly recommend To Win Her Heart to anyone who loves stories of the Old West, romances, and stories of forgiveness and redemption. Levi and Eden will win your heart, and leave you wanting more...

{ READ AN EXCERPT FROM THIS BOOK }

Like what you've heard so far? Read part of the first chapter of To Win Her Heart here...

http://www.karenwitemeyer.com/excerpt_heart.html

{ LEGAL STUFF }

I received a copy of To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer from BethanyHouse at no cost in exchange for an honest review. My good opinion is entirely my own and was not a requirement.

{ WIN THIS BOOK }


Like what you see so far? Enter my giveaway to win your very own copy of To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer!!

Mandatory Entry #1

• Become a Follower of Little Bit Of Wonderful by clicking the "Join This Site" button in the right-hand sidebar. Leave a comment on this post with your GFC username so I can confirm your entry.

Mandatory Entry #2

• Become a fan of Karen Witemeyer on Facebook by clicking this link and hitting the "Like" button: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000147715017 Leave a comment on this post with your Facebook name so I can confirm your entry.

Optional Entry #1

• Become a fan of Little Bit Of Wonderful on Facebook by clicking this link and hitting the "Like" button: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Bit-Of-Wonderful/161058360601119 Leave a comment on this post with your Facebook name so I can confirm your entry.

Optional Entry #2

• Subscribe to Little Bit Of Wonderful by email by entering and submitting your email address in the appropriate place on the right-hand sidebar. Leave me a comment on this post with your email address for confirmation. 

Optional Entry #3

• Leave a comment on this post answering the following question: "Why do you want to read this book? Name one thing about the plot that interests you."

Optional Entry #4

• Blog about this giveaway on your own blog! Be sure to link directly to this post, and to leave a comment on this post with a link to your blog post so that I can verify your entry.

You have up to six opportunities to win your very own copy of this delightful book! Be aware that to be considered to win, you MUST complete both mandatory entries. Please leave a separate comment on this post for each entry you complete! Your email address must be included in your first entry comment, or I will not be able to contact you if you win the drawing. This giveaway ends Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 at 11:59pm CST. I will announce the winner on Thursday morning, the 25th of August.

Good luck, and God bless!