Karen Witemeyer's More Than Words Can Say

...what the publisher says... 

After fulfilling a pledge to a dying friend, Zacharias Hamilton is finally free. No family entanglements. No disappointing those around him. Just the quiet bachelor existence he's always craved. Until fate snatches his freedom away when the baker of his favorite breakfast bun is railroaded by the city council. Despite not wanting to get involved, he can't turn a blind eye to her predicament . . . or her adorable dimples.

Abigail Kemp needs a man's name on her bakery's deed. A marriage of convenience seems the best solution . . . if it involves a man she can control. That person definitely isn't the stoic lumberman who oozes silent confidence whenever he enters her shop. Control Zacharias Hamilton? She can't even control her pulse when she's around him.
When vows are spoken, Abigail's troubles should be over. Yet threats to the bakery worsen, and darker dangers hound her sister. Can she put ever more trust in Zach without losing her dreams of independence? 

...my thoughts... 

 More Than Words Can Say, Karen Witemeyer's book #2 in A Patchwork Family Novel series is entertaining, heartwarming and full of surprises.  Zach and Abigail are bound to capture your  heart.  All the foibles they manage to get through make them as believable as your neighbor.  There is a depth of character, though, that the reader goes through as the story reveals more of what they have both experienced while growing up.

I found this book is as serious as it is amusing.  It shows that life can throw curve balls, but it is how you handle them that either gives you mettle or makes you bitter and withdrawn.  When Abigail is faced with trial after trial at the expense of an unforgiving former friend, she relentlessly moves forward as she prays for God's guidance.  When she is finally faced with the possibility of losing her business through a long forgotten law, she garners all resources and meets the challenge head on.  Only her head is very in touch with her heart, and as the story goes along, her heart warms to the idea that she does not have to take charge of everything on her own.  Her resilience, faith and growing love for Zach make this book one that you will want to have in your "To Read" pile.

Many thanks to Bethany House for providing me with an advanced copy of More than Words Can Say, although I was under no obligation to write a favorable review.  To learn more about  award winning author Karen Witemeyer, check out her website!  If you are like me and enjoy reading a series from the beginning, here is a link to my review of Karen's first book in the series: More Than Meets the Eye.

A Chance At Forever Melissa Jagears Latest Teaville Success

....Publisher's Notes.....

"Determined to protect the children of Teaville, Kansas, from the bullying she experienced as a child, Mercy McClain finds fulfillment working at the local orphanage and serving on the school board. When Aaron Firebrook, the worst of her childhood bullies, petitions the board for a teaching position, she's dead set against his getting the job.

Aaron knows he deserves every bit of Mercy's mistrust, but he's returned to his hometown a changed man and is seeking the forgiveness of those he wronged. He doesn't expect Mercy to like him, but surely he can prove he now has the children's best interests at heart.

Will resentment and old wounds hold them back, or can Mercy and Aaron overcome the past in time to battle the threats against the future of the town's orphans?"

...My Thoughts....

I really looked forward to reading A Chance at Forever because for several years I have been a fan of Melissa Jagears writing.  So it was no surprise as I eagerly opened the book but she had me hooked right on the first page, at "...the thick scent of lemon cleaner overpowered the powdery smell of the chalk dust they disturbed as they walked through sunbeams."  I was immersed immediately into the story.

A Chance At Forever is such a powerful story of one man's quest to be truly forgiven for the hurt he inflicted on others as the class bully at school.  A reputation that made others cringe when they came to realize that Aaron Firebrook was actually George Firebrook.  Such treatment of others is sinful but who ever thinks that their bully would come back later not to taunt them but to ask forgiveness.  That is just what Aaron Firebrook set out to do and what Melissa Jagears masterfully writes about in this book.  Time after time the pain he caused in his youth reflects back to remind  him of just how much he hurt others.  His hopes of becoming a teacher to help right his wrongs may not come to fruition if the lone woman school board member has any influence on the matter.

It is much more than just a story of forgiveness though; it is a love story of the  highest order.  Where loving the unlovable seems far fetched.  A romance between a skeptic who never allowed herself to even dream of love because by accident of her birth she was given just one hand.  A beautiful woman in all regards with no shortage of love for the children in her care at the orphanage.  Mercy McClain would always remember George, however and now that he was back in Teaville seeking a job as a teacher, she wasn't able to escape when her employer hired him as gardener for the orphanage while he waited for answers on the teaching position.  A job she wanted the school board to give to anyone but him.

I was impressed by the whole story not just to see how Mercy and Aaron learn to work together under their trying circumstances, but also the children at the orphanage. Most especially Jimmy, whose bad behavior leaves one to doubt if he could ever be adopted, and timid little Owen, who hardly leaves Mercy's side.

There is a whole community tied together through this orphanage, founded by Nicholas and Lydia Lowe. Some of these characters, such as the Lowes continue throughout the series, although each book can stand alone.  The characters will touch your heart and the story is one that shows forgiveness can truly happen if we open our hearts to see and listen to each other.  I heartily recommend A Chance At Forever by Melissa Jagears.