More Than Words Can Say - Karen Witemeyer

My sweet mama gifted this book to me for my birthday and I devoured it over the weekend! I am a big fan of Karen Witemeyer and had this new release on my wish list for months…. This wasn’t just a good read, it was a spectacular read! Like, I’m talking top ten fictional books that I’ve ever read. Here is what the back cover has to say…

“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.

Once 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?”

This is a historical romance and, if I’m being completely honest, that hasn’t always been my favourite category. I find they can often feel dull and slow but that was certainly not the case here! As a fun side note, this book takes place 100 years ago, but in a real town and many of the very real business from that time are mentioned in the book! I thought this added incredible dimension to the story and I even went here to learn more about the town for myself! Plus, the town is in Texas and y’all know how I feel about Texas!

I don’t want to give too much away, but here are a few of my thoughts on the book…

Zacharias Hamilton

I do love a good strong and silent type character, mostly because I happen to be married to one myself. Zach is the kind of man that I like to see portrayed in print… He is strong and caring, protective and respectful.

Abigail Kemp

Abigail was strong yet self conscious, and a whole lot of fun to get to know. The way she cared for her community, respected her husband, and placed her trust in God, we’re just lovely to see played out.

What I Loved

There was SO much to love about this story… the story was well timed, the characters were well developed, the town was an amazing additional character, the secondary characters were a lovely (but not distracting) addition, the romance felt genuine and developed, but most of all, I truly loved the growth that Zach and Abigail went through, both separately and together.

And I’m gonna say it… I liked that this book talked about sex! Haha I’m already nervous about talking about this but here it goes… This had the “marriage of convenience” plot that, I feel, is often used in Christian romance as a way to make reference to sex, and have it still be published. That was not the case in this book and this was one of the best examples of this plot line that I’ve ever read. Yes they talked about it, but it was handled so well! Sex is part of a loving marriage, and I like when an author can have their characters deal with it in a open and honest way.

*To this end, let it be know that nothing is described in overly vivid detail; but rather they have open conversations about how they will approach this aspect of their marriage (of convenience).

““Choosing a husband was much like choosing a good baguette. One looked for a strong outer shell, a tender interior, and most importantly, a tractability of dough to hold whatever shape the baker deemed appropriate.””

— Abigail Kemp

As the reader, I find it fun to be able to see parts of yourself in the characters… a curvy woman being protected by a loving man of few words hit pretty close to home for me. ;) I genuinely loved this book and I suggest you make haste and grab a copy for yourself! This is one I’m happy to keep in my library and will probably return to often.

Until I blog again,

Alex