Happy Thursday, Reader Friends!
I’m so excited to share my thoughts with you on Karen Witemeyer’s The Heart’s Charge. It’s book 2 in the Hanger’s Horseman but can be read as a standalone.
Grab a cup of tea (or coffee) and read on! Be sure to share your thoughts if you’ve read this already.
About the Book
Members of Hanger’s Horsemen, Mark Wallace and Jonah Brooks arrive in Llano County, Texas, to deliver a steed, never expecting they’d deliver a baby as well. Left with an infant to care for, they head to a nearby foundling home, where Mark encounters the woman he’d nearly married a decade ago.
After failing at love, Katherine Palmer dedicated her life to caring for children, teaming up with Eliza Southerland to start Harmony House. From mixed ancestry, illegitimate, and female, Eliza understands the pain of not fitting society’s mold. Yet those are the very attributes that lead her to minister to outcast children. The taciturn Jonah intrigues her with his courage and kindness, but there are secrets behind his eyes–ghosts from wars past and others still being waged.
However, when a handful of urchin children from the area go missing, a pair of Horsemen are exactly what the women need. Working together to find the children, will these two couples find love as well?
My Thoughts
I had the pleasure of reading The Heart’s Charge in the draft stages as it was written. I offered my feedback as a sensitivity reader for Ms. Witemeyer, but I quickly became engrossed with the story as a reader.
There are two romance plots in this book and I loved them each. Katherine Palmer is Mark’s old flame and from the moment they reconnect I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to see if or how their differences could be resolved.
And Eliza and Jonah…swoon! Their romance had me smiling between the pages and snickering at some of Eliza’s snark. And I loved the wisdom Jonah shared throughout the book.
Jonah and Eliza definitely became my favorite but Mark and Katherine kept pace pretty evenly.
Did I mention their are children who often steal the show and weave a thread of mystery throughout? Their journey had me gripped and wanting to solve the issue of the missing children.
All in all, I loved everything about this story and it was a pleasure to read and see the final product.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. My review was not required nor influenced.
About the Author
For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Recently voted #1 Readers’ Favorite Christian Romance Author by Family Fiction Magazine, Karen is a two-time winner of the ACFW Carol Award and three-time RITA® finalist. Karen is a firm believer in the power of happy endings. . . and ice cream. She is an avid cross-stitcher, and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children.
Toni Shiloh 