Zach is one of my favorite heroes. He developed such a protective and noble character despite the circumstances of his upbringing. Yet he was filled with grief and guilt over his past, things he did to survive and to ensure his adopted sister and brother survived. Mostly for them. He was also a confirmed bachelor, figuring he was no catch – who would want him after what he had done?

Abby was such a complex character. Her larger size and the way her father made it so clear he was disappointed she wasn't a boy combined to make her feel insignificant and yet she was confident in her abilities as a baker and had a great strength of character. I loved her generous heart and even the way she treated Sophia with kindness despite the vitriol aimed Abby's way whenever this former friend was around.

One of the things I appreciated the most about Abby's size is how the author showed how Zach was attracted to her. Not despite her appearance, and not just because of it. His words to reassure her that he wouldn't have married just anyone to help them were some of the sweetest!

I thoroughly enjoy marriage of convenience stories. The situation driving Abby to propose to Zach was one I've not seen used before. And I liked that even though Zach turned her down initially, he fathom the idea of Abby marrying anyone else. That they had a slight relationship prior to the marriage and that they had been attracted to one another was also very sweet.

The title ties into several themes. One being that Zach wasn't much of a communicator, sometimes speaking more eloquently with grunts than words. Another being the need for words to be shared between the two regarding their pasts - each harbored secret shame that they dreaded having to reveal yet knew they needed to. Words and openness were also needed when gossips took an innocent situation and blew it out of proportion, preying on Abby's self-consciousness and insecurities.

An enemy seeking to harm her, secrets from her sister's past, and the awkwardness of being married to an- almost stranger all combined to make an interesting story with sweet spiritual encouragement throughout.

I do feel it necessary to mention that the author doesn't hide the fact that Zach and Abby are physically attracted to one another. This ended up being a subject woven throughout the story as they determined not to consummate their relationship until they knew each other better. This was tastefully handled yet I mention it for the frequency in which it occurs. For this reason, I do not recommend it to younger teen readers.

More Than Words Can Say is a delightful story that lovers of historical Christian romance with a touch of intrigue will enjoy.

The city council has told Abby that women can not own a business, only men. Wow! She refuses to take their suggestions and takes matters in her own hands by arranging a marriage to her terms. Her first choice for the behind the scenes and not in control is a fellow who is a favorite visitor to her bakery. Quiet, strong and a hard worker. A marriage of convenience? Well, I think they both got a surprise. I loved how this played out!

The second book in the Patchwork Family series, I’m so glad author Karen Witemeyer gave us Zach’s story! Quiet and seemingly grumpy, Zach is a great protector and has a heart of gold. Someone just needs to go mining for it. And Abigail will do what it takes to see her dreams come true while supporting her family. Great characters that you will love!

Through the story we read about hurtful pasts causing challenges in the present, but we are reminded that God has a path for each of us to walk, and that path includes forgiveness and redemption. We also see God putting families together in unique ways, because He is all about family; whatever that looks like to you.

A rough hero, a heroine with a less than perfect body shape, and a wonderful small town full of real people make for a great, unconventional read. I highly recommend this book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

More Than Words Can Say, by Karen Witemeyer, is the second book in her Patchwork Family series but can easily be read as a stand-alone story. This book is engaging right from the beginning where readers find the heroine, Abigail, in a heap of trouble in small-town Texas during the late 1890s. She’s about to lose her bakery unless she can get a man to sign the deed. But it has to be a man she can control and will a bribe of a lifetime supply of sticky buns and a place to live be enough? Marriage-of-convenience stories like this are one of my favorites and More Than Words Can Say does not disappoint. The characters are vibrant and likable—or not—, each of their poignant histories is filled with regrets and the author expertly reveals them layer by layer, keeping interest high. The characters have depth and reality and their emotions, strengths, and foibles resonate well with readers. And what a lovely romance…reluctant at first but oh, that first kiss! The story moves quickly and I felt like I was right there in the story as the author has a delightful way with words—an easy flow of dialog, descriptive details and just the right amount of humor. I hope there is another book or two in the series. This is one book readers who love charming historical romance stories will not want to miss.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via CelebrateLit. A favorable review was not required and opinions are my own. This review is part of a CelebrateLit blog tour.

I requested Karen Witemeyer’s latest book, More Than Words Can Say. I do not typically read Amish fiction; however, this tale provided an interesting tale!

This is a fun, and yes, slightly humorous historical romance. It involves a marriage of convenience. (I find these always to be intriguing, because whoever does this in real life??!!)

Abby is a fun heroine. She feels forced into marriage in order to save her bakery--the one that's been in her family and belongs to her! So, she proposes to Zach. Although he's unsure about it at first, it's interesting to see how quickly this all changes.

A few twists and turns, as the characters get to know each other better. I especially liked the details about Abby's "Taste of Heaven" bakery, and would have enjoyed sampling her wares.

Their town sounded quite typical of small towns in those days...close-knit, and yet some strife when people don't always get along.

Abby had to face some hard things from her past in order to move forward into her future.

All in all, a great read.

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

I’m loving this series. The main thing I love is that Karen doesn’t have perfect looking heroines. In the first book Evie had mismatched eyes, which isn’t a big deal now days but apparently back “then” it was a big deal.

In this book Abby is a big more round then your typical character, again this is true to life and how many women are built and feel self-conscious about.

I knew this romance would be hot and it was. Our two characters are thrown together but the romance builds slowly.

There is also a mystery hanging in the air that we know nothing about for a quite awhile, well, you know it exists but we have no idea what it is.

Karen Witemeyer fans will not be disappoint in this latest book and other readers will love discovering a new author.


A copy of this book was given to me through the Celebrate Lit Team. All opinions are my own.

Let me preface this by saying I absolutely LOVE the cover. It is so cute! I also love the attraction between Abigail and Zach and his matchmaking friends. I also love Ms. Witemeyer's voice. I're read some of her novellas before but this is the first full-length novel I've read by her.

MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY is a cute retelling of the tried and true marriage of convenience plot line in romances. Instant sexual tension. And, of course, both parties bit off more than they bargained for. Abigail is strong-willed and wants what she wants and Zach isn't the silent pushover she'd hoped for. No way. He is very much a man's man.

Add a light mystery, stir well, and you end up with a delicious historical romance with fun flavored additions. You won't want to miss MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY. Grab a copy while it's hot.

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

There are times when a marriage of convenience goes in all the wrong directions, and there are times when it’s done with a linear path and a single goal. Abby is a woman with one goal: Save her bakery. But that goal has conditions. She refuses to sell, and won’t allow anyone to become a partner because then they’d be able to control the bakery. Her solution comes in the form of tall, dark, and handsome, Zacharias Hamilton.

In small-town Honey Grove, Zach is one of only a few eligible bachelors, and he’s by far the best choice.

Que romance music every time Zach walks into a scene. He’s the answer to all Abby’s problems, some problems she didn’t even know she had. And best of all, Abby is the answer to breaking through Zach’s determination to set himself apart from love.

Abby and Zach have a painful past they don’t reveal to each other until after the wedding vows. Although, I think they could have been friends even without the ‘I do’ if Abby’s circumstances hadn’t been needing such a quick fix.

For me, there’s a bit of a conundrum with the arranged marriage. Abby is a devout Christian. Zach is not. Oh, he goes to church, but he’ll admit he’s on shaky ground with God. Shaky as in, he has no foundation to stand on. So, I know Abby needs to save the bakery, but I never read where she prayed about what to do. Then there’s the whole ‘unevenly yoked’ thing where believers are not supposed to marry unbelievers. I’m not going there, I don’t have the right since I broke that one myself…just saying it’s there.

But, this is fiction, and I can’t give spoilers. So, you’re just gonna have to read it for yourself and see if everything works out.

Back to Zach and Abby. It felt like a wonderful relationship between them, despite the short notice. Abby is relatable on so many levels. She thinks she’s fat and interjects her lack of self-worth at least a dozen times into conversations with Zach. Zach is having none of it and always tells her how beautiful and wonderful she is. Talk about multiple awwww moments.

Overall, I thought More Than Words Can Say was a wonderful Historical Christian Fiction. And I should definitely go read book one.

I requested a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I always love Karen Witemeyer books and this one is one of my favorite. I could not put this book down. I loved the characters of Abby, Zach and Rosalind. They had an interesting start to the beginning of their family. Both Abigail and Zach needed to let some past transgressions go so they could start their own lives. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

"More Than Words Can Say" by Karen Witemeyer
I loved this story. I also requested the opportunity to receive an ARC of this story, and yes, it was granted by the publisher via NetGalley. This is a wonderful historic romance story set in America in the late 1800's. What I loved? It was a clean romance that made me chuckle and made me cry, and made me ever so glad to spend my time with these characters in the town of Honey Grove, Texas. Love and Faith can change your world. And when you read this story, be sure to read the author's notes at the end. Happy Reading !!

Wowsa! This book totally knocked it out of the park for me!

It’s been a little while since I’ve read a 1800’s Western Historical, but with this book, Karen Witemeyer helped me remember why I fell in love with the genre in the first place.

I like to talk about my favorite characters in my book reviews, and y’all. The characters in this book were awesome!!

Abigail—Ohmygoodness, can I just say how amazing it is that Abby is a plus-sized heroine? She was also so very relatable—she struggled with so many things that so many of us do as well—guilt, feeling less-than, self-recrimination, doubt, etc... But she was an amazing character that fought back, and chose hope. Chose love and trust instead of letting fear and guilt bind her.

Also, Zacharias (I 😍 his name!). He was so sweet!! He was quiet and kind of lonely—but very content to stay that way, until Abby burst onto the scene and turned his world upside down! 😉 His fierce protection of his family was so touching, and the way he championed Abby and her sister was awesome!!

I think one of my favorite aspects of this book, was when the main characters were having struggles with misunderstandings, etc... they refused to just back down and turn silently away from the issues they were having—especially Zach! As quiet as he was, I am so impressed with the fact that he stood up to and for Abby time and again, and proved his love, steadfastly and honorably.

Another amazing aspect of this book was the rich themes of hope and forgiveness found in God alone—only he can take two lives broken and shaped by so much shame and tragedy, mold them together, and create something so beautiful!


Witty, sincere, relatable, hilarious, and touching—this book was fantastic, and you totally need to give it a try! 😉 And I am so excited to find out what comes next in this “Patchwork Family” series! Amazing job, Ms. Witemeyer!

I received a copy of this book for FREE, and a positive review was not required.

Note: This book might be better for a slightly more mature audience, as it about a marriage of convenience, and some topics may be a tad TMI. 😉

I am always ready to read any book by Karen Witemeyer because I find them to be the perfect blend of historical romance, humor, and faith, not necessarily in that order. After reading More Than Meets the Eye, it was a must to read Zach’s story to find out how his life turned out. More Than Words Can Say definitely lived up to its promise.

I can truthfully state that Zach certainly met his match in Abigail. She threw his carefully made plans out the door with her sensible proposal to save her bakery. His overactive sense of protection wouldn’t allow him to let her sacrifice herself to another man who might take advantage of the situation.

It was fun catching up with Zach and meeting Abigail for the first time. Friends and family from the previous novel made an appearance or two that added to my enjoyment. Zach and Abigail’s interactions had a bit more sizzle to them than usual yet the story pretty much remained squeaky clean. Hard feelings from a former friend and escalating threats against the bakery brought added drama and danger to the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed More Than Words Can Say and loved how both Zach and Abigail learned to place their trust in God. It was so encouraging to see how the community came together to help those in need and also the powerful effect the act of forgiveness can have on a person’s life.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.

More Than Words Can Say is the first book I have read by author, Karen Witemeyer, but it definitely won't be the last. I really enjoyed this story and read it quite quickly, totally caught up in Abby's and Zach's story. What started as a marriage of convenience for Abby was always more to Zach. Watching them dance around their feelings for one another and not wanting to upset or scare off the other, allowed them to get to know what a truly wonderful person their spouse was and I loved watching them fall in love.

This is a story of love, taking care of your family both financially and emotionally, faith, trusting God and forgiveness. Being unable to forgive themselves and others caused characters in the story to hurt themselves by making the wrong decisions as well as hurting others. I did not like Sophia very much in this story due to her despicable actions towards Abby. Unable to forgive Abby for an accident many years before had her doing whatever she could to make Abby's life miserable, eventually causing her husband to make some serious decisions. Rosie, Abby's sister, also had to learn from a major mistake in her life. The support of both Abby and Zach helps her to move on. There are so many characters in the book to love from Zach's partner and his family to the widows who Abby sends her leftovers to at the end of the day, the town is full of wonderful characters. Abby's love of her Lord is evident, and when she finally gives it up to God, she is at peace that whatever he has in mind for her, it will be what she needs. A great story, with great characters, and a wonderful message. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

4.5 stars

Author Karen Withemeyer writes historical romance because she believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. She wraps her stories with humor, but the underlying spiritual themes have her stories rise above many that saturate the market. Witemeyer's love for her home state of Texas is apparent in her flawless research and vivid descriptions of life in Honey Grove, Texas.

"When had a practical solution for saving her bakery turned into an emotional campaign for a love match?"

Abigail Kemp needs a man's name on her bakery deed to retain ownership of her family business. The search for a solution brings Abigail Kemp and Zach Hamilton into an unconventional alliance. This story is filled with humor and the chemistry between the two practically sizzles as each realize they may want more than just a business arrangement. But each hides secrets and guilt from the past that keeps each from experiencing peace and the ability to look ahead. Their personal struggles touched my heart.
One of my favorite quotes:" Satan is the one who wants to increase our burden, to weigh us down with shame and despair, to steal our joy and the strength of the Lord that goes with it. Believing his lies instead of God's truth makes us weak."

I found this story to be delightful. While the happily-ever-after is not a surprise, the journey as Abigail and Zach find the courage to open the hearts to each other will bring a happy sigh to readers. I look forward to reading more stories of this charming Patchwork Family in the future.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

"More Than Words Can Say" is the second book in Karen Witemeyer's A Family Patchwork series and it is so good! Seriously, I read the first book and loved it, but I love this one even more! I really liked all 3 of the Hamilton siblings, but Zach really tugged at my heart, especially at the end of the book in "More Than Meets the Eye," and now after reading this book and it being his story he is definitely my favorite of the siblings! Zach feels free to live his life now that his two siblings are married; he is not responsible to take care of and provide for them anymore. Now, Zach is working at a sawmill as he never wants to farm again and he is in a set routine as a bachelor. However, a part of his routine is breakfast at the local bakery every morning, two sticky buns and a coffee, delivered to him by Abby whom runs the bakery. Abby understands him, she delivers his breakfast to his table with little to no words; they have an understanding. When Abby has a proposition for him, his immediate response is no; however the more time that passes and the more involvement there is, he knows he cannot say no.
Zach grows so much as a character and yet the strength, and kindness as well as such a huge heart has been there all along. Abby is a wonderful main character as well and she just became so real in the pages of the book as does her sister Rosalind (whom I hope book #3 focuses on!). This book has it all - mystery, romance, healing, forgiveness and hope. I love how the characters come to life and they are so easy to like and relate to. I cannot say enough about this book, it is just so good!

There's just something about a marriage-of-convenience story--not just falling in love, but knowing that one has made a choice to love, even if the emotions aren't there yet. It's deliberate. It's a lot like a real life marriage, even when a couple is already in love--there has to be a deliberate choice to love, every single day. More than Words Can Say is an excellent example of that, even if it starts out as more of a business proposal than a proposal of true marriage.

Abigail is great--not some typical, waifish heroine, but a woman of physical substance. A woman of business, talent, and a delightful sense of humor, the perfect complement to Zach, who, incidentally, appreciates each and every aspect of his wife, even before their marriage. I also loved Abigail's sister--particularly both Abigail and Zach's relationship with her. Hopefully she'll get her own book!

It's a cute story, laced with humor and themes of forgiveness and faith.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Zacharias Hamilton might be the single most impressively kind, gruff, generous, selfless, handsome teddy bear and hero in Christian fiction! I absolutely loved his character. His past is flawed, sure, with previous choices outside of God’s plan, but with the help of the spunky and wonderful Abigail, he comes to realize that God’s way is truly the best way. I enjoyed relating to the characters, which was easy to do in this story. The baking puns, quirky characters, and seamless writing style make the book well rounded and complete. I did not want to put the book down! And the romance was sweet and spicy, with a realistic progression of their feelings. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more by this author!

I confess, I haven’t been keeping up with Karen Witemeyer’s books like I had been. Not because I wasn’t enjoying them, just that life got busy and my reading time reduced drastically. I’m definitely a sucker for marriage of convenience tales, though, and when I saw the cover for this one, I knew I had to read it! Especially after reading the first book, “More Than Meet the Eye” and getting just a small glimpse into Zacharias Hamilton and his quiet, stoic ways. Like its predecessor, this book was a quick, thought-provoking, entertaining read that I would happily pick up again!
What makes or breaks any story for me is the characters and I definitely enjoyed getting to know these new additions! Mrs. Witemeyer has a knack for creating intriguing characters that wrap around your heart and draw you into their story. I was super excited that this book would be Zacharias’ story and was curious to see where it would go. I was immediately drawn in from the very first page and didn’t want to put it down! (unfortunately, real life tends to intrude) He’s a character not particularly known for effusive ways and is running from a past he can’t erase. I always so appreciate the spiritual truths this author shares and the encouragement found within her books. This one focuses on trusting God and finding His forgiveness is always there, waiting for us to accept it. I found Abby to be an excellent counterpart for him, with her no-nonsense ways and independent streak. I loved that he saw her beauty, when she wasn’t so sure. And the kisses! There’s definitely quite a bit of sparks and flirting, which I adored! I also loved getting to know Rosalind and am really hoping the next book is hers! My only mild negative is that I found part of the story to be a bit anti-climatic. And felt something of it was left unfinished. Though if the next book follows the character I’m hoping it will, then I’m assuming that will be cleared up in it.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book and would have raced through it in one sitting, given the chance!

*My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this book! I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise, and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am so glad that Zacharias Hamilton got his own story! And Abigail was the best match for him. They have a business arrangement to save her bakery. A marriage of convenience. Zach has found 2 more people to protect. This a very sweet story in more than just the bakery sense! You’ll find yourself wanting a sweet roll and staying up late to finish this one! There are some great secondary characters that I hope to see in future books as well. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All views stated are my own.