Karen Witemeyer has this uncanny ability to craft a heartwarming romance with relevant spiritual threads that work their way into your heart and lodge there. Her latest novel, At Love’s Command, is just another example. I could go on and on gushing about her novels, but I’ll save that for another time.

This novel reminds me a bit of her Archer brother series, but instead of four brothers, this series focuses on four former calvarymen who form a group known as Hanger’s Horsemen. Although not brothers by birth, their bond is just as strong, and they protect their own.

Their banter made the novel, as well as the genuine respect between them. Each of the men have defining quirks that made them feel like friends. And Josephine’s response to their banter brought her into the group so seamlessly, you understand their willingness to help her.

Josephine is a strong woman, which I appreciate, but I also appreciate that she knows when to capitulate and when to stand her ground, especially when it comes to Matt. Witemeyer did a great job of fleshing out their personalities and building their relationship. It’s easy to understand their bond and the professional respect they extend one another. And to be honest, as Josephine fell in love with Matt, I did, too. I always have appreciated the strong, stoic type.

But this book provides so much more than a relationship to root for (although that’s fun, too.) There’s the friendship of four men who’ve been to battle together and survived. There’s the spiritual aspect about God guiding our steps. And there’s the characters’ growing understanding of the need to surrender it all to Him. Not just when things are going wrong but when they’re going right, too. All of this combines with a plot that will have you on the edge of your seat as you root for the hero and heroine as well as their band of friends.

Overall, At Love’s Command is an exceptionally written novel with action, adventure, romance, and spiritual threads to warm your heart, entertain your mind, and refresh your soul.

(Review will go on the blog May 15 at 5:00 PM)

At Love’s Command by Karen Witemeyer
I just finished reading this book. It was interesting to read about a female doctor at a time in history when they weren’t well accepted. The book is well written, a clean historical romance, faith based, with suspense built in, I finished it in one day. I found myself invested in the characters and wanted to see what happened to them in the end, so I stayed up last night reading it. I would recommend the book to those who like this type of genre.

I received this book as an advance reader’s copy, the opinions and thoughts on this book are my own freely given. I received this book in a kindle format from Netgalley.com. I would give the book 5 stars. #AtLovesCommand. #NetGalley.

Description
Haunted by the horrors of war, ex-cavalry officer Matthew Hanger leads a band of mercenaries known as Hanger's Horsemen who have become legends in 1890s Texas. They defend the innocent and obtain justice for the oppressed. But when a rustler's bullet leaves one of them at death's door, they're the ones in need of saving.

Dr. Josephine Burkett is used to men taking one look at her skirts and discounting her medical skills. What she's not used to is having a man change his mind in a heartbeat and offer to assist her in surgery. Matthew Hanger's dedication to his friend during recovery earns Josephine's respect, and when she hears of her brother's abduction, he becomes her only hope for rescue.

Matt has stared down ruthless outlaws, betrayal, and injury, but when a bossy lady doctor crawls under his skin, his heart is tempted to surrender. And when she is caught in the crossfire, he may have to sacrifice everything--even his team--to save her.

This is the BEST christian romance novel that I have read in a long time! Matthew Hanger is an ex-Calvary officer. He and the other three men in his band of mercenaries have made a pact after witnessing the devastation at Wounded Knee. They will protect the innocent. They are helping disband a group of rustler's when one of their members is shot. Hanger is told to take his partner to Doc Joe, in a nearby town. Much to his chagrin, the doctor is a woman. Dr. Josephine Burkett, also fights battles. The battle of being a woman doctor, in a small town, in the west. The battle every doctor faces when fighting to save a patient. These two warriors now must fight to save Josephine's brother. Just when they know they can fight for each other, all seems lost. Loved this novel and highly recommend! I can't wait to see what adventures occur in the rest of the series! #atlovescommand #netgalley

I absolutely loved this story set in 1890s Texas. It touched my heart and brought me to tears several times as if they were real people. The Christian theme woven throughout, like a rope binding comfort to my soul, was perfect for the days we are living in.

"Got a verse for me, Preach?" was a favorite phrase of mine throughout the story.

Faith Quote: "Romans 8:31. 'If God be for us, who can be against us?"'

Tea Quote: "I'd hoped to sweet talk my way into the room with tea and cookies." -Josephine

I received a complimentary eBook through Netgalley and the Publisher for an honest review. All opinions are my own without further compensation or expectation.

Karen Witemeyer is such a sweet and genuine person. You can connect with her online as I have and be blessed by her tender heart.

5 STARS

SERIES: Hanger's Horsemen
1) At Love's Command - Possibly May or June 2020 (dependent upon COVID-19 delays)

I enjoyed At Love’s Command so much! Karen Witemeyer has woven a daring story of heroic ex-Cavalrymen, a lady doctor and a band of heartless outlaws in the Wild West territory of Texas..
When Matthew Hanger sought a physician to treat one of his men, he had no idea “Doctor Jo” would be a beautiful bold woman who was exactly what the doctor ordered for his heart.
Josephine Burkett had worked so hard to establish herself as a lady doctor in the town of Purgatory Springs and she’s finally basking in the glow of the towns acceptance. But when a band of burly outlaws bring trouble her way, she must learn that some situations are outside of her control and commit herself to the Almighty’s safekeeping. The man she loves must risk everything to save her.
I love that both of the main characters have strong faith in God-even when circumstances seem impossible, they both fall on God’s help to get through. Many authors struggle with their characters prayers sounding genuine, but Witemeyer does an exceptional job of making the reader feel keenly what is in the characters heart.
I love the gang of men who champion the cause of the oppressed-they are the shining knights of the frontier era. I loved reading Matthews story and I cannot wait to read the rest of this series.

This started out so good, I love when the loves interest meet soon after the book opens. This sets the pace for the book. This was a great beginning showing us very quickly who these two were and what they wanted in life. Loved how it all unrolled. The ending was more wordy then I liked. There was more preaching and some repetitive thoughts and the action got slowed down. Overall I enjoyed it and would have loved it if it had been shortened. This is a Christian western romance. Very chaste, some shoot outs.

Karen Witemeyer writes a thrilling adventure grounded in faith, romance, and loyalty. From the prologue, Witemeyer keeps readers hooked with riveting action, beautiful characters, and a healthy dose of God’s wisdom.

Matthew Hanger, Witemeyer’s hero, is definitely swoon-worthy while remaining humble and a admirable leader. Dr. Josephine Burkett, the heroine, is intelligent and strong, a good role model for all readers. The two are supported by a wonderful collection of minor characters, who will all hopefully receive their own stories to continue this wonderful series.

A solid 5/5 stars!

I have never read a Karen Witemeyer novel that I didn't like and this one was no exception! A fantastic beginning to a new series, At Love's Command pulled me into the story from the very first page. The characters had depth, the plot was well paced, and Matt and Josie's relationship had such wonderful chemistry. I loved the sparks flying between them as they faced one plot twisting challenge after another. Matt's team had some really great new characters as well and I am hoping that the rest of the series will be about them. This is a must read for anyone who enjoyed Karen's other books or who likes a good Western romance!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley but my opinions are my own.

Karen Witemeyer is always a must-read-hurry-to-pick-up-as-soon-as-you-can-author. She has the best westerns, the sweetest romances, and the most lovable heroes.

With a cover like At Love's Command you can't help but expect to love the rough, sad, broken, and in need of love, hero, Matthew Hanger. Hero Hanger, I guess you could say.

As much as I have love Mrs. Witemeyer's other books I loved this one even more for the brotherly love that the Hanger's Horsemen had for each other, they'd been through life and death together, they'd fought and now fell in love while watching each other's backs.

Now, I don't love the feminst side of Jo, who wanted to be respected, but with that aside I loved her, the fact she would do so much for the ones she loved was so sweet, I liked the faith that they both had, and they grew to have.
I was scared for a bit toward the end … I'm waiting for the day Karen Witemeyer goes so far as to kill a main character, she comes so close to it so often lately!

A lovely start to an attention commanding new series.

With the start of a new series I am saddened that it will be so long until I can get the next book but each of the guys have me eager to read their stories, especially with the way the book ended, somehow I don't see the stories going how the characters expect, I look forward to finding how accurate my guess is or if I am one hundred percent wrong.

Also, I would love a story about Charlie after the Hanger's Horsemen get theirs!

At Love's Command nearly beats Head in the Clouds but not quite since you can't beat a cute little kid even a fictional adorable kid in a book.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Wonderful story! Matthew Hangar meets "Dr Jo" when he brings one of his men in for a gunshot wound. He is surprised to see that the Dr is actually a woman, and a feisty one, at that. It doesn't take long for a friendship to develop, but after rescuing her brother, deeper feelings begin to grow. After her brother betrays them all, Matthew and his men find themselves facing another gun battle, with Jo caught in the crosshairs. When the dust settles, who is going to survive? After reading this tale, I must say, I think I have fallen in love with Matthew, Just a tiny bit.,

At Love’s Command is the newest novel by Karen Witemeyer, and the first novel in The Horseman series, though it reads as a stand alone with a satisfying “all knots tied” ending. We follow both Josephine and Matt on their journey, and the double POV gives a lot of interest to this story! Before going in depth, I have to say: this cover is amazing! And both my dad and granddad, who are Karen’s biggest fans beside me, are very glad finally a man is featured on the cover. Though being a woman, I do appreciate the cover a lot, too ;)

The story begins with the four Horsemen, specifically their leader, Matt. Originally from the cavalry, they now use their army expertise to help innocent people and uphold justice. I loved how they worked together, their team work is admirable even though everyone has his own specific quality. I came to love all four characters, and I really hope each one gets his own book..! There’s Preach, who is a little gruff but has a Bible verse for every occasion stored in his head. Mark, with a huge charisma and sparkling eyes and yet is very ethical and hard working. Jonah, an amazing sharp shooter and reliable fellow, who’s always got to be on the defensive because of his dark skin color (I really hope we get his full story!). And Matt, who carries so much guilt from his cavalry past, and doesn’t think he deserves love... he cares about everyone all the time and forgets to care about himself.

As injury always follows these men on their quest for justice, they find themselves in need of a doctor. And there we have doctor Jo, who turns out to be woman...! I looooove her character so much! She’s very beta, and often thinks with logic and approaches each difficulty objectively and all the time she holds these little experiments in her head. I can relate, lol! However as you can imagine, these times are not kind on a female doctor, and she’s had to fight for her position, having to prove over and over she’s just as worthy as a man. This not only made her stubborn, it made her kind of other people’s struggles.

“She stole a peek at the stiff fellow who had yet to reanimate after suffering rapid-onset paralysis. A condition brought on by the pronouncement of her medical expertise. Josephine shook her head. The poor male brain. So susceptible to gender-oriented shock.”

And then we have a lovely clash between Matt and dr. Jo! Oooh the romance is as swoonworthy as they come. I rooted for them from page 1. There’s a depth in their relationship that makes their bond very believable and after a while they are both not afraid to communicate and tell the other what they really feel. I love good strong talks with no misunderstandings!

I also very much loved the plot! Normally Karen’s book are more focused on the romance in a small town setting, with high stakes building up in the end, but here the action goes on from about halfway to the end. Of course that is to be expected with a band of ex-army man, and I absolutely loved how it played out! The shifting of POVs and the build up to each confrontation was very well paced, and it kept me glued to the pages. I got this ARC at 8 in the evening and I read it non stop till 4 in the night lol! I just couldn’t make myself stop... something about Karen’s writing style is so addictive, you just have to read on. As a huge Karen Witemeyer fan, and having read all her other books and owning them in two languages, this book absolutely met my ridiculous high standards, and I already am sad I have to wait so long for her next book and realized requesting this ARC made the wait for a next book longer. But I cannot regret my life’s choices and would request again in a heart beat.

I received an e-arc from Bethany House through Netgalley. I squeeled so hard my dog looked annoyed. My huge Karen Witemeyer addiction might have influenced my review, however the publisher and the free copy have not.

AT LOVE'S COMMAND by KAREN WITEMEYER is an historical romance novel, with the story taking place in 1890.
Matthew Hanger heads up a four man mercenary team after retiring from the 7th cavalry. The men are close friends and when young Mark Wallace is badly injured by rustlers, Matthew stays by his side day and night while he is being tended by Dr Josephine Burkett at her infirmary.
When Dr Jo's brother Charlie is taken hostage, Hanger's Horsemen rush to the rescue.
I am not going to tell you any more about the story except to say it is action packed and has a good Christian message of trusting God and surrendering to Him.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.