Fairest of Hearts is a near perfect literary trifecta. Strong faith based romance, retired cowhands (Seven to be precise) and Karen Witemeyer at the helm. What’s not to love? Throw in a life-sized portion of Texas and a scurrilous villain, and boom. Readers are in for a treat.

It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to recognize a reimagining of Snow White and the updated story is clever. Our heroine is one Penelope Snow. Her Prince Charming, Titus is a Texas Ranger, and her dwarves are the retired gentleman of the Diamond D ranch (a delightful ensemble). There’s no sign of Maleficent here, but Narcissa LaBelle makes the blood run cold with her ruthless pursuit of other folks riches.

Penelope is inadvertently caught up in Narcissa’s antics. That left it up to Titus and the men of the Diamond D to save more than her reputation. Penelope’s life and the lives of those she’s come to love are all at stake.

You can’t beat a good fairytale, not for me. But I’m not usually a fan of reworking the old stories. However, a deft hand wrote this. The relationship between emotionally wounded Titus and badly treated Penny is handled sensitively, with every step of the story infused with scripture. That said, this book isn’t preachy at all.

GIVE ME DWARVES

For me though, my favorite part is the substitute dwarves. These seven are awesome. From the medic (Doc), to Coy (Bashful) and Rowdy (Dopey) onwards. Even Jeb (Grumpy) found his way into my heart. No wonder they utterly enchanted Penelope. Between the clever roles each of the seven plays, to the imaginative way the villain strikes the ranch, this book is highly enjoyable from start to finish.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley. The total enjoyment is all my own.

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Fairest of Heart
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Fairest of Heart, the first book in Karen Witemeyer's new Texas Ever After series, is a retelling of Snow White with a Texas twist. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, with retired cowhands to replace the dwarfs and a Texas Ranger for a prince. This retelling avoids being too heavy-handed with the fairy tale references, which allows it to be a fun historical romance. Witemeyer is an author who I know will give me a few hours of escape. I look forward to the rest of this series!

This was a really sweet Christian romance based off the Snow White fairytale, and Karen Witemeyer pulled it off well! She stuck closely to the original storyline in many respects, but the wild west twist to the entire thing made it feel unique to stand on its own. The characters were all colorful and unique, with interesting backstories and witty dialogue. The romance developed naturally, although the heroine came across as a bit too naive and innocent at times, and the hero seemed to also be lacking any flaws. I would have liked to have seen them be a little less perfect, although I can understand why they were written in this way. If you enjoy Christian romance that is heavy on the side of scripture and light on the side of angst, this will be a book for you to dive into.

Penelope Snow didn't think her employment would end with her tied to a tree in nothing but her underclothes...yet there she was, with nothing left to her by the villain but a knife to saw her way out of her predicament. Exhausted, she ends up falling asleep and awakens surrounded by seven elderly man and a very familiar young one. Texas ranger Titus Kingsley has not had good experiences with pretty women, so he is initially skeptical of Penelope's presence on his grandfather's land. But he is not one to let a lady in distress continue to be so, and he makes sure she is situated in his grandfather's home before returning to his working duties. Assigned to catch thieves who have made a name for themselves across several states, he is alarmed to discover that Penelope is connected...and may even be the thief herself. Torn between his prejudice and his budding romance with the fair young woman, he blunders and stumbles before he finally comes to the realization that the thief is someone else...and they will stop at nothing to make sure Penelope is not a problem, permanently.

While I did find Penelope a little too sweet for me, I felt she fit the bill for the classic "Snow White" perfectly. And while we don't get to know the prince very well in the original tale, I could see Titus suiting him as well. While he did have a smidgen of prejudice towards Penelope for her beauty, we soon learned he had a valid reason for his distrust, and so beyond that, he really was a wonderful man. Savior of animals, bringer of justice, and above all, he rescued Penelope when she was at her most vulnerable. The seven men she shared a home with were all entertaining, each clearly showing which of the original seven dwarves they were meant to represent. As Dopey was my favorite in the original tale, his counterpart here was also my favorite. They each brought their own quirk to the story which added levity and some really funny lines. The villain was written well, albeit in an over-the-top way. She was most certainly an evil woman, and the story leaned heavily on the prejudice of the time period that actresses were loose woman of low morals. Not only was she generally an unpleasant woman and employer, but she drugged men to steal their belongings and seduced another man to act as her accomplice. We eventually find out there is no level to which she would not sink to get her way. She is an easy women to hate. You'll enjoy the ending.

I look forward to reading more of these fairytale retellings in the American West! I can already foresee many fun reading times ahead.

I can't begin to put a number on how many times I have watched the Disney version of Snow White with my daughters. I think at one point, when they were small, I could recite it! Karen Witemeyer's version is Snow White meets wild west Texas Ranger, and I loved it! This book had a whole cast of cowboy heros, though some are of the geriatric variety, they are most loveable! The story was full of mystery, danger, a mirror loving villainess, a beautiful lady, a Ranger who actively distrusts beautiful women and some of the authors signature humor. "In all the daydreams she'd woven about her and Titus sharing intimate conversations, never once did they entail discussing corset burglary."
If you loved the Hanger's Horsemen series, hold on to your hat! I'm "all in" that you will love this one too!

Thank you Karen Witemeyer, Bethany House and Net Galley for the complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was an absolute delight!

Snow White has never been one of my favorite fairytales, but I loved this Snow White retelling.

Fairest of Heart takes places in Texas during the 1890s and follows a maid named Penelope Snow who works for the famous and cunning Narcissa LaBelle.

While Penelope may be a bit too perfect most of the time, I still liked her as a character especially since the other characters had obvious flaws.

I loved the author’s take on the seven dwarfs with the seven old men that had varying personalities and a love for Penelope. They were so fun and wholesome. I love how they took care of Penelope and were so protective of her.

Titus was such a great male lead in this story. I loved that he played such a big role in both the romance and the plot of this story. He had such a great connection with Penelope, and I enjoyed watching him slowly let her get to know him.

The plot of this story was also very interesting with Titus being a Texas ranger and Narcissa causing trouble. I loved the adventure and danger of the story.

I would recommend this book if you like fairytale retellings, fun old grandpas, adventure, and lovable characters. I will definitely read more books by Karen Witemeyer.

Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer is the first book in the new series Texas Ever After. It is a delightful retelling of the fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarves set in Texas in a home for retired ranch hands in 1892. Penelope Snow is a beautiful orphan who is traveling west with an actress to earn her way. Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley enjoys being a Ranger and is distrustful of most women. Through a series of events Penelope ends up at the ranch and becomes a favorite of the residents.

I found Fairest of Heart charming and I enjoyed making connections to the story of Snow White. I truly wanted to visit the ranch and meet all of the characters in person. The author wove each character’s past into the story and it was a pleasure to watch them grow and mature. Titus was a great hero who I cheered for. I am always intrigued with the Texas Rangers and their part in Texas history. Penelope was an excellent model of someone who maintained a positive attitude and faith through very hard times.

The themes of redemption, forgiveness, and friendship in Fairest of Heart resonated with me and I enjoyed the story. I look forward to the other books in her series and highly recommend it.

I was given a copy of the book by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

“Bullets he could dodge. Love, on the other hand, snuck up on a fellow when he wasn’t looking, and he very much feared he’d already taken a lethal hit.”

Absolutely adored Fairest of Heart! I love fairytale retellings and this creative, romantic, Western take on Snow White was brilliantly done. The vile villainess, tenderhearted, intelligent heroine, a somewhat jaded, gruff Texas Ranger hero, and seven delightful old men completely drew me in. With her own unique spin, Karen Witemeyer weaves a compelling, fresh new inspirational romance from the classic tale.

After her beauty gets her in trouble with her previous employer, Penelope Snow becomes the maid to Narcissa LaBelle, the vain main actress of a traveling show headed West. She dons baggy, plain clothes to make herself appear less attractive, but when her beauty and talents are noticed, the jealous Narcissa calls on her cohort Cecil Hunt to take her out, literally. But the “hunter” has a hard time leaving the beauty to die, so he leaves her a means to escape. Rescued by endearing, old drovers, she finds new hope and a group of protective “grandpas” at the Diamond D Ranch.

Titus Kingsley is a Texas Ranger who doesn’t trust beautiful women after what happened to his brother. When he meets Penelope, he’s determined to hold her at arms length. Witnessing her kindness to his grandfather “Doc” and his six older friends, he can’t help but be drawn to her. But, he’s hot on the trail of a jewel thief who’s most likely associated with the traveling show. When he finds out Penelope was part of the troupe, he has to decide whether to risk his heart and trust her.

Loved the humor, romance and fast-paced, suspenseful ending! I enjoyed all the clever nods to Snow White as well. Penelope and Titus definitely had some swoony moments with Titus struggling to remain unaffected by Penelope. The seven old drovers completely captured my heart and I loved it every time they appeared in the story. Narcissa was definitely a vain, ruthless villainess who perfectly captured Snow White’s evil queen. She uses her seductive wiles to steal from unwitting men. Just like in the fairytale, I loved seeing her finally get her comeuppance.

Faith is featured prominently in the story with scriptural references sprinkled throughout. If that’s something you don’t enjoy, this may not be the book for you. There are also inspiring themes of inner vs. outer beauty, second chances, and redemption.

All in all, a fun start to a new series and I’m already looking forward to the next book! I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author and publisher. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

CW: While everything is kept firmly closed door, there are brief descriptions of Narcissa’s wanton behavior like sleeping around, descriptions of a man undressing her, references to her body, and drugging others. For these reasons, I recommend to more mature teens probably ages 16 and up. 4 1/2 stars

Book Review
Fairest of Heart
Karen Witemeyer
Published by: Bethany House
Genre: Christian fiction
Method: Paperback
Release date: June 6, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Huge thank you to Bethany House for my copy of this book for review. I'm so thankful to be working with your team!
Additionally, my sister and I LOVED reading Karen Witemeyer's books in high school so I was thrilled when I found out I would get to review a new one!

What do you get when you cross a beautiful orphan, a handsome Texas ranger, and 7 old men? Quite simply, you get this wonderful Snow White adaptation!
I loved how unique this story was, while still holding true to the facets of the original Snow White story. A beautifully woven story of hope and love amidst despair and heartache.
I really enjoyed learning about the 7 old men, too, and picking out which of the 7 dwarves they were supposed to represent. It was such a fun read.
Look for it out in just a few days! I can't wait for the rest of this series.
Read if you love:
🎀 Fairytale retellings
💛 Snow White
💙 Found family
🎀 Stories with dogs 🐕

#retelling #fairytale #snowwhite #historicalfiction #historicalromance #christianfiction #christianromance #reviews #bookreview #bethanyhouse #karenwitemeyer #fairestofheart #readmore #fridayreview

Karen Witemeyer is my favorite author, but I had trouble finishing this one. Perhaps because Snow White was my least favorite Disney princess. The book was enjoyable to read with all the great characters, but there would be points that reminded me it was a fairytale retelling and then I'd cringe a bit like when one character is poisoned. Other than that, I really enjoyed the characters and romance. I look forward to reading the rest of this series but also look forward to when this series is over and I can read Witemeyer's usual type of books.
In all 3½ stars 🌟

Readers will find Ms. Witemeyer's newest western to be absolutely delightful. She has expertly incorporated authentic historical detail of Texas in the 1890's into a clever retelling of Snow White. This is the perfect blend of a western and a fairytale. I loved the references to the traveling theater groups that made their way through the small towns of the west.

Witemeyer has penned a delightful cast of characters that fit the expected tropes from the fairytale. The damsel in distress was just as sweet as the original Snow White, winning over a lovable group of crusty old drovers. I found her sweetness to be real, innocent and genuine. The hero, a Texas Ranger, finds his search for jewel thieves and the missing jewels may lead close to home. I loved reading Titus' journey of faith throughout the story.

While the story itself is not meant to be funny, readers will laugh out loud in delight as they encounter the seven 'dwarves' and their witty banter, the damsel in distress and her prince, and the evil 'queen', conducting their own treasure hunt as they discover other elements of the fairytale skillfully woven within. I found this book to be a wonderful blend of history, mystery and romance.

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

This was a cute Snow White retelling . I enjoyed it! I loved the texas ranger and the men who took care of Penelope!

Karen Witemeyer is among one of my favorite historical writers. I was honored to have the opportunity to read the start to her new Texas Ever After series, Fairest of Heart. I thought it was a fabulous beginning to the series. I adored Penelope and Titus' story so much. It had a fun mixture within the pages of adventure, action, love, hope, faith, humor and suspense. Even though I wanted to keep reading the whole book all the way through in one sitting, I took my time to read it for several days and savored every single word. I loved it.

Fairest of Heart will be getting a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading clean historical and western romance. I will be excited when the second installment from the Texas Ever After series releases to see where Karen Witemeyer takes her readers to next.

I received a paperback copy of Fairest of Heart from the publisher, but was not required to write a review, nor a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

4.5 Stars

What a wonderful historical romance! Y'all know I love a good fairytale retelling, and I've gotta say, this was excellent. One of my favorites in recent memory. I loved all the nods to Snow White. Every time one popped up, I had to smile. My favorite part of the story was the Seven Drovers. They filled the shoes of their Dwarf counterparts so well. I loved them all.

Oftentimes with Snow White retellings, "Snow" comes across as annoyingly and unrealistically perfect, but I was happy to find Penelope to be very likable. Yes, she had the typical characteristics you'd find in Snow White, but she wasn't perfect, and I really liked that. Titus was a true gentleman. Such an honorable and caring guy. He could be stubborn about some things but could admit when he was wrong, which I appreciated. While I thought the villainess was a bit over the top, she fit the part well.

All in all, I really enjoyed this western retelling of Snow White. It was a fun and sweet read that I highly recommend to fans of inspirational historical romance.

I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

A solid Snow White retelling in a western setting with Christian convictions, as a fairy tale enthusiast I enjoyed recognizing all the nods to the original tale

'The way she kept calling her "dear Penny" couldn't possibly bode well. She'd never been anything but Penelope, Miss Snow, or you there for the entirety of her time in Madame LaBelle's employ. An explosion threatened, and Penelope feared the eruption would entail more than a flying hairbrush.'

I love, love, loved how this book was set up. I loved the concept of the Diamond D Ranch, that "Prince Charming" was a Texas Ranger; that "Snow White" was an orphan traveling with a theatrical bunch; add in all of the tie-ins to the seven dwarfs to a group of old ranchers and you have a fun cast to be reading about! It was amazingly written and so fun to read about. I think the old ranchers were my favorite characters of the bunch.

All of the heart eyes for these elderly protectors!

"...we may be old, but we love an adventure. Gets the blood pumpin'. Reminds a man he's still got some livin' to do."

I loved the Christian themes running through and bible quotes and references to scriptures. It's heavier in this book than most of the Christian fiction I read, but it didn't bother me.

My only cons to this book are how sensual it is. There are more than enough references to how "busty" the two female characters are. Several instances to how many times Titus notices their figures. How voluptuous they are, etc. For a Christian novel I felt it was overdone. It also had innuendo spread throughout as the "wicked witch" lures men after hours and romantic entanglements with her "huntsman". I haven't quite figured out why Penelope needed to be described as such...to me it didn't add to the story and only detracted from it. If that was toned down a lot I would give this a higher rating.

Beyond those things this book was clever, boasted a great dialogue between characters and featured an incredible cast of characters and a lot of things going for it! I have read this author before and haven't read anything so detailed when it comes to the physical aspect or lewd behavior. I'm hoping this is a one off because I really love her writing.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Content/Trigger: shoot-em up type violence, stealing/thievery, innuendo, descriptions of women's figures, kisses, mention of death of loved ones, conning, kidnapping, bible verses, and religious exclamations.

Fairest of Heart by the amazing wordsmith Karen Witemeyer is a Christian historical romance novel. I was immediately invested in the story and characters. This was a brilliant interpretation of the Snow White fairy tale.

This is the story of Penelope. She is a fabulous character, who is always cheerful and hard working. It is also the story of Titus. What a great hero! The characters are all so engaging in this lovely story, especially the dwarves!

One of my favorite things about this book is the beautiful message of faith and Bible verses. I want Christian novels to include those, and this one did. I highly recommend this book to everyone. It gets an 5 star rating from this reader. A copy was provided by NetGalley, but these are my honest words.

Fairest of Heart is the first in the Texas Ever After series and the first book by Karen Witemeyer I have read and WOW it did NOT disappoint ya’ll! 5 stars and a new favorite author?! SO HAPPY! This book exudes all things southern with a western atmosphere, a fairytale historical romance retelling and excellent faith content. I loved it so much and can’t wait to read more of Karen’s books! This was SO delightful as we have a Snow-White retelling with a swoon-worthy hero! I was HERE for it!

In this book we follow Penelope Snow, the personal maid for famous actress, Narcissa LaBelle. Penelope is a beautiful woman with a gorgeous figure, but she hides it under loose-fitting dresses, so she doesn’t attract attention to herself. In the beginning of the story, Narcissa appears to be helping Penelope get out of a rough situation, but you soon realize, she is the Snow-White Evil Queen all over again! Narcissa constantly is looking in the mirror and obsessed with her own beauty. When she sees Penelope trying on one of her dresses to help Narcissa’s alterations, she gets so jealous that she sends her away to be left for dead. Little does she know, the swoon-worthy and handsome Titus Kingsley and the 7 “old drovers” (dwarves in Snow-White) at Diamond D Ranch help save her and they grow to love her as one of their own….but can she hide from Narcissa forever?

The characters in this really made the story for me. I LOVED our sweet little 7 drovers at Diamond D Ranch – they were these precious grandfather figures to Penelope. Titus and Penelope’s romance was SO SWEET too! What stood out to me the most was the wonderful faith content. I loved how Titus would look to the bible in God’s word for answers to his hard situation. We had SO many scriptures quoted and the characters truly turned to the Lord for guidance throughout the story as they were learning to trust him in every situation they went through.

This was also my first “western” book and I was surprised how much I enjoyed that atmosphere. Even if I don’t always understand some of the language during that time period, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting. I will be picking up more like this in the future for sure. I also think Karen told the story of Snow-White very well! I could easily see the correlation to the characters from the fairytale and I loved that! Overall, a wonderful start to a new series! Thank you to Bethany House, Baker Publishing and NetGalley for a copy to honestly read and review. I will also be discussing this book on my YouTube channel, BookLoverAmanda, in a reading VLOG and an end of month wrap up video.

𝘐 𝘚𝘖 𝘛𝘏𝘖𝘙𝘖𝘜𝘎𝘏𝘓𝘠 𝘌𝘕𝘑𝘖𝘠𝘌𝘋 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘚 𝘐 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘋 𝘐𝘛 𝘐𝘕 𝘈 𝘋𝘈𝘠! 𝘞𝘖𝘜𝘓𝘋 𝘓𝘖𝘝𝘌 𝘛𝘖 𝘚𝘌𝘌 𝘐𝘛 𝘐𝘕 𝘔𝘖𝘝𝘐𝘌 𝘍𝘖𝘙𝘔!! 🎬
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞.
𝐎𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫!
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜, 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐫.
𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞: 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝. 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 . . . 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬. 𝐉𝐨𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐔𝐩 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐮𝐭𝐲.
𝐓𝐞𝐚 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐂𝐨𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲. “𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐧. 𝐌𝐲 𝐦𝐚 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐚.”

ɪ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀɴ ᴇ-ᴠᴇʀꜱɪᴏɴ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍʏ ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴ. ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴍɪɴᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ.

Pending review posts on retail sites on or after the release date.

This was another great read by Karen Witemeyer! A retelling of the Snow White story, with a western twist, this book had all of the fun elements of a fairy tale, but also included a solid faith thread as well. This book had action, mystery, romance, and wonderful character development. Left on the steps of a girls' school as an infant, Penelope Snow was raised by the school cook. Though she was educated with the other girls, she had to earn her keep and therefore never knew the beauty of fitting in. That is, until circumstances landed her at the Diamond D ranch where she was taken in by 7 grandfathers, or the 7 drovers (which I loved). Titus Kingsley has had a mission of justice since losing his brother a few years back. Now on his way to a promotion in the Texas Rangers, he can't get the enigma that is Penelope out of his head.... but is she as innocent as she seems?

I enjoyed all of the elements of the fairy tale coming back in this story (I plan to re-watch Snow White this afternoon to see if I missed any other fun Easter eggs) and how the author brought the story into the Old West and made it her own. In reading the author's notes at the end, she also included some fun true historical figures in her story as well, just adding to the enjoyment of the story itself. I liked how the drovers' stories and personality quirks matched the dwarves of the original tale and how she spun faith into all of it. That really added depth to the story as well. Though the fairy tale retelling element implies that you know how it ends, seeing how she tied in all of the elements made the story completely fun and engaging. If you enjoy fairy tales, stories of faith, great characters, and/or historical romance, this is one I would definitely recommend. I can't wait to see what tale she takes on next!

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

Penelope, scantily clothed, found herself tied to a tree in the middle of the woods. She was losing hope. Her future didn't look so bright.

But strange things happen. Once rescued, her life changed. She was adopted by a group of older men that lived together. Each man had a story to tell and something to overcome in their own lives. They weren't judgmental or cynical even though they easily could be.

The wonderful characters that lived at the Diamond D Ranch were a joy to get to know! I couldn't pick out a favorite one. Penelope and her new "grandfathers" developed such a warm and loving relationship. Family is not always blood related.

I really enjoyed the book. I liked the relationships between the characters. There was such warmth, respect and comfort that they gave each other.


I received this ebook from the author to review.