Fairest of Heart + Giveaway

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters–and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is rarely disappointed. So when a young woman found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope’s acting troupe. The evidence points to her guilt, but Titus’s heart divines a different truth–one that might just get Penelope killed.

An enchanting Western take on the classic Snow White fairy tale, Fairest of Heart will sweep you away from once upon a time to happily ever after.

My Review:

Okay, I’m beyond giddy and well into bubbleheadedness over this — eeeeeppppppp — first book in the Texas Every After series which is all about fairy tale retellings!!!!! I can’t even…there just are no words to convey my bookish glee. So if I come across as slaphappy and scatterbrained in this review, blame the author’s storytelling prowess.

First — I love, adore, delight in fairy tale retellings and to find one in the realm of Christian Fiction with a significant faith thread…well…I just…like I said, no words.

Snow White takes an entirely different spin in this Old West version that comes complete with a prince of a Texas ranger (see what I did there?) and seven retired drovers (seriously, is that not clever or what?!) And, of course we have Penelope Snow who does justice to the fairy tale heroine but adds a charm all of her own.

The way Witemeyer has adapted the classic Snow White plot to her Western setting is sheer brilliance! I got such a charge out of recognizing familiar elements in a different way. Beyond clever. And it was so much fun kinda knowing how the story was going to progress, but being constantly surprised by each new twist. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a fairy tale retelling more.

And there’s a spectacular faith thread about mercy that’s woven throughout Titus’s story. He’s all about truth and justice. A personal tragedy led him to join the Texas rangers but, when Penelope shows up in his life, he begins to wrestle with the notion of mercy and where it fits in. “Mercy and truth always together. Mercy always leading the way.” There’s even an awesome scripture chain on mercy that I’ve written into my bible as Titus shares verses tied together “like clues on a treasure map.” And what a treasure he finds by the end!

I listened to the audible edition narrated by Barbara McCulloh. She’s a familiar voice in Western Christian Fiction and I’ve enjoyed all her performances whether she’s reading from works by Mary Connealy, Tracey Peterson or Karen Witemeyer.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook available to anyone, anywhere who has a .com Kindle account

US — paperback or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada — paperback or ebook (via a gift card to Canadian Amazon) or audible (.ca)

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Fairest of Heart, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 17, 2023.

39 thoughts on “Fairest of Heart + Giveaway”

  7. I’m new to fairytale retellings, Karen’s A Texas Christmas Carol was my first. That novella and Fairest of Heart have won me over. Like you, the twists and turns! I loved Penelope and Titus.
    I can’t wait for Karen’s next book in the fairytale series,
    If the Boot Fits, A Cinderfella story coming in March 2024.

    On another note, is it too early to start my Must Read Books for 2024 notebook? I’m already getting tidbits from authors I always read. 🙂

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    1. It’s never too early to start a new Must Reads notebook! Go for it and then you’ll be prepared to enlighten us during our Reader’s Choice Weeks. 🙂 (see my ulterior motive here?)

      And woohoo to the info on the next book in this series. I’m up for a Cinderella retelling and keen to see what Western twists Karen Witemeyer will bring to the tale.

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  8. I love Karen Witemeyer and a western themed Snow white is definitely intriguing! I like that she’s thinking outside of the box with something delightfully different!
    perrianne (DOT) askew (AT) me (DOT) com
    Perrianne Askew

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  11. I’ll read anything Karen Witemeyer writes!! I’m happy that some of my favorite authors are branching out in different directions for their stories 😊

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  13. Wonderful review! I love Karen Witemeyer’s books and fairytale retellings, so this book is one of my most anticipated reads for the year. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  14. I read this book this week and loved it too ❤️❤️❤️. It was the first book I’ve read by Karen Witemeyer so I’m happily looking forward to finding all of her past books and catching up!

    Sandyavery at comcast dot net

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  17. Not being a big western story type fan I thought of passing this one by, but after your review I am rethinking my decision. I’d love to read it now. Sounds quite the story.

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  18. I found everything about Fairest of Heart to be delightful. Karen Witemeyer is one of my very favorite authors so I had to pre-order this book. No need to add me to the giveaway.

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