The Heart's Charge

GIVEAWAY

WITEMEYER, KAREN

THE HEART'S CHARGE

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 kindess, 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 Review:

Mercy! I've been struggling to compose a coherent review for days now but I'm in such a gobsmacked stupor that I'm just going to gush all over this book in random awkwardness. :-)

So...that cover! Mark and Jonah riding to the rescue, mirroring looks of grim determination. Be. Still. My. Heart. The art department has outdone themselves with this cover. Definitely matches the tone of the book.

Love the premise to this series: battle scarred warriors who have dealt with all kinds of hardships form a brotherhood that lasts beyond their cavalry days. While The Heart's Charge is primarily Mark and Jonah's story, we are treated with a Hanger's Horsemen reunion along the way which is all kinds of awesomesauce if you've read the first book, At Love's Command.

TWO romances!!!!! This is likely the reason I'm so addle-brained. Double the toe-curling and swooning and hyperventilating is bound to do that to an avid reader. And both Mark and Jonah get equal billing and I was invested in both.

Mark and Katherine -- Reunion Romance at its best. They were very young (teens) when they nearly married the first time but now that they are older and wiser with quite a few life lessons behind them, well, the timing of their reunion seems foreordained. Witemeyer portrays the yearning and wariness of a rekindling love to perfection. And when that spark finally ignites into an all consuming fire -- whooeee, readers beware, your fingertips might get singed.

Jonah and Eliza -- true confession...their story is my favourite part of the book. And that's because of the way spunky Eliza always seems to be able to put Jonah in his place. Or, at least, he lets her think she can. That man has his own wiles and he's not above using them to win the lady's heart. And these two can go from lighthearted banter to serious soul searching in a nanosecond. I laughed. I cried. And then laughed some more.

These heroes!!!! It's almost too much to bear. Mark with all his polished manners and easy going nature. Open and gregarious where Jonah is more sober and watchful. The way they have each other's backs and are just as quick to tease as to lend a hand. Great dynamics.

So many stunning faith moments! This is my idea of Christian Fiction -- where the inspirational threads are so embedded within the story that you couldn't remove them without the whole thing collapsing. So many stark truths and moved-me-to-tears moments. I'd have underlined half the book and shared copious quotes except I listened to the audible edition and I couldn't bear to take the time to stop and write every second sentence down. :-)

Speaking of the audible edition: Jeanine Bartel did an incredible job bringing unique qualities to so many different characters. I was completely enthralled. One of the best performances I've listened to.

And, finally, speaking of bests, The Heart's Charge is definitely going on my top ten best reads of 2021 !!! I thought At Love's Command was Karen Witemeyer's best when I read it last year, but this second book has surpassed the first in faith, romance and even the mystery!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is available in paperback or ebook format -- winner's choice

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Heart's Charge, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. 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 winners announced on Saturday June 19 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!