Short-Straw Bride.

When Meredith Hayes was a young girl, she stumbled onto Archer land. An accident there left her with a permanent limp and a more sympathetic view of the reclusive Archer brothers (or one of them, anyway :) than most people in her community have. Years later, she once again steps foot on their property. This time it's to repay a debt when she has overheard a dangerous plot to take the Archers' land. A series of events leaves Meredith with an apparently compromised reputation, so the four brothers draw straws for who will be responsible and marry her.

Over the past year or so, I've read all four of Karen Witemeyer's novels. I loved them all, and Short-Straw Bride is no exception. Ms. Witemeyer always manages to write memorable characters and creative plots. I think she must have a Book Cover Fairy Godmother, too, because her novels always get adorable covers (which, I'll confess, is important to me. It's hard to pick up an ugly book :).

I was especially excited about this book when I heard that it was loosely inspired by the film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (one of the most gloriously colorful and suspend-your-disbelief musicals ever).

Anyway, I seriously enjoyed this book. It dives right in with a lot of action at the beginning, which I think is unusual for this sort of novel (they usually save the thrills for the end). The middle of the book mostly focuses on the growing relationship between Meredith and Travis, and then at the end there's a bit more conflict. Speaking of Meredith...I liked her well enough, though sometimes she was too much of a risk-taker for me to be able to relate to her. :) Travis was an interesting character, and I especially liked the backstory of his family and the explanation for why he vowed never to leave his land or his younger brothers.

The romance was sweet. For a change, I like an occasional story where the marriage comes first and the romance slowly grows (though it's certainly not a situation I'd want in real life :).

I also like that the four Archer brothers were given distinct personalities. Travis obviously was the main male character, but the other three brothers weren't just lumped together. The youngest, Neill, might have been overlooked a bit, but Crockett and Jim were well drawn characters.

If you like historical romances, you'll like Short-Straw Bride. In my opinion, Karen Witemeyer stands out in this genre and write reliably good stories. Can't wait for her next novel! By the way, if you're interested, you can view the book trailer here. I've watched it several times just to hear the music. :)

Until next time,

{Note: I received this book free for review from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.}