Having discovered author Karen Witemeyer last summer, I quickly finished all three of her books and could not wait for more. Well, as of last week, the waiting was over with the release of her fourth novel, Short-Straw Bride. The description on the back cover, “Four Brothers. Four Straws. One Bride.,” grabbed my attention immediately and I couldn’t wait to see how this story panned out.
Travis Archer has guarded his brothers and his land diligently ever since the promise he made to his father. No one besides an Archer had ever stepped foot on his land, until Meredith Hayes. When circumstances force her to marry an Archer, Meredith’s fate is determined by a short-straw. Although at first it might have been seen as a marriage of convenience, Travis and Meredith’s relationship soon grows. The love Travis has for Meredith reminds me of the love Christ has for us. Even though Christ’s role was to serve as the sacrifice for our sins, it wasn’t duty that kept Him on the cross, it was love. He loves us so much that He was willing to suffer the most agonizing of deaths, so that we might be redeemed. “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”- Ephesians 3:17-19
Although I enjoyed reading this book very much, I am somewhat sad because now the wait begins again for the next Karen Witemeyer story. I guess the Lord is trying to teach me patience. To learn more about her and her novels visit www.karenwitemeyer.com.
Until next time, Carly R.
I loved the book. I loved how Travis’s biggest fear is trusting in God to care for and protect his family. Something he should have been doing for years instead of shouldering the burden on his own. Crockett is a very loveable brother and I didn’t want to have the story end as I wanted to know more about Travis’s brothers.