Notable author: Karen Witemeyer

 

This author is not a new one to me, but is definitely notable. I first ran across her books back in June of 2021. Her book Stealing the Preacher sounded good and amusing, and I decided to order it. It is the second book in The Archer Brothers Series, so I bought it and #1, The Short Straw Bride on eBay. I loved both books, and started buying everything she had in print at that time, and have bought everything she has written since. And I have loved everything she has written.

There are a couple of other books in The Archer Brothers Series, but they do not appear in paperback by themselves. Archer Brothers #3, A Cowboy Unmatched is in The Match Made In Texas anthology, which includes stories from three other authors. An Old Fashioned Christmas includes two stories about the Archer Family. There are also a few other anthologies that Karen is part of. 

  She has a Facebook group called "The Posse", in which she interacts regularly with her readers. (click on link) I like it when an author does that. There are a few authors I have emailed and never heard back from, and I am still in the stage where I love it when an author answers an email, comments on one of my reviews, and interacts on social media with their readers.

   Karen's most memorable books - and her best - in my opinion, is the Hanger's Horsemen Series. It is a three book series about a group of guys who are in the military, and are so sickened by the military's brutal attack on Indians, they leave the military and go around helping people out of tough situations. The first book was controversial, and should not have been. It opened with the massacre of Indians - an actual event that happened. Karen received an award from the Romance Writers of America, and they took it back. There were claims that she glorified the massacre - which she did not. People left scathing reviews of the book - most by those who did not read the book. More about that in a blog post I did In Defense of an Author. (And my review of that book here.)That was very hard on Karen, and is something that will most likely bother her for years.

  Most of her books have some element of suspense, humor, and romance. I consider her an excellent author, and she is definitely one of my favorites. She is an author not afraid to put Christian content in her books, something I appreciate. In addition to her full length novels, she has novellas that are available in e-book form, and are also in anthologies with novellas by other authors. She also did a Christmas book last year that has three stories in it, one being a retelling of The Christmas Carol.

Her most recent release was a humorous shorter story titled "In Her Sights." It is the first book in The Pink Pistol Sisterhood Series, a series revolving around a pink pistol passed on to different single women. My review of that book is here.

The next release by her is one that intrigues me. It is due out in June, and is titled Fairest of Heart, #1 in Texas Ever After. It is kind of a modern retelling of Snow White, and sounds really good. If I understand right, the whole series will be based on similar stories.

Though I have only been reading her books for close to two years, she has quickly become one of my favorite authors, and is one I highly recommend. 

About Karen:

Voted #1 Reader's Favorite Christian Romance Author of 2019 by Family Fiction Magazine, bestselling and Carol and Christy Award-winning author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. She makes her home in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at karenwitemeyer.com.