Short-Straw Bride

From the prologue: Ten-year-old Meredith Hayes balled her hands into fists as she faced her tormentor, "Hiram Ellis! Give me back my lunch bucket this instant!"

From chapter one: "I don't think I can do it, Cass." Meredith peered up at her cousin through the reflection in the vanity mirror. Cassandra pulled the hairpin from her mouth and secured another section of Meredith's braided chignon. "Do what?" "Marry a man who wants me only for the land I can bring him."

Short-Straw Bride is one of my all-time favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite books. I absolutely love this marriage-of-convenience. Is it a true marriage of convenience? Maybe. Maybe not. The two marry due to circumstances, close to a "shot-gun wedding" if you will. (Though show more our hero and heroine are innocent of any impropriety.)

Meredith Hayes, our wonderful heroine, overhears a terrible-horrible plot. She's being "courted" by a villain (though she didn't know it at the time). She rides out to the Archer ranch to warn the four Archer brothers....and her time there on the ranch becomes extended after she suffers an injury....her guardian/uncle demands that one of the Archer brothers steps up and does the right thing and marry Meredith.

I really love this super-sweet and delightful romance. I loved Travis Archer. I loved Meredith. I loved ALL of the Archer brothers. I loved everything about this one.

My original review:

This isn't my first Karen Witemeyer book; however, it is the first Karen Witemeyer book that I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED. Short-Straw Bride is a Christian historical romance; it is set in Palestine, Texas in the 1880s.

In the prologue, Travis Archer saves the then-ten-year-old Meredith, her leg having gotten trapped in a hunting trap. The incident stays with her, as you might imagine. First, because she can't forget Travis Archer, he is forever her hero, the stuff of her dreams, despite the fact that that isolated incident is the only time she's seen him. Second, because it left a scar on her leg and the damage to the bone prevented it from growing as it should; one leg being slightly longer than the other.

The novel opens with Meredith all grown up and living with her aunt and uncle who are her guardians. They have arranged a marriage for her with an up-and-coming businessman, Roy Mitchell. Meredith prays for a sign, an indication one way or another if she should marry the man her guardians have chosen for her, or, if she should be stubborn and refuse their choice. And the sign, when it comes, is definite: she not only overhears him calling her a cripple, she overhears him making unethical arrangements to acquire land. He WANTS the Archer land, and since the Archer brothers won't sell, won't negotiate, won't budge, he's decided that if he burns their barn down, it will be a good first step to getting what he wants.

So what's a woman to do? Well, she does try going to the sheriff--or the deputy?--but when she's not taken seriously, when she's instead ridiculed for being a silly woman with a vivid imagination, she does what she must: she rides out to the Archer land herself to warn them. The problem? She doesn't have the time to ride out there and back before nightfall. And she wasn't counting on her cousin giving into the pressure of revealing her whereabouts. So her heroic ride to warn them just in time turns into a compromising reputation-killer. Her uncle demanding that one of the four Archer brothers step forward to marry her....

I admit this one could sound a bit silly to some readers, but, oh how I loved it!!!! I loved Meredith! I loved Travis! I loved their relationship, their marriage, their courtship-coming-after-marriage. I loved seeing how Meredith's presence on the Archer farm transforms the place, transforms the brothers. I loved just about everything in this one!!! There were quite a few giddy-making scenes!

Will Short-Straw Bride appeal to every reader? I doubt it. It's definitely for those that love Christian fiction, those that love Christian historical romance. I could see it having some appeal to non-Christians who love and seek out clean romance novels (smut-free romance novels). show less

I loved this book so much, it had been a while since I have read a book by Karen Witemeyer and now I know why she is one of my favorite. This is inspired historical fiction. The setting is Anderson County, Texas and it is 1810 at the beginning of this book.

Meredith Hayes is an independent soul with a sense of humor, she knows all the domestic arts for the time and how to tame an angry soul. She had been teaching school for the freeman's children in the area and really enjoyed it. But when her beloved father passed away, she had to move in with her uncle, aunt and her best friend, Cassandra her cousin. Her uncle and aunt forbade her to teach anymore.

Before her father died, a bully threw her lunch pail over to the Archer ranch. There show more were many rumors about what could happen if you step on their land. But spunky Meredith went after her lunch pail. She finds out that Archers were not what they seemed to be.

I loved all the characters and Meredith's cooking made me hungry while reading! I highly recommend this sweet tale. show less

ETA: I listened to Short-Straw Bride on audio book. The narrator is Pilar Witherspoon. Her narration was WONDERFUL. I was SO PLEASED that the narration didn't take away from the awesomeness that is Karen Witemeyer's book. I love, love, love, love Karen Witemeyer. I do. I can't hide the fact. I hoped that the audio book would do her book justice...and it did. I was ALWAYS glad to get back to my audio book. That isn't always the case. Sometimes a book can be great and the audio book not as great because of the narrator chosen. HIGHLY recommend this one.

From the prologue: Ten-year-old Meredith Hayes balled her hands into fists as she faced her tormentor, "Hiram Ellis! Give me back my lunch bucket this instant!"

From chapter one: "I don't show more think I can do it, Cass." Meredith peered up at her cousin through the reflection in the vanity mirror. Cassandra pulled the hairpin from her mouth and secured another section of Meredith's braided chignon. "Do what?" "Marry a man who wants me only for the land I can bring him."

Short-Straw Bride is one of my all-time favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite books. I absolutely love this marriage-of-convenience. Is it a true marriage of convenience? Maybe. Maybe not. The two marry due to circumstances, close to a "shot-gun wedding" if you will. (Though our hero and heroine are innocent of any impropriety.)

Meredith Hayes, our wonderful heroine, overhears a terrible-horrible plot. She's being "courted" by a villain (though she didn't know it at the time). She rides out to the Archer ranch to warn the four Archer brothers....and her time there on the ranch becomes extended after she suffers an injury....her guardian/uncle demands that one of the Archer brothers steps up and does the right thing and marry Meredith.

I really love this super-sweet and delightful romance. I loved Travis Archer. I loved Meredith. I loved ALL of the Archer brothers. I loved everything about this one.

My original review:

This isn't my first Karen Witemeyer book; however, it is the first Karen Witemeyer book that I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED. Short-Straw Bride is a Christian historical romance; it is set in Palestine, Texas in the 1880s.

In the prologue, Travis Archer saves the then-ten-year-old Meredith, her leg having gotten trapped in a hunting trap. The incident stays with her, as you might imagine. First, because she can't forget Travis Archer, he is forever her hero, the stuff of her dreams, despite the fact that that isolated incident is the only time she's seen him. Second, because it left a scar on her leg and the damage to the bone prevented it from growing as it should; one leg being slightly longer than the other.

The novel opens with Meredith all grown up and living with her aunt and uncle who are her guardians. They have arranged a marriage for her with an up-and-coming businessman, Roy Mitchell. Meredith prays for a sign, an indication one way or another if she should marry the man her guardians have chosen for her, or, if she should be stubborn and refuse their choice. And the sign, when it comes, is definite: she not only overhears him calling her a cripple, she overhears him making unethical arrangements to acquire land. He WANTS the Archer land, and since the Archer brothers won't sell, won't negotiate, won't budge, he's decided that if he burns their barn down, it will be a good first step to getting what he wants.

So what's a woman to do? Well, she does try going to the sheriff--or the deputy?--but when she's not taken seriously, when she's instead ridiculed for being a silly woman with a vivid imagination, she does what she must: she rides out to the Archer land herself to warn them. The problem? She doesn't have the time to ride out there and back before nightfall. And she wasn't counting on her cousin giving into the pressure of revealing her whereabouts. So her heroic ride to warn them just in time turns into a compromising reputation-killer. Her uncle demanding that one of the four Archer brothers step forward to marry her....

I admit this one could sound a bit silly to some readers, but, oh how I loved it!!!! I loved Meredith! I loved Travis! I loved their relationship, their marriage, their courtship-coming-after-marriage. I loved seeing how Meredith's presence on the Archer farm transforms the place, transforms the brothers. I loved just about everything in this one!!! There were quite a few giddy-making scenes!

Will Short-Straw Bride appeal to every reader? I doubt it. It's definitely for those that love Christian fiction, those that love Christian historical romance. I could see it having some appeal to non-Christians who love and seek out clean romance novels (smut-free romance novels). show less

(4 1/2 stars!)
So far, reading Karen Witemeyer has been a pure pleasure. The first time I read Head in the Clouds, I fell completely in love with her writing. The richness of the stories she writes and the depths of the characters is both engrossing and addictive. In Short Straw Bride, she did not disappoint. From the beginning, the first meeting between Travis and Meri, the story took off and pulled me along like a very little girl walking a very big, very excited dog.
My favorite character, besides Sadie the dog (because, honestly, who wouldn’t love Sadie?) was actually Myra Jackson. She wasn’t the most prominent of characters. In fact, you only see her in three scenes of the book, but they are meaningful scenes that show what a show more strong character she has. The first is when we see that she is the teacher of the freedman’s school, and she not only does it with patience and kindness, she also does it with intelligence and compassion. The second time we see her, it is when she is advising Meredith on how to go about convincing Travis to “end his courtship.” She shows her maternal instinct and a gentle, friendly sense of humor in that scene. The final time she appears is as part of the rescue mob coming to give Cassie a wedding “shivaree.” She shows bravery and level-headedness, and a determination to do what she has to do to protect her friends and family. In short, she reminds me of my mom. No wonder I like her the best.
Actually, I enjoyed the characters of Travis and Meredith, particularly their interactions in the beginning. Meredith seems fearless and utterly confident; nothing fazes her, including Travis’s ordering her around “for her own good.” And he, poor man, seems to have no idea what to do with the strong-willed woman who has suddenly and irrevocably found her way into his life and his heart. I think it’s incredibly sweet, the way they dance around each other, completely unsure of what the other is thinking or wanting.
Throughout the story, however, the underlying current of unease, knowing that disaster could be right around the corner in the form of the unscrupulous Roy Mitchell keeps you hooked when the relationship issues become too sweet and predictable. You’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it finally does- in spectacular fashion.
I do have to say, though, poor Meredith! She has an incredible penchant for disaster! It’s humorous even while you’re pitying the poor girl and those in charge of keeping her safe. show less

Romance in any form is quite the genre departure for me, but this book is downright huggable, and I'm glad I gave it a chance. Three smiling stars for two characters whose marriage is easy to root for because they're simply so endearing. As is the book itself. The plot goes a little haywire by the end, and the directness ("telling-not-showing") of the style distracted me for the first few chapters until I acclimated to it, but I'm glad I kept reading. I love Travis's protector streak, his stubbornness and insecurities and how these elements of his personality both feed and balance each other. I love Meredith's assertiveness that never falls into annoying "spunk" or unrealistic modern-woman behavior. I love how determined both of them show more are to honor God in an unexpected marriage. Simply an adorable story. show less

Can a short straw bride ever find love?
This story had me instantly hooked. It started out with a good deed that set a precedent for the rest of the story. The theme throughout the book was about loving not only your family, but your neighbors as well. A life without friends and loved ones is really no life at all and Travis learns this the hard way. This was a story filled with courage, hope, and most of all love.
The writing style was captivating and filled with wisdom that really spoke to me. I was hesitant to read this at first because it isn’t the type of book I normally read, but I was so glad that I gave it a chance. It is simply a beautiful story that I would recommend to everyone even if they don’t care for romances because show more it is so much more than that.
Travis is no storybook hero. He is simply a man that has had to grow up way too fast and does his best to protect those he loves. He is very honorable and though he makes mistakes he does his best to live his life the only way he knows how. He was a memorable character and seeing him grow into an even greater man throughout the book was a really enjoyable experience. Through faith, hardships, and his love for his family and Meredith he learns that opening his heart to others is a blessing not a burden.
Meredith was a sweet and strong hearted woman who was no stranger to heartache. She had been bullied from a young age first for her beliefs and then for her unfortunate injury. I admired her greatly for her courage in facing these problems with her chin up and a smile. She did not wallow in despair when tragedy struck instead she fought for what she believed in and stayed strong. She is not perfect however and goes through some moments of weakness, but with help from friends and loves ones she doesn’t stay that way for long. She is a beautiful soul both inside and out. Meredith is a character that will stay in my heart for years to come.
A beautiful story that I highly recommend! show less

This book was a fun read! Imagine falling in love as a young naive girl (Meri) with a reclusive guy (Travis) who frees your leg from a snare. You grow up daydreaming and nightdreamin...building him up into this great man. Then fast-forward to adulthood, she's engaged to a man she can't stand. She overhears a plot threatening the Archer lands. She wastes no time in warning him. However, her actions come with unintended consequences--marriage to a man she only knows in her dreams!

I would think it would be a little tricky to separate the fantasy from reality because we often do allow our imaginations to run away and lead us wherever it may go. But I'm glad that she married Travis Archer because I think they complemented each other in show more different ways. Being a short-straw bride turned out well for her!

Great story. I want to continue the series! show less