A Tailor-Made Bride

First sentence: "Red? Have you no shame, Auntie Vic? You can't be buried in a scarlet gown."

Hannah Richards inherits a piece of property in Coventry, Texas. At last she'll have a place to open up a dress shop of her own (she's a seamstress.) Not everyone in town is pleased to see her. Jericho "J.T." Tucker had previous plans for that property. He's also cranky and stand-offish because he is quick to judge. In his eyes, ANY person who encourages vanity is suspect. And what could promote vanity more quickly than a shop that sells new fashions??? That's how he judges the situation--after three seconds of knowing her. Fortunately, his sister, Delia, is kinder and more open-minded. In fact, she becomes quite friendly with his sister. Others show more in town seem to open up to her as well--though there is a big difference between being friendly, having cocoa, making small talk, and spending cash in the shop. There's a good chance that her business fails if no one in town comes to buy anything. But Hannah does find herself belonging in town...for the most part.

Delia, Jericho's sister, has a cross on Ike Franklin (the postmaster? telegraph operator?). Warren (I can't remember his last name, but it might start with an H????) feels some ownership over Delia simply because Delia is super-sweet and super-nice and super-friendly. She doesn't single him out for extra attention. But she doesn't treat him differently than how she treats everyone. And in this friendless guy's perspective, that makes her the one. A woman that doesn't shun him? Obviously, she's the one who will make him happy forever and ever. When Delia begins to correct Warren--remind him that she does not like-like him, that she has no interest in him courting her, that she does not want to marry him, that she does not welcome his attention or advances, Warren decides that it is Hannah's fault. These two are now besties.

Can Jericho keep his sister and Hannah safe?

One of the slight issues that I have with this one is that Hannah strongly encourages Delia to lose weight in order to feel more beautiful and confident so that she can begin to pursue Ike Franklin's attention more directly. It's a not so subtle message that if you want to get the attention of a man, then lose weight, buy a new dress, get a new haircut and you're well on your way to everything you want in life. Hannah herself is big on exercise. I am NOT on Team Warren. Warren argues that Delia is being given bad advice. That Hannah is trying to transform Delia into something she's not. I think you can NOT be on Team Creepy-Stalker and still question the messages. Delia is SUCH an awesome character, she doesn't need to be "fixed" to get her happy ending. show less

This was one of the better historical Christian romances I've read in awhile. The characters were very real and had their own depth and personality, right down to the widow next door and her kids. What made it better, was that despite this being Ms. Witemeyer's first novel (never would have guessed!) it had some new twists to the tale. When I saw that J.T. had a 'problem' with dressmakers I figured it had something to do with a past lady love or loves that had burned him. We've certainly seen that story before... But not Ms. Witemeyer's angle. The history woven into each and everyone of the characters and the sweet ways their individual histories bring them together make this a real gem. Definitely a good book to curl up and get lost in show more for a spell. show less

Hannah Richards is convinced of God's leading when she receives a small store front in the railroad town of Coventry, Texas where she can finally fulfill her dream of opening her own dress shop. However, the local liveryman, Jericho Tucker, is less than thrilled at Hannah's arrival as he believes any attempts to follow fashion just feed vanity at the expense of any other consideration. As Hannah begins to settle into Coventry, Jericho is forced to reconsider his point of view and as he does, he realizes that Hannah might be just what he and the town have needed all along.

A perfectly enjoyable Christian historical romance. As is usual with Witemeyer she creates strong characters who are flawed and who grow in their faith over the course show more of the novel. Recommended for those who enjoy these kind of reads. show less

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The characters were richly developed with unique personalities.

The main characters are Hannah, a seamstress who impresses an elderly woman customer so much that she is willed the deed to a shop. Jericho (J.T.) who runs a lively service in the small town of Coventry, Texas in the 1880s. There are several minor characters who added much to the humor and inventiveness to this book.

This book probably classifies as a Christian historical romance. What attracted me initially was the Hannah was a very skilled seamstress just like my mother and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the sewing terms and methods. It brought back memories of the fashions portrayed in Peterson’s magazines with show more bustles, ruffles, and lace. A beautiful example of the styles of the time is the beautiful traveling suit on the cover of the book.
Another memory spark came from the description of Hannah’s treadle machine. It reminded me of the one that mother used to have.

I also enjoyed learning about the exercise regimes of the time. This makes me even more interested in this period of history.

There is something for everyone in this book. There was an adventure scene that would have been great if this book was ever made into a moving. You will need to read it for yourself to learn about that.

There were some lessons in this book about beauty, vanity and love but they were so integral to the story that they seemed like the fine lace on the dresses.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a great historical romance with the bonus of humor. show less

Hannah Richards is a seamstress in a fine dress shop in San Antonio. Her excellent skill and sweet disposition endear her to a wealthy client, who generously gives her the deed to a shop in the small town of Coventry, Texas, so Hannah can open her very own shop. Believing God is directing her steps, she purchases what she needs to open her shop and travels to Coventry to begin her new life. J.T. Tucker, owner of Coventry's livery, is hired to drive Hannah and her belongings from the depot to her shop. He's not impressed with her fancy clothes and feels she must be vain and shallow. Hannah cannot understand why J.T.'s actions toward her are very kind, but his manner is very gruff. Needless to say, they are curious of each other and in show more seeking to understand each other, begin to feel an attraction. They both feel the other is a study in contradiction, and this is the cause for many entertaining situations.

Secondary characters round out the story quite nicely, from Tom, J.T.'s child-like employee, to the widow's children both Hannah and J.T. try to help, to J.T.'s own sister, Cordelia, and finally Ezra, the sad and lonely widower with very poor hygiene. The town of Coventry is a lovely setting for the charming story. Hannah and J.T.'s romance is slow and sweet, and wonderfully paced.

As this is the author's first book, however, there were a few elements which kept me from giving it a 5-star rating. For one, the reasons why Hannah and J.T. were so drawn to each other is not fully explained. They both admire each other's kindness, but more internal dialogue is needed to make their feelings for one another more believable. (Hannah reminds J.T. of his selfish mother, who left the family when they were children. This seems like an enormous obstacle he'd have to overcome before his feelings for Hannah could grow to admiration, much less love.) Likewise, he was so grouchy and ill-tempered toward Hannah that I could not understand what would make her think he would be a good husband to her. As strong a character as she was, I didn't expect her to allow him to get away with his surly attitude so much.

All in all, it was a very charming book, filled with memorable characters in a lovely setting. The romance is light and pure, and the Scripture references enhance the plot without overwhelming the story. As a debut novel, it is remarkably well-written, and I am looking forward to reading more from Karen Witemeyer. I believe she is an author who will continue to get better and better with each new novel. show less

I figured this would be yet another hum-drum historical romance, though the concept of a dressmaker as the main character intrigued me. So, I read it… keeping in mind that it’s Witemeyer’s debut novel… and found myself pleasantly surprised by the characters, the story, and the overall feel of the novel.

To begin, the main character seems like a flawless heroine — that is, until she meets the hero, a young liveryman. When you read a book like this, you expect that they’ll hate each other from the beginning (despite the initial physical attraction), so that’s nothing new… but the real gem of this novel was the way the love story played out. Both hero and heroine exchange heated words on more than one occasion, and the show more heroine goes out of her way to learn the hero’s real name so she can taunt him with it, simply because he hates it.

Yes, it sounds trite when I write it down, but I thought the heroine was pretty darn cruel with some of her insults and how she responded to the hero, and I liked it. It felt real and natural, and the relationship as a whole drew out very well to the expected conclusion.

On the other hand, some of the subplots were a bit weak, especially the subplot featuring the hero’s sister and the man who wants to marry her (but she doesn’t feel the same way). The man’s reactions are violent and severe, but we don’t really see this until more than halfway through the book. It felt as though this subplot was missing some buildup, or like it was inserted after the fact to fill up more space in the story.

I understand what the author was trying to do with it, but it didn’t work for me.

In Conclusion…

Despite the awkward proportions of the people on the front cover (seriously… look at where the man’s knee should be and then where his waist is, then look at the woman… what the HECK?!?!), the story itself is sweet, relatively well-drawn, and more realistic than some historical romances I’ve recently read. We have a main character and supporting cast who are depicted as real people with real flaws, and although some of the subplots weigh down the story, I commend Witemeyer for her realistic historical portrayal of the period and for giving us a love story that doesn’t seem overly ‘set up’, if you will.

It’s the kind of novel you’d pick up on a rainy day if nothing else was around, or that you could pass on to a family member (or your mother) without feeling too awkward about it.

I will say that the Christian element is stronger in this book than in some of the other Blog Tour books I’ve reviewed, so if that’s not your thing, I’m not sure this one would be up your alley. Still, I didn’t find that it overwhelmed the story, so each potential reader will have to make a judgment call based on their level of comfort with Christian content.

If you’re interested in learning more about the author and why she wrote this book, here’s a LINK to a Q & A she did with the publisher — enjoy!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group. show less

A Taylor Made Bride was a very nice "fluffy" read that strangely enough, kept my attention the whole time.

The female protagonist Hannah is instantly lovable despite Jericho's attempt to ignore her. Jericho kind of begins as an antagonist but quickly turns good guy you can't help but love. The plot is pretty simple and won't rise any spiritually probing questions, but is soft and inspiring the whole way through. Although the attempt at suspense at the end is a little weak, the rest of the book is well written. I would definitely recommend A Taylor Made Bride to anyone who asks for a light, heart warming read; but would warn away from it if you're looking for a life-changing book.