There are times when I wonder why it took me so long to read a book? I have had this on my reading list for a long time and I finally settled into reading it.

Zach and Abigail are wonderful characters. Abigail has some self-esteem issues. She doesn't think she is much of a catch, but fortunately, Zach does. Her proposal of marriage came as a surprise to him, but his regard for her eventually won him over.

This is a "marriage of convenience that turns into something more" book. I loved Zach's strategy to turn it into a real marriage between two loving partners. He was so patient with her. He is one of the good guys, even though he has a past that he isn't proud of.

The book held a few surprises. It was a book that I needed. Pure fun with a good message.

Source: I requested a copy from Netgalley a few years ago. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Abigail Kemp is an excellent baker but she can't have her own business because of a city council ruling that says that only a man can own a business in Honey Grove, Texas in 1896. She realizes that the only solution is to find a husband and she finds the perfect candidate. Marriage is the farthest thing from her perfect candidate's mind but suddenly, Zacharias Hamilton finds himself married to Abigail Kemp!
As we read Abby and Zach's story we see how their initial liking of each other turns to something more and we see how their individual faith offers them an amazing chance to share a Christian walk together. Zach is such a special person and I loved how he continually encourages Abby. She doesn't believe that she is attractive but Zach convinces her that she is very attractive indeed. Abby truly loves running a business and as she thinks about being married she doesn't see why she can't do both. It is after reading the story of Mary and Martha in the New Testament that Abigail realizes that she is "a Martha" and that she has allowed her work to take precedence over family matters. In a tender and poignant moment Zach reassures her with his advice. "We can't change the past," he said, stroking the side of her face. "All we can do is strive not to make the same mistakes in the future."
And, by the way, did I mention the incredible chemistry between the two of them? You can just feel Abigail's struggle as she considers if this marriage could be so much more than just a marriage of convenience and you can imagine Zach's frustration as he shares a platonic relationship with such a beautiful woman!
I appreciate it when an author can subtly share the message of God's love and mercy in an enjoyable story and this is exactly what happens in More Than Words Can Say. Abby's tells Zach that "None of us deserve absolution, Zach. It is a gift freely given. A gift that is waiting for you. All you have to do is accept it." Her comment is a reminder that forgiveness is a key factor in any successful relationship and that we all must be willing to extend forgiveness to others just as God has extended forgiveness to each of us.
Author Karen Witemeyer has written a historical romance story filled with humor and faith and she has succeeded in making me want to read the next book in the Patchwork Family series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and I have chosen to share my own opinions in this review.

I'm always a HUGE fan of opposite-attract love stories! Such a fun plot packed with sexual tension and dreamy romance! It's no wonder why Witemeyer has the loyal fanbase she does! More Than Words Can Say is charming, witty, and sweet. Recommend!

More Than Meets the Eye introduces the stoic, protective Zacharias Hamilton, and More Than Words Can Say delves further into his character with Karen Witemeyer’s trademark charm and humor. It’s a delightful novel that will not leave fans disappointed.

In the small town of Honey Grove, Texas, Zach thinks he is finally free to live the life he wants—until an archaic ordinance brings baker Abigail Kemp to his door. She needs a man’s name on her bakery’s deed and proposes a marriage of convenience. Still, there is plenty of trouble in store, and together, Zach and Abby must overcome the obstacles and perhaps, find love in the process.

I always love a good marriage-of-convenience story, and Witemeyer writes this one so well. Equally awkward and adorable, the relationship between Zach and Abby grows naturally (with plenty of chemistry) as they deal with secrets, longings for independence, and forgiveness, and I so enjoyed seeing their story unfold. A pleasure to read, More Than Words Can Say is a historical-romance must-read.

A book that takes place in a small town I actually have visited a few times and a plump baker who is completely adorable? Yes, please! For five of my growing-up years, I lived just a few miles from Honey Grove, Texas, but I didn’t know any of the history of this town that was shared in this book (assuming the research was accurate). I must say, I’m now curious and want to learn much more about this darling little town.

The fact that the baker wasn’t as petite as the cover indicated made me smile. Of course, I wish the cover designers would have chosen a model who better reflected the plus-size of the leading lady. Tsk, tsk! But the story surrounding Miss Abigail Kemp was amazing, and she brought enough spunk to the table that I forgot she wasn’t properly portrayed on the cover. (Though, that dimple on the cover model’s cheek is perfect and matches the one featured in the story.)

The leading man, Mr. Zach Hamilton, was a sweet surprise for me. I had really liked him in book one in the Patchwork Family series, but this story featured him as a lead, and that allowed the author to fully explore the depths of his character. I liked what I learned about him this time around!

One thing both characters had in common was a mistaken perception of their past deeds. So many times, we get an idea stuck in our minds about how things happened, but the perception for others might be different. It’s only when we seek God’s truth about it that we learn where our true mistakes were and what steps we may take to patch up any bridges with people and also learn what we can from those past events. I think this journey was well expressed in this book, and I love that both characters could figure out some hard truths in their journeys that can also apply to readers’ personal lives.

The unique spin on the marriage of convenience genre was special and neat. I liked that Abigail was marrying to save her business rather than to keep her family together or something. Not that I don’t enjoy that other type of story; I do. But this one gave more variety to the genre than many of the other marriage of convenience stories I’ve read lately. I enjoyed seeing the bakery play a huge part in the plot, because so often the leads’ careers take a back seat to the romance. Not so with this one! The bakery was front and center, and I rather liked that.

This story was fun, entertaining, charming, quirky, and challenging. The author’s trademark humor was in top form, and she dipped into deeper waters with the main themes but knew when to pull back into lighter tones at just the right moments. I especially adored how children came to be involved in the plot in a couple of different spots, and the references back to Zach’s siblings were perfect.

Only a handful of things were disappointing to me. There was one mention of a character swearing to the Lord. There were a few references to “big man” or “big fellow” when in reference to God. Those are very disrespectful terms for a reverent and holy God, and I’m disappointed every time I hear them, for the lack of respect they convey. The sensuality in this story was heavier than in other Witemeyer books. While it flirted with the line between chaste and tawdry, it managed to stay on the more innocent side of things, though there were a couple of moments that I wasn’t sure which way it would go.

I wish this series could continue forever, but I suppose I’ll instead have to look forward to the next series by this author.

Content: “big man” and “big fellow” in reference to God several times, one character swore to the Lord once, sensuality (flirted with the line but did not cross it), mentions of gambling (but not seen on-page)

Karen Witemeyer's second novel in her wonderful Patchwork Family series, More Than Words Can Say, releases June 4th, and you will not want to miss it!

I was privileged to work on Karen's promo team for both More Than Meets The Eye (the 1st book in the series) and More Than Words Can Say, and have greatly enjoyed the experience and the books. Though I received this book in advance and am on Karen's team, it was with the understanding that I would give an HONEST review of the book. I am in no way obligated to give a good review if I don't feel it deserves one. Thankfully for me, Karen never disappoints with her stories. She continues to produce superbly woven tales with earthy characters, interesting plots, and a beautiful message weaved throughout the story.

In More Than Words Can Say, the reader gets a front row seat to Zacharias "Zach" Hamilton's deeper story. We first met Zach in More Than Meets The Eye, but he was on the fringes, the dark, mysterious character within the story. More Than Words Can Say brings him front and center and really helps the readers that have been following this series gain a fuller understanding of his past and what drives him.

I found Zach such an interesting character right from the beginning when we met him in the Prologue of More Than Meets The Eye as a 13 year old boy on an orphan train, on through to the end as a full grown man who has done the best he could in raising his adoptive siblings and keeping them safe, albeit making mistakes and a few questionable decisions along the way. Those very mistakes and decisions haunt him like ghosts on through to More Than Words Can Say. The question is: Will he be able to come to terms with them and accept the forgiveness that God has already given him?

More Than Words Can Say also introduces a set of new characters and a new town, though Evangeline, Seth (Zach's siblings), and Logan (Evie's husband and a reminder of Zach's greatest ghost) all make a brief appearance as well. The heroine of this story is Abigail Kemp, owner of the town's bakery. Faced with losing the bakery, which is Abigail's means to provide a home and future for her sister and herself, she turns to drastic measures to hold onto her beloved business. But will she succeed? And more importantly, will she find something more important to her than her business?

I love the way Karen weaves her stories, creating characters that are earthy, real, and flawed. In More Than Words Can Say, we have a man who is far out of his depth with communication, particularly when it comes to how he feels, and a woman who see's herself as fat and undesirable, rather than a "fearfully and wonderfully" made young woman who deserves love and admiration. Witemeyer gives the reader the enjoyable experience of watching these two learn and grow, while banding together to help one another. And Spoil Alert! There is a happy ending. ;)

I'd highly recommend this book. It's well written, keeps you interested until the very end, and is a joy to read. Karen never disappoints.

Ms. Witemeyer always writes good books. I can't wait for her next title in a series, they are always detailed in description and character. Her plots are always full of twists and turns and her character's either are eccentric or have unusual occupations. More than Words can Say is a follow up to More than meets the eye. If you read More than Meets the Eye then you found yourself wanting to know more of Zacharias Hamilton, a tough introvert, with a big heart.

In More than Words Can Say, Zacharias meets his match in Abigail Kemp. She is a feisty, outgoing young lady who knows what she wants...and what she wants is to keep her Bakery Business going and remain the Woman Entrepreneur she longs to be. To do that she has to find a husband, quick, to be her, in name only, partner so that the town council will allow her bakery to stay in business and she can continue to run things as she has.

Zacharias finds himself agreeing to the unusual contract because he's attracted to Abigail and her sticky buns; but Zacharias is not a pushover. Still he becomes a strong supporter of Abby the longer they continue their budding relationship.

Both have deep secrets that could undermine their, in name only, marriage but this read is worth the time to find out what those secrets are and how everything turns out, no pun intended. I received this ebook through Netgalley from Bethany House. The opinions expressed are my own.

O my! More Than Words Can Say by Karen Witemeyer basically jumped off the page and read the story itself to me. It's extremely visual with tons of great characters and plot lines that had me going and going. Let's back-track a bit. Karen Witemeyer is one of my favorite authors. That being said, I've never been disappointed with any of her stories I've read, but as with any favorites, I try not to bring my expectations too high, in case I'd get disappointed. I'm more than happy to announce that this story will not disappoint, even for those that are not a fan of historical novels.

The characters are perfectly presented, each unique in their own way, with a backstory that gives them all depth and most importantly, flawed. Yes, flawed. They're not perfect, but that's why they make perfect characters for readers to get to know and invest their time in to have our own opinions about them - either to love them, dislike them or anything in between. All the main and secondary characters rounds out a story that gives readers a glimpse into their past and their present during the course of the start to the end of the novel, but with a good book, it gives readers the imagination of a future.

The start of a story of an unconventional marriage bounds for laughter, awkwardness and some great dialogue. Yet, it's the themes of forgiveness and self-confidence that highlights More Than Words Can Say from good to great. How well it is threaded throughout the story, gave readers the expectant time to build up to full comprehension. In all, a wonderful story of entertainment with timeless messages that correlate to the modern day reader.

This is such a sweet story. I loved the characters and storyline. I liked how strong the females are in stories. Even though some are mean, the main character was able to stay calm and not sink to their level. She also fought to stay above her issues. The main male character is simply amazing. I love how his background is not so clean and how he had to survive. I honestly didn't know this was the second book to series. It was great on it's own. Now I can't wait to read the first book. Happy reading my friends.

Here’s a story that is a <i>good</i> example of a marriage-of-convenience stories! How could I expect less, since it’s a Karen Witemeyer novel? Once again she proves herself one of my favorite authors with this gently romantic, humorous story of a woman business owner whose town board decided to force her to marry in order to keep her business. While I wanted to kick the corrupt mayor to the curb, of course, I was in the wrong time frame to do so, and the hero was a great option!

But naturally the independent heroine isn’t as easily convinced. She’s skeptical of men, especially after the town gangs up on her in order to give her and her business to the smarmy town favorite who’d rather shmooze the mayor than to make himself more worthy of the woman he supposedly loves.

There were a few things that weren’t super believable, but honestly Witemeyer is such an engaging author that I really tend to just swallow down whatever delightful plot she throws my way and beg for more. I just wish she could write faster than one book a year! I binged her entire backlist the first year I discovered her and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required. Review is based off a final paperback copy.

This wasn't my favorite offering of Witemeyer. I like this series but I didn't fall in love with the romance in this book. I found myself skipping some pages at the end. I didn't like the female lead very much and that kept me from really enjoying this one.

This novel is too cute! I loved watching Zach and Abby find their way to each other. I loved that Zach loved Abby as she was and wholly devoted himself to her. I loved that Abby understood Zach's quiet nature and never pressed him to say more than he wanted. And I looooovvvvvvveeeeeeed the chemistry between Zach and Abby!

The romance is definitely a highlight, but I also enjoyed the other relationships in the book—between Abby and her sister, Zach and his co-worker, and even Abby and her antagonist.

Here's the mark of a good book: I finished reading it two weeks ago, I've read multiple books since I finished it, and I'm still thinking about it! It's probably the most enjoyable historical romance I've read this year.

Karen has once again crafted a meaningful story of love, forgiveness, redemption and grace. When reading this story, the message of God's love being an important part of any type of relationship shines through loud and clear.

The main characters are described in such depth and realistic detail that one immediately becomes engrossed and involved in their lives. The reader easily identifies with characters who are just like ourselves, less than perfect. Abigail who has always struggled with her weight and is very self conscious about her looks, can not believe that any male could ever be attracted to her. Even when confronted with the difficult situation of a female owning property, she failed to think that anyone would be attracted to her without promises of something to be gained. Zach is a true jewel! He not only consents to the marriage of convenience, but does so with grace and true love, although undisclosed. These two imperfect people represent all of us. We need to always look above for our help in our rough times. We are far too hard on ourselves.These endearing characters, alongside the somewhat quirky, whimsical secondary figures exhibit the author's wit and sense of humor.

The plot, although starting off at a very slow pace, once established, moves along well with just enough unexpected twists and turns to keep the reader glued to the page. The underlying meaning shines clearly throughout the many problems and challenges experienced by these dear people. We all need to pay attention to this message. Forgiveness of self and others is required in order for us to experience true happiness. Whether the family is connected by blood naturally or a "patchwork" of individuals, we must all consider ourselves perfect in God's sight. Faith , trust and forgiveness are requirements to a truly happy life!! God can help each of us achieve that goal, as Karen has described with her collection of characters and events.

A fantastic book!! Worthy of five stars! Eagerly awaiting the next book from this talented author!

This book was received from CelebrateLit. The thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own. A positive review was not required.

I enjoyed this story. The second book in the Patchwork Family series. Zach Hamilton from the first book has started his life after raising his "sister and brother". He meets Abby Kemp the baker in the town where he lives, she needs a husband in order to keep her bakery. He agrees to marry her and in the process the two fall in love. It's a story of trusting God and seeing what He will do.

First book that I have read by Karen Witemeyer and I was not disappointed. Being pulled into the characters dilemma had me endeared to them from the start.

I just love it when a book makes me laugh-out-loud and this book delivered some laughter all right! My favorite quote from the book was from chapter 2 which said “Choosing a husband was much like choosing a good baguette. One looked for a strong outer shell, a tender interior, and most importantly, a tractability of dough to hold whatever shape the baker deemed appropriate.” I found myself reading this out loud to anyone who would listen 😊 If you want to laugh and enjoy some great light-hearted fiction, this is the one!!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.


*** Also posted on CBD , B&N

I loved this story! The setting of the bakery is one that I know well, having worked in a bakery for years. I enjoyed the characters and their sweet romance.

More than Words Can Say is a historical fiction set in the late 1800’s in Honey Grove, Texas. It is the second book in the Patchwork Family Series, however it can be read as a standalone novel. Karen Witemeyer has written a fictional story about a real town, her details would delight anyone familiar with the town or its history. I enjoyed Abigail Kemp and her determination to keep her inheritance and her family’s legacy. She also demonstrated forgiveness and understanding when many would choose another route. Zacharias “Zach” Hamilton has already sacrificed to raise a family once, but finds himself drawn to Abigail and want to not only save her legacy but save her from a loveless marriage. Zach grew the most as a character to me, he went from a character that confused me to one that I loved. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters, it was entertaining while still being believable. I am looking forward to the concluding novella in the series.

I received a copy of this book from celebrate lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.

More Than Words Can Say is book two in the Patchwork Family series, and was written by Karen Witemeyer. It is not necessary to have read book one in order to enjoy this one.
Summary: Abigail Kemp loves working in the family bakery she inherited from her father. But when an obscure town law threatens to shut her business down for good, she is desperate to do whatever it takes to stop that from happening-even if it means proposing to one of the town’s bachelors.
Can Abigail save the bakery? And what of the threats against her sister, and the hostile animosity radiating from her former best friend? Can she really lean on God to help her through it all?
My Thoughts: This was an OK book for me. It has a good story line and interesting characters, but it definitely focused on romance more than I normally enjoy reading.
I would say the only real problem I had with it though, was how difficult it was to remember which time period it was written in. It seemed to be written in the present, but then would start talking about horses and carriages. It was a bit confusing, because although I do believe it was meant to be in the distant past, there were some things that just didn’t seem consistent with that time period-for example, there even being a bakery in the old west. For me, it kind of wavered in between two different time periods. Other than that though, it was an enjoyable book-especially if you like romance.
I would like to thank Bethany House for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

A cute, light hearted romance. If you’re a fan of Karen Witdmeyer you won’t be disappointed in this newest book of hers,