What a joy of a book! Whitemeyer's characters in More than Words Can Say are quirky, but genuine and the storyline is appealing. Any reader can see where much of the story is going, as Abigail, the plump and charming baker enters into a marriage of convenience with Zach, a big man with a big mystery -- but it's such a fun trip getting there! Several times I laughed out loud at the dialogue. Major themes in this book are family, faith, and moving foward from past mistakes. Five well-deserved stars from me!

I loved this book! I loved the marriage of convenience store, but I also loved the theme of forgiveness.

One of the reasons I read Christian Fiction is because it includes spiritual truths. This book was full of reminders to trust God and also that he can forgive anything if we ask. Both are truly important reminders.

I also appreciate the clean romance. This one was full of heated kisses, some flirting, and lots of love. It was an especially good romance to watch unfold. Probably one of my favorites in historical fiction lately.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

My Review:

Genre: Historical, romance, western, Christian fiction.

My Rating: 4 stars.

My Recommendation: 16-18 up, warnings below.

My Favorite Character/s: Zach, the gruff older brother from the first book in the series. I've been waiting for more about him since I read the first book. Zach is one of many of Witemeyer's heroes that I loved getting to know as he made choices that he thought was right but may have had harsh consequences. Zach is also my second favorite male lead character of the author's - my first being Gideon Westcott in Head in The Clouds which is my favorite of all Karen Witemeyer's books.

My Verse for Zach is Romans 10:9
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (King James Version.)

My Thoughts: Witemeyer is my go-to author for humorous and faith-filled stories of love. And this one no different! It was sweet, funny, and yet serious. This was so good and I loved it so much and am forcing myself not to reread it now. *sighs*

Warnings: A character had in the past made some bad choices and there are some mentions of it as the book goes on. I suggest that if you're under 16/17 you have a friend or parent read it first. It isn't that it is shown over much but that it isn't something that you will want to read.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review and am truly happy to provide it.

Review to post on my blog on May 31st 2019.

MORE THAN WORDS CAN SAY by KAREN WITEMEYER is beautiful love story, with very real characters that you won't forget in a hurry. You can feel their joys and sorrows as well as see the Lord at work in their lives. The book follows More Than Meets The Eye, also well worth reading, but can be read as a stand alone.
The story starts in the small town of Honey Grove in 1896, with Abigail Kemp having to make a plan to save her bakery, where she and her beautiful younger sister, Rosalind, make a living.
There is so much in this book, but mostly it is about a marriage of convenience which turns into so much more. There are secrets, there is intrigue, romance and fierce loyalty towards family, which make for an interesting read. The importance of forgiveness, especially towards one's self, and the acceptance of the Lord's forgiveness, is also addressed. I love the author's humour - she has such a great way of writing!
I am not going to tell you any more in case I spoil the read for you.
I really cannot recommend this book highly enough for the heart warming story and good Christian message running through it.
i was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are copletely my own.

I always love a book written about a marriage of convenience. It's a part of history that is interesting, hard to imagine and a little bit crazy! These sweet characters jumped into a life together. Hardship, past struggles, an unknown need for love and a new friendship was the perfect starting point for this couple. Their journey of faith, passion and a desire for something more was pleasure to read.

Another wonderful book from Karen! This was the sequel to “More than meets the eye”. It was Zach story. I couldn’t wait to see what happened to Zach! He was so mysterious and angry and you couldn’t help but want what his siblings had found...love! Leave it to a business contract to secure that for both Zach and Abby.
The epilogue left possibility of another book, so if that happens I can’t wait to see what will happen.

Absolutely LOVED this story! This long awaited sequel to "More Than Meets the Eye" was worth the wait! Excellent story of Zach Hamilton, a man that is largely non emotional, but feels deeply for others meets Abby, a young lady that is energetic and lively, who runs the town bakery. She asks him to marry her, and he reluctantly (at first) agrees. A humorous tale ensues, with a great ending! Loved it! Definitely will read again and again!

I really enjoyed this book! However, I can't help but feel like I"ve missed something....either there wasn't enough character set-up or there is another book in this series (?) that comes before this one...I'm not sure. Either way, there was enough backstory for me to be able to follow along and understand the motivations behind each of the main characters here. The ending was super sweet and totally unexpected!

First comes marriage than comes love. A marriage of convenience to save her family business brings about its own complications and often plans gone awry. A sweet clean read that is a great continuation of this series.

I always love Karen Witemeyer's books and this one is no different. Looking forward to the next tale in this series.

This is an entertaining story of a young couple who marry because of Abby’s unusual business situation. Zach and Abby have been attracted to each other for some time. However, it’s not until Abby asks Zach to marry her to save her family business that they acknowledge, even to themselves, that attraction. Giving up their individual independence to marry was a big consideration, but Zach and Abby want to make their marriage work. Before they marry, Zach tells Abby that he does not want a marriage-in-name-only, but a “real” marriage in every respect. Abby agrees, and Zach’s efforts to court Abby after they are married do not always go as planned.

This storyline features the importance of taking care of family; helping your community; and taking care of those in need. Zach and Abby find that although they each have heartache in their past, God’s faithfulness and forgiveness will show them a future brighter than anything they could have imagined.

One note about the story: Because Zach and Abby’s marriage begins as a marriage of convenience, there is part of the storyline that follows Abby’s indecision as to stop sharing a room with her sister and move into Zach’s room with him after they are married and having their marriage become “real” in every respect. There’s nothing inappropriate in this, and all scenes in the book are clean and sweet. I’m only mentioning this in case you are a reader that would be uncomfortable with that part of the story. It still fits well into the guidelines of Christian fiction. The faith aspect of trusting God to provide all needs was the part of the story I enjoyed the most and is the major theme of this book.

I always enjoy reading Karen Witemeyer’s stories and I’m already looking forward to her next book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.