Karen Witemeyer just keeps getting better and better! I've been reading Karen's books for several years now and I've enjoyed them all but I think this is my new favorite. I love how she manages to have 2 love stories going at the same time and how she expertly weaves bible verses and trust in God throughout.

In The Heart's Charge not only do we get one handsome man on horseback, but two! Maybe it's because I grew up with a cowboy for a dad, but I'm a sucker for a rugged man on a horse. I equally enjoyed Jonah and Eliza's story as well as Mark and Kate's. Of course with Karen's books we always get adventure and excitement, plus we get all the kids that live at Harmony House. I wouldn't mind seeing future books with Abner or Rawley in them.

If you love Christian Historical fiction like I do, definitely give this one a read. I think you'll enjoy it just like I did!

Special thanks to NetGalley for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

THE HEART'S CHARGE is the second novel in the Hanger's Horsemen series by KAREN WITEMEYER. Although it can easily stand alone, I strongly suggest you read the first book in the series, for pure enjoyment.
The story takes place in 1894 in Llana County, Texas, where Katherine Palmer and Eliza Southerland have started the Harmony House Foundling Home.
Jonah Brooks and Mark Wallace are ex-military and members of Hanger's Horsemen. They are involved, first of all, with delivering a baby and taking it to the foundling home, and then with trying to catch some "kiddy-snatchers".
The book is well written, and, although the author deals with some serious issues, there is some humour as the very real characters interact with one another. I like the camaraderie between the horsemen, Kate and Eliza, and of course the children. There is some romance, nail biting suspense, and an excellent Christian message which blends beautifully into the story.
It is altogether a most enjoyable and exciting read and one I can highly recommend.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Whenever I open a Karen Witemeyer novel I know I am in for a story that is just pure goodness and that was once again the case with this second book in the Hanger’s Horsemen series! I will admit to a little confusion at the start because I didn’t read the synopsis clearly and didn’t realize there were two couples. But once I sorted everything out I settled in and enjoyed the story.
I like both Jonah and Mark when we met them in the first book so I was excited to get their stories. I would have liked more time with all four of the Horsemen together but the friendship between Jonah and Mark gave enough of a taste of the team’s camaraderie.
Mark was the friendly sort, quick to make anyone at ease but he also had a strength that made him excel at his job as a Horseman.
Jonah was more on the serious side, a life of being overlooked or judged had taught him to keep to himself, but he had a kind heart and would do anything to help someone in need.
Meeting Kate and Eliza for the first time I wasn’t sure what to think of them but they quickly grew on me and showed themselves to be the perfect pairings for Mark and Jonah. Kate was the softer of the two with a heart that just ached to love society’s outcasts. And Eliza may have been the sterner of the two but she loved the kids just as fiercely.
Because Mark and Kate had a past relationship the fact that their romance moved quickly made total sense and I loved getting to see them reconnect! Jonah and Eliza’s pacing was a little slower as they didn’t have the benefit of history and they had more walls to break down, but moving slower worked for them and was a good balance for the more whirlwind relationship.
I really appreciated how the author handled the tougher topics that came up like race and illegitimacy, painting a historically accurate picture but also shining a light on how wrong things were handled all without turning it into a soapbox that took away from the actual story.
All in all this was another fantastic book from Witemeyer and I’m looking forward to hopefully getting Preach’s story next!

I love this series. After the Civil War a group of soldiers that fought together organized their own group, Hanger's Horsemen," to help people that needed it in the rowdy land in Texas that they decided to settle in. Two of the horsemen are traveling back to their "headquarters" when they come across a grieving widow who is giving birth all alone in a line shack. Mark, one of the two, delivers the baby but the woman refuses to keep it. Knowing the baby needs care and not knowing what to do with it, he takes it with him and they seek out a foundling home nearby. When he takes the baby there, the woman who answers the door is the girl that refused to marry him before the war back East. They are both shocked to see each other. Mark and his partner get involved with helping the two ladies running the foundling home with all the things that need fixing there. There is a lot of suspense involved and it's just overall a very interesting story. The orphans at the home and the homeless kids roaming the area are all in need of love and these ladies are dedicated to trying to help them. But kids are coming up missing and so Hanger's Horsemen take on the case and start looking for the outlaws that are stealing kids.

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Karen Witemeyer writes enjoyable books with great characters. The Hangers Horseman series has been excellent and leaves the reader waiting eagerly for the next book. Due to the nature of the series, these books can be read as standalone novels.

This story has two concurrent stories; meaning two heroes and two heroines. This worked well in terms of the character and story development. The book moved at a good pace and didn't lack action.

I got this book free in exchange for an honest review. This is one I would gladly pay for as I would for the author's other books. They just have that little something extra that add them to my top reads list and I regularly recommend them to others.

'The Almighty had his hands on this. He assigned the Horsemen this duty, and I ain't about to argue with him. Are you?'

Karen Witemeyer kicked off this series last year with 'At Love's Command' and I was blown away by how wonderful it was! It made my top reads of the year for 2020. I absolutely loved it so much and was on pins and needles until the second book in the series came out. Now it's here and I am once again just amazed at her talent.

This is Mark and Jonah's story. As they are headed home after a horse sale, they travel by a cabin where a lone woman is in the throes of childbirth. From there, they must head to a foundling home where Mark is shocked to see the woman who once turned down a marriage proposal. She and another woman run the home. Soon after, they discover some serious crimes are being committed, and being two members of Hanger's Horsemen, cannot turn aside without trying to catch the culprits.

'He'd battled raiding Indians, survived being shot by rustlers, and outsmarted deadly outlaws as part of an elite military squad. He could lay siege to a woman's heart and wear down her resistance.'

Jonah also finds himself faced with a wonderful woman who truly acts as if she can't stand the sight of him. Eliza knows better than to trust a man and has determined she will remain on her own the rest of her life. But she hasn't figured on the absolute integrity of this man. Jonah's character was just done so incredibly well. And let me tell you, his horse, Augustus, was one of the true heroes of this story! I loved that horse so much! Well done!

Karen Witemeyer has always been a favorite of mine, but this series is my total favorite of her work! I am proud to have her books on my shelves. There is so much to love about this book. It was captivating! Highly recommended.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for a copy of this book via Net Galley. I was not required to leave a positive review. The opinion here is expressly my own.

I will read anything Karen Witemeyer writes, because she does her craft so well. In her newest offering of the Hanger's Horsemen, she writes of a love lost and found again; of unexpected love; of greed, abuse, and exploitation of children; and of heroes and damsels in distress, or maybe heroic damsels and heroes in distress. The characters in The Heart's Charge are strong, noble, and loving--and those are the female characters.

This is book two of the Hanger's Horsemen series, and after this book there is one more horseman to marry off. I can't wait to read his story.

Mark and Jonah are traveling home after delivering a horse that Matthew had sold when they come across a woman in the throes of labor. She was also in the depths of grief and not wanting to continue living after delivering the baby. When Jonah comes back with the doctor, he helps the mother and then gets Mark and Jonah to take the baby to a foundling home not far away. At the foundling home, Mark meets his past in the person of Kate Palmer--the love of his teens whom he has never forgotten--and both of them meet their future. When Jonah and Eliza deliver the baby to a wet nurse, a child asks Jonah to help find the kiddy-snatchers. The era of this book is close to the turn of the twentieth century, and a recent stock market crash had the country in a depression. Many children were homeless and got around the country riding in box cars on trains. These are this children who were targeted for exploitation and were the prey of the kiddy-snatchers, because they wouldn't be missed by anyone.

Karen has kept the plot moving at a steady pace to keep the reader involved. Often I am tempted to skip ahead to the end of the book and see how things end up, but this time I read straight through and was entirely satisfied at the conclusion of the story. Karen consistently writes five star books and this one is no exception.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and white knight on a gallant steed to rescue your day.

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Karen Witemeyer has done it again! The Heart’s Charge is enthralling and inspirational, and contains the trademark strong heroines, swoonworthy heroes, and thrilling story of a Witemeyer novel. This story kept me absolutely riveted.

Keeping up with four equal points of view and two primary romances may sound a bit daunting, but Witemeyer balances the stories perfectly. I did struggle a little bit at first with the two corrresponding yet separate storylines, but I quickly became so absorbed that the switches between stories flowed naturally and satisfyingly. Mark and Jonah are two unique Witemeyer heroes, and I fell in love with both of them. Katherine and Eliza are wonderful heroines; I especially enjoyed Eliza’s story arc. I really enjoyed getting to see all four Horsemen together again, as their dynamic is perfectly written. They make me smile, laugh, and reflect.

The Heart’s Charge is a wonderful addition to Witemeyer’s Hanger’s Horsemen series. Readers will love the suspense, characters, and endless inspiring moments. I absolutely can’t wait for Luke’s story! 4.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ooh, oooh, ooh!

I've been longing for the next Hanger's Horsemen book for a while now and finally, it's here!

I loved getting to see two main couples' points of view. It really made The Heart's Charge unique and gave si much more to the story, however, there were many backstory things they were spoken of and they were only used as back story and I would have liked to see a bit of reconciliation in at least one of them though I understood why one was impossible with the choices of the father.

My only wish was that the whole of the Horsemen would have been together more.

References to prostitution, a word associated with a prostituted child, and other like mentions, And a few other things so I would recommend 18+ read this.

I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary e/copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.