This is the second novel in the Texas Ever After series. I found it was a more enjoyable read than the first one. If the Boot Fits is a Texas retelling of the Cinder"fella" fairy tale. Karen Witemeyer has done a great job in relating the story. A couple of differences between this story and the fairy tale we all know and love is that even though there is a stepmother, she's loving and nurturing. Mama Bess, as she is called brings out the protectiveness in her stepson, Asher.

Mama Bess has been evicted from her house on Three Cedars land after her husband died and she could no longer pay the increased rent. Asher wants to find out why. He sneaks into a ball being given for the daughter of the Three Cedars owner, Eli, to go through Eli's books to see if there were any underhanded dealings in the situation with his mother.

During his getaway, Eli's son falls into a pond and his daughter yells for help because Clint can't swim. Asher cannot let the boy drown, so he shucks his boots and coat and jumps into the pond to rescue Clint. As Asher makes his getaway, he drops one of his boots. Sam, Eli's daughter, finds the boot and hides it in her room. Then Sam goes on a hunt to find who might fit the boot.

In this book, there is a bit of mystery, a bit of secretiveness, and a whole lot of love exhibited by the main characters. One of the best things that happens in this book is the forgiveness Eli extends to Asher for riffling through his papers. He understood the motivation, he respected Asher's willingness to stand up and take responsibility for his own actions without making excuses, and he knew that his daughter was falling in love with Asher. Karen has woven quite a bit of depth into her characters. Asher's desire to take care of his stepmother and little brothers is not often seen in real life. Sam is not just a flibberty-gibbet, but cares about people around her. She desires to learn more about the world around her on the ranch. Eli wants to see Sam settled, and goes about it the wrong way, but he comes to realize his mistake. He begins to understand his daughter's desire to find her own husband and her ability to see the character of the men around her.

The only part of the book I didn't like was the rattlesnake. I would not have kept my cool in that situation. I would have been a hazard to my own health and well being.

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a pair of cowboy boots that have been embellished to the nines.

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

IF THE BOOT FITS by KAREN WITEMEYER is the second novel in her Texas Ever After series. I really enjoy the way this authot writes delightful love stories, this one having a hint of Cinderella, with great characters and a solid Christian message, that, like this one, often have the odd villain, a nasty secret and plenty of suspense to keep you guessing!
The story takes place in 1889 at the Three Cedars Ranch in Palo Pinto County, Texas, where Samantha Dearing lives with her cattle baron father and her younger brother Clinton. She has come home from finishing school in Boston where she was sent by her father after her mother’s death. She is furious with her father for sending her away and also for arranging a ball in her honour, to which he has invited some of the wealthiest bachelors, and she feels he wants to “auction her off to the highest bidder”…..
Asher Ellis is furious with Eli Dearing for chasing his beloved stepmother, Mama Bess, and his brothers out of their home after his father died. He is doing a bit of illegal reconnaissance when he leaves his boot behind!……
I am not going to tell you any more for fear of spoiling things for you.
I cannot recommend this most enjoyable read highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

4.5 stars
This was cute and exciting! I love fairytale retellings and I was so excited to read this new one by Karen Witemeyer. If the Boot Fits is the second book in Karen Witemeyer’s Texas Ever After series. It is inspired by Cinderella and it was so fun to read!
Asher and Samantha were great characters. They were both relatable in different ways and I was able to connect with them. Samantha had a lot to learn as she navigated what it looked like to love others. She had to grow on me a bit but I grew to love her by the end. I really liked her growth throughout the book and how she learned that no one was perfect. Asher was super sweet and I loved how he cared for his family. He had to learn to look past first impressions. Both characters had to learn to trust God and truly love others.
I loved the characters and the small parallels to Cinderella. I was drawn to the story from the beginning and it was such an enjoyable read. I adored the side characters and the way the story was fleshed out. There was so much going on and I wanted to see how everything would work out. The romance was sweet and fit the story. They seemed to fall in love more quickly but it made sense because of the circumstances.
I would definitely recommend If the Boot Fits! It was romantic but it did deal with some heavy topics. I also love the way that faith was woven into the story. If the Boot Fits is a christian historical romance with some hints of mystery/suspense.

Content warnings: death of a parent, infidelity,

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
I have read several of Karen Witenmeyer’s previous books, and truly enjoyed them. I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy If the Boot Fits as much as her other books. The concept was great. A gender switch Cinderella story set as a western sounded like a lot of fun to me. Unfortunately, it ended up feeling more like several sermons disguised in a loose and light storyline. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy reading stories about people living their faith and relying on their beliefs to get them through tricky times. However, this time the faith elements felt quite heavy handed, and the storyline wasn’t strong enough to merit the amount of introspection that occurred.
That being said, I know many people (my mom included) who will be delighted with this book, and I will recommend it to them.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#IftheBootFits #NetGalley

Such a fun romp of a story...errrr....well, not so much for the hero and heroine, but definitely for me as a reader! There's a strong thread of suspense in this one as Samantha constantly faces dangerous accidents which begin to look less and less accidental as each of them becomes more noticeably focused on her. Then there's Asher, who is so busy trying to help his stepmother make ends meet that he ends up trespassing and also toys with overstaying his vacation, risking his job as a cowboy in another town.

I loved both characters, though we spend more time with Samantha as she works through a lot of family history and tries to figure out why someone's after her.

As usual with Karen Witemeyer books, I'm right there for the scenery and the authentic historic portrayals and the sparkling, jump-off-the-page characters. I loved the level of suspense in this one and the bad guy had me guessing. A secret from her family's past had my jaw dropping too!

Witemeyer is one author I'd gladly read a 1,000 page novel from and now I'm pouting because I'm caught up on her books again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

If the Boot Fits is a delightful twist on Cinderella, and oh what a twist. Samantha Dearing's father is determined to marry his daughter off to another cattle rancher, until she stands up to him. Asher Ellis wants justice for his stepmother, who has been evicted from her home. The two meet under precarious circumstances and the fun begins. But, not everything is good. Someone is out to get Samantha. If you enjoy retellings of fairytales or simply a good story with great characters, you should pick up a copy of If the Boot Fits. I received a free copy with no expectations. My opinions are my own.

Truly charming and delightful!

Samantha Dearing fails to catch the cowboy who broke into her father's study but when he pauses his escape to rescue her younger brother, she hides the only clue he left behind - a unique boot.

When Asher Ellis comes face to face with Samantha again days after his foolhardy attempt to discover why Eli Dearing evicted his stepmother, he is sure he is caught but she doesn't seem to recognize him.

Which is good since she is now tutoring his younger brother and they will be spending a lot of time together.

When it becomes obvious that a string of accidents that endangered Samantha were no accidents at all, Asher will risk everything to save her even though it could cost him their fairy tale romance.

Read it for:
Historical western
Cowboy romance
Reverse Cinderella
Dual POV
Suspense & action
The meet-cute
Riding lessons
Nods to the fairytale
Delightful wide characters
The plot twists
Themes of forgiveness and family

Oh my, I fell in love with this story from the first chapter! The author does a wonderful job giving nods to the original fairytale (Gus! Jack! Bruno!) but I love the twists that she used to make the story her own with such a wonderful cast of characters

The story flowed so well and I was on the edge of my seat through the suspenseful scenes, especially once I figured out the villain. Loved the adventure, action, beautiful truths, and sweet romance, all in a vivid Western setting and blended together like only Karen Witemeyer can do.

This was without a doubt a 5 star read for me and my new favorite of the series! This is the second book but they are unconnected and this can easily be read as a standalone. You need to read this one - trust me!

I received a complimentary copy but a positive review was not required.

4.5 stars--rounding down because it wasn't quite a 5 star read for me.

If the Boot Fits. Such a great title for this fun tale. It's not quite a remake--but it has loving nods to the always loved Cinderella tale. This time it's a "princess" and a Cinder-fella. ;) I loved the relationship between Asher and his stepmother. And when Jimmy called Fergus "gus gus" I grinned. ;) I also love that there is a Jack that needs help. And a BRUNO!!! :)

But wow--I never saw that twist at the end coming! Oy. That one came from left field and made me go--"ohhhhkaayyy then." I did figure out the villain. But the whole thing leading up to it. wowzer.

This was a lovely fun tale that kept me engaged to the end!

ps I also love the tidbit from the next book included at the end which will OBVIOUSLY be a nod to Little Red Ridinghood since I saw things like "a dark wolf" and the lead character's name is obviously going to be Scarlet. ;)

There is a LOT of nods to trusting in the Lord for guiding your steps and for your protection. Also the idea that our perspective on a situation may not be reality. I loved seeing the repair of the father daughter relationship.

*I received this complimentary copy of the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. I wasn't required to write a positive review and all thoughts are my own!

I have read only a few fairytale retellings but when I learned author Karen Witemeyer was writing a series of them, I knew I wanted to check it out. Am so glad I did because this Cinderella role-reversal story grabbed my attention from the opening chapter and didn’t let go! The Dearing family drama was so riveting with complex emotions going on between Samantha and her father as she sought to reframe her previous perceptions of him. Samantha’s love for younger brother Clint was so heartwarming. The Ellis family were all endearing characters who felt like old friends. Asher Ellis was a sigh-worthy hero with not only his care for Samantha but his love for his family. I couldn’t stop reading when events happened that put Samantha’s life in danger and stayed up way later than planned to finish the book. Amid all the great dialogue and action, personal faith in the Lord was a natural part of the story as characters sought God’s guidance and protection through prayer. I can’t wait to read the first book in the series and any subsequent ones. Another 5* read from this author!

I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher and Celebrate Lit via NetGalley. A positive review was not required and the opinions stated here are my own.

“Feeling fear don’t make you weak. It makes you human. Bein’ strong means you don’t let fear dictate your actions. You kept your head out there. Sure, you were scared. I woulda been, too. But you lassoed that fright and kept it tied down until it was safe to let it go . I’m proud of how you handled yourself.” loved this advice.
Some people don't know how to handle their fear and it makes enemies as this story shows. Good always wins over evil no matter what.
I rather enjoyed this story. When I first read the title I thought it was going to be another Cinderella story and in a way it was but without the long words I got frustrated over in the last book.
I knew just how Samantha felt in this fearful scene. I ended up being proud because I probably would have just fainted away!
This book kept me up all night cause I loved so much. I had to see what our girl would do laugh out loud.
I was definitely happy to see all the characters back from the previous books.

A cute gender swap retelling of the classic Cinderella. The plot is a common one done many times before, and is completely predictable. The characters are interesting enough to keep the reader invested, and the pacing is good.

Overall, a nice, lightweight, easy to read book that can be finished in an hour.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in return for my honest review.

If the Boot Fits by Karen Witemeyer is a unique perspective on Cinderella, the widely-known fairy tale. This time around, the Cinderella character centers around a male character. Not that he is mistreated by his step-mother, he actually has a loving mother and two loving younger brothers. The story features his missing boot and how brave and gentle his spirit is. While similarly, the heroine, is smart, humble, and wanting the best for others. She is willing to sacrifice her time and money to help others in need. Of course, the romance between the hero and heroine develop as the story comes to its climactic moment. The plot has a mystery element to it, which I actually enjoyed. More historical romance novels are featuring mystery elements to the plot. I guess as a way to capture the attention of readers like me who adore tons of action in their stories. Witemeyer does have the two main characters question what they think about God and grow closer to him as the tension tightens around them. Overall, If the Boot Fits by Karen Witemeyer was a wonderful way to spend a day. I enjoyed the story and can't wait to see what fairy tale Witemeyer will conclude this series with.

I received a complimentary copy of If the Boot Fits by Karen Witemeyer from Bethany House Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.