Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Head in the Clouds by Karen Witemeyer


Karen Witemeyer is a skillful new author--one to watch! What's not to love about that cover??

Let's begin with the summary:

Adelaide Proctor is a young woman with her head in the clouds, longing for a real-life storybook hero to claim as her own. But when a husband-hunting debacle leaves her humiliated, she interviews for a staid governess position on a central Texas sheep ranch and vows to leave her romantic yearnings behind. When Gideon Westcott left his privileged life in England to make a name for himself in America's wool industry, he never expected to become a father overnight. And five-year-old Isabella hasn't uttered a word since she lost her mother. The unconventionality of the new governess concerns Gideon--and intrigues him at the same time. But he can't afford distractions. He has a ranch to run, a shearing to oversee, and a suspicious fence-cutting to investigate. When Isabella's uncle comes to claim the child--and her inheritance--Gideon and Adelaide must work together to protect Isabella from the man's evil schemes. And soon neither can deny their growing attraction. But after so many heartbreaks, will Adelaide be willing to get her head out of the clouds and put her heart on the line?

And now, my review:

Karen used symbols well in her novel—clouds, Gideon’s story from the Bible, and even Esther’s famous line, “For such a time as this.” In the course of the story, all of these worked.

She’s a skilled romance writer. Though there were a few places which lagged in the story, I felt overall the pacing kept me interested. Not only that, but she threw in just enough twists to surprise me.

Her heroine is a witty, strong, capable teacher-turned-governess whom we get to watch mature from flighty to competent. Our hero is well-drawn. What’s not to love about a man who adopts an orphan, in order to honor a dying stranger’s request?

The other issue is the orphaned girl is a five-year-old mute who has experienced great tragedy in her young life. I enjoyed this psychological aspect in the story as well, how the author wove in some deeper elements this way.

The author’s use of humor had me lol-ing a few times.

Overall, a very entertaining read. Lovers of historicals and romances will enjoy this second book by Karen Witemeyer.

No comments:

Post a Comment