Celebrate the joy and warmth of the holidays with two historical romance novellas from Karen Witemeyer, including a brand-new story that provides a glimpse into what the Archer clan has been up to. “An Archer Family Christmas” It’s Christmas Eve, 1893, and the entire family has gathered to celebrate the holiday. This day is always bittersweet for Jim and Cassie, who lost a child on Christmas Eve … Christmas Eve three years earlier. Cassie has devoted herself to being the favorite aunt of the Archer children, whisking her nieces away to a nearby schoolhouse to create decorations for the Christmas tree that the men and oldest boys are venturing out to chop down.
When an unexpected knock at the schoolhouse door reveals a desperate pregnant woman on the run from a dangerous outlaw, it’ll take a Christmas miracle–and the entire Archer clan–to make sure no danger befalls the child born on this beloved holiday.
“The Gift of the Heart”
A widow and her young daughter move to Hope Springs for a fresh start, but with no money to secure a home, Ruth must convince a wealthy resort owner to accept her heirloom brooch as collateral. Will the pin that brought love to three generations soften the heart of a wounded recluse and give Ruth a second chance at love as the holidays draw near?
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I loved An Archer Family Christmas! It was so nice to catch up with all of the couples from the Archer Brothers series and see all that had happened with their families. There were heart tugging moments and moments of great joy. It was a very special story.
I had already read the book Gift of the Heart in a different collection. Ruth and Bo were really good characters. I liked how the attraction grew between these two and the sweet acts of kindness that Bo showed for Ruth and her daughter.
I loved this novella collection. Catching up with the Archers one last time was wonderful. It was a suspenseful, heartbreaking at moments yet joy and love filled kind of epilogue to their story. I also enjoyed the other novella. It’s a very sweet one!
I loved the Archer Brother’s Story #4. Cassie and I are very different, but I felt a deep connection with her. I love all the Archers. Jim has never been my favorite because I didn’t know him very well. I wasn’t sure what to expect with him as the main man. However, I loved this story so much! My only complaint is that I read it so fast.
The second story in this book is one I’ve read before in the Christmas Heirloom collection. It’s a favorite of mine! Bo is a dreamy yet vulnerable hero. Ruth is strong and admirable. She had grit and heart. And of course, Teddy and Naomi are a match made in little girl heaven!
I highly recommend this book. (The Archer Brothers books should be read in order. )
I devour any Karen Witemeyer I can find and this one had two wonderful stories to enjoy!!!! The first one was extra special because I got to enjoy the Archer family again. If you haven’t read any of the Archer brothers’ books, you need to! They are fantastic! This one is a novella about Jim and Cassie. They are such a tender couple who have lost a baby and that was hard when they are surrounded by nieces and nephews. They love being an aunt & uncle but yearn to be parents. At the holiday season, it’s especially difficult but they jump in and celebrate with the rest of the family. When Cassie is teaching her nieces how to make angels, a situation develops where she has to pull upon all the courage and bravery she posseses to save a newborn infant. Jim must save Cassie from a nasty outlaw! I loved Jim & Cassie – the love they shared was so perfect for a holiday book! You definitely need to read this, even if you haven’t read any Archer book!
The second book was about Ruth, a widow, and her sweet daughter, Naomi. They had moved to a small town to start over after the death of her husband. The rich man in the town who owned just about everything was Beauregard Azlin and he was quite misunderstood! Naomi gets under his defenses and so does a kitty….the rest is history! A very touching story also! The changes Ruth & Naomi brought to Beau’s life just by caring about him was perfect for a holiday read — or any time of the year!
Sure tugged on my heartstrings!
I loved them both. Two heartwarming stories for the cold winter days! Great banter and rapport among the families. Terrific reads!
An Archer Family Christmas
Before you pick up this book, make sure you have plenty of time because you will not want to put it down. Also, be prepared for “all the feels”. This book will make you very emotional.
Those who have read others in the series will enjoy the return of their beloved Archer family and new readers will fall in love with Jim and Cassie.
There is such a love and loyalty in the Archer family.
“They didn’t need words. Their hearts could read each other perfectly.”
Gift of the Heart
Karen Witemeyer creates characters who are not perfect. She has the ability to make her characters strong while also being incredibly vulnerable.
I loved the Biblical connection to the Ruth and Boaz story. Besides the names, there were so many little connections as well.
Beauregard “Bo” Azlin was one of those characters you feel an instant connection to. The back story of Bo’s childhood where his mother considered him damaged goods is heart breaking. Bo tried to be fair to everyone and not give special treatment but he also helped protect those in need. I liked the scene where Bo is holding the heirloom and vowing to keep it safe for Ruth. It was also sweet how he liked to keep the heirloom near his heart.
Witemeyer’s books always contain some funny moments. When Bo calls the stray cat a miscreant, little Naomi mistakenly believes that the cat’s name is Miss Creant. Bo and Naomi have a number of sweet and funny conversations.
While this felt like a very complete story, I want it to continue. I’m not ready to leave these characters.