Book Review: Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

A cowboy who wants to be a preacher. An outlaw’s daughter who wants to change his mind.

On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can’t believe it when he’s forced off the train by an outlaw and presented to the man’s daughter as the preacher she requested for her birthday. He’s determined to escape–which would be much easier if he could stop thinking about Joanna Robbins and her unexpected request.

For months, Joanna had prayed for a minister. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. But just when it seems her prayers have been answered, it turns out the parson is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett he ended up right where he was supposed to be?

What I Loved: Witemeyer has a way of weaving comedy, romance, and sticky situations together in an entertaining way. I love how each book showcases an original circumstance and Stealing the Preacher was another great example of this.
I really enjoyed walking alongside Joanna and Crockett as they set out to bring to life an old forgotten church and revive God’s people. There was such a pure motivation behind the characters and it’s something close to my own heart so it was easy to root for them and get excited over the little things throughout the story. I appreciated how Karen handled serious subjects such as the Gospel, witnessing, and repentance. If you haven’t picked up Witemeyer yet, I urge you to.

Rating and Recommendation: I’m giving Stealing the Preacher 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who enjoys Christian Fiction.