It truly doesn’t get any better than this, folks!  Wild West meets old-fashioned fairy tale in the incredible Karen Witemeyer’s newest release from Bethany House: “Fairest of Heart”!  As the first story in the “Texas Ever After” series, this tale includes all the signature qualities of a well-told western, but with a twist…. The foundational plot is straight from the tradition of a classic fairy tale we all know and love; Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!  

As always, Karen’s mastery of storytelling shines through in every page, as I literally could not put the book down.  Texas Rangers, stolen jewels, attempted murder, and an innocent young girl in need of help, all combine to make this one of my very favorite stories I’ve read this summer.  Plus, as an added bonus, it was such fun to pick out all the ingenious references to Snow White that were artistically woven in…. From the ‘Grumpy’ old ranch hand to the reason Penelope wore the ‘signature’ outfit of blue and yellow, I loved every new discovery that brought an old classic tale to vivid life on the Texas frontier.

There was a little bit of content in this novel that bordered on inappropriate I felt, mainly from the character of Narcissa LaBelle (who stands in for the evil queen), but it was handled in a way that made wrong, well, wrong.  This was admirable.

Overall, without a doubt, this was a story that I enjoyed and will reread again before too long.  And guess what?!  We have another “Texas Ever After” story to anticipate before, as a Cinderella retelling will be releasing early next Spring!  I can hardly wait, but in the meantime I suddenly have an urge to watch a certain old movie called “Snow White” for the first time in years… 🙂

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.”