CFBA Blog Tour: Head in the Clouds

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Head in the Clouds Bethany House; Original edition (October 1, 2010)

by


Karen Witemeyer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Karen Witemeyer is a deacon's wife and mother of three who believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. To that end, she combines her love of bygone eras with her passion for helping women mature in Christ to craft historical romance novels that lift the spirit and nurture the soul.

After growing up in California, Karen moved to Texas to attend Abilene Christian University where she earned bachelor and master's degrees in Psychology. It was also there that she met and married her own Texas hero. He roped her in good, for she has lived in Texas ever since. In fact, she fell so in love with this rugged land of sweeping sunsets and enduring pioneer spirit, that she incorporates it into the pages of her novels, setting her stories in the small towns of a state that burgeoned into greatness in the mid-to-late 1800s.

Karen is living her dream by writing Christian historical romance novels for Bethany House. When she visited her publisher back in January of 2010, she was interviewed by the staff. If you'd like a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how she develops her story ideas and a description of her bumpy journey to publication, go to her website to listen to a podcast of that interview.

ABOUT THE BOOK

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?


If you would like to read the first chapter of Head in the Clouds, go HERE.


My Thoughts:
What stands out to me is how very normal the characters are in this book, they just strike me as down to earth everyday people.  Adelaide leaves her teaching job and heads towards Ft. Worth, TX in search for the man she hopes to marry only to find herself deeply humiliated and hurt.  Luckily for Adelaide she has an overcoming spirit and found herself on an adventure hoping to land a position as a governess.  Adelaide tends to have a rather sharp tongue and speaks what's on her mind, which is quite a bit different than the other two women hoping for the position, but despite spilling oats all over her perspective employer she gets the position!

The story takes you through the struggles of Adelaide's employer, Gideon Westcott and as she learns some truths her fighting spirit comes out and you see how strong Adelaide truly is, but is she strong enough to overcome what is ahead?

Adelaide is spunky, Gideon is a man who stands for what is right and his young daughter full of sweetness.  Adelaide was definitely my favorite character, she had me laughing out loud over her antics and I truly enjoyed this book!

*Thanks to CFBA for the complimentary review copy of this book, I was not compensated in any other way for my honest opinion.