Meredith first meets Travis when
a bully throws her lunch pail in his land – the forbidden Archer Land,
dutifully and fiercely guarded by the four orphaned Archer brothers. Her leg
gets caught in one of Travis’s traps, and injures her leg in such a way that
even its natural growth is hindered. However, that day is when Travis becomes her
first love (Maybe first crush?), and she never stops daydreaming about
him. Some years later, after Meredith
has been sent a way with her uncle, she overhears a plan to take over Archer
Land. Meredith feels it’s her duty to
warn the brothers about the tragedy about to fall on them, and she ends up
spending the night at the Archer’s cabin.
With her reputation soiled, one of the brothers is forced to marry her,
and they decide to draw straws to make the final call. However, Travis hasn’t forgotten Meredith
either, and he feels it’s his duty as the oldest brother to marry her; he ends
up fixing the straws and marrying Meredith.
Day by day, they all have to face
situations that will test their faith. For one thing, they live together, but
they decide that it would not be correct to “be married” without the proper
courtship – so they don’t sleep together.
On another hand, Meredith finds out about the straws and believes Travis
will never love her. She decides to
prove herself, and the ever independent and problem solver, her naive
intentions translate into disappointments after her plans generally end with
her repeatedly injured. Travis, the ever
handsome, strong husband, comes to her rescue, but is willing to forgive –
sometimes, just because someone else intercedes for Meredith. I enjoyed reading
about their conflict, and how they gave in, in order to better love and serve
the others. Even Meredith finds daily household chores an opportunity to be a
dutiful wife that will honor God with her marriage. It was refreshing to read a
story where the link between a married man and woman is so truthfully depicted,
pointing to God providing opportunities to shape their characters.
Obviously, the more they get to
know each other, the more Meredith and Travis are actually attracted to each
other and they start making silly mistakes, which gives the story a funny
note. However, sexual tension also
rises. Generally, I would not comment on this particular feature, but the fact
that there is a point where there is a repetitive and continuous description of
physical demonstrations, actually harm the quality of the story to my
taste. A very classy, romantic story
turns tacky and distracting from the main plot. This is the main reason why I’m not giving a
5-star rating in this review.
I do commend Mrs. Witemeyer for
the inclusion of the Native American community. This story is a beautiful
reminder of how we all share ups and downs in life, face challenges, and come
together when there is someone in need – no matter our backgrounds nor skin
color.
I would recommend this book for
anyone interested in a fast-paced, easy to read romantic story. Also, there are
enough situations that could be used in a teenagers class to talk about
Biblical principles and godly decision making. Just exercise caution regarding
all the sexual implications. I think that it could also be a good teaching tool
for couples who want to get married; it might require a resourceful
facilitator, but the multiple events that will try Meredith’s and Travis’s
relationship could be good examples of how marriage is constantly tested.
I received a complimentary copy
of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest
review. This has not biased my opinion
on the book, nor on the author.
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