Meet a bounty hunter and a headmistress in
Karen Witemeyer’s
Historical Romance
A Worthy Pursuit
Bethany House
**********
The Story
A teacher on the run. A bounty hunter in pursuit. Can two enemies learn to trust each other before they both lose what they hold most dear?
Stone Hammond is the best tracker in Texas. He never comes home empty-handed. So when a wealthy railroad investor hires him to find his abducted granddaughter, Stone eagerly accepts.
Charlotte Atherton, former headmistress of Sullivan’s Academy for Exceptional Youths, will do anything to keep her charges safe, especially the orphaned girl entrusted to her care. Charlotte promised Lily’s mother she’d keep the girl away from her unscrupulous grandfather, and nothing will stop Charlotte from fulfilling that pledge. Not even the handsome bounty hunter with surprisingly honest eyes who comes looking for them.
When Miss Atherton produces documentation that shows her to be Lily’s legal guardian, Stone must reevaluate everything he’s been led to believe. Is she villain or victim?
Then a new danger forces Charlotte to trust the man sent to destroy her. Stone vows to protect what he once sought to tear apart. Besides, he’s ready to start a new pursuit: winning Charlotte’s heart.
Introducing Stone & Charlotte
Stone Hammond
Brief physical description
Tanned skin, dark hair, dark lashes, amber eyes. Man of action, not much into book learning. Tall, muscled, outdoorsy. 35. Wears long, brown duster, brown hat, and carries an arsenal of weapons – knives, rifle, gun belt.
Resembles…
I’m thinking maybe a little bit of Mark Wahlberg from the action movie, The Shooter.
Strengths and weaknesses
Stone is a take-charge kind of man which is both a strength and a weakness. It makes him strong, decisive, and confident. However, it also makes it difficult for him to remember to weigh Charlotte’s opinions and preferences before making a decision. One of Stone’s greatest strengths is his persistence. This has made him the best “retriever” in Texas, and it is also the trait that allows him to pursue Charlotte with such patience and dogged determination. A less persistent man would cut his losses and miss out on the most precious prize of all.
Quirk (if any)
He travels with enough weaponry to take down a small militia single-handedly. Which comes in handy when fighting off a band of reward-seeking mercenaries.
Your inspiration for the character
My husband loves action movies, and I must admit that I enjoy many of them, as well. I love the strong alpha male heroes who inspire instant confidence with their capabilities and demeanor, yet who are also humble and ready to defend those they hold most dear. So when I dreamed up Stone Hammond, I gave him those same qualities and even a touch of the legendary-ness that all the best action heroes possess. That’s why Stone isn’t only a tracker/bounty hunter/retriever – he’s also a dime novel hero.
Charlotte Atherton
Brief physical description
Tall with a willowy figure, dark blonde hair, blue-green eyes, pale complexion. She’s 28, so a little older than many heroines.
Resembles…
I never start with model or actress in mind when I create my characters, so it is challenging to find one that matches my mental image after the fact. The closest I came to finding my Charlotte was with Jessica Biel. She seems to be able to carry off Charlotte’s serious, controlled personality while still being vulnerable.
Strengths and weaknesses
Charlotte is a gifted musician and a teacher adored by her students. She is practical, clever, and extremely protective of the children in her care. Unfortunately, she also tends to close herself off from her emotions, wearing a mask to show the world that everything is fine even when it isn’t. She doesn’t trust others, especially men, and she has a hard time letting go of preconceived notions.
Quirk (if any)
Charlotte always wears her mother’s cameo brooch at her neck, and whenever she is nervous or wistful, she touches it and gains strength from the connection.
Your inspiration for the character
I wanted a heroine who had brokenness in her background. Usually, I give my heroes the most scars, but this time I wanted to switch things up and have a heroine who struggles to commit and trust her feelings. So I gave her a painful past filled with men who had let her down, creating serious trust issues and instant conflict with the man who’d been sent to “retrieve” her.
Background to the story
There is usually a single spark that get’s a book idea started. For A Worthy Pursuit, that spark was the idea of incorporating gifted children—child prodigies, each having a gift in a different field. And the one who doesn’t consider himself gifted ends up being the one who saves the day, proving he is, in fact, remarkable.
I also wanted to play with the idea of opposites attracting. So I chose a refined, educated headmistress who doesn’t trust men and paired her with a man of action and intrigue who practically walks off the pages of a dime novel. Charlotte has to learn to trust the man who was sent to destroy her in order to protect the children in her care, and Stone must dig deep to unearth the patience it will take to win the heart of the plucky woman he comes to admire.
Thanks Karen!
Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on Darius & Nicole (Full Steam Ahead)
Character spotlight on Crockett & Joanna (Stealing the Preacher)
Character spotlight on Travis & Meredith (Short~Straw Bride)
Listen to my audio interview with Karen
Karen’s Pop Quiz
Interview with Karen
Reviews of Short-Straw Bride, A Tailor-Made Bride, Head in the Clouds & To Win Her Heart
Karen’s FamilyFiction Plus interview
Visit Karen’s website
Buy from Amazon: A Worthy Pursuit or Koorong
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Character Spotlight ~ Karen Witemeyer’s Darius & Nicole with a giveaway
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With This Ring? ~ Meet the Characters and a giveaway
Character Spotlight ~ Karen Witemeyer’s Crockett & Joanna
The Reading Habits of Karen Witemeyer (with giveaway)
June 14, 2015 at 10:33 am
I have yet to read Karen Witemeyer’s books, but I have A Worthy Pursuit on my TBR list!
June 14, 2015 at 10:43 am
I will definitely have to have my 16 year old read “A Worthy Pursuit” after me and share with her the mental image Karen has for Stone. My daughter has a huge teenage crush on Mark Wahlberg. 🙂
June 15, 2015 at 3:42 am
That’s so cute, Terrill. When I was her age, I had a crush on Harrison Ford. Until my mom told me he was old enough to be my dad. Well, I still sort of had a crush. Han Solo and Indiana Jones – who didn’t have a crush? 🙂
June 14, 2015 at 1:40 pm
Hi Relz. Good review. I would like to win Karen’s book. Thanks, Maxie
June 14, 2015 at 2:51 pm
The Archer Brother’s series is the only one’s I’ve read (so far) & I loved each book! I’m excited for her newest release “A Worthy Pursuit”, thank you for the chance to win!
June 15, 2015 at 3:57 am
So glad you enjoyed the Archers, Trixi. Hope you enjoy Stone and Charlotte with a little Dead-Eye Dan thrown in. 🙂
June 14, 2015 at 4:17 pm
My favorite Karen Witemeyer story is probably Short-Straw Bride.
June 14, 2015 at 8:17 pm
I haven’t read any of Karen’s books yet. But they look great!
June 15, 2015 at 12:09 am
A Tailor-Made Bride is my favorite, but A Short-Straw Bride is a close second. I loved the whole short straw idea!
June 15, 2015 at 4:01 am
Thanks, Rebecca! I got the idea one day while walking the neighborhood while my son was at baseball practice. Never know when those ideas are going to strike. 🙂
June 15, 2015 at 3:58 am
Interesting character info! I have only read a few of Karen’s books but so far my favorite is Short-Straw Bride.
June 15, 2015 at 3:59 am
I haven’t read any of Karen’s books before.
June 15, 2015 at 4:15 am
I’ve only read Tailor-Made Bride but enjoyed it immensely. I need to try and find them at my library!
June 15, 2015 at 4:17 am
My favorite book so far by Karen is “Head in the Clouds.” It was really cute and has certainly whet my appetite to read more of her books.
June 15, 2015 at 4:29 am
Karen is a new author to me, so I dont have a book to share. I love the cover of this book and I would love to read it.
June 15, 2015 at 4:31 am
Ugh, that question is hard! I’d probably have tho say either Short-Straw Bride or Stealing the Preacher.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
June 15, 2015 at 4:44 am
I loved stealing the preacher. But I love all of your books.
June 15, 2015 at 4:44 am
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED all the Archer Brothers books!!! Fun, enjoyable reads!
June 15, 2015 at 4:50 am
I love all of Karen’s books! Her covers are always so cute and fun, too!
June 15, 2015 at 4:50 am
I finished Stealing the Preacher and am now reading Full Steam Ahead. Would love to win A Worthy Pursuit.
Thanks for the opportunity.
June 15, 2015 at 4:55 am
So hard to choose. Love all of them that I have read. I guess I would pick Short-Straw Bride. Would love to win.
June 15, 2015 at 5:04 am
I love your books! Thank you for the giveaway.
June 15, 2015 at 5:07 am
So excited to read “A Worthy Pursuit”. It will be my first book by Karen. I was just recently introduced to her and would love this to be the first I read. Thank you for the chance to win.
June 15, 2015 at 5:22 am
I loved the Archer brothers, all of them!
I like how Karen takes a bit of time to communicate with her fans on Facebook. I really like all the blog reviews too. Once, I listened to an interview she did online, after that every interview I read, I heard her voice.
June 15, 2015 at 5:24 am
Karen is one of those few authors that I can completely trust to write wholesome, honestly Christian books. She’s also one of the few authors I encouraged my church librarian to stock up on!
June 15, 2015 at 5:50 am
I’ve only read two so far and of those two, my favorite is Stealing the Preacher. I really enjoy Karen’s writing style!
June 15, 2015 at 6:00 am
I am anew fan of Karen’s books but I haven’t read A Worthy pursuit I am looking for it now I love your books! Short Straw Bride was the first one I read and fell in love with her writing style! Thank you for all you do for your readers!
June 15, 2015 at 6:05 am
I own a couple of your books, and “A Worthy Pursuit” looks like it will be very interesting. I would love the chance to win it!
June 15, 2015 at 6:12 am
I have read each of her books and really enjoyed each one! Can’t wait for this newest one to come out!
June 15, 2015 at 6:28 am
So many lovely comments! I love you gals. 🙂
June 15, 2015 at 7:39 am
I’ve really enjoyed all of Karen’s books, but my favorite is probably The Short Straw Bride.
June 15, 2015 at 8:08 am
To Win her Heart is probably my favorite of Karen Witemeyer’s books . . . and definitely a favorite historical novel overall!!
I love your books, Karen! You have such a perfect mix of romance, humor, and genuine faith! Can’t wait to read A Worthy Pursuit!! 🙂
June 15, 2015 at 9:00 am
Thanks, Shantelle!
June 15, 2015 at 9:08 am
I have loved every Karen Witemeyer book that I have read (which is all of them except this one and Full Steam Ahead) but by far, my favorite is definitely Tailor Made Bride.
I really like the way Ms. Witemeyer deals with outward beauty, because I feel like it’s a very relevant subject but one few are willing to touch. Everyone opts for dealing wholly with inner beauty (which is also relevant) but I love that she touches on both, showing that the two are not mutually exclusive and stressing that there is nothing wrong with a girl’s desire to look nice, so long as she also strives to be the person God created her to be. Plus, as a seamstress myself, any book about a seamstress automatically has me interested ^.^
So excited to read A Worthy Pursuit!
June 15, 2015 at 9:22 am
The first book I read by Karen was Tailor-Made Bride and the second one was Short Straw Bride. I can’t decide which is my favorite! I love the humor and joy in Karen’s books.
I know I would love Worthy Pursuit, too.
Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Good luck and God’s Blessings to everyone!
June 15, 2015 at 10:09 am
I have enjoyed each of your books. I don’t get much time to read so I treasure each word.
June 15, 2015 at 11:13 am
Stealing the Preacher is the first I read and still my favorite. I’ve been a fan of mark Wahlberg’s since the mid-’90s, so I’m intrigued by your pick!
June 15, 2015 at 11:21 am
Full Steam Ahead was such a fun read. I really love how she put together a story and would absolutely love to read this one. Thank you for the opportunity !
June 15, 2015 at 12:16 pm
I love all of Karen Witemeyer’s books but I think my favorite has to be Stealing the Preacher. It is such a great title too! Thanks for the chance to win A Worthy Pursuit.
June 15, 2015 at 2:34 pm
The only one I’ve read was Tailor Made Bride, which was great, especially the hero. I love the bounty hunter premise for this story! TBR list!!!!
June 15, 2015 at 10:49 pm
I was just introduced to Karen’s books, so I’ve never read any before. They look great! Thanks for the chance to win 🙂
June 16, 2015 at 12:02 am
I love Karen Witmeyer’s books! My favorites would be Full Steam Ahead and Head in the Clouds. I can’t wait to read A Worthy Pursuit!
June 16, 2015 at 12:20 am
I have read most of Karen’s books thus far. I absolutely adore them!! When I start reading them I cannot put them down. Loooooove it!!! Thanks for the giveaway!! 🙂
June 16, 2015 at 1:25 am
I now have a new favorite Karen Witemeyer book and this is it! The witty dialog and character’s inner thoughts had me laughing out loud numerous times. The story progressed at a good pace and the action was good enough for a “Dead-Eye” Dan book (HA! HA!). For those who won’t understand this remark, you will after you read it. The romance had me wishing a man like Stone would ‘retrieve’ me (*sigh*).
June 16, 2015 at 2:10 am
I can’t wait to read this book. I love ALL her books.
June 16, 2015 at 2:58 am
I’ve been a little behind on my reading lately, but I definitely want to read Karen’s newest book soon! I love her books so much!
June 16, 2015 at 3:18 am
Short Straw Bride is my favorite so far! I can’t wait to read this one!
June 16, 2015 at 3:48 am
I’m a huge fan of Karen Witemeyer! My favorites are To Win Her Heart and Head in the Clouds. I also really enjoyed the Archer brothers series. Her newest book sounds great! Can’t wait to read it.
June 16, 2015 at 3:53 am
I have yet to read a Karen Witemeyer book but have seriously considered To Win her Heart and now this one sounds great too!
June 16, 2015 at 4:49 am
I really enjoyed Short-Straw Bride and Head in the Clouds. Thank you for the giveaway.
Janella
June 16, 2015 at 5:25 am
Looks like such a great book! I can’t wait to read it!
June 16, 2015 at 5:28 am
I have seen several reviews of this book and I really want to read it.
June 16, 2015 at 6:23 am
To Win her heart. Perfectly flawed hero! Love all her books!
June 16, 2015 at 8:48 am
This book is a must read and I look forward to reading it. Love the cover and characters in the story. Thanks for the giveaway
June 16, 2015 at 9:01 am
Short Straw Bride is my favorite. I love the entire Archer Brothers series.
June 16, 2015 at 9:08 am
I haven’t had the privilege of reading a book by Karen but one of my best friends says her books are awesome! I can’t wait to read one!
June 16, 2015 at 9:17 am
Would love to read this book. Sounds like a very good one.
June 16, 2015 at 9:37 am
I have read a couple of Karen Witemeyer’s books and enjoyed them! This is on my “to read” list 🙂
June 16, 2015 at 11:47 am
This looks like a good story.
June 16, 2015 at 12:09 pm
I’m embarrassed to admit I haven’t read a thing by Karen. yet!
June 16, 2015 at 12:38 pm
My favorite Karen Witemeyer books are A Tailor Made Bride and To Win Her Heart though I like all I’ve read so far, and am hoping to catch up and read them all. Got my daughter hooked on them too. 🙂
June 16, 2015 at 1:48 pm
I am an avid reader! I discovered a book entitled Short Straw Bride a while back and I was instantly in love. There are some books you read and you enjoy the ride but when it is over it is over. However, there are those books that you read that have the ability to worm their way into your soul to reside there for all eternity. I am proud to say that all of Karen’s books, thus far, have found permanent homes on my shelves and in my heart.
June 16, 2015 at 10:54 pm
I have read all of Ms. Witemeyer’s novels, from Head in the Clouds to Full Steam Ahead, and absolutely love them all!! I can’t wait to get my hands on A Worthy Pursuit!!!!
June 17, 2015 at 4:27 am
Haven’t read any of Karen’s books yet, but I would love to start here with A Worthy Pursuit. 🙂
June 17, 2015 at 6:18 am
I absolutely LOVE Karen Witemeyer’s books!! My all time favorite is The Short Straw Bride and a close second would be Head in the Clouds! I find her characters very easy to relate to and the plots are always great! I look forward to reading A Worthy Pursuit!
June 17, 2015 at 8:39 am
I have not read any of the books as of yet but I definitely intend to.
June 17, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Oooh I love them all but if I had to pick a fav I think it’d be Short-Straw Bride! I love Seven Brides for Seven Brothers so I loved all of the similarities!
June 18, 2015 at 12:09 am
Oh that is hard! Probably her second book, which I’m drawing a blank on the title right now. But I’ve loved them all! 🙂
June 18, 2015 at 2:24 am
I love To Win Her Heart. Levi is one of my favorite Witemeyer heroes.
June 18, 2015 at 2:41 am
Without a doubt for me it would have to be Stealing the Preacher. It was her first book I read because the book sounded interesting and that led me to the rest of her books. Also Joanna had a gentle yet feisty spirit that made her a good heroine.
June 18, 2015 at 3:53 am
Loved all of them, the Archer brothers are wonderful and especially loved Stealing The Preacher. Look forward to all your new books, you are among my favorite authors.
June 18, 2015 at 8:51 am
Oh, that’s tough because I’ve loved ever single book and cover she’s done! Perhaps A Taylor Made Bride….
June 18, 2015 at 10:16 am
Hmmm. My favorite of hers would have to be Head in the Clouds. It was the first one I read and I loved it! But all of them are quite delightful. 🙂
June 20, 2015 at 12:45 pm
I am sorry to say that I haven’t read any of Karen’s books.