More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer

More Than Meets the Eye

by Karen Witemeyer

Many consider Evangeline Hamilton cursed. Orphaned at a young age and possessing a pair of mismatched eyes--one bright blue, the other dark brown--Eva has fought to find her way in a world that constantly rejects her. Yet the support of even one person can help overcome the world's judgments, and Eva has two--Seth and Zach, two former orphans she now counts as brothers.

Seeking justice against the man who stole his birthright and destroyed his family, Logan Fowler arrives in 1880s Pecan Gap, Texas, to confront Zach Hamilton, the hardened criminal responsible for his father's death. Only instead of finding a solitary ruthless gambler, he discovers a man not much older than himself with an unusual family. When Zach's sister, Evangeline, insists on dousing Logan with sunshine every time their paths cross, Logan finds his quest completely derailed. Who is truly responsible for his lost legacy, and will restoring the past satisfy if it means forfeiting a future with Evangeline?

Reviewed by phyllish on

5 of 5 stars

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More Than Meets the Eye by Karen Witemeyer

Eva is quite possibly my very favorite female character, at least for this year. As I was reading, I kept coming up with more and more descriptions for her. Words like vivacious, feisty, flirty and fun. Like a beautiful bubble wafting on the breeze, casting prisms of light on everything around. Yeah, ouch. Forget I used that one! Let me say that she was so alive and so tender and sweet. Logan began to call her his wood sprite, which is a good way to describe her. I especially appreciated her tender heart and her love for the Lord. She had such compassion for all living things which resulted in her adopting a baby wild boar. Seriously.

Speaking of wild boars (because I was in the last paragraph – speaking of wild boars, that is – re-read it, you’ll see), Hezekiah, Eva’s boar, was the catalyst for the interesting meeting between Eva and Logan. I can’t do justice to it here and don’t want to spoil the surprise. Let’s just say that Logan is such a protector and hero. That scene was so very funny!

Logan had a terrible desire for vengeance. Inconveniently, the man he sought it from was Eva’s brother. How inopportune – falling in love with your enemy’s sister!

Eva’s brothers were such strong and interesting characters. Zach was terrific and I am hoping very much that the next book in this series will give him peace and his happy ending. He is so noble and is the kind of big brother every girl should have—willing to sacrifice just about anything for his sister. He did make his share of mistakes and dealt with feelings of deep remorse and guilt.

Seth suffered from asthma that came close to killing him. He and the others learned how to manage it for the most part and he became the brains of the family.

Combining humor with poignant spiritual truths, author Karen Witemeyer wrote a wonderful story. In addition to Eva and Logan’s story, a mystery pops up in the middle resulting in some interesting adventures for the entire family and a new friend they acquire along the way.

Captivated by this story from the onset, I found myself smiling and marking far more quotes than I can possibly share with you, though I have included a fair number with this post. Feel free to tweet them, post them, pin them and share them in whatever way you like.


This review was originally posted on Among the Reads

Get a preview of More Than Meets the Eye at AmongTheReads.net


I would like to thank Bethany House Publishers, Netgalley for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.

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  • 8 June, 2018: Reviewed