Not my greatest picture ever, but I'm loving how green it is outside right now
About:
Baker Abigail Kemp is facing disaster- a ridiculous town rule mandates that all businesses must be owned by a man or face closure, and her bakery is being targeted. There seems to be no way out of this mess... unless one of the town's few bachelors will consent to a marriage of convenience. But Abby likes to be in charge, so she'll need a man who she can control. Of all Abby's candidates, Zacharias Hamilton is the least controllable, but she can't deny that he'd be the most dashing (and the most handsome) catch.
Zach has spent his life watching over other people and their problems. Now that his younger siblings are older, married and on their own, they don't need him anymore and he finally has the freedom to do what he wants whenever he wants to. That's why when Abby confronts him with her problems and asks for his help, he's torn. If he agrees, his sought-after freedom is on the line... but there's something about this gutsy baker that is really appealing. In the end, he can't bring himself to say no.
An unusual marriage of convenience may turn out to be the best thing Abigail Kemp and Zach Hamilton ever did.
Zach has spent his life watching over other people and their problems. Now that his younger siblings are older, married and on their own, they don't need him anymore and he finally has the freedom to do what he wants whenever he wants to. That's why when Abby confronts him with her problems and asks for his help, he's torn. If he agrees, his sought-after freedom is on the line... but there's something about this gutsy baker that is really appealing. In the end, he can't bring himself to say no.
An unusual marriage of convenience may turn out to be the best thing Abigail Kemp and Zach Hamilton ever did.
My Review:
Karen Witemeyer takes you sweetly through Abigail's life as she struggles with saving her bakery, coming to terms with her own worth and identity... and adapting to having a husband, who only agreed to her foolhardy scheme because.... well, Abby herself is not sure why. The truth is, Zacharias Hamilton feels a strange sort of protection towards her (and he also can't deny that she's really cute).
While there are precious few murderous bad guys in Karen Witemeyer's latest novel, no damsels in distress to rescue from high towers, not all stories should have those. Instead, Abigail faces more common problems, the prominent one being the possible closure of her bakery. And while theirs didn't start out as a technical "love match", Zach will be there to help Abigail no matter what life hurls her way, and his protectiveness is sweet. Usually so big and gruff, especially when we meet him in More Than Meets the Eye, he mellows out over time, mostly due to Abby's influence. And putting him in a house with only women in residence? Pure genius on Mrs. Witemeyer's part.
I wasn't as engrossed in the book as I have been in some of the author's other novels, but still enjoyed it and I think readers will relate to Abby as I have. Body image and confidence issues are hard to overcome, and Mrs. Witemeyer tells Abby's tale with grace, sensitivity and a dash of humor.
One thing I will say is that while the cover is adorable and perfect and I love the background, stance of the models, and the lighting, the models themselves don't quite match the descriptions of the characters. But oh well, it's a completely adorable cover anyway.
Catching up with characters is always fun, and Karen Witemeyer pens a lovely ending to the Patchwork family stories.
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Title: The Number of Love
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