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?

—

Throughout the years I’ve discovered many “favorite” authors, but over time the same thing happens again and again—eventually the quality of the writing declines until I’m no longer interested in reading their books. That’s been a fear of mine about Karen Witemeyer’s books, that one of these days I’ll pick up her latest novel and not care whether or not I finish it.

Today is not that day.

Using another unique setting with unique characters, Witemeyer creates a story world that I happily (and easily) slipped into, wanting to know what’s going to happen next. I do admit that at times Evangeline felt a little too perky (think Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables) and perhaps Logan slipped under her spell a little too easily, but it’s not hard to understand why it happened.

One thing that really stuck out to me about More Than Meets the Eye is the faith element. Often times (more often than I’d like) a character’s faith feels forced, and there have been several times when it’s felt like Scripture was twisted to fit within a plotline. Everything about Evangline’s faith, however, felt real, including how she shared her faith with others. It not only flowed naturally from her character and backstory, but it never came across as preachy or manipulative.

With that being said, Witemeyer once again captured my attention and filled my head with characters that I keep thinking about. If you like western historical romances, you won’t want to miss this book. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

*I received a free copy of this book. The opinions are my own.