Crockett Archer might have thought he was ready to become a preacher in a small western town… but he didn’t count on being held up and kidnapped on a train.
In this delightful and humorous– yet faith-filled and deep– novel of life in the Old West, Joanna finds out her ex-criminal father has gotten her a preacher for her birthday.
When Crockett meets her, he finds himself torn between the line of right and wrong. Is it right for him to continue on in search of a church to preach at… or is the heart of Joanna worth even more?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars)
This book. This book! It completely stole my heart, and I couldn’t put it down. I just love how this story plays out, and I love the way Crockett and Jo face the trials that are thrown at them. And, this cover is pretty perfect for the book, in my opinion. I love how it sets the tone for a humorous and excellent western read. This is undoubtedly my favorite Karen Witemeyer, and it’s probably my favorite western book of all time. The side characters, the dialogue… ahh, it’s just so amazing!
Crockett is such a sweetheart, and he is such a good guy. I love his heart for the Lord, and I love how much he wants to do the right thing. (I’m definitely thinking Enneagram One, here, by the way.) And, Jo is such a great, sweet character, and I love how much she loves her father, and honestly wants him to find Jesus. I think her character is perhaps the greatest example I’ve ever found of a fictional person trying to evangelize to someone very close to her.
The romance in this book… it was amazing. I loved how sweet and respectful the relationship played out. And… yeah, the scenes between them were just so cute, and makes me grin so hard. Honestly, they easily make my list of favorite fictional couples, which is really special. I don’t put couples on the list easily.
There are a couple things about this book that I’m not a fan of… mainly Holly Brewster. I know that it was necessary for the plot, but that part just really wasn’t my favorite. However, it still gets five stars, because I do love it a lot, and if I’ve read it as often as I have… it kind of deserves five stars.
For content… there are a couple of things that should be noted. One character does make it seem that a man took advantage of her (he didn’t), and she also attempts to seduce that same man. There’s also a near-death experience involving a child (I think he’s in his teens), but he’s okay. And, there’s a recalling of an event where a child was beat to death, which is obviously very sad, and possibly quite triggering. I would probably recommend it for upper teens to adults.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited (at the time of writing this), but not as an individual book. Instead, you have to find the Brides of Texas collection by Karen Witemeyer– which is available on Kindle Unlimited– and you can read Stealing the Preacher within that collection.
I loved this book. I hope that comes across very clearly here. It’s a favorite of mine, and I would highly, highly recommend this story, especially if you’re looking for a clean Christian western read.
EMOJI REVIEW!
- 🤠 western story
- 😆 great humor
- ⛪️ faith content
- ❤️ one of my favorite fictional couples
- 🕰️ set in the 1800s
- 🚂 amazingly adorable meet cute
Thank you so much for reading. I would love to hear which Karen Witemeyer books you’ve enjoyed. What is your favorite western read of all time? Let’s chat!
Have a beautiful day, sweet friends!
keira anne with an e 
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