Title: The Carpenter’s Schoolmarm
Series: Cooperton Brides
Author: Kimberly Burkhardt
Publisher: Kimberly Burkhardt
Release Date: March 25, 2025
Genre: Historical Christian Romance, Western Romance
Book Description:
She’s running from her future. He’s hiding from his past.
Forced into an arranged marriage by her father, Samantha Baxter flees from the clutches of her fiancé and finds sanctuary in the small town of Cooperton, Kansas, as the new schoolmarm. Although she attracts the attention of some of the single men in town, Samantha remains cautious, knowing any romantic relationship could put that man in danger of her fiancé and his fury if he ever tracks her down.
Michael Brooks finally has enough money to purchase the land where he will build his future home. He can put his criminal past behind him and find peace in the solitary life of crafting furniture for the people of Cooperton. That is, until he meets the new schoolmarm. She stirs a dream inside him he didn’t know he wanted. A wife and family to call his own.
Despite her efforts, Samantha finds herself drawn to Michael, unable to deny her growing love for the handsome carpenter. But when his past and her future collide, will the two be able to trust in each other and in God’s plan? Or will their secrets keep them apart?
Samantha, or Sam, Baxter’s father has arranged a marriage for her. She knows her fiancé, Oliver Davis, is not the man her father believes him to be. But when her efforts to persuade her father to call the marriage off are unsuccessful, she sets out for Cooperton, Kansas, where a job as their schoolmarm awaits. She tells no one but her brother where she’s going, because she knows Oliver will track her down and force her into marriage if he knows where she is. The people of Cooperton make Sam feel at home, and with the exception of a persistent unwanted suitor, things seem to be going well.
Michael Brooks has a past following him, too. He got out of a life of crime and now makes a living as a carpenter. He plans to buy land and build a home, but he never figured his plans could include a wife, a family. Until he met Sam Baxter.
Sam and Michael are wonderfully written characters. The chemistry between them grows, but they each fear what will happen if the other learns their secret. As so often happens, their pasts catch up with them both, and they then have to decide whether to trust that God has a plan or give up on a future together.
In addition to a sweet romance, the book also has a strong theme of forgiveness and reconciliation. Sam’s past affected her relationship with her father, and that past comes to find her forcibly in Cooperton. Will her father ever acknowledge the harm his decision caused, and can he mend his relationship with his daughter? I’m not telling you – read the book and find out!
This is the first of Kimberly Burkhardt’s books I’ve read, and now I’m eagerly looking forward to more in this series!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from JustRead Publicity Tours. I was not required to leave a review. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.
