Review \\ To Love and Cherish by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller

I haven't disappeared completely! With my school schedule I've had a tough time finishing books, so I've had nothing to review for ages. This one took me at least a month to read. It's a good one, though!

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Melinda Colson has a rather tragic past, but her future is promising. She works as a lady's maid and her employers spend their winters on Bridal Veil Island, where Evan Tarlow works year-round as gamekeeper. Melinda anxiously awaits a proposal from Evan before she must leave with her employers, but her hopes are dashed when no proposal comes. To Love and Cherish is a story of love and doubt, reconciliation and faith. It's spattered with a few edge-of-your-seat moments and a few aggravations, making it a well-rounded historical fiction tale.

Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller have teamed up once again to deliver a new series based on the fictional (but based on true) island of Bridal Veil. It's a beautiful setting, and, as always, Peterson and Miller craft interesting characters and a heart-warming story.

To Love and Cherish is the second book in the Bridal Veil Island. I haven't read the first one, but through a few internet searches I was assured that each book is on its own. Now I'm curious to find out if that's really true or not, but I'm leaning towards believing it because I didn't feel lost when I started reading this one. I haven't read many of these Christian fiction/historical/romance novels where the characters actually start out in love. I admit it takes away a bit of the suspense, but, like others, you still know how its going to end.

My favorite part of the book is the setting. I can see why the characters fell in love with Bridal Veil, and I wish I could go there myself.






I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Review \\ Touching the Sky by Tracie Peterson

\\ About the Book \\ When Laura Marquardt first meets Brandon Reid, their encounter is anything but pleasant. But when the two are seated together at a dinner party, they soon find that they share similar interests--Laura desires to educate blacks, and Brandon, as a white officer over colored troops, eagerly supports her cause.
When Laura's sister, Carissa, marries her Confederate beau, Laura finds herself in a difficult situation when she overhears plots to kill Union soldiers. Though in her heart she feels she should share this information with Brandon, Laura fears she will betray her sister's trust and possibly endanger her sister's life. And when Brandon's motives for pursuing her come into question, her heart is even more conflicted. Where is God leading her?

After feeling a bit of disappointment over the first installment of Tracie Peterson's Land of the Lone Star series, I had my concerns when I received Touching the Sky in the mail. Turns out I liked it much better than Chasing the Sun, and that is a very good thing.

Touching the Sky at first doesn't seem to be linked to Chasing the Sun at all. It could very well be a stand alone novel except for a small part at the end that reminds us of the previous book. This book focuses on Laura Marquardt, a wise young woman who is keenly aware of the changes the end of the Civil War has brought to her hometown of Corpus Christi. I love her character because she is smart and honest about everything. 

When Captain Brandon Reid asks to court her, Laura is pretty much ecstatic, though (of course) she doesn't let such emotion show. Soon, however, she realizes that Captain Reid might be leading her on in order to gather information to harm her sister Carissa's Confederate beau. Wise Laura is suddenly torn between two loves, and her decision will not be easy. 

As always, Tracie Peterson creates intriguing characters that keep us loving her stories. I'm a little annoyed at Peterson's tendency to throw together some dramatic, rushed ending. (I can count several of her books in which this happens.) However, her writing remains steady and her stories interesting, so I guess I'll be all right with her endings. My only other pet peeve, as I've been trying to diversify my fiction selections lately, is that her dialogue is so stiff and so proper. Do we really believe that people back then didn't use contractions? I wonder.

Though you could easily read this book without reading the first in the series, I think it would be best to start with Chasing the Sun. Touching the Sky only begins Laura's sister Carissa's story, and the next book is devoted to her and a character from the first book. I'm hoping that one will be really good, because I think it has the best potential of the three.

\\ About the Author \\ Tracie Peterson is a bestselling author who writes in both historical and contemporary genres. Her novels reveal her love for research as well as her strong desire to develop emotionally meaningful characters and stories for her readers. Tracie and her family live in Montana.

\\ Info \\

Title: Touching the Sky

Author: Tracie Peterson

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Publication Date: June 1, 2012

Number of Pages: 336

ISBN: 0764206168

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

Review \\ Chasing the Sun by Tracie Peterson

I took a journey through my past blog posts and was a little shocked that I have never reviewed a Tracie Peterson novel. I've read a lot. When I first stepped out of the children's section of the library (and bookstores, but more often the library) I entered the world of Christian fiction. My mom and older sister were fans of authors like Beverly Lewis, Karen Kingsbury, Janette Oke, and Tracie Peterson. We had a couple of series by Tracie Peterson, which I really enjoyed as a 13/14 year old. Since then I've read Peterson's

Alaskan Quest Series
Brides of Gallatin County Series
The Broadmoor Legacy Series (On second thought I don't think I have read the third book yet.)
Ladies of Liberty Series
Song of Alaska Series
Heirs of Montana Series
And now . . . Land of the Lone Star Series.

From this list you can assume I like Tracie Peterson's books. You're probably just wondering why. I like that Peterson's books are historical, that they are set in interesting places (like Alaska, Montana, and Texas), and that they always include a little bit of adventure. I like that her books are simple, and I don't mean that in a negative way. There are times when I don't feel like sitting down to read a book that makes me pay such close attention or I'll miss something important, or a book that is so extremely thrilling that I can't get to sleep because of it, or a book that is just hard.

Tracie Peterson's books are nice and romantic. Reading them is like sitting down to watch a Hallmark movie (one of the ones that is written well and doesn't have bad acting). Nothing terribly deep or confusing, just a good story. You know how it is going to end from the second chapter (though you don't know how things are going to happen to get there). Besides that, her romance isn't too romantic and she always includes Christian values. I like that.

Chasing the Sun, the first book in the Lone Star Series, is about Hannah Dandridge, a young woman who is charged with the care of her young step-siblings after her father disappears. (This series is set against the backdrop of the Civil War.) When Union soldier William Barnett shows up at his ranch to find Hannah and her family living in his house, he's more than a little angry that the government took his family's property and gave it to "true Confederates." There are so many interesting angles to this plot line.

My favorite characters in Chasing the Sun are Marty and Andy, Hannah's siblings. They have by far the best lines of the book. The only thing I didn't like as much about this novel is that Hannah and William think too much. They're always thinking and worrying about what the other is thinking and worrying about that it gets a tad annoying in places. And I actually didn't think that there were quite enough scenes with them together. There are maybe two really good scenes, but not enough for me to really believe that they would fall so quickly for each other. At the same time, there is a lot of other plot points to cover in this book, so I thank Peterson for choosing not to make Chasing the Sun 500+ pages.

Tracie Peterson is truly a leader among Christian and historical fiction authors. And with so many of her titles to choose from, you can find at least one to really enjoy.

\\ About the Author \\Tracie Peterson is a bestselling author who writes in both historical and contemporary genres. Her novels reveal her love for research as well as her strong desire to develop emotionally meaningful characters and stories for her readers. Tracie and her family live in Montana. Learn more about her books at traciepeterson.com. 

\\ In Case You Were Wondering \\Title: Chasing the Sun (Land of the Lone Star #1)Author: Tracie PetersonPublisher: Bethany House PublishersPublication Date: March 1, 2012Pages: 347 (Paperback)ISBN: 076420615XMany thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!