Review: A Daughter's Inheritance

A Daughter's Inheritance by Tracie Peterson

Lose Yourself in the History, Opulence, and Elegance of the Thousand Islands Cousins Amanda, Sophie, and Fanny Broadmoor are as close as sisters, but when their grandfather dies, the terms of his will just might destroy their bond. Seventeen-year-old Fanny has never put much stock in the conventions of society. In fact, she has given her heart to Michael, the family boat-keeper. But when she receives a surprising inheritance, she discovers just how oppressive society can be... and that she may be trusting the wrong people. Dare she follow her heart and risk going against her family? What if she loses everything she's ever known? It all comes down to one choice: What does Fanny Broadmoor want her legacy to be?

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As the first novel in a series, this is something that I am extremely eager to continue to the next novels. Many times if there is a series where questions are left unanswered for the next novels they are abrupt and annoying in their wait for answers. With this novel I find I have anticipation for the next book in the series, but I'm not left on a ledge in annoyance. I'm glad I've already purchased the second book, and received the third for a review - I cannot wait to read them.

This is an entertaining book. The main character, a Fanny Broadmoor has been dealt an interesting life within her extended family of loss after loss and with the issue of a possible inheritance she may be pushed even further away from them than she ever imagined. Once again Tracie Peterson has a novel with a bad guy that gets under your skin. But the difference this time is that this is a co-authored novel and this is a bad guy that you do not want to be bad. For my first exposure to Judith Miller, I must say I enjoyed it. After reading so many Peterson novels, I can tell a difference in the writing voice of this novel and I believe I have found another author in Miller to add to my reading list.

View all my reviews >>

Review: Dawn's Prelude

Dawn's Prelude by Tracie Peterson

Married off at a tender age to a harsh, older widower, Lydia Gray can't help but feel a measure of relief when an accident claims his life. What happens next, however, is a surprise to everyone: Through an unforeseen fluke, Lydia finds herself the sole recipient of her late husband's fortune. But instead of granting her security, strife ensues as her adult stepchildren battle to regain the inheritance for themselves.

Lydia longs to wash her hands of the situation and determines to join her aunt in Alaska, putting financial decisions in the capable hands of her lawyer. The beauty and serenity of life in Sitka appeal to Lydia, as does Kjell Lindquist, the handsome owner of the local sawmill. But a new discovery in Lydia's life forces her to rethink her future.

She is bound to her past as never before . . . but what more must she sacrifice?

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First let me mention about how much I love the cover of this book, the coloring especially is just to die for it is so pretty. So far almost every historical fiction that I have read from Tracie Peterson I have enjoyed and this one is no different on that enjoyment scale. It may not be as non stop fabulous as the Yukon Quest, but it in a different manner it is better at the same time. Reading the book blurb as an expectant reader you can assume certain things of the plot line and story to occur and wonder how they unfold and what will happen next, but this novel is so much more in depth with twists and turns and much more plot than the blurb even begins to imply.

The best of Christ's beginning love is shown through in the characters and they learn and grow. Evil is still present as ever in some characters as is always in the writing of Tracie Peterson in a way that is very real as uncomfortable as that may seen. What is fabulous is the way that even with so many bad things that can possibly occur all the good that God can bring out of it. With emotions running, and pages not turning fast enough if you ever have enjoyed some of the work of this author before you will be glad to read this new novel that does not disappoint. If you have yet to read Tracie's books, this is a great place to start. I highly recommend her. This book is a great start to a new series and I cannot wait for the next one.

View all my reviews >>

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764201514
• ISBN-13: 978-0764201516
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches

CFBA: Dawn's Prelude

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Dawn's Prelude
(Bethany House - October 2009)
by
Tracie Peterson


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 70 novels. She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research.

Ephesians 1:18 has become a cornerstone verse for a new non-fiction book she's been working on -- its also become a cornerstone in her life. The verse reads, "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints."

Tracie and her family live in Belgrade, Montana.






ABOUT THE BOOK

Newly widowed Lydia Sellers discovers that through an unforeseen fluke, she is the sole recipient of her husband's fortune. But instead of granting her security, it only causes strife as her adult stepchildren battle to regain the inheritance for themselves.

Lydia, longing to put the memories of her painful marriage behind her, determines to travel to Alaska to join her aunt. Lydia's arrival in Sitka, however, brings two things she didn't expect.

One is the acquaintance of Kjell Bjorklund, the handsome owner of the sawmill. Second is the discovery that she is pregnant with her dead husband's child. What will this mean for her budding relationship with Kjell? And what lengths will her stepchildren go to reclaim their father's fortune? Lydia soon finds her life--and that of her child's--on the line.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Dawn's Prelude, go HERE

I'm currently reading this one. Review is to come any minute now. It is a fabulous read, just as what is to be expected of a historical fiction from Tracie Peterson.

Review: A Dream to Call My Own

">

A Dream to Call My Own by Tracie Peterson

Lacy Gallatin, the youngest of the Gallatin sisters, is a woman with a mission: to find her father's killer. Haunted by the belief that she's failed him, Lacy is also battling a desire to have something more than just revenge, something she can't quite figure out. Enter Dave Shepard, deputy sheriff for the area. Dave has been fervently trying to find the man who killed George Gallatin, but he always feels inadequate when it comes to the beautiful Lacy. When they are together, the tension crackles between them--both when they argue and when they kiss. Lacy finds him frustratingly irresistible...but is it truly love?

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a great ending to the trilogy of The Brides of Gallatin County. Once again the characters from the previous books are brought to a deeper level. Tracie really knows how to make you despise a bad guy, and in this book she even eloquently finds a way for a reader to find sympathy for the antagonist. I would say that this book is deeper and a little bit heavier than the other two, but it is good and could be read alone. This is one of those books that can make you look back on yourself and question if you are where you need to be in your faith. Lacy, the youngest of the Gallatin sisters has tried so long to be a strong person that she just ignores her pain and tries to go it all alone. It is once she realizes she needs another's strength that she can really prosper.

View all my reviews >>

• Paperback: 365 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764201506
• ISBN-13: 978-0764201509
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches

A Love to Last Forever by Tracie Peterson: a review

Coming soon, available in April 2009!

A Love to Last Forever by Tracie Peterson

All Beth Gallatin has really wanted out of life is to settle down in one town, with one man, and raise a family. But with her father's roaming ways, she's always been denied that dream; instead, she found solace in reading romantic books. With her father's passing, she can, for the first time, dare to claim the rugged Montana frontier as her home.

Nick Lassiter has loved Beth since she first came to town, but she's always seemed to think of him more as a brother. Just when he finally gets Beth to consider him, however, a challenger threatens the affection growing between them. But neither Nick nor Beth is prepared when they must face the consequences of Nick's complicated past.

As a past fraught with unwise choices and guilt invades their world, can Nick and Beth find a love that will last forever?

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Bethany or Beth, rather, is definitely the romantic one of the Gallatin sisters. In book #2, A Love to Last Forever, of the series we get to hear her story. As a reader, on could easily understand and appreciate this novel without having read the first book. Yet, the first book is Gwen, the eldest sister's story, and understanding her is easier if you know her background more fully.



The only qualm I have with this book is the way that it ended, I have many unanswered questions and feel quite left in my pondering. It is not necessarily bad, and it definitely makes me even more so eager for the third book, where I am sure we will hear Lacy's story, but I do despise be left to wonder.



Beth is full about romance and all she wants is her own. Then with the confusion of Mr. Adrian Murphy of the railroad company and neighbor Nicholas Lassiter, she is unsure of what she really wants. Through out the story she dives into her dime romance novels seeking answers. She even finds her way into more novels than in time for reading the Bible and that was a part of her with some guilt that I could easily relate to.



This story is definitely not lacking on romance, for Beth as well as for other characters as well. There are pregnancies with babies and losses. There are crimes with passion and purpose. People are coming in and moving out and with each page you never know what to expect next. The world of the Gallatin County Gallatin sisters is changing rapidly and as a reader you will absolutely thirst for what is next. After reading this book, if you missed the first, you'll definitely want to go back as well as look for the third to come later this year (2009).


View all my reviews.

Click here to go back and read my review of Book #1 of the Brides of Gallatin series, A Promise to Believe In.

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764201492
• ISBN-13: 978-0764201493
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches

A Lady of Secret Devotion by Tracie Peterson: a review

A Lady of Secret Devotion by Tracie Peterson

Eager to ease the financial burdens of her family, Cassandra Stover is thrilled when she is hired to be a companion to Mrs. Jameston, a wealthy society woman. Cassie finds herself living a life she'd never imagined-and growing close to the elderly woman who treats her like a daughter.

Her new position is tarnished only by Mrs. Jameston's son. As Sebastian's resentment and cruelty toward his mother mount, Cassie begins to harbor concerns for her employer's safety--and ultimately her own. When Sebastian is suspected of fraud, insurance investigator Mark Langford solicits Cassie's help to uncover the truth. But what begins as a game of pretense is quickly complicated by matters of the heart.

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another work of poetry in the form of prose from beloved author Tracie Peterson. In this story there were bits that dragged for me a little bit, but I absolutely love the story overall. This is the third book in the Ladies of Liberty series, yet all the stories stand alone with unconnected characters.



Years ago, when I first read the Yukon Quest 3-in-1 I was shocked at how vividly Tracie could present a villain and at how I could really feel a strong animosity toward a fictitious character. Well, in the novel those similar feelings were brought back to face this "bad guy" as well. The cruelty is so real that it is palpable.



I did feel in this story that the main character's faith was too strong and unwavering to be real, but it is just a story, and she is a perfect example of how one's faith should be. Through out this story we are given examples of love lost and found and growth within personal relationships to God. One of things that I found most intriguing to read in a character's plot was about a struggle to find God on his own, rather than just experiencing God through a friend or neighbor.



It is amazing what lessons can be learned through a bit of fiction.



This is a story that I would recommend for someone who enjoys the writings of Tracie Peterson and other authors like her. It is a good story that you can reflect a lot of what is going on inside yourself and evaluate your reactions to the various events through out and see how you may be growing.


View all my reviews.

Price:	$13.99
ISBN:	978-0-7642-0147-9
ISBN-10:	0-7642-0147-6
Dimensions:	5.5 x 8.38
Number of pages:	368
Carton Quantity:	36
Publication Date:	Aug. 08
Formats:	Paperback | Hardcover | Large print

A Lady of Hidden Intent by Tracie Peterson: a review

A Lady of Hidden Intent by Tracie Peterson

He believes them to be strangers...
The door opened suddenly, and there she was. Carter forgot what he was saying and simply stared at the vision before him. Hang his imagination; this woman was far more intriguing in the flesh...

Yet she knows the truth...
Catherine found she couldn't look away, he was so very handsome. His face had a rather rugged look, perhaps more so than she'd noticed five years ago. How strange that he'd never married...

Now that their paths have crossed again, can Catherine break free from the past to embrace the chance for love?

A life of privilege becomes only a distant memory when Catherine Newbury's father is falsely imprisoned and she is whisked away from her home in England to America. Forced to disguise her past and create a completely new life, Catherine takes on a servant's last name and carves out a tenuous future for herself as a seamstress. Soon her dress designs are sought throughout Philadelphia.

When the dashing Carter Danby accompanies his mother and sister for a design consultation, Catherine suddenly encounters her past face-to-face. Is Carter's avid interest in her genuine...or does he, as she suspects, recognize her as the young lady he met while touring England? She cannot deny the attraction, but admitting her true identity may jeopardize her father's only hope for freedom. Will Catherine be forced to sacrifice her dreams of love?

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is book two in the Ladies of Liberty series, but these three books completely stand alone. Read them in any order and you will love the characters no matter what.



It was quite shocking to me when I first decided to jump into this book that I read several negative reviews. They called the book preachy, flat and many other comments so that I was not really excited about the read. My goodness, I am almost certain those reviewers must have been reading a very different book indeed!



Another work of fiction from Tracie Peterson that brings you into the life of a very strong woman fighting for her will to continue having hope. Trust into circumstances that she never would have thought possible Catherine presents a firm character that is very realistic in her thoughts, words, and deeds.



This is a story that shows you how callous other humans can be and how damaging one's actions can affect another life when they try with an evil intent. Issues such as politics and countries facing war to social class and standing bring to life a world not much different from current day in many situations.



God works in mysterious ways and always on his timeline and not ours. The story of dear Catherine and even a dashing fellow named Carter Danby (reminds me of Mr. Darcy) can show a reader a light into patience and peace because even the worst of times can be formed into the best of times.


View all my reviews.

A Promise to Believe In by Tracie Peterson: a review

A Promise to Believe In by Tracie Peterson

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Absolutely the very best that I have read from Tracie Peterson so far. "A Promise to Believe In" is creative, moving, funny, adventurous, and endearing. I just loved it. It had all of the elements that I have come to love of historical novels from Tracie Peterson.



In many historicals, a reader can find a novel telling the story of three characters, in this case sisters, and then the next two books in the trilogy will continue the story of a different character. This is the first book that I have read that I knew was more about one sister than the others, but it did not feel that way. I got some insight and background on each sister and was feeling for them and loving them all from the beginning in different ways, yet not more than the other. It makes me even more excited for the continuing books that I would have been otherwise.



Gwen Gallatin learns or at least God attempts to put her in positions to learn of his love and grace and this book is a fabulous tool to learn some pure motives to check your own thoughts and opinions of yourself and those around you.



An absolutely pleasure filled read full of the glory and grace of God in the characters and their actions. I can definitely see a continuing story building of how good will triumph in the name of God. Keep the books coming Tracie, I want more!!


View all my reviews.

Coming soon in 2009!

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764203665
• ISBN-13: 978-0764203664

At twenty-one, Amanda Broadmoor had the right to make her own way in life, but her father and mother hardly saw it that way. Women working in the medical field were still frowned upon, and Amanda had been reared to marry and produce heirs, not tend the sick. And especially not those suffering from cholera.

"And Mama can be such an alarmist," Amanda whispered.

At the first report of cholera in Rochester, Amanda's mother had suggested the entire family take refuge at their summer estate on Broadmoor Island in the St. Lawrence River. However, that idea had been immediately vetoed by her father. Father had said his work would not permit him to leave Rochester, and for once, Amanda had agreed with one of his decisions. After devoting so much of her time and energy to medical training at Dr. Carstead's side, she couldn't possibly desert her work--not now, not when she was needed most.

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764201506
• ISBN-13: 978-0764201509
  
  Lacy Gallatin, the youngest of the Gallatin sisters, is a woman with a mission: to find her father's killer. Haunted by the belief that she's failed him, Lacy is also battling a desire to have something more than just revenge, something she can't quite figure out.
  Enter Dave Shepard, deputy sheriff for the area. Dave has been fervently trying to find the man who killed George Gallatin, but he always feels inadequate when it comes to the beautiful Lacy. When they are together, the tension crackles between them--both when they argue and when they kiss. Lacy finds him frustratingly irresistible€¦but is it truly love?
  
  

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (March 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764205714
• ISBN-13: 978-0764205712

In the seemingly ordinary Amish home of Grace Byler, secrets abound. Why does her mother weep in the night? Why does her father refuse to admit something is dreadfully wrong? Then, in one startling moment, everything Grace assumed she knew is shattered. Her mother's disappearance leaves Grace reeling and unable to keep her betrothal promise to her long-time beau. Left to pick up the pieces of her life, Grace questions all she has been taught about love, family, and commitment.

Heather Nelson is an English grad student, stunned by a doctor's diagnosis. Surely fate would not allow her father to lose his only daughter after the death of his wife a few years before. In denial and telling no one she is terminally ill, Heather travels to Lancaster County--the last place she and her mother had visited together. Will Heather find healing for body and spirit?

As the lives of four wounded souls begin to weave together like an Amish patchwork quilt, they each discover missing pieces of their life puzzles--and glimpse the merciful and loving hand of God.

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764205013
• ISBN-13: 978-0764205019

The year is 1845. Elizabeth Barrett is a published poet--and a virtual prisoner in her own home. Blind family loyalty ties her to a tyrannical father who forbids any of his children to marry. She has resigned herself to simply existing. That is, until the letter arrives...

"I love your verses with all my heart," writes Robert Browning, an admiring fellow poet. And as friendly correspondence gives way to something more, Elizabeth discovers that Robert's love is not for her words alone. Could it be that God might grant her more than mere existence? And can she risk defying her father in pursuit of true happiness?

Nancy Moser has crafted a romantic, emotion-charged novel based on the true story of beloved poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764203738
• ISBN-13: 978-0764203732

Lissa Randall's future was bright with academic promise until the tragic accident that took her mother's life--and brought her own plans to a screeching halt. Eighteen months later Lissa is still unable to get back behind the wheel.

Ev McAllistair's driving school looks like Lissa's best hope for getting her life back on the road again. His patience and fatherly wisdom seem to transcend the driving experience. But Ev's own complicated past is about to resurface, with consequences for everyone in his orbit...

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764204076
• ISBN-13: 978-0764204074

In 1860s Seattle, a man with a wife could secure himself 640 acres of timberland. But because of his wife's untimely death, Joe Denton finds himself about to lose half of his claim. Still in mourning, his best solution is to buy one of those Mercer girls arriving from the East. A woman he'll marry in name but keep around mostly as a cook.

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House; Repackaged ed edition (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764206915
• ISBN-13: 978-0764206917

Anna Ivey's journey west with Asa Mercer's girls is an escape from the griefs of her past. She's not supposed to be a bride, though, just a cook for the girls. But when they land, she's handed to Joe Denton and the two find themselves in a knotty situation. She refuses to wed him and he's about to lose his land. With only a few months left, can Joe convince this provoking--but beguiling--easterner to be his bride?

The year is 1835 and Carolina Adams finds herself enchanted by an unlikely suitor... the railroad. Frustrated by society's expectations upon her gender, she longs to study more masculine subjects and is thrilled when her father grants her a tutor.

James Baldwin arrives to serve as Carolina's teacher, but of more importance, he is to court Carolina's beautiful older sister, Virginia. Will expectations--and Virginia's southern charm--elicit the hoped-for proposal? Or will James and Carolina dare to acknowledge the mutual interests and feelings growing between them?

A Lady of High Regard by Tracie Peterson: a review

A Lady of High Regard by Tracie Peterson

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mia Stanley is a lady of high regard living in late nineteenth century Pennsylvania fighting for the rights of women and children beyond what her social status believes is appropriate. Tracie Peterson has done it again in my opinion. I must admit that I was not crazy for this book and it's characters as I have been for some of Tracie's stories, but I did enjoy it and will recommend it and perhaps read it again. Mia has a very Emma-like quality about her. She wants to put everyone into a matchmade pair, but when she realizes who she wants to be her other half, it is a little too late as she pushed him away into a pair of his own.



Through this story you get entertainment and romance. There is mystery and suspense. There is a devotion and lesson to be learned. There are matters that affect your own life that you can gain from experiencing the lives of these characters. I have yet to come across a book by Tracie Peterson, except one, that I have not loved and this is no exception. It's great, not necessarily amazing, hence the four stars, but it's great.


View all my reviews.