Treasured Grace

It is often hard in these days of comfort and technology to remember a time when life wasn't so filled with the luxuries we take for granted every single day. Take life for those who wanted a fresh start by heading west via the Oregon Trail. Not only did they face the hardships of packing what little they could in a wagon and selling everything else, but they had to hope that what they did bring would help them make the journey to their new homes despite the odds clearly stacked against them. From the environmental challenges and unpredictability of the weather, you had issues when your wagon broke down and repairs might not be able to made, or when your ox or horse was injured and you were stuck. Even worse was when you came down with illness, you had to make do with what you had or what skills someone else might possess.

I absolutely LOVE Tracie Peterson's novels because they are written with such attention to detail and you find yourself getting a bit of a history lesson in the process. In her latest Heart of the Frontier series, Treasured Grace takes readers into the heart of Grace Martindale, who married the Right Reverend T. S. Martindale in an effort so they could both move west on the Oregon Trail. They agreed to keep the marriage as one of convenience over one filled with love. Along with that he agreed to bring along Grace's younger sisters, Hope and Mercy. They just didn't expect the Reverend to die along the way and leave Grace a widow. Now with no money to really begin a life, all she has is her talents as a natural healer and in a hostile world faced with increasing Indian threat at the Whitman Mission, the place where Martindale girl's are slated to stay for now. .

Unfortunately the local doctor who runs the mission doesn't take kindle to Grace's herbal remedies despite how well they might work. He isn't about to have anyone question his authority and he is about to ensure that she understands where a woman's place truly is and that is not working with anyone who has medical needs. She just doesn't plan on running into Alexander Armistead, a local trapper and hunter who will do all he can to ensure Grace's survival and greatly respects her ability to heal people through herbs and natural remedies. He isn't ready for marriage or love based on a past he isn't sure he can ever reconcile. As hostilities begin to rise between the Cayuse Indians and the people living at the Mission, they believe that the doctor is out to poison them when an outbreak of measles hit them all hard and it seems more Indians are dying than the white people are. Perhaps it might be time to even the odds in the Cayuse Indian's favor.

I received Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson compliments of Baker Publishing Group and Net Galley. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. In a note to the reader, Tracie Peterson shares that "the Whitman Mission massacre is a well-known piece of history that forever changed the western frontier." I would agree. It is difficult not to find hatred for a race of people that violent killed so many innocent people without due cause and creates a historical reference for racial tensions that went back into the 1800's as the white man insisted on taking whatever land they wanted despite how the Indian tribes felt. It truly was a difficult life to face and how many people lost their lives in the process or those that survived were forever changed by what they witnessed. I give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for more from Tracie Peterson in this wonderful series of novels she has started.

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Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson

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