Secrets. Intrigue. Sapphires. Romance. Suspense. Two Continents. A Family Torn apart. These all fall into the latest novel from Tracie Peterson, A Beauty Refined, the second novel in the Sapphire Brides series. From the family home in Germany, Phoebe Von Bergen and her father are in Helena, Montana in search of the treasures from the Montana Sapphire mines. Said to be of equal quality to those of Ceylon, Count Von Bergen has been hired to construct the latest in jewelry for the Duchess all bearing prize sapphires. But as honest as his intentions may be, deep down inside he holds a secret that will threaten to topple his plans not only for financial success but in marrying off Phoebe to the Duke has he already chosen.
As compliant to her fathers wishes Phoebe is, she believes she is only doing her part as a woman in keeping the family estate going smoothly. It has always been her father's plans to arrange for the same marriage that he, himself, garnered when he wed Phoebe's mother. After all, women need to understand their role and place in society especially in the titled circles they esteem from. Now he needs to tie up a few loose ends and then arrive back home in Germany in time for Phoebe's arranged wedding. Only problem is, that she is not aware that any plans have been made.
All she knows for certain, is that she has accompanied her father to America to see the famous legends she has only read or heard about. Cowboys and Indians, and the famed wild west. While her father leaves for a few weeks to search out the stones he desires from the Montana mines, Phoebe runs into more than just fate. It appears that the story her father constructed of her mother's ill-fated sinking at sea has been just that, a rumor and a lie. She only realizes it when she runs into a woman who looks eerily like her mother working as a maid in the hotel she is staying at. Now she has a few short weeks to uncover the truth before her father returns and she will have to face him and the lies he has built over these years in her young life. Can God really help her? Has God orchestrated this divine appointment just in the nick of time? What role does Ian Harper have to play as the hired lapidary for her father's sapphire purchase? Only time will tell as it all plays out.
I received A Beauty Refined by Tracie Peterson compliments of Bethany House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased personal opinion. We all have secrets in our family at one time or another, but in this case the lies that Count Von Bergen have constructed is a like a game master choosing precisely how each piece will move in accordance to his desires. The only thing he fails to control however, is what happens when it all doesn't go according to plan? What happens when the only control you think you have is all in your own mind? I love it when the plans of evil are foiled by God as only light can truly uncover darkness. Darkness always exists, it just takes light to cause it to pull back and withdraw. Readers of historical romance and fans of Tracie Peterson's novel will love this recent addition to their own personal library much like I have. This one now squeezes in to my own library and garners a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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Little does Phoebe know that her father's plans—for the sapphires and his daughter—are not what they seem. If you love historical fiction, romance, and adventure, don't miss Tracie Peterson's A Beauty Refined. When Phoebe meets Ian, everything changes. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie—a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.
Join Tracie in celebrating the release of A Beauty Refined by entering to win her Precious Gems giveaway (details below) and by attending her author chat party on August 9!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- One copy of A Beauty Refined
- A sapphire jewelry set