Treasured Grace

Author: Tracie Peterson
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Grace Martindale has known more than her share of hardship. After her parents died, raising her two younger sisters became her responsibility. A hasty marriage to a minister who is heading to the untamed West seemed like an opportunity for a fresh start, but a cholera outbreak along the wagon trail has left Grace a widow in a very precarious position.

Having learned natural remedies and ​

midwifery from her mother, Grace seeks an opportunity to use her skills for the benefit of others. So when she and her sisters arrive at the Whitman mission in "Oregon Country," she decides to stay rather than push on. 

With the help of Alex Armistead, a French-American fur trapper, Grace begins to provide care for her neighbors, including some of the native populace. But not everyone welcomes her skills--or her presence--and soon Grace finds herself and those she loves in more danger than she imagined possible.

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​Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson was an interesting historical novel set during the 1800's. The author has done her research well and really showed the hearts of the native Americans who were feeling anger and frustration of being forced off of their land by white people who gave no thought to ask first about how they could live together and instead just swooped in and took. This all comes to a head of course in a most horrifying account of an attack on the mission in which our main character resides with her two sisters Hope and Mercy.

While the story had its moments I found that I simply could not relate to the main characters of Grace and Alex. It might have been the fact that my kindle copy was poorly formatted. One page would have a conversation on it and then the next page would jump to the middle of  a scene about something else, so that I had no idea what was going on. I was constantly flipping back pages to find the correct passage I was reading. Not an easy thing to do on a Kindle since the pages aren't numbered. That said, I think even if the formatting had not been off I would have still found these characters hard to relate to. They simply had no depth or personality. For example, the romance between Grace and the trapper Alex made no sense. It was instant attraction without any real explanation. And the long drawn-out reason why Alex could not commit to Grace made it even harder for me to care for them at all. This romance just fell flat.

The only characters that had any depth were Nigel and Hope. Nigel I hated because he was a pest, but at least I felt something. And Hope - well - what she went through would break anyone's heart. I liked the transformation that occurred in her and think the story would have been much better served with her as the main character. The emphasis on faith was done very well and the transition in Hope in particular was interesting to see.  

Altogether this was not a bad book because it was true to the times and well-researched, but when it ended I should have felt something and I didn't. If not for the excellent research and well written scenes regarding the mission attack, I would have given this three stars.

​This book  has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

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Reviewer: Kelly Potts

Treasured Grace is well deserving of the five stars. The main character, Grace Martindale, is a woman ahead of her time on the frontier. Not only is she fighting the stereotype of a strong abled woman but also the prejudice that surrounded the natives in the 1800’s. The story of Grace and those close to her and the many people she encountered are very well developed. I admire Ms. Peterson for providing us with a piece of history as well as a strong story of grace, trusting the Lord and salvation. The Christian element to this novel is beautifully interwoven that the reader is hardly aware of it.  Treasured Grace is only my second period novel; both happen to have been written by Tracie Peterson. I can firmly say that I am now a fan of Ms. Peterson and look forward to reading more.

​This book  has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

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Reviewer: Sabrina Wade

Two words: heart-wrenching and captivating. I'm almost rendered speechless with reviewing this novel. It was hard reading the struggles of many of the characters because I knew those struggles for myself.

Peterson knows how to captivate and draw in readers and keep them longer than work life allows them. For I found it hard to put down this novel once I started reading.

Excellent work showing how the Good Lord turns our innate thought process and flip it on it's head. Calling us to love our enemies…to not avenge those who wrong us…to do our best to live at peace with all mankind…to find joy in our troubled seasons.
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Pick up your copy and live vicariously through these well thought-out characters. Learn grace through Treasured Grace.

This book  has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

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