Leading off the new Tracie Peterson series, Heart of the
Frontier, Treasured Grace introduced the sisters, Grace, Hope, and Mercy. Grace, the main character, was the widow of
Rev. Martindale; it had been a marriage of convenience as he needed a wife in order
to set up a mission in the west and she and her sisters needed a way west after
the death of their parents. Grace was a respected
healer among the people of the wagon train, but when she tried to use her gifts
at the Whitman mission, Dr. Marcus Whitman grew jealous and refused her the
right to do so.
At the mission, she met Alex Armistead, a Canadian fur
trapper, and although they both wanted to deny it, there was an attraction
between them. When the measles epidemic
broke out among the people at the mission, it also affected the nearby Cayuse
Indian tribe. Because so many died, the
Indians blamed this on Dr. Whitman and took their revenge in a horrific
way. Grace was away, helping a friend
during the raid, but her two sisters, especially Hope, suffered greatly from
the attack. Alex was always there to be of help, but in indirect ways, as he
had so much on his conscience from his early days. He had grown apart from God, while Grace held
fast to her beliefs. Their spiritual journeys are part of the story.
If you like historical fiction, you will enjoy this
realistic story concerning the journey to Oregon and the missionary, Dr. Marcus
Whitman. The hardships of the trail and
the fear of Indian attack were real to the early settlers and were well described. Yes, Grace seemed to be tough at times, but
then she had to be to survive herself and to help others. I look
forward to the upcoming books in the series.
This book was provided to me by Bethany House for my honest
review.
