Touching the Sky - Another Must-Read!

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Touching The Sky Bethany House Publishers (June 1, 2012) by Tracie Peterson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels.

She received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings' Heartsong Presents. She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership's vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row.

In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella. Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers.

She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research.

Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests. She was presented the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family--especially her three grandchildren--Rainy, Fox and Max. She's active in her church as the Director of Women's Ministries, coordinates a yearly writer's retreat for published authors, and travels, as time permits, to research her books.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Laura Marquardt first meets Brandon Reid, their encounter is anything but pleasant. But when the two are seated together at a dinner party, they soon find that they share similar interests--Laura desires to educate blacks, and Brandon, as a white officer over colored troops, eagerly supports her cause.

When Laura's sister, Carissa, marries her Confederate beau, Laura finds herself in a difficult situation when she overhears plots to kill Union soldiers. Though in her heart she feels she should share this information with Brandon, Laura fears she will betray her sister's trust and possibly endanger her sister's life. And when Brandon's motives for pursuing her come into question, her heart is even more conflicted. Where is God leading her?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Touching The Sky, go HERE.


MY THOUGHTS
Tracie Peterson's Land of the Lone Star series is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites of hers. Touching the Sky follows the March release of Chasing the Sun (which I reviewed here) but they are essentially stand-alone novels, although a character from the first book does make a brief appearance in this one. Once again, Peterson has created a heroine who is strong, spunky, and smart--a very good thing, since Laura Marquardt's sister is the complete opposite! The setting fascinated me: not many books are set in Texas around the Civil War; this novel demonstrates what a powderkeg of emotions filled the days immediately following its end in cities such as Corpus Christi where both Union and Confederate soldiers returned home, many unable or unwilling to lay aside their disdain for the opposing side. A contingent of "colored troops" charged with keeping peace, a society whose economy has been upended by the emancipation of the slave labor on which it depended, and the debate over the proper "place" for that newly freed population all contribute to the hotbed of emotions and are smoothly woven throughout the story without the book reading like a dry documentary. On the contrary, this is an absolutely captivating novel, and I read most of it in a day. (And the part where the title is made clear is absolutely beautiful!) I'm so glad this is a quick-release series; I'm already eagerly anticipating Taming the Wind, which will be available September 1! You don't have to be a Texan to enjoy this book and this series; don't miss it!