Years ago I read a novel written by Tracie Peterson, and I remember thinking how wonderfully written it was and how beautifully it handled difficult situations from a Christian perspective. That being said, when I saw that she had a new novel coming out, I jumped at the chance for a sneak peek, and I would like to say a huge thank you to Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a free copy of A Love Transformed in exchange for an honest review.
This novel, like the previous Peterson novel I had read, did not disappoint. It is a novel about relying on your faith during times that are dark and desperate, sometimes so dark and desperate that they seem hopeless. The main character is Clara, a widow in New York whose heart belongs in Montana, on her Aunt and Uncle’s ranch with Curtis, the boy she left behind years ago. Clara was forced by her mother into a marriage of financial convenience at a young age, and once she becomes a widow, she packs up her children and heads back to Montana to claim the life she loved and lost. But Clara’s journey is not without its hardships.
This story was filled with a surprising villain and plot twists that I did not see coming. It kept me engaged and eager to find out how things would turn out. The story did seem to slow in the middle but perhaps that was intentional as life on a ranch is much slower than life in New York City. Overall, I found the characters to be beautifully flawed and human, especially Curtis. I found him very relatable because, even though he knows God has forgiven his sins of the past, he struggles to forgive himself. That is a very human struggle which many can relate to.
This story is book 3 in the Sapphire Brides series, but it can be read as a stand-alone book. I have not read any other books in this series, but I was able to follow this book just fine. I think this would be a good read for Christian book clubs and for anyone who is trying to put their past in the past and move forward with a new life in Christ. I enjoyed it, and I recommend it!
One of My Favorite Passages from the Book:
“The pages of the book were dog-eared and worn, but as her aunt had once teasingly told her, ‘A person can never wear off the words, no matter how many times they read them.’ In her sorrow, Clara had read little else, and over her twelve years of marriage she had consoled herself with God’s words on many occasions.” – A Love Transformed
Kait's Bookshelf