3 Star Book Review: Remember Me by Tracie Peterson, Book 1 in Pictures of the Heart. A Faith-Filled, Christian, Historical Fiction Novel
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links. You can view my affiliate disclaimer here.
From the Yukon to Seattle, the hope of a new beginning waits just around the corner.
Addie Bryant is haunted by her past of heartbreak and betrayal. After her beau, Isaac Hanson, left the Yukon, she made a vow to wait for him. When she's sold to a brothel owner after the death of her father, Addie manages to escape with the hope that she can forever hide her past and the belief that she will never have the future she's always dreamed of.
Years later, Addie has found peace in her new life as a photographer, training Camera Girls to operate and sell the Brownie camera. During the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Expo in Seattle, Addie is reunited with Isaac, but after the path her life has taken, she's afraid to expose the ugliness of her former life and to move toward the future they had pledged to each other.
When her past catches up with her, Addie must decide whether to run or to stay and face her wounds in order to embrace her life, her future, and her hope in God.
MY REVIEW: ★★★/5
Author Tracie Peterson has woven a sweet, emotional narrative about discovering the beauty God has planned for main character, Addie Bryant, amidst the broken, scattered ashes of her tragic life.
What I liked:
I enjoyed Addie’s character and admired her strength, her perseverance and her determination. She embarks on a journey of faith, finding forgiveness for what she believes are her sins, though much of what she’s suffered has been at the abusive hand of her father and brothers. Despite her pain and suffering, she begins to see how God has provided a way of freedom for her as He cares for her and loves her, creating a beautiful story of hope and healing.
Peterson highlights several unique historical aspects in this story, including the Alaskan gold rush and stories of the Yukon. Some of the story centers around the birth of photography and some of the first personal cameras sold to families visiting the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, WA. I loved this aspect and felt transported there in time by Peterson’s detailed descriptions, lost in the “world of wonder” of that exciting era of invention and intrigue.
There is a hint of a delicate romance to this story and plenty of heart-angst as Addie and her long-lost love, Isaac, reunite. The narrative focuses on Addie’s healing and deepening faith, but Peterson gives readers a sweet happily ever after. A handful of secondary characters and events add a touch of suspense to the story while others give it heart.
sUMMARY:
Overall, this was a heartwarming, simple read full of inspirational moments, rich faith elements and a fun historical aspect set at an innovative, exciting time in American history. Historical, Christian fiction lovers who enjoy stories with a strong message of hope, healing and redemption are sure to love this new release!
Content and Trigger Warnings: Abuse, human trafficking
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Image Courtesy of Baker Publishing Group. | Photo Credit: © Kimberley Woodhouse
Tracie Peterson (www.traciepeterson.com) is the bestselling author of more than 100 novels, both historical and contemporary, with nearly 6 million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.
