"Within My Heart" Book Review

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Within My Heart Bethany House; Original edition (September 1, 2010)

by Tamera Alexander

MY REVIEW:
I read "From A Distance" (1st book in this series) quite awhile ago and really liked it - I found it to be a pretty original historical fiction and I appreciate originality in a basically formulaic genre. I somehow or another missed #2 but was excited to read this one. Tamera doesn't disappoint. This book stands alone just fine, but the characters from #2 and #3 are right in the midst of everything so having read them will be beneficial but not necessary.
In this particular book we follow widow Rachel and her 2 boys Mitch and Kurt as they are trying to make it on the ranch when everything seems to be working against them. In the meantime Dr. Rand has been in town as the only Dr. for a 57 mile radius and now someone that the whole town loves has fallen ill and Dr. Rand needs Rachel's help to perform a new surgery on him to give him a little more time.

I felt like I was on an emotional journey with the characters and I loved every minute of it. Tamera is masterful in her rendering of characters with depth, settings in detail and story lines that keep you hanging on. This series is absolutely wonderful and I look forward to more from Tamera!



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered, the critically acclaimed Fountain Creek Chronicles historical series with Bethany House Publishers. Her second historical series, Timber Ridge Reflections (From a Distance, Beyond This Moment, and Within My Heart), penned in her style with deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose have earned her devoted readers—and multiple industry awards.

These awards include the 2009 and 2008 Christy Award, the 2007 RITA for Best Inspirational Romance, the 2009 and 2007 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, 2007 Bookseller’s Best Award, and Library Journal’s Top Christian Fiction for 2006, among others.

After living in Colorado for seventeen years, Tamera has returned to her Southern roots. She and her husband now make their home in Nashville with Tamera's father, Doug. They enjoy life there with Joe and Tamera's two adult children, and Jack, a precious—and precocious—silky terrier.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Determined to fulfill her late husband’s dream, Rachel Boyd struggles to keep her ranch afloat with the help of her two young sons. But some days it feels as though her every effort is sabotaged. When faced with a loss she cannot afford, she’s forced to trust Rand Brookston, the one man in Timber Ridge she wishes to avoid. And with good reason. He’s a physician, just like her father, which tells her everything she needs to know about him. Or so she thinks . . .

Dr. Rand Brookston ventured west with the dream of bringing modern medicine to the wilds of the Colorado Rockies, but the townspeople have been slow to trust him. Just as slow in coming is Rand’s dream to build the town a proper clinic. When a patient’s life is threatened, Rand makes a choice—one that sends ripples through the town of Timber Ridge. And through Rachel Boyd’s stubborn heart.

From the beloved, bestselling author of From a Distance and Beyond This Moment comes an unforgettable story about faith in the face of fear, about tarnished hopes and second chances, and ultimately about the resilient courage and tenacity of hearts broken––and mended––by love.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Within My Heart, go HERE.