Cherished Mercy by Tracie Peterson

Cherished Mercy by Tracie Peterson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Have you ever read a story that you didn't want to end? Do you mourn over the loss of characters from a story once you finish a book? That's where I'm at right now!! I have anxiously been awaiting the release of the third book in the Heart of the Frontier series by Tracie Peterson. I finally took the time to read this book today. It only took me 5 hours to reunite with Mercy, fall in love with Adam, and grow a great appreciation of Hope, Grace, and Faith. I probably cried 2 of the 5 hours reading this fabulous book, so fair warning, have tissues handy!!

Mercy has been called upon to go to Issac and Eletta's to assist Eletta in her final days of pregnancy. She is excited about the prospect of going but with all the unrest between the Indians and the white man, there is a lot of fear and trepidation facing her. She's also likely to miss the birth of another niece or nephew while gone, and Mercy feels a bit torn about leaving her sisters and going so far away. However, her faith in God gives her the courage to travel to see her life-long family friends.

Eletta and Issac are thrilled with this new life they are bringing into the world but they have no idea if Mercy is going to be able to come and assist them. The Indian tribes are warring daily with the white man and the tensions are higher with each passing day. When Mercy arrives, it gives both Eletta and Issac a peace knowing she is there and can help assist with day-to-day chores and helping with Faith.

Adam is the brother of Issac. He's also a minister of the Word like Issac and teaches the children in Eletta's absence from the school. He's had a pretty tough go of things lately and has no interest in doing anything other than serving the Lord. He's concerned about the increased tensions between the Indians and white man and is doing this best to keep the peace. His internal peace is stirred when he meets Mercy and he wonders if he can keep his focus on important matters.

This story is a true page turner and it's a little difficult for me to say much more about this story without giving away too many things. This book is full of hope, grace, mercy, faith, forgiveness, love, and compassion but also has a darker side of rape, murder, and racism. While I read the first two books out of order, I would definitely recommend reading the first two books before reading this one to get the full back story on Mercy. I love how the Flanagan sisters' story came full circle here and I will miss reading more about them.

I would have to say that, so far, this is my favorite book of 2017!!!

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Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson

Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having recently read Beloved Hope and finding out it was the second book in the Heart of the Frontier series, I had to come back and read the first book!! While Beloved Hope can be read and understood without reading the first book, I did feel like I could tie up a few loose ends. I was not at all disappointed by doing so!

Grace is moving her sisters and herself from St. Louis to the unsettled Oregon country. She and her husband join a band of others travelling for the same purpose...to make a better life for themselves. During the trip, Grace's husband dies along the way. Once they arrive to their destination, Grace sets out to find her Uncle Edward, hoping that he can take the sisters in and help them establish their new life. While waiting to find Uncle Edward, Grace and her sisters find a place to stay at the Whitman mansion. Dr. Whitman isn't fond of Grace using her healing methods, as they are not true medicine in his eyes. However, several people in the mansion, along with the Cayuse Indians, are coming down with "white man's illness" and Grace feels obligated to help out. When the Indians decide that Dr. Whitman is killing their people instead of helping them, things get very heated and a massacre takes place. Will Grace and her sisters survived this tragedy?

This book is captivating from the very beginning and is a rather fast read. Grace is a strong woman who doesn't back down easily. I love that about her! Her strength is what helps Hope and Mercy endure the struggles that they will all face. I love the names that this author has chosen for these women, as they seem very fitting to their characters. I would caution allowing tender hearts to read this book as it is filled with tragedy and difficult situations. It's a heavy read, but one that I enjoyed despite all the turmoil.

I look forward to reading Cherished Mercy when it is released later on this year!!

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Beloved Hope by Tracie Peterson

Beloved Hope by Tracie Peterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this second book in the Heart of the Frontier series, we learn that Hope has survived the Whitman massacre. However, just because she survived doesn't mean that she doesn't carry very deep scars of the event. Hope is not sure she will ever trust anyone again, especially a man. After what she's endured, Hope doesn't seem to have a lot of hope for her future. She's living with her sister, Grace and her husband, Alex, as well as her younger sister, Mercy. Hope spends her day tending to their flock of lambs.

It's time for the trial of the Cayuse who caused the trauma that happened at the Whitman plantation. Hope is expected to testify against those who wronged her and many other women in the community but she's not sure she can do it.

There's a new guy in town named Lance who's working at the jail that's holding the Cayuse until they go to trial. Lance is about to get out of the military and he's contemplating returning home to New Orleans to start his law practice and continue to run his family's plantation. After a chance meeting with Hope, Lance isn't sure he wants to go back home. There's a lot of factors that go into this though, including his secret past that he's not sure he could share with someone.

In this novel, Tracie Peterson picks up where she left off in the first book of the series, Treasured Grace. I have not yet read this book but it's my next read as this one was so captivating. I had to download it immediately!! I have also learned that Cherished Mercy, the third book in this series, is set to release in Sept. 2017!! How exciting to read more about this family!

I really fell in love with this book pretty quickly. The story captivated my attention, even though there were a few moments that I was unclear on having not read the first book. For the most part, this is an easy read in terms of picking up pieces though. It is a bit of a heavy read learning of Hope's situation and all she endured while being captured by the Cayuse. For that reason, I would not recommend this book to tender aged readers. There are several "adult" issues faced in this book that might be difficult for a younger crowd.

I loved the story of Lance as well. The way that he handled the past issues he faced was done with much grace. I am not sure I could have been as forgiving as he was (or Hope either for that matter). The overarching theme of this book is forgiveness as well as hope. I felt I could identify with both Lance and Hope on some level and I appreciated the ways in which they handled their issues. My only real issue with this story is that the path to salvation was shortened by a few steps. I do believe that one must Hear the Word (Romans 10:17), Believe on the Word (Matthew 16:16, John 8:24, Acts 16:30-31), Repent of those sins (Luke 24:47, 2 Cor. 7:10, Acts 2:37-38), Confess their sins publicly (Matt. 16:16, Matt. 10:32-33; Romans 10:8-10; Acts 8:35-38), and be Baptized (immersed) (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Col. 2:12; Acts 22:16) for the forgiveness of sins. Then and only then do I believe, as the Bible points out, that one is saved (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). In this story, Lance was strongly encouraged to hear the Word, believe on the Word, and ask for forgiveness. He was not encouraged to follow through with baptism for the remission of his sins.

Many thanks to Bethany House publishers, as well as Tracie Peterson, for allowing me to read a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The thoughts written here are my own and I was allowed to read this novel in exchange for my personal thoughts.

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Book Review: Critical Care by Candace Calvert

Critical Care by Candace Calvert

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
You know you're an ER nurse when:

1. You're never late for work, in fact you come in 20 minutes early (see #2)

2. You are vigilant and diligent in making sure everything is stocked before your shift starts.

3. You can handle seeing an overwhelming amount of tragedy in one day.

4. You are addicted to coffee and/or diet coke and you're an incredible multi-tasker.

5. You believe in standing up for what is right, even it you have to stand up to the doctor barking orders at you.

6. You care more for your patients than for yourself.

7. You see yourself as a rock...nothing can affect you.

8. You learn to live without lunch and bathroom breaks.

9. You despise critical incident teams coming in to counsel you when they weren't there to see what you saw. Remember, you're a rock.

10. You work for Dr. McSnarley.



I really, really, really enjoyed this book!!! Coming from a nursing background, I understood a lot of the emotions covered in this book. I've been through the horrible shifts, losing patients, long hours with no lunch or bathroom breaks, Dr. McSnarleys...yet it is so rewarding!!



At first I was afraid this might be a book much similar to an episode of House or ER but it wasn't. I don't watch medical shows because they don't "get it right". Mrs. Calvert relied on her medical background to accurately describe the goings-on in an ER. It was written as if you were standing right there, looking onto the gurney, smelling the smells, hearing the beeps, blips, whirs, and stirs. I had a very hard time putting this one down and I look forward to other books to come in this series.



Claire just took on a job at Mercy Hospital and had her eye on the new Clinical Educator position. She was definitely qualified and on top of that, she was trained in critical incident stress management.



Erin is the top notch charge nurse who really cares for her staff. She works just as hard as they do on top of organizing Faith QD and a variety of fundraisers for the hospital.



Sara is a work horse and Erin's right hand. Sara is always early to work, meticulously checking to make sure all the equipment is in stock and functioning properly. She's a rock and is one of the most dependable nurses in the ER.



Then, well, there always has to be at least one...Dr. McSnarley...oh, pardon me, I mean Dr. Caldwell (Coldwell?). There's a complaint file on him a mile wide with the Chief of Staff but Dr. McSnarley is such a competent doctor that no one dares to get rid of him.



There's a horrible tragedy in the ER one day that brings all these people together...and changes lives forever. Through mutual sharing of woes, laughing, crying, and oh yeah, that much NOT needed critical incident stress management, the reader can see how taking care of oneself really is Critical Care. Just how do they do it? Well, you'll have to read it to see. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!


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