Monday, October 27, 2008

Dangerous Heart by Tracey Bateman


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Dangerous Heart

Avon Inspire (October 14, 2008)

by

Tracey Bateman



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tracey Bateman published her first novel in 2000 and has been busy ever since. There are two other books in the Westward Hearts Series, Defiant Heart (#1) and Distant Heart (#2)

She learned to write by writing, and improved by listening to critique partners and editors. She has sold over 30 books in six years.
She became a member of American Christian Fiction Writers in the early months of its inception in 2000 and served as president for a year.


Tracey loves Sci-fi, Lifetime movies, and Days of Our Lives (this is out of a 21 year habit of watching, rather than enjoyment of current storylines.

She has been married to her husband Rusty for 18 years, has four kids, and lives in Lebanon, Missouri.


ABOUT THE BOOK

For the past seven years, Ginger Freeman has had one goal: find Grant Kelley and make him pay for allowing her brother to die. Growing up motherless with a father who leads an outlaw gang, Ginger isn’t exactly peaches and cream. So when she finally tracks down Grant on a wagon train headed west, she figured providence had stepped in and given her the chance she’s been waiting for.

On the wagon train, finally surrounded by a sense of family and under the nurturing eye of Toni Rodde, Ginger begins to lose her rough edges. She’s made friends for the first time and has become part of something bigger than revenge. Not only has her heart softened toward people in general, but God has become a reality she never understood before. And watching Grant doctor the pioneers, she’s realized she can’t just kill him and leave the train without medical care. Putting her anger aside, before long, Ginger’s a functioning part of the group.

But when the outlaw gang, headed by her pa, shows up and infiltrates the wagon train, she is forced to question her decision. Only self-sacrifice and her new relationship with God can make things right. But it might also means she loses everything she’s begun to hold dear.

If you would like to read from the first chapter of Dangerous Heart, go HERE

MY REVIEW:

A seven-year-old grudge, an outlaw’s determination and the ability to hide in plain site create the elements necessary for Ginger to pursue revenge against Grant – the man who killed her brother. However, Ginger’s carefully thought out plans didn’t allow for the love, friendship and hard-working peace that infiltrates the lives of the people who surround her on this Oregon-bound wagon train. When it comes time to fulfill the promise made to her father’s gang of outlaws, Ginger finds herself at odds with the awakening of the new feelings within her heart.


In this final installment of the Westward Hearts series, Dangerous Heart, Tracey Bateman creates some unexpected twists and turns in Ginger’s path to revenge. There are secrets revealed, family relationships altered, and lives changed during the course of the story. By the time you reach the final pages the three women that began their Oregon journey in Defiant Heart are living testimonies to God’s mercy and grace. This final book is definitely Ginger’s story, but you will recognize Toni, Fannie and the ever present Miss Sadie as well.


This is the third or fourth novel I’ve read by Tracey Bateman. I definitely prefer her contemporary stories to her historical novels. If you are intrigued by the Oregon Trail and life on a wagon train, you will probably enjoy this series. It was an easy, quick read, and a satisfying ending to this trilogy. Pick up your copy today.



2 comments:

Carole said...

The only book of Tracey's that I've read is The Color of the Soul, and I really liked it. It was set during a difficult time in America's history and very well done I thought. I appreciated your review.

T. Forkner said...

I really liked Tracey's Leave it to Claire novels. She is a very diverse writer. Nice review.