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Title: Chasing the Sun (Land of the Lone Star #1)
Author: Tracie Peterson
Pages: 352
Year: 2012
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
This novel is set in Texas in 1863. Texas has sided with the Confederacy, making anyone who agrees with the Union’s beliefs considered as a traitor. That is what William Barnett faces as he returns home from fighting for the Union. He was wounded and deemed unable to fight anymore. He lost his father and brother in the same battle. All he wants is to go home, heal and get back to living a life of normalcy, if possible. However, once he arrives home, he discovers his ranch has been given to a Confederate sympathizer as a spoil of war. He finds the man’s daughter and young brother and sister living in his home. He heads to Dallas to see a judge about getting his ranch back. In the meantime, he has been allowed to live on the ranch and work there. He finds Hannah beautiful and compassionate.
Hannah Dandridge is 24 years old, living in the middle of nowhere, taking care of her much younger brother and sister. Her father has been gone for months on a trip to Vicksburg to see his sick mother. With no word from him, Hannah has been left in charge of the ranch. When William Barnett shows up, wanting his ranch back, Hannah is at a loss as to how to resolve the situation. She does find him attractive though. Her father’s business partner also keeps pressuring her to marry him, so he can take care of her. Also, the Comanche and Kiowa have ramped up their attacks on the local population. She knows God has a plan for her, but with everything going on, she isn’t sure what it is!
The thing I liked best about this story was how Hannah consistently relied on God for everything in her life, even in the face of grief at the loss of several of her family members. She verbally spoke her faith into the lives of her brother and sister, Comanche Indians, and anyone else with whom she came in contact. It was inspiring! I’m looking forward to book two in the series, Touching the Sky. This is one author who has written several novels, and she can be depended upon to always deliver a good story.
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. ( )

Excellent book, Many suspenseful events and it keeps one guessing at the end as there's twists and turns. Highly recommend ( )

Set in Texas during the turbulent years of the Civil War, Tracie Peterson’s Chasing the Sun is a faith-based novel with plenty of adventure along with a sweet romance. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2012/05/23/chasing-the-sun/ ( )

This first novel in the Land of the Lone Star series by Tracie Peterson was a great introduction to the era to set the mood. Set in the mid 1800's, you can really get a sense of what the tension was between the Rebs and Yanks who fought for what they believed in. It also shows how great a threat the Native American tribe's presence was to daily life. To bring it all together, the main character, Hannah Dandridge, is caught between her loyalty to the Confederacy and her faith in Christ - making her in direct conflict with William Barnett to heighten the plot.

While the overall read moved along at a usual pace, what I did find a little off-putting was how much of Hannah's faith was discussed through her dialogues with the characters. Not that it was altogether unexpected, given the genre as well as the character's profession of faith itself, but it just to me seemed like it was a bit preachy compared to other novels of the genre. She was rather naive, and there was a bit of a disconnect with her faith and what if at all kind of role she played in William Barnett's views on God. Since it is book one of the series, I hope these characters and their acquaintances are revisited so we can see what happens next - otherwise, it kind of leaves them hanging in terms of some of the plot, particularly with the Indians. In terms of an historical fiction novel, I still would recommend this series because of its depth of insight and the way it makes you feel like you are also living in the time. ( )