I had no idea what the Whitman Massacre was, so I had to look up information about the incident so I could understand what the characters had lived through. The author does a nice job of giving us a nice fictional telling of the incident without going into all the horrible details of what happened to the missionaries. This is a story full of strife survival, and sacrifice that shines a light on a tragic event in our nation's history.

Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson is a marvellous Christian historical romance. It is the start of the Heart Of The Frontier series and what a cracking read that promises to be.
Set in 1847, Tracie Peterson has incorporated the Whitman Mission massacre into her work of fiction. This does not make for easy reading but history is not always kind. We need to learn from history in the hope of not repeating it.
The novel highlights the tensions between the Native Americans and the white settlers. Fear brings hostility. Some on both sides are unable to see past the colour of a person's skin. Others realise a man's worth is in their character. "He was... a good hearted man who cared about people no matter their colour."
There were many with pioneering spirits who pushed into the wilderness in the hope of a new life. "We did not come to this place because it was safe, we came to serve." People bandied together forming friendship bonds.
Close knit communities meant sickness was rife in all settlements. Traditional medicine clashed with natural healing methods and ancient Native American beliefs. Deaths aroused suspicion which fuelled violence due to fear. Despicable acts of violence and rape were inflicted, producing an atmosphere of hate and fear. Women and children were traumatised and the effects were long lasting.
The novel explores the varying attitudes to God produced by life. "You ain't gonna have any peace at all until you yield yourself to God." God gives a peace that passes understanding at the hardest of times. For some "Prayer is essential." For others they were "questioning where God was in all this." Life may turn people from God. In the suffering and the pain we may question God's goodness and if He cares at all. Or is He an impotent God? God understands our anger and our pain. He longs for us to give it to Him and to help us heal.
All life is sacred. It is a gift from God no matter what the circumstances of conception. A child does not ask to be born. A child is not a monster. A child is to be loved, cared for and nurtured.
Life is sacred. There is the difficult subject of contemplated suicide. Tracie Peterson is sensitive in her portrayal.
There are the themes of guilt and forgiveness. Our past actions may leave us feeling guilty. We need to surrender our guilt to God, receive His forgiveness and then forgive ourselves.
Tracie Peterson has written an epic tale, identifying the pioneering spirits going forth and overcoming. Her characters endear themselves to the reader. We 'feel' their pain and helplessness whilst applauding their ability to keep going, pressing on into a new life in uncharted territory.
Treasured Grace is a wonderful start to a new series. I am on to book two, Beloved Hope now as I cannot wait to see what happens next.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I usually love Christian novels featuring settlers in historical storylines - my all time favourite being Janette Oke's 'Love comes softly' series'. However, I struggled somewhat with this novel's storyline because of the focus on a particularly sad, real historical event which is a feature as it effects the main protagonist and her family.
The cover reveals nothing of the devastating traumas experienced by characters - the least of which is the death of an oppressive and unwanted husband who was a means to an end. Yet it is this death which is the trigger for the other travails which beset the small family of the orphaned Grace, Hope and Mercy.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson is a historical novel set during the 1800's. The author has done her research well and really showed the hearts of the native Americans who were feeling anger and frustration of being forced off of their land by white people who gave no thought to ask first about how they could live together and instead just swooped in and took. This all comes to a head of course in a most horrifying account of an attack on the mission in which our main character resides with her two sisters Hope and Mercy.

Treasured Grace is well-written and has good characters. My attention was captured and held throughout the book. I found it to have a good pace which made it easy to read. There is extreme violence in the book which is historically accurate, but I found it upsetting. Prayer and faith are prevalent themes throughout the book. It emphasizes how important it is to have faith that God is there for you in the bad times and the good. I give Treasured Grace 4 out of 5 stars. It is a lovely yet heartbreaking story. It does have a sweet ending once you get past the serious parts (which are sad, heartbreaking and slightly depressing). There is the requisite romance, but I did enjoy the character of Alex. Tracie Peterson did a great job with her research. Her writing brought history to life. I have read the majority of Ms. Peterson’s novels (I still have a couple in my TBR pile), and I will continue to read her stories in the future.

I received an ARC copy of this book by Bethany House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Grace Martindale has a heavy load to bear but she is more than willing to sacrifice her own happiness to protect and provide for her two younger sisters. Grace is a compassionate and teachable young woman. She is intelligent, brave, and hard-working. Grace is a big sister after my own heart.

Alex Armistead is a quiet, steady trapper who has years of experience with natives and other early inhabitants of the Oregon Country. He and his friends know the flood of settlers will change their lives irrevocably yet they choose peace and acceptance. Under the buckskins, Alex is a gentleman at heart.

This story of sacrifice, strife, and survival shines a spotlight on a tragic chain of events in our nation's history yet the light of hope and love shines brighter in the darkness. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys frontier tales and stories of the early Oregon settlements! What a promising start for this new series!

I requested the opportunity to read this book through the publisher. The opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: Treasured Grace, Tracie Peterson, Bethany House Publishers, 2017
Treasured Grace opens in 1847 as sisters Grace, Hope and Mercy make their way along the Oregan Trail. After losing their mother, their only family is an uncle living in Oregon City and she is desperate to reach him. Grace marries the Right Reverend T.S. Martindale in order to join a wagon westbound wagon train. When the Right Reverend passes away on the trail, Grace agrees to winter at Whitman Mission. During their time there, the trio meet many colorful characters including Alex Armistead and a tribe of Cayuse Indians.
Grace feels an immediate attraction to the surly trapper and despite a reluctance to admit it, Alex feels the same. But tensions are growing between the white missionaries and their Native neighbors. When the Cayuse blame a measles epidemic on the mission’s founder trouble is inevitable.
Treasured Grace is a great historical novel set around an actual historical event. Peterson’s research is evident as she paints the culture of the Native Americans, even contrasting the Cayuse to their Nez Perce cousins.
The book is transparent in its evangelical theme and I loved the number of Bible verses woven into the text.
Grace is a healer and while her advocacy for pure water was obvious to me, I never understood why she always took vinegar or what other herbs she used in her many tonics.
I must confess that it felt somewhat disjointed in the first couple of chapters as we met Alex and his trapper friends completely separately from the main characters and there were a number of members of the wagon train introduced. I didn’t feel like I had a good grip on who’s who until nearly the middle of the book. However, by the climax of the story I felt I knew the important characters well enough to follow the story line.

Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson was an interesting historical novel set during the 1800's. The author has done her research well and really showed the hearts of the native Americans who were feeling anger and frustration of being forced off of their land by white people who gave no thought to ask first about how they could live together and instead just swooped in and took. This all comes to a head of course in a most horrifying account of an attack on the mission in which our main character resides with her two sisters Hope and Mercy.

While the story had its moments I found that I simply could not relate to the main characters of Grace and Alex. It might have been the fact that my kindle copy was poorly formatted. One page would have a conversation on it and then the next page would jump to the middle of a scene about something else, so that I had no idea what was going on. I was constantly flipping back pages to find the correct passage I was reading. Not an easy thing to do on a Kindle since the pages aren't numbered. That said, I think even if the formatting had not been off I would have still found these characters hard to relate to. They simply had no depth or personality. For example, the romance between Grace and the trapper Alex made no sense. It was instant attraction without any real explanation. And the long drawn-out reason why Alex could not commit to Grace made it even harder for me to care for them at all. This romance just fell flat.

The only characters that had any depth were Nigel and Hope. Nigel I hated because he was a pest, but at least I felt something. And Hope - well - what she went through would break anyone's heart. I liked the transformation that occurred in her and think the story would have been much better served with her as the main character. The emphasis on faith was done very well and the transition in Hope in particular was interesting to see.

Altogether this was not a bad book because it was true to the times and well-researched, but when it ended I should have felt something and I didn't. If not for the excellent research and well written scenes regarding the mission attack, I would have given this three stars.

If you enjoy historical novels, then this one fits the bill. Tracie Peterson does her homework and many of the facts of the Whitman massacre are accurate in her story. Grace and her sisters have come west to meet up with their uncle in Oregon Territory. Grace had to marry in order for them to be accepted on the Wagon Train but her husband has died and as we are introduced to the characters we find that it was a loveless marriage.


At the Whitman Mission, Grace meets Trapper, Alex Armistead. Alex lives among and trades with the Indians. He and Grace have some disagreements about the Indians early on but quickly become allies trying to help when they are stricken with measles.


Grace and Dr. Whitman but heads about her healing gift and his being a trained doctor. It is obvious however, that Dr. Whitman and his wife care for the Indians but they struggle to gain their trust. Tensions end up ultimately in loss of life and compromising of many of the women including Grace's sister Hope.


Emotions come to a head between Alex and Grace but he, unintentionally, humiliates her because he has some secrets of his own. Grace and her sisters head on to Oregon City where they find they aren't through with the consequences resulting from the attack.


I found this book an interesting read and worth spending time with but I can't give it my highest recommendation because I was frustrated with the lack of growth and maturity in the romantic relationship between Grace and Alex. At least I think there could have been more depth given the characters. The lack of trust and communication made for too much angst, in my opinion. However, it still had a good plot and one can see where the foundation is laid for further books in this series.


I received this book for an honest review from Netgalley.

What a powerful book. I have to admit I am partial to any historical books that take place in the Northwest and this one did not disappoint me at all. What a story it takes place half with Walt Whitman and what happened with a group of sisters living with his group. And then the other half was what happened to the sisters after the Whitman massacre. Oh the emotions you feel from the characters will blow you away. This was a very powerful book and I highly recommend it.

Traci Peterson has another winning novel in “Treasured Grace”. Traci has written twenty series of books, some in collaboration with another author. I have read quite a few of them. “Treasured Grace” begins along the Oregon Trail in 1847 with the death of Grace’s husband, a narrow-minded preacher. Grace was forced to marry him in able to join a wagon train going to Oregon because a woman alone could not make the trip. She and her two sisters were orphans and were trying to get to her uncle in Oregon. After the untimely death of her husband (in name only), Grace was forced to winter over at the Whitman Mission. Dr. Whitman built the mission to bring the gospel to the Indians, the Cayuse and Nez Perce. He is an arrogant man and refuses to allow Grace, with her knowledge of healing medicine and herbs, to tend the sick. After an outbreak of measles which was a deadly sickness to the Indians, Dr. Whitman and the mission were attacked and many were killed, including Dr. Whitman and his wife. Grace, along with a trapper who she comes to love, do all they can to save those who are ill and rescue those whom the Indians are holding hostage.
Ms. Peterson does a great job of incorporating real historical events with the tales she writes. Obviously she has an inexhaustible aptitude for giving her readers abundant stories in historical fiction. I will continue to appreciate her talents as long as she writes.

Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson
Grace Martindale has known more than her share of hardship. After her parents died, raising her two younger sisters became her responsibility. A hasty marriage to a minister who is heading to the untamed West seemed like an opportunity for a fresh start, but a cholera outbreak along the wagon trail has left Grace a widow in a very precarious position.
Having learned natural remedies and midwifery from her mother, Grace seeks an opportunity to use her skills for the benefit of others. So when she and her sisters arrive at the Whitman mission in “Oregon Country,” she decides to stay rather than push on.
With the help of Alex Armistead, a French-American fur trapper, Grace begins to provide care for her neighbors, including some of the native populace. But not everyone welcomes her skills–or her presence–and soon Grace finds herself and those she loves in more danger than she imagined possible. – from the Publisher
Author Tracie Peterson is back writing historical fiction. This is the good news about Treasured Grace. The novel places the reader among the true incident of the Whitman massacre and through the events of the novel, the reader sees how such an event could affect both victim and community. The subjects touched on are not light but true to the historical time.
The character of Grace did not seem as developed or written in such a way that this reader did not have investment into her. There was a little bit of a romance but it did not seem to be the focal point of the story. For those looking for romance, another Tracie Peterson novel would suit the reader’s taste. For readers who like historical fiction and learning about an event not well known outside of the west, take this read for a spin.
Note: I was given an electronic copy via Net Galley and the publisher, Bethany House for an honest review.

Searching for a wonderful book to read this Spring or Summer?

Treasured Grace is definitely one book you should consider reading!

Treasured Grace is set in the 1840s frontier and is the first of three books in Ms. Peterson's Heart of the Frontier Series. The author's love of history and research clearly shines through in her richly detailed settings, roundly developed characters and engaging plot.

In truth, I have to say I started of reading this book expecting a feel good, clean love story of moderate fluff. It wasn't long into the book where I was pleasantly and strongly surprised to find this book was so much more! Within the pages of this historical romance the author addresses woman's equality issues of that era, human prejudice based on race and religion, the effects of this country's westward expansion as well as love, faith and so. much. more.

I fully enjoyed reading Treasured Grace and I can't wait to read the second and third book in this series!


4.5 Stars

Visit https://renee1-blog.blogspot.com/2017/03/treasured-grace-by-tracie-peterson.html to read my full review.

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Bethany House Publishers, Ms. Peterson and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Treasured Grace is just that a book that shows you how to treasure Grace. What an amazing reminder to us all isn't it and it just takes us to going back to settler days to do that. This is about Grace who goes with her husband, who is a minister, and heads on the wagon trail. On the way there there is a cholera outbreak leaving her a widow. Well now the others needed someone to nursemaid those that were sick, pregnant, hurt etc and Grace happened to have some experience in that area helping the settlers and the Native Indians. She gets to Oregon and decides to stay there because her experience is needed. There is Alex, a fur trapper - who seems to help and like her - and she needs it because there are those who are not too happy she is there and she is in some danger - So, what happens is.........y'all I can't tell you what happens - you have to get the book and read but I tell you -this book is authentic especially with this being a historical novel - and this Author is ONE of the best one's I have read for historical books.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, a genre I head toward when I want a good meaty story, with enough information to make me feel the story is real. I love history and learning so this is a match made in heaven for me.

Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson is a story based off the Whitman Mission massacre, which I was unfamiliar with. After reading this book, I did a little research on this event and found that the author did a nice job of using the facts of the event and creating a story that wove in the details as they could have happened to this family. To me, that shows a historical fiction author's ability to write. She also created a fictional character and wove a story around the real event in such a way that made you believe the whole story was true. THAT's what good historical fiction does.

The main character, Grace Martindale and her two sisters set off with her husband to go and be missionaries to the far West. Grace's husband, from their loveless marriage, dies on the trail. Grace manages to sell off enough supplies to fun their trip to the Whitman Mission, who allows the women to stay during the winter, until Grace can contact her uncle, who lives in Washington.

Grace is a skilled healer, being taught the skills from her mother and grandmother. Dr. Whitman will not allow Gracie to practice her craft, until the neighboring Indian villages and their own mission is struck with the measles and many people began to die. The Indians were told by Mr. Lewis, a fur trader, that Dr. Whitman was poisoning their families and wanted them to die. When the chief's child dies, he comes to confront Dr. Whitman and in the end, starts a fight.

Grace happens to be away from the mission when the fight breaks out. Her two sisters, however, are there and witness the horrific acts that take place during the massacre. Grace hears about the massacre and in her fear, tries to get back to the mission. With the help of another trapper, who Grace is in love with, and a half breed Indian, Sam, the two girls are reunited with their sister, but not before awful things happen to the oldest sister. They leave the fort and go to where Grace's uncle lives, but not before they are able to make contact with him.

The rest of the story tells about the struggle to heal from the Indian raid, Grace's reluctance to marry again, even though she's met the love of her life, and reconnection with family. The story was wonderfully told, the characters either delightfully lovable or easily despised. The descriptions were a bit lacking, I would have liked more details about the food, the wagons, the scenery, the mission, and the fort. The descriptions of the uncle's house were adequate.

This is a series, and Book 2 about Grace's sister Hope, is coming out in July 2017. I plan to buy it, I am very interested on how Hope deals with the rest of her life.

With over one hundred books to her credit, Tracie Peterson is a prolific writer. While Treasured Grace falls among her historical fiction novels, Tracie writes contemporary fiction as well. Her fans will be very pleased with this first book in her latest series.
Treasured Grace is set in Oregon Country in the mid-1800s, leading up to Oregon’s recognition as a territory of the United States of America. Peterson’s fictional characters survive the trials of life on the Oregon trail, only to live through the real life horrors of the Whitman Mission massacre. Readers of Jane Kirkpatrick’s The Memory Weaver, which told the story of Eliza Spaulding, an actual Whitman Mission survivor, and her family, may also be interested in reading the story of the Flanigan sisters: Grace, Hope and Mercy.
Following the death of their widowed mother, the sisters embark upon a journey to Oregon Country in order to locate their uncle. Unable to make the trip as a single woman, Grace, the eldest, enters a marriage of convenience. The Right Reverend T.S. Martindale, meeting the Mission Board’s requirement of having a wife, agrees to take on the responsibility of Grace and her sisters, while also taking most of their resources. However, during the trip to Oregon City, the Right Reverent succumbs to illness, and Grace becomes a widow whose marriage was never consummated. She finds that she must place herself and her sisters at the mercy of Dr. and Mrs. Whitman, who graciously allow the sisters to winter over while they build up their strength, and determine their next course of action. Any thoughts they had about their future were abruptly changed as the Cayuse attack the mission killing the older boys, men, and Mrs. Whitman, and keep the women and children hostage.
Themes presented through this story deal with forgiveness, prejudice, healing, and faith in the face of the most difficult of times. I recommend this book to fans of well-researched historical fiction as well as fans of Christian romance novels. I thank the publisher for making this book available to me in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

I received this book for free from Net Galley and Bethany House Publishers. All opinions in this review are my honest, own opinions.

I'm giving this book 2 out of 5 stars. This is the first time I've read anything from her and sadly, this book doesn't leave a good impression on me to want to read anything else from her.

The very beginning of the book starts out with a death. It is kinda a surprise to me considering the genre of the novel. Grace loses her husband while traveling on the trail. She doesn't seem too upset by it either but because it was a loveless marriage, I can understand why she isn't heartbroken. She's more focused on her sisters who are also traveling with her as she's their only family they have left.

The historical era she sets her book in is something I wasn't familiar with (if it was covered in my school history classes, then I must have been sleeping through class). That's a plus for me. I enjoy books that make me want to research what happened in that particular period of time and learn more about what exactly happened.

Character wise, I didn't particularly really like any of the characters. Grace oftentimes challenged the males she came into contact with. While it's nice to read a book where a female character wasn't treated like a doormat, it got to be frustrating and annoying after a certain point. I also disliked how there was such a lack of communication between her and Alex when they were together. Hope at first grated on my nerves until towards the end and even then, at points until the end, I still didn't particularly like Hope either.

For this particular genre, the amount of detail the author goes into for Hope's trauma was surprising. The rape and PTSD that is described that Hope suffers through does make me tear up a little bit though. The anger she feels towards everyone, including her sister, does make me pity her for having that happen to her.

Overall, the book itself just doesn't really appeal to me. I'm sure there's others it appeals more to, for me it's not something I'll go back and re read. It has the normal "happy ending" you'd expect with this type of book but for me, even the ending was kind of plain and cliche.

I had a love/hate relationship with this book. The story itself was beautifully written. The characters were very well developed, the plot was exceptional, it was very historically accurate and the book as a whole was mesmerizing. The subject matter however, as well as the setting of the story, was painful. It was a hard read because of the events surrounding the characters, as well as the excruciating circumstances that various characters found themselves in. However, the author's ability to weave these historical and tragic events together with an intriguing romance thrown in impressed this reader very much. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next book in the series brings.

Grace, along with her two younger sisters, open the story with the death of Grace’s husband-by-convenience. They are delivered to the Whitman mission in this westward expansion story. Grace has the gift of healing and provides invaluable help to those in her wagon train, along with others at the mission. Thwarted by Mr. Whitman, Grace does what she can to help the settlers, residents and some of the tribal people. Helped by Alex Armistead, a trapper, Grace finds a new life for herself and her sisters.

Their ultimate goal is Oregon to find her uncle who can provide for and vouch for the sisters.

I am usually a fan of all things Tracie Peterson- love her style. Her story telling usually draws me in and I can't stop reading until I know every detail! Not so with this book, however. I am a fan of historical fiction, but I did not like the main character. Something about her grated on my nerves. The way she dealt with men was one reason. She was super defensive, and stubborn. Not that women have to be doormats, but she was challenging authority in a time when she had basically no rights- and it could have ended up very badly for her. I also was not interested in her attraction to Alex. He had his own issues, of course, and I just wasn't compelled to find out what/why.

I was hoping there would be more detail into the medicine part of Grace's "gift"- claiming she was a healer. But it was herbs this, and tincture that, without any real information on how she would have put things together to treat illness. I find facts within historical fiction interesting.

I also felt the Native Americans were like wooden characters. There wasn't a Native American I felt really got to tell their story- not even Sam. The relation between them and the people at the mission was a central part of the plot, but I felt it was glossed over in the first half of the book. Nothing really developed.

I just could not get into the story, and sorry to say I didn't read all the way through. Maybe her next book will be a better fit for me.