Loved the setting and time period. Isabella was a spoiled little rich girl but I believe readers will feel empathy for her when the whole story is revealed. I loved the story of second chances that the Garcia family gave others. It was concerning that the parents were not open with Isabella about their situation. Aaron was an insightful man and I liked that he relied on God. The stories around the Santa Fe railroad are very enjoyable. Recommended!

Beyond the Desert Sands is the second book in Tracie Peterson’s Love on the Santa Fe series. This story is set around New Mexico’s statehood in 1911-1912. Isabella is a spoiled young woman born into wealth. With the help of others, she realizes how cruel and selfish she has been and learns to forgive herself as God surely forgives her. It is a story of second chances, forgiveness, and moving forward no matter the past. Tracie Peterson delivers another good, Christian, historical fiction story which can be read as a stand-alone book.

"Beyond the Desert Sands" is a Christian romance set in 1911 in New Mexico. When Isabella was young, her parents forced her to leave family, friends, and a city life that she enjoyed to live in a remote desert area near a silver mine. They never explained why, so she concluded that they didn't care about her feelings so she shouldn't care about their feelings. Since no one else would, she'd fight for her chance of happiness: returning to live with her aunt. Now she's been called home due to her father's seriously waning health. When her parents finally explain why they moved here, she realizes she must forgive them and reevaluate her life.

The main characters were likable, complex, and reacted realistically to events. Nonetheless, it boggles my mind that her parents didn't want to worry Isabella (though she knew her father had poor health) so never even told her the move was to improve his health. They all admitted that they made mistakes in how they handled that, so much of the story was Isabella reconciling with her parents and making friends in the now-thriving town. Aaron didn't like her selfish, bitter attitude and bluntly let her know it, helping her to see how others viewed her behavior. He wasn't mean to Isabella despite how she initially treated him, and they became friends (and more) as they got to know each other. With God's leading, Aaron was willing to release his dreams for his future to help Isabella's family.

The Christian element was about forgiveness, second chances, and trusting God with your future. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romance.

Tracie Peterson does not disappoint with this second entry of the Love on the Santa Fe series. I had not read the first in this series and was still able to enjoy this installment. Although the character Isabella was frustrating at times for this reader, it did feel that the frustration with Isabella and her spoiled attitude was needed to tell the story of forgiveness and redemption. Fans of Ms. Peterson will not be disappointed. Those readers who enjoy historical romance fiction should give this book a try.

I received an ARC ebook from NetGalley and the publisher, Bethany House, in exchange for an honest review.

Beyond the Desert Sands
by Traci Peterson
Pub DAte: July 5, 2022
Bethany
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Peterson is always a hit at our library so we will be purchasing this book.
For me, the book was just so-so. Beyond the Desert Sands is the second book of a series. I haven't read the first book, so while I enjoyed the story I'm sure I would have benefitted from reading the other book first. But like all Tracie Peterson books, it's a solid Christian romantic historical fiction, that is suitable for teen on up.
3 stars

Beyond The Desert Sands was a bit dull and I couldn’t relate to the characters. I enjoyed the story of redemption but not much else.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.

This book is set in Silver Veil, New Mexico. Isabella Garcia is the prodigal son or daughter in this case. She was so angry with her parents and set off to do her own thing, which also meant distancing herself from God. She was selfish, and spoiled. Aaron Bailey is an honorable, godly man. He works with Isabella’s father, and her father wants him to take over his business. Aaron calls out Isabella for her selfishness and she hates him for it. She wants to marry Diego Morales, but her father refuses to allow that to happen because Diego is not an honorable man. He tells Diego to prove himself by working in the mine for a year. Isabella finds out that her father is dying and realizes all the time she has wasted by being angry. She also gets to know Aaron. This is a great story about forgiveness and coming back to the Lord. I enjoyed this story, the only problem I had was I kept forgetting what time period it was set in because it felt too modern at times. Overall good story, definitely recommend.

Yes - read it.

Another great read from Tracie Peterson. The only down sides are a character you get sick of hearing whine and bit of a tear jerker. But the interesting setting of the story and storyline make it worth the read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley to help prepare my honest review.

Beyond the Desert Sands is the second book of a series. I haven't read the first book, so while I enjoyed the story I'm sure I would have benefitted from reading the other book first. But like all Tracie Peterson books it's a solid Christian romantic historical fiction, that is suitable for teen on up. I will be purchasing it for our library. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

BEYOND THE DESERT SANDS is a most enjoyable historical romance novel byTRACIE PETERSON which takes place in the early twentieth century in Silver Veil, New Mexico Territory, where Daniel Garcia and his wife Helena settled when their daughter Isabella was ten, uprooting her from her beloved family home, grandparents and friends in California. This affects her badly and she blames her parents, particularly her father, for ruining her life and not caring about her happiness. It is as though the whole world revolves around this beautiful but spoilt young woman! When she is called home for Christmas at the age of twenty five, leaving behind her aunt and the dashing Diego Gonzales who she longs to marry, Aaron Bailey finds her ungrateful and unfeeling, especially as he is close to her father who is dying…..
As we find in all this auhor’s books, the Christian message of redemption, forgiveness and second chances is beautifully interwoven with the story. The characters are unforgettable, some more so than others and there is romance, intrigue, betrayal and heartache, all making up a most enjoyable read.
I cannot recommend Beyond the Desert Sands highly enough to anyone who enjoys Christian historical romance.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

This is the second book in the 'Love on the Santa Fe' series. I found this harder to get into because I didn't relate to the main character at all, however, once you could see the arc the character was going to take, the story takes a greater hold on you.

I got this in exchange for an honest review. I will be buying a copy for our libraries and the fact that it took me a while to get into, did not put me off the book. Readers of historical fiction will enjoy this aspect of the book along with the mystery elements.

A wonderful book huge characters, such a reminder of God's love and grace towards us and His care of putting us in families. Such precious memories and a reminder to listen to his voice.

I thought Tracie Peterson's second installment from her Love on the Santa Fe, Beyond the Desert Sands, to be a great read. I give it four and a half stars.

3 ⭐️

I’ve read several of Tracie Peterson’s books before, and I really enjoyed them. The author has a knack for creating clean, fun, and engaging books. Beyond the Desert Sands was enjoyable, but I’d definitely recommend some of her other books to those looking for clean historical fiction reads.

I did like the themes of redemption in the story with Isabella’s character between her relationship with God, her parents, and Andrew. The author did a good job of making Isabella come across as annoying/spoiled in the first half of the book, and there was a definite change in her character as she experienced the power of redemption towards the end of the book. 

A few things (I’ll keep them brief) that kept me from giving this book a higher rating:

-There didn’t seem to be enough dialogue that allowed me to connect with any of the characters. I’ve read some books that did an incredible job of pulling me in and emotionally connecting me with the characters. I think if more details about the characters were included or more dialogue/inner thoughts, I would have connected more with Andrew and Isabella’s characters especially. 

-The redemption arc with Isabella’s character didn’t seem clearly defined. As I said above, the author did a great job of having Isabella come across as annoying/spoiled at the beginning of the book, but I felt the transition from hard-hearted to softened wasn’t given enough time to play out to its fullest potential. The change seemed sudden and, within a very short span of time, Isabella went from being self-centered to selfless. Of course, I know from experience that God can work quickly in hearts that are responsive to Him, but I wish I was given a deeper look into how that changed Isabella’s character or how it made her feel, etc. 

I don’t want to discourage others from reading this book, because while it was a three-star read for me, it may be a five-star read for someone else. So, as always, be sure to read other reviews and look for elements other readers enjoyed about this book that might intrigue you as well! I would definitely recommend this book for a younger audience (early teens, probably) because the writing style seemed like it would be suitable for that age group. 

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book. All opinions are expressly my own.

Isabella Garcia has been living with her Aunt in California but decides to visit her parents in Silver Veil, NM, a town founded by her father near a silver mine he owns. She has never wanted to live there, preferring her former home in California but her father is ill. And she wants to convince her father to let her marry her California neighbor, Diego Morales. Her father sends his best friend and confidant, Aaron Bailey to accompany her on the train ride. He thinks Isabella is a spoiled brat and she thinks he is insufferable.

This is a great second book in this series that highlights the history of the Santa Fe Railroad and the Harvey House restaurants. Tracie Peterson does great historical research and write interesting stories.

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my own honest opinion.