Forever by Your Side

Forever by Your Side is the third book in Tracie Peterson's Willamette Bride series. While I have read many historical fiction novels set around this time, this is probably the first I have read about the relationship and tension between the Indian tribes and the white men during this particular period in history. You don't necessarily have to read the first 2 books in the series to enjoy this novel, but I highly recommend reading them to get more of a background on the situation and cast of characters. Plus they are great books!
Forever by Your Side follows the story of Connie Browning and her friend Thomas Lowell as they are given the task of recording the history of the Indian Tribes located in Oregon. Connie's parents, who have spent many years working with these tribes, have been accused of attempting to incite an Indian uprising. Unbeknownst to the Bureau of Ethnology, Connie and Tom's main goal is to clear the Browning's good name. From friendships to betrayals, from romance to family and God's redemption and grace, this book has it all!
I found the friends to lovers storyline in this book to be natural and well done, romantic without being overly cheesy. I also love how Tracie Peterson weaves Biblical truths throughout these novels, while bringing to light the injustices faced by the Indian tribes of our nation. I found myself wanting to research and learn more truths about this dark time in our nation's history. I would definitely recommend this book to those who love historical fiction and good clean love stories! Thank you netgalley and Bethany House publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy!

This was such a unique story. Being based in a time where there was tension between whites and the native tribes isn’t all that common of a setting. The fact that some of the main characters were a mix of white and native made it even more unusual. Having not read the previous books in this series it was interesting jumping into the third book, but I don’t feel that it was necessary to read the previous two in order to enjoy this one. Peterson painted a interesting and unique world, where the innocent can be assumed guilty, and where looks can be deceiving. I was taken on a roller coaster of emotions from being happy, to worried, and then to sad and back again. I could in no way guess where the story was going and enjoyed to journey. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Fiction. I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishing and was in no way forced to post a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This novel is the third in the series which is a continuing of the three sisters who lived through the massacre of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. This series follows the daughters of those three sisters. I found this one interesting because I haven't read much about what happened when the government was trying to herd Native Americans onto reservations and then was like oops their culture is dying, now let's document it.
Blacks weren't even allowed in the state of Oregon, so it's pretty incredible how far we've come when it comes to racial divisions when you read something like this and compare. It gives hope that people will one day all be treated equally without looking at skin color. Someday. This is an interesting read for just that alone. It's a little preachy at some points since one character is an agnostic who is trying to figure out what he believes. The romance and villain are predictable, but I still kept reading because there was enough suspense.
Overall, I love the first series by far, but I enjoyed seeing what happened to all the characters in this final wrap up. I feel like I learned a lot about history. And if someone has questions about God, a lot basic ones are answered in this book which is not always common.
I was given a copy of this novel by netgalley for my honest review.

This is the third book in the Willamette Brides series and while it can be read as a stand alone I do recommend reading the others in the series first I read the other books and they give you the back story of the characters and answer questions leading up to this book.
The series is full of love,mystery and plain excellent story telling that I found intriguing and easy to follow along with.
The author has written another well researched book with well developed characters.
Forever by your Side is vividly descriptive as the authors words bring this book to life and you'll think you are there experiencing all that happens.
There is a mystery that runs through all the books in the series finally getting solved in this last book.
I enjoyed the conclusion to this series and look forward to more by this author.

Pub Date: 06 Oct 2020
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Tracie Peterson writes great Christian historical fiction. Her books are always very well researched, and I always come way feeling that I’ve learned something new about the time period in which she has set the story. That held true for this book, too. This book clearly shows the conflicts and difficulties that existed for the Native Americans who were placed on reservations. There’s an element of mystery to this story, and the character of Connie drew me into her story as she sought to clear the name of her parents. There’s also some romance in this book, too, and Connie finds that she must determine the state of her own heart. There’s been an on-going mystery in this series, and this book ties up those loose ends. I enjoyed this book that was written in Tracie Peterson’s classic style.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This is the third book in the Willamette Brides series for Peterson. There were characters that I could tell had stories written about them already, but I did not feel like that took away from my experience with the story. Though the characters mentioned seemed to be lovely people and from what I've read on reviews other readers loved their stories even more than this one.

"Forever By Your Side" is a story full of all the western setting, mystery, love and Christian themes. Connie is a strong heroine who has a job she wants to complete. Her love for her family and love for the Indian community drive her to put forth full effort in solving the problems that are placed before her. And it helps that she has a handsome helper, colleague and best friend, Tom who is there for better or worse. Tom is a reliable, handsome, and caring guy who you can't help falling in love with as you read their story.

What makes Tom an even more interesting character is you get to watch his journey to discovering God. It is a beautiful story and I really enjoyed the Christian themes throughout. Connie's struggle at the beginning of Tom's journey brings to perspective what many people face in their own personal journey and it is a good reminder for all. Peterson is a talented author who does a splendid job at mixing story and religious themes to create an even better story. This was a fun read, quick and action packed to keep you turning the page to see how the mysteries all come together in the end.

*I received a complimentary copy from the publishers/author(s) via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I have loved the first two books from the Willamette Brides series and Forever by Your Side is my favorite of the series. I thought it was a great read and it gets five plus stars from me.

In the late 1880s, Connie and Tom, coworkers from Washington, DC are sent on assignment to the Native American reservations in Oregon to collect oral histories from the tribes people. Connie grew up in the area as her family served as missionaries to the reservation for over twenty years. A childhood crush of Connie’s, Clint, is now the Indian Agent. Tom, though, pines for Connie. Clint seems to want to woo Connie back, though she is no longer an impressionable teen. The real story here is the interactions of the Native Americans, the Oregon settlers, the Army and other government officials.
The story has intrigue and family ties. It is the third in a series and I found it exceedingly helpful to have read book 2 right before book 3. Those two are tied together with the various family characters.