Revealed

When a prostitute is bought out of a brothel and marries a man she does not really love, the reader wants to dislike her right away. Soon enough, Annabella was my hero, even with her jaded past. A tragedy, and we met her as a pregnant widow. Matthew Taylor needs a job, so he applied as trail guide for Annabelle's trip to Idaho and the land her deceased husband loved. To say these two literally despised each other would not be stretching the truth, both had deep, dark secrets and both had reasons not to trust the other. However, Matthew got the job and much of this book is about the long, 900 mile journey, searching for tiny little Sadie, a 15 yr. old prostitute, nearly losing their lives in the process. Why was Matthew so edgy and seemed to look over his shoulder a lot? The wanted posters told Annabelle some of the reasons--- she was traveling with a criminal. This book deals with many issues, prostitution in the early settlements of the West, the dangers of whiskey, gambling and women all thrown together and the struggle to forgive oneself even after God has shown complete forgiveness. Traveling by wagon was not easy, especially when two people who disliked and distrusted each other were alone for three months and there were inate dangers as well as physical and environmental ones. Personally, for me, I related completely to the subtle description of dementia of a very elderly, mean relative. I have already begun my search for book three by this author. Where did she come from and how did she get to be such a sucess so quickly? Books one and two only slightly overlap with towns and people and book three has a huge reputation to live up to. Thanks for the Christian, historical fiction book that shows the power of change when asked of God.

Revealed By: Tamera Alexander Covered wagons and western skies, damsels in distress and bounty hunters, all make dreams of days gone by. If you love traveling back to that era, this book is for you. . . .Annabelle Grayson McCutchens was rescued from her shameful past by a godly man who offered her unconditional love. When Jonathon McCutchens died, she had only one goal. She would travel from Colorado to his ranch in Idaho and birth and raise his child there. Matthew Taylor was a man with a conflicted heart. He loved and served Jesus Christ. But, after a perceived betrayal by his best friend, ran from his faith, his home, his life. He knew Annabelle's past and placed judgment upon her. But he needed to get to Idaho and she had the money to pay him to escort her there. His heart burned with the desire to pay off the bounty hunter and to punish her for what she'd done. When their pasts collide with the present, they must each decide if forgiveness is the road to follow. And as the wagon travels towards Idaho, will faith and love fill their hearts enough for grace to push the past out? . . . Tamera Alexander has done it again. Book two in the Fountain Creek Series takes you on a journey of love and forgiveness with Annabelle and Matthew. Get a quilt, a comfortable chair and curl up for a great read. You will love it out west and won't be ready to come back to this century.

This book was fabulous!! I was riveted from page one and I didn't put it down till I had finished it. I read the entire thing on a six-hour car ride. The characters were so real; they all had flaws and secrets. And the relationship between Annabelle and Matthew was developed beautifully. Though they started out butting heads and almost hating each other due to past experiences, they each came to terms, growing individually and then developing a solid foundation for not only friendship, but also for an angsty and subtle romance. It was obvious that these were God-fearing people, but I was a pleasantly surprised to read something a little different than the Christian fiction norm. It was more a change of heart, a change of perspective, forgiveneses and acceptance rather than the typical conversion that we read so often. My only advice would be to read the previous book "Rekindled" first. I didn't realize this was the second book in a series, so I didn't understand alot of things. MAKE SURE YOU READ THE PREVIOUS BOOK FIRST. I have yet to read it, but it's on my desk at home waiting for me. And the next book in the series, "Remembered" will be released soon, and I can't wait to read that one as well. I'm so impressed with this debut author and what she has to offer her readers. Her writing style is sharp and descriptive, but not too flowery or over the top. Alexander has the skill and ability to pull you into the book so you see every scene and feel every emotion. Everything about this book flowed and fit just right. This is a five star book for anyone who likes historical fiction and Christian romances all wrapped up in one amazing package.

Move over Petticoat Ranch! I still love ya, but Revealed moves into the top spot now. In fact, I dare say I loved Revealed even more than Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, which used to be my favorite book...period. The title Revealed is so perfect and sums up the story in so many ways. What made this book so amazing? The characters were not just flawed, but they grew throughout the story. Especially the hero. To me, this is the most powerful redemption story I've ever read. The tension between the characters was truly believable. As they got to know each other more they discovered that many of their assumptions about each other were not true, which meant they had to change things about themselves because of that revelation. Is that cool, or what? I don't want to spoil the story for you with too many details, but there was just so much healing and character growth in this novel that it sets it apart from most historical westerns. Sure, you still have the sleazy characters that you want to choke, and they were believable, too. But there is just more depth to this story than most. The spiritual threads were delicately woven throughout the book and not at all preachy, IMHO. And that first kiss was perfect. The finger trailing the lip. The look in his eyes. The romantic waiting. The fact that he said he'd wait. So many things understood between them without a word. Oh, and her scary feelings of love (as a woman should feel) and the wonder of it all was fabulously done. She experienced how special things could be with Matthew. One of the things I loved best about this story was the theme of how you can't love others if you don't know what unconditional love is. Johnny rescued Annabelle from a horrible life and prepared the soil for her to experience true love for the first time in her life. I also loved how the author used Annabelle's concern for Sadie to reach Matthew as well. Their relationship was so well done, as was the guardedness on Sadie's end. Several times my eyes misted. Great emotional impact! I highly recommend this book.

Once again Tamara Alexander provides us with a story you take to heart and love. With two of the characters from her first novel, Tamera weaves a tale of God's love and forgiveness for even the most broken of lives. Matt Taylor and Annabelle Grayson are drawn together when he learns his deceased brother's pregnant widow needs an escort to take her to join the wagon train she had to leave when Jonathan died. She wants to continue the journey to Idaho to live on the ranch Jonathan claimed there. Matt agrees because he believes the ranch should be his, not Annabelle's. Because of her past life in a brothel, Matt feels she isn't worthy to bear the name of his brother and even doubts the unborn child is Jonathan's. Matt and Annabelle travel westward and during the trip, they learn to respect each other and to trust God to take them safely on their journey. Along the way Annabelle, with Matt's unexpected help, is able to rescue a young friend, Sadie, from life in a brothel. The ending has a wonderful twist that wraps up the story in a most satisfying way. This is one that will be hard to put down once you start reading.