The Hope Within

This was an excellent story as were all in this series. The book held my attention to the very end. The only criticisim I would have, there is so much tragedy throughout the book that it made my own heart feel very heavy until the very end when the "hope within" was realized. Tracy Peterson is an excellent author giving a lot of attention to detail. I can easily see another sequel to this book as several of the characters lives had unfinished endings.

I couldn't put this book down. Literally. I ignored my children (and my chores!) and read it in one day (which is an extreme rarity for me). Maybe it's because I'm the same age as Dianne in this book, but I WAY identified with her struggles, especially the conflict with the in-laws (which hit a little close to home) and subsequent estrangement with Cole. I cried when Dianne lost the baby (what can I say - I'm a mother!) and I struggled with her seemingly "easy" re-acceptance of Cole. There is so much heartbreak in each of these books - I was relieved that it ended on a positive note. Bravo!

Having read the entire 'Heirs of Montana' collection, this was one of my favorites out of the four books. Although the plot twists of book 3 were amazing, this book took on a different tone. For most of the book I was crying right along with Dianne, angry at the treatment by her husband, Cole (no matter how honorable his intentions). However, the plot twists were still present with Mayra's unbelievable faith and outspokeness in her 'pursuit' of Zane. Peterson also left what seemed like an unlikely coupling from the beginning in the characters of Joshua and Ardith alone without any pressure. I went on to recommend this book to my mother, as she often encounters in-law 'issues' so to speak, so now she can compare the fictional in-laws to her own experiences. I highly recommend this to anyone who has read the series, and for those that haven't, start at book 1 (from having started at book 3, trust me, you'll get more fun out of it!) but be sure to finish it out with this book! This is one of those classic books when you need a good cry.

Dianne Selby, strong, determined Dianne, faces her worst trial yet. Their ranch has burned and they are "temporarily" living in town which she hates..in fact, she fears Cole is going to force her to stay there and she starts turning bitter against him....and their marriage falters...then word comes of the impending death of Cole's father in Kansas. Cole wants to share his wife and children with his family for the first time ever, but when they arrive in Kansas, Diane and the children are treated worse than garbage. Dianne really tries, pulls more than her weight, but finally her strength is gone...and she is pregnant, unknown yet to Cole. Cole has been harboring a secret fear of restarting the ranch back in Montana and feels it never really was his but Dianne's and more truly, Koko's and her children's. In his tender moments, he tries to please all the women in his life and finds this is impossible and he loses the most important one. The reader is on their seat's edge for several pages. So many things are drawn together in this book, we again see Trenton, Ardyth the pianist, the mean and cheating greedy neighbor rancher, the honor driven Indian who really loves Dianne but puts integrity over all...it is he and Koko who nurse Dianne through a near death experience... it seems the author is wrapping up this series. Please, Tracie, don't leave us hanging.

1886 fire burns down the Diamond V ranch house and several other facilities forcing the Selby family to relocate to nearby Virginia City, Montana Territory. Dianne Selby hates living in town, but her spouse Cole keeps delaying their return with one pretext after another. Cole learns that his father Hallam is dying so he, Dianne and their children travel to Kansas to say their last respects starting with his dad meeting his wife and grandchildren for the first time and helping his mother Mary cope with her loss and work the farm. Upon completing the trek, Mary sets the tone greeting Dianne about never visiting when her spouse was healthy. After Hallam dies, Mary pressures Cole to run the family farm he inherited while remaining nasty towards his wife and children; Dianne decides to end her cruelty to her grandchildren by taking them with her and going home though it means deserting her husband. The final inspirational historical novel in the Heirs of Montana quartet, THE HOPE WITHIN, is a terrific family drama that vividly portrays late nineteenth century life on the Great Prairie especially in Montana and Kansas. The story line is character and geographical-climatic driven as the audience obtains a taste of the era through simple interwoven into the plot nuances; for instance Cole's parents and his wife and children never met before implies distance (communication and transportation). Fans will cherish the finale as the extended cast provides depth and Dianne sees hope that her husband will come back to her and their children as THE HOPE WITHIN her remains strong because of her belief in God. Harriet Klausner