Hearts Aglow by Tracie Peterson

Striking A Match, Book 2

The future should be bright for Deborah Vandermark, who is now pursuing her interest in medicine alongside Dr. Christopher Clayton, who is courting her.

But the lumber town is resistant to the idea of a woman physician, and she feels thwarted at every turn.

A more devastating blow occurs, however, when Christopher breaks off their relationship to return home to his troubled family. Despite her own love life going awry, Deborah is still intent to be a matchmaker for both her widowed mother and her brother, who has caught the eye of the spit-fire daughter of the local pastor.

What will Deborah do when faced with the truth about Christopher's family? Is there hope for the two of them...or will Jake Wyeth's attentions finally catch Deborah's eye instead?

My Review:
For those who love Christian history/romance, this book set in the 19th century is for you. I was grabbed with the first page and read straight through to the satisfying end. For those who like to cook, two tempting recipes are even included.

There are so many good parts to this tale. Prejudice is one topic covered. Most people feel a woman should stay at home, while our protagonist wants to study and practice medicine. Inability to tolerate anyone from a different race is another theme. One of my favorites parts is in chapter five when Pastor Shattuck draws an amazing connection from the biblical story of Joseph to black/white relations. That alone is worth the price of the book!

I love to learn, and the author injected some gems. For instance, I learned that "quinsy," is infected tonsils.

Thank you to Bonnie at Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Bethany House for my copy.

If you would like to read the first chapter, click here.

If you would like to buy a copy, click here.