Christian Fiction Review: Within My Heart (Timber Ridge Reflections, Book 3) by Tamera Alexander
Within My Heart (Timber Ridge Reflections, Book 3)by Tamera Alexander
Copyright 2010
Bethany House Publishers
384 pages
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0391-6
Historical Fiction
From the publisher:
Sometimes the greatest step of faith is taken neck-deep in fear.
Determined to fulfill her late husband's dream, Rachel Boyd struggles to keep her ranch afloat with the help of her two young sons. But some days it feels as though her every effort is sabotaged. When faced with a loss she cannot afford, she's forced to trust Rand Brookston, the one man in Timber Ridge she wishes to avoid. And with good reason. He's a physician, just like her father, which tells her everything she needs to know about him. Or so she thinks....
Dr. Rand Brookston ventured west with the dream of bringing modern medicine to the wilds of the Colorado Rockies, but the townspeople have been slow to trust him. Just as slow in coming is Rand's dream to build the town a proper clinic. When a patient's life is threatened, Rand makes a choice—one that sends ripples through the town of Timber Ridge. And through Rachel Boyd's stubborn heart.
From the beloved, bestselling author of From a Distance and Beyond This Moment comes an unforgettable story about faith in the face of fear, about tarnished hopes and second chances, and ultimately about the resilient courage and tenacity of hearts broken——and mended——by love.
My Review:
You can really tell when an author pours their heart and soul into their work. Tamera Alexander's books are some of the best out there just for that reason alone. If her books don't touch your heart I honestly don't know what will. There is so much emotion on every page that is so raw and authentic it's sometimes even difficult to read!
Right from the start I knew that Within My Heart was going to be a real tearjerker and by the time the end rolled around I had to break out the tissues. That said, this book was almost too sad. There was so much grief and sorrow throughout. I will say this however, the relationship between Rand and Rachel which grew out of their love and respect for one of their patients was beautiful to read. I also felt that the ending fit with the rest of the story. There was no unbelievable, sugary-sweet ending but a nice, natural closure for most of the characters.
If you're looking for a light-hearted romance you will want to put this book off till later (but definitely plan to read it). If you want a story of forgiveness, loss, and love that will keep you reading until the wee hours, read this. Tamera Alexander is a premier Christian fiction author who writes books that touch the heart and teach lessons that we can all learn from.
To learn more about the author visit:
Her WEBSITE
Her BLOG
*I received my complimentary copy through the publisher's book review program in exchange for posting my honest thoughts*
I agree, definitely not a light read. But one of my favorites this year.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fab.
ReplyDeleteI like your new look!
*high five*
My only advice: It's hard to read the gray font.
Hahaha whoops! Thanks Juju I meant to change that last night! :-)
ReplyDeleteXOXO~ Renee
This looks so good!I haven't been buying books because I'm thinking I'll receive some gift certificates in a few days. I'll have to keep this one in mind . . .
ReplyDeleteLOVE your new decor, Renee!!!
ReplyDeleteI was SOOOO excited to finally be able to read this book, but I was disappointed. It was only okay IMO. I thought the 2nd book in this series, Beyond This Moment, was by far the best. In fact, it's my absolute fave of all of her books.
Thanks for another great review! :)
Thank you so much Lori for commenting about my decor....I love it so far but who knows I may decide to change it soon since I pretty much know what I'm doing on the new "design" section of Blogger!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that you didn't like this as much as the others in the series. I liked it but my favorite will always be her first series and her first book, Rekindled! :-)
XOXO~ Renee
It looks so nice in here! Gorgeous! I need to add this book to my list. I'm not a huge fan of tear jerkers, but I did like her earlier books. I've become a huge fan. Thanks for such a great review. :o)
ReplyDeleteThank you Lee!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
XOXO~ Renee
Renee, you're showing off those decor skills, girl!! :o) Love the new look, and looks like you got your centering issue taken care of. *wink*
ReplyDeleteI am so ashamed to say that I have not read a single book by Tamera, but I have every single one of her books....sad, huh? I don't mind a tear-jerker, and I love it when the emotions just jump right off the page. Sounds like I need to re-prioritize my TBR pile, doesn't it? :o)
OOoh, love your new layout, Renee!! Thanks so much for stopping by and following my new blog, I really appreciate the support!! :))
ReplyDeleteI read this book too and liked it, but you're right it was a super tearjerker!! I really liked Rand but I wanted to know even more about him, he was a really interesting character!
Thanks Christy for helping me out even if I was interrupting your tv time with the hubby! It looks awesome thanks to you! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Carrie! I love the look of your new blog especially since I'm a vintage clothes lover! :-)
XOXO~ Renee
Renee - fabulous new look! Very classy :)
ReplyDeleteLove Tamera's books so hard to pick a favourite. Mmmmm...maybe From A Distance :)
Thank you Rel! Hope you had a great holiday!
ReplyDeleteXOXO~ Renee