Chasing The Sun, by Tracie Peterson
Reviewed by: Lara M. Van Hulzen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bethany House
Publishing Date: 2012

Hannah Dandridge lives on a ranch in Texas during the Civil War. Her father, a widower, has left to tend to his ailing mother in Vicksburg leaving Hannah to care for her much younger brother and sister. Herbert Lockhart, her father’s business partner, believes her father has been captured or even dead, but promises to take care of Hannah and her siblings by marrying her, even though he’s old enough to be her father.

William Barnett returns to Texas after fighting for the Union Army. All he wants is to live out the rest of his days on his beloved ranch and leave the war far behind him. He lost his father and brother to the war and was shot in the leg, leaving him with a limp and constant pain. When he arrives home, he finds out that the ranch was taken from his family because they decided to side with the North and was given to the Dandridge family, now run by the oldest daughter, Hannah.

William and Hannah face Indians, Confederate soldiers and what turns out to be a sinister Lockhart, only to find that love can happen in the most challenging of circumstances. Although William doubts a loving God based on all he’s seen in war, Hannah stands strong in her belief that God will lead them always and care for them no matter what.

This was a well-written story with interesting insight into life during the Civil War. However, the characters were two-dimensional to me and the story felt plot driven instead of character driven. Hannah is sweet, but I never was able to connect with her. I could sense what motivated her, but at times her faith seemed to simply be a reason to speak Bible verses out loud and not something heart felt. William came across as gruff and I didn’t see how he appealed to her other than he was physically handsome. They spend a good deal of the book apart, and yet somehow they fall in love.

There were some great opportunities throughout as well for suspense and action, but when the moment came, the story fell flat. A resolution would come about quickly and the story would simply move on. I found myself eager to see where the events would lead, only to be disappointed and feeling that things were wrapped up a bit too easily.

Rated G:  This is a good book for anyone who enjoys Christian historical fiction.

Book provided by the publisher.  Thank you!