Historical Romance Book Review: Faithful of Heart by Tracie Peterson

My Thoughts:

This is a book that centers around charity, goodness of heart and the belief in others to find their way. It’s a deeply spiritual journey as Judith Stanford, a well known charity organizer and business woman, receives word that her estranged grandfather wants to meet her. He’s dying and he wants to leave his fortunes to her, but she has no interest in it. Her grandfather abandoned her father and is known for having no compassion for others. This is completely at odds with Judith and how she lives her life.

Eventually she gives in to the requests and makes her way from Philadelphia to Minneapolis to meet with her grandfather. This turns into an agreement for her to stay during the summer and get to know him and his business. She learns a lot of bad things about his business dealings and is convinced that God sent her on this path to right those wrongs. So she commits herself fully to learning and preparing to take his empire over.

Along the way, she starts to slowly break through his barriers and help him see his own way to salvation is through asking for God to be in his heart. This was a profound moment in the story because it’s not give too much focus, but allows for a very personal moment of realization on his part.

Judith’s character is about as good as they come. She’s devoted her life to charity work – raising money, holding events, and helping as many people in need as she can. When she arrives in Minneapolis, that’s another thing she starts doing right away. As she attends the local church, she’s quickly brought in on the happenings and sets her sights on helping the orphans that have lost their parents during war and famine.

She also meets Roman Turner, whom she met earlier in the story before she even knew about her grandfather. He’s a local surgeon and also fervently involved in charity work. They are a perfect match for one another and it was heartwarming to watch their affections grow in such a mature way throughout this story.

There’s a slight hurdle lurking in the background throughout this entire story and that’s Judith’s grandfathers attorney, Bert. This man believes that he is owed the fortunes of his employer and nothing less will suffice. He’s also convincing himself that Judith is madly in love with him and this is another way he can secure the inheritance he believes is his. But his infatuation borders on delirium and he’s a dangerous fellow to keep around. He was a perfectly unlikeable character in that he has no sense of things going on around him. Even if he is a great lawyer.

A beautiful story that lays deep reminders about the importance of forgiveness, helping others, and being open to changes in our paths. Judith’s strong character is loveable and a personification that good can be done in any circumstance if we only listen.