When I received my copy of The Quarryman’s Bride by Tracie Peterson for this book tour, I kind of sighed.  Another Christian romance novel, I thought.   Although reading Christian fiction is one of my favorite past times, sometimes the storylines get played out.  Boy meets girl, they fall in love, a few Bible verses are sprinkled in throughout the story, the end.  Not so with The Quarryman’s Bride.  This book explores cultural differences of late 19th century immigrants, the development of unions, and the understandings of mental illness during the turn of the century.  Does that sound like your typical Christian romance novel?  I didn’t think so, either.You know that suspenseful moment in a movie when you’re looking at the time and realizing that it CAN’T be the end because you have an hour left?  I experienced that moment many times while reading The Quarryman’s Bride.   There was a lot packed in these pages.   Beyond the simple romantic tension (which is a story all in itself) there were developments between the characters that kept me turning the pages.  The characters each had their own internal conflicts to make things even more interesting.   In the first few pages, the story seemed to be a Little House on the Prarie episode because of the descriptions given.  I loved learning about the skill involved with quarrying and shipping the rock.  There were more than a few situations that frustrated me, and I wanted to shout some sense into the characters.

This was a great read.  I’m a fan of Tracie Peterson’s novels anyway, but this one was really a big home run.  I can’t wait to share it!