A Choice Considered by Tracie Peterson

 A Choice Considered

Book Summary

Love has a way of derailing even the most carefully laid plans.

Melody Doyle has spent years following her father across the country as the transcontinental railroad is built. When she announces her desire to settle down in Cheyenne, her father presents her with an unconventional challenge: he will allow her to stay if she finds a husband before his departure. As word spreads and the men in town vie for her hand, she wonders if she could ever be happy with a husband chosen in such a way.

Charles Decker, heir to a banking dynasty, has been sent west by his father to manage their family's new bank. His heart yearns for a simple life of teaching, but banking is the family business, and Charlie feels obligated to fall in line. When his friendship with Melody blossoms, he's drawn to this remarkable woman who defies conventions. Will he be able to come to terms with his growing feelings for her and confront the true desires of his own heart before it's too late?

My Thoughts

A Choice Considered by Tracie Peterson is the second book in The Heart of Cheyenne series.  It can be read as a standalone for those who have not read A Love Discovered.  I thought A Choice Considered was easy to read.  I enjoyed getting to know Melody and her father as well as Charlie.  The characters, though, needed more depth.   The characters are a little too perfect with the bad guy being the sneering, twirling the ends of his mustache type of villain (the type you see in cartoons).   We get to visit Cheyenne in 1868 just as the railroad tracks have been finished and the workers are ready to move on to the next site.  I do not blame Melody for being ready to settle down in one location after years of travel.   I did find some of the details to be inaccurate (two small examples are you do not leave a stove unattended in a tent for long periods of time nor do you leave food out on the table because a dog will snatch it—or a hungry vagrant). 

The story follows Melody and Charlie as they get to know each other.  In between the pair go to work and Melody goes on the dates set up by her father. There is a touch of suspense when a disgruntled bank employee makes off with funds. A Choice Considered is a clean, Christian story (no intimate relations or foul language).  A Choice Considered is a nice story, but I thought it was very predictable.  I could foresee how the story would play out early on.  I felt this book was not on par with Tracie Peterson’s earlier works.  While A Choice Considered was a miss for me, it will not keep me from reading Tracie’s books in the future.  

A Choice Considered can be obtained from Amazon*.  The first book in The Heart of Cheyenne series is A Love Discovered.  A Truth Revealed is the third book in The Heart of Cheyenne series and it will come out on November 5.  Tracie Peterson has A Constant Love which is the first book in The Hope of Cheyenne series publishing on March 4, 2025.  You can find Tracie Peterson's other novels here.  Thank you for popping by today.  I will return next week with  new book reviews.  I will be taking part in the Celebrate Lit Blog Tour for Mary's Calico Hope by Anne Blackburne on July 9.  I hope that you have an enjoyable and safe Fourth of July.  There will be a golf cart parade in our community before the Fourth of July fireworks (you get around on a golf cart or an adult tricycle if traversing within our community).  People will decorate their golf carts for the parade.  There is always an activity going on (there is no reason for someone to be bored in this village).  Have a fun holiday!  It is a great opportunity to sit by the pool (lake or ocean), relax, and read.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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