Out of the Ashes by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse

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OUT OF THE ASHES

Heart of Alaska Book Two

Curry, Alaska, a town that is no more today, deep, overgrown grass covers the site, but a town that is the base of the series, Heart of Alaska.

While in some ways this is another of those chick flicks, as I like to call them, where the girl always gets the guy of her dreams, this one is much deeper. For one, I like how it is based in truth. There was a town of Curry, there was a Druze Revolt in Syria and so while the characters and actions are fiction, the authors did their research to make the story as true to life as possible.

This book has a lot of hurt in it. The girl didn't just get the guy easy, peasy. She was first forced to marry a cruel man, a Senator no less, but cruel behind closed doors. Abused both physically and verbally, Katherine is beaten down in the three years she is married to him. Then he dies, but his words linger in her head and she believes she is no good. Her grandmother is determined to pull her out of this and a dark cave and life-giving words spoken in the name of Jesus begin to lift her darkness.

Jean-Michel has lived through the Druze Revolt and is forever scarred by what happened there. He experiences nightmares and flash backs and is a deep, dark, hurting soul until he too finds Jesus. And then, of course, Katherine and Jean-Michel get together.

I really liked the emphasis on this book that Jesus is the answer. Neither character was able to find peace through things or travel or relationships. It took the ultimate relationship. And to really emphasize that point, there was a man who showed up in Alaska, half out of his mind. He had been the instrument of much cruelty in the Druze Revolt, (fictionally of course) and had caused injury and death. His guilt was eating his mind. He needed Jesus.

I received this book from Bethany House and was not required to write a positive review.

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