In Times Gone By by Tracie Peterson

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Tracie Peterson concludes her Golden Gate Secrets series with a story of loss and love that begins well but the ending leaves readers wishing for more valuable content.

I’ve read Tracie Peterson on and off throughout most of my high school and early adult life but have not kept up with her writings of late. Thus, when I was offered this book for review and accepted, I was unaware that it would be the finale of a series. That being said, I was able to gather the important information for this story easily. And while it was a little odd to not know the references to earlier books that were peppered throughout, I did feel like this book might stand fairly well on its own. There was much to like about this story from the long coming romance between Kenzie and Micah, to the rebuilding of lives, homes and businesses and further, to the justice that finally came for those of the city managers who had abused their position of power. I have visited the beautiful city of San Francisco and enjoyed walking the streets and seeing the sights. As I read this story I was able to picture the areas mentioned and that added much to my reading experience. The romance between the two main characters was well done, with plenty of excitement and much learning about the other throughout the pages. As Kenzie and Micah work through their trust and faith issues, they both learn that love is willing to give and accept all for the good of the other person. However, there was much about this story I did not care for, from the lack of comeuppance for Victoria and Arthur to the lack of backbone that Kenzie showed, as well as the overall slow pace at which the story moved. Victoria was such a vicious and backstabbing character that I was hoping to see get what she deserved in the end, but that never came – she just got to walk away leaving destruction in her wake. Arthur, too, was a two-faced character who deceived, kidnapped, beat and stole from others and in the end his money got him free of any charges. I know this sometimes happens in real life but it was a big letdown to see that none of the “bad characters” were really thwarted in their pursuit to get what they wanted. And, as much as I wanted to like Kenzie, I just couldn’t. She was a wishy-washy character who was very selfish and immature. I realize her father did her a great injury by not accepting and showing her more affection, but when it comes to accepting love from others she simply chose not to. I also don’t see how she fell for Arthur in the first place if he acted the same before as he does in the pages of the book. Controlling and arrogant would surely not appeal to a young woman who looked for love and kindness her whole life. Her inability to see the kind and sacrificial love that Micah offered her was a bit ridiculous and made me roll my eyes on occasion at her silliness. The other negative I had from this book was the slow pacing. I felt like the story had extra padding from extensive conversations that were not necessary to the progress of the plot and slowed it considerably. By the time I got half-way through, I started checking how many pages left quite often as I was getting bored, not a good thing for a story in my opinion. So while I enjoyed some parts of the story, there were others that just made the book hard to finish. I was pleased to see the ending for the main characters but very disappointed with the lack of retribution for those who did wrong. I will recommend this book as a clean read but will warn others that they may get bogged down with all the extra wording. I am hopeful that Ms. Peterson will begin another series soon and I will be looking out for those works in the near future.

I received this E-book free of charge from Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Peterson's newest novel takes you into an early 20th century San Francisco filled with intrigue, danger, and political corruption. While this is the third book in the Golden Gate Secrets series and I have not read the first two, I was still able to enjoy the story and was not confused about anything that happened in the first two books.

Our main characters, Kenzie and Micah, are both interesting characters, if a little one-dimensional. While understandable, Kenzie's fear of being in a romantic relationship felt too drawn-out and I found myself getting annoyed with her instead of having compassion. I liked Micah and his persistence in not letting her go, but at the same time, he was a little too pushy for my liking. Secondary characters such as Caleb, Camri, Patrick, and Judith were all very interesting and I enjoyed getting bits and pieces of their stories.

The storyline centers around the Great 1906 Earthquake and I found the history wrapped around that event very interesting. I would have liked a little more details to help set the scene, but overall it was quite good. Peterson's writing style is very simplistic, which doesn't lend to a very authentic historical feel to me, in both dialogue and descriptions, and that is probably my biggest issue with this book.

Overall, while not my particular cup of tea, I did enjoy In Times Gone By and am interested to read the rest of the series.


CONTENT NOTE: Recommended for ages 16+ |spoiler| There is a fair amount of romance spread throughout the book with kissing, hugging, etc. Also mentions of not wanting to be alone with a man for fear he would do something "untoward" and other such vague references. |spoiler|

First, I requested this book to read and review. I was given an advanced reader's copy and the review is my own and freely given.

I liked this series, this is the 3rd book, but was a little underwhelmed with this book. The characters are well developed but since this was supposed to be mostly about Kenzie, I felt it lacked in fulfilling that goal. I feel like this because there was a lot of the story involving Victoria, from the second book and she could have easily been given a lot less time. I also felt that if that much space was given to her, the ending of her part was lacking.

Overall, I felt the story flowed well. The plot was interesting and I would recommend this series to my friends. Since it was not a final text book, it is hard to comment on the grammar though there were places I hoped will be fixed in the final version. Not many, but a few. I also appreciate that this is truly a Christian book. Tracie Peterson does a very good job at showing what a true Christian should be like and not being preachy.

Tracie Peterson weathers out the storm of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake in her final book of this series. Kenzie's former fiance shows up "still wanting to marry her." Caleb visits Kenzie's family and brings them back to San Francisco. Corruption is still rampant in San Fran and Caleb still wants to dig it out and eradicate it from the city. Tracie Peters knows her characters, her settings, her history, and her research. She especially knows how to pull this all together into a cohesive novel or series of novels.

Here's how it all plays out: Caleb's sister Camrianne marries Patrick Murdock. Judith finds her family only to lose them in the quake. She ends up marrying Caleb. Kenzie works for Micah as a nurse, and finally comes to realize she loves him.

There is so much I have left out of this review, but there just isn't enough time to give it the full treatment it deserves. It is just a captivating series of novels that is hard to put down once you pick it up. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, some special chocolates from Ghiradelli.

My thanks to Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book and this series.

In Times Gone By opens with the San Franciscan residents dealing with the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake. Kenzie Gilford is also slowly recovering from her personal earthquake of being left at the altar. Dr Micah Fisher believes that Kenzie is the woman for him but struggles with convincing her. Their relationship is rocked with the reappearance of her ex-fiance, Arthur Morgan, full of apologies and determined to win back. Hmmm..who will Kenzie give her heart to?

Despite being the third book in the Golden Gate Series (which I didn't know), In Times Gone By can be read as a standalone. Kenzie and Micah are the central characters but their friends also provide fodder for the book. The characters were well-fleshed out and dialogue between the characters seemed natural. The romance was sweet without being cheesy. It was great to read about the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake which I am not well versed with. Peterson brings out the emerging issues of the tragedy without making the reader feel like the characters live in a bubble.

This is my first Tracie Peterson book and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from her.

Tracie Peterson has written over a hundred novels, so of course, she knows the mechanics of a good novel and keeps pumping them out. With her Golden Gate Secrets series, I came to know her writing and her characters a lot better. I have enjoyed this series from the amazing characters to the plot. Peterson captured my attention and didn't let go.

The Golden Gate Secrets series involves three women who meet on a train and follow their adventures as they arrive in a new city and ends right after the fire and earthquake of 1906. Peterson does a wonderful job at using her words to bring this world and the characters to life on the page.
They jumped off the page and directly into my imagination. I enjoyed this series.

The romance isn't over the top, but it is definitely there. Peterson didn't make me cringe with too much romance; it occurred naturally over the course of the story. It was predictable, and I knew exactly how the story and series would end.

I was glad to finally learn more about Kenzie and see her story and background from her perspective. Kenzie was a strong heroine even though she appears to be a major introvert in the first two installments in this series. I liked Micah, the hero, too. He loved Kenzie and was willing to do anything for her, just like most heroes in a novel do.

The plot kept my attention. I enjoyed the mystery elements with Arthur Morgan and Victoria. They helped move the plot along. I didn't have a hard time focusing on the plot. I wanted more.

Overall, In Times Gone By by Tracie Peterson is a wonderfully crafted story that fit in nicely with the first two books. The plot worked well for the time period, and the predictable romance filtered in and out. I loved the returning characters who supported Kenzie and helped cement my interest in the story. Fans of Karen Barnett and Susan Anne Mason might enjoy this novel.

In Times Gone By by Tracie Peterson is the third book in the Golden Gate Secrets series. As San Francisco is wrecked by an earthquake, Dr. Micah Fisher works non-stop to save lives, but his mind is on the love of his life, Kenzie Gifford. However, Kenzie's heart is not open to love. Will love triumph all? Peterson also wraps up the stories of the other main characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for the read of Tracie Peterson’s, In Times Gone By.
Thank you! Thank you!

Times Gone By, the third in the Golden Gate series … loved it! I am a huge fan of Tracie’s work and I jumped right into this one. Started it, couldn’t put it down.

Camri, Judith and Kenzie, draw you into their lives, the storylines are engaging, and you will have to read it to find out!

As always , a lovely, good feel read, with a gentle Christian message.

Definitely recommend.

I felt this book was less about Kenzie and Micah (couple #3), and more about wrapping up Judith and Caleb’s story from book #2. Tracie Peterson’s trilogies always continue stories and overlap characters, but it was so overwhelming here that it detracted from my enjoyment of the whole series. (What was the point of giving Victoria such a large storyline?). It took me twice as long to read this as it usually does for Peterson’s books because I was not at all interested in the secondary characters.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

IN TIMES GONE BY is the third novel in the GOLDEN GATE series by TRACIE PETERSON.
The story starts in San Fransisco in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake and the fires that followed.
Two of the three young ladies who met on the train are now engaged and are looking forward to a double wedding. This leaves Kenzie Gifford, who Doctor Micah Fisher is hoping to persuade to marry him and make it a triple wedding! Kenzie, however, was jilted at the altar by her fiancé, Arthur, and is terrified of getting hurt again.
The devastation caused by the earthquake and subsequent fires has affected everyone and, whilst there are many trying to help, including the six main characters, there are also those like Ruef who take advantage of the situation.
It is an exciting and suspenseful read with a good Christian message.
I don't want to spoil things for you, so I won't say any more, except to say that it is a story of God's mercy and protection in really difficult circumstances.
I was given a free copy of the book by Bethany House Publishers from NetGalley. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

This is the third book in Tracie's Golden Gate Secrets series. This book takes place right after the great San Francisco earthquake and then the fires have destroyed the city. It continues to follow the lives of the three girls who met on the train while each one was bound for San Francisco, all for different reasons. This book focuses a bit more on Kenzie and her journey to move beyond her past and her journey to learn to trust again.

It's the typical historical fiction/romance. There are true players in the story that really lived in the time frame the book was written, but the main characters are, of course, fiction. I think what I really liked about this book was Tracie's portrayal of the compassion and kindness of the main character. At this point in the story, they were all fairly well off, one especially, but money was not their savior. They wanted to use their wealth for the betterment of mankind. They were willing to sacrifice their own comforts and do their own cooking, their own housekeeping, etc. That is not something you find very frequently in stories of wealthy people.

I did love the addition of Victoria, a thorn in everyone's side, but especially Judith's. Victoria is her long-lost cousin who really wants nothing to do with her, hates her, hates the life Judith is living, and only wants one thing, her money so that she can go be on her own. She is childish, vindictive, and mean and will got to any length to get what she wants. I just thought it made some good conversation in the book, not that I recommend anyone taking after Victoria's example at all.

I think, for me, that take away from the book and even this series is kindness and compassion and no social boundaries. It can be easy to judge people based on their ethnicity, their financial savy or lack thereof, or any number of things. But we are all humans and we all deserve kindness and it doesn't hurt us at all to cross over those invisible and man made barriers to touch another human being with kindness. And I feel Tracie did that well in this book with Camri marrying an Irish man, with their building to help provide food and safety and an education to women and children in a poor section of own and even in their willingness to share a meal with a former servant. I need to be more willing myself to see others as God sees them and to love them as He does.

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

I'm so excited to know the rest of the story!

I've been waiting for this final installment in the Golden Gate Series. I love the three main characters; Camri, Judith and Kenzie. All three are in this book as well, even though this book is primarily about Kenzie and her predicament.

The characters are what make this story. The author gets the reader fully invested in the out come for each of  the ladies right from the beginning. We want to see them succeed and get their happily ever after.

In Times Gone By is the third book in Peterson's Golden Gate Secrets series. Each of the books in the series focuses on one of the three leading female characters. I loved the first two books, but was not expecting this last one to be quite as intriguing as the others because Kenzie Gifford was my least favorite of these characters. I could not have been more wrong. This is my absolute favorite book in the series. Kenzie, who was once left at the altar and subsequently displayed behaviors that I found less than endearing, found her worth and her voice. If that weren't enough, her story and the story of Dr. Micah Fisher became filled with suspense with the reappearance of Arthur Morgan, the fiance that had jilted her. Their lives were further complicated by the spoiled cousin of Judith Whitley, who conspired with Arthur in her effort to free herself from Judith's guardianship. Altogether, it made for several hours of reading pleasure.

As in the previous books, In Times Gone By continues to stress the importance of caring for those less fortunate than ourselves. While the three couples were already working to assist the poor of San Francisco, the great earthquake and resulting fire made the need even greater. Today we have no less opportunities to reach out to those in need whether due to lack of education, economic setbacks, or natural disasters. Our world is ripe with opportunities for ministry. Peterson does a good job of utilizing her platform to bring the needs of the poor and disenfranchised to the forefront, and to assure her readers that finding solutions is within the realm of possibility. She does this while thoroughly entertaining her readers, and without sounding preachy.

I thank NetGalley and Bethany House Publishing for providing me with a copy of In Times Gone By in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.