A Love Discovered by Tracie Peterson is a story about friendship, unselfish love, and overcoming fears and anger by putting one’s faith in God.

In this sweet marriage of convenience story set in the old west town of Cheyenne, Marybeth Kruger, who after the death of her father enters into a marriage of convenience with Edward Vogel, who is the widower of her best friend in order to keep custody of her little sister and in return helps him as his new job requires married men with families.

Life is not easy and both Edward and Marybeth putting aside their fears learn how to rely on each other and trust in God through the good times and bad.

Tracie Peterson is one of my favorite authors and as usual this story did not disappoint. I would highly recommend this story to those who love slow burn historical fiction with strong faith elements.

I am looking forward to reading the second book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for this ARC of A Love Discovered by Tracie Peterson. All opinions are my own.

I am really struggling between a 3 or 4 star rating for my review.

I LOVE Tracie Peterson and devoured this book in just a few hours. I was so invested in all of the characters and as always, Tracie's writing drew me completely into the story. I was all in and fully devoted until the end. Not only did I feel like it was a EXTREME cop out on an ending, we spent the WHOLE book building towards something for it to fizzle out at the end. There was no huge resolution, no epilogue, no follow up. I felt very let down at the end for all the hope I built up for these 2 and this group of friends. I actually said out loud "that's IT?"

Some of my favorite Christian fiction books have been written by Tracie and I WANT to give the book 4 stars for everything up to the last 2 or 3 chapters but... they ending really ruined it for me. Especially when I have other works to compare it to :(

Tracie Peterson has become one of my autoread authors. This book was no different in loving another new story to read by her. I enjoyed it very much. It was a sweet story and from the beginning I wanted to see how the characters story was going to play out. Marybeth's character is adoring. She is patient and lives in a very peaceful contented way. Edward being her faithful friend and her late friend's husband is caring and very attentive. They are both real & humble. The couple has a mutual respect for one another that I appreciate. They both have their struggles but mostly get along and I love to see the camadrie and working together of their characters. The book ends in a way that leaves you anticipating the continuation of characters within the story like true Tracie Peterson fashion.

This was a sweet marriage of convenience story set in the old west town of Cheyenne. It was not without heartache and danger. Edward is encouraged by a Civil War friend to relocate to Cheyenne to help with law enforcement in the somewhat lawless boom town along the railroad. Marybeth is in a predicament when her father dies and the care of her two year old sister is questioned by so-called well meaning people. Edward and Marybeth agree to marry to help eachother but plan to keep their relationship as friends only.
Much hardship is shown of life in a town that is both growing and partly abandoned when the construction of the railroad moves west. The characters struggle with trusting God to order their steps, but godly wisdom is dispensed within this story.
A bright spot was the portrayal of two year old Carrie and her sweet, trusting nature.
This was a good start to a new series by a favorite author.
*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Bethany House via NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*

A Love Discovered
by Tracie Peterson
Pub Date 05 Mar 2024
Bethany House,Bethany House Publishers
Christian| Historical Fiction| Romance



Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers have provided me with a copy of A Love Discovered for review:

Even in the most unforgiving frontiers, the heart finds its way.


A friend invites Edward Vogel to trek west and establish Cheyenne after his wife and son died, and he is ready to leave behind the haunting memories of their deaths. The only problem is the corrupt new railroad town wants men who can establish law and order, so Edward proposes marriage to his friend Marybeth in desperation.



Her father's death leaves Marybeth Kruger with no means of supporting her two-year-old half sister. In order to escape both their troubles, she cannot refuse Edward Vogel's offer of a marriage of convenience, the widower husband of her best friend.

It's dangerous to live in Cheyenne, but is this arrangement enough to rescue Edward and Marybeth from their pasts? Will life with each other put their hearts--and their lives--in greater danger?


I give A Love Discovered five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Reeling from the death of her father, Marybeth Kruger suddenly finds herself the lone caretaker of her toddler half-sister. When there is pressure to give the child up for adoption, a platonic marriage to her friend, Edward, seems like the perfect solution. After moving and taking a job as a deputy in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Edward discovers that his growing feelings for Marybeth are anything but platonic. Does Marybeth feel the same? Find out in this well-researched, fictional tale of the wild western frontier during the days of railroad construction.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

A great beginning of what I’m sure will be an amazing series. This book pulled me in from the very beginning. It is a heartbreaking story of loss, friendship, trust, and forgiveness. It has a marriage of convenience between two friends, a preacher who oversteps boundaries, railroad construction, tent towns, vigilante justice, and a rowdy pair of brothers who get what they have coming to them. It made me fall in love with the character’s and then broke my heart in the end. I can’t wait to see what comes next in this series.

I was provided a copy of the book from the author/publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Bethany House for this novel.

Tracie Peterson is a wonderful author and never disappoints. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next installment in the series.

The plot, setting, and characters were amazing. I read this book over the period of 48 hours and put it down only to tend to my family needs.

Edward is a wonderful man when Marybeth finds herself falling in love with him my heart is full. He is great husband and father material. Marybeth can do no better for herself and her orphaned, sister Carrie. His willingness to marry her in name only to give Marybeth and Carrie a home is testament to his character.

It is an amazing book. I can not recommend highly enough.

Five stars.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for this ARC and gifted book of A Love Discovered by Tracie Peterson. All opinions are my own.

This was my first Tracie Peterson book, and I wasn’t sure what to expect since I know she’s a popular Christian historical fiction author.

I loved how she weaved Christian faith elements throughout the story naturally. It didn’t feel preachy, and I loved seeing the characters grow in their faith.

Another aspect I loved was the friendships formed throughout the story. These characters experienced so many difficult circumstances, so it was nice to see them come together to encourage and be there for one another.

The relationship between the two main characters was beautiful, and I love how they learned to communicate with each other and build each other up. It was nice to get both of their perspectives in the story as well as a third point of view from some side characters.

I do feel like the pacing was a bit slow at times, but then it was a lot faster near the end. One of the most unsatisfying things about the story was the ending. I can see how some readers will really like it, but that ending hurt me and felt unnecessary.

Overall, I would recommend this story to those who love slow burn historical fiction stories with strong faith elements.

5 stars, Blessings and Meddlers

A LOVE DISCOVERED (THE HEART OF CHEYENNE)
by Tracie Peterson

Marybeth Kruger's beloved Papa has just passed away. Marybeth has responsibility for her darling baby sister Carrie. So called "well-meaning" meddlers are trying to take her sister away from her. To split them apart, and maybe forever. Marybeth can't bear to lose another family member.

Marybeth's best friend Edward Vogel has the promise of a job in Cheyenne, Dakota Territory. He hopes that when he leaves Indiana he will leave behind the memories of his lovely wife and son who perished.

Edward has been told that married men with families are needed to grow the town of Cheyenne. He offers up a marriage of convenience to Marybeth, to save both her and Carrie.

This is a nice story, it has Christian principles without being pushy. Reminding us of the blessings that we have in our lives that need to be appreciated, and to watch out for meddlers who stick their noses in where they don't belong.

Highly recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of #ALoveDiscovered from #BethanyHousePublishers #BakerBookhouse #NetGalley #PetersonInk I wasn't under any obligation to post a review.

#HistoricalFiction #ChristianFiction #InspyFic #InspirationalFiction #Indiana #Cheyenne #DakotaTerritory #CoverLove #strongfemaleprotagonist

Special note: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for this review.

This was a great book to read and it did not take me long to complete. I started and finished in the same day!

Marybeth handles tough situations with grace, dignity, faith, and prayer. It's no wonder that Edward married her even though it's really a marriage of convenience. Every person should strive to find a spouse with Marybeth's qualities.

Independence/Evansville, Indiana sounds like a nice place to live, but I certainly would not like the preacher there! He sounds incredibly difficult!

The challenges they face out west appear realistic. Cheyenne is a town of rowdy drunks, gamblers, and not-so-godly people. Edward's job as a lawmen puts him in danger every day because not everyone respects the law. Some prefer to "take the law into their own hands." Sometimes you face idiots like Emory and his brother who do whatever they want with no respect for authority.

Over time, the marriage of convenience opens up opportunities to become a marriage of love, trust, and everything that comes with it. But Edward just isn't ready for that. The past leaves him feeling guilty and he just doesn't want to turn it over to God.

All in all, this is a fine story. My chief complaint is that there is no separation when changing points of view. Through out this book, I have seen a sudden "jump" from Marybeth's POV to Edward's POV to the criminals' POV. I really hope someone on the publishing team fixed that before public release.

A Love Discovered is just what I would expect from Tracie Peterson. I loved this story so much. Five stars.

A Love Discovered by Tracie Peterson
Right after the death of Marybeth's father, the local pastor and a judge threaten to take Marybeth's baby sister away from her because she wouldn't be able to provide for her. A wealthy couple wanted to adopt the child, but 20-year - old Marybeth was the only mother little 21-month-old Carrie had ever known. Her very good friend, Edward Vogel, who is the widow of her best friend, had a solution. He offered to marry her in name only. Immediately following the marriage, they left for Edward's new job a deputy Marshall in Cheyenne, Wyoming. To avoid spoilers, I'll stop the description there.

It was a very interesting story with happy times and some very sad times. Cheyenne was a wild town at that time.. I liked learning about the practical side of living in the Dakota Territory in the late 1860s.

Marybeth, Edward, Fred, Eve, Carrie and Melody were the main characters and were well-fleshed out and very likeable.
There were only two things II did not like about the story was that the author had not researched speech and language development of babies and toddlers. Sometimes Carrie could pronounce certain letters and sometimes not, Also the ending was a little abrupt.

I was given an ARC copy of the book by NetGalley, The opinions are entirely my own. I do recommend A Love Discovered

Historical fiction readers will enjoy this book set in Cheyenne shortly after the Civil War. The first in the Heart of Cheyenne sets the tone for life in this new town as the Union Pacific Railroad forges out west. The characters and their trials were realistic and interesting. Loved Marybeth and her steady character and faith. Looking forward to the next in the series. Recommended!

Tracie is one of my favorite authors, so I was very excited to get to read this new book in a new series. It's tough to imagine life in the "wild west" as Cheyenne welcomed the railroad and hoped to turn into a hub for travel and business. It's even more difficult to imagine what it would be like moving to the city with a new husband and child. This book shows us how trusting in God can bring us through even these scary new moments that face us. I really enjoyed the story and the way it unfolded. I can't wait for the rest of the series.

A Love Discovered, set in the late 1860s, launches the Heart of Cheyenne series. This book touches the heart and stirs the emotions with a sweet marriage of convenience love story fraught with struggles. The author’s fluent writing style and consummate storytelling skill creates the feeling of “being there” as you read. Strong, memorable characters jump off the pages and into your heart. The vividly, detailed sketched setting of the wild town of Cheyenne had me fearing the lawlessness and shivering in the cold! I greatly appreciate that the story is steeped in faith that adds depth to the historical romance. I love this story and can’t wait to return to Cheyenne! This book has my highest recommendation.
I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House through Interviews and Reviews via NetGalley for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mystery, romance, tragedy and a misguided Pastor. This book keeps you reading. It's the first book is the 'Heart of Cheyenne' series. It was a good read and it kept me entertained for the duration of the book.

The characters were well written and they resolved any conflict well. I liked the characters reliance on God with Biblical references. The overall theme being that God is always with us blessing us with good things. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I receive complimentary books for various sources including, Netgalley, Authors, and other such sources. I am not required to write a positive review and have not received compensation.

The story starts off right away with a scene that no one wishes to live through. It is tragic and heartbreaking. Immediately Peterson makes you feel sorrow for the main character. The unfolding scene gives you a good idea of what may take place in the following chapters and at first I felt as though I may not want to read the rest because it seemed obvious to me of what was to come, BUT the draw to unfold the story and feel through her writing what the characters were feeling was stronger. The life of the characters in the book was not an easy one and the love, evil, tension, heartbreak, anger, and forgiveness displayed throughout the story made you feel deeply as you read. I was close to shedding a fear tears as I finished the book and finished it with both a heavy and happy heart. I would definitely recommend the book and enjoyed reading it very much.

I really loved this book, it was answers to prayer that Marybeth and Edward find themselves married, if just in name! It was a sad journey to make it happen, but then they start a new life in the West, again a journey to get there, we sure take a lot for granted!

Can't imagine making my home in a tent in the middle of winter, but this young couple with their two year old do so! Cheyenne is such a lawless town as the railroad comes through, some people here are just plain evil.

We see the struggles here, and the faith of the community, that things will get better, and more affordable!

Now I can't wait for for the next book in this series!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.

A wonderfully written book about love that can grow. Great example of having to trust God and allow Him to heal all parts of our life, even when we are mad or don’t understand. Would love the book to continue for about 20 years to watch the characters develop more and watch their growth.