Sandra Burson
“In Places Hidden”, is the First book of Tracie Peterson's new Golden Gate Series. This series is set in San Francisco in the early 1900's. I have read many of Ms. Peterson's books and I enjoy her writing. She takes a Christian historical fiction novel and brings the story and people to life. I like the way throughout all of her books there is a thread of faith woven into the story. I found the mystery and the suspense in this story enjoyable and interesting. I had a little difficulty getting into some of the characters. Camri Coulter is going by train from Chicago to San Francisco to find her lost brother. She befriends two young ladies on the train and invites them to come stay with her at her brothers house. Judith has just lost her parents and is looking for a lost aunt she never knew about. Kenzie was left at the alter and is nursing a broken heart. Maybe because they are not a lead in the story and we didn't learn that much about them. I just had a hard time following their characters. On the other hand,my favorite character was handsome Irish contractor, Patrick Murdock and his sister Ophelia. Patrick is the type of leading man every novel needs. He is strong, buffed, gorgeous and very kind. What is not to like about him, plus he has the sweetest Irish brogue. I can not wait to start on “In Dreams Forgotten”, book two of this series. I was blessed to receive a copy of this book from Bethany House publishers.
Kristina Anderson
In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson is the first novel in the Golden Gate Secrets series. Camriann “Camri” Coulter has journeyed to San Francisco in late November of 1905 to locate her missing brother, Caleb. On the journey she meets Judith Gladstone and Kenzie Gifford. Each woman has their own quest that has brought them to San Francisco. The three women decide to pool their resources and help one other. They move into Caleb’s house and Kenzie helps them obtain jobs at her cousin’s candy factory. Caleb has been missing for over three months. Camri begins her search by speaking with Caleb’s boss, Mr. Henry Ambrewster. It seems Caleb took Patrick Murdock, a local contractor being tried for murder, as a client and got a not guilty verdict which angered some bigwigs in the city. What lengths would these high-powered individuals go to silence Caleb? Camri teams up with Patrick to discover her brother’s whereabouts and uncover the corrupt people responsible. In Places Hidden is well-written and it has some interesting characters. Kenzie’s candy maker cousin, George Lake is a quirky individual with exacting standards (he is very twitchy). Camri is an intelligent woman who believes in education and suffrage (she likes to pontificate on the value of education especially). I was happy to see her alter some of her opinions and behavior by the end of the book. I had a little trouble getting into the story, but once I did, I was curious to see how matters would play out. I did feel we were given too much backstory on each of the ladies. Since each woman (Judith, Camri and Kenzie) will have their own book, we did not need so much detail on Judith and Kenzie in this installment. It made for a tedious beginning. The Christian elements are strong throughout the book especially having faith in God to get a person through the troublesome times in life. I felt the romance between Camri and Patrick proceeded at a little too quickly. Since In Places Hidden is part of a series, I felt the author could have let their romance progress at a slower speed (which would have been in keeping with the time period). I will be curious to see how Judith and Kenzie’s stories unfold. In Places Hidden is a light, historical romance with touch of intrigue that will appeal to Tracie Peterson’s fans.
Jaquelyn S
Peterson knows how to keep me on the edge of my seat, while loving every minute of it. I really enjoyed reading this book. I had fun getting to know Camrianne. Growing up privileged gave her a certain view on life. She is also incredibly smart, yet humble enough to realize when she is wrong. I enjoyed seeing her friendships with those that were raised so different from her. She grew into a stronger and better person learning to see life through a different lens. Watching her relationship with Patrick while they were searching for her brother, was a unique experience. Patrick is a great man, even with out the privilege of an education. Brought together in a search for a missing man, can they see past their differences to see the real person underneath? I am already anxious to read the next book in this series. It was fun visiting San Francisco, even if it was a bit frightening at times. I can easily imagine the love for a sibling causing you to drop everything in order to find them. I can’t imagine some of the horrors that some people go through when wondering what happened to their loved ones. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Romance. There is just the right amount of suspense mixed in and it kept me turning the pages too late into the night. I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers and was in no way forced to post a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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