A Dream to Call My Own, by Tracie Peterson

This book is the third installment in a trilogy of books about three sisters living in the late 1800s. The sisters live in a small community in Montana. The book starts with two of the sisters having been married and having babies. This third book centers around the third sister, Lacy, and her "courtship" with Dave, the sheriff's deputy.

I have not had the opportunity to read the first two books in the trilogy, but Peterson does a good job of introducing the characters and the setting in this book, leaving the reader with an adequate "pre-knowledge" of the storyline. The book stands well on its own, yet is an appropriate end book for a trilogy. Peterson wraps up several recurring ideas (finding the killer of the sisters' father, marrying off the third sister, putting the bad guys in jail, etc) in this book.

This book has a very clear Gospel presentation in it, as well as other key Christian growth concepts explained. Although these sections fit in the story, I felt that they were sometimes awkward and a bit "in your face". That being said, Peterson stayed true to the story through these sections, and the writing was smooth and connected. As I was reading these sections, I wondered if Peterson could have been less "obvious", but then I realized that sometimes we're too obtrusive and not obvious enough with the Gospel and Biblical truths. Once I made this realization, I found myself mental seeking ways to bring to light the same truths in an obvious way in my own life.