A Constant Love penned by Tracie Peterson is the first of The Hope of Cheyenne series. This historical fiction piece takes place in the late 1800s. It is a tale of tragedy, romance, and faith. Reading this book helps to illustrate what life was like on the prairies and as a rancher. It really points out the risks and dangers as well as the strength and dedication one had to have.

Charlotte Aldrich and Micah Hamilton, the protagonists of this novel have a great deal to overcome. One of the things to like about this particular book is that the story did not take place all in one week or during one specific event. The author does a great job of spreading events over time without it feeling choppy or boring.

One particular event is a bit unsettling and although it is clear it was written to facilitate further plot development, it didn’t quite ring true. In fact, the decision of one of the characters without consulting the others seems a bit farfetched given her closeness to the other characters. Up until this point in the story, it went along pretty smoothly. It feels as though the character could have and should have gone about things differently. The author might have achieved a similar level of intensity and plot development with a different approach. However, after all of the dust settles (yep, a windy Wyoming cattle ranch reference), things are resolved in a generally satisfactory manner. If the author decided to write a story involving the antagonist and his daughter, it would be quite interesting to see where Tracie Peterson would take them.

Review of an Advance Reader Copy Provided by the Publisher

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: None

Violence/Gore:  Character finds corpses and blood is mentioned; report of a character shooting himself and it is mentioned many times throughout the book; character wants to slap another; fire is set intentionally and burns a structure; man grabs a woman and does not let her go when she resists; character threatens to kill another character.

Sex/Nudity: Non-married characters kiss and embrace.

Mature Subject Matter:

Suicide, death of close family members.

Drug/Alcohol Use: 

Character drinks whiskey and it is mentioned many times that he drinks himself to oblivion.