A Love Transformed (Book #3 Sapphire Brides) by Tracie Peterson

About the book: When Clara Vesper's husband, Adolph, dies suddenly, Clara is stunned--but not grief-stricken. Her marriage to Adolph had been arranged, their primary interaction revolving around the sapphire jewelry Clara designed and Adolph produced and sold. Widowed and penniless, with two small children, Clara decides to return to her aunt and uncle's ranch in Montana, the only place she has ever been happy. 

Curtis Billingham, injured in a sapphire mine collapse, is recuperating at the ranch of his friends, Paul and Madeline Sersland. But when the Serslands' niece returns from New York City, Curtis curses both his broken body and his broken past. Clara, the love of his life, has come back to him, but he is no longer worthy of her love. 

Clara's brother-in-law Otto Vesper, Adolph's business partner, fears that the loss of Clara's design skills will doom the company's prospects. Following her to Montana, Otto is prepared to do whatever it takes to get Clara to return with him to New York. 

As Clara fights for love and freedom, a dangerous secret in her late husband's life comes to light, threatening everyone she loves.

My thoughts: A Tracie Peterson book is usually one I anticipate reading because she has been an author whose works are dependably interesting, well researched, clean reads filled with wonderful characters and descriptive writing.

A Love Transformed was somewhat of a disappointment to me as a reader. I found the story line and characters (at least some of them) tending toward the worn-out melodramatic wild-west villainous folks that peopled "B" movies of the past.

Little Hunter and Maddy were adorable kiddies who brightened the lagging story in places. The older couple, Madeline and Paul, were precious and lent depth of character.

I found the devious, contriving, dramatic antics of Clara's mother and Clara's brother-in-law stilted. Also, the posturing of the German spies who were engaged in treasonous activities with the brother-in-law was stilted.

The ideas behind the story were basically good and I could have enjoyed it immensely. I hope that my feelings about the short comings of this book by such an accomplished author are simply mine, alone, and that perhaps my interest just didn't "gel" with the story. Perhaps that is the case.

I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House to facilitate this review of my own opinions.