Customer Reviews

A Hope Beyond

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this specific book of the Ribbons of Steal series, Carolina tries to face the fact that James has left for good. Or has he? In the midst of them both realizing they love each other, they run into some problems. Virginia has so much bitterness towards Carolina that she elopes with her sister's beau. Carolina never loved him, but she strongly feels her sister's hatred and leaves to me a nanny to Victoria. She falls in love with Victoria, but not her father. He wants to leave permanately since he has no love for his daughter. Carolina agrees to marry him, so she may keep his daughter. James comes to cope with the fact that he can't live without Carolina. But will he be to late to have her? For adventure, fun, and romance read this story to keep you on the edge of your seat. It's 19th century plot gives it more excitement with the railroad being built. Happy reading!

At the end of "Distant Dreams," James Baldwin left Oakbridge after leaving a note for Virginia Adams, saying he couldn't marry her because he wanted to go west and giving her the chance to publicly break their engagement to avoid the disgrace of being "jilted." Virginia blamed her younger sister for encouraging James along these lines, when the truth is that James and Carolina had fallen in love but did not dare admit it to each other. Carolina is being encouraged to marry Hampton Cabot, her father's overseer, but he is actually scheming to take over Oakbridge and enjoys mistreating slaves. Virginia, not knowing that Carolina really doesn't care for Hampton, decides to get even with her and seduces Hampton, and elopes with him. Having no reason to stay at Oakbridge, Carolina moves to Baltimore to become a nanny for a little girl whose father doesn't want anything to do with her. When the father decides to permanently go away, he has a surprising proposal that Carolina must accept to determine the fate of his daughter. You MUST read the book for the surprising ending to this story!

I enjoyed this book because of the complexity of the characters, the simple words, and the over-all simple flow of the plot. I could easily relate to all the characters and saw a little of myself in each. This book comes highly recommended!

This was an enjoyable story. The characters quickly made you like them, or strongly dislike them. I enjoy christian fiction, but want the people to be human, with faults like everyone.

You will want to read Judith Pella & Tracie Peterson's Ribbons of Steel Series first as it is of the parents and then Jordana and Victoria as children in Book 3, although Book 1 of Ribbons of Steel Series was a bit too filled with historical references for me at the time I read it ... I can appreciate it more looking back at it... and I positively loved the series!


I have to admit I like this book much more than the first ... where, looking back on the first book, I appreciated the history of the railroad... it was a bit overmuch at the time ... This book is where I really enjoyed what became a series (and will continue with Ribbons West Series as her children grow up). It starts out with her being so heartbroken over James and she goes on to become a nanny to a very wealthy man. She falls in love ... not with the man, but with the daughter ... Victoria. She never forgets James, and James never forgets her ... it is obvious it was true love and Virginia has managed to really land herself into hard times by her own selfish actions. Of course, by the end ... things do some twists and turns but it ends with one feeling very good about the end of the book. However, I am ever so glad that I did not read this book back when it was first printed as I felt that it ended fairly abruptly ... I was ever so glad that the 3rd book in the series was just being published and I had preordered it and was anxiously awaiting its arrival, which nicely arrived as I completed this second book.

I love the details of the oppulence before Civil War. moves very slow but good story and entertaining

Hope Beyond , A (Ribbons of Steel)

Judith Pella and Tracy Peterson return with the second book of this "Ribbons Of Steel" series. This second book is titled, "A Hope Beyond." I found this book overwhelmingly slow and not too easy to read at all. I am an avid reader, and have read quite a few of Tracy Peterson's books, this is not like any of the other ones (even the ones she wrote with Judith Miller, which may be Judith Pella?). I found it very disappointing. You do not find any sign of James in this book until you are well past the half way mark, and then he disappears. En the end, you find a happy ending, but it is only in the last section of the book that the book begins to come alive and feel real to the readers. There are a ton of filler words from the first page until almost the end. I found it hard to read, and did not even enjoy reading it, I'm sorry to say. They both could've done MUCH better with the first two books of this series. The "Ribbons Of Steel" series title is perfect, it's just what's in these first couple of books that is slow, slow, and then gets slower (until the end of book 2). Please ladies, we KNOW you can both do better than this!

This is a wonderful series.......could hardly put the books down!! This series has all the elements......excitement, danger, romance and all with a wonderful christian message...

I read the first book SO FAST! I couldn't wait to find out what happened with James & Carolina. However, I had to go through the ENTIRE book (at least until half way through for some interaction between them) so this disappointed me.(and these authors are GREAT - just finished Peterson's Alasken Quest series- LOVED IT). I LOVE historical fiction and learning about different periods. However, this was a little too much history and not enough on the interaction of characters that held the first book. I am about to start the 3rd book (looking forward to it) so I hope it's better.

This is the second book in the ribbons of steel series. After reading the first book, your expecting to find out what happens between Carolina and James. Well nothing happens between them until the end of this book. It's like the authors are trying to keep you interested in their series by dragging the story out as long as possible. And by the way, in the first book James seemed like an okay guy who is a little weak. In the second book, you find out he really is a wimp who doesn't deserve Carolina. I'm somewhat interested in the railroad but the authors assume that you want to know everything that they've learned about the railroad in their research. It would be a better book with a little less detail about the railroad and more interaction among characters.