Distant Heart (Westward Hearts, Book 2) (Paperback)

by Tracey Bateman (Author)
Key Phrases: Distant Heart, Tracey Bateman, Swooping Eagle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A wonderful story of adventure and love on the westward trail. …a pleasurable read to be sure." -- Tracie Peterson, award-winning, best-selling author of the Alaskan Quest series

"Tracey Bateman is one of the most talented new storytellers in Christian fiction." -- Karen Kingsbury

Review
"The second book in the Westward Hearts series is a must-read for those who treasure the untold stories of pioneer women. Historical details help readers experience early American Christianity and all its struggles and triumphs." (Romantic Times BOOKclub )

"A wonderful story of adventure and love on the westward trail. .a pleasurable read to be sure." (Tracie Peterson, award-winning, best-selling author of the Alaskan Quest series )

"Tracey Bateman is one of the most talented new storytellers in Christian fiction." (Karen Kingsbury )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Avon Inspire (January 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061246344
• ISBN-13: 978-0061246340
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,410 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 stars, January 20, 2008

By	C. Widman (CT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I enjoyed reading Defiant Heart and was looking forward to continuing the story with Distant Heart. Ms. Bateman has a wonderful writing style that seems effortless (I still believe her best work is the Claire series - they are a lot of fun to read!). It's effortless to read as well- very light and easy reading. But not much seems to happen story-wise. The focus is on Toni and Sam's romance, which was pretty much well under way in the first book. There is some drama regarding an Indian chief trying to steal Toni away but even that is played down where there is no real climax. That must be coming in the final installment, Dangerous Heart. Blake and Fannie get married but the ceremony is extremely brief and with little detail. I realize they now are secondary characters but since we got to know them in the first book it would've been nice to still 'interact' with them, to see how they get on as newlyweds. The only real new happening is the introduction of a new character, Ginger, who acts like a man (doesn't like to bathe and dresses in pants) and has a mysterious past that is suggested to be linked to another wagon trail member. The few lighter moments are because of her antics and her aversion to smelling nice... Ginger and Grant Kelley are the new romantic leads in the last book. I'm still interested to see how the story wraps up but hopefully the actions picks up and the climax finally happens.

(I was very happy that they lowered the price of the book this time around. For Defiant Heart, the list price was $12.95. Here they dropped it down $3. Since these stories are barely over 200 pages (considering the margin size and page size), they are definitely not worth spending $13 for.)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific western romance , January 2, 2008

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In 1850 former prostitute Toni Rodden and the three runaway indentured servants the Caldwell siblings (Fannie, and young teens Katie and Kip) flee Hawkins, Kansas to forge into a family of sorts as part of a wagon train traveling to Oregon. However although Toni feels good for Fannie as the latter marries wagon master Blake Tanner, she feels loneliness also. Toni knows no man will ever want her beyond a night or two because of her background until the Cheyenne war chief offers three horses for her.

Wagon train scout Sam Two-Feathers vows to himself that he will protect Toni with his life before allowing her to be sold again. He knows the war chief will be back offering more to purchase Toni and fears some of the train will want to do so as she is a fallen woman and not worth the price of angering the Cheyenne. However, although Sam knows he loves Toni, he believes as a half Sioux, they cannot be together as white society will ostracize her; Toni likewise feels the same except she fails to meet his much higher standard.

The second Westward Hearts tale (see DEFIANT HEART) is a terrific western romance starring fully developed characters who bring to life the dangerous decade before the Civil War while heading westward. The story line is inspirational yet filled with so much historical insight fans will feel they are traveling on the wagon train as Tracey Bateman provides a vivid exhilarating mid nineteenth century Americana tale.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Distant Heart, June 12, 2009

By	Nurse Margaret (Grants Pass, Oregon) - See all my reviews

A wonderful story! I couldn't put down the book until I had finished it. I had to order the 3rd book in the series to see what finally happened to the characters I had fallen in love with. Very well written and intriguing!!
I wish there were more books in this series. I will definitely look for other books by this author.