Touching the Sky by Tracie Peterson

When Laura Marquardt first met Captain Brandon Reid, he did not make a favourable impression.  Some of his coloured soldiers had just finished rescuing Laura when he happened upon them.  He then proceeded to give Laura a dressing down for harassing his men.  Laura tried to explain, but Brandon just would not listen.  That seems like real life to me!

Fast forward a bit and Laura is trying to discourage her naive and shallow sister from marrying a man she does not trust and again finds that no one is listening to her.  Her sister does marry and her marriage is horribly abusive.  Laura overhears a plot masterminded by her brother in law and the only one she can trust to listen to her objectively is Brandon.  Ironically he has become important to Laura and he is also drawn to her.  Will they be able to stop the overheard plot and protect Laura's sister?

I liked this book because it wasn't all fluff and sap.  Laura and her family have trouble with the social connections they had before the war due to their support for the north.  Laura's sister Carissa has to live with the consequences of her decision to marry quickly, and the black people of the south have to live with their newfound 'freedom'.  Yet in all the realistic nuances of the setting and characters, the author still manages to write a sweet love story.  I enjoyed the book and found that it was also appropriate for my 13 year old daughter.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.   Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".