Steadfast Heart - By: Tracie Peterson

I recently received a complimentary copy of Steadfast Heart written by Tracie Peterson from Bethany House. This is (apparently) the first book of the Brides of Seattle series. There are several different story lines in the book that follow a two young ladies centered around a bridal school, a brother searching for his runaway sister, and very briefly, a crooked businessman. (Maybe more on this in book 2??) One thing I noticed right away were that a lot of the names of the main characters in the book were unusual, such as: Lenore, Abrianna, Kolbein, Priam, Thane, etc. The book was enjoyable, but I felt as if there were too many stories/characters in the book for the author to fully develop each story.  I understand part of this is probably because it is going to be a series, but then the author should have focused on just one of two of these stories/characters instead of trying to fit all of them into one book of the series. The following review will hold a few spoilers.

Lenore and Abrianna are "bosom friends". I say this because their relationship reminds me of Diana and Anne (with an "e") from Anne of Green Gables. Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite stories of all times, which is probably why I loved Abrianna so much. She seems so similar to Anne, but with a less romantic side and has more of her straight-forward attributes. She is awkward, speaks her  mind, and ends up in trouble more often than she should. Lenore is quite the opposite with her soft-spoken, polite, ladylike spirit. It seems an unlikely pair, but she and Abrianna are the best of friends.

Another disappointing part of the book was the love interest between Kolbein and Lenore. They literally fall in love at first sight. They're separated for a while, after they first meet and when they meet up again, they both confess their love and immediately want to get married. They have a few "bumps" in their relationship, but they quickly go on to live happily ever after through the end of the book. Their love story really isn't developed beyond that. 

The book was well written and kept my attention, but I really find myself going back to the point that so much was left out, or felt rushed, when I wanted to know more. I will still probably read book 2 just to see if she completes what was underdeveloped in this book. I'm a fan of Tracie Peterson, but I definitely did not feel this was her best book.