Tracie Peterson, often called the Queen of Historical Christian Romance, returns with A Life So True, the second book in her Minnesota Legacy series. Set against the financial panic of 1893 and a city threatened by fire, this faith-filled story follows two people who confide their deepest secrets—only to discover that honesty may cost them everything they love.
Meet Tracie Peterson
Often called the Queen of Historical Christian Romance, Tracie Peterson has written more than 150 books, most of them in the genre she loves. She makes her home in the mountains of Montana with her husband Jim, and her stories continue to offer readers both heart and hope.
Fun Fact:
Tracie loves facilitating Bible studies because she always learns so much about the Lord and enjoys sharing what He’s done for her while hearing others share what He’s done for them.
About the Book: A Life So True
What happens when two people confide their deepest secrets… only to watch a devastating fire threaten everything they hold dear?
Will their undeniable bond overcome the disasters surrounding them?
Evelyn Turner is determined to work at her physician father’s side as he opens a hospital for Minneapolis’s poor. But when nursing makes her physically ill, she faces an impossible choice between the promises she’s made and her own limitations.
Maxwell Garrison is helping manage his father’s investments through the financial crisis of 1893, and he’s especially interested in their sawmill businesses.
At a Turner family fund raiser, he is horrified when he overhears his father and other mill owners plotting to commit arson and insurance fraud. When Evie and Max meet at the same fund raiser, a connection sparks between them. As their interests in each other grow, they confide their secrets and agree to guard each other’s trust.
Then a suspicious and devastating fire sets Minneapolis ablaze, and Max and Evie fear the worst.
Even amid the ashes of deception, can they build a life together?
Tropes & Themes
- Love at first sight
- Shared secrets / confiding secrets
- Historical Christian romance (1893 Minneapolis)
- Family secrets and the cost of truth
- Financial crisis & arson plot
- Nursing / medical calling vs. physical limitations
- Forgiveness and transparent honesty
- Trusting God when the truth could destroy everything
Release Details
- Release Date: July 7, 2026
- Series: A Minnesota Legacy, Book 2
- Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
- Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Why Readers Will Love This Story
If you love rich historical Christian romance with heart, faith, and high stakes, A Life So True delivers. Tracie Peterson weaves a tender love-at-first-sight story against the backdrop of the 1893 financial panic and a city on fire—literally. Readers who enjoy Christian fiction that explores honesty, forgiveness, and the courage to speak truth will find this one especially meaningful. It’s the kind of faith-filled historical romance that leaves you thinking about the power of transparency long after you turn the last page.
Author Interview: Behind the Scenes
What inner struggle drives your main character(s)?
Tracie: In A Life So True, book 2 in A Minnesota Legacy series, the heroine Evie Turner is struggling with telling the family the truth about something. It’s been years in the making and coming to odds with the issue and revealing her heart on the matter is beyond difficult. Maxwell Garrison is struggling with hidden secrets that he fears may destroy his family and good name. As the story unfolds, both will learn the importance of transparent truth and God’s desires for them to put their trust in Him.
What is the heart of the romance?
Tracie: This is a play on love at first sight. Both Evie and Max are quite taken with each other from their first encounter. Neither have been looking for love, but love has come at them like a freight train and they aren’t able to ignore it despite life’s complications.
What do you hope readers carry with them?
Tracie: That honesty is important, even when we fear it will hurt someone else. God calls us to truth and to forgiveness and in this story, both elements walk hand in hand.
What Bible verse encouraged you during this story?
Tracie: Proverbs 6:16-19 speaks of the seven things God hates. Two of those deal with lying. The truth is of utmost value to the Lord. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” in John 14. From the time we’re little children, lying is one of the first sins we commit as we seek to get ourselves out of trouble or impress someone. Knowing how much God hates lying should be a deterrent to refrain from it, but in our society lying often comes as a common, everyday occurrence that everyone accepts as a part of life. We need to fight harder against it and seek the truth.
About the Author
Tracie Peterson gave her life to Jesus at the age of six. She knew early on that God was calling her to ministry, and writing for Him has allowed her to offer the Gospel message and encourage people to hope in the Lord. Her motto is Soli Deo Gloria—For God Alone the Glory.
Often called the “Queen of Historical Christian fiction,” Tracie is an ECPA and USA Today bestselling author of over 150 books. She has received the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, and multiple best-book honors. A Kansas native, she now makes her home with her husband Jim in the mountains of Montana.
Visit Tracie at www.TraciePeterson.com
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