FROM A DISTANCE

Author: Tamera Alexander ISBN: 0764203894 6/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: BETHANY HOUSE
Time Period: 1875 Colorado

What happens when the realization of a dream isn't what you imagined... and the secret you've spent a lifetime guarding is finally laid bare? Determined to become one of the country's premier newspaper photographers, Elizabeth Westbrook travels to the Colorado Territory to capture the grandeur of the mountains surrounding the remote town of Timber Ridge. She hopes, too, that the cool, dry air of Colorado, and its renowned hot springs, will cure the mysterious illness that threatens her career, and her life. Daniel Ranslett, a former Confederate sharpshooter, is a man shackled by his past, and he'll do anything to protect his land, and his solitude. When an outspoken Yankee photographer captures an image that appears key to solving a murder, putting herself in danger, Daniel is called upon to repay a debt. He's a man of his word, but repaying that debt could bring secrets from his past to light. Forced on a perilous journey together, Daniel and Elizabeth's lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined when first they met . . . from a distance.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

FROM A DISTANCE by Tamera Alexander features one of the most intelligent, headstrong heroines I've had the pleasure of reading about in a long time. It is the first book in Ms. Alexander's new Timber Ridge Reflections series. After reading this, I very much look forward to reading more from this author.
 
Elizabeth Westbrook makes her way across the country to the wild Colorado territory with the hope of taking photographs of the landscape, rugged frontier folk and Native Americans. She goes to Timber Ridge, hires a man to assist her and heads out into the wilds with visions of photojournalistic glory in mind. Just when she's about to capture the image of a lifetime, a sharpshooter destroys the shot. To make amends, Daniel agrees to take Elizabeth on a trek into the wilderness to try and get another chance at a picture that will sufficiently impress those at the paper Elizabeth yearns to be employed by. But before that photo can be taken, Elizabeth and her assistant find a dead body which leads to the unraveling of not only her secrets, but those of her  hired helper and guide.
 
This story is about acceptance, and the far-reaching implications that giving others a chance to understand can have. While Elizabeth has a physical issue that Daniel is more than willing to help her overcome, there are deeper things she must deal with. With the people of Timber Ridge surrounding her, Elizabeth searches for the items she so desperately craves in life...acceptance, freedom and...love.
 
Tamera Alexander's FROM A DISTANCE is a definite keeper! Filled with images that bring the Wild West to life, characters whose humanity makes them leap from the pages and a story that isn't as clear-cut as it first appears, this is a book that entertains from beginning to end. I very much enjoyed reading this, and will look for future tales from this gifted writer. 

Kay James