My review of Revealed by Tamera Alexander...

From the Publisher:
Newly widowed Annabelle Grayson hears a second chance calling her. But she can't answer it living in Colorado City; where everybody knows her sordid history. When she advertises for a guide to escort her to Idaho, Matthew Taylor---a bitter soul escaping his own past---applies. Will they find the fresh beginning they each seek?

My Review:
Move over Petticoat Ranch! I still love ya, but Revealed moves into the top spot now. In fact, I dare say I loved Revealed even more than Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, which used to be my favorite book...period. The title Revealed is so perfect and sums up the story in so many ways.

What made this book so amazing? The characters were not just flawed, but they grew throughout the story. Especially the hero. To me, this is the most powerful redemption story I've ever read. The tension between the characters was truly believable. As they got to know each other more they discovered that many of their assumptions about each other were not true, which meant they had to change things about themselves because of that revelation. Is that cool, or what?

I don't want to spoil the story for you with too many details, but there was just so much healing and character growth in this novel that it sets it apart from most historical westerns. Sure, you still have the sleazy characters that you want to choke, and they were believable, too. But there is just more depth to this story than most. The spiritual threads were delicately woven throughout the book and not at all preachy, IMHO. And that first kiss was perfect. The finger trailing the lip. The look in his eyes. The romantic waiting. The fact that he said he'd wait. So many things understood between them without a word. Oh, and her scary feelings of love (as a woman should feel) and the wonder of it all was fabulously done. She experienced how special things could be with Matthew.

One of the things I loved best about this story was the theme of how you can't love others if you don't know what unconditional love is. Johnny rescued Annabelle from a horrible life and prepared the soil for her to experience true love for the first time in her life. I also loved how the author used Annabelle's concern for Sadie to reach Matthew as well. Their relationship was so well done, as was the guardedness on Sadie's end. Several times my eyes misted. Great emotional impact! I highly recommend this book.

Revealed was published by Bethany House and released in November 2006.