Colors of Truth by Tamera Alexander

Colors of Truth by Tamera Alexander ISBN-13: 9780718081881 Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Oct. 6, 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Based on the real history of Carnton, an antebellum home that served as a Confederate hospital.

In 1866 Catriona O'Toole arrives in the town of Franklin, Tennessee, searching for her younger brother, Ryan, who, according to his last letter, was headed for Franklin only days before the catastrophic Battle of Franklin. Ryan's last note contained a stack of cash--enough money to bring his entire family across the ocean from Ireland. But after disease and illness tear through County Antrim and the O'Toole family, only Catriona and her seven-year old sister Nora are left to make the journey.

Wade Cunningham, one of ten operatives in the newly formed United States Secret Service Agency, is on the hunt for counterfeiters. A tip leads him to Franklin and to Carnton, the home of wealthy Tennessean John McGavock. The recent murder of a fellow agent mandates that Wade keep his true identity hidden, as well as his past service in the Federal Army.

As evidence in the case mounts, it eventually points to Catriona, but Wade is slow to want to believe it. Because his heart is swiftly becoming hers. However, Catriona's sole focus is to find her brother and to provide a home and safety for her sister. In doing that, she finds herself part of a burial committee for the over two thousand Confederate soldiers who were hastily buried in a field following the Battle of Franklin--and her deepest fear is that Ryan's body is among those shallow graves.


My Review:
Colors of Truth is a romance set in 1866 in Franklin, Tennessee. This book was the second in a series, but it works as a standalone. The historical details were woven into the story and brought the setting to life in my imagination. The characters were interesting and reacted realistically to events. Wade was observant, competent, patient, honorable, and compassionate. He had great sympathy for the situation that Catriona found herself in and seemed drawn to her primarily because she needed help and was very pretty.

But Catriona wasn't a very likable character for most of the story. She had a temper and quickly lashed out at others even if she was the one at fault. She wouldn't listen, made assumptions, and accused people based on those assumptions. She liked being in control. She insisted on paying back those who freely helped her and even dictated how she'd do this. Now, it's clear in the story that she and her sister learned to lie, lash out in anger, and so on from their father. Once Catriona realized how much she's acting like her father, she did attempt to change. Even later in the story, she finally learned to trust others, including God, which made a big difference in her behavior. I just found her attitude tiring, though the other characters were engaging and the plot was interesting.

Most of the characters were Christian and treated others mercifully because of this. Catriona believed that not only was God currently punishing her for some reason but that God punished believers after death as well, so she didn't feel very open towards God. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.