The Pattern of Her Heart

Lights of Lowell #3

by Tracie Peterson, Judith McCoy Miller

When tragedy strikes, Jasmine Houston must uproot her family from the Northern mill town of Lowell and take over her family's Southern plantation, The Willows. But upon her arrival, her anti-slavery positions cause strife between Jasmine and her neighbors and relatives. Tensions continue to rise until an explosive act--the burning of The Willows--causes Jasmine and Nolan to flee north. But the lives of the slaves they've promised to protect hang in the balance.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Romance, Historical, Historical Romance

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Tracie Peterson is a bestselling author who writes in both historical and contemporary genres. Her novels reveal her love for research as well as her strong desire to develop emotionally meaningful characters and stories for her readers. Tracie and her family live in Montana.

pen name: Janelle Jamison

Reviews

[Maureen Timerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hated this book to end, wanted to stay with these friends forever!
This is the third book in this series, and you do not have to have read the previous ones to know what is going on, enough is explained! We start our visit back with Jasmine and Nolan Houston, and their great family. Alice Ann has survived Scarlet Fever, and life is good. When Jasmine's Father's Lawyer pays her and her brother McKinley a visit, they find out the the rest of their family have all passed in a Yellow Fever epidemic.
It is decided that Jasmine, Nolan and family will travel to Louisiana to settle the estate. Both Jasmine and her brother abhor slavery and have every intention of freeing all of the slaves her family had held at the Willows. You will not, well maybe, believe all that is about to happen, you won't be able to put this book down.
There are so many twists and turns in this book, and great adventure. You will also spend time with Paddy, Margaret, Reverend Chamberlain, Reggie, Mrs Brighton, among others. You will love all the stories that are presented.
A really great read!

[Denise Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was very good, but disappointed that Jasmine and Nolan did not even try to look for Moses's parents or even run across them. I thought for sure they were going to come back in the third book.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book, slow at times, but still good.

I like how the authors concluded the stories of the characters....at least for all but 3 people that is. I am saddened that Moses didn't get his parents back! I know he has Simon and Maisie, but I waited the whole book to see Moses be reunited with Obadiah & Naomi, or at least to find out what happened to them, and was really disappointed at the end.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm amazed that each book in this series gets better and better as the story unfolds. Jasmine gets an unexpected visit from her father's attorney. His news of her father and brothers deaths due to a epidemic sends her into a depressed state, but the news that her and mckinley are the heirs of their father's plantation are somewhat concerning. Her father's last wish was for them to return to the plantation and bring in the last crop. Nolan, Jasmine and their 3 children return without Mckinley who refuses to leave his business or his pregnant wife. Paddy is left in charge of the horse business which is a great feet for an Irish boy. He doesn't let them down. Jasmine and Nolan set the her father's slaves free and allow them to choose to help with the crops for a wage. This new treatment of the freed slaves causes a stir with the other plantation owners. Upon the spreading of this news, the Willows is burned and the slaves taken away, leaving the Houston family destitute and running of the threat to their lives. They feel the real threat as the escape under the cover of darkness as so many slaves had. One of her remaining cousins, Rupert is behind these hanus acts and tries to steal the Willows too. After return to the North, Mckinley doesn't believe in Jasmine's tale, but believes Rupert had been misunderstood. Mckinley later finds this to be false when Rupert sets a plan in place to go back on another arrangement of the return of the freed slaves. Meanwhile, the cotton mills are in dire straights with layoffs and the closure of boarding houses. Elinor finds a connection to Reggie the new preachers daughter and through their friendship she finds the barricade around her heart to break and acknowledges her love for both Reggie and her father. They are married along with one of her boarders, Mary Margarite to Paddy. Trust that was put in the Lord to answer prayer was well founded even when faith was lacking. Family importance was centered on as the Wainwright family was almost all lost to tragedy except for Jasmine and Mckinley and a few cousins and a distant uncle Levi who aided in the escape and return of the willows to jasmine.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sue, North River patron, June 2016, 5 stars:

Third in a series, Book #1 A Tapestry of Hope, #2 A Love Woven True, #3 The Pattern of Her Heart. Started in the 1800 with the slaves picking cotton in the South, daughter of plantation owner moving north and not approving of slavery, father died, left all to daughter and son. They tried to free the slaves, the plantation was burned and people killed. Ended with daughter able to bring some slaves North and free them, find them homes. Trusted in God to help her through all her adventures and trials. Hard to read about all the suffering. Love Peterson's books.

[Stacey Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad to reach the end

This was a wonderful series! I so wish it was longer. The story of what the Houston's experience d in Mississippi was so scary! However, I'm glad there was a happy ending!

[Danica is Booked · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was a good read.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeing that Jasmines life was getting better, yet not without challenges, at least she was able to go on and have happiness...again, I couldn't put the book down!

[Karen Guennigsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a very well written book. i Love Tracie Peterson. She has such interesting books.

[Pat Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining historical novel focused on Slavery in the South.

[Pelican Rapids · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had read this book before. The Plantations owner did so many illegal things in order to be in power.

[Shirley Kummer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is actually compiled of several stories. The main story includes intense drama as Jasmine and her husband Nolan travel back to the Southern plantation she inherited from her father. With the intention of freeing her deceased father's slaves, tragedy leads them on a dangerous trek to their home in the North. Less drama highlights several others in the town where Elinor, a widow, runs a boardinghouse which rooms many young women who work at the local cotton mill. When the handsome widowed Pastor and his young teenage daughter arrived in town, the gossipy church ladies have their eye on him for their own daughters to hopefully marry. Other stories are mingled in which got a little confusing with so many characters. So it was an OK read for me.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The saga of Nolan and Jasmine Huston continues with the emphasis in this part of the trilogy being on emancipating slaves and helping them to get on their feet. Mixed in is the Irish flavor of Paddy, Bridget and Mary Margaret, with this book not as much concentrating on their struggle to become part of the culture but their relationships with each other. The history of the cotton milling industry in America is the backdrop. The boardinghouses and working conditions help weave more characters into the story line. The plot line keeps moving and switches from one group to another. All in all a pretty good book.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book in this series that takes place in both Mississippi and Massachusetts as the issue of slavery divides friends, families and the country. In this book, we see Jasmine and her family facing more heartache than most people will ever face. It follows them as they try to lean on God even when He seems to be nowhere near. Although there was a fair amount of pain and heartbreak in this book, there was also plenty of uplifting events. No profanity or sex. A strong evangelistic message.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book set in the period right before the Civil War. Differences in beliefs about slavery not only cause conflict within a family, but there is deception and treachery that must be overcome. I have enjoyed reading about the Wainwright and Houston families. I highly recommend this entire series if you enjoy Christian historical fiction.

[AlegnaB † · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 -- I lowered the rating for this book by one star for not giving us any information about Obadiah and Naomi, making the book an unsatisfactory conclusion to the series. Did the authors forget about those characters?

[Janis Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found that God led me to this book in our library at a time when I am advocating against human trafficking and modern-day slavery. I didn't know it when I picked it up.
Set in 1857 - we see the problems between the south and the north start to fester.
Great characters. Good action.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pattern of Her Heart by Tracie Peterson -- A beautiful and heartbreaking series about women who find the courage of their convictions in a world where money and hate seem unbeatable. Happy Reading!

[Ayla Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one easily would have been five stars if we would have learned what happened to Naomi and Obadiah! I loved this series but I kept waiting to see Moses reunited with his parents and was so disappointed to not see that happen.

[Carolyn Lockwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that all the ends were tied up, but then I wished more time could have been spent on some of the stories. I would have liked to have read more about Elinor and Mary Margaret.

[LeAnne Kilman · Rating 4 out of 5]

We needed closure for Obediah, Naomi and Noah. It would have been 5 stars easily if that had happened. This is a series I'll read again in a few years, but please find a way to give us closure.

[Megan Torrance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and interesting story, with lots of twists and turns, but the ending kind of felt flat. It had built so much, that I was expecting a more climatic ending.
Still love Tracie Peterson!

[Justine Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love learning history through these books. Lovely read 📚

[Mercy Dworzak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful series

Loved that everyone was wrapped up in the final book in this series. It showed how faith could pull families together

[Lorraine Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book.

[Karen Ezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little deep in regards to suave issues in the south and persecución of the irish. Overall decent.

[Stacey Hewitt tomblin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, feel good book. A quick read. Slow at first but good middle.

[Cathy Ouellette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read!

[Cynthia Childress · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lights of Lowell series was EXCEPTIONAL. I think I finished the entire series in just a couple of weeks - woven with love, faith, even a bit of suspense, Tracie's books take me back in time and are so descriptive. I find myself hearing the voices of the characters speaking in their native dialect and seeing the emotion on their faces through their times of triumph and trial. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Tracie's books and haven't found one that I have not appreciated.

[Adrian Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't read this book yet but book one and two in the series are jaw dropping and each chapter has Calif hanger endings and I belief book three will be even better