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Kansas Home #2
Tarah's Lessons (The St John Family Saga, Book 2)
Already frustrated by the incorrigible students she teaches on the Kansas frontier, Tarah is further troubled when Anthony Greene, the one man she has always loved, returns to town. And she is certainly not ready to graciously accept his apparent preference for the simpering Louisa Thomas, the banker's daughter who obviously has designs for the handsome young preacher.But the appearance of two abused children in the community changes everyone. How will Tarah be able to win the trust of Laney and Ben and help them to build a new life? Will she be able to accept the gifts of friendship from Anthony, if that is all he is willing to offer? And will her heart be open to lessons God has for her in a situation that seems to offer only heartache and loneliness?
174 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
14 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Tracey Victoria Bateman
28 books19 followersTracey Bateman is also published as Tracey Cross, is the Christy award-winning author of more than thirty titles and has nearly a million books in print. She lives in Missouri's Ozarks with her husband and four children.
also published under the name Tracey Bateman
also published under the name Tracey Bateman
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 24, 2017
Note: This is a duplicate review, which I recently posted within my review of the soon-to-be-released
Brides of Kansas,
which I received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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My previous read was Darling Cassidy , the first book in this series. I rated it 4 ½ stars, and so was looking forward to reading this one.
Side note: Tracey Bateman can also be found on Goodreads under the names Tracey Victoria Bateman, Victoria Bateman, and Tracey Cross.
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4 1/2 stars
Tarah’s Lessons (2001, Heartsong Presents),
Second in the Kansas Home series by Tracey Bateman,
Set in Harper, Kansas in 1871
I was a bit hesitant to read this story because (small spoiler) But she has grown up quite a bit (although she still reads like the young lady that she is), and the reader will root for her.
The heroine: Tarah St. John, 19, is teaching at the local school, and unfortunately for her, her rambunctious brother Luke is one of her students.
The hero: Anthony Greene, who Tarah has always admired, is back home, fresh out of seminary. The town is in need of a preacher, and he’s very eager to preach.
Christian elements:
*There’s a lot of scriptural application in this book. The salvation message is included, as well as some other topics. I really think this is one of Ms. Bateman’s strengths as an author.
“‘If you’ve prayed about this and it doesn’t seem as though God is answering, perhaps you should ask Him if there is a lesson He wants you to learn … Often the way we react to pressure teaches us more about our own hearts than we would ever learn if things always worked out smoothly for us.’”
What I liked:
*I really enjoyed reading about Tarah as a schoolteacher and Anthony in his first preaching position. The reader sees how the two handle challenges along the way. I always love a good teacher or governess story, and a preacher point of view gives me a similar feel.
*It is apparent that Bateman has done thorough research for this story.
b>What I didn’t like:
*The hero frustrated me in his failure to discourage the unwanted attentions from another young lady, presumably out of a misplaced sense of kindness. As the town’s new pastor (even on a trial basis), he should have discouraged the woman out of caution for his reputation, if for no other reason. His hesitancy to do so didn’t feel quite realistic to me. To be fair, I’m sure that there have been real-life examples of similar situations. It does serve a purpose in the plot, but it frustrated me regardless.
*A common type of phrase in romances that drives me crazy: ”She shifted her gaze… to find him studying her mouth.” Why, oh why do so many books have phrases like this? I just think it’s so strange. Do people really study the mouths of others when they wish to kiss them???
*There is a short SPOILER, which reveals a plot point from the END of Darling Cassidy, the previous book. I think authors should bend over backwards to avoid doing this. People read books out of order all the time.
********************
The bottom line: I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of Christian historical fiction. (That goes for books one and three, as well.) I would like to continue to read this author and have my eye on Emily’s Place, fourth in this series.
*******************
My previous read was Darling Cassidy , the first book in this series. I rated it 4 ½ stars, and so was looking forward to reading this one.
Side note: Tracey Bateman can also be found on Goodreads under the names Tracey Victoria Bateman, Victoria Bateman, and Tracey Cross.
********************
4 1/2 stars
Tarah’s Lessons (2001, Heartsong Presents),
Second in the Kansas Home series by Tracey Bateman,
Set in Harper, Kansas in 1871
I was a bit hesitant to read this story because (small spoiler) But she has grown up quite a bit (although she still reads like the young lady that she is), and the reader will root for her.
The heroine: Tarah St. John, 19, is teaching at the local school, and unfortunately for her, her rambunctious brother Luke is one of her students.
The hero: Anthony Greene, who Tarah has always admired, is back home, fresh out of seminary. The town is in need of a preacher, and he’s very eager to preach.
Christian elements:
*There’s a lot of scriptural application in this book. The salvation message is included, as well as some other topics. I really think this is one of Ms. Bateman’s strengths as an author.
“‘If you’ve prayed about this and it doesn’t seem as though God is answering, perhaps you should ask Him if there is a lesson He wants you to learn … Often the way we react to pressure teaches us more about our own hearts than we would ever learn if things always worked out smoothly for us.’”
What I liked:
*I really enjoyed reading about Tarah as a schoolteacher and Anthony in his first preaching position. The reader sees how the two handle challenges along the way. I always love a good teacher or governess story, and a preacher point of view gives me a similar feel.
*It is apparent that Bateman has done thorough research for this story.
b>What I didn’t like:
*The hero frustrated me in his failure to discourage the unwanted attentions from another young lady, presumably out of a misplaced sense of kindness. As the town’s new pastor (even on a trial basis), he should have discouraged the woman out of caution for his reputation, if for no other reason. His hesitancy to do so didn’t feel quite realistic to me. To be fair, I’m sure that there have been real-life examples of similar situations. It does serve a purpose in the plot, but it frustrated me regardless.
*A common type of phrase in romances that drives me crazy: ”She shifted her gaze… to find him studying her mouth.” Why, oh why do so many books have phrases like this? I just think it’s so strange. Do people really study the mouths of others when they wish to kiss them???
*There is a short SPOILER, which reveals a plot point from the END of Darling Cassidy, the previous book. I think authors should bend over backwards to avoid doing this. People read books out of order all the time.
********************
The bottom line: I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of Christian historical fiction. (That goes for books one and three, as well.) I would like to continue to read this author and have my eye on Emily’s Place, fourth in this series.
October 28, 2013
Read this on my kindle....liked it a lot.
June 13, 2025
Tarah is in her first year as the new school teacher and struggling with the behaviors of her students, one of which is her own brother.
Anthony has just returned to town after seminary and is struggling in his three month trial as the town's new preacher.
Tarah and Anthony have known each other their entire lives, but when two young children are discovered living not far from town in horrific conditions, Tarah and Anthony team up to assist these children. Together, they learn life lessons, which ultimately help them see God's purpose for their lives.
Family, friends, faith in Jesus, and love help to turn their struggling into pure joy.
Anthony has just returned to town after seminary and is struggling in his three month trial as the town's new preacher.
Tarah and Anthony have known each other their entire lives, but when two young children are discovered living not far from town in horrific conditions, Tarah and Anthony team up to assist these children. Together, they learn life lessons, which ultimately help them see God's purpose for their lives.
Family, friends, faith in Jesus, and love help to turn their struggling into pure joy.
May 24, 2021
Really liked! Laney is quite the character. I loved getting to meet both her and Ben and how outspoken she is- made for lots of laughs. The story arcs Bateman chose for Tarah and Anthony are unique in terms of what they struggled with- it's not often that I find a book approaching a preacher character quite like this. The first book wasn't completely my kind of book, but this second one kept what I liked about the first and added more to love. Bateman is keeping me pleasantly surprised. I'm looking forward to reading Laney's story when I can get my hands on it.
January 22, 2024
A sweet, fun read
Sarah and Anthony's happily ever after doesn't come easily. But following their story as they make their way was ultimately satisfying. I love this author's books. Always inspirational, never preachy. She seamlessly weaves her message in as her characters hearts are challenged and changed. This is my second time through this series. I can't wait to reread the rest.
Sarah and Anthony's happily ever after doesn't come easily. But following their story as they make their way was ultimately satisfying. I love this author's books. Always inspirational, never preachy. She seamlessly weaves her message in as her characters hearts are challenged and changed. This is my second time through this series. I can't wait to reread the rest.
May 30, 2020
Enjoyable Story
Tarah was a first time school teacher who was trying to keep order. Her younger brother and a few others were giving her a hard time. This made her question her decision.
Anthony was a first time preacher struggling to find his preaching style.
Would God bring these two together, or would a person or persons get in the way?
This was a very enjoyable story.
Tarah was a first time school teacher who was trying to keep order. Her younger brother and a few others were giving her a hard time. This made her question her decision.
Anthony was a first time preacher struggling to find his preaching style.
Would God bring these two together, or would a person or persons get in the way?
This was a very enjoyable story.
March 7, 2025
Really enjoyed this short, beautiful story. Loved that there was zero violence or swearing. Reminded me of an adult version of Little House on the Prairie.
September 2, 2014
This tale had some good lessons and some pinprick, teary moments, but it had flaws. The characters felt childish and the hero felt off for a man of the cloth. He felt too focused on the physical aspects of romance, especially during times he should be focusing on what really matters in the moment, like the welfare of abused children. It wasn't over the line for a hero in a sweet or Christian romance, but it felt so for a preacher. The plot also wasn't focused, the different pieces not coming together in one whole. Not enough time was spent on them. However, any one of the plot pieces--learning to be the preacher that a community needs, learning to be the teacher that students need, learning to be the substitute parents that abused children need--would have made an excellent plot on its own.
So two stars because it had some good ideas but didn't come together for me.
So two stars because it had some good ideas but didn't come together for me.
August 19, 2012
Admittedly, I got rather frustrated with Louisa and Anthony, but I suppose without Louisa the story might have been rather short. Still, I'm not sure I would have missed her; maybe I should be upset with Anthony instead of Louisa for being such a coward. Either way, it was still a good book with a happy ending. I also enjoyed Dell and Cassidy in this book as much as in book one of the series. Looking forward to reading about Laney and Luke in book three in the series.
May 25, 2015
If you are a fan of Christian romance you will probably like this story. Bateman's writing shows she works at her craft and prefers to blend Christian values into her story rather than beat you over the head. For my personal tastes, I like a meatier, more complex plot. I found this one a bit too predictable.
May 26, 2016
Great book
Loved this second book in the series about Tarah.Growing up now and teaching school Tarah is happy until and old friend moves back to town and starts seeing another.This book is very swert and sad and funny all rolled into one book.I loved it from start to finish and could not put it down.
Loved this second book in the series about Tarah.Growing up now and teaching school Tarah is happy until and old friend moves back to town and starts seeing another.This book is very swert and sad and funny all rolled into one book.I loved it from start to finish and could not put it down.
June 5, 2012
Great romance story but wanted to whack both Tarah and Anthony for not seeing through Louisa's manipulation. Introducing Laney and Ben kept the story interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews