To Chase the Stars

by Tara Johnson

379 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2026

About the author

Tara writes stories that help people break free from the lies they believe about themselves. Tara is a history nerd, a passionate lover of comedy, and will happily play basketball with anyone who asks. She writes historical romance, and her favorite love is the Civil War.

Tara’s debut novel Engraved on the Heart (Tyndale) earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and finaled in the Carol and Christy Awards. She has articles published in Plain Truth Magazine and Live It Loud Magazine and has been a featured guest on Voice of Truth radio, Enduring Word radio, television and podcasts. Tara is a member of ACFW and is represented by Janet Grant of Books & Such Literary Agency. She, her husband, and children live in Arkansas.

Reviews

[Columba Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-told follow up to To Speak His Name, this story follows Isabelle's journey from captivity in her secretive aunt's home to freedom.
Her aunt demands she marry into wealth, to save the family fortune. No one will tell Isabelle where her brother went, and she hasn't seen her parents in months. Everyone demands her cooperation. No one seems to care about what she wants.
And then, she meets Captain Kincaid. Finally, someone takes her seriously!
The captain has his own troubles, but throughout the book, the love and grace of God beckon him on to the life he knows he doesn't deserve.
I loved the moments of God-sent hope and guidance that encouraged the characters in their lowest moments. They reminded me that God makes a way through whatever challenges we're facing. I was invested in Isabelle's outcome from the beginning, and the ending was great, with an unexpected twist.

[Jennifer K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant Story
Tara Johnson will grab your attention and hold it to the final page. Her characters are worth rooting for and they needed it as they faced people working against them, shutting them out and attempting to pull them back to the past. But this story allowed these to unearth their true identities and allow their true selves to shine. Both battled realistic and tough struggles of faith which provide great encouragement for the world we live in today. Here’s my advice, if you are behind on your housework, don’t pick up this book. But if you haven’t read book 1 in the series, check it out too.

[DianFlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although beautifully written, I didn't quite enjoy the sequel as much as the 1st book in the series, To Speak His Name. The plot is very similar to other historical novels and I felt as though I was rereading the same book with different characters. To avoid spoilers, I won't say what has become a common denominator in historical fiction since it isn't written in the blurb, but for that reason only I lowered my rating. The main characters were intriguing, the bad guys were quite odious, and I appreciate the fact that the author didn't shy away from the genre of Christian fiction.

[Katie (kt_readz) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to five