Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson | Book Review

Title: Engraved on the Heart
Author: Tara Johnson
Publisher: Tyndale
Published Date: June 1st, 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Civil War
Page Count:389
Format: Paperback

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
Reluctant debutante Keziah Montgomery lives beneath the weighty expectations of her staunch Confederate family, forced to keep her epilepsy secret for fear of a scandal. As the tensions of the Civil War arrive on their doorstep in Savannah, Keziah sees little cause for balls and courting. Despite her discomfort, she cannot imagine an escape from her familial confines―until her old schoolmate Micah shows her a life-changing truth that sets her feet on a new path . . . as a conductor in the Underground Railroad.

Dr. Micah Greyson never hesitates to answer the call of duty, no matter how dangerous, until the enchanting Keziah walks back into his life and turns his well-ordered plans upside down. Torn between the life he has always known in Savannah and the fight for abolition, Micah struggles to discern God’s plan amid such turbulent times.

Battling an angry fiancé, a war-tattered brother, bounty hunters, and their own personal demons, Keziah and Micah must decide if true love is worth the price . . . and if they are strong enough to survive the unyielding pain of war.

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 My Review:

Thank you to Tyndale for the free physical copy

"I said mother forbade it. I didn't say I would obey."

Keziah is a young woman expected to get married and continue on the family legacy during the civil war. One problem with this is that she has epilepsy and at this point in time it was considered to be shameful and an extreme weakness so was kept secret. Her parents also tried to keep her from doing almost everything that she enjoys and instead just want her to sit there and be pretty. With her parents trying to marry her off and almost all eligible young men fighting, Keziah doesn't have a lot of options. This leads to an arranged marriage proposal that makes most of this book a little dicey when it comes to Keziah's personal life. 

We also get to see things from Dr. Grayson's point of view who is a childhood friend of Keziah. Grayson has been gone for a few years getting his education, and with his father having been for the union and John Brown he's not exactly welcome in town.


Overall I really liked this book. I cannot recommend this book enough and I feel like it did a pretty good job of showing both sides of the war and how it affected everyone. From the food shortages being mentioned to the home guard just storming in and demanding to search places. I also liked how it was shown Keziah really learning about the slaves her family had and her genuinely starting to wonder if they were truly happy. 

"Contentment was admirable. Or was it resignation? Could it be that the less painful path was to never dream at all?" 

Keziah is a character that I adored, she is spunky and caring and didn't let society norms stop her from doing what she thinks is right. Keziah doesn't let her Epilepsy stop her from helping others even though it does make the job even more dangerous than it would be. With Keziah's family also being southern sympathizers and her being apart of the Underground railroad a lot of this book is spent on edge with worry of Keziah's family finding out and stopping her or turning her in. Despite that though I loved seeing the underground railroad and how she was able to help so many slaves escape!

"You have an awful lot of pluck, you know. Lying and running away, ignoring my letters, choosing instead to let me think you dead or wounded. All while snooping and working for the very same ideals you condemn me for."

Dr. Grayson was also a really likable character. I was a little confused by all his secretiveness it came to certain things when talking to Keziah considering the world he showed her. I did really like all that he did to help people during the war and how he kept going no matter the risk for his own life. 

"Bad things will happen. We cannot save everyone, but we keep fighting. We save those we can. We move forward. We run toward the prize." 

P.S. Once you've read the book can we please talk about Keziah and the ending of this book because yes!!