"Where Trust Lies"

(Return to the Canadian West #2)

by

Janette Oke & Laurel Oke Logan
Review & GIVEAWAY!

 An event-filled cruise

Description

She loves her friends and students in the West, but family obligations have called her home. Where does she truly belong? After a year of teaching in the Canadian West, Beth Thatcher returns home to her family. She barely has time to settle in before her mother announces plans for a family holiday--a luxurious steamship tour along the eastern coast of Canada and the United States. Hoping to reconnect with her mother and her sisters, Beth agrees to join them, but she quickly realizes that things have changed since she went away, and renewing their close bond is going to be more challenging than she expected.  There's one special thing to look forward to--letters and telephone calls from Jarrick, the Mountie who has stolen her heart. The distance between them is almost too much to bear. But can she give her heart to Jarrick when it will mean saying good-bye to her family once again--and possibly forever? And will she still want to live in the western wilds after the steamship tour opens up a world of people and places she never imagined?

Then comes a great test of Beth's faith. Someone in her family has trusted the wrong person, and suddenly everything Beth knows and loves is toppled. Torn between her family and her dreams, will Beth finally discover where her heart truly belongs?

A companion story to Hallmark Channel's When Calls the Heart TV series!

Where to Purchase

• Baker Retail
• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Christianbook.com

Biography

Bestselling author Janette Oke (pronounced "oak") is celebrated across the world for her significant contribution to the Christian book industry. She is credited with launching the modern era of inspirational fiction with the publication of her first novel, Love Comes Softly, in 1979. Today, her novels have sold more than 30 million copies, and she is the recipient of the ECPA President's Award, the CBA Life Impact Award, the Gold Medallion, and the Christy Award. Janette and her husband, Edward, live in Alberta, Canada.

Biography

Laurel Oke Logan, daughter of Edward and Janette Oke, is the author of Janette Oke: A Heart for the Prairie, as well as the novel Dana's Valley, which she co-wrote with her mom. Laurel and her husband have six children and two sons-in-law and live near Indianapolis, Indiana.

My Thoughts ~

The description of "Where Trust Lies" from above is sufficient to explain the plot of this book. This is my first Janet Oke book. It was very different from what I expected. 

The co-authors have done an outstanding job of researching the geographical locale, scenery and the landscape described throughout the cruise. I've been to many of the places described, and it was a trip back in time reading about those particular locations. That was definitely a high point for me.

 I'm unclear as to the time frame during which this book took place, whether it is at the end of WWI or WWII. All that I could glean from the story was that some men had missed combat duty, and the descriptions of the women's clothing and hats which did little to lead me to the correct era.

Characters were varied, some more developed than others. The Thatcher family is a wealthy family with servants, and their family interactions and relationships are very formal. Mother and sisters refer to one another as "darling." They are a close-knit family, very loving and caring of one another. I felt that the characters held one another at arms length at times, most likely a trait in wealthy families. Their love for one another was clear, but concerns about one anothers' reactions arose quite frequently.

The plot was creative and very descriptive, but moved slowly until the last few pages. I wasn't sure the book would end satisfactorily. I enjoyed the book as far as the storyline goes, but it felt more Victorian than 20th century, and a faster pace would have kept my attention more adequately. This won't stop me from reading additional books by these authors. I would like to read one of Ms. Oke's earlier books as a comparison to this book. I would also like to read the prequel to this book in order to determine background information that may have influenced my reactions to this particular book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Book Fun and Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

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