Friday, March 27, 2015

Review - "Where Trust Lies" by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan

 
 
Where Trust Lies
by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan
 
Return to the Canadian West series, Book #2
Published by Bethany House Publishers
336 Pages
Target Audience: Adults
Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian Romance
 
About this book:
 
"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!"
 
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"Where Trust Lies" is the second book in the Return to the Canadian West series. The storyline picks up basically right after where the first book left off. Because it starts right after where the first book ended, I personally would not recommend this book as a stand alone as some things might not make much sense if you haven't read the first book in the series.

Beth Thatcher is returning home to her family after spending a year as a teacher in the mining town of Coal Valley. She is hoping to spend some time with her family, and while at home, she is also hoping to receive a letter of invitation to teach in Coal Valley for the next school year. However, as soon as she returns home she finds out that her family has plans to travel on a steamship tour and would like her to come along. Although she wanted to spend some time at home for awhile, Beth agrees to traveling so she can spend time with her family. However, not everything they encounter during their travels is as it seems. When something terrible happens, will Beth trust in God to help her and her family get through the devasting ordeal?

I thought "Where Trust Lies" was a good continuation of the Return to the Canadian West series. While I prefer the first book in the series to this one because I enjoyed the setting and people of Coal Valley more, I still very much enjoyed reading the continuation of Beth's story. It was interesting to read about the different places Beth and her family traveled to while on their trip. I also liked reading and finding out more about Beth's family.

Just as I liked seeing Beth's strong faith in God in the first book, I liked seeing her grow in her faith in this one as well. She is trying to figure out where God is leading her and what His will is for her life, including whether or not she is supposed to return to Coal Valley to teach again. Beth is also trying to figure out her romantic relationship with Jarrick and whether or not he is the man God wants her to be with, and if he's not, if she will be able to let him go. When something devastating occurs, Beth must also trust in God to get her and her family through the difficult time.

The pace of the story is on the slower side. While I didn't mind the pace, some may find this book boring because a lot of the story didn't have a lot of action.

Overall, I really enjoyed "Where Trust Lies" as a sequel to "Where Courage Calls"! It was a nice continuation of Beth's story with a good theme of trust. I look forward to reading more books in this series if more are published.

*I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. 

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