Where Trust Lies

GIVEAWAY

OKE, JANETTE
LOGAN, LAUREL OKE
WHERE TRUST LIES

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!

My Review:

This is my first Janette Oke novel so I'm seriously behind the times as far as the Christian fiction legacy goes! I had to see what all the fuss was about so I scooped this book up at my public library -- a real coup since there's now a humongous waiting list for it. After reading it though, I'm a jumble of mixed feelings so I hope I can make sense to you.

First off, this is the second book in the Return to the Canadian West series. I haven't read Where Courage Calls so I feel like I'm at a bit of a disadvantage. It's not that Where Trust Lies doesn't read well as a standalone -- it does. I didn't ever feel lost in the plot but I missed an emotional connection with Beth and Jarrick, which I think I would have developed if I'd read the first book. I found myself feeling a bit detached as I progressed through this story.

 Another reason, I think, is the style of writing which is very reminiscent of a few decades ago. The story unfolds almost as a narrative, so instead of being plunged into the life (and heart) of the heroine it felt like I was an observer from the outside looking in -- if that makes any sense. Don't get me wrong, the writing is fluid and carries the plot seamlessly forward. I guess I just felt like I was trailing in its wake instead of braving the currents right next to Beth.

Where Trust Lies is a complicated study in the changing relationship of a daughter who has grown into womanhood. It captures that awkward conundrum of wanting to be your own person while still feeling an emotional pull to meet the expectations of your parents. Add in trying to figure out a burgeoning romance and Beth has a lot to think -- and pray -- about. There's a wonderful underlying message about trust in all its many facets. And a surprising mysterious twist towards the end. So, definitely worth the read, though it wasn't as emotional a read as I would have liked.

And worthy to note: CBC will be airing the TV series, When Calls the Heart, this summer. I believe it has been on the Hallmark Channel, but we haven't been able to view it in Canada. The TV series includes the characters from the book series so I'm looking forward to seeing how the actors bring Beth and Jarrick and everyone else to life.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Where Trust Lies please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday May 3 2015. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!