Review: A Path Toward Love by Cara Lynn James

Katherine Osborne inherited the Osborne Citrus Groves near Buena Vista, Florida from her husband two years ago, and is now struggling to keep the business from bankruptcy. Her father visits and offers to loan her money on the condition that she returns to the upscale family camp in New York for the summer of 1905. She is reluctant to agree, knowing her mother will try and manipulate her into another marriage - this time, to someone acceptable, someone like Randy, the son of her mother's childhood friend. But Charles's infidelity has left Katharine wary of marriage, especially a marriage arranged by her domineering mother.

We learn more and more about Katherine's marriage as the story progresses, none of it good, and we understand why she is reluctant to want to marry again. Yet as Katherine is forced into a relationship with Randy, she begins to realise that maybe she does still have the capacity to love and the desire to marry again. But will she choose love or obedience, financial risk or security? She turns to Andrew Townsend, Randy's cousin, a childhood friend and now her father's employee, for support.

Katherine was an independent and headstrong heroine, and very likeable. She faced her dilemma with good grace, making the best decisions she could with the information she had (unfortunately, she didn't always have all the information she needed). Her mother was domineering and very hard to stand up to, and her father was a strong businessman, but weak in the way he let his wife rule their marriage.

Andrew was another likeable character, with a strong Christian faith, and not at all bitter that he had to work for a living while his cousin Randy did not. Randy seemed to think he deserved his privileged and unproductive lifestyle (and perhaps he did), but the contrast between the characters showed how overcoming adversity produces character.

At one point, Katherine’s father says, “Doesn’t she understand I work from dawn to dusk so she won’t have to?”. This line seemed to epitomise the so-called 'American Dream', yet this directly contradicts the biblical injunction that if a man does not work, he does not eat. It got me thinking about trust fund children both in 1905 when this story is set, and now, and wondering if perhaps this attitude is pursing the wrong dream. Surely our spiritual wellbeing is so much more important than the physical...

I always enjoy a book that can both keep me entertained, yet also make me think, so well done to A Path Toward Love. It reminds me of novels like She Walks in Beauty and Making Waves, but I think it's better than both of them. A historical romance that is well worth reading.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and Booksneeze® for providing a free book for review.

Review: The Widow of Saunders Creek by Tracey Bateman

I almost didn’t pick The Widow of Saunders Creek out to review, because I thought from the title that it was going to be historical fiction. But it is contemporary Christian fiction, with a bit of romance and a bit of suspense, and I thought it was well worth reading.

Corrie Saunders was widowed six months ago, when Jarrod, her army husband, died a hero in the Middle East, leaving her with a flag and the family home in the small Ozark town of Saunders Creek. Corrie has returned to restore the old house they had planned on raising their family in. Eli is the friend, cousin and contractor undertaking the renovations. He is also Jarrod's cousin and childhood friend, and was left with a a permanent limp and an army discharge after a riding accident with Jarrod.

Strange things are happening in the house. Doors slam. Objects move of their own accord. Corrie thinks someone is lying in her bed, but when she turns around, no one is there. Several of the women of the family dabble in magic, and believe that Jarrod’s spirit has come back to care for his widow. Eli, a seminary graduate and part-time preacher, believes the source is demonic, but knows that Corrie has to make her own choice.

The story is told in the first person, alternating between Corrie and Eli. For this to work, the author has to be able to create two characters that readers both like and could relate to. Tracey Bateman has certainly succeeded in this. Corrie still loves her husband, and while she is slowly getting over the grief, the idea that he may be present in the house is very seductive. Eli is falling for Corrie, despite knowing she still loves Jarrod and that she might be tempted by the very real spirit world.

Some readers might find this almost paranormal aspect of The Widow of Saunders Creek offputting. I was a bit hesitant – some of Bateman’s previous books have skated very close to the line. But this is more in the lines of the early Frank Peretti novels, This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness, in that it makes no apologies for the fact that there is a spiritual realm, and that the name of Jesus is the answer. A touching story of a developing relationship. Recommended.

Thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah and Bloggingfor Books for providing a free book for review.

Review: Something Blue by Dianne Christner

Megan Weaver a Conservative Mennonite who works as the assistant to the owner of Char Air, a charter airline who also operate charity flights. Her boss is taking time out to mend his marriage, and his brother is taking over in his absence. Chance Campbell is a missionary pilot in Ecuador, and is immediately attracted to his pretty assistant, despite her unfashionable Mennonite appearance. The attraction is mutual, especially as Megan has always felt she would marry either a minister or a missionary. But Chance is not a Mennonite.

Meanwhile, Megan's church is recruiting a new minister, and one of the applicants is her college nemesis. Micah Zimmerman has changed. He is still attracted to Megan, but finds himself competing for her attention. Micah is trying to get the church members to support hiring him, without giving any of the single women false hope.

I found Megan to be a bit naïve and shallow. I could accept her wanting to marry within her own denomination and even could understand her reluctance to move to another country. But I thought it a bit shallow that she felt she couldn’t marry outside her ‘faith’, the Mennonite denomination. After all, Chance is a Christian. Shouldn’t that be enough?

Micah was sweet, caring, sensitive, and hiding his true feelings so he could develop a friendship with Megan. And he’s a Mennonite minister – what more does Megan want? Well, it takes her a while to work out whether she wants the dashing Chance or the conservative Micah, but the ending was worth the wait, and made up for the mid-book dithering between the two.

Something Blue is the third book in the Plain City Bridesmaids series (following Something Old and Something New), but can easily be read as a stand-alone. Enjoyable romance, probably better suited for a younger readership.

Thanks to Barbour and NetGalley for providing a free book for review.

Review: Dr Dobson’s Handbook of Family Advice by Dr James Dobson

Dr James Dobson has been speaking and writing about parenting for decades, providing advice on marriage, parenting and life in general from a Christian perspective. That voice of experience is immediately apparent, although some of what he says sounds somewhat old fashioned, in style if not in content.

Dr. Dobson's Handbook of Family Advice has been adapted from radio broadcasts and two previous books (Home with A Heart: Encouragement for Families and Coming Home: Timeless Wisdom for Families), and at times it shows. This isn't so much a book as a series of unconnected homilies.

There are some pretty odd subject changes, like from eating together as a family to writing letters to politicians. Frankly, the book would have been improved if there had been some evidence of an overall theme or structure. Some of the stories just don't seem to have a point. In one, Dobson comments that you can learn a lot about people by watching them. But the anecdote didn't actually tell us that he had learnt anything. Odd.

I've read several previous books by Dr Dobson that were much better and didn’t suffer from the de ja vu sensation of feeling like I’ve read all this before. Actually, I have read most of this before - in those previous books by Dr Dobson. If you have children and have never read a Dobson book before, this might be worth reading. Otherwise, this is a pass.

Thanks to Harvest House and NetGalley for providing a free book for review.

Review: Cowgirl Trail by Susan Page Davis

I’ve had Cowgirl Trailsitting in my to-read pile for months, and just never picked it up, possibly because it’s part of a series, and I haven’t read the earlier books. However, once I started, I found it hard to put down.

Maggie Porter first met Alex Bright in 1877, when he was a handsome new cowboy on her father’s ranch, the Rocking P, and she was a teenager with a crush. Seven years later, she has just returned to the ranch after the death of her mother, and finds that Alex is now the foreman, the workers are unhappy and her father is not himself. Maggie tries to help the workers, but when problems get worse, she finds herself working as a cowgirl, leading the annual roundup to save the ranch while hoping she can also save her relationship with Alex – and perhaps let it develop into something more.

There have been so many books written about the American West during the nineteenth century that there is often a sense of ‘read that before’ with these Christian westerns. Cowgirl Trail was original (the clue is in the title. It’s a book about cowgirls as well as cowboys). Although it is Christian fiction, the faith aspects are very understated. Unfortunately, so is the romance aspect, but it is still a very good read.

This is the fifth book in the Texas Trail series, which is unusual, in that two of the books are by Susan Page Davis, two by Darlene Franklin and two by Vickie McDonough. Although the books in the series are related, this can easily be read as a stand-alone (but if you wanted to read the whole series, you probably should start with Lone Star Trail). An original and enjoyable read.

Thanks to River North (an imprint of Moody Publishers) and NetGalley for providing a free book for review.