Review: Where Trust Lies by Janette Oke & Laurel Oke Logan

Title: Where Trust Lies
Author: Janette Oke & Laurel Oke Logan
Publisher: Bethany House
Pages: 336
ISBN: 978-0-7642-1318-2
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2015

Synopsis:

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!

Review:
I've always have been a fan of the Canadian West series. I was thrilled when last year, there was a spinoff. Then to make the enjoyment all the best, Hallmark Channel came out with the TV show, When Calls the Heart, based off of this new series. (The first season was fantastic by the way, and I can't wait for season 2!)

Where Trust Lies picks up right where, Where Courage Calls ends.We follow Beth as she travels back home for the summer to await word on if she is wanted back in Coal Valley for the next school year. She also has to deal with the separation from Jack as he has to stay at his post. It's during this separation, Beth is given a lot to think over.

Beth also realizes, her time in Coal Valley has changed her. She is stronger, and a bit more independent now, then what she was. Her transition for the summer back to her old life is a little harder, especially when she doesn't even get to spend much time home. Her family has planned a long cruise trip without telling her and she is thrust off into another new area.

I liked the beginning of Where Trust Lies and the end. The story flowed well, as was interesting in these areas. Sadly though, with the cast of characters out to see for most of it, the story dragged. From Beth's perspective, she wasn't having a wonderful time, just trying to make it through the journey, and that is how I felt right along with her. The story didn't have much of a romantic background as what I was hoping, but with Beth and Jack separated as they were and the form of communication used, that is understandable. What was really focused on was Beth's sister, Julie. She has always been the free spirit of the family, and this book focused on that and her desire to rebel against the life she has known and the rules.

Out of the two books out in this series so far, I didn't like it as much as the first book, but I am looking forward to what is to come for Beth and to see where her story goes.

3 out of 5

About the Author:

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.

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.







Thank you to Bethany House, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.