Waiting on Wednesday: Where Hope Prevails

Waiting on Wednesday is  a weekly event hosted by The Breaking Spine to highlight the upcoming books we're dying to read.

This week, I'd like to point you in the direction of the Return to the Canadian West trilogy by Janette Oke and her daughter Laurel Oke Logan. The story is meant to be a companion (though it's really a totally different story, just similar characters/setting) to the Hallmark television series When Calls the Heart which was actually loosely based on Oke's book by the same name.

I love Janette Oke and I love this series! I think this will be the first one of her book that I will have been waiting on for publication. Many of the ones I read as a kid came out in the 80's--before I was born.

So this is very exciting.

The next book, Where Hope Prevails, will be released on August 2, 2016. Unless you get it on Kindle, which will be about a month sooner. I MAY JUST BE TEMPTED.

Inspiring Conclusion to a Popular Series with a TV tie-in

When Beth Thatcher returns to Coal Valley, she has much to be excited about. She anticipates Jarrick's proposal of marriage and perhaps a spring wedding. The mine is expanding, and there are more schoolchildren than ever.

But the town's rapid growth brings many challenges. A second teacher is assigned, and Beth finds herself going head-to-head with a very different philosophy of education--one that dismisses religion and rejects God. Fearful for the children who sit under the influence of Robert Harris Hughes, Beth struggles to know how to respond.

At the same time, Beth wonders if Jarrick is considering a position at her father's company simply for her sake. Should she admit her feelings on the matter? Or keep silent and allow Jarrick to make up his own mind?

  *To pre-order Where Hope Prevails by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan, please click here.
*Contains an Amazon Affiliates Link

You might also like...

• Review of Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke & Laurel Oke Logan.


• Review of Where Trust Lies by Janette Oke & Laurel Oke Logan.


• Review of A Searching Heart by Janette Oke.

Where Trust Lies by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan

Where Trust Lies by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan 5 of 5 stars.

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 goodbye 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? (Book blurb)

In Where Trust Lies the strength and courage of our Beth Thatcher is put to the test on a family vacation that turns out to be anything but relaxing.

Beth must wrestle with her mother's sometimes pushy opinions about all of her life choices--including Jarrick, who stays in contact with Beth throughout her time back home and on the trip. Not only that, but Beth must also try and be responsible of Julie when her sister begins running wild with unknown people of a lower-class on the cruise ship.

By the time Beth has finally gotten a grip on her emotions where her mother is concerned and possibly learned a great deal about her, the trip takes a tragic turn.  Beth must keep faith when all of her hopes and dreams come crashing down around her.

Where Trust Lies is a beautiful, heartfelt story of life, family, and expectations when those things are in total disaccord. This story is every bit as exciting, romantic, and well-paced as Where Courage Calls. The characters are lush and vivid, reminiscent of the tv presences they are based on, but still with their own uniqueness and more emphasis on their God-centered lives.

Beth's difficult relationship with her mother is one of the focal points of the book, and it is fleshed out very well, creating most of the tension. The maturing of Beth's attitude towards her mother is heartwarming-even when her mother's strong opinions begin to cause Beth to question her faith in Jarrick and the good work she's been doing in the West.

Overall, a fantastic read! Exciting, funny, and as un-put-down-able as anything Janette Oke has ever written. It should be satisfying for fans of the author as well as the Hallmark television show.

To read my review of Book 1 in the Return to the Canadian West series, click here.
*To order Where Trust Lies by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan from Amazon.com, click here.

Season 3 of When Calls the Heart premiers February 21 on Hallmark Channel!



This post contains an affiliate link for Amazon.com.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan

Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan 5 of 5 stars.

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

Her courage and her heart will be tested in ways she never expected. . . 

Beth Thatcher has spent her entire life in the safe, comfortable world of her family, her friends, and the social outings her father's wealth provides. But Beth is about to leave it all behind to accept a teaching position in the rugged foothills of western Canada. Inspired by her aunt Elizabeth, who went west to teach school several years ago, and gently encouraged by her father, Beth resolves to put her trust in God and bravely face any challenge that comes her way.

But the conditions in Coal Valley are even worse than she'd feared. A recent mining accident has left the town grieving and at the mercy of the mining company. The children have had very little prior education, and many of the locals don't even speak English. There isn't even a proper schoolhouse. In addition, Beth's heart is torn between two young men--both Mounties, one a lifelong friend and the other a kind, quiet man who comes to her aid more than once. 

Despite the many challenges, Beth is determined to make a difference in the rustic frontier town. But when her sister visits from the East, reminding her of all the luxuries she's had to give up, will Beth decide to return to her privileged life as soon as the school year is over? 

Elizabeth Thatcher has been small and prone to sickness all her life. In a day where women are seen as being weak already, Beth's constitution could prove an insurmountable challenge to her independence. Especially if her mother has anything to say about it. But like her Aunt Elizabeth before her, Beth feels called by God to teach in the wild Canadian west amongst poor immigrants.

With her father's blessing and a verse of Gospel, Beth goes out in faith knowing that the journey as well as the life she will be leading in the poor mining town of Coal Valley will prove physically difficult.

Leaning on Christ's strength, Beth learns who she is and makes an amazing impact on the tragedy-stricken town.

Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan is a beautiful story of faith from the beginning to the end. Beth Thatcher has enough faith to leave her comfortable city home and travel west to do God's work of educating the children of a poor mining town, but more than that, she has the courage to continue knowing that she will have to depend on Christ's strength to carry her through more so than her own.

I have loved Janette Oke for as long as I can remember. She was the first author I came to love as a child following my Laura Ingalls Wilder obsession. I devoured the Love Comes Softly series back then and in recent years I've come to adore the Canadian West books. So, you can imagine how excited I was when Hallmark released their When Calls the Heart television series. While I love the show, it is an entirely different story than what is in the books, so I was thrilled to hear that Oke would be writing a companion with her daughter.

As a companion to the show, the book is fantastic. You'll recognize many of the characters, but they will still surprise you. The story line has the same feel as that of the show, but is, never-the-less, much different. I have to say, I prefer the way the romance is presented in Where Courage Calls better than the way it is in the television show. It's more of a slow build and there is a lot more emphasis in this book on the aspects of faith in Beth's story.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book for it's own sake aside from that of the show. It is richly written in that way Oke has always had of making characters jump off of the page. I could scarcely put it down, cheering for our heroine the entire time. The mystery and intrigue that surrounds the mining town is sure to be pleasant surprise to all, as is Beth's courageous journey.

*To order Where Courage Calls by Jannette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan, click here.

Don't miss out on the holiday special of When Calls the Heart December 26!



Contains an Amazon.com affiliate link.