Where Hope Prevails

June 27, 2016
The mother/daughter team of Oke and Oke Logan continue their Return to the Canadian West series with Beth Thatcher back in Coal Valley. The budding town’s growth has led to the need for two teachers. Atheist Robert Harris Hughes agitates Christian Beth with every action and word, and his secular views lead Beth to fear the impact he will have on the children at her school. The residents of Coal Valley, however, embrace him without reservation, first voting him onto the newly formed city council and then electing him mayor. When Jarrick Martin proposes to Beth, he seems set on resigning his commission with the Canadian Mounties and moving the couple east to Ontario. Jarrick’s decision puts Beth’s commitment to Coal Valley and her desire to be a faithful wife at odds. For readers unfamiliar with Jeannette Oke’s previous books about the Thatcher family (When Calls the Heart), limited background is given for certain references. This tender story will please fans of historical fiction as well as readers looking for ruminations on difficult matters of faith, forgiveness, and commitment.

September 1, 2016

Beth Thatcher returns for another year of teaching in Coal Valley to find that a second teacher has been hired. Robert Harris Hughes's rejection of God has Beth worried for her students, with whom she has made much headway. His teaching philosophy is diametrically opposed to her faith-based lessons. Still, Beth is hopeful, anticipating that Jarrick might propose. However, her excitement slowly ebbs when she realizes his job opportunity at her father's company may be more her wish than his. Both situations weigh heavy on Beth, yet she can't decide in either case how or if to speak up. She prays for God's help in navigating both issues. VERDICT Having followed Beth and Jarrick's relationship and Beth's teaching career through the last two books (Where Courage Calls; Where Trust Lies), fans will be delighted by the charming narrative and satisfying ending.

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