Where Courage Calls {Review}

Young Beth Thatcher takes a teaching position in the Canadian west, uncertain what she will find there and how it will change her.  Coming from a wealthy family who is also cautious about her future, Beth has much to prove.  But upon arriving in Coal Valley, she finds that she may be unprepared for the poor conditions, lack of education, and deep hurt that she finds.  A town devastated by a mining accident is left reeling and looking for hope.  And the Lord has big plans for bringing together this wealthy debutant and a struggling community.

Written in true Janette Oke fashion, Laurel Oke Logan partners with her mother in weaving this story of two worlds colliding.  While I enjoyed Where Courage Calls, I struggled with a couple of aspects of the book.  First of all, Beth is almost too good to be true.  While she struggled with an old acquaintance, for the most part, she was consistently looking for truth and purpose.  I had a hard time relating to her.

Secondly, the beginning of the book was really slow.  It didn't really pick up until Beth arrived in Coal Valley.  Prior to that, I could have easily put it down and not picked it up again.  Thankfully the storyline did catch and I finished it out.

On a positive note, the ending was quite compelling and left me anticipating the following book.  And the townspeople characters were diverse and deep.  All in all, Oke and Logan did strike a chord and create an interesting story that is likely to continue with new surprises.  If you can get past the beginning, this one's worth a read.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy for this book for review.  All opinions are my own.