Canadian West Series Review

Book Description

A beloved series from Janette Oke! Nothing in her cultured upbringing prepared Elizabeth for life in the West. The frontier will test this teacher’s faith but also stir her heart.

Includes:
1 When Calls the Heart
2 When Comes the Spring
3 When Breaks the Dawn
4 When Hope Springs New
5 Beyond the Gathering Storm
6 When Tomorrow Comes

About the Author

Janette Oke (pronounced ‘oak’) pioneered inspirational fiction and is the leading author in the category today. Love Comes Softly, her first novel, has sold over one million copies. Janette is now the bestselling author of over 70 books, 32 of which have been translated into fourteen languages. Her books have sold over 22 million copies.

Janette receives fan mail from all over the world and answers each letter personally. She received the 1992 President’s Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for her significant contribution to Christian fiction, the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award and has been awarded the Gold Medallion Award for fiction. Janette and her husband, Edward, have four grown children and enjoy their many grandchildren. They make their home in Canada.

My Thoughts

It has been ages since I read any books written by Janette Oke, and reading her Canadian West series was like a trip back to my teenage years. I used to peruse the library shelves regularly to see what was there that I hadn’t read yet. Somehow, this series never made it to their shelves. 🙁 It wasn’t until there was a TV show made based on book 1 (When Calls the Heart) that I realized I hadn’t read anything from this series.

I read this series in one fell swoop as I wanted so much to know what happened next with Elizabeth and Wynn. Out of all 6, I must say that book 1 and book 4 (When Hope Springs New) were worthy of 5 stars. Book 1 was so endearing with its slower pace of life and the beginnings of a new relationship. Book 4 was a difficult read, but so well written. I ached for Elizabeth and the hardships she faced. She longed for a child, but if she only knew what she was about to experience, the timing of children coming into their lives was worth the wait. Being a Mountie’s wife was never painted in rose-colored glasses, and I truly wondered if she was going to survive. Their postings became more primitive, and at times, I wondered how they would live until their next meal.

Book 4 was definitely finished as an ending to the original series, but there were two additional books written that focused on their children, Henry and Christine. To be honest, I did not love those as much, although the writing is much better (more descriptive, less telling, more showing). Book 6 seemed to end rather abruptly, and I didn’t enjoy Christine’s character much at all.

All in all, this series gets a well-deserved 4 stars. For those thinking that they’ll find the tv series in these pages, prepare yourself for something different, yet entirely worth reading.

**Jewelry has been designed to go along with this series! Click here to read my Jewelry Stories post.

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