"A Path Toward Love" Review

Katherine came home to forget her past.

The last thing she expected is a hopeful future.

 

Young widow Katherine Osborne returns to her family’s rustic camp on Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountains. She’s determined to live a quiet life, but her socialite mother is equally determined to push her into a new marriage while she’s still young.

Andrew Townsend has known Katherine since they were children. An attorney who is successful, but not wealthy, he knows she is socially out of his reach. But he’s curious what changed the free-spirited girl he once knew into this private, somber young woman.

Katherine has kept hidden the details of her unsuccessful marriage. When past sins come to light, she must turn to God for the courage to be honest. But how can she trust the God she feels has let her down? When she confides in Andrew, their relationship takes a dramatic turn into uncharted territory.

Amid impossible obstacles, two young people must learn to trust enough to walk the path that God has cleared for them. A path that leads to healing and restoration. A path toward love.


My Take:

When this novel started, I was drawn to Katherine and her unique situation as an owner of a grove of orange trees in Florida. I should have paid closer attention to the summary, because soon into the book Katherine agrees to go with her father to their vacation spot in upstate New York. This setting was also nice, but it was not quite as unique as the Florida setting. Florida and the orange groves continues to draw Katherine back to them throughout the novel, and I felt this pull as well.

The situations that occur during Katherine's stay in the Adirondacks are quite typical for Christian romance novels set in this time period. I liked Katherine and Andrew and the sweet romance that developed between them, but most of the other characters were, again, conventional for this type of book.
 
One thing about this novel (that I feel is becoming more and more common in Christian historical fiction) is that the message of faith was a bit lacking. The main characters – and one secondary character in particular, Aunt Letty – spoke often of their faith in and reliance on God, but Christ was never mentioned. Speaking of having a relationship with God without once mentioning the name of Christ and His sacrifice for our sins on the cross is incomplete.

This novel had a nice, easy – if predictable – flow to it. From Katherine’s perspective, her path toward love was filled with twists and turns and unexpected hardships and delights. For the reader, however, I felt there were no surprises or twists in the road – just a straightforward trail where we could see the end just on the horizon. That end was satisfying, but the road to get there was a little flat.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. It was a nice, easy read that would be great for a lazy summer afternoon.

But if you are expecting more excitement and adventure, you might want to look elsewhere. Or at least until next summer’s beach season rolls around!

I will give A Path Toward Love … 2 ½ BookWorms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this is accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."