Book Review: Love Finds a Home by Janette Oke

 

The original Davis family saga concludes with the eighth book in the Love Comes Softly series, Love Finds a Home, by Janette Oke. 

Belinda Davis, Marty and Clark's youngest daughter, left home in Love Takes Wing. Living in the home of Mrs. Stafford-Smythe (a.k.a. Aunt Virgie), Belinda's days in Boston are filled with caring for Aunt Virgie and experiencing a life so different from the one in her prairie town. But she is confident that if she keeps God first in her life, she will be at peace. 

Unexpected happenings at the house force Belinda to face new decisions, and when she reconnects with someone from her past, Belinda finds the choices she must make harder than ever before.

Love Finds a Home is a superb conclusion to the Love Comes Softly series. Focusing on Marty and Clark's youngest child, the reader truly sees Belinda evolve into a smart, humble, and even more caring young woman. Sharing parts of Belinda's life in Boston and life at home, the author pushes Belinda to the limit. A strong woman of faith, she brings much joy to all who reside at Aunt Virgie's house. Historical inspirational fiction should always be this good. 

Though the author's epilogue states the Davis family saga has ended, nearly a decade later, Oke would go on to write four books in A Prairie Legacy series, which follow Marty and Clark's granddaughter, Virginia, who is Belinda's daughter. 

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers; Repack edition (February 1, 2004)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 238 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764228552
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764228551

I own a copy of this book. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Love Takes Wing by Janette Oke

 

Belinda Davis struggles to find her way in the world in the seventh book in the Love Comes Softly series, Love Takes Wing. 

As Belinda's nursing career evolves, she finds many she's grown up with are getting married and settling into their new lives. But for her, it's just one monotonous day after the other in her small prairie town. Until the unexpected happens: a passenger on the train has fallen ill and needs immediate medical assistance. 

Belinda and her brother, Doctor Luke, care for the woman in the office at his house. When it is deemed Mrs. Stafford-Smythe will require long-term care, Belinda becomes her full-time nurse. Meanwhile, two former classmates return to town and renew their acquaintance with her.

While her day-to-day life keeps her busy, Belinda remains restless, so when Mrs. Stafford-Smythe asks her to join her on her return trip to Boston while she continues her recovery, Belinda jumps at the chance. She struggles to settle into this new life and is surprised when she finds herself equally as restless and lonely despite the exciting life she now lives. Can she discover what is missing to heal her troubled heart?

Loves Takes Wing is Belinda's coming of age story. The youngest of Marty and Clark's children, she watches while her peers and cousins of the same age marry and have children. But she remains unsettled, despite loving her nursing career. Then her life takes an unexpected turn with the introduction of Mrs. Stafford-Smythe. 

Oke did a fine job with this novel. She sprinkled in romance, but that wasn't the focus. The author created a character ahead of her time; a young woman who decides to be true to herself and discover what she wants out of life versus settling for what others might want for her. Belinda goes on a journey of self-discovery, which takes her from her small town to Boston and then traveling through Europe. Meanwhile, the Davis clan experiences a rift, which affects everyone. Oke wraps up most of the story by book's end, but Belinda's adventures will continue into the next and final book in the Love Comes Softly series, Love Finds A Home.

New adventures, faith, family, forgiveness, and a hint of romance await you in Love Takes Wing. 

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers; Repack edition (February 1, 2004)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764228544
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764228544
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I own a copy of this book. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way. 

Book Review: Love's Unfolding Dream by Janette Oke

 

Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series continues with the sixth book titled, Love's Unfolding Dream. 

Return to Anderson Corner and follow the continuing story of the Davis family in this heartwarming Christian novel. 

Belinda, who was born to Clark and Marty Davis at the end of the last novel, is leaning toward nursing. Her older brother, Luke, is already a doctor, and he can tell her compassionate heart will serve others well. While Marty has her reservations, she and Clark allow Belinda to assist Luke when appropriate. 

Lots of growth and change has come to the Davis household through the years, and in Love's Unfolding Dream, Belinda's neice, Melissa LaHaye, comes to live with the family while she finishes her schooling. Her arrival creates issues in Belinda's friendship with Amy Jo, who is her brother Clare's daughter. And when it seems the girls are taken with Jordan Brown, Marty and Clark are sure to have their hands full.

Love's Unfolding Dream is another wonderful installment of the Love Comes Softly series. We catch up with Clark and Marty's ever-growing family and meet new characters along the way. A new boy in town captures the attention of Melissa LaHaye and Amy Jo Davis, but it seems he has eyes for another young lady. 

Another new family in town, the Simpsons, needs help but aren't open to charity. When their son Drew is hurt in an accident, Belinda joins Luke to tend to him. When it is clear the damage is irreparable, Luke is uncertain if Belinda can face the decision they make to save Drew's life. And as Drew struggles to move on from his accident, Marty and Clark pray for ideas on how to help the Simpsons. 

As with other books in the series., Oke provides family-friendly, faith-based historical fiction to captivate readers. She keeps the series fresh by interspersing new characters alongside many fan favorites. This was an easy, quick read and one of my favorites from the series. 

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers; Repack edition (February 1, 2004)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764228536
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764228537

I own a copy of this book. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Love's Unending Legacy by Janette Oke

 

The Davis family saga continues with Love's Unending Legacy. The fifth book of the Love Comes Softly series brings Marty and Clark back home to their family. This is the first time their children in Anderson Corner have seen their Pa, and many are relieved that Clark is still the same man they knew before the accident that took his leg. All except Nandry, who is withdrawn and quiet. Marty wonders why, but her adopted daughter seems unapproachable. 

A lot has gone on in the year Marty and Clark stayed on Missie and Willie's ranch. Arnie is courting. Luke is heading off to medical school. Clare and Kate are expecting their first child. Clae and her husband Joe are likely taking a church out east. Meanwhile, Ellie has taken care of all the homemaking and housekeeping chores in Marty's absence. 

Marty and Clark are thrilled to be home, but she doesn't seem to be getting her energy back the way she expected to after the trip, and the family silently worries about what might be wrong. Their days are filled with happy preparations for Arnie's wedding and Clare and Kate's baby, and the pain of temporarily saying goodbye to Luke. With unexpected sorrows along the way, the Davis family will need to lean on their faith to get them through. 

Love's Unending Legacy is the fifth book in Oke's Christian historical series. As time goes on, we see that Marty's faith has deepened in the years since meeting Clark. Now, in her forties, Marty enjoys surrounding herself with her family and friends. This family saga updates fans of the series on where the members of the Davis family are in their lives. Told mostly from Marty's perspective, her mother's heart unfolds as she worries about a future with her children and grandchildren spread across the country, experiences joy at the thought of another grandchild, and wonders how long it will take Nandry to accept the loss of Clark's leg. 

If you enjoy faith-based family sagas, Love's Unending Legacy is a good choice. This dramatic novel brings readers through the ups and downs of a family in a small town with some side plots involving other known characters. Like Marty, the faith in this series deepens as it continues. Great story!

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers; Repack edition (February 1, 2004)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764228528
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764228520

I bought this series on e-Bay. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Love's Abiding Joy by Janette Oke

 

Welcome back to the Davis family saga with the fourth book in Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series, Love's Abiding Joy.

Marty Davis has missed the oldest daughter she shares with her beloved husband Clark in the years since Missie married Willie LaHaye and moved farther west to start his cattle ranch. Letters aren't nearly enough to bridge the miles between them. But thanks to the Transcontinental Railroad and tons of support from their family, Clark surprises Marty with a birthday present of tickets to see their darling daughter. 

The train ride seems like it will never end, but one day Marty and Clark get to see Missie, Willie and their grandsons, Nathan and Josiah, along with all the ranchers that have helped to make the LaHayes successful ranchers. 

Clark and Marty settle in for a few weeks' visit, but when tragedy strikes, they must stay with the LaHayes longer than expected, bringing changes for the entire family. The Davis and LaHaye families must lean on their faith to get them through, and as tragedy turns to a renewed need to seek a closer relationship with God for the residents of this western town, Clark is called to help.

What a wonderful addition to this Christian historical series Loves Abiding Joy is. A parents' joyful reunion with their daughter and her family turns to tragedy when Clark is critically injured rescuing children. Oke portrays this family in crisis well: Marty and Missie's different approaches to praying for and helping Clark in the days after his accident; Clark adjusting to a different way to approach the physical aspects of his life; strong, silent Willie who bears a change in his family dynamic; and Missie's guilt over believing this tragedy happened because her parents were visiting. 

Love's Abiding Joy further strengthens Clark's personality as a strong man of faith guiding his loved ones as the patriarch of the Davis family. His thoughtful insights into situations viewed through the ever-loving grace of God also help members of the community Missie and Willie call home. And when Clark and Marty finally board the train back to their own hometown, it goes without saying that the entire community will miss them. 

This book gave me greater insight into why the movie plots changed dramatically as the series continued. They are both great ways to enjoy inspiring Christian fiction.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers; Repack edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 076422851X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764228513

I purchased this book in 2023. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Books to Film: Love's Enduring Promise (2004) Movie Review

 

The Davis family saga continues in Love's Enduring Promise, the sequel to Love Comes Softly. 

Missie Davis (now played by January Jones) is the local school teacher. She finds herself wooed by a wealthy surveyor, Grant Thomas, (portrayed by Mackenzie Astin), but when her father Clark (Dale Midkiff) suffers a life-threatening accident, the help of a mysterious stranger has her second guessing her true feelings. 

Airing on Hallmark Channel in 2004, Love's Enduring Promise shifts the story arc to Missie's character, which viewers will see continued in the next two films. Having viewed all of these movies up through Love Takes Wing, I feel this is the weakest film of the series. Perhaps that is to be expected after the moving performances of Katherine Heigl and Dale Midkiff as two people drawn together by necessity whose arrangement blossoms into love. These actors had such chemistry together that the focus shifting away from them means the actors portraying the love story in the sequel had to have equal or better chemistry, which wasn't visible to me. 

By now, Missie's family includes Marty's son Aaron Luke Davis (K'Sun Ray) and her brother Arnie Davis (Logan Arens). As she developed into a young woman, some of that spunk viewers enjoyed in Love Comes Softly has been tempered, which is to be expected. We do however see a bit of it when Nate (Logan Bartholomew) is plowing the field as Clark recovers. 

Missie is quickly taken with Grant Thomas, a wealthy surveyor who pursues her. Yet, she can't seem to get the mysterious Nate out of her mind. Nate comes with his own backstory, which unfolds along the way, and Clark is a compassionate father figure to Nate. 

My favorite parts of this movie are, no surprise, ones that involve Marty and Clark. In the opening sequence, we see Marty and Clark relaxing in a field together. Marty asks Clark to promise that he will never leave her, which he does. She asks him how he can be certain, and he quotes Scripture stating the two shall become one. She also comments on what a wonderful life he has given her and what a wonderful life they have made together, so the viewers feel they have been successful in their endeavors and enjoy their life. This foreshadows his life-threatening accident. 

My next favorite part comes at the end of the movie. 

SPOILERS AHEAD IN WHITE 

At the end of the movie, Missie is saying goodbye to her family, as she heads farther West with her new husband. Marty, holding back tears, provides motherly advice and reminds her to write once they are settled. But it is Missie and Clark's goodbye that tugs at the heartstrings. Clark tells her that ever since she was a little baby, he knew this day was coming because she had an independent spirit. 

She says, "Pa, my heart's breaking."

"Mine, too," Clark replies.

"Can you fix it?"

"Not this time, little one." They embrace. "Not this time."

Marty and the boys walk up to Clark to offer him support. As Missie and her husband pull away in their wagon, Clark waves and says, "Remember His Promise." 

Missie waves and replies, "No tears."

"No tears," Clark says. Then the camera focuses on his stricken face as he whispers, "No tears." 

Then the last shot is a faraway look of the wagon driving away. 

Clark's strong faith is a part of who he is. Viewers see that in Love Comes Softly, and they see it in Loves' Enduring Promise. That faith has helped him and his family through the years, and will be something they will lean on in the future. 

Michael Landon Jr. definitely inherited his father's ability to provide family friendly content that tugs at every heartstring. He has a knack for taking source material and adapting it to a new medium. I look forward to sharing more of this series with you.

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated) 
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 Ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ Jr, Michael Landon
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Full Screen
• Release date ‏ : ‎ May 13, 2008
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Heigl, Katherine, Midkiff, Dale, Bartholomew, Logan
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00192YKE0

I own this movie on DVD. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Books to Film: Love Comes Softly (2003) Movie Review

I wanted to share this because it is similar in many ways to Little House on the Prairie and has some connections to those involved in the LHOP world. This movie was directed by Michael Landon Jr. In the sequel movies, Erin Cottrell, who portrayed Caroline Ingalls in the 2005 Little House on the Prairie mini-series, portrays an adult Missie Davis. Skye McCole Bartusiak portrayed Rose Wilder in Beyond the Prairie, Part 2: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder, which was released a year before Love Comes Softly. 

When Marty Claridge (Katherine Heigl) set out on a pioneering adventure West with her husband Aaron (Oliver Macready), they were filled with hopes and dreams. But Aaron's sudden death soon after arriving, leaves Marty pregnant and alone. 

In steps Clark Davis (Dale Midkiff). On the day of Aaron's funeral, he approaches Marty with a proposition: marry him so she has a place to stay over the winter and so she can be a mother to his young daughter, Missie (Skye McCole Bartusiak). Then in the spring, if Marty wants to leave, Clark will pay for her journey back East. 

What choice does Marty have? So, she agrees, throwing herself into her new role. Little does she know that patience and faith will have to carry her through. 

Love Comes Softly is the first book in the series written by Janette Oke. Made into a movie that aired on Hallmark Channel and was directed by Michael Landon Jr., this wholesome story is one of faith, family, and love. I've never read the books, but this movie series is so well done that I definitely would like to read the book series they are based upon. 

Having now watched the entire original movie series (not the prequels), I can say that Love Comes Softly is my favorite. As the movie series continues, Katherine Heigl is replaced by another actress, who while talented, doesn't have the same chemistry with Dale Midkiff and who doesn't have the vitality that Heigl brought to the character. 

Love Comes Softly is about two people brought together out of necessity, whose relationship blossoms into love. Skye McCole Bartusiak plays the resentful daughter well, acting out because she sees Marty as a threat to her close bond with her Pa, and because she doesn't want a new mother. The interactions between Marty and Missie in those early days are entertaining and heartfelt. But just like Marty's heart softened toward Clark, Missie's softens toward Marty. That's when she realizes she doesn't want Marty to leave in the spring. 

Clark's strong faith plays a role in this movie as well. That faith inspires Marty when she doubts she can help Missie. It is Clark's faith that helps Marty understand that faith doesn't mean bad things won't happen, but that God will be there when they do. 

If you enjoy wholesome, faith-based family entertainment, Love Comes Softly is one of the best. 

• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 884482
• Director ‏ : ‎ Michael Landon Jr.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, NTSC, Full Screen, Multiple Formats, Closed-captioned, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 24 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ September 14, 2004
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Katherine Heigl, Dale Midkiff, Corbin Bernsen, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Theresa Russell
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Unqualified (DTS ES 6.1), French (Dolby Surround), Spanish (Dolby Surround)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0002IKSFM

I own this movie on DVD. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.