11 December 2012

A Path Toward Love by Cara Lynn James

★★★★★
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Katherine came home to forget her past. The last thing she expected was to find her 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 about 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.

As a complete sucker for romantic historical fiction, this look into the life of the early 1900s piqued my interest in many ways. The expectations thrust upon Katherine by her parents and the society in which they abide seems absolutely alien in comparison to today’s world, and for a few moments, I stepped out of my time to stand alongside Katherine, imagining what it might be like to experience her challenges. While this novel is not terribly original in terms of its plot or characters, considering its fairly predictable (and perhaps a bit too easily accomplished) ending, I did enjoy reading it simply because it is a different world – a world of reputation and etiquette, prudent courtship and forbidden romance. A world of entertaining adventure. I would recommend this novel to anyone with an interest in romantic historical fiction, looking for a light read, and I truly appreciate BookSneeze for providing me with a free copy of this novel and the opportunity to review it.