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
• 
  

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.

Book Review: Love's Long Journey by Janette Oke

 

Join Missie and Willie LaHaye as they journey west on the wagon train to their new home in Love's Long Journey by Janette Oke. 

The Davis family saga continues in the third book of Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series. Missie (Davis) LaHaye said goodbye to her family and joined her new husband, Willie, on the wagon train headed further west than her mother, Marty, ever travelled. The hot, dusty trail isn't easy, and then when the rain comes, it makes the river impassable. But the LaHayes eventually arrive at their new place and begin their lives as ranchers.

With Love's Long Journey, Oke shares with readers the trials and triumphs pioneers faced as they moved across the country to settle out west. Missie and Willie symbolize just one of the many couples who endured the pain of separation from their families, knowing they might never see them again. Women followed their husbands into the unknown, leaving behind the safety and security of living near towns with doctors, schools, stores, and churches. Oke captures it all. 

Love's Long Journey is also about a sense of community. With the wagon train leader dedicated to keeping one and all safe, Missie and Willie befriend others joining them along the way. Once the LaHayes reach their new home, a new sense of community is built around their ranch and the ranch hands they employ. 

This is a beautiful addition to the Love Comes Softly series. Missie's struggles in this story are balanced by Willie's sense of adventure and optimism. And as their growing family spends two years in their little sod house, Missie ends the book with a touching note to her parents about all the exciting things that are happening, like the train that is coming soon, which might allow her Mama and Pa to pay them a visit.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam Doubleday Direct; Book Club edition (January 1, 1982)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0871233150
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0871233158

This review of a book from my personal collection contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

First Chapter Review: Love's Long Journey by Janette Oke

 

Love's Long Journey is the third book in Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series about the Davis family.

BLURB: In the heartwarming style of Little House on the Prairie, Janette Oke takes us even further west than Marty travelled in the first story, Love Comes Softly. In the second one, Love's Enduring Promise, daughter Missie and Willie LaHaye were married. Now we find them on the trail west in a covered wagon.

How did those pioneers face the hardships of the trail? The rain, the mud, the impassable river fordings--and even death. The initial elation of a new adventure soon wears thin, and Missie must learn how to live her faith as she faces homesickness, boredom and deprivation.

And then, when she finally arrives at her new home...

Missie's shocking discovery is not the end of the story, but it almost brings her to the end of her endurance.

 Travel with Missie and Willie on Love's Long Journey.

COVER: This is one of the older covers. I love the colors in it, especially the sky; though the text is harder to see because the scene takes up most of the cover.

FIRST CHAPTER: Willie and Missie are moving along with the wagon train. It is hot and Missie is tired. She is also carrying a secret.

KEEP READING: We already know the answer to this is yes. After an engaging prologue, where the author discusses the challenges the pioneers--especially the women--faced as they moved West, the opening chapter brings the reader through the first day of traveling. 

I found Missie to be a more appealing narrator than Marty from the first two books. It is clear she is deeply in love with Willie and has embraced his dream of cattle ranching farther West than her family had traveled. 

For a part of this chapter, Missie walks instead of rides, which reminds me of Marty's comment in the Love's Enduring Promise movie where she tells Missie to make sure she walks because it will be better for her than riding. 

The Love's Long Journey movie did not include Willie and Missie's time on the wagon train, so this will be a new experience to read about in this series. 

Based on this strong first chapter, I feel I will enjoy this novel.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers; Repack edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 234 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764228501
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764228506

 

This book is from my personal collection. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke

 

After the sudden death of her husband, Clem Claridge, Marty finds herself out West with fall approaching--alone, pregnant, and penniless. When widower Clark Davis suggests she marry him so that his daughter has a mama, she hates that she has no choice but to accept his offer. In the months that follow, Marty, Clark, and Missie learn to live together through the harsh winter, but once spring comes, Marty will have a decision to make--stay with Clark and Missie or join the wagon train headed back East. 

The first book of the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke, opens the morning after Clem's accident and swiftly moves to introduce Marty, Clark and Missie, Ben Graham and his wife, and Wanda Marshall to the reader. By Chapter 3, Marty and Clark are married, and the rest of the story is mostly about the Davis family. Told primarily from Marty's point of view, Clark and Ma Graham also get a turn at sharing parts of the story through their eyes. 

Since the reader spends so much time in Marty's head, it allows them to witness her evolution from someone who despises Clark and her situation to someone who truly loves him and wants to stay out West with her new family. One of the other evolutions that happens to Marty is from nonbeliever to believer. She prays to Clark's God for his safety when Clark is rescuing animals from his burning barn. She prays again when baby Clare is being rushed to the doctor. When Marty's revelation moment comes at the end of the novel, as she struggles to tell Clark that she loves him, one of the things she recalls is that he shared his God with her. 

Though when I started Love Comes Softly yesterday, I felt uncertain how enjoyable it would be, I found myself staying up late to finish it. Part of the joy was in watching how scenes that were reimagined in the movies, were originally portrayed in the book. Here are a few that appear in the book and the movie:

• Clark's proposition to Marty after her husband's funeral 
• Marty chasing chickens in the yard to make fried chicken for supper
• The Christmas day scene where they exchange gifts
• The birth of Marty's baby
• Marty playfully shoving Clark into the dirt and him chasing her, which leads to them almost kissing

The dialect continued to distract from the storyline, and the storyline for Laura Graham (who was older than she was in the movie) wasn't my favorite. However, Love Comes Softly is an engaging novel in the Christian fiction and inspirational romance genres. I look forward to reading the next book, Love's Enduring Promise. 

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers; Repack edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764228323
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764228322
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 940L

This novel is from my personal collection. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

First Chapter Review: Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke

 

I purchased the entire Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke online from a used bookstore. 

BLURB: Marty and Clem set out for the pioneer West full of hopes and dreams. They would stake a claim of their own on the new frontier, and build a home for themselves and their family.

But just after they'd arrived and Clem had chosen the perfect setting for their new home, an accident took his life...leaving Marty alone and pregnant. Then, on the day of his funeral, Clark Davis came along...and asked Marty to marry him!

Marty was infuriated -- but with no money, no shelter, and a baby on the way, what choice did she have? Besides, Clark said he only wanted her to be a mama to his baby girl, Missie. If Marty was still unhappy come spring, he would pay for her ticket back East.

Determined not to be a burden to Clark, and intending only to earn her keep. Marty threw herself into her new role of "Mama." But she had never been anyone's mama before, and she didn't even know how to keep a house! If only she could do right by this lonely man and his daughter just long enough to earn her train fare back home...

Now, Marty must learn wholeness and love through patience and faith.

Note: The back cover seeks to capitalize on the popularity of Little House on the Prairie, which had been airing since 1974. In block letters it says, "A COMPELLING LOVE STORY SET IN THE 'LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE' ERA."

COVER: Typical romance cover for the period in which it was first published (1979). This is not the edition I have, but both covers feature Marty in the foreground holding flowers with Clark and Missie in the background. In my edition, Missie is standing in front of Clark holding the same flowers Marty is, and Clark has reddish-brown hair. In my edition, Marty is turned sideways and looking at Clark and Missie, so the reader sees her profile. 

FIRST CHAPTER: The morning after her husband Clem has been killed in a terrible accident, Marty wakens to realize she has no idea what she is going to do all alone in the West when it's mid-October, she is pregnant, and there is no wagon train heading East until spring. That's when Clark Davis introduces himself and suggests they get married so Missie has a mama. In exchange, he will pay Marty's fare back home in the spring.

KEEP READING: Of course I will, because I want to see how they compare to the Hallmark Channel movies, but I'm not sure how much this book would have captivated me if I wasn't familiar with the storyline. The dialect is difficult to read. Nowadays, we would sporadically include words to show a character's way of speech, but the first chapter is filled with it. Readers should be aware that Marty expresses a concern for "Injuns" when Clem is sharing his excitement for coming out West. 

Oke did a fabulous job of portraying Marty's plight and all the emotions running through her head after the loss of Clem, the funeral where everyone is offering to help, and then Clark's uncomfortable and untimely proposal. 

We see the first difference between the book and movie in the opening chapter. Marty's husband Clem in the books has been rechristened Aaron in the movies. Though some of the words were rearranged in Clark's proposal to Marty in the movies, they are familiar enough that they feel similar. The author drops in a quick moment of humor when Clark corrects Marty's impression of what he means when he says "you 'an me be in need of one another."

There are two moments that disturbed me in this chapter. The first is that Clark asks Marty to take Missie with her if she decides to go back East in the spring. It is clearly done out of love and concern for his daughter, because he says it wouldn't be fair for the "little mite" not to have a mama, but having watched Dale Midkiff's portrayal of Clark, I couldn't see the character acting that way. I fear movie Clark could interfere with my impression of book Clark. The second is that Marty says she hates Clark, calling him a "cold miserable man." The text says that she "stormed against him." It's like she blames him for what happened to her. Of course, she just lost her husband, and everyone grieves differently. It will be interesting to see what my impression is at the end of the book. 

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bethany House Publishers; Repack edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764228323
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764228322
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 940L

I purchased this book series online. This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Movie Review: Love's Christmas Journey (2011)

 

The last of the Love Comes Softly inspired original Hallmark Channel movies aired in 2011. Love's Christmas Journey finds recently widowed Ellie King (Natalie Hall) visiting her widower brother Aaron Davis (Greg Vaughn) and his two children, played by Ryan Wynott and Jada Facer, in the town of Harrington. 

Mayor Wayne (Sean Astin) is hopeful the new railroad will come through town, so with the help of well-respected townsfolk like Mrs. Beatrice Thompson (JoBeth Williams) and Mr. Cunningham (Stephen Bridgewater), along with the mayor's wife, Adrienne (Amanda Foreman), they are putting together a special Christmas celebration. 

However, the Scrooge-like Alex Weaver (Charles Shaughnessy) is more interested in buying up land around town. When the railroad comes through, he will reap the rewards of owning so much property. 

Having heard of a potential buyer for land near his farm, Aaron decides to travel to the land office in Everettsville to purchase it first. Ellie agrees to stay with the children. Aaron's good friend and deputy, Michael (Dylan Bruce), agrees to check in on them from time to time. Sparks fly between the two at their introduction, but Ellie has already lost so much that she might not be ready to love again.

Meanwhile, Erik Johnson (Bobby Campo) was left in town by his no-good daddy years ago. He was taken in by Aaron to help on the farm. But the townsfolk remember his daddy's ways, and Erik can't seem to gain their trust. He's smitten with the mayor's daughter, Suzanna (Annika Noelle), but their sneaking around behind her parents' backs leads to disaster when a fire destroys the inside of the Waynes' barn and the railroad plans are stolen.

When Aaron doesn't arrive home when expected, the family fears the worst. Then a horrible storm blows through town, damaging property and threatening plans for the Christmas celebration. Can the town pull together to create a special Christmas? And will Aaron arrive home in time to spend Christmas with his children? 

Love's Christmas Journey created a storyline around Aaron Davis--Marty and Aaron Claridge's baby boy born in Love Comes Softly. Raised by Marty and Clark, alongside Missie and Arnie Davis, he was absent from the series after Love's Enduring Promise. Ellie is the second child born to Clark and Marty in the books, even though we don't meet her in the previous films. 

With commercial breaks, this movie clocks in at four hours, which is substantially longer than the other movies, and was broken into two parts when it aired. This is understandable because there are so many plots and subplots along the way. 

It's hard to say where this falls in the Love Comes Softly timeline because of the last two movies focusing on Belinda. Aaron is probably in his 30s during Love's Christmas Journey, so maybe this takes place after the last movie.

For me, nothing compares to the acting between Katherine Heigl and Dale Midkiff in Love Comes Softly. Though some of the movies come close, and Love's Christmas Journey is a good movie in terms of content, I miss the strong chemistry between the two people meant to fall in love. Perhaps that's because so much else was happening while Ellie and Michael's and Erik and Suzanna's romances unfolded. Maybe the film was just too ambitious. 

Just like in Love Takes Wing, this seasonal movie also had more of a focus on the harsher realities of a small town in the 1800s. 

SPOILERS AHEAD in white

• Erik's life is threatened by a man in town because his father had stolen everything he owned.
• Ellie's husband and daughter are killed when a tornado hits their barn, which causes her to experience PTSD.
• An armed robber steals from an unsuspecting husband and wife who were traveling; taking all their money and what he could carry, while sending them off in the woods to freeze.
• That same armed robber shoots Aaron on his way back from Everettsville, leaving him for dead.
• Christopher gets lost in the woods searching for his father and almost dies when he eats poisonous berries.

This is actually something I like to see because of its historical accuracy. But I feel like the romance storylines were lost and that certain scenes or subplots dragged on longer than necessary. Remember the scene in Love Comes Softly when a horrible snowstorm blows up unexpectedly and Clark must search for Marty in a whiteout? That scene was succinct. It created the necessary drama, but then Marty was safe and all was well until the next thing that happened. It's almost like they brought Ellie to Harrington too early, so that there were days and days that they had to fill with extraneous content. Despite that, I still enjoyed Love's Christmas Journey. I just fast-forwarded through the slower parts. 

If you're looking for a western Christmas movie, Love's Christmas Journey would be worth checking out. And if you're a fan of the movie series, it's nice to see Aaron Davis again. This movie stays true to the faith, family, and community feel of the series, which is what is attractive to its target market. I simply wished the content was delivered in a tighter, more dramatic way. 

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.6 x 5.4 x 7.6 inches; 1.6 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 115571
• Director ‏ : ‎ David S. Cass Sr., David S. Cass, Sr.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, AC-3, NTSC, Dolby, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 51 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ October 30, 2012
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Greg Vaughan, JoBeth Williams, Natalie Hall, Sean Astin, Ernest Borgnine
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Lincoln Lageson
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Studios
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009A9EMYM

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

Movie Reviews: Love Begins (2010) & Love's Everlasting Courage (2011)

After the success of the Love Comes Softly movies that were based on Janette Oke's eight books of the same titles, Hallmark Channel aired two original prequel movies about Clark Davis (Wes Brown) and Ellen Barlow Davis (Julie Mond). 

Love Begins is the story of how Clark and Ellen meet. Clark and his childhood friend, Daniel Whitaker (David Tom), stop in town on their way to California in search of gold. Hungry from their travel, they visit Millie's Cafe, run by Millie (Nancy McKeon) with the help of her daughter Rose (Steffani Brass). Daniel starts a fight with two men from town, resulting in Clark and him being tossed in jail. 

While Daniel escapes overnight, Clark stays to face his punishment. Sheriff Holden (Jere Burns) feels Clark is of good character, but has no way to pay off the damage done to Millie's place. That's when the sheriff introduces him to Ellen Barlow and her younger sister, Cassie (Abigail Mavity). After the death of their parents, Ellen and Cassie are struggling to manage the family farm by themselves. If the Barlow sisters hire Clark, they will get the help they need, while he earns a fair wage. 

Cassie warms to Clark easily, but Ellen is suspicious of this stranger because of his arrest and because her beau Jake Weller (David Hoflin) ran off in search of gold two years ago and hasn't been heard from since. 

Love's Everlasting Courage was released a year later. Clark, Ellen, and their daughter, Missie (Morgan Lily) struggle to keep the family farm because of a two-year drought. In order to make payments on their loan, Ellen decides to take a job in town as a seamstress, which doesn't sit well with Clark's parents (played by Bruce Boxleitner and Cheryl Ladd) when they come to visit. 

Things go from bad to worse when Ellen comes down with scarlet fever and dies. Left alone to raise his daughter, when another tragedy strikes, Clark wonders why God is punishing him. With the help of his parents and friends Sarah (Willow Greer) and Ben (Tyler Jacob Moore), Clark just might be able to find a way to start over. 

In my opinion, these movies are an example of continuing a story that was already finished. While they might answer fans' questions about Clark's life with Ellen, I don't feel they portrayed the Clark Davis I knew in the Love Comes Softly series. Granted, these are meant to be movies of a younger Clark, but the second movie messes up the timeline because Missie is not a baby. 

At the most, two or three years pass between the end of Love's Everlasting Courage and Marty's appearance in Love Comes Softly where Clark says Missie is nine, but Clark would still be a young man by the opening of Love Comes Softly if that's the case. In addition, Clark's reason for asking Marty to marry him is because he believes she can teach Missie things she would have learned from Ellen, but she was old enough in Love's Everlasting Courage to already be on her way to learning some of those things before Ellen dies. We also meet the widowed Sarah (Willow Greer) and widower Ben Graham (Tyler Jacob Moore) in the second movie, and they are significantly younger than the Sarah and Ben Graham in Love Comes Softly, who have managed to have a bunch of children since marrying, so the timeline make no sense at all. 

There is another inconsistency between Love Comes Softly and Love's Everlasting Courage. In Love Comes Softly, Sarah Graham tells Marty that Ben and she married out of sheer necessity, and she doesn't even recall when she fell in love with him. However, in Love's Everlasting Courage, when Sarah and Ben are courting, he declares he doesn't want to miss a moment with her because life can change so quickly, and he is madly in love with her. She ecstatically says yes. They run off to tell their children before heading to the Davis farm to share their happy news. Also, Love Begins and Love's Everlasting Courage are set in the town of Trinity, but the original movies are set in Anderson Corner. So, it looks like Clark and Missie moved and the Grahams came along. Not unusual, but a bit odd. 

Circling back to my point about this Clark and future Clark being too different. Young Clark can't explain to Ellen in Love Begins why he doesn't find attending church services constructive, and that he doesn't even know what faith means. He admits he doesn't remember why he stopped going to church. When we get to the second movie, we will see that Clark's parents are believers, so unless there is some past trauma or tragedy, this storyline makes no sense. 

Even in Love's Everlasting Courage, we don't get the feeling that Clark Davis is the man of faith he is portrayed as by the time we are reintroduced to his character in Love Comes Softly. I simply can't see the Clark from Love Begins and Love's Everlasting Courage praying and reading daily from his Bible like future Clark does; even after his father explains how God loves him just like he loves Clark and Clark loves Missie. Based upon the prequels' character, I can't see the future Clark telling Marty that God has been right beside him all the moments of his life or saying, "The truth of God's love is not that he allows bad things to happen. It's his promise to be there with us... when they do."

Out of the two prequels, Love Begins is the stronger and better movie. Love's Everlasting Courage serves little purpose other than to kill Ellen off, share how Sarah and Ben Graham got together, and introduce Clark's parents, who we never hear about again. Different writers and directors could play a role in how these movies came to the screen versus the original movies. While I am glad I watched them, and I plan to watch Love's Christmas Journey (2011), I doubt I will ever watch these prequels again. 

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.56 x 5.39 x 7.51 inches; 0.64 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 063484
• Director ‏ : ‎ David S. Cass, Sr., David S. Cass Sr.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, Multiple Formats, AC-3, NTSC, Dolby, Widescreen, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 28 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ November 22, 2011
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Julie Mond, Abigail Mavity, Wes Brown, Nancy McKeon, Jere Burns
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Erik Heiberg, Lincoln Lageson
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• 
  

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.57 x 5.37 x 7.68 inches; 2.4 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 131605
• Director ‏ : ‎ May, Bradford
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, NTSC, Widescreen, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, AC-3
• Release date ‏ : ‎ May 8, 2012
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Brown, Wes, Ladd, Cheryl, Boxleitner, Bruce, Lily, Morgan, Mond, Julie
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0078X2A7I

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005N4DNDY

I own Love Begins on DVD and watched Love's Everlasting Courage online. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Books to Film: Love Finds A Home (2009)

 

Love Finds A Home is the final book in Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series. In the book, Clark and Marty Davis' youngest daughter, Belinda, who had been living in Boston caring for Mrs. Stafford-Smythe, returns home, but has trouble adjusting. Then she returns to Boston and her life takes a series of unexpected turns. 

Now, that I've said that, toss all of it out of the window, because Love Finds A Home (2009), which is the final movie based on a book of the same title, is nothing like that at all. 

In the movie, Belinda (Sarah Jones) and her husband, Lee Owens (Jordan Bridges), have made a comfortable home in Sikeston while raising their adopted daughter, Lillian (Courtney Halverson). They are thrilled when Peter (Jeffrey Muller) brings his wife and Belinda's college classmate, Annie (Haylie Duff), to Sikeston for a visit while he is away for work. His mother, Mary (Patty Duke), is less than happy because she is the local midwife and plans to deliver their baby. But Annie assures her she will be back in plenty of time. When complications arise, Annie must stay in Sikeston until the baby is born, so Mary decides to travel there, which causes tensions between her and Belinda. 

Meanwhile, Lee welcomes an apprentice, Joshua (Michael Trevino), to his blacksmith shop. When sparks fly between him and Lillian, Lee is determined things won't get out of hand. But his daughter is a stubborn young woman, and when she gets angry at her pa, she puts her life in danger. 

If television writers had to reinvent a storyline for the last movie, they picked a great one that had plenty of dramatic moments, humor, and life lessons. The town of Sikeston has grown, but Belinda feels unchallenged at the clinic. She resents Mary's interference once she arrives, and it takes some time for her to accept that even without a degree, Mary's experience has value. And while she is thrilled to see Annie, her presence reminds Belinda that despite trying, she hasn't been able to conceive. 

Lee struggles with Lillian growing up. He wants to protect his daughter from getting hurt. Meanwhile, he has concerns about Belinda's feelings for him. She has been distant, and he wonders if she regrets marrying him.

Love Finds A Home is one of my favorites from the series. The writing and acting are strong. Family and faith continue to be a focal point. And the movie ends in a satisfying way. Definitely worth watching.

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.56 x 5.36 x 7.56 inches; 4 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 88532X
• Director ‏ : ‎ David S. Cass Sr.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Color, AC-3, Widescreen, NTSC, Subtitled, Dolby
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 28 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ November 10, 2009
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Sarah Jones, Haylie Duff, Jordan Bridges, Patty Duke, Courtney Halverson
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Surround), Spanish (Dolby Surround), Unqualified (DTS ES 6.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ 20th Century Fox
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002NUULQI
• Writers ‏ : ‎ Donald Davenport, Janette Oke
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

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