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.

Books to Film: Love's Unfolding Dream (2007)

Love's Unfolding Dream, the sixth installment of Janette Oke's Love Comes Softly series, made it to the screen in 2007. Belinda (Marshall) Tyler (now played by Scout Taylor-Compton) is the oldest daughter of Missie Tyler (Erin Cottrell) and her sheriff husband, Zach (Victor Browne). She yearns to be a doctor, and when she hears that Dr. Jackson (Robert Pine) is looking for a medical assistant, she jumps at the chance.

Dr. Jackson has his reservations about hiring Belinda, especially because he thinks women are only good for marrying and keeping a home. As Belinda is traveling through town, the stagecoach driver stops her. One of the passengers has grown gravely ill. Belinda brings Mrs. Stafford-Smythe and her traveling companion Windsor (Richard Herd) to Dr. Jackson. When Mrs. Stafford-Smythe requires round-the-clock care, Dr. Jackson resigns himself to hiring Belinda to help. 

Meanwhile, Drew Simpson (Patrick Levis), the nephew of Clark and Marty Davis' (Dale Midkiff and Samantha Smith)  former neighbor Hank, arrives in Anderson Corner. The freshly out of law school Drew has inherited Hank's property and plans to sell it before returning to New York. When Clark drives him out there, Drew is dismayed to find the property in need of extensive repairs. Clark agrees to help, saying this will allow him to repay a debt to Hank. When Belinda meets Drew, they quickly clash. Seems Drew's sentiments on women are the same as Dr. Jackson's. However, they can't deny they are drawn to each other. 

As she tends to Mrs. Stafford-Smythe, the two women and Windsor, become friends. Once the two Bostonians are ready to return home, Belinda faces choices that will impact her future in many ways.

Love's Unfolding Dream is an excellent addition to the Love Comes Softly movie series. Since changes were made to characters in previous movies, some changes naturally came to this movie. Viewers must assume that Aaron and Arnie Davis are now off living their lives as adults, since they don't appear in this movie at all. Mattie LaHaye (now played by Randall Bentley) and Jacob Marshall (now played by Darian Weiss) are around, but don't see as much screentime since the focus is on Belinda's storyline. 

Another storyline that unfolds is that of Sadie and Charles Kent (Lori Rom and Paul Ganus). They have moved to Anderson Corner with their son, Caleb (Timmy Deters). Missie, the town's school teacher, calls Sadie in to let her know that Caleb is behind, especially with his reading. That's when she learns the entire family doesn't know how to read. So Missie devises a plan to help, which causes stress in the Kent's marriage.

Especially with Love's Unfolding Dream, the series becomes more about the community of Anderson Corner than just the Davis family. We see a town that has grown and changed since Clark moved there. 

Michael Landon Jr. returns as co-executive producer in this installment. I feel that's partially why I like this one. You can see his abilities shine through in the storyline and the actor's portrayals. I still miss Katherine Heigl as Marty Davis, who by this time was two years into her Grey's Anatomy role. One of the funny inconsistencies is that Missie can no longer cook, even though she could make fried chicken as a child. 

Friendship, community, and romance are what you find in Love's Unfolding Dream, along with a good dose of Clark Davis wisdom that viewers come to expect and appreciate.

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.56 x 5.31 x 0.59 inches; 3.2 Ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ Harvey Frost
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 88 minutes
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Erin Cottrell, Scout Taylor-Compton, Dale Midkiff, Robert Pine, Victor Browne
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07MXPCZLZ

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