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Women of the West #11
A Gown of Spanish Lace
A heritage so very different from her own, but one profound connection.
Ariana loves her life her parents, her little town, her job as the town's schoolteacher, her students. But one evening after classes are done and she prepares to hurry home before a blizzard hits, her whole life changes in an instant.
Ariana loves her life her parents, her little town, her job as the town's schoolteacher, her students. But one evening after classes are done and she prepares to hurry home before a blizzard hits, her whole life changes in an instant.
The two rough-looking men who abduct her and take her far from home and family make no response to her frantic questions "Why me? What are you going to do? Where are you taking me?" Held hostage in a camp of bandits, Ariana's emotions swing between terror and boredom as days stretch into weeks.
And then the boss's son appears in the doorway of her cabin. Does this mean she will never see her mother and father again, the two who had so lovingly adopted her as an infant and raised her as their own? Will she ever wear the wedding dress so carefully saved for her her one link with her birth parents, now long dead?
251 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Janette Oke
300 books3,077 followersJanette Oke writes with a profound simplicity of what she knows best—real life, honest love, and lasting values. With over 23 million in sales, her historical novels portray the lives of early North American settlers from many walks of life and geographical settings. She also writes engaging children's stories and inspiring gift books that warm the heart.
Janette was born during the depression years to a Canadian prairie farmer and his wife, and she remembers her childhood as full of love and laughter and family love. After graduating from Mountain View Bible College in Canada where she met her husband, Edward, they pastored churches in Canada and the U.S., and they raised their family of four children, including twin boys, in both countries. Edward eventually became president of Mountain View Bible College and recently established a coalition of colleges that became Rocky Mountain Bible College.
During her earliest years, Janette sensed the desire to write. Though she yearned to be a published novelist, she devoted herself to being a wife and mother because, she says, "there is no higher honor—that is my number-one priority." She began serious writing when her children were entering their teens.
Her first novel, a prairie love story titled Love Comes Softly, was published by Bethany House in 1979. This book was followed by more than 75 others. She reaches both religious and general markets, telling stories that transcend time and place. Her readers of all ages and walks of life can identify with the everyday events and emotions of her characters. Janette believes everyone goes through tough times—the key is to be prepared with a strong faith as the foundation from which decisions are made and difficult experiences are faced. That perspective is subtly woven throughout her novels.
After Love Comes Softly was published, Oke found her readers asking for more. That book led to a series of eight others in her Love Comes Softly series. She has written multiple fiction series, including The Canadian West, Seasons of the Heart and Women of the West. Her most recent releases include a beautiful children's picture book, I Wonder...Did Jesus Have a Pet Lamb and The Song of Acadia series, co-written with T. Davis Bunn.
Janette Oke's warm writing style has won the hearts of millions of readers. She has received numerous awards, including the Gold Medallion Award, The Christy Award of Excellence, the 1992 President's Award for her significant contribution to the category of Christian fiction from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and in 1999 the Life Impact Award from the Christian Booksellers Association International. Beloved worldwide, her books have been translated into fourteen languages.
In recent years, Janette and her siblings lovingly restored their parents' prairie farm home, and it now serves as a gift shop and museum of prairie life. Please see below for a special invitation to the Oke Writing Museum and The Steeves' Historical House. She and her husband live nearby in Alberta, Canada, where they are active in their local church. Visits from their families, including their grandchildren, are their delight.
—[http://www.janetteoke.com/ME2/Sites/d...]
Janette was born during the depression years to a Canadian prairie farmer and his wife, and she remembers her childhood as full of love and laughter and family love. After graduating from Mountain View Bible College in Canada where she met her husband, Edward, they pastored churches in Canada and the U.S., and they raised their family of four children, including twin boys, in both countries. Edward eventually became president of Mountain View Bible College and recently established a coalition of colleges that became Rocky Mountain Bible College.
During her earliest years, Janette sensed the desire to write. Though she yearned to be a published novelist, she devoted herself to being a wife and mother because, she says, "there is no higher honor—that is my number-one priority." She began serious writing when her children were entering their teens.
Her first novel, a prairie love story titled Love Comes Softly, was published by Bethany House in 1979. This book was followed by more than 75 others. She reaches both religious and general markets, telling stories that transcend time and place. Her readers of all ages and walks of life can identify with the everyday events and emotions of her characters. Janette believes everyone goes through tough times—the key is to be prepared with a strong faith as the foundation from which decisions are made and difficult experiences are faced. That perspective is subtly woven throughout her novels.
After Love Comes Softly was published, Oke found her readers asking for more. That book led to a series of eight others in her Love Comes Softly series. She has written multiple fiction series, including The Canadian West, Seasons of the Heart and Women of the West. Her most recent releases include a beautiful children's picture book, I Wonder...Did Jesus Have a Pet Lamb and The Song of Acadia series, co-written with T. Davis Bunn.
Janette Oke's warm writing style has won the hearts of millions of readers. She has received numerous awards, including the Gold Medallion Award, The Christy Award of Excellence, the 1992 President's Award for her significant contribution to the category of Christian fiction from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and in 1999 the Life Impact Award from the Christian Booksellers Association International. Beloved worldwide, her books have been translated into fourteen languages.
In recent years, Janette and her siblings lovingly restored their parents' prairie farm home, and it now serves as a gift shop and museum of prairie life. Please see below for a special invitation to the Oke Writing Museum and The Steeves' Historical House. She and her husband live nearby in Alberta, Canada, where they are active in their local church. Visits from their families, including their grandchildren, are their delight.
—[http://www.janetteoke.com/ME2/Sites/d...]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
March 16, 2024
I love this book. It's one of those books you suddenly decide to read and then get it finished in one evening (that's what I did). It's so sweet. And oh I love the little bit of mystery in it. I love these kinds of storylines, bad guy turns out to be good guy: girl falls in love. lol. Janette Oke's books are so pure and innocent, they're simply beautiful.
July 6, 2023
(I have a feeling this was not the best introduction to Janette Oke, and I have every intention of reading more of her books. She seems like a very sweet person & her writing is fun. In this specific case, it's hilarious in ways that I don't think it meant to be. But every author is allowed to have her off days.)
I think the best way to do this review would be to copy the dialogue style I've seen other Goodreads reviewers do, so here goes.
ME: Ah this looks like a light, fast-paced read. I'm in a mood for a Western romance.
MY SISTERS: It's embarrassing, but it's fun.
ME: Perfect.
ARIANA: I'm a pretty young first-year teacher & I love my job!
ME: *grumbles with jealousy* I hope you get captured by outlaws.
CUTE YOUNG OUTLAW: I have a vaguely uneasy conscience.
ME: Is this a Stockholm syndrome romance?
MY SISTERS: Yes.
OUTLAW BOSS: Hello, I am the Villain. My story goal is to get my soft son to KILL SOMEBODY.
I shall accomplish this by kidnapping a girl.
So that he will fall in love with her.
So that he will kill someone over her.
ME & HIS SIDEKICK: ...You don't see any gaps in that plan?
OUTLAW BOSS: Nope.
ME & HIS SIDEKICK: Well. Apparently that's the end of that discussion.
CUTE YOUNG OUTLAW: My name is Laramie.
ME: DOES THIS MEAN YOU'RE PLAYED BY ROBERT FULLER? *refuses to picture him as Robert Fuller*
ARIANA: *gets captured by outlaws*
LARAMIE: *is horrified to find a girl in the camp* *acts as prison guard anyway* *but shows more propriety and respect than any outlaw I've ever seen anywhere*
ME: Sir are you SURE you were raised by that guy?
ARIANA & LARAMIE: *proceed to deal with horrible circumstances as best they can & eventually escape etc.*
ME: It's silly it's silly it's silly it's silly
LARAMIE: *shoots a rattlesnake*
ARIANA: *faints into Laramie's arms*
ME: IT'S THE MOST BASIC ROMANCE GIMMICK IN THE BOOK AND I WON'T FALL FOR IT I WON'T I WON'T
ALSO ME: *melts*
LARAMIE & ARIANA: *proceed to fall in love with the usual complications, separation, & reunion*
LARAMIE & ARIANA: *proceed to find evidence that they are, in fact, siblings*
ME (& LARAMIE & ARIANA): WHAT? EW EW EW EW EW
LARAMIE & ARIANA: *proceed to find counter-evidence to the previous evidence. they are, in fact, not siblings at all*
LARAMIE & ARIANA: We can get married now!
ME: ..........I need to go take a shower.
Verdict: My sisters were right. It's embarrassing. But it's also a lot of fun. And I don't regret reading it.
It's the kind of thing I would've written when I was 16, so who am I to judge? XD
I think the best way to do this review would be to copy the dialogue style I've seen other Goodreads reviewers do, so here goes.
ME: Ah this looks like a light, fast-paced read. I'm in a mood for a Western romance.
MY SISTERS: It's embarrassing, but it's fun.
ME: Perfect.
ARIANA: I'm a pretty young first-year teacher & I love my job!
ME: *grumbles with jealousy* I hope you get captured by outlaws.
CUTE YOUNG OUTLAW: I have a vaguely uneasy conscience.
ME: Is this a Stockholm syndrome romance?
MY SISTERS: Yes.
OUTLAW BOSS: Hello, I am the Villain. My story goal is to get my soft son to KILL SOMEBODY.
I shall accomplish this by kidnapping a girl.
So that he will fall in love with her.
So that he will kill someone over her.
ME & HIS SIDEKICK: ...You don't see any gaps in that plan?
OUTLAW BOSS: Nope.
ME & HIS SIDEKICK: Well. Apparently that's the end of that discussion.
CUTE YOUNG OUTLAW: My name is Laramie.
ME: DOES THIS MEAN YOU'RE PLAYED BY ROBERT FULLER? *refuses to picture him as Robert Fuller*
ARIANA: *gets captured by outlaws*
LARAMIE: *is horrified to find a girl in the camp* *acts as prison guard anyway* *but shows more propriety and respect than any outlaw I've ever seen anywhere*
ME: Sir are you SURE you were raised by that guy?
ARIANA & LARAMIE: *proceed to deal with horrible circumstances as best they can & eventually escape etc.*
ME: It's silly it's silly it's silly it's silly
LARAMIE: *shoots a rattlesnake*
ARIANA: *faints into Laramie's arms*
ME: IT'S THE MOST BASIC ROMANCE GIMMICK IN THE BOOK AND I WON'T FALL FOR IT I WON'T I WON'T
ALSO ME: *melts*
LARAMIE & ARIANA: *proceed to fall in love with the usual complications, separation, & reunion*
LARAMIE & ARIANA: *proceed to find evidence that they are, in fact, siblings*
ME (& LARAMIE & ARIANA): WHAT? EW EW EW EW EW
LARAMIE & ARIANA: *proceed to find counter-evidence to the previous evidence. they are, in fact, not siblings at all*
LARAMIE & ARIANA: We can get married now!
ME: ..........I need to go take a shower.
Verdict: My sisters were right. It's embarrassing. But it's also a lot of fun. And I don't regret reading it.
It's the kind of thing I would've written when I was 16, so who am I to judge? XD
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2015
Out of all of Oke's books which I've read, this one is the most "romanticized Western." Excitement, gunfights, lawlessness, and forgiveness are threaded throughout the story. A plot twist at the end keeps your interest until the last words are completed.
My favorite theme throughout the book is trust. The main character learns how to trust the Lord in one area only to turn around and realize that she faces another way in which she must trust.
I recommend this book for older teens because of violence and romance.
Some favorite quotes (and there were more I didn't keep track of):
"I hope to one day discover just why--why God chose to spare a baby. What does He have for me to do?"
"That is what makes it difficult. You must dictate your heart. You've made the right decision--but it isn't always easy to make the right decision--even when you know you must. Sometimes--sometimes--the heart needs convincing."
My favorite theme throughout the book is trust. The main character learns how to trust the Lord in one area only to turn around and realize that she faces another way in which she must trust.
I recommend this book for older teens because of violence and romance.
Some favorite quotes (and there were more I didn't keep track of):
"I hope to one day discover just why--why God chose to spare a baby. What does He have for me to do?"
"That is what makes it difficult. You must dictate your heart. You've made the right decision--but it isn't always easy to make the right decision--even when you know you must. Sometimes--sometimes--the heart needs convincing."
February 22, 2012
Having officially horrified Sarah or Rebekah or one of those people because I had never read this book, apparently an ultimate classic, I picked it up at the library. Normally, I would have avoided it. My only experience with Janette Oke has been to stand with my Dad in horrified avoidance of the Love Gets Chucked Through the Window movies. Perhaps I should give them a try.
While I didn't love A Gown of Spanish Lace, it wasn't terrible. It was very clean. And I liked that, most Christian romances tend to get a bit much for my taste, and I don't think Oke's characters even kiss.
Otherwise, the plot was dramatic, implausible, predictable, very Christian, and very sweet. I might just possibly some day give Oke another try. Maybe.
While I didn't love A Gown of Spanish Lace, it wasn't terrible. It was very clean. And I liked that, most Christian romances tend to get a bit much for my taste, and I don't think Oke's characters even kiss.
Otherwise, the plot was dramatic, implausible, predictable, very Christian, and very sweet. I might just possibly some day give Oke another try. Maybe.
November 12, 2021
Each year I try to read a series by Janette Okes. This year I choose Women of the West series. A Gown of Spanish Lace is book eleven. There are twelve books in this series. This book was different from the others. Unpredictable and ful of surprises. I listened to the Audio version and it was very well narrated. It was a short book and it went fast. It definitely was one of my favorites from this series.
Ariana is a young unmarried woman who is a school teacher. She loves her job and her life. Thankful to God for all her blessings. But then trouble comes knocking at her school house door and takes her by surprise. Ariana is kidnapped and taken away against her own will. Far away from her parents and all that she knows.
Laramie Lawrence is an outlaw and runs with a gang of hardened criminals. He is somehow different from the other criminals in the gang. For example though he can use a gun and has a good aim he has never killed another human being. One day he gets an assignment to guard a special "gift" prisoner of the gang. From that day on his life will never be the same.
I recommend this book to readers of Historical Fiction and fans of Janette Oke. Though it is part of a series it can be read as a stand alone.
Ariana is a young unmarried woman who is a school teacher. She loves her job and her life. Thankful to God for all her blessings. But then trouble comes knocking at her school house door and takes her by surprise. Ariana is kidnapped and taken away against her own will. Far away from her parents and all that she knows.
Laramie Lawrence is an outlaw and runs with a gang of hardened criminals. He is somehow different from the other criminals in the gang. For example though he can use a gun and has a good aim he has never killed another human being. One day he gets an assignment to guard a special "gift" prisoner of the gang. From that day on his life will never be the same.
I recommend this book to readers of Historical Fiction and fans of Janette Oke. Though it is part of a series it can be read as a stand alone.
July 17, 2022
{January 2022 Reread}
Wow, um . . . all I can say is, bless my teenage heart. 😂
{December 2018 Reread}
I remembered this as one of the better, more wholesome books I read whilst on my Christian romance kick back in the day (think Katie Gregoire), so when I found it for a dollar at Goodwill I was happy to get it and try it again. Some years later, I still enjoy it, though I do concede that it's got its flaws.
For instance, the motive behind Ariana's abduction reads as pretty implausible to me now.
There are some other plot holes and dangling loose ends.
It's got some cheese, for sure.
(Ariana herself has a touch of the Damsel in her, as well.)
It's got your typical kind of over-emotionalized spiritual experiences for the protagonists. [Although, I mean, maybe some people DO experience conversion or growth that way--I don't mean to imply that for some people, the moment(s) of coming to Christ isn't (aren't) extremely and definitively emotional. God works in different people in different ways! I just sort of wondered, this evening, as I was reading this again, whether all these Christian novels that portray religious experience as dramatic and instantly affecting might have negatively impacted my expectations of what a healthy Christian walk--and healthy spiritual growth--should look like, when I was first reading them. *shrugs*]
The pacing struck me as rather off this time around: the last third or so of the book moves a bit too fast and is wrapped up too hastily, I think, considering the tempo at which the story had been going previously.
BUT, all that notwithstanding, A Gown of Spanish Lace does have some Nostalgia for me and I do feel that it's overall a decently strong specimen of Christian fiction. Laramie and Ariana are both really sweet characters, especially Laramie, and I like their love story. <3
Wow, um . . . all I can say is, bless my teenage heart. 😂
{December 2018 Reread}
I remembered this as one of the better, more wholesome books I read whilst on my Christian romance kick back in the day (think Katie Gregoire), so when I found it for a dollar at Goodwill I was happy to get it and try it again. Some years later, I still enjoy it, though I do concede that it's got its flaws.
For instance, the motive behind Ariana's abduction reads as pretty implausible to me now.
There are some other plot holes and dangling loose ends.
It's got some cheese, for sure.
(Ariana herself has a touch of the Damsel in her, as well.)
It's got your typical kind of over-emotionalized spiritual experiences for the protagonists. [Although, I mean, maybe some people DO experience conversion or growth that way--I don't mean to imply that for some people, the moment(s) of coming to Christ isn't (aren't) extremely and definitively emotional. God works in different people in different ways! I just sort of wondered, this evening, as I was reading this again, whether all these Christian novels that portray religious experience as dramatic and instantly affecting might have negatively impacted my expectations of what a healthy Christian walk--and healthy spiritual growth--should look like, when I was first reading them. *shrugs*]
The pacing struck me as rather off this time around: the last third or so of the book moves a bit too fast and is wrapped up too hastily, I think, considering the tempo at which the story had been going previously.
BUT, all that notwithstanding, A Gown of Spanish Lace does have some Nostalgia for me and I do feel that it's overall a decently strong specimen of Christian fiction. Laramie and Ariana are both really sweet characters, especially Laramie, and I like their love story. <3
June 21, 2023
3 stars. Frankly, I was disappointed. After greatly enjoying the Love Comes Softly series, I expected to love this one, and I found it didn’t quite measure up to my expectations.
I admit I am currently struggling to turn off the copyeditor-brain, and I did notice some poor writing here that surprised me, since I had found Janette Oke’s other books quite well done. I did, however, enjoy the characters, and they quickly sucked me into the story. Ariana was a very nice girl, and I loved Lamarie—he was just wondeful—and White Stag was delightful, and I couldn’t help liking Sam. The whole hidden-outlaw-gang and kidnapping part was quite enjoyable and kept me hooked, as did the escape. And I was shipping A & L so hard, yet I just wasn’t sure it would work out! However, the book took a huge south for me at the Big Climax That idea was very disturbing to me and I almost quit the book right away. Although of course everything ends up okay, I found it really bothersome they spent all that time thinking that and trying to change the way they felt… Also, I felt the whole diary part was super contrived.
On the other hand, I did find it interesting that Oke brought the “how do you know” angle because most westerns/books with ‘imported orphans’ from who knows where seldom tackle that issue, and I was always curious about it. (I mean, how do you KNOW that your name really IS so-and-so and that anything you’ve been told about yourself is true? How do you KNOW that the girl you fell in love with isn’t somehow related to you??) So a small logical part of me was appreciative of that aspect being addressed. Also I did really enjoy the moral of the story. I was impacted by Ariana’s faithfulness and her Bible-reading and memorization, and I really related to the message.
Overall, I would probably enjoy this more as a reread, but I might skip part of the ending next time.
I admit I am currently struggling to turn off the copyeditor-brain, and I did notice some poor writing here that surprised me, since I had found Janette Oke’s other books quite well done. I did, however, enjoy the characters, and they quickly sucked me into the story. Ariana was a very nice girl, and I loved Lamarie—he was just wondeful—and White Stag was delightful, and I couldn’t help liking Sam. The whole hidden-outlaw-gang and kidnapping part was quite enjoyable and kept me hooked, as did the escape. And I was shipping A & L so hard, yet I just wasn’t sure it would work out! However, the book took a huge south for me at the Big Climax That idea was very disturbing to me and I almost quit the book right away. Although of course everything ends up okay, I found it really bothersome they spent all that time thinking that and trying to change the way they felt… Also, I felt the whole diary part was super contrived.
On the other hand, I did find it interesting that Oke brought the “how do you know” angle because most westerns/books with ‘imported orphans’ from who knows where seldom tackle that issue, and I was always curious about it. (I mean, how do you KNOW that your name really IS so-and-so and that anything you’ve been told about yourself is true? How do you KNOW that the girl you fell in love with isn’t somehow related to you??) So a small logical part of me was appreciative of that aspect being addressed. Also I did really enjoy the moral of the story. I was impacted by Ariana’s faithfulness and her Bible-reading and memorization, and I really related to the message.
Overall, I would probably enjoy this more as a reread, but I might skip part of the ending next time.
April 17, 2021
I really enjoyed this one! It kept my interest all throughout. I liked both Ariana and Lamarie, especially Lamarie.
I really liked the theme of trusting God, trusting He has a plan even when we can’t seem to see or understand it.
Another great Janette Oke book!
I really liked the theme of trusting God, trusting He has a plan even when we can’t seem to see or understand it.
Another great Janette Oke book!
March 12, 2023
This book is one of my favorites 😍😍I really recommend 😁
December 13, 2018
So....
I think 'Love Comes Softly' is definitely Janette Oke's best book (that I've read). Her plots are always good, exciting and inter-tangling; but the realistic side of a good book just wasn't there for me for A Gown of Spanish Lace. The situations the main characters were in asked for so much more depth than was there that I often pictured myself adding to it.
Ariana was so often said to be strong and of good courage. Yet (although her adventures were crazy) she cried literally over 10 times and fainted once. I loved her relationship with God, and thought to both unbelievers and believers alike it was encouraging. But, honestly, I felt like the book lacked real emotion.
So many little details were missing. Like, there'd be a huge plot twits in three to four sentences and then suddenly we're somewhere else, and a few pages later -- boom -- it's all resolved. A lot was just unbelievable and the plot asked for so much more than was given.
Pros:
Beautiful mentions of Christianity and faith in God
A partial good plot line with a pretty great back story
Cons:
Really lacked in being believable
Some characters (especially the outlaws) were really cheesy
Missing a lot of detail for such a wide-ranged plot line
2 1/2 stars
I think 'Love Comes Softly' is definitely Janette Oke's best book (that I've read). Her plots are always good, exciting and inter-tangling; but the realistic side of a good book just wasn't there for me for A Gown of Spanish Lace. The situations the main characters were in asked for so much more depth than was there that I often pictured myself adding to it.
Ariana was so often said to be strong and of good courage. Yet (although her adventures were crazy) she cried literally over 10 times and fainted once. I loved her relationship with God, and thought to both unbelievers and believers alike it was encouraging. But, honestly, I felt like the book lacked real emotion.
So many little details were missing. Like, there'd be a huge plot twits in three to four sentences and then suddenly we're somewhere else, and a few pages later -- boom -- it's all resolved. A lot was just unbelievable and the plot asked for so much more than was given.
Pros:
Beautiful mentions of Christianity and faith in God
A partial good plot line with a pretty great back story
Cons:
Really lacked in being believable
Some characters (especially the outlaws) were really cheesy
Missing a lot of detail for such a wide-ranged plot line
2 1/2 stars
October 14, 2018
4 STARS
A great Christian romance with some fast-paced adventure. I admired Ariana's character. There were times when she was understandably distraught over her circumstances, but she trusted in the Lord and as a result was able to escape from her captors.
A great Christian romance with some fast-paced adventure. I admired Ariana's character. There were times when she was understandably distraught over her circumstances, but she trusted in the Lord and as a result was able to escape from her captors.
April 16, 2020
This was a fairly good story -- a bit predictable for the majority of the time, but fairly good. The plot twist comes in a the end, and will capture your attention 'til the final words are read.
Ariana is a sweet girl, and throughout the story we get her history. The glimpse of her life at home that we get is quite idyllic, and it's something that many of us would yearn for. She has a calling to teach others, and, in her own words, she "prayed that she might be able to teach not only about life but also the Giver of Life. Not just scientific facts about the world but about the One who established the Laws of Nature. Not just mathematics, but about the One who made the consistency of mathematics a possibility." She has the loving family, white picket fence, handsome suitor . . . and then, not of her own willingness, she meets a band of desperadoes, and is introduced to Laramie.
Laramie is the gentle, kindhearted son of the gang leader. He's the one who wants to fix everything, who loathes all the killing, and who is given the charge of watching Ariana.
We are brought through several years of their lives that are intertwined so completely. And through it all, they both learn some important lessons.
Ariana learns to trust her Saviour, in a way that she's never had to before. And through watching her, Laramie begins to find answers to the questions he has.
They both must learn to dictate to their own hearts -- one of my favourite quotes was when Ariana is taking to her mother, and she is given this advice: "That is what makes it difficult. You must dictate to your heart. You've made the right decision -- but it isn't always easy to make the right decision -- even when you know you must. Sometimes -- sometimes -- the heart needs some convincing." A far cry from the message of "follow your heart" that is so often given to readers.
A very enjoyable read, by far!
Ariana is a sweet girl, and throughout the story we get her history. The glimpse of her life at home that we get is quite idyllic, and it's something that many of us would yearn for. She has a calling to teach others, and, in her own words, she "prayed that she might be able to teach not only about life but also the Giver of Life. Not just scientific facts about the world but about the One who established the Laws of Nature. Not just mathematics, but about the One who made the consistency of mathematics a possibility." She has the loving family, white picket fence, handsome suitor . . . and then, not of her own willingness, she meets a band of desperadoes, and is introduced to Laramie.
Laramie is the gentle, kindhearted son of the gang leader. He's the one who wants to fix everything, who loathes all the killing, and who is given the charge of watching Ariana.
We are brought through several years of their lives that are intertwined so completely. And through it all, they both learn some important lessons.
Ariana learns to trust her Saviour, in a way that she's never had to before. And through watching her, Laramie begins to find answers to the questions he has.
They both must learn to dictate to their own hearts -- one of my favourite quotes was when Ariana is taking to her mother, and she is given this advice: "That is what makes it difficult. You must dictate to your heart. You've made the right decision -- but it isn't always easy to make the right decision -- even when you know you must. Sometimes -- sometimes -- the heart needs some convincing." A far cry from the message of "follow your heart" that is so often given to readers.
A very enjoyable read, by far!
July 23, 2022
First read in 2017: 5 stars
The only part I didn't like was at the end when Laramie and Ariana thought they were brother and sister. Even though I knew it wouldn't turn out to be true, just the thought of it was freaking me out and then Laramie being tempted to burn the lace cuff and never tell anyone was killing me, Oh my gosh.
I also thought the ending was too abrupt. At first I thought the pages were stuck together and I'd skipped a page.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Second read in 2022: 4 stars
Okay so the reason for the outlaws kidnapping Ariana seems a little ridiculous, but you just have to go with it. I appreciate how different this story is to all of Janette Okes other books and I still really enjoyed it! That ending though... I still hated every moment of it and it's the reason I've bumped my rating down to 4 stars 😂
The only part I didn't like was at the end when Laramie and Ariana thought they were brother and sister. Even though I knew it wouldn't turn out to be true, just the thought of it was freaking me out and then Laramie being tempted to burn the lace cuff and never tell anyone was killing me, Oh my gosh.
I also thought the ending was too abrupt. At first I thought the pages were stuck together and I'd skipped a page.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Second read in 2022: 4 stars
Okay so the reason for the outlaws kidnapping Ariana seems a little ridiculous, but you just have to go with it. I appreciate how different this story is to all of Janette Okes other books and I still really enjoyed it! That ending though... I still hated every moment of it and it's the reason I've bumped my rating down to 4 stars 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2018
Another great book by Janette Oke!
Other than the above-mentioned pet peeve, this book was great! I loved it. It was a little impractical/unrelatable at times, I will admit, but it was a great read!
Other than the above-mentioned pet peeve, this book was great! I loved it. It was a little impractical/unrelatable at times, I will admit, but it was a great read!
March 21, 2019
This was the first book that I read by Janette Oke and I LOVED it!! It was so good and it really captured my attention. It kept me guessing the whole way through and it had some twists at the end that I was not expecting. This is definitely a book that I’ll be reading numerous times!
January 5, 2009
I liked this better than the other two "Women of the West" books I've read. This book reminded me of two other books -- "The Long Winter" (I think that's the right one), where Laura Ingalls is a young schoolteacher, and "The Wedding Dress", where an orphan's only link to her birth mother is a wedding dress that was carried in an old trunk via wagon train.
It's an interesting story of small towns, frontier life, love and God's care, with a little "Stockholm Syndrome" thrown in for good measure. Something that popped into my head while reading was how difficult it is to trace family lineage without computer access!
I appreciated Laramie's relationship with White Eagle, in light of the way he was raised to hate all indians. The best thing is that their relationship is reciprocal; not just the white man helping the indian, etc. . .
It's an interesting story of small towns, frontier life, love and God's care, with a little "Stockholm Syndrome" thrown in for good measure. Something that popped into my head while reading was how difficult it is to trace family lineage without computer access!
I appreciated Laramie's relationship with White Eagle, in light of the way he was raised to hate all indians. The best thing is that their relationship is reciprocal; not just the white man helping the indian, etc. . .
June 7, 2010
This was the first book I ever read by Janette Oke. I fell in love with her writing! Not only because of the period in time she loves to write about (pioneer era) but because her characters always have a challenge that they are able to rise above by finding God, or by learning to trust Him more. She is a wonderful Christian Fiction writer and I would highly recommend her books to anyone!!
March 6, 2012
Well, my name is Ariana, so I'm already inclined to like this book more than most. I think that this is one of Oke's top three books, the other two are A Bride for Donnigan and A Woman Named Damaris.
If you like similar books, I would certainly recommend this one. Laramie is a great example to us all.
If you like similar books, I would certainly recommend this one. Laramie is a great example to us all.
September 24, 2007
I like the other books by Janette Oke more then this one. I thought in was a little stupid. But that doesn't mean you wouldn't like it.
December 11, 2018
Once tried to read this on an airplane, and it turned me off Janette Oke forever. I picked the one that seemed most interesting: a prairie schoolteacher gets kidnapped by robbers. But it was so totally ridiculous I couldn't keep reading it. The male romantic lead is a boy raised by bandits, who, we are continually told, are savage and uncivilized. However, a) they don't really act as uncivilized as you would expect them to, and b) this guy, who was raised by them, is super different from them for no apparent reason. So he has this innate higher moral standard for no reason, and he falls in love with our delicate heroine because she's so morally pure, unlike the men that he was raised by, and it's all so ridiculous.
First of all, you would think the worst thing wild west bandits did was cuss and use bad table manners. Secondly, the protagonist had just about zero personality beside being morally pure, and delicate, (but "strong" according to the male lead, which comes off totally ridiculous because she's crying all over the place about being kidnapped by robbers). Very unengaging for a story about a kidnapping.
First of all, you would think the worst thing wild west bandits did was cuss and use bad table manners. Secondly, the protagonist had just about zero personality beside being morally pure, and delicate, (but "strong" according to the male lead, which comes off totally ridiculous because she's crying all over the place about being kidnapped by robbers). Very unengaging for a story about a kidnapping.
October 5, 2023
3.5 stars
Another one that lost a 1/2star rating me with an ending that was a little silly.
Otherwise, I liked the characters and the story.
This one was definitely a "historical christian romance" as there were lots of religious references.
I thought the way the title about the Spanish lace not only tied into the conflict b/w the characters but then ultimately the solution to their problem was clever.
Another one that lost a 1/2star rating me with an ending that was a little silly.
Otherwise, I liked the characters and the story.
This one was definitely a "historical christian romance" as there were lots of religious references.
I thought the way the title about the Spanish lace not only tied into the conflict b/w the characters but then ultimately the solution to their problem was clever.
January 11, 2023
This book is heart felt and surprising at the end!
October 21, 2021
In all of Janette Oke's books, the thing I enjoyed the most was the Faith content, and this book was no different.
The characters were quite relatable, but it did feel as though only the main characters were properly developed. Most of the other characters were really in the background, and only developed enough to further the plot. It didn't bother me that much, but I would have liked to know a little more of the characters, especially Sam and Arianna's parents.
The setting wasn't really that developed, and I don't think the state they lived in was mentioned (although I could have missed that).
The plot often seesawed between fast paced and slow paced, with not pace in between.
Overall, it wasn't my absolutely favourite book, but it was a good book.
The characters were quite relatable, but it did feel as though only the main characters were properly developed. Most of the other characters were really in the background, and only developed enough to further the plot. It didn't bother me that much, but I would have liked to know a little more of the characters, especially Sam and Arianna's parents.
The setting wasn't really that developed, and I don't think the state they lived in was mentioned (although I could have missed that).
The plot often seesawed between fast paced and slow paced, with not pace in between.
Overall, it wasn't my absolutely favourite book, but it was a good book.
August 15, 2014
Thoughts on the entire series.
Overall, Women of the West is my favorite series (that I’ve read so far) by Oke, where I really reveled in what the author had to bring in all of her sweet, warm, and simplistic glory. However, the books aren’t only warm fuzzies, as Oke does deal with some tough, and even some potentially controversial, issues, giving the reader some points to chew on but doing it in her warm style.
I’ve read most of the books in the series more than once (maybe even three times, with The Measure of a Heart), and while not each of them are individual favorites of mine, the series as a whole took me places I’m so grateful to have gone.
Overall, Women of the West is my favorite series (that I’ve read so far) by Oke, where I really reveled in what the author had to bring in all of her sweet, warm, and simplistic glory. However, the books aren’t only warm fuzzies, as Oke does deal with some tough, and even some potentially controversial, issues, giving the reader some points to chew on but doing it in her warm style.
I’ve read most of the books in the series more than once (maybe even three times, with The Measure of a Heart), and while not each of them are individual favorites of mine, the series as a whole took me places I’m so grateful to have gone.
July 15, 2013
The plot was interesting, although in the beginning it was pretty snail paced. It also was pretty original except for a few little cliche things towards the end. What really threw me for a loop was the last couple of chapters and the events that happened in them. I wish Mrs. Oke would have added one more chapter on to the end, so we could have "seen" a little more finality, but that's just my opinion and otherwise the ending was fine. Overall a decent adventure/romance novel that will keep you on your toes.
March 22, 2017
Well, I figured this story was going to go one of two ways.... and it ended up going both ways! I do wish it gave a little more at the ending than where it left off, but I still really enjoyed it and I'm really excited to read another book by this author!
February 20, 2017
i love this book! especially the ending when you think everything is ruined and sad you will find out otherwise! it has a little mystery to it too, the kind were your constantly looking between pages trying to match things up. Read it. ;)
March 7, 2013
I love this book because it is the only one I've read with a protagonist who has the same name as me.
August 23, 2017
There were lots of fun plot twists in this charming western.
March 23, 2023
Her best yet! :-) And so many plot twists!
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