Good look at how the well-to-do folks lived in the early 1900s. And some of the harsh thoughts and feelings the rich had towards those who didn't grow up in their circle. I felt the heat of Florida and the cool breezes of the Summer months in the mountains.

Katherine Osborne is a young widow who ran off with a man most warned her about. She discovers they were right and now must deal with being a widow and owner of a Florida citrus grove and trying to make a profit running it. Her father will come and take her back to their summer lodge and help her with her citrus grove, but there are conditions she must meet. It will be a fight to the finish to live up to her parents expectations, while trying to have a mind and will of her own.

Andrew Townsend has known Katherine since childhood and loved her from afar, but has always known her parents would never allow anything but friendship. Can he continue to work for her father and be a friend only to Katherine over the summer, or will they finally have the courage to be honest with each other and trust the Lord with their future? ( )

yuck! ( )

“A Path Toward Love”, written by Cara Lynn James and published by Thomas Nelson, was a very interesting look into the lives of New York’s social elite during the early 1900’s.

Katherine Osborne is a young widow trying to make a go of the citrus groves her husband left her after his death. His spendthrift ways and gambling depleted his fortune and her inheritance. Katherine’s father is coming to Florida to visit and bringing her lifelong friend, Andrew. She is convinced that her father is going to strongly persuade his daughter to go back to New York with him to the family summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains. Katherine’s mother is a formidable woman and is determined to see her daughter married to her best friend’s son, Randy. Andrew, Randy and Katherine were inseparable during their childhood. Randy is a playboy, while Andrew is a poor relation of Randy’s and a hard working employee of Katherine’s father.

Katherine is given an ultimatum to go back for the summer or forego a loan from her father. She knows that she will spend the summer trying to keep her mother from running her life, but she decides that she will return for a short time. The rest of the novel dwells on the constant manipulation of Katherine, Andrew and Randy by their parents. Katherine and Andrew are in love, but neither wants to push the boundaries and admit that they are meant for each other in God’s eyes.

I really had a hard time with this book. I found it very frustrating that these two mothers had so much influence on their children’s lives. Even more so, I was extremely irritated that they would threaten them with losing their inheritance, or, in Andrew’s case, his job. If Katherine lost her citrus grove, then she would be a woman without means to support herself and would have to conform to society’s mores and return to live with her parents and be under their watchful eyes.

I enjoyed this book, even though I didn’t care for the way society dictated peoples’ lives in the early twentieth century. I did get a picture of how the rich lived though. It seems that women were forbidden to work and spent their leisure time in frivolous pursuits.

I was sent this free Kindle book from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, and from the Blogging for Books website in return for my honest review.

You can find this review on my blog at http://wp.me/p2pjIt-6x ( )

Author: Cara Lynn James
Published By: Thomas Nelson
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Book Blog For: GMTA
Rating: 4

Review:

"A Path Toward Love" by Cara Lynn James was indeed a sweet christian historical romantic fiction definitely one of a 'fairy tale' kind of read. This poor lady Katherine Osborne had inherited 'the Osborne Citrus Groves' in Florida from her husband Charles of two years...only to find out that her business was near bankruptcy. You will find that Katherine had made a bad decision in her past and was now praying about it. After a visit from her father she does decide to go back to her rich family and he offers her a loan only if she meets his conditions to spend the summer at the a family's camp in New York. Katherine knew that her mother will try to manipulate her and she did just that with the son of a childhood friend(Randy). Will Katherine allow this to happen? We find out through the read that Katherine did not have a story book marriage...but one of infidelity and now that she needed funds to keep her 'Citrius Groves' dream alive. What was she to do? This is when she turns to a old friend, Andrew Townsend for support. Now, this is the time I say you must pick up "A Path Toward Love" to see how this author will bring out this wonderful story to us. I did often tire of Katherine for how she let her mother make all her decisions going back and forth and even the father at times but thank God for Aunt Letty who was just what Katherine needed in her life at that time. Will Katherine be able to stand her ground and pick up her life and find the peace she needs with her domineering and manipulative parents? Yes, Katherine wants to be a business woman...what was wrong with that? We will just let her mother and father answer that one for you from the read. Even though I found this novel somewhat predictable I wasn't able to put it down...especially with characters like Katherine, Andrew, Randy, Harriett Roles, Isabelle, Stuart Osborne, Aunt Letty and a few other that keep this story rocking.

"A Path Toward Love very enjoyable and I liked how this author was able to work the 'Christian Faith' into this well written read and would I recommend this read...YES! ( )