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Exciting News: Janette Oke and When Calls the Heart!

okeAs most of you reading this probably know, at Prairie Sky Book Reviews we are HUGE fans of all things related to Janette Oke, When Calls the Heart, and Love Comes Softly.  Earlier this year we were thrilled to hear the Hallmark Channel announcement for a forthcoming Season 3 of the When Calls Where Trust Lies imagethe Heart television series in 2016, with a special Christmas movie to air in December.  With that announcement we have been wondering, will Janette Oke and her daughter, Laurel Oke Logan, release a third installment of the Return to the Canadian West series?  For the previous two years, each time Where Courage Callsa new television season was released, a book announcement for Where Courage Calls and then Where Trust Lies soon followed.  So it only makes sense…

Well…  Today we have the answer!  The third book in the series will be entitled Where Hope Prevails, and is scheduled to release in August of next year.  I know, that’s a long time to wait, but isn’t it exciting that our beloved author is still writing, and producing stories for us all to enjoy?  Here is the info about the book, as found on GoodReads:

When Beth Thatcher returns to Coal Valley, she has much to be excited about. She anticipates Jarrick’s proposal of marriage and perhaps a spring wedding. The mine is expanding, and there are more schoolchildren than ever.
But the town’s rapid growth brings many challenges. A second teacher is assigned, and Beth finds herself going head-to-head with a very different philosophy of education–one that dismisses religion and rejects God. Fearful for the children who sit under the influence of Robert Harris Hughes, Beth struggles to know how to respond.
At the same time, Beth wonders if Jarrick is considering a position at her father’s company simply for her sake. Should she admit her feelings on the matter? Or keep silent and allow Jarrick to make up his own mind?

Unfortunately no cover images have yet been released, but stay tuned for updates!  Click HERE to visit the GoodReads page for Where Hope Prevails.  When Calls the Heart

Well, that’s all for now.  I can’t wait to see what is up next for Jack and Elizabeth in both the book series and the television series!  And, I wonder if the synopsis for the upcoming book gives any hint for the upcoming television season…?

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Our First Giveaway!

Big news!  Prairie Sky Book Reviews is hosting our first giveaway this week…  Click the link below and follow the directions to be entered for your chance to win a FREE copy of Where Trust Lies, book 2 in the Return to the Canadian West series.

Where Trust Lies image

The winner will be contacted by email after April 12th, 2015.  The book will be sent by postal mail shortly after, and (depending on the location) should arrive in time for the opening episode of Season 2 of When Calls the Heart!

Click HERE to enter! 

OR, visit our Facebook giveaway event HERE!

Where Trust Lies is the second book in the Return to the Canadian West series, written by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan.  (Please read my full review here).  It is also a companion story to Hallmark Channel’s delightful original series entitled When Calls the Heart, which premiered in the winter of 2014.  A second season is set to air on April 25, 2015.

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Music Review – ‘Write Your Story’ by Francesca Battistelli

Write Your Story imageWith special thanks to our new music editor, we are excited to share a music review for a beautiful song, Write Your Story by Francesca Battistelli, from the album If We’re Honest…

 

With a toe-tapping, get-up-and-go beat, catchy and fun instrumentals, inspiring and uplifting lyrics – not to mention fantastic vocal talent – Write Your Story is an ideal song to start your day off right. With enthusiasm and excitement, Francesca Battistelli explores the wonders of God’s power and majesty while mainly communicating His desire to Continue reading →

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A Brand-New Christmas Story!

Angel Dreams imageAlthough beautiful autumn weather often makes it feel more like summer than fast-approaching winter, now is the perfect time to start selecting some new Christmas-themed stories to read before and during the holiday season…  And I just might have a suggestion you will enjoy!

One of my favorite authors (and certainly the most influential writer in my life) is Michael Phillips.  Recently he announced that he has co-authored a special Christmas ‘fantasy’ entitled Angel Dreams.  According to Mr. Phillips’ facebook page,  this story takes place mostly during the fall months and Christmas season – making this the perfect time of year to enjoy it!  Officially released just last week, Angel Dreams is available from Amazon, CreateSpace, or directly from Mr. Phillips’ website.  According to Continue reading →

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Not Who I Imagined – A Special Guest Review

This post was written by one of our followers, as a special guest review.  Prairie Sky Book Reviews would like to thank H.B.E. for her contribution to our blog!

Not Who I Imagined cover“Can you fathom the possibility that anything you could possibly fear in this life or the next is overwhelmingly conquered by the reality of your eternal belovedness?”  This is a line taken from author Margot’s Starbuck’s “Not Who I Imagined”, a March, 2014 release from Baker Books publishers.  With a tone of honesty and humour, Ms. Starbuck’s book will take you on a thought-provoking journey of discovering the character of God anew.

Whether consciously, or subconsciously, we form beliefs as to whether God is distant, disappointed, and angry, or close, caring, and loving.  Those beliefs, whether positive or negative, are often formed by others (relative, friend, coworker, etc.) who are, or have been in our lives.  In this book you will uncover the truths that say:

**You are loved and accepted just as you are.

**You are worthy of being loved and accepted.

**God is not a distant deity, but a closely involved Heavenly Father who calls you “beloved”.

**There is absolutely nothing that you have done, or possibly could do that will make Him love and accept you any less.

To all of these statements, I give a hearty “Amen!”.  “Not Who I Imagined”, though at times written in a hard-to-follow style, comes through loud and clear on these points, and many others.  However, with her emphasis upon the fact that we are loved and accepted just as we are, the author gave me the impression, whether intended or not, that when we acknowledge a fault in ourselves, we do not have to point our efforts towards overcoming that fault.  Although I do not know if this is the impression intended, it did come through to me, and it is one that I disagree with.

But, all considered, “Not Who I Imagined”  is a beautiful book which should not be missed by any person who has ever asked themselves “Am I worthy?”.  Don’t overlook your chance to gaze into the true face of God… the Face which defines you as nothing less than beloved.

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from BakerBooks, a division of Baker Publishing Group”.

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Beloved Author Returns After Retirement!

Where Courage CallsSeveral years ago, Janette Oke co-wrote (with T. Davis Bunn) what many believed to be her final story, the conclusion to the Acts of Faith series.  We recently discovered, however, that Janette and her daughter, Laurel Oke Logan, have together written another story entitled Where Courage Calls.This is not just another prairie romance, though…  Inspired by an unlikely series of events, the background story for this novel is quite interesting – and a little confusing.

More than 2o years ago, Janette began writing a series of books called The Canadian West.  The first book in the series – When Calls the Heart – was soon followed by three sequels.  More than ten years later, another two titles were added to the series, making a total of six books. Each of these books holds a special place in our hearts, because not only is the main character, Elizabeth Thatcher, one of the best ‘book friends’ we’ve ever met, the series also takes place very close to home, on the western prairies of Canada.

In 2012, we discovered that a movie was in the process of being made, based on the novel When Calls the Heart.  Earlier this month, that movie of the same name was finally released on DVD.  It was a joy to watch!  Although the storyline did not follow the book in numerous ways, the overall tone was the same and we greatly enjoyed it.  The ending, however, was left wide open for sequels, or as the case may be… A television series!  After doing a little research, it became clear that this newly released movie is actually the pilot for a new series being released on the Hallmark channel, starting in January.  The series will follow the adventures of characters exclusive to the movie (not mentioned in the book series), and leave where the pilot movie left off.

Now, you may be asking what all this movie information has to do with Janette Oke’s newest novel.  Well, reportedly Janette is fully supportive of both the movie and t.v. series – so much so that her newest story is based on these productions!  Yes, it’s true.  Where Courage Calls draws from the story made for television, and helps to intertwine the books and movie/series into one complex story.  That was unexpected, wouldn’t you agree?

If you are interested in the new movie, check out this official trailer:

So, what do you think?  Do you plan on watching the new movie and sequel series?  How about reading the new book?  Or maybe you will just stick with the original Canadian West book series…  In any case, we’d love to hear from you!  Please share your comments below.

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Exciting Movie Sequel News

Have you watched ‘The Ultimate Gift’ yet?  If you haven’t, we invite you to take a look at the movie trailer for this touching family movie.  If you have watched it, you will be excited to know the story’s sequel, ‘The Ultimate Life’, is being released to DVD next month, December 10!  It looks like it will be another great film depicting more of Jason’s story as a changed man, but of course we’ll have to wait to find out…

While we are (impatiently!) waiting, we thought you might like to view the trailer for the upcoming release.  It looks as though Jason is played by a different actor, one you may recognize as Willie from the ‘Love Comes Softly’ movie series!