Where the Road Bends by Rachel Fordham Review

 Happy Friday Everyone :)

I pray you've all had a great week, and that you're all looking forward to the weekend.

We're about to go into one of the craziest times of the year at work, and I'm really looking forward to this month being over, and things going back more to normal.

One way I've been balancing all the craziness is curling up with great reads for some quiet time to rest and relax, and today I'm excited to share with you all my review of a wonderful recently released Christian historical fiction title.

I hope you'll keep on reading below for my full review.

Where the Road Bends by Rachel Fordham:

Source: Complimentary Copy Provided by the Publisher in Exchange for an Honest Review as Part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: June 7th, 2022

Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction

Synopsis:

As Norah King surveys her family land in Iowa in 1880, she is acutely aware that it is all she has left, and she will do everything in her power to save it--even if that means marrying a man she hardly knows. Days before her wedding, Norah discovers an injured man on her property. Her sense of duty compels her to take him in and nurse him back to health. Little does she realize just how much this act of kindness will complicate her life and threaten the future she's planned.

Norah's care does more than aid Quincy Barnes's recovery--it awakens his heart to possibilities. Penniless and homeless, he knows the most honorable thing he can do is head on down the road and leave Norah to marry her intended. But walking away from the first person to believe in him proves much harder than he imagined.

Rachel Fordham invites you to experience the strength and beauty of love forged in the crucible of hardship in this heartwarming story.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I had read and loved Rachel Fordham's debut release a few years ago, and I'd always wanted to give more of her books a try, but had never gotten around to doing so. I was really drawn to the synopsis of Where the Road Bends, and I was looking forward to diving right on in to another one of her wonderful stories. This one definitely did not disappoint, and I honestly wish I'd jumped into reading another one of her titles way sooner than I did.

This beautiful story talks about redemption and forgiveness, and the need to have a place we feel like we can belong. Norah King has been dealt a harsh hand in life, and an accidental encounter with a man she finds injured on her property sets the wheels in motion for her life to turn out nothing like she planned. When Quincy Barnes wakes up under the care of Norah King, he feels an immediate connection with her, but refuses to stand in the way of the future that's already been set in motion for her. 

When life goes in a different direction than either could have ever expected, they meet under much different circumstances. But as those same feelings start to rekindle, secrets are being hidden beneath the surface that threaten the stability of the new friendship they've found their way into. Can they truly trust God and each other enough to move past the hurt and insecurities, and find their way forward together?

Told in both Quincy and Norah's POV's, Where the Road Bends is a heartwarming and heart wrenching tale of rekindled friendship, and love despite the odds. Rachel Fordham is a fantastic storyteller, and has a brilliant way with words that truly causes the story to come alive on the page for the reader. She's penned another wonderful sweet romance, and it was one that I didn't want to ever see come to an end.

Final Rating: 5/5.

I couldn't have enjoyed this one more, and I highly recommend it.

My only comments would be that if you struggle with reading about some harsher elements, like prostitution, then this book might not be for you. I personally thought these elements were handled tastefully, and I don't think the way they were handled would be an issue for most readers.

Thanks so much to Revell Publishing for allowing me to read and review this one!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.