22. Where the Road Bends

Where the Road Bends. Rachel Fordham. 2022. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: The small band on her ring finger glistened in the sunlight as Norah King walked the family land she had nearly lost.

Premise/plot: Norah King, our heroine, needs to marry to save her family farm. Jake Granger steps up...mostly because he really wants that farm for his own. But when Norah stumbles across an injured man on her property, a man with severe injuries, a man who is possibly dying, she sees only one way forward: to help him no matter the cost. Of course, she believes that Jake will believe her that when she tells him about the circumstances as to why they are together in her farm house, he will believe the best in her. But her first priority is doing anything and everything to nurse him. The injured man is down on his luck boxer named Quincy Barnes. He has no memory how he came to be there, but, he does know that Norah is sent from God. Taking this as a sign from God, he vows to make a fresh start and start making changes that will make him a better man, a man worthy of someone like Norah. He knows she's engaged to marry. He isn't trying to woo her away from Jake (who wants her farm). 

All of that occurs in the prologue, MOST of this book occurs two years later (circa 1882, still Iowa). Quincy is a new man, a business man, a man with a big heart that wants to make amends for his past mistakes...and one of those mistakes concerns Norah... But knowing that surely Norah is a married woman, he only wants to write her a letter...but that letter ends up being returned to sender... which sends Quincy on an adventure of his own...

My thoughts: I love all the Persuasion love. Persuasion is her favorite book. He goes out of his way to gift her with HER original copy (with an inscription from her mother). He reads it so they can discuss it. They adopt it as "their" own book. It's always nice to see all the love for Captain Wentworth and his letters. But. As much as this novel may be trying to be Persuasion 2.0, I had ALL the vibes from Les Miserables. That could be just me. (I do love Les Miserables.) Both books do have a theme of redemption and second chances. 

I found this a quick, enjoyable read. I loved that it wasn't melodramatic. It had places where it could have gone melodramatic, pushed things into that zone. (There was only one little scene where it might have crossed the line.) 

I loved the romance. I loved Quincy and Norah together. I loved the side characters as well. It was just a well-balanced story that was sweet in all the right ways. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible