Where the Road Bends
by Rachel Fordham
Narrated by Coleen Marlo
Pub Date 07 Jun 2022
Revell
Christian | Historical Fiction | Romance


I am reviewing a copy of Where the Road Bends, through Tantor Audio and Netgalley:



While surveying 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. Just 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.




Nora’s care does more than just 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.




I give Where the Road Bends five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Where the Roads Bends is the first novel by Rachel Fordham I have gotten the privilege of reading. I was drawn to the book by the description that it took place in 1880s Iowa. Being born and raised Wisconsinite, I’m always drawn to a good tale from the Midwest.

The story begins with the tale of Norah King, alone on her family farm after the death of her parents, and days away from a marriage of convenience to save the farm from foreclosure. Her ordinary day is interrupted by the discovery of Quincy Barnes, beaten, and left for dead on her property. Quincy has a past of terrible life choices that have led him to this place. After nursing him back to health, they then part ways with Quincy promising to be a better man as Norah moves forward to wed. But this is not the end of the story. Norah’s choice to take in Quincy will have far reaching consequences. The book then shifts to two years forward and what has happened to both characters. Quincy and Norah’s story has just begun.

The book is a delightful tale. It illustrates some of the harsh realities single women faced during this time. It additionally shines the light on unfortunate choices women were often forced into to survive. However, the arch of the story turns very predictable, especially with the romance. My takeaway from that is that this is a comfortable book to read, one you would choose for amusement and not heavy reading. It feels like a warm, cozy blanket that you enjoy. While it does not ever really leave you hanging in suspense, you enjoy this story nonetheless.

Overall, this book was a delightful read. I received an advanced copy as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Team.

Norah is still reeling from losing her parents, and now she's about to lose the family farm. The only way she can save it is marriage - so she agrees to marry Jake. Following a terrible childhood, Qunicy has been making his living through prize fights, but he hates the life and is eager enough to escape that he throws a fight - and suffers for it. When Norah finds an injured man on her land days before her wedding, she helps him automatically. But as the two spend time together while Quincy heals, an attraction grows between them - an attraction that neither can act on. After all, Quincy is broke and has a shameful past, and Norah needs money to save her farm - so he walks away. But his visit will have repercussions for both. Can a new start be found around the bend in the road, or will the past always be waiting to pounce?

An inspiring story reminding the reader that new beginnings are possible, and that we should be willing to accept that others change - and encourage and help them to change in good directions if we can. But it's more than inspiring - it's also heart-warming, with characters that I quickly came to care for and root for. I loved the way that Quincy 'paid it forward' as soon as he was in a position to do so, as well as trying to make things right in his past. One particular scene was amazing, though I can't give details to avoid spoilers! All in all, a well written and satisfying story, and I look forward to reading more by the author in future.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

I enjoyed this second-chance romance from Rachel Fordham! It was a sweet story of redemption, change, forgiveness, and love. My favorite parts were the references to my favorite Jane Austen novel, Persuasion.

I admired Norah's compassion and work ethic. I admired Quincy's desire to change and then help others to be able to improve their lives as well. The minor characters were also very likeable. However, I found myself wanting a bit more depth to the characters. I loved their personalities, it just felt a little bit surface-level.

While this book dealt with serious issues, it felt very light and even humorous at times.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves second-change love stories, clean romance, or stories with a frontier feel to them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Rachel Fordham for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Where the Road Bends
By Rachel Fordman
Revell Publishing
Rated: 3
Back of the Book: “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.”

Impressions: I began this book with excitement, but the romance turned sour for me as the hero became worshiped by the heroine. The idea of the hero making the dreams and wishes of the heroine come true was sweet at first but became sickly sweet towards the end. I think the idea of the story was good and the characters were interesting.

Quotes:
“‘Who wouldn’t want Anne and Captain Wentworth found? But I don’t have an author weaving words together, ensuring a happy ending. Real life is much more complicated’… ‘You do have an author,’ he whispered. ‘He’s there, working for your good.’”
“‘I believe in a God who can use the worst of circumstances for our good if we’re willing.’”

Norah and Quincy meet in an unusual way. They become fast friends, but Norah is engaged to be married. So, Quincy leaves to start over. Their story continues years later.
Rachel Fordham does a wonderful job and pulling you into this book wanting to know more!! It is well written and I enjoyed the friendships woven I go the story.
I definitely would recommend reading Where the Road Bends and will probably reread it!

I was really excited about this read, having enjoyed [book:A Lady in Attendance|55644810] just about a year ago at this time. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into it; the writing style felt entirely different--stilted and much more telling than showing, nor were the characters or plot particularly compelling.

This is just my second book by the author; I may give another of hers a try and see if I have better luck.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Every book I read by Rachel Fordham solidifies my place as one of her die-hard fans. She has an incredible ability to build stories full of heart and vulnerability, which was definitely the case with Where the Road Bends. Through Norah and Quincy, Fordham tells a beautiful story of healing and forgiveness. My heart ached for both of these characters and the hardships they faced; yet, through faith and determination, they both came out stronger. (Though Quincy definitely needs to work on his communication skills…) While this book was heavy as it navigated loss and abuse, it struck a hopeful tone thanks to a mix of delightful glimpses into the past. I loved getting a taste of baseball fever and seeing town life in 1880 Iowa. Additionally, there are some wonderful side characters who I loved, particularly a precocious little boy who reminded me of my nephews. I greatly enjoyed Where the Road Bends and look forward to future books by Rachel Fordham.

*Thank you to Rachel Fordham, Revell, Netgalley, and JustRead Tours for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book will definitely take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. The author, Rachel Fordham, does a good job showing that no matter how hard life seems, second chances and forgiveness have a way of helping with the healing process. I enjoyed being taken back to the 1800’s and getting lost in this sweet story.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion and review. All words are my own.

This Book Will Make You Feel All the Feels!

I cried, laughed, got mad, was disappointed and so much more! This was a very moving story and worth every moment I spent caught up in it!

I will take with me a very interesting quip “Remember that when life is hard, the vulture’s can’t have you. Keep fighting the good fight!”

Rachel Fordham created a story that tugs at your emotions and allows you to imagine a world where people come together and have each other’s backs. Where grace, forgiveness and honesty are given.

I hope there will be another book in the future that tells of what becomes of Quincy and Norah, Nels or Sam & Alice or even tells Irene’s story.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

One could gush about the hero’s dramatic life-altering decisions that push him to be a better man or one could get lost in Norah’s hope that keeps her hanging on when life knocks her down, but what makes this story unputdownable is the author’s voice in the way she weaves the two main characters’ stories together and apart leaving the reader wondering just how all this will work out in the end. With any romance novel, the reader is assured of the HEA, the trick for an author is to still lead the reader on by wondering exactly how it will all happen. Rachel Fordham delights her readers with almosts, twists, disappointments, and redeeming moments. Movies have a montage of characters falling love over the course of a single song, but through daily events and conversations this story progresses with wit and humor. This book will have you rooting for all the characters, even the fully-fleshed out secondary ones.

It’s been some time since I’ve read a historical romance book that was such a pleasure to read. I finished it in two days and I’m still thinking about the story and the characters.

I really enjoy Rachel Fordham's historical romances.!

I appreciate that the two main characters got to know each other and have true character arcs instead of the usual insta love or hater to lovers trope. They are two broken people that had that sacrificial love for each other. Rachel has a knack to have homey characters in small town feels that are reminiscint of Little House on the Praire. There are a few gritty elements that are in here about a brothel but they aren't exlicit, I would have liked to have more faith content but that's ok.

4 stars!

I have come to trust Rachel Fordham as a writer whose books will never disappoint me. She is one of my favourite authors and she proves why in Where the Road Bends. A book you will love from beginning to end.

The chemistry between Norah and Quincy is apparent from the get-go. They are instantly attracted to each other and of course circumstances being what they are (she is engaged, he's homeless) have them both doing the right thing and parting ways. Fortunately, the author doesn't leave us hanging and two years after their first meeting we find out what has happened to Quincy and Norah. And it is here where the novel picks up its pace and keeps you riveted to the last page.

I found myself yelling at Quincy at various points in the book. He wanted to do the "right" thing for Norah and everything seemed to be going well. But his attempts to do something noble were so stupid I just wanted to slap him upside the head. I love novels that get me invested like that! And you will too.

If you love historical romance you cannot go wrong with Where the Road Bends.

I received a review copy courtesy of Revell through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Rachel Fordham has penned another sweet romance that will tug at your heartstrings! Where the Road Bends is inspirational and swoony—I loved Quincy and Norah’s relationship. Norah’s reaction to the trauma in her past was portrayed well, but I wouldn’t have minded a bit more concrete details about her life between her first meeting with Quincy and where their story picks up. I will admit, it took awhile for me to get hooked on the story, but once I did I didn’t put it down. I was very excited to see Sam (from Fordham’s novel A Life Once Dreamed) again—he definitely deserved his happy ending! Part of me felt like the ending was a bit rushed, but it was very sweet and satisfying. Fans of historical romance should definitely add Fordham’s books to their TBR! 3.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Where the Road Bends is a beautiful story of second chances, redemption, forgiveness, and hope. The story opens as Norah King is about to marry a man she hardly knows to save her land and secure her future. Days before her wedding she finds a badly injured man on her property and brings him to her house to treat his wounds. This act will drastically change the course of her life and that of the injured man. Quincy Barnes has had a rough life and is down on his luck when Norah finds him. Although he’s attracted to Norah, he feels he needs to leave her to the life she’s chosen since he has no way to help her save her farm.

“I think you should hold on to that desire and follow where the road bends. You can have a different life.”

As the story picks up two years later, Quincy has landed on his feet. Unexpected events bring Quincy and Norah together, but they are both changed by the past. I enjoyed the relationship and growth between the two. Rachel Fordham creates wonderful, endearing main characters and engaging secondary characters, and the plot caught my interest and kept it to the end of the tale. 4.5 stars

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Revell through LibraryThing. All opinions are my own.

“Nothing in my life has gone how I thought it would, but it’s all getting me to where I want to be. I’d live it all again. It was my road to you.”

Loved this story! Rachel Fordham has such a brilliant way of creating characters who pull you in and don’t let go. There were so many things that touched me about this story; the way the characters rescue each other, their perseverance and faith, and finding hope in life’s challenging circumstances. The references to Jane Austen’s Persuasion also added much appreciated enjoyment to the book.

Set in 1880’s Iowa, Norah didn’t know what she was getting into when she rescues a man she finds on her property near the brink of death. She’s made up her mind to marry a man she doesn’t love in order to save her family farm. But as she nurses Quincy, a battered and bruised ex-fighter, their fast friendship and the ease in which they communicate makes her long for something more. Norah’s sunny disposition and sweet personality capture Quincy’s heart. His teasing, forthright, rough-around-the-edges personality allows Norah to be herself and she has no problem opening up and sharing her dreams with him. He wishes circumstances were different and he could offer her more.

Though Quincy’s not quite healed, he leaves in order to prevent problems with Norah’s much older fiancé. When the two part ways, both are determined to make the best out of life. In the two years since, life’s twists and turns have led to very different circumstances. Can these two find happiness and a second chance at love?

This story had so many unexpected twists. I loved the way Quincy changes himself and his life because of Norah. I love how Norah learns to not let her fears overcome her. She’s such a strong character and I enjoyed seeing her willingness to forgive and learning to trust in the friendship and love of others. Quincy is such a lovable “rogue” as Norah calls him. He wants to do everything to fulfill Norah’s dreams and I was impressed by the ways he uses his wealth to help others. There are several memorable side characters who really add a lot of depth and richness to the story, including a young boy who Quincy takes in. I enjoyed this little scamp and his hard working personality. There’s also a nasty villain who causes some difficult problems for Norah and Quincy.

It’s a hard to put down story with great messages of love, hope, and triumph over life’s difficult circumstances. Highly recommend to fans of historical Christian fiction, and historical romance. Thanks to the author and publisher for the complimentary advanced copy. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.

Where The Road Bends is a beautifully poignant book which carries us back in time to life in the Midwest in the 1880s. This is a story that drew me in right away and has lingered with me long after I finished reading.

I liked Norah King immediately. When we first meet Norah, she is planning to be married, not for love, but in hopes of saving the family farm. I loved this strong young woman who took of her shoes and stockings to go barefoot in the creek (unheard of in the 1880s), yet who also loved to read Jane Austen.

While Norah is enjoying the walk in the creek, she discovers an badly injured man face down in the water. Norah manages to rescue him from the creek and nurses him back to health before he sets of on his way. When we meet Quincy Barnes again, his life is much improved. But he has not forgotten Norah.

This multilayered story is exquisitely written. The characters are very real, and the setting so clearly described, I felt as though I had landed in a field in Iowa in days long past. Rachel Fordham has given us a captivating historical romance, but she has given us so much more. This is a love story, but it is also a story of forgiveness and redemption and second chances. It was a joy to read!

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to give a positive review.

Norah King has agreed to marry a local gentleman who can pay the debts on her family farm in Iowa in 1880. Meanwhile, a street fighter, Quincy Barnes, is kicked off a train and left for dead on Norah's property. As she nurses him back to health, they enjoy each other's company and admire each other's strengths. Quincy leave as soon as he possible can to keep Norah from encountering trouble with her fiance. The story involves what happend to each of them and how they reconnected. This is a surprisingly sweet and endearing story. I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it.

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my own honest opinion.

The story opens in 1880, Iowa, where readers meet Norah King walking her property, when she notices a bunch of crows circling. She's curious as to what they have discovered, to her surprise it's a badly injured man.

Quincy Barnes’s wakes up in a strange house, with a woman he’s never seen. Norah has done her best to nurse this man back to health. Against Norah’s wishes he leaves before he’s completely healed. Quincy doesn’t want her to get in trouble with her fiancé. Norah was to marry within about a week.

Both Norah and Quincy never expected their lives to take such unexpected turns, after they parted. I, too, was surprised what happened to these two. The story and its main, and minor characters really touched my heart. I liked how the author included a boy abandoned by his father looking for a home filled with love, and how Quincy took him in like this author does for the foster children they love for a while getting them ready for their forever home.

A few times while reading I thought the author had gotten to the end and then was pleasantly surprised when the story went deeper. I enjoyed the tender, teary eyed moments sprinkled throughout the story.

I liked what this author said in a note to readers, “This novel was written at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. My husband was home from work, my children were home from school, and we were all wondering what the future held. Obstacles and questions were not simply something in the novel I was writing, but they were part of our lives as well. Like Norah and Quincy, we had to choose to make the best of the circumstances we found ourselves in. Even though life was strange and unpredictable, so many people helped me make this novel a reality.”

I enjoyed this story and the cast of characters. I also liked the mantra she had Quincy and Norah say throughout the book,…”Remember that when life is hard, the vultures can’t have you! Keep fighting the good fight.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book by the publisher/NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog https://psalm516.blogspot.com/

I loved this book, the author just kept giving, and I kept page turning!

The book opens with a body, and buzzards circling, Norah happens to see the birds and discover the man, and then we see her struggle to help, including throwing rocks at the birds!

This book pulled me in and didn't let go, there is so much going on, and second chances, guilt, forgiveness, and living ones faith! I loved how these characters kept giving back to help their fellow man, and didn't step down in times of adversity! There are some unsavory people here, and we wish for them not to succeed, but there are also some that bring a smile, especially Nels. Come and get lost in the 1880's in Iowa!

We are gifted with an Epilogue!

I received this book through the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.