The Distant Beacon

Song of Acadia #4

by Janette Oke, T. Davis Bunn

"Anne's sorrow over her husband's death has been eased by the unexpected discovery of his heritage in the Harrow

family and by her marriage to a brilliant young theologian. But Nicole is as restless as ever and has decided to retutn to North America. Should she go to the Acadian family of her childhood in Louisiana's bayous? Or should she settle in Nova Scotia near her birth parents? The American colonies are in revolt against England, and Uncle Charles asks her to go to Massachusetts to oversee his extensive landholdings. The attentions of the ship's captain during the crossing touch a yearning deep within her, but she also realizes all her loyalties are about to be tested. Is she French? Is she English? Is she a supporter of the American cause? Nicole's unique legacy will allow her to play an extraordinary role in the unfolding historic events, but will she be able to find a home for her heart?"

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Historical, Romance, Christian Romance

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Janette Oke is a Canadian author known for her inspirational fiction, often set in a pioneer era and focused on female protagonists. Her debut novel, Love Comes Softly (1979), became the foundation for a successful series, followed by over 75 other novels. The first book in her Canadian West series, When Calls the Heart (1983), inspired the popular television series of the same name.
Born in Champion, Alberta, to farmers Fred and Amy (née Ruggles) Steeves during the Great Depression, Oke went on to graduate from Mountain View Bible College in Didsbury, Alberta, where she met her future husband, Edward Oke, who later became the president of the college. The couple has four children, including a daughter who has collaborated with Janette on several books.
A committed Evangelical Christian, Oke has authored numerous works exploring themes of faith. She has received various accolades for her contributions to Christian fiction, including the 1992 President's Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award.

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

About this book:

“Anne's sorrow over her husband's death has been eased by the unexpected discovery of his heritage in the Harrow family and by her marriage to a brilliant young theologian. But Nicole is as restless as ever and has decided to return to North America. Should she go to the Acadian family of her childhood in Louisiana's bayous? Or should she settle in Nova Scotia near her birth parents? The American colonies are in revolt against England, and Uncle Charles asks her to go to Massachusetts to oversee his extensive landholdings. The attentions of the ship's captain during the crossing touch a yearning deep within her, but she also realizes all her loyalties are about to be tested. Is she French? Is she English? Is she a supporter of the American cause? Nicole's unique legacy will allow her to play an extraordinary role in the unfolding historic events, but will she be able to find a home for her heart?”


Series: Book #4 in the “Songs of Acadia” series. {Reviews of Book #1 Here! #2 Here! and #3 Here!}


Spiritual Content- Many, many Prayers; Scriptures are quoted; Bible reading; Many, many talks about God, & trusting Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Gordon thinks Nicole’s faith is too dependent *Spoiler* but later changes his mind on that *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of Church going; Mentions of those in the Bible.


Negative Content- War & guns are shot (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of hangings; Mentions of tobacco.


Sexual Content- two hand kisses; Nearness & Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); A married couple embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); A man asks Nicole for a kiss (which she says no); A little bit of love, falling in love & the emotions.

-Nicole Harrow
-Gordon Goodwin
P.O.V. switches between them, Catherine (a few), Anne(once), Mitchell(one) & Pastor Collins (once)
Set in 1778 (assuming, we’re not told)
217 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Four Stars
Older High School Teens- Five Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars (and a half)
Oh my goodness! This—I—she—ahhh! Wow, just wow. Ahem.
This series is unbelievable (in a good way) on how clean is it! Like I said in the first book in this series’ review, I would love to see more authors in the Christian Fiction world like Janette Oke! So clean and full of Spiritual Content, now that’s a good read.


Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love this one! The story draws me in from the beginning and by the middle I feel breathless, hastening to read the next page to see what happens. This has been my favorite of the whole series every time I've read it, and I still am not swayed from that!

Nicole must find her place in the world. She travels to the colonies to see the land Uncle Charles gave her, but arriving she finds devestation all around her created by the war between America and England. Gordon Goodwin, wishes for her hand, but because he does not believe in God she cannot accept.

At first the story seems typical. Saved young woman cannot marry an unsaved, handsome young man. But it is not cheesy as so many stories go. They did not start a relationship, even though they loved each other.

I very much like Gordon's character. It is wonderful to see how he went from believing God was only for woman or those who were weak, to knowing and understanding his need for God.

The last half is the best! The prison scenes, the run from the law, everything with the army, John Jackson, the spy (I was so confused when I first read this!!) and Nicole's bravery through all of it. And of course Gordon's transformation. Can I say again that I love all the focus on the army? They are so dashing!

I'm so happy I read this again. And I'm so happy that Nicole has finally found where she belongs.

Once again some great quotes:

"'With each step that we take with Him, our faith deepens, our steps become more certain. Take your dreams, your fears, your struggles, and use them for stepping stones to Him, my child. Let every issue of life be a means of bringing you closer to the Shepherd.'"

"'Do not speak of unworthiness,'" She said, "'Before God we are unworthy, yet He saw fit to freely give us His grace.'"

[Jenny Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I read this series. Overall, it was engaging with great characters and a moving plot. It was a good entertaining read. Now... it's far, far, far from perfect. Spoiling my complaint because I can't explain it without spoiling:

[spoil]
Just like book #3, this wraps up way too neatly for my tastes. It just wasn't necessary for Louise and Catherine to be blood-relatives. And the discussion they have about their blood connection, IMHO, cheapens the miracle of the rest of their relationship. It's enough that two women of different cultures stepped across the gap to love each other the way they did. It's enough that Anne and Nicole bonded as sisters due to their experiences and faith, without them turning up to be cousins. It just was a silly overstep and I was disappointed. [/spoil]

Even with that complaint, I did really like this book series and do recommend it to anyone who wants a sweet novel that is Christian without being overbearing, has romance without smut, and focuses on real, honest, identifiable women.

[Lisa James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I swept through this one, rather disappointed. First of all, it's actually a middle book in a series, so I didn't get the references to anything that came before this book. It doesn't lend itself well to being a stand alone book. It's also pretty predictable as a plotline, more like a Harlequin romance than a historical fiction, which is what it sounded like. It also NOWHERE classified itself as Christian fiction, which is exactly what it was. Now, if you are INTO that genre, you'll like the book, but go back & read the series from the beginning or you'll be disappointed. I'm not into that, & found the repeated references to religion tedious & a total turn off.

Other than that, Nicole, the main female character, is a pretty nice lady, if too stupid to tell her man how she felt about him just because he wasn't a religious man at the beginning of the book.

[Annalissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot in this book felt so much more alive than the previous books in this series. As always, the Christian content was phenomenal, and the cleanness of the book was really appreciated.
The war does play a major part of the plot, but it's well done. I would have appreciated it with a British perspective more, since it's so rarely portrayed, but since Davis Bunn is American, I guess that wouldn't happen :)
I missed Anne, Charles, Andrew, Catherine, and the characters that figured in the first books. I hope we see the Robichaud's in the next, and last, book!

*mentions of press-ganging, sailors about to be whipped, chains, being thrown in chains, capturing, dangers, several close calls*

[Linda Branich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fourth book in the Song of Acadia series is every bit as good as the first three.

Anne remains in England and Nicole returns to the colonies, despite the fact that war seems imminent between England and her colonies.
Nicole is now a Viscountess and is supposed to be going to the family landholdings in western Massachussetts to continue her Uncle Charles' philanthropy, but finds the estate destroyed, and the ship captain accompanying her on this journey from England and Nicole find sparks smoldering between them. There are a few problems though-- Gordon does not share Nicole's faith, Gordon is betrayed by the British and turns to the Americans, where on his first assignment he was arrested by the British and sentenced to hang. Ten of his men will be whipped and press-ganged. The men left behind on his ship before it was taken had already been press-ganged. Just a small matter of escaping the British before the hanging, swimming in a freezing river to evade bloodhounds and other "little" things like that, and a man calling himself Henri Robichoud, the name of Nicole's father, acting as a British spy unbeknownst to the Americans, make for interesting but tense moments.

A good solid four stars

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uncle Charles bequeathed an estate to Nicole in Massachusetts. She travels there to inherit the property but it is extremely dangerous to travel during the American Revolution. She is restless and wonders who she is and where she belongs. Is she French or English? Is her home in Nova Scotia or will America be her new home?

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still like the Revolutionary War setting with characters who are not sold on one side or the other, but are just trying to get along. Had it not been for that, my enjoyment of the book would likely have dropped down to three stars.

My complaints are mainly about the main characters. Nicole got on my nerves for most of the book. So indecisive, weeping at every turn, acting like an entitled British nobility, and never actually formulating a real plan of action. Not to mention her so-called "denying her feelings," although the author told me many times, I figured she would have figured it out, as well. On that point, I think it was the writing that bugged me more than Nicole's character.

Then we've got Captain Gordon Goodwind. For the life of me, I can't imagine why anyone would be attracted to this man (then again, it's Nicole we're talking about. I must say they make a good pair). He is basically like a wet noodle. For the whole book, he does basically nothing. He displays no personality, other than keeping God at arm's length. For most of the book, he takes such noncommittal stance on American independence. For most of the book, he can't even counteract Nicole's infuriating attempts to keep from expressing his true feelings. I saw nothing in him to admire. Once I began to see his character arc progress in a Christian-like direction, I lost hope that he and Nicole would part ways romantically.

Now, I did very much like Sergeant John Jackson. No, I suppose he's not suitable marriage material, but at least he's more interesting.

As with all the books in the series, the style of writing is pretty mellow and quiet, even when dealing with extremely dangerous and tense situations. And in this book, the characters' actions during the climax did not obviously align with biblical commandments. I'm not saying they did wrongly, but though a relationship with God was stressed to be important, godly truths were not clearly displayed through the plot.

(I beg pardon for all that tense switching above--I confess laziness in trying to choose one tense that will satisfy all my thoughts)

[Peggy N · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Distant Beacon is the fourth book in the Song of Acadia series by Janette Oke. I have read all four and have enjoyed the series very much. In The Distant Beacon, Nicole Harrow returns to the American Colonies in a time of war with the British. She comes as a Viscountess of Harrow to claim the lands that her uncle Charles Harrow has given to her. Because Lord Charles Harrow had spoken on behalf of the colonies in Parliament and against the war, the American government had gifted him the land in Massachusetts. He gave the land to Nicole to assist those who were hurt by the war, who were widowed or orphaned. With excitement she and Captain Gordon Goodwin who brought her to America and was her escort and protector, went to locate the lands she had been given. Much to their dismay the war had ravaged the beautiful home her uncle had built and it was left in ruins. The book is a love story between Captain Goodwin and Nicole, but a love unfulfilled because he did not share Nicole's faith in God. He knew God and believed when it was convenient. She felt God would not bless a marriage with one who was not a true believer, so even though she loved Gordon she felt she could not marry him. Saddened that she would not marry him, Gordon and his men sought to join the colonists in the war against the British, as the British had commandeered his ship and pressganged his crew to crew the ship. In his anger he sought to help the colonists and was to assist in getting supplies by boat to the military lines. Shortly thereafter, Captain Goodwin and some of his men were given over to the British as spies by a traitor in the colonists ranks and Captain Goodwin was to be hanged. The story continues as Nicole who is facing hardships of her own seeks to save Captain Goodwin and his men. I loved the book, but the author stops before I really have had enough of any of her stories. She always leaves you wanting to know a little more. This book is no exception. There are many twist and turns in this story and God is on every page. A very enjoyable read.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 4th sequal in the Song of Acadia series, and perhaps my favorite by far! I was blessed enough to find a copy while on vacation, just in time to read the next book I was on in the series! :D Yippee!!

Nicole is now a Vicountess traveling to a new home in the American colonies. But with England and the colonies on the brink of war with one another, all Nicole's hopes and dreams for a settled life and home are dashed to pieces in a moment. With the dashing Gordon Goodwind paying suit, both her heart and her faith will be tested past her own limits, forcing her to lean on Someone Greater. But does the dashing Captain Goodwind share her faith as well as her heart? And when someone who was once dear betrays Nicole, what will she do?

“We mustn't let temporary setbacks in a temporary world cause us to retreat and fail to keep that hope alive.”

“God is not blind. Nor powerless. He has other ways, other means. Though the devil often appears to be the victor, he is not. Only momentarily at seeming advantage. But the tide will turn. God has other ways to accomplish His purposes. He has not been blindsided, of that you can be certain.”

“Take your dreams, your fears, your struggles, and use them for stepping stones to Him, my child. Let every issue of life be a means of bringing you closer to the Shepherd.”

A beautiful tale of faith and courage. My own heart echoed Nicole's struggles, and the faith message is beyond encouraging. Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn have done it again and woven history, fiction and faith together into a magnificient story.

[Nadine Keels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughts on the entire series.

With these novels, I joined the ranks of readers who know what it is to be in the midst of a series, waiting, even with bated breath, for the next book in the series to be published.

I appreciate the style and language that Bunn clearly brought into this co-written historical fiction saga with Oke. I remember being totally engrossed and on edge during a certain crucial stretch in The Meeting Place and was floored by the unembellished end to that nerve-racking rush: “And then it began to rain.” I grew attached to the characters over the course of the series, though I’ll admit I got a bit weary during the fifth novel, as while some of the characters were yet making more grand departures from one another, I lost the sense of what they were actually getting done, apart from moving around the globe.

I might’ve been missing and/or forgetting things, though, weary in general after doing so much waiting, and I don’t regret a minute I spent with this saga.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this one to be a lot more exciting than the previous books. I really enjoyed the Revolutionary War setting. The main complaint I had about this book was that Gordon Goodwind's conversion just didn't resonate with me. It felt forced, contrived, convenient, and unnecessary. It would have been so much more interesting for Nicole to accept that he had a quieter, more restrained relationship with God, decide to squelch her misgivings, marry him anyways, and then have his faith reinforced and strengthened in a slower, more steady manner in the course of their marriage. I could have also done without Jean DuPruis' reappearance at the end of the book. It was unnecessary to the story.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicole leaves England to forge her own path and take control of her uncle's holdings in western Massachusetts. She faces a tough sea voyage and then finds Massachusetts split between the British and Americans. Her escort Captain Gordon Goodwin is caught by the British and Nicole must use all her ingenuity and money to save him and his friends. In the midst of this struggle, Nicole and Gordon's feelings for each other grow, but Nicole fears to marry a man who doesn't share her faith in God. This is another good book by Oke that shows people facing adversity with faith. In addition, this book adds a bit of adventure.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Anne settles in England, Nicole sets off to oversee her Uncle Charles’s property in Massachusetts. Gordon Goodwin acts as her guide as she first visits her parents, then traverses towards Massachusetts. War and devastation lie in her way.

As Nicole travels, she wonders if she will ever truly find a home, and if she will ever find the right man’s love.

Messages of courageous faith, forgiveness, and love are woven into this book. I won’t give away the exciting twists and turns, but I will say that I loved this riveting and well-written book!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The saga of the war going on kept this book of the series very interesting. Had the betrayal part figured out before the author wrote about it. Can't imagine traveling in long dresses, in the dust and mud - yuck! The love between the married people is very touching - very strong relationships and love spoken about. Their faith in God and always about what he has planned for them - to listen for that answer instead of going it alone. Enjoying this series.

[Donna Bagby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start- continuing story of Nicole as she travels to Massachusetts. Although she encounters love, she is still unable to let go and open her heart to that love. Nicole encounters many dangers and disappointments, but soon she realizes her need to give up the bitterness which came from her displacement.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the 3rd in the Acadian series that I've been reading. I really enjoyed the first and the second wasn't as good to me, but the third one was great!

A story of love, hope and strength coming after perseverance.

[Mummy Cat Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed following Nicole on her life adventure. I felt like I could choose for her. Although the ending seemed obvious, it was still a good read.
This book has more romance added to it since Nicole has a love interest.

[Sandy A Devlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reading

Another book that I just couldn't put down. This story continues where the previous book left off. The authors have a true gift to bring you right into their story. So amazing!

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is really good. it's so romantic. :)

[Partridge Public]

Oke, Janette /Bunn, T.Davis PB

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's really interesting, but a tiny bit confusing... but i love it! "

[Jencey/ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

[Cws]

YA Oke

[Christen · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING

[Penny Lou]

I liked this book. It's a good historical romance with a strong Christian perspective. The best part is that there was no profanity like you find in literature today.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book. There was a section that was a little confusing, but in general a great, uplifting story.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book, certainly, but not a favorite.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this might have been my favorite of the series so far. Staged in 1775ish the American Revolution is a big theme in this book. You should give it a try!

[Sherri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally an interesting one in this series...but a bit confusing and rushed at the end.