Book Review: A Haven on Orchard Lane, Lawana Blackwell, Bethany House, 2016

A Haven on Orchard Lane is a delightful novel set in the English countryside near the end of the nineteenth century.  Actress Charlotte Ward married a landed gentleman after she left working on the stage.  However, the marriage wasn’t as blissful as she’d hoped and when she received an offer to return to the stage she couldn’t resist.  When she is thrown back in with her estranged daughter, they both have to come to grips with mistakes from the past and find the path God has for them.

The book tackles some really tough issues but handles them with grace.  When pair of young boys need these ladies’ love and we have to face child abuse.  Charlotte has to face the fact that she has rushed into three marriages without really consulting God about the decisions.  Ultimately, Charlotte risks losing the serenity of Orchard Lane, in order to fulfill God’s current calling on her life.

A Haven on Orchard Lane is written from the point of view of a couple of different characters.  I enjoyed this change and felt it was smooth throughout the book.  The epilogue gives a great conclusion to the various story lines and we see not only that the characters live happily ever after, but just how they live.

I would certainly recommend A Haven on Orchard Lane to you.

Bethany House, the publisher of A Haven on Orchard Lane, supplied a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and impartial review.