No Journey too far is book 2 in the McAlister Family series by Carrie Turansky, published by Multnomah. The story is set in Canada 1919 and is about Garth McAlister as he returns from the Great War. As children believed to be orphans he and his 2 sisters were shipped off to Canada to work on farms and after 10 years of search, his family has still not heard from his sister, Grace. Garth decides to go back in search for her and also for his sweetheart, Emma Lafferty. Grace was adopted by a wealthy family in Toronto and is now about to be launched into Society to get married. She resents the pressure and reaches out to her family in England. Her address reaches Garth, and he visits her. Grace’s adoptive parents are convinced she is an orphan, so they brusquely throw him out, which makes Grace run away. Garth continues his mission to find sweetheart Emma. His skill and connections come in handy when helping her out of some really difficult circumstances.
Main character is ex-Corporal Garth McAlister who seems compassionate, well rounded and likable. As a British Home Child he was badly treated as a farm hand, but seems to have soldiered through without too many emotional scars.
Supporting character is Emma Lafferty seems quite level headed and assertive as she figures out who to contact for information about Garth. From time to time she gets doubts Garth commitment, but I was pleased to see regains her trust again. I found her easy to like and my favorite of this story.
I read No Journey too far as a standalone which worked perfectly, but reading book one first would give the complete picture of the McAlister family. The parts about Garth’s life within his family were my absolute favorites of the story. I didn’t know much about British Home Children or about American farm life in the 1900s, so it felt like I learned a lot by reading this story.
I enjoyed how the spiritual element was at the forefront for most of the story. Grace was adopted by a family who only went to church a few times a year. They didn’t pray or read the Bible, so Grace’s spiritual journey seemed to begin when she found the family Bible and started reading it in secret.
This is the last in the 2 book series, and I wonder what Carrie Turansky’s next book will be about. Anyone who enjoys historical romance will enjoy this one. As will fans of Carrie Turansky’s other works. Similar authors to explore might be Laura Frantz or Jody Hedlund.
Thank you to Multnomah, Carrie Turansky and NetGalley for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.
Conclusion: No Journey too far takes ex-corporal Garth McAlister to Canada in search of his sweetheart and his lost sister, Grace. He helps Grace escape her wealthy and powerful adoptive parents and he has to use all his skill and connections to help his sweetheart out of her difficulties for them to have a future together.
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