The Calling of Ella McFarland Audiobook By Linda Brooks Davis cover art

The Calling of Ella McFarland

Women of Rock Creek, Book 1

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The Calling of Ella McFarland

By: Linda Brooks Davis
Narrated by: Nicole Rowland
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Ella McFarland sits on the precipice of her life's dream: teaching at Worthington School for Girls. But in the male dominated world of 1905, scandal clouds her family name and may limit her to grueling farm labor in Indian Territory.

As hope for Oklahoma statehood rises, a new love buds in her heart, and the woman's suffrage debate rages, Ella encounters an abused sharecropper's daughter, forcing her to make decisions she never imagined about her faith, family, and aspirations. What toll will the turmoil demand of Ella's dream? And what call might God lay on her heart?

©2018 Linda Brooks Davis (P)2022 Linda Brooks Davis Christian Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Heartfelt
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The Calling of Ella McFarland is the first book in Linda Brooks Davis’s Women of Rock Creek series. The author was looking for reviewers, and seeing as I enjoy historical romance and audiobooks, I took a chance. I only wish I’d done a little more research before jumping in.

This book follows Ella for about a year in her life as a young woman in the territory that would become Oklahoma around the turn of the 20th century. Ella faces the possibility of not getting her dream job, so she turns to helping a young neighbor girl with a basic education, and then things start to steamroll. The author explores the suffrage movement during that time as well as family dynamics. Obviously, the author did her research on the time and area.

The story has Christian themes woven throughout, which I felt could have been explored a little more in-depth. There’s one point where Ella’s faith is tested, and it was just too easily bypassed. But in the end, there was about the right level of faith that it didn’t feel terribly preachy.

My main problem with this book was I thought it lacked focus. Yes, it was basically Ella’s coming-of-age story, but I felt I was getting jerked around, and the author would focus on one thing for ages, and then suddenly, we’ve switched gears. I walked away from this book, not really sure how I felt. I think part of that was not really connecting with the character of Ella, which in turn made it hard to care where the story went.

The narration by Nicole Rowland got better as the story evolved. In the beginning, it was very choppy, and I’ll admit that I was a little nervous as to how I was going to get through this nine-hour listen. However, Ms. Rowland settled in, and her pacing and cadence found their rhythm. And she was even able to emote and create voices for most of the characters.

The Calling of Ella McFarland is a solid historical fiction with strong Christian themes. Ms. Davis is able to weave an interesting tale, but for me, I found it to need a little more focus. This book wasn’t quite my cup of tea, but historical fiction fans may want to take a look at this series.

Wasn't my cup of tea

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Listener received this title free

I enjoyed this audiobook, the first book in Linda Brooks Davis’ Women of Rock Creek series, which features Ella McFarland, a young woman seeking God’s direction for her life in early 20th century Oklahoma Territory. Times were changing and the women’s suffrage movement was in full swing. Ella’s usually close-knit and supportive family were less so with Ella’s interest and involvement in the movement. Ella’s desire to help disadvantaged women and children intersected with an ongoing mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young woman in her care as well as the suspicious behavior of a few secondary characters. The sweet romance developed slowly and endured its own trials before reaching a very satisfying conclusion. While the genre of Christian historical romance can include varying levels of spirituality depending upon the story and author, faith is an integral part of this story and there are numerous references to prayer, hymns, and seeking the Lord’s guidance. Christian romance is my favorite genre so I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I mention this so that readers not seeking books with strong faith themes know ahead of time what they can expect and be fair in their evaluation of them. If you are a fan of Christian historical romance with strong faith themes, then this is a book you should check out.

I received a free audiobook copy from the author from a giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed here are completely my own.

Faith, Romance, and Changing Times

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