REVIEW: To the Farthest Shores by Elizabeth Camden

To the Farthest Shores
by Elizabeth Camden

Publisher: Bethany House
Page Count: 330
Release Date: April 4, 2017
Format: E-Book

How got: ARC via NetGalley

First attention getter: already followed author and pretty cover

Synopsis:

From GoodReads:

The unpredictability of her upbringing prepared army nurse Jenny Bennett to face any challenger at the Presidio Army base, but the sudden reappearance in her life of the dashing naval officer who broke her heart six years ago is enough to rattle even her.

Lieutenant Ryan Gallagher is one of the few men in the world qualified to carry out a daring government mission overseas--an assignment that destroyed his reputation and broke the heart of the only woman he ever loved. Honor-bound never to reveal where he was during those years, he can't tell Jenny the truth, or it will endanger an ongoing mission and put thousands of lives at risk.

Ryan thinks he may have finally found a solution to his impossible situation, but he needs Jenny's help. While her loyalty to her country compels her to agree, she was too badly hurt to fall for Ryan again despite his determination to win her back. When an unknown threat from Ryan's past puts everything at risk--including his life--can they overcome the seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against them in time?

My Thoughts:

Star Rating - 2

Unfortunately, this volume of Camden‘s was not my cup of tea. In fact, I think it stands as my least favorite of hers. She still has that special touch in finding the obscure in history and weaving an intricate historical background and story. It’s her lead characters and their chemistry together I’ve got an issue with.

Intriguing and not well known, the early spy scene pre-World War I was a fascinating choice as background for her story. She does a fantastic job in exploring the early methods of spy training and of the requirements for such a position. The motivations for an individual to choose such a shadowy career path, given the preoccupation with honor and reputation in society at the time, also added a unique depth to the story and the reasons the characters did what they did.

Her Christian values component was handled OK to a point, being very important themes to promote. The themes of forgiveness and compromise made themselves known with no problems. Yet, that’s where this part faltered a bit also. There were times where I felt the forgiveness theme was pushed too hard. They felt pushed down my throat, definitely not how Camden‘s themes have been handled in the past. Her subtlety in this area were sorely lacking in this newest novel.

When it comes to the lead’s personalities, Camden didn’t do too badly. They’re not outstanding but their workable. I like Jenny’s gritty determination to make something of herself and her courage to face the problems of her past to build a future. I also liked Ryan’s gentle nature and caring heart. If ever there was an individual not suited for spy work, I think it be him. He’s too honest and sweet; yet somehow he pulled it off for years so there must be some hidden depths there.

Individually these two people stand out; together, they are a mess. They don’t work at all. There’s no chemistry there. I felt Jenny was too strong a personality for Ryan; she’d run right over him domestically. The will and determination I admired in her would subsume Ryan’s gentleness with a vengeance. I just don’t see them working together, and the narrative shows that. I got extremely bored with their interactions, wishing like crazy that Jenny we just move onto another man who fit her better. In fact, I felt Finn was a far better fit for her personality wise, even though he wasn’t in the running.

While I’ve admired Camden‘s works in the past for their subtle interweaving of Christian themes (especially important for her non-Christian readers like me), her obscure historical backgrounds, and strong yet human characters, this newest addition to her body of work doesn’t stand up. Her leads have absolutely no chemistry together, and the subtleness of her themes isn’t there. If ever you’re going to give Camden a try, skip this one. I’d skip it anyway, even if you’re a fan. I’ll still look for her works in the future; I’m thinking this one might’ve been just a bad fluke. Time will tell.

Note: Book received for free from publisher via NetGalley and exchange for an honest review.