An ideal sanctuary and a dream come true–that’s what Margaret Lane feels as she takes in God’s gorgeous handiwork in Mount Rainier National Park. It’s 1927 and the National Park Service is in its youth when Margie, an avid naturalist, lands a coveted position alongside the park rangers living and working in the unrivaled splendor of Mount Rainier’s long shadow. But Chief Ranger Ford Brayden is … Brayden is still haunted by his father’s death on the mountain, and the ranger takes his work managing the park and its crowd of visitors seriously. The job of watching over an idealistic senator’s daughter with few practical survival skills seems a waste of resources.
When Margie’s former fiancé sets his mind on developing the Paradise Inn and its surroundings into a tourist playground, the plans might put more than the park’s pristine beauty in danger. What will Margie and Ford sacrifice to preserve the splendor and simplicity of the wilderness they both love?
Karen Barnett’s vintage national parks novels bring to vivid life President Theodore Roosevelt’s vision for protected lands, when he wrote in Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter: “There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods, the Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Three Tetons; and our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred.”
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I enjoyed the history of Mt Rainier, which happens to be in my back yard. I grew up driving the road to Paradise and hiking in and around the park. It was fun to read and interesting characters.
this was a fun adventure
The book dealt well with our need to protect our National and Dyate parks. A few parts of the heroines adventures were unrealistic but didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story.
I loved this book. I am a great fan of our national parks. This book had romance, National Park info, and mystery all rolled into one. Cannot wait to read another book by this author.
I first chose this book because of the setting—Mount Rainier National Park, one of THE most fascinating places I’ve visited! Terrific main characters, thrown together in an unlikely working relationship, find that each can learn from the other.
I loved my escape into this delightful story while also peeking into the historical challenges of maintaining the pristine atmosphere of Mt. Rainier National Park. I appreciated Karen giving us a female naturalist as the protagonist. It’s nice to read a character who is kind, but also determined to fight against the “wrongs” presented in the story. She perseveres in the fight in spite of her own fears and seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Hard to put down!
I love going places, especially to national parks, and The Road to Paradise took me on a trip to a park I had not visited, Mount Rainier National Park. I loved the historic details as well as the setting details and knowing the author was a former park ranger gave credibility to the story. The reading was light and easy and just a feel-good book, even though the bad guy made me worry about the park. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I enjoy reading historical romance novels. Especially novels that take place during the twentieth century. Historical novels allow me to experience the past even though I’m living in the twenty-first century. With Karen Barnett’s newest novel, The Road to Paradise, is a great historical novel that sheds some light on the national parks. With a historical novel, I expect to be interacted with the time period and the circumstances affect the lives of the character and the plot to be interesting enough to carry me through.
Barnett’s writing is clear and concise. While she had the characters of Margie and Ford Brayden wander through the Mount Rainer National Park, I felt like I was right alongside them as they explored this untamed wilderness. She brought the wild into my imagination, allowing me to explore with the characters.
As for the characters of Margie and Ford, I really enjoyed spending time with them. Margie is a strong heroine who wants to explore the wilderness, which is totally out of character for that time period. While Margie has went against her parents’ wishes, I admire her on how she stands up for what she believes in. She really doesn’t care what others think. She wants to protect the wilderness, and nothing will stop her. As for Ford, he is the character who really transforms in this novel. He changes from someone who doesn’t really believe in God to a character who surrenders his life to God. Ford admires Margie and learns a lot about his home from her joy in the smallest plant.
The plot captured me from the first chapter and kept my attention. I enjoyed how I this story was original. I don’t know of any other story that takes place in the historical national park. I know of a couple of suspense novels that have murders happen in national parks, but nothing that takes place around this time period. I enjoy the twist with Philip and Margie’s past coming back into the forefront of the novel.
Overall, The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett is a gripping story with a unique setting and lovable characters. I enjoyed spending time with them, and I can’t wait to see the next two installments in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett from Waterbrook / Multnomah Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.
http://notenoughtimeforbooks.blogspot.com/2018/08/so-this-blog-is-about-road-to-paradise.html