A Gown of Spanish Lace

Women of the West #11

by Janette Oke

A heritage so very different from her own, but one profound connection.

Ariana loves her life her parents, her little town, her job as the town's schoolteacher, her students. But one evening after classes are done and she prepares to hurry home before a blizzard hits, her whole life changes in an instant.

The two rough-looking men who abduct her and take her far from home and family make no response to her frantic questions "Why me? What are you going to do? Where are you taking me?" Held hostage in a camp of bandits, Ariana's emotions swing between terror and boredom as days stretch into weeks.

And then the boss's son appears in the doorway of her cabin. Does this mean she will never see her mother and father again, the two who had so lovingly adopted her as an infant and raised her as their own? Will she ever wear the wedding dress so carefully saved for her her one link with her birth parents, now long dead?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Christian Romance

251 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Janette Oke is a Canadian author known for her inspirational fiction, often set in a pioneer era and focused on female protagonists. Her debut novel, Love Comes Softly (1979), became the foundation for a successful series, followed by over 75 other novels. The first book in her Canadian West series, When Calls the Heart (1983), inspired the popular television series of the same name.
Born in Champion, Alberta, to farmers Fred and Amy (née Ruggles) Steeves during the Great Depression, Oke went on to graduate from Mountain View Bible College in Didsbury, Alberta, where she met her future husband, Edward Oke, who later became the president of the college. The couple has four children, including a daughter who has collaborated with Janette on several books.
A committed Evangelical Christian, Oke has authored numerous works exploring themes of faith. She has received various accolades for her contributions to Christian fiction, including the 1992 President's Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award.

Reviews

[Elisabeth (Bets) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. It's one of those books you suddenly decide to read and then get it finished in one evening (that's what I did). It's so sweet. And oh I love the little bit of mystery in it. I love these kinds of storylines, bad guy turns out to be good guy: girl falls in love. lol. Janette Oke's books are so pure and innocent, they're simply beautiful.

[The Nutmeg · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I have a feeling this was not the best introduction to Janette Oke, and I have every intention of reading more of her books. She seems like a very sweet person & her writing is fun. In this specific case, it's hilarious in ways that I don't think it meant to be. But every author is allowed to have her off days.)

I think the best way to do this review would be to copy the dialogue style I've seen other Goodreads reviewers do, so here goes.

ME: Ah this looks like a light, fast-paced read. I'm in a mood for a Western romance.

MY SISTERS: It's embarrassing, but it's fun.

ME: Perfect.

ARIANA: I'm a pretty young first-year teacher & I love my job!

ME: *grumbles with jealousy* I hope you get captured by outlaws.

CUTE YOUNG OUTLAW: I have a vaguely uneasy conscience.

ME: Is this a Stockholm syndrome romance?

MY SISTERS: Yes.

OUTLAW BOSS: Hello, I am the Villain. My story goal is to get my soft son to KILL SOMEBODY.

I shall accomplish this by kidnapping a girl.

So that he will fall in love with her.

So that he will kill someone over her.

ME & HIS SIDEKICK: ...You don't see any gaps in that plan?

OUTLAW BOSS: Nope.

ME & HIS SIDEKICK: Well. Apparently that's the end of that discussion.

CUTE YOUNG OUTLAW: My name is Laramie.

ME: DOES THIS MEAN YOU'RE PLAYED BY ROBERT FULLER? *refuses to picture him as Robert Fuller*

ARIANA: *gets captured by outlaws*

LARAMIE: *is horrified to find a girl in the camp* *acts as prison guard anyway* *but shows more propriety and respect than any outlaw I've ever seen anywhere*

ME: Sir are you SURE you were raised by that guy?

ARIANA & LARAMIE: *proceed to deal with horrible circumstances as best they can & eventually escape etc.*

ME: It's silly it's silly it's silly it's silly

LARAMIE: *shoots a rattlesnake*

ARIANA: *faints into Laramie's arms*

ME: IT'S THE MOST BASIC ROMANCE GIMMICK IN THE BOOK AND I WON'T FALL FOR IT I WON'T I WON'T

ALSO ME: *melts*

LARAMIE & ARIANA: *proceed to fall in love with the usual complications, separation, & reunion*

LARAMIE & ARIANA: *proceed to find evidence that they are, in fact, siblings*

ME (& LARAMIE & ARIANA): WHAT? EW EW EW EW EW

LARAMIE & ARIANA: *proceed to find counter-evidence to the previous evidence. they are, in fact, not siblings at all*

LARAMIE & ARIANA: We can get married now!

ME: ..........I need to go take a shower.



Verdict: My sisters were right. It's embarrassing. But it's also a lot of fun. And I don't regret reading it.

It's the kind of thing I would've written when I was 16, so who am I to judge? XD

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I found this at a thrift store. This book was PHENOMENAL. Five stars for sure! It's definitely a Western, with a bit of a wild west feel, and is richly faith based. The romance....WOW! The threads of romance were deep, and written so differently than most romance novels. A deep connection was weaved and formed between the two characters until it was if one character had become so intertwined with the other, you couldn't even think of them as independent characters.

The book follows two main characters, Ariana and Laramie. Ariana is a sweet Christian girl who lives in a small town in the west. She lives her life for God and prays to be used by Him daily. Laramie is the son of an outlaw gang leader, who grows up hard and is subjected to complete lawless living. When Ariana and Laramies lives intersect, they are forever both changed. The suffering and depth of emotion and emotional pain in this book were incredible. I was a bit frustrated with one of the twists in the book, but it was incredible and un-put-downable from the first page to the last. I lost sleep over this one! I also really enjoyed that this book featured a Native American character who played a big role in the story.

I'm looking forward to hopping online and collecting all of the books in this large series because I have a feeling I will devour them all! Excellent book! I'll be reading more from this author and am kicking myself for waiting so long to read books shes the sole author of, and can see now why she's such a big name in the Christian fiction world!

[Shirley Chapel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each year I try to read a series by Janette Okes. This year I choose Women of the West series. A Gown of Spanish Lace is book eleven. There are twelve books in this series. This book was different from the others. Unpredictable and ful of surprises. I listened to the Audio version and it was very well narrated. It was a short book and it went fast. It definitely was one of my favorites from this series.
Ariana is a young unmarried woman who is a school teacher. She loves her job and her life. Thankful to God for all her blessings. But then trouble comes knocking at her school house door and takes her by surprise. Ariana is kidnapped and taken away against her own will. Far away from her parents and all that she knows.
Laramie Lawrence is an outlaw and runs with a gang of hardened criminals. He is somehow different from the other criminals in the gang. For example though he can use a gun and has a good aim he has never killed another human being. One day he gets an assignment to guard a special "gift" prisoner of the gang. From that day on his life will never be the same.
I recommend this book to readers of Historical Fiction and fans of Janette Oke. Though it is part of a series it can be read as a stand alone.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having officially horrified Sarah or Rebekah or one of those people because I had never read this book, apparently an ultimate classic, I picked it up at the library. Normally, I would have avoided it. My only experience with Janette Oke has been to stand with my Dad in horrified avoidance of the Love Gets Chucked Through the Window movies. Perhaps I should give them a try.
While I didn't love A Gown of Spanish Lace, it wasn't terrible. It was very clean. And I liked that, most Christian romances tend to get a bit much for my taste, and I don't think Oke's characters even kiss.
Otherwise, the plot was dramatic, implausible, predictable, very Christian, and very sweet. I might just possibly some day give Oke another try. Maybe.

[Amanda Tero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of all of Oke's books which I've read, this one is the most "romanticized Western." Excitement, gunfights, lawlessness, and forgiveness are threaded throughout the story. A plot twist at the end keeps your interest until the last words are completed.

My favorite theme throughout the book is trust. The main character learns how to trust the Lord in one area only to turn around and realize that she faces another way in which she must trust.

I recommend this book for older teens because of violence and romance.

Some favorite quotes (and there were more I didn't keep track of):
"I hope to one day discover just why--why God chose to spare a baby. What does He have for me to do?"

"That is what makes it difficult. You must dictate your heart. You've made the right decision--but it isn't always easy to make the right decision--even when you know you must. Sometimes--sometimes--the heart needs convincing."

[ForgetMeNot(Katie Cooley) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed buddy reading this with Lucy!This is one of my favorite authors, but I wasn't a fan of this book, however. It just didn't grab me, and I didn't care for the characters so much. It was still a good book, just not for me personally. The mystery was fun to unravel.

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

{January 2022 Reread}

Wow, um . . . all I can say is, bless my teenage heart. 😂

{December 2018 Reread}

I remembered this as one of the better, more wholesome books I read whilst on my Christian romance kick back in the day (think Katie Gregoire), so when I found it for a dollar at Goodwill I was happy to get it and try it again. Some years later, I still enjoy it, though I do concede that it's got its flaws.

For instance, the motive behind Ariana's abduction reads as pretty implausible to me now.

There are some other plot holes and dangling loose ends.

It's got some cheese, for sure.

(Ariana herself has a touch of the Damsel in her, as well.)

It's got your typical kind of over-emotionalized spiritual experiences for the protagonists. [Although, I mean, maybe some people DO experience conversion or growth that way--I don't mean to imply that for some people, the moment(s) of coming to Christ isn't (aren't) extremely and definitively emotional. God works in different people in different ways! I just sort of wondered, this evening, as I was reading this again, whether all these Christian novels that portray religious experience as dramatic and instantly affecting might have negatively impacted my expectations of what a healthy Christian walk--and healthy spiritual growth--should look like, when I was first reading them. *shrugs*]

The pacing struck me as rather off this time around: the last third or so of the book moves a bit too fast and is wrapped up too hastily, I think, considering the tempo at which the story had been going previously.

BUT, all that notwithstanding, A Gown of Spanish Lace does have some Nostalgia for me and I do feel that it's overall a decently strong specimen of Christian fiction. Laramie and Ariana are both really sweet characters, especially Laramie, and I like their love story. <3

[Katja Labonté · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. Frankly, I was disappointed. After greatly enjoying the Love Comes Softly series, I expected to love this one, and I found it didn’t quite measure up to my expectations.

I admit I am currently struggling to turn off the copyeditor-brain, and I did notice some poor writing here that surprised me, since I had found Janette Oke’s other books quite well done. I did, however, enjoy the characters, and they quickly sucked me into the story. Ariana was a very nice girl, and I loved Lamarie—he was just wondeful—and White Stag was delightful, and I couldn’t help liking Sam. The whole hidden-outlaw-gang and kidnapping part was quite enjoyable and kept me hooked, as did the escape. And I was shipping A & L so hard, yet I just wasn’t sure it would work out! However, the book took a huge south for me at the Big Climax when they ‘discovered’ they were siblings. That idea was very disturbing to me and I almost quit the book right away. Although of course everything ends up okay, I found it really bothersome they spent all that time thinking that and trying to change the way they felt… Also, I felt the whole diary part was super contrived.

On the other hand, I did find it interesting that Oke brought the “how do you know” angle because most westerns/books with ‘imported orphans’ from who knows where seldom tackle that issue, and I was always curious about it. (I mean, how do you KNOW that your name really IS so-and-so and that anything you’ve been told about yourself is true? How do you KNOW that the girl you fell in love with isn’t somehow related to you??) So a small logical part of me was appreciative of that aspect being addressed. Also I did really enjoy the moral of the story. I was impacted by Ariana’s faithfulness and her Bible-reading and memorization, and I really related to the message.

Overall, I would probably enjoy this more as a reread, but I might skip part of the ending next time.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! It kept my interest all throughout. I liked both Ariana and Lamarie, especially Lamarie.
I really liked the theme of trusting God, trusting He has a plan even when we can’t seem to see or understand it.
Another great Janette Oke book!

[Sarah Brazytis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful, must-read book! It has all the elements of a good story - and then throws in a twist! Laramie is a terrific, complex character, and Ariana is the kind of girl you'd love to have as a friend. The whole storyline is excellently done.

[Brooklyn Esh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of my favorites 😍😍I really recommend 😁

[Michaila · Rating 2 out of 5]

So....

I think 'Love Comes Softly' is definitely Janette Oke's best book (that I've read). Her plots are always good, exciting and inter-tangling; but the realistic side of a good book just wasn't there for me for A Gown of Spanish Lace. The situations the main characters were in asked for so much more depth than was there that I often pictured myself adding to it.

Ariana was so often said to be strong and of good courage. Yet (although her adventures were crazy) she cried literally over 10 times and fainted once. I loved her relationship with God, and thought to both unbelievers and believers alike it was encouraging. But, honestly, I felt like the book lacked real emotion.

So many little details were missing. Like, there'd be a huge plot twits in three to four sentences and then suddenly we're somewhere else, and a few pages later -- boom -- it's all resolved. A lot was just unbelievable and the plot asked for so much more than was given.

Pros:

Beautiful mentions of Christianity and faith in God
A partial good plot line with a pretty great back story

Cons:

Really lacked in being believable
Some characters (especially the outlaws) were really cheesy
Missing a lot of detail for such a wide-ranged plot line


2 1/2 stars

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS

A great Christian romance with some fast-paced adventure. I admired Ariana's character. There were times when she was understandably distraught over her circumstances, but she trusted in the Lord and as a result was able to escape from her captors.

I thought the whole brother/sister angle was a little weird. I'm glad it turned out Ariana and Laramie weren't related, but it was a bit too much for me. I would have enjoyed the story much more if that aspect had been left out.

[Kaitlyn S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fairly good story -- a bit predictable for the majority of the time, but fairly good. The plot twist comes in a the end, and will capture your attention 'til the final words are read.

Ariana is a sweet girl, and throughout the story we get her history. The glimpse of her life at home that we get is quite idyllic, and it's something that many of us would yearn for. She has a calling to teach others, and, in her own words, she "prayed that she might be able to teach not only about life but also the Giver of Life. Not just scientific facts about the world but about the One who established the Laws of Nature. Not just mathematics, but about the One who made the consistency of mathematics a possibility." She has the loving family, white picket fence, handsome suitor . . . and then, not of her own willingness, she meets a band of desperadoes, and is introduced to Laramie.

Laramie is the gentle, kindhearted son of the gang leader. He's the one who wants to fix everything, who loathes all the killing, and who is given the charge of watching Ariana.

We are brought through several years of their lives that are intertwined so completely. And through it all, they both learn some important lessons.

Ariana learns to trust her Saviour, in a way that she's never had to before. And through watching her, Laramie begins to find answers to the questions he has.

They both must learn to dictate to their own hearts -- one of my favourite quotes was when Ariana is taking to her mother, and she is given this advice: "That is what makes it difficult. You must dictate to your heart. You've made the right decision -- but it isn't always easy to make the right decision -- even when you know you must. Sometimes -- sometimes -- the heart needs some convincing." A far cry from the message of "follow your heart" that is so often given to readers.

A very enjoyable read, by far!

[Celestria · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read in 2017: 5 stars

The only part I didn't like was at the end when Laramie and Ariana thought they were brother and sister. Even though I knew it wouldn't turn out to be true, just the thought of it was freaking me out and then Laramie being tempted to burn the lace cuff and never tell anyone was killing me, Oh my gosh.

I also thought the ending was too abrupt. At first I thought the pages were stuck together and I'd skipped a page.


~~~~~~~~~~~


Second read in 2022: 4 stars

Okay so the reason for the outlaws kidnapping Ariana seems a little ridiculous, but you just have to go with it. I appreciate how different this story is to all of Janette Okes other books and I still really enjoyed it! That ending though... I still hated every moment of it and it's the reason I've bumped my rating down to 4 stars 😂

[Loretta Marchize · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Janette Oke! okay I do have to say that I almost took away a star for the brother/sister thing. SO unecessary
Other than the above-mentioned pet peeve, this book was great! I loved it. It was a little impractical/unrelatable at times, I will admit, but it was a great read!

[RebekahAshleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book that I read by Janette Oke and I LOVED it!! It was so good and it really captured my attention. It kept me guessing the whole way through and it had some twists at the end that I was not expecting. This is definitely a book that I’ll be reading numerous times!

[Amelia Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

(having to change this review, cause my first one was super cringe 😬)
Well written, well developed characters, and well paced plot

[Shellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
I forgot how nostalgic it is to read a Janette oke.

[Antof9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this better than the other two "Women of the West" books I've read. This book reminded me of two other books -- "The Long Winter" (I think that's the right one), where Laura Ingalls is a young schoolteacher, and "The Wedding Dress", where an orphan's only link to her birth mother is a wedding dress that was carried in an old trunk via wagon train.

It's an interesting story of small towns, frontier life, love and God's care, with a little "Stockholm Syndrome" thrown in for good measure. Something that popped into my head while reading was how difficult it is to trace family lineage without computer access!

I appreciated Laramie's relationship with White Eagle, in light of the way he was raised to hate all indians. The best thing is that their relationship is reciprocal; not just the white man helping the indian, etc. . .

[Olea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I ever read by Janette Oke. I fell in love with her writing! Not only because of the period in time she loves to write about (pioneer era) but because her characters always have a challenge that they are able to rise above by finding God, or by learning to trust Him more. She is a wonderful Christian Fiction writer and I would highly recommend her books to anyone!!

[Ariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, my name is Ariana, so I'm already inclined to like this book more than most. I think that this is one of Oke's top three books, the other two are A Bride for Donnigan and A Woman Named Damaris.

If you like similar books, I would certainly recommend this one. Laramie is a great example to us all.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the other books by Janette Oke more then this one. I thought in was a little stupid. But that doesn't mean you wouldn't like it.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her best yet! :-) And so many plot twists!

[Evelyn Lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Once tried to read this on an airplane, and it turned me off Janette Oke forever. I picked the one that seemed most interesting: a prairie schoolteacher gets kidnapped by robbers. But it was so totally ridiculous I couldn't keep reading it. The male romantic lead is a boy raised by bandits, who, we are continually told, are savage and uncivilized. However, a) they don't really act as uncivilized as you would expect them to, and b) this guy, who was raised by them, is super different from them for no apparent reason. So he has this innate higher moral standard for no reason, and he falls in love with our delicate heroine because she's so morally pure, unlike the men that he was raised by, and it's all so ridiculous.
First of all, you would think the worst thing wild west bandits did was cuss and use bad table manners. Secondly, the protagonist had just about zero personality beside being morally pure, and delicate, (but "strong" according to the male lead, which comes off totally ridiculous because she's crying all over the place about being kidnapped by robbers). Very unengaging for a story about a kidnapping.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Another one that lost a 1/2star rating me with an ending that was a little silly.
Otherwise, I liked the characters and the story.
This one was definitely a "historical christian romance" as there were lots of religious references.
I thought the way the title about the Spanish lace not only tied into the conflict b/w the characters but then ultimately the solution to their problem was clever.

[Abigail Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have listened to this book so so so many times! The storyline is amazing and keeps coming up with surprises that fit so well!

[Chloe Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favorite book by Janette Oke! I love the plot twist when they thought they were siblings.

[Milly Viveros · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is heart felt and surprising at the end!