In the latest episode of When Calls the Heart, Elizabeth’s novel finally hits the shelves in Hope Valley. Titled A Single Mother on the Frontier, it tells the story of a young woman who moves to a small Canadian mining town, marries a mountie, and then loses him in a tragic accident.
While the book caused more than a bit of confusion and speculation among townspeople, the Canfield family was busy dealing with their own problems.
Since the beginning of Season 9, Cooper Canfield (Elias Leacock) has been getting into mischief and disobeying his parents. In the second episode of the season, Out Like a Lamb, he even asked his mother, Minnie (Natasha Burnett), if he could stop attending church.
Joseph (Viv Leacock) talked to Cooper about his request in Sunday’s episode. Cooper said he didn’t understand how God could let his sister, Angela (Vienna Leacock), go blind. His father reminds him that Angela lost her sight because she had measles. But Cooper responds that he had measles too. He wants to know why God let him keep his sight while Angela lost hers.
When Joseph tells Minnie about this, they talk about what really happened when their children fell ill. It turns out that when Angela’s condition became severe, they tried to take her to a doctor, but he refused to treat her because of her race. When Minnie suggests they simply explain this to Cooper, Joseph refuses. He says he doesn’t want his son to grow up with hate in his heart.
Mixed reviews
Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) spends much of the episode dealing with the fallout from her book. Molly (Johannah Newmarch) becomes convinced that the flirty redhead in the story is based on her, which was not the case. Everyone in town starts talking about the mountie in the story who had his heart broken, which they assume to be Nathan.
Elizabeth is shocked when scathing reviews come out about the book. One critic said her writing lacked “depth and nuance” and that it “only scratches the surface of anything meaningful and profound.”
She is comforted when Rosemary reads a letter sent to the newspaper in praise of Elizabeth’s book. The letter’s author said she lost her husband a few years back and that Elizabeth’s story made her feel like she was not alone in her struggles.
The return of Wyman Walden
Lucas (Chris McNally) had his hands full during the episode. He planned a surprise party for Elizabeth to celebrate the launch of her book. He also came face to face with Wyman Walden (Wesley Salter), who has returned to Hope Valley with plans to build a foundry.
Though Hickam (Ben Rosenbaum) thinks the town should hear about Walden’s plans, Lucas disagrees. As the When Calls the Heart episode closed, he was on the phone speaking in French with someone named Janette. He said he planned to stop Walden but that he needed help.
When Calls the Heart airs Sundays at 8/7c on the Hallmark Channel.