First of all, I have to admit that I cut my proverbial Christian Fiction teeth on Lauraine Snelling and Janette Oke so I am partial to their stories. That aside, Snelling is a weaver of wonderful storylines that always leave you coming back for more. Normally, I am not one who jumps into the middle or end of a series. That has been happening more and more lately, however, and I can usually count on Snelling to help clear the way when I do leap into a series at some random point. Her books tend to have a multitude of characters, and A Season of Grace is no different. While the story is primarily about Nilda, several plots from books previously written in the series are wrapped up in A Season of Grace. 

Snelling has a way of introducing you to characters so that they all become important to you. I spent years with the sprawling Bjorklund family in her multiple Blessing series, and to have this new family connected to them made me smile. It was nice to hear from familiar friends even as a new family captured my attention. The ability of Snelling to capture the essence of life and how it was lived in the remote lands is astounding. Her books cover more than just the desire of a woman to find a husband and raise a family.

A Season of Grace wraps up the trouble Signe and Rune faced at the beginning of the series and brings Nilda's story into play. Nilda is plagued by the possible return of Dreng Nygaard. She must be stronger than ever before if she is to face this old threat in her new world. While most of the book is about Nilda's transition from farm life to that of assistant to a wealthy businesswoman, we get peeks into the budding romance between Nilda and her two potential suitors.

As expected, A Season of Grace is written with God at the core of every matter. Every member of the family has a strong faith that they lean upon during every moment. Their ability to trust God always pushes me to broaden my own strength. All too often we try to handle matters ourselves when God is there waiting to take the burden from us. We only have to sacrifice our own will and wait for God's season of grace to fall upon us.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley. I was not required to leave a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the third book in this series. I suggest that readers will want to read the first two books before this one to fully understand the storyline. Since it had been awhile since reading the last book, I do wish the author had given a little background to refresh my memory before jumping into the story. I loved reading about the Norwegians settling in America and their family life. This book was mostly about Nilda's life as she is given a chance to learn English, piano and social life with a generous benefactor. Hopefully in the next book we will learn more about her future. Recommended!

This is a lovely slice of life story about Norwegian immigrants in early 20th Century Northern Minnesota, with drama provided by the appearance of the charming but menacing Dreng Nygaard, that is as neatly wrapped up as possible given that it appears to be the middle book in a story arc that focuses primarily on Nilda Carlson.  As such, reading the series in order will likely enhance the reader's engagement with the characters and improve the reading experience. 

While the writing is good, it has the feel of an older book aimed at a younger audience.  A rather pleasant choice for those who prefer their Historical Fiction to be light, quick reads with minimal romance.

This review refers to an advanced digital galley read courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Nilda Carlson is trying to get over an attack she suffered at the hands of Dreng Nygaard. She hopes to start a new life in Blackduck MN but as she settles in she discovers that Dreng has also settled there. Nilda tries to give him a second chance as she establishes herself in a new life as the assistant to a wealthy woman. 
I really enjoyed this book as it is set about 100 miles south of where I live. The characters are real and the plot is fast paced and entertaining. So grab a cup of coffee, as all the Norwegians I know, love their coffee and settle in for a lovely read.

I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley.com with no expectations. All thoughts are my own.

As a long-time reader of Lauraine Snelling, I was excited to read the Under the Northern Skies series.  A Season of Grace is book 3 in this series, continuing the stories of Nilda and younger brother Iver.  Romance, forgiveness, family, and friendship are all themes in this sweet but powerful book.

Nilda, a recent arrival in Minnesota from Norway, hopes a person from her past does not follow her to Minnesota. In the new country she finds two new chances at love, but the past still haunts her. While I enjoyed the glimpses into settler life, I did not enjoy the overall story which seemed disjointed. I normally enjoy immigrant stories, and I appreciate the faith expressed in the lives of the settlers, but this book simply didn't work for me. The novel does not make me want to try other works by the author. (2.5 stars)

This is going to be hard to review. If you know me at all, you know Lauraine Snelling is my favorite historical fiction author, and there have only been one or two books of hers that I did not like, but unfortunately, this is another of them. 

It was delightful to catch up with all of my favorite characters in Blackduck, MN, and the addition of more family from Norway coming to America was very cool. I love the sibling relationship between Nilda, Rune, and Ivar. And of course, the little boys and Kirstin are adorable as well. 

Overall, while I didn't particularly mind the meandering storyline, I was frustrated by the complete lack of plot. Like, there was literally *no* plot whatsoever. Nothing seemed to ever really happen, there was no climax until 95% of the way through the book, and then that wasn't really a climax either. And the last 5% of the book didn't wrap up much at all. Nothing significant worth speaking of. And I have to say, it looks like book 4 will be a lot of the same, which is incredibly disappointing to me. 

All in all, this is not one of Snelling's gems, and I probably won't reread it, although I might buy a copy to keep with the rest of my series. ;) 

CONTENT NOTE: Recommended for ages 17+ due to mature themes. [There is mention of the man who tried to take advantage of Nilda in the last book, and there is a semi-detailed attempted rape, but it is stopped before much happens.]

This book was filled with love, family, forgiveness, and God’s amazing grace. There were so many wonderful examples of faith throughout this book. The way this family prayed and trusted God with their lives was inspiring something we should all take note of and try to emulate in our own lives.

I love getting deeper into each member of these families lives. I love Nilda and her story in this book was incredibly interesting and at times, suspenseful. I can’t wait to see more from her and everyone else.

I found this book heartwarming, and I loved reading about the “simpler times”. They had to work so hard back then; they worked for their food and shelter. Sitting around the table together was normal and enjoying coffee with friends was an excellent treat. Family should always be the most important thing, only after God, but it seems that life has become more about material gain now days.

Recommendation: I loved traveling back in time to this way of life. I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

 

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.*

I've followed this series since the first book, and was happy to have seen it through.  The characters are realistic, they have their struggles and hardships, but love fiercely and deeply.  I've learned a lot about Norway, as well as Minnesota during the era of immigration, and love history lessons that are incorporated into story form.  You don't have to read the entire series - each book works as a standalone - but you'll get so much more by having all of the family's stories tied together.  One caveat - This particular book deals with more mature content than the others - it is not written inappropriately, but you may want to preview before handing off to your teen daughter, as there are a couple of scenes that could require discussion.  Overall, however, a fantastic series.

I was so happy to get the last book in the Under Northern Skies Series by Lauraine Snelling. This series is wonderful. Thank you NetGalley for providing the book in exchange for my honest review.

As I mentioned previously this is the last book in the series. I just went back and re-read the first chapter to see if this book made sense as a stand alone, and it does. So, I guess, technically you could read this book without having read the other two before it, but it makes this book so much better when you know the history behind Signe and Raul's coming to America. The relationship between Signe and Gerd when they first arrived in Minnesota and Gerd's husband Einar was still alive.

That being said....This last book wraps up everything nicely. The book is filled with heartwarming characters that I loved getting to know.

The community in this story is perfect. I loved seeing how they all work to help each other, it was touching. Made me wish for simpler times.

I hope you decide to read this series. In case you do here is a link to the first book in the series

https://amzn.to/2QPGDcv  The Promise of Dawn

and here's a link to the second book in the series

https://amzn.to/2DiFnfy A Breath of Hope

You have time to get these read before A Season on Grace comes out on November 6, 2018. Hope you enjoy this series as much as I did.