I love this series! The Blizzard Bride is a good addition to it. A good solid historical Christian fiction to pass a winter afternoon. Definitely recommend!

'A Blizzard Changes Everything

Abigail Bracey arrives in Nebraska in January 1888 to teach school…and to execute a task for the government: to identify a student as the hidden son of a murderous counterfeiter—the man who killed her father.
 
Agent Dashiell Lassiter doesn’t want his childhood sweetheart Abby on this dangerous job, especially when he learns the counterfeiter is now searching for his son, too, and he’ll destroy anyone in his way. Now Dash must follow Abby to Nebraska to protect her…if she’ll let him within two feet of her. She’s still angry he didn’t fight to marry her six years ago, and he never told her the real reason he left her.
 
All Dash wants is to protect Abby, but when a horrifying blizzard sweeps over them, can Abby and Dash set aside the pain from their pasts and work together to catch a counterfeiter and protect his son—if they survive the storm?'
________________________________

I want to preface this by saying that Christian Fiction is not my usual genre, but I do occassionally pick one up. As for Daughters of the Mayflower, this is the third book from the series that I have read, but the first from this author. I enjoyed the book and I am glad I read it. It was a sweet story with the addition of some danger, some subterfuge, and a mystery.

This book intruiged me all the more knowing that it was based off of the true story of the Schoolchildren's Blizzard in 1888. Being able to read a reimagining of this devestating storm and the harrowing acts of heroism that followed as the characters battled their way to shelter. It was an intense an nerve-wracking journey as our fictional Abigail battled her way to safety with her students in tow.

If you are interested in knowing the paticulars of this historic storm, there is a historical note included at the end of the book which includes a detailed briefing of the impacts the storm had on those in its path.

At the start of the book, Abigail was jaded and kept everyone at arm's length. When those around her attempt to provide her a shoulder to lean on and a sympathetic ear, she pushed them away. I really enjoyed following her character as she opened up and learned to put trust in those around her. She is able to do this after she finds her way back to her faith and lets go of some of the anger and resentment that have been her constant companions. This book is a lovely story of faith, bravery, and forgiveness.

The Blizzard Bride is a great addition to the series and if you have enjoyed the other Daughter of the Mayflower books and faith-based historical romance then I recommend this book.
_____

I would like to thank NetGalley and Barbour Publishing Ink for sharing an eARC of The Blizzard Bride with me. This is my honest review.

Well written book about a true historical event. The story keeps me turning the pages to
See how it ends. I love reading historical stories that give insight into events I may not be aware of.
I received an advanced copy and this is my own opinion.

The Daughters of the Mayflower series have been a wonderful and delightful experience for me as a reader. I have thoroughly enjoyed the books that I have had the privilege to read.

The Blizzard Bride by Susanne Dietze, a new author to this reader, was no exception. The story centered around Abigail who moves to Nebraska to teach but finds out that one of the students she begins to teach is the son of the man that killed her father. She then encounters, Dashiell Lassiter, a former love who tries to make amends from past regrets by not marry Abigail when he had the chance. He steps in and assists her knowing the danger that she has placed herself in through this underprivileged student.

As titled, the story takes place during a big blizzard and Dash and Abby must come together to protect the killer’s son. During that time together, they both reveal their pain, loss and secrets that have been hidden for so long. A well-written and nice story. I’ve fallen in love with this series and recommend the read.

Thank you Netgalley and Barbour Publishing, Inc. for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

4.5 Stars

Abby and Dash arrive in Nebraska in the winter of 1888 on the same mission-to find the son of a dangerous counterfeiter who also is the man who murdered Abby’s father on the steps of the bank he managed. Abby takes a job in the small town of Wells as a school teacher while she tries to identify who the son of the dangerous murderer may be. Dash is an agent for the government whose task is to find the counterfeiter, but first and foremost he wants to protect Abby who was his childhood sweetheart. Dash abruptly left Abby without a word of explanation six years ago when they were hoping to marry. Will Abby be able to mend her broken heart and forgive him?

Blizzard of 1888 is a real event that took place and it provides the backdrop in this inspirational story of heartache, love, hardship and forgiveness. I enjoyed it very much.

The Blizzard Bride by Susanne Dietze is a wild ride. I mean the kind of ride that leaves the reader holding her breath and clinging to the edge of her seat. These Daughters of the Mayflower novels are excellent, and with each subsequent novel, they just keep getting better and better. Just when I think, “Aw, that book was the best!”, another story comes out and blows me away with its awesomeness. The Blizzard Bride packs a serious punch in only 256 pages and is definitely one of my favorites in this series.

Abby, the heroine of The Blizzard Bride, has had a rough few years. The love of her life up and left her with NO explanation, her father was murdered, she and her mother lost everything because of his death — their finances, their home, and their social standing. Eventually, Abby’s mother dies from a broken heart. And, Abby has broken ties with God. If He is going to abandon her, she thinks, then she will abandon Him. In six year’s time, Abby has slowly become a bitter, angry, and spite-filled woman bent on making the villains pay. She has closed herself off — no God, no friends, no loved ones. Abby figures that if she is closed off from everyone and everything she will save herself from getting hurt. But then Abby meets curmudgeonly Mr. Yates and sees a glimpse into what her future will be if she continues her path of anger and isolation. So Abby makes the only choice she can — she befriends Mr. Yates. She recognizes that, like her, Mr. Yates has some serious trauma that’s not been properly dealt with, and so reaches out to him in an attempt to get them both back on the right track.

This subplot in The Blizzard Bride provides an excellent warning to us all — it is imperative that we deal with our lives with God, or we will end up alone and deeply hurting. This actually makes me think of Psalm 32:2-3 (ESV; my emphasis): “Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groanings all day long.” When Abby stops and really takes a look at Mr. Yates she sees dark, deep pouches under his eyes, a permanent downcast to his mouth, tight, crossed arms, and stooped shoulders. Clearly, Mr. Yate’s anger, hatred, and alienation have worn him down and he is wasting away. Abby comes to understand as David does in this Psalm, that unconfessed pain and sin eat at us and hurts our physical and spiritual selves. Abby realizes that she must turn back to God, speak her feelings, confess her sins, and ask for forgiveness. Mrs. Dietze’s subplot beautifully points out that when we turn to the One who can truly heal, we find the real peace we need in order to move beyond the hurts of our past.

As I stated above, this book packs a punch. In fact, it contains multitudes. There are super endearing characters that I won’t soon forget. A winter storm that terrified me. In fact, I didn’t take a full breath for three chapters because the storm is that intense. The romance is sweet and the mystery is captivating. All in all, The Blizzard Bride is a great read I highly recommend. This book is another home run by Susie Dietze.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the author via her publisher, Barbour Books through NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love books based on real life events. This easy to read novel brings history alive in an interesting way. Add romance and a happily ever after, and you have the makings of a great story!
This book was provided to me by the publisher, but as always, my opinion is my own.

I have to start out by saying how much I truly enjoyed this author, and her style. I have not had the privilege of reading any works by Ms. Dietze before, but I will certainly be watching for her in the future!

I greatly enjoy historical fiction, especially when it is so apparent that the author takes the time to do accurate and thorough research. I love a good book that I can lose myself in, especially when it is not overly short (Short stories are nice, but I just really like to spend time with new characters). This book did have a couple of moments when it seemed to drag on a little with a bit too much unnecessary detail, but this did not happen often, and it did not detract too much from the story overall. Therefore, I did not remove any stars as a result. Grammar and punctuation were well edited, and most details added nicely to the storyline.

I especially love historical fiction when it comes from a christian perspective. Christianity was very much a historical part of many early settlers. Freedom of religion was greatly valued. For me, this just seems like a natural part of describing historical characters, fiction or otherwise.

This book had several areas that offered excitement and pulled the reader in. Many books have one natural climax. and then the ending ties things up. This story had several parts that felt climactic, and I loved that it naturally built as it did right to the end.

I was just truly moved by this story, as a whole. I felt like it was told in full, even though it didn't really have an ending that felt like it tied everything up in a bow. It was easy to see the direction things were going, but much was left unsaid. This was not a negative at all! It left some for the reader to imagine, and this is not all bad.

This was one of my favorite books I have read in a while. I feel truly satiated upon completion of reading it. Thank you, Ms. Dietze, for taking the time and effort to put together such a wonderful work!

I was privileged enough to receive a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, Inc. through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another wonderful book to add to this great series. Abigail comes to Nevada to teach school and to help find a dangerous counterfeiter. Her former love interest who left her without a word, also appears in the same town. He doesn't want Abigail to be hurt by this counterfeiter/murderer. He plans to protect her. But she is not happy that he left without a word and wants to be involved with her again.

The story is wonderful and I loved it. The characters are likeable and I kind of wished that Abby had not hardened her heart so much but that added to the story and she learns and grows and works towards changing.

A really touching story.

I received an ebook copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

The Blizzard Bride brings rich historical descriptions of the Children’s Blizzard in 1888. I did not even realize that this was an actual historical event. The attention to detail allowed me to imagine myself in the story during this terrifying storm and get a small taste of what the residents may have experienced. In addition, there are some great explanations of the early Secret Service and their role in fighting counterfeiting. I enjoyed Abby’s spunk and her journey back to her faith that she spurned, a response to several deep painful events. It was refreshing to see Dash, the hero, be the one to encourage and inspire true justice, not revenge, and faith restored. The tension between Abby and Dash felt a little drawn out at times, but I can appreciate the representation of Abby’s struggle against her hurt and bitterness. I really enjoyed the community aspect and how everyone came together when it was needed. While not my favorite in the series, it is another great story in the Mayflower Bride Series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

When a woman must work with the man who betrayed her to find the one responsible of many losses...

This is my second read in this series with various authors writing about the descendants of the Mayflower’s settlers.
My previous read was set during the Civil War, while here is set some twenty years later.
As an European person, it is always exotic to read about the pioneers and their progeny.
The way of life described reminded me of the tv show Little House On The Prairie which rocked my childhood.
Added to it the bit of mystery about the child and the villain, I was in for a very entertaining read.
Abby has become a bitter woman, when the love of her young life walked away without a work, it left her deeply wounded, then her father’s death revealed to the world how wrong he acted, thus she became a collateral damage. With her father’s fault in broad daylight, Abby was left with nothing and no one to care for and live with. Why she in some way withdrew and avoided at all cost any entanglement, refusing to be hurt and disappointed again.
Dash left Abby thinking he made the right choice, they might he had stayed, she would have suffered from her being bonded to him.
Why when they meet again, he is ready for her anger but not prepared for her animosity.
And despite the bad blood between them, he can’t leave her unprotected and rushes to her help.
It was no rushed story, in between they settle their feud, and understand their need for forgiveness and letting the past go, they must find the little boy and eventually stop the bad guy from having his way.
I very enjoyed this read, Mrs Susanne Dietze offers a lovely sleuth tale with a bit of romance as the heroes find closure and a new offered future.
4.5 stars

On a special note, i love the cover, but I am not certain the heroine might wear such refined clothing.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Barbour Publishing.
Here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Wow! I love this series so much! So many interesting historical events that I'm learning more about. One of my favorite reads of the year.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

A well written historical romance. A well crafted plot and believable characters. A fun and fast read. I highly recommend this book. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

The Daughters of the Mayflower continue in Nebraska during the late 1880s. I loved the author's note that explained the historical factors in this novel. This reminded me of "Little House on the Prairie" or Christy episodes. Loved the children and the aspects of the school teacher during this time period. The counterfeiting and Secret Service was interesting. As always, this series reminds readers of God's salvation. Looking forward to the next installment. Recommended!

This book was received as an ARC from Barbour Publishing, Inc. - Barbour Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was in such a rush after finishing The Rebel Bride that I could not wait to delve into The Blizzard Bride. I really had high expectations for this book since every book in the Mayflower Daughters series I have loved so far and I must say...this one did not disappoint. The Blizzard Bride focused on Abigail who moves to Nebraska to teach underprivileged children. She finds out later that one of the students she teaches is the son of the man that killed her father. Knowing this information, enter her past love Agent Dashiell Lassiter, who jumps at the chance to help Abigail since regretting not marrying her and this is the time to patch things up. Dashiell stops at nothing to help Abigail but is very protective and concerned of the danger Abigail is in through her student. All this drama goes on during a big blizzard and Dash and Abby must come together and put the pain aside and protect the son and Dash will tell her the real reason why he left her. I can't wait to see what happens next and I am falling in love with this series and I can't wait to see the reactions of our readers.

We will consider adding this title to our Christian Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This was a fantastic book. I got pulled in and couldn't put it down. This book was so well written I felt like I needed to cuddle up with a blanket and hot cocoa to read it. Abigail was a strong independent woman that had let her faith go when it seemed God had let her down. She was forced to work with her childhood love, who had left her without notice. The mystery of trying to find Abigail's father's murderer added a depth to the book that was very engaging. Seeing the sparks fly between Abigail and her childhood love, Dashiell, was a fun diversion. I enjoyed surviving the blizzard with Abigail and her students. Dashiell was reminded of his love for Abigail when they met up after several years. Both Abigail and Dashiell were able to strengthen each other throughout the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves inspirational historical romance with a big mystery.
I received a copy of this book from Barbour books and Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Good book, but misrepresented.

Abby Bracey is a schoolteacher who is approached with an amazing opportunity to be apart of the team that brings down her fathers murderer. Little does she know, the other half of the team is her ex fiancé who left her six years earlier without a word.
Dash Lassiter works for the secret service trying to bring down the country’s most elusive counterfeiter, but can he do his job when he is faced with seeing the woman he loves again?

I thought the book was good. It dragged a bit in some parts for me, but the history was extremely interesting. The blizzard in particular was very well written.
This book was very misrepresented. It is filed under “romance” but I would consider it more of a “young adult, Christian, historical, romance”. The relationship between Dash and Abby seemed immature to me and not entirely developed. I will say though, had I read this book 10 years ago, I probably would have enjoyed it more.

The Blizzard Bride's story line is full of surprises. At times, it felt like the plot moved a little slowly, but overall, the story kept my attention and I wanted to read to the end to find answers.
A less known event, the blizzard of 1888 has been called the Children's Blizzard or the Schoolchildren's Blizzard. An unseasonably warm day suddenly turn into such a ferocious blizzard, that many children's lives were lost. The story line follows a school teacher faced with life and death decisions. Since this isn't a well known event in history, I would have preferred to understand more about this event before I started reading the story.
I really enjoyed the way the author wove the chase of a notorious counterfeiter throughout the book. Sought by the Secret Service at the time, the wanted man eludes justice for years.
Follow Abby and Dash, former romantically involved friends as they seek to bring justice to a man who has affected both their lives. You will enjoy their tale.

This book was AMAZING! I have read almost all of the books in this series and have definitely enjoyed them. But as soon as I saw the title of this book show up, I knew it was a must read. I live in NE and the Blizzard of 1888 is a legend. While I was reading this story, I could FEEL the blizzard raging! Kudos to the author for researching the topic thoroughly and being able to paint a vivid picture of it with her words.
I also fell in love with the characters. Dash and Abby were childhood sweethearts who were pulled away from each other 6 years prior, only to reunite with the purpose of catching a counterfeiter and protecting his biological son.
This story was a journey of faith, and perseverance through a historical natural disaster. There was mystery, suspense, and love woven throughout the pages too.
I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves a clean historical love story.
I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

The Blizzard Bride by Susanne Dietze is another installment in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, but it exceeded my expectations. Full of intrigue, this historical read is well paced, well written, and well worth it.

I liked how Dietze wove the romance with Abby’s experiences in the schoolhouse. Dietze created many charming characters, especially the children, and made them come alive. Abby bonds with them fairly quickly, but I couldn’t help but become attached to them, either. This made the blizzard that much more harrowing. Although, the blizzard itself seemed hard to believe, at least for me, but Dietze includes a historical note at the end of the novel that shares about her research. And from reading that, I gathered that she described it pretty well. Also, I’ve never experienced a blizzard, so I wouldn’t know anyway.

The counterfeit and spy angle made this novel even more interesting and suspenseful, especially the search for the son of Fletcher Price. I’d have my suspicions and be almost certain when Dietze would throw me yet another curveball, making me doubt myself. (I ended up being right, by the way. I just wanted to brag about it for a second.) The intrigue kept me riveted, and I had trouble putting it down.

The Blizzard Bride explores some important themes such as forgiveness, bitterness, and reconciliation. Both Dash and Abby are sympathetic characters, but even though you understand what’s holding them back, you can’t help but root for them to overcome their issues.

Overall, this is a wonderful book for any fan of historical fiction.

(Review goes live on the blog on Jan. 31 at 5:00 PM)