Lauraine Snelling

Sophie Knutson, rejecting her father's request to postpone her marriage until after graduation, convinces Hamre Bjorklund they should elope; far from her family Sophie finds that life as a fisherman's bride is not all she had envisioned.

Set in early 20th-century North Dakota, this third series title (after A Promise for Ellie and Sophie's Dilemma) features 18-year-old Grace Knutson. Drawn to Toby Valders, Grace finds her loyalties tested when the son of a wealthy New York family arrives in town.

Deborah MacCallister, head nurse at the Blessing hospital, has loved Toby Valders since her school days, but she's had enough of their on-again, off-again relationship. Toby truly cares for Deborah, but he's never felt like he could commit to marriage or a family. When Anton Genddarm, the new schoolteacher, comes to town, the young women of Blessing see a chance to force Toby's hand with a little strategic matchmaking. But real sparks fly between...

" In 1910 Minnesota, Nilda Carlson's dreams are coming true. Though her first few months in America were difficult, her life now resembles the images that filled her daydreams in Norway. She and her younger brother Ivar live in their own house, just a short distance from her older brother and his family. Together they work the farm and fell trees for lumber. They plan to grow a dairy herd, weave rugs out of their own wool, and make skis to sell. Everything...

On the Red Bud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Astrid Bjorklund is trying to stop the horrific epidemic that is ravaging the tribe, despite the elders' suspicions of her, but when the elders see some of their people beginning to recover, they allow Astrid to continue caring for the sick and to train others to help.

Minnesota, 1911. Nilda Carlson is torn between life in the city of Blackduck and spending time with her family back home on the farm. Her employer, Mrs. Schoenleber, gives her more and more responsibility and experience. Still new to America herself, Nilda focuses on the area's immigrant community, but she'll have to fight to get her ideas accepted by the locals and donors alike. One of her greatest joys is her weekly piano lesson with Fritz Larsson....

Blessing, North Dakota, 1907. Anji Baard Moen, a recent widow, travels from Norway with her children and quickly settles back into life in Blessing, teaching Norwegian history in the high school and writing articles for the Blessing Gazette. When tragedy strikes, Anji steps in to run the newspaper and soon finds a kindred spirit in Thorliff, the widower who owns the printing press. As they spend time together, Anji wonders if there is something more...

"Though she has known hardships in her life, Ingeborg Bjorklund chooses to focus on all she has been given. Blessed with children and grandchildren, she enjoys the friendship and support of the entire Blessing, North Dakota, community. And after several years of widowhood, she has reached a place of contentment with her life. Meanwhile, her stepson Thorliff is raising two children alone since his beloved Elizabeth died. But there is a new schoolteacher...

"Nilda Carlson has been trying to save enough money to go to America for months, so when a letter from Einar and Gerd Strand arrives, offering to pay her ticket, she jumps at the chance. Her younger brother Ivar accompanies her, and they can't wait to join their brother Rune and his family in the northern forests of Minnesota. Signe and Rune Carlson are thrilled to welcome Nilda and Ivar to America, but life on the farm remains a struggle. Though...

Responsibilty for her father's Pennsylvania farm weighs heavily on Amethyst O'Shaunasy's shoulders. Since her overworked mother died, her father has done little but drink up the money Amethyst earns from selling eggs and cheese. When he sends her west to locate his only heir, the young woman is reluctant to leave. After she reaches the tiny town of Medora, an unusally brutal winter underscores the fragility of life. Yet the residents' sturdy faith...