Season of Grace (Under Northern Skies)

A Season of Grace by Lauraine Snelling has us traveling to Benson's Corner, Minnesota in August of 1910. Rune and Signe Carlson are moving into their new home with their children. Gerd Strand will also be joining them leaving her old home for Nilda and her younger brother, Ivar. Nilda is enjoying living in America with her family, but she still has nightmares of Dreng Nygaard attacking her. They are becoming less frequent and she hopes they will go away with time. Rune and Signe have a housewarming party and Nilda finds that she has two gentlemen interested in courting her. Petter Thorvaldson, a lumberjack they met on their trip to Benson's Corner, and Fritz Larsson, the local schoolteacher, are both interested in Nilda. The family then receives news that their father has passed away and Gunlaug Carlson, their mother, wishes to immigrate to America to be near her children which pleases the family. Nilda and Ivar are invited to a young person's social at Mrs. Gertrude Schoenleber's home and the ladies quickly whip up a new dress for Nilda to wear. Nilda is shocked when Petter walks in with Dreng. That night her nightmares return with a vengeance, and Nilda is afraid Dreng will exact revenge he promised. Mrs. Schoenleber offers Nilda a position as her assistant which will provide wonderful opportunities for Nilda. The only downside of her new job is encountering Dreng who has managed to charm the local ladies. Will Nilda be able to move forward with her life or will Dreng's attack continue to haunt her?

A Season of Grace is the third installment in Under Northern Skies series. This is a series that you need to read in order. Each book in Under Northern Skies series builds upon the previous one. We have watched the various characters adapt to America and they are beginning to prosper. Rune and Signe are thrilled to have their own home, but they do not want to leave Gerd behind. Gerd has blossomed since the Carlson's have come into her life and she has come out of her shell since her husband passed away. I have enjoyed watching Gerd's journey. The focus of A Season of Grace is Nilda. She is given a wonderful opportunity by Mrs. Schoenleber that will allow her to learn how to read and write English properly, meet new people, live in a larger city, learn proper etiquette, get new clothing and a chance to travel. Lauraine Snelling has created such lovely, heartwarming characters that I look forward to visiting in each new Under Northern Skies book. I like hearing about how the farm is prospering. We get to experience the daily life on a farm which includes taking care of the animals, making their own cheese and butter, cutting wood to keep the fireplaces going, butchering the animals, making soap, creating their furniture, and much more. If you are looking for a book full of action, then A Season of Grace is not for you. There is activity at the end of the story as Nilda's story with Dreng reaches its climax. Dreng is the dark element in the story. The Christian elements are beautifully woven into the story. The family is grateful for each blessing in their life. Prayer, grace, hope, and forgiveness are other Christian elements in the book. A Season of Grace proceeds at a gentle pace which I enjoyed. It allowed me to appreciate and absorb the story. I am giving A Season of Grace 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). I look forward to visiting the Carlson family again in the next Under Northern Skies novel.