Daughters of Northern Shores (Blackbird Mountain Novel, #2)

by Joanne Bischof

In this stunning sequel to The Sons of Blackbird Mountain, Aven and Thor’s love story continues—and an age-old feud endangers the Norgaard family in ways no one could have ever imagined. 

Aven Norgaard understands courage. Orphaned within an Irish workhouse, then widowed at just nineteen, she voyaged to America where she was wooed and wed by Thor Norgaard, a Deaf man in rural Appalachia. That the Lord saw her along the winding journey and that Aven now carries Thor’s child are blessings beyond measure. Yet while Thor holds her heart, it is his younger brother and rival who haunts her memories. Haakon—whose selfish choices shattered her trust in him. 

Having fled the Norgaard orchard after a terrible mistake, Haakon sails on the North Atlantic ice trade, where his soul is plagued with regrets that distance cannot heal. Not even the beautiful Norwegian woman he’s pursued can ease the torment. When the winds bear him home after four years away, Haakon finds the family on the brink of tragedy. A decades-old feud with the neighboring farm has wrenched them into the fiercest confrontation on Blackbird Mountain since the Civil War. Haakon’s cunning and strength hold the power to seal many fates, including Thor’s—which is already imperiled due to a grave illness brought to him at the first prick of warfare.

Now Haakon faces the hardest choice of his life. One that shapes a battlefield where pride must be broken enough to be restored, and where a prodigal son may finally know the healing peace of surrender and the boundless gift of forgiveness. And when it comes to the woman he left behind in Norway, he just might discover that while his heart belongs to a daughter of the north, she’s been awaiting him on shores more distant than the land he’s fighting for. 

This inspirational historical romance can be read as a standalone but is best enjoyed as a follow-up to The Sons of Blackbird Mountain by Christy Award–winning author Joanne Bischof. Book length: approximately 109,000 words. Includes a reading group guide and a note from the author.  

“Bischof’s effortless prose and emotionally driven scenes captivate the reader from beginning to end. Characters so real you begin to believe they are. The Norgaard brothers and their families will steal your heart. Beautifully eloquent, this grace-filled tale is one not to be missed.” —Catherine West, author of Where Hope Begins

 “Laced with lyrical prose, Daughters of Northern Shores is a story of redemption that gripped me from its first moments. I savored every gorgeous detail, and the characters continue to live with me even now. Bischof is a master at enfolding readers in her story world and bringing them along in a journey of the heart.” —Lindsay Harrel, author of The Secrets of Paper and Ink

• ISBN10: 0718099125
• ISBN13: 9780718099121
• Publish Date: 21 March 2019 (first published 12 March 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thomas Nelson Publishers
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[phyllish]

A riveting story of changed lives, good versus evil and forgiveness

Daughters of Northern Shores is a riveting continuation of the story of the Norgaard family of Blackbird Mountain that was difficult to put down. Spanning almost a year in time, though the greater part of the story takes place on Blackbird Mountain, it also brings the reader to Norway and on an ocean voyage aboard an ice ship.

I was again swept away as author Joanne Bischof poured out her heart on these pages with tender and hopeful melancholy. I was nearly brought to tears many times throughout the story, both for sadness and for joy. The beautiful prose wrapped around my heart and caused me to experience each characters' emotions, their pains, their fears, and their dreams. The biting of the Northern winds caused me to shiver; the fragrance of the apple orchards caused my tummy to rumble.

If you have not read Sons of Blackbird Mountain, you should read that before continuing this review as there are spoilers for that book here. There are no spoilers for this story in the review.

I am amazed at how one who is not Deaf so capably made me feel like I had an inkling of the kind of isolation Thor would have experienced in his deafness, despite the way his family did all they could to include him. And yet Thor is not one to be pitied. His strength of character and the love Aven has for him warm my heart.

The prodigal journey Haakon traveled as he ran away from the sure wrath of his brothers after his atrocious behavior and the certain revenge to be sought by the Sorrel family for the destruction he wrought on their property had him squandering his life and living in a way that would cause such grief to his family. And yet in his self-imposed isolation, he had a friend who was a steady, Christian influence in his life. Unlike the Prodigal Son, he returns, not out of the need for physical fulfillment but for forgiveness. And unlike the Prodigal, he has no father to return to who will welcome him with open arms; only the brother whose wife he wronged in such a terrible way.

Daughters of Northern Shores is a story of changed lives, of love of family, of good versus evil, and of forgiveness. Though I classify it as a romance, it is so much more. What is often thought of as romance finds very little place here.

The confrontation with the Sorrels is narrated in great detail. The author's description of the events of that terrible night contained in such great detail I felt like I was watching a movie. And yet despite the bullets, knives, and other weapons, it was not overly violent or bloody.

I loved learning more about the ice trade and the ways and places the ice was transported. Having read enough period novels to know that the English had ice in the summer, I always wondered how they got it. I was surprised to learn some of the other places the ice traveled.

This is a must-read book and is already on my list of candidates for Best of 2019!


Read my full review with a Preview and Guest Post at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.