The Icecutter's Daughter...Review

About the book:
Merrill Krause longs for a family of her own, but she's bound by a promise to her dying mother to care for her father and older brothers until they no longer need her. She enjoys being part of the family business, harvesting ice during the brutal Minnesota winters. Merrill actively takes part, possessing a keen ability to work with the horses--despite the advice of her good friend, who disapproves of her unladylike behavior.

When Rurik Jorgenson arrives in their small town to join his uncle doing carpentry, he soon crosses paths with Merrill. But unlike other men, who are often frightened away by her older brothers, Rurik isn't intimidated by them or by Merrill's strength and lack of femininity. As he thrives under the mentorship of his uncle, Rurik dreams of inheriting the business and claiming Merrill as his wife. But while he is determined to start a new life, the past is determined to follow him when his former fiancee and her brother show up in town. Soon Rurik is put in the center of a major scandal that may damage his relationship with Merrill. Can they learn to trust God--and each other--and embrace the promise of love?

The cover on this one drew me in completely.  The story, for the most part, held my attention.  Leaving behind a broken engagement, Rurik Jorgenson moves to Minnesota to work in his uncle's furniture business. As he thrives in business and new-found friendships, he is surprised when his former fiancee, Svea, and her brother, Nils, arrive in town.  Wanting to force Rurik to marry her, Svea makes unfounded, yet damaging accusations and Rurik worries that he and Merrill won't have the future together that they hope for.

I loved Merrill and Rurik.  Such strong characters.  They never felt fully developed to me and sometimes I thought I'd missed some back story but I continued reading nonetheless.  Their respective families were just as delightful.

Svea and Nils?  Seriously unlikeable and annoying.  At one point, I wanted to shake Rurik and say, "The friendship isn't worth it!"  But, as in most historical Christian fiction, faith and forgiveness win out over distrust and censure.

Historically, I was not aware of the German and Swedish settlements in the Midwest  nor was I aware of the practice of ice cutting.  Although, it makes sense that people had to get their ice from somewhere in the time before refrigeration and freezers.

This is the first in a new series and I look forward to more.

Thanks to Bethany House for the opportunity to review this book.  You can learn more about Tracie Peterson here.  You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 4/13

* * *
3/5 Stars

Comments

  1. I like the premise of this one, and think that it would make for a good read, especially the parts about the secrets and the possible implosion of reputations. I might quite like to read this one. Thanks for the great review! You've really persuaded me to try it!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment