Customer Reviews

Dawn's Prelude (Thorndike Christian Fiction)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Tracie Peterson is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. She continues to produce such incredible books, it's hard not to enjoy her.

And this first book in her newest series, "Song of Alaska" is no different. The vivid detail of the late 1800s, the depth of the characters' lives and stories, the engaging story holding you hostage even long after you've finished the book. I can't wait til the book in the series comes out!

One of the things I have come to appreciate in Tracie's writing is her ability to address questions of faith without coming across in a "preachy" manner, and this book is no exception to that. Throughout the book, several of the character voice their questions about trusting God to one another in a similar way that you or I might address such questions. Time and time again, the answers are the simple truths of Scripture.

This story starts with trouble - a forced, abusive marriage ending abruptly due to death - and trials continue throughout. Lydia Gray has finally escaped her abusive marriage of the past 12 years and has run off to live with her aunt in the newly acquired property of the USA, known as Alaska. In Alaska, she finds the unthinkable - God's love & the true love of a man. However, her past manages to find her, and things quickly escalate from bad to worse. Will God prove Himself faithful to her yet again? Will He answer her prayers the way she wants to see them answered?

This is an edge-of-your seat "easy" read that all historical/inspirational fiction readers will enjoy! Pick it up at your local bookstore or library today!!

Recently widowed Lydia Gray is not sad; she is actually relieved that her late husband Floyd cannot torment her any longer. Lydia's marriage was a business arrangement between her father and Floyd, a practice not uncommon in 1870 in Kansas City. She is surprised to learn that she inherited Floyd's entire estate. Determined to break free from any ties to Floyd's greedy and insensitive adult children, she secretly makes plans to move to Sitka, Alaska, where Aunt Zerelda, her only remaining relative, lives. A bit of intrigue ensues as Lydia makes her way to Sitka where she finds herself in the arms of Kjell Lindquist. Literally! Kjell catches Lydia right off the boat, sick and worn from her travels. The plot thickens as Lydia fights her way out of a web of bitterness and distrust from the treatment she received at Floyd's hands. Will Zerelda's gentle faith speak to Lydia? Will Lydia accept this new land as her own? Will Kjell have any part in Lydia's future? And what of Floyd's family, will their greed drive them to drastic measures? The beauty of the Alaskan territory comes alive in Ms. Peterson's latest book. I have yet to find a book of hers that I disliked. She is a wonderful story teller; her stories have depth and an eternal message. Check this one out; adventure and surprises await!

Dawn's Prelude by Tracie Peterson

Lydia Gray's relief at her husbands passing is immeasurable. Her next obstacle is to live through the will and gain freedom from her stepchildren's manipulation and greed. Once she thinks of a plan she throws her heart into it and escapes, or does she?

This superbly written book is fascinating and descriptive. I found myself emotionally tied to Lydia and her frantic escape towards freedom. How will she overcome the abuse she endured at her husband's hand? Will she learn to trust again? How will her discovery affect her future?

I was dismayed at the ability for the rich and spoiled to plot and plan and connive. It's amazing to me that there is such an element out there in our world. The authoress did a fantastic job brining in just the right balance of good and evil. I couldn't put this book down until it was finished.

Tracie Peterson creates such realistic people and events it's a wonder when you look up from the book and realize you aren't in the Alaska Territory. This book gets right to the heart of the readers and doesn't let go until the very last page.

Publisher - Bethany House
2009
335 pages

As a teenager, Lydia Sellers was forced to marry a cruel man to advance her father's business interests. Now, after many unhappy years in an abusive marriage, twenty-eight year old Lydia is relieved by the death of her husband in the spring of 1871. Through a technicality in the will, she has inherited her husband's entire fortune, and decides to leave Kansas City behind and go to live a quiet life with her aunt on the Alaskan frontier.

Arriving in Sitka, Alaska, Lydia meets the handsome young sawmill owner Kjell Bjorklund, and begins a relationship with him that may lead to romance. But then she discovers that she is pregnant with her late husband's child, something she did not expect since she had many miscarriages during her marriage, leading her to believe she could not have children. Will Kjell still love her if she is having another man's child? And how far will her greedy adult stepchildren go to claim the fortune they believe is rightfully theirs, especially now that she is having their father's child?

Dawn's Prelude is the first book in another new series from the prolific Tracie Peterson, who has written many inspirational historical romances. This book is an enjoyable read that combines a tender romance with suspense in an interesting historical setting. It is sure to be enjoyed by the author's many many fans, and is also a good choice for new readers looking to try something by this author.

For Tracie Peterson fans, Dawn's Prelude, did not disappoint. I began the book and was instantly drawn into the story and Lydia Gray's life.

Having been part of a barter agreement and married off to her father's unscrupulous business partner at 16, Lydia endured physcial and verbal abuse at the hands of her husband and his children. The result of her years of pain and heartache was a denial of God's love and existence. Although, Dawn's Prelude is obviously a work of fiction, one can easily relate and ask the same questions when God seems to allow suffering and misery in the lives of seemly innocent people. Lydia's character even verbalizes her disbelief saying, "If I could better understand why I had to go through the pain and ugliness of my past, then I would be more inclined to trust God. If He would give me that much."

Both her husband and father die in an accident and Lydia is left as sole beneficiary of a large fortune. In hopes of escaping her painful past, she runs to her only living relative, her aunt in Alaska. While in Alaska, it is this aunt that loving rebukes her questioning of God with,
" answers aren't what will make you fell better. Only God can do that. Only making it right with Him will fill that longing."

As Lydia comes to terms with her past hurts and overcomes her trust issues, there are more plot twists and turns beginning with Lydia realizing that she is pregnant and what lengths her step children will go to to ensure they keep their wealth and Lydia is left destitute.

This was a great read and a wonderful escape into the world of early Alaska!

Tracie Peterson does it again! Dawn's Prelude is the first book in her new series, The Song of Alaska. Peterson is truly gifted at writing Christian historical fiction. Her novels are thoroughly captivating with depth, beauty and historical accuracy. Dawn's Prelude is no different. It is set mostly in the rugged Alaskan territory in the 1870's, with interesting characters, a strong storyline, and vivid landscape descriptions. Once again with a Peterson novel, I found myself to be enthralled with the story and couldn't put it down. It had elements of darkness and evil, love and romance, and hope and healing. Questions of faith are answered with honesty, in a real, not preachy sort of way. In short, I loved it and can't wait until the next installment!

This story was truly fabulous in every way. I sensed the peril and the helplessness the characters experienced as much as I felt the tenderness and love. This is probably Tracie's best book yet. Her plotting is sheer perfection and the pace was satisfying. There was a suspenseful element to the story that made me not want to sleep until the situation was resolved and the people were safe. There was a secondary character that was compassionate, too. I worried for her and her lifeless marriage and started to sweat when temptation literally nipped at her corsette.

I love it when an author makes me care enough to worry about the characters. Of course, the romantic element was amazing and probably the best part of the book. When the sparks flew my heart felt ablaze along with the people in love. Trust is so hard for some people to experience after years of abuse and mistreatment. The hero in this story was the perfect person to reestablish that missing link and give the heroine hope. He was also smart enough to allow the heroine to come to him. Sigh, that was soooo romantic!

Ah, this was such a good read! In fact, it's making my favorite books of 2009 list. I would've read it straight through but life got in the way. It was very hard to put down and the story kept calling me to pick it up again and finish. I'm glad I did.

First let me mention about how much I love the cover of this book, the coloring especially is just to die for it is so pretty. So far almost every historical fiction that I have read from Tracie Peterson I have enjoyed and this one is no different on that enjoyment scale. It may not be as non stop fabulous as the Yukon Quest, but it in a different manner it is better at the same time. Reading the book blurb as an expectant reader you can assume certain things of the plot line and story to occur and wonder how they unfold and what will happen next, but this novel is so much more in depth with twists and turns and much more plot than the blurb even begins to imply.

The best of Christ's beginning love is shown through in the characters and they learn and grow. Evil is still present as ever in some characters as is always in the writing of Tracie Peterson in a way that is very real as uncomfortable as that may seen. What is fabulous is the way that even with so many bad things that can possibly occur all the good that God can bring out of it. With emotions running, and pages not turning fast enough if you ever have enjoyed some of the work of this author before you will be glad to read this new novel that does not disappoint. If you have yet to read Tracie's books, this is a great place to start. I highly recommend her. This book is a great start to a new series and I cannot wait for the next one.

This latest offering from Tracie Peterson was deeply satisfying. This was a relief as I had felt her last output, The Brides of Gallatin series, to be a bit predictable and boring. Luckily the problems I had with that series seems to have disappeared so far in the first book. I have always enjoyed Tracie's books that take place in Alaska. I believe this is her 3rd series set in our northern most state. This book shows a lot of promise for the upcoming books in the series.

I was immediately drawn into the story of a young widow who's at the mercy of her conniving step children. What I found interesting is the different take on the older man marries younger woman story. We usually think that wives who are much younger than their husbands only marry them for their money. However in this case, Lydia was forced into this marriage and is all to ready to escape and forget that it ever existed. Her stepchildren, who are almost all at least her age or older, cannot seem to see her point of view and and have been condescending of her from the beginning. It's actually quite frustrating that they can't seem to realize she wants to get away from them forever. Once Lydia gets to Alaska, she's met with many challenges and obstacles, that threaten her life and her sanity.

While this book is set in a historical time period (the gold rush), there's not really that much history involved. The story isn't also as much about Alaska and the gold rush as it is about Lydia's struggle with her husband's family. There were some tidbits about the Tlingit people which I did find very interesting as I don't think I've read a book that talks about them. The only little qualm I have is the presence of the violin on the cover. While the violin is mentioned several times in the story, it does not really play a major role as one would think from it's prominence on the cover. Also there were some scenes that I felt were taken out of a soap opera and a little over dramatic. Still though it's an enjoyable book and it's comfort reading since I've been a fan of Tracie's works for years. I'll be looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I must say that since buying my Kindle, I have learned that I like christian fiction set in the past. This has to be the best that I have read. It is a very sweet story between Lydia and Kjell, but what I found more interesting was Lydia's stepchildren. That is the reason that I keep reading. I really wanted to know what they would plot next. A majority of the love story was very predictable (as most romance novels are). I'm sure I could have finished this book in a couple of days, but it took me a little less than a week because other things kept getting in the way. After I finished this book, I quickly bought the sequal and I am reading it now.