The Return to Red River Series

I have a confession to make: I am infatuated with Lauraine Snelling. Her books have a way of stealing time because those pages just keep on turning so seamlessly. I’m a non-traditional college student (among other things) and when you’re pushing homework aside to read a book, you know it’s good. Lauraine, you are trouble!!!

Bethany House provided me three of her books, The Return to Red River Series, to review. These books center around Thorliff Bjorklund (Ingeborg Bjorklund’s son) and Elizabeth Rogers, a girl who longs to become a doctor rather than the pianist and lady that her stepmother expects her to be.

Thorliff  has a passion for writing and wishes to attend college to study journalism. His mother encourages him to pursue his passions, but his father dismisses his dreams as foolish because he needs more hands to take care of their crops and livestock. His mother encourages him to continue pursuing his dreams, but Thorliff is torn. He doesn’t have his father’s approval, his relationship with the love of his life is questionable, and with the uncertainty of his family’s finances, college may not even be an option.

In the city, Elizabeth fights to become the doctor she knows she is destined to be. A doctor takes her under his wing and she studies hard, knowing she will have to work that much harder to be accepted into a medical school.

Thorliff goes off to college (with his father’s blessing) and ends up finding a job with the newspaper, which is a business run by Elizabeth’s father. He works in exchange for room and board. However, he receives no responses to letters he sends to his girlfriend (Anji) back home. Unfortunately, her father is ill and she is overwhelmed with the responsibilities of taking care of him as well as her siblings. She turns cold and distant and Thorliff is angry, heartbroken and perplexed.

Elizabeth’s stepmother keeps pushing her toward marriage and Elizabeth is opposed to the idea. She comes up with a little scheme to get her stepmother off her back, but the plan backfires. She has a fiery spirit and a stubborn-ness that you can’t help but love.

Thorliff returns home to help after natural disasters wreck his community, but finds that his Anji is in the arms of another man.

At this point, Elizabeth has graduated from college and is working with her female mentor and doctor at a hospital in Chicago. She is invited by Thorliff to his hometown that is so desperately in need of a good doctor.

He also makes a proposal that she cannot refuse.

This is a wonderfully encouraging series about pursuing your dreams. Thorliff thought he and Anji would share their lives together, but things took an unexpected turn. This is a story of loss and of hope. You never know where your faith will lead you…

Lauraine Snelling, as you can tell, is one of my favorite authors in this genre. I am elated to find that she is offering Ingeborg’s recipes in a limited time offer cookbook called Ingeborg Bjorklund’s Red River Cookbook. The characters are so real and endearing that it’s like getting old family recipes from your grandmother. Nothing satisfies the soul like devouring a good series…don’t you think?

Disclosure: Mange takk to Bethany House for providing me these books FREE to review. All opinions are my own.