Second-Chance Dogs by Callie Smith, 2018

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Everyone loves an underdog, and nothing gives us warmer feelings than seeing someone get a second chance in life. A problem pup who flourishes under the right kind of training. The struggling veteran who finds unconditional love wiggling around at the end of a leash. The lonely child who finds comfort in the steady breathing of the warm, furry friend at her side. Each of us needs to be rescued from something--and each of us has the capacity to rescue someone, or something, else.

This collection of more than thirty contemporary, true, feel-good stories spotlights the beauty of being rescued--dogs rescued by people, people rescued by dogs, and even dogs who rescue other animals. It's the perfect companion--well, besides the four-legged, tail-wagging kind--for your morning cup of coffee or an evening curled up on the couch. Contributors include Susy Flory, Dusty Rainbolt, Lauraine Snelling, Melody Carlson, Wanda Dyson, Suzanne Woods Fisher, and many more.

(224 pages)

I'm a huge sucker for sappy stories about amazing animals, especially about dogs. That's why I always jump at the opportunity to review books like this, which tell stories about great dogs.

What this book does different from similar books I've read, however, is it focuses on sweet redemption stories about dogs who were rescues or rehomed, showing how they went on to live rewarding lives or help a human through a rough time in their life. There are no stories about dogs saving their families from fires, or preventing snake attacks. These are stories instead about dogs who helped their family deal with grief (after the loss of both human and canine family members), or became constant companions to lonely people, or simply added a bright spot to someone's life.

On one hand, I really like these more humble, personal stories. These are the stories of dogs like my own Daisy, a Boxer who passed away a few months ago. Daisy was no miracle dog, she never saved any of us from anything worse than a baby bird she once accidentally caught (and then immediately released), but she was a smart and loving member of our family and we all miss her very much. Some of the stories of the dogs in this collection made me tear up a bit, actually, because either the dogs reminded me of Daisy or their loving stories reminded me how amazing it is to have a dog in your family.

My only real complaint about the book is that, at times, the stories are so everyday that I almost began to wonder why they were published. And a few of the dogs didn't really seem like rescue dogs–they were adopted as puppies off the internet, or from friends who had planned to buy them but had plans fall through at the last minute. I think the author wanted to include stories from as many famous people as possible, whether or not their stories really fit the narrative of the book or not. I don't mind too much, since the stories are still pretty sweet, but it's just something that stuck out to me while I was reading through them.

There are flashier books out there, but if you're looking for a collection of sweet stories about sweet dogs, then this should be right up your alley.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A Breath of Hope by Lauraine Snelling, 2018

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With her younger brother Ivar in tow, Nilda Carlson is on her way to America to join her older brother Rune and his family in the northern forests of Minnesota. While she sees this as a golden opportunity, she has enough experience in life to know it won't be easy. The transatlantic voyage itself proves to be an adventure, and she hopes she will feel safe in her new home.

Rune and Signe Carlson are thrilled that Nilda and Ivar are coming to Minnesota, but life on the Strand farm remains a struggle. Rune is trying to build a house for his wife and children, but Uncle Einar Strand, obsessed with his own ambitions, refuses to help. What's more, he forbids anyone from the community to step foot on his land, leaving Rune to toil on his own. When a tragedy lays bare the truth behind Einar's anger and isolation, the Carlsons and Strands will have to come together like never before to become a true family.

(336 pages)

I really, really enjoyed the first book in the "Under Northern Skies" series, The Promise of Dawn. I was excited to see the story continue with A Breath of Hope.

And, on the whole, I'm satisfied with this second instalment in the series. Nilda is an interesting new character, though I almost found her a little bland in comparison to the rest of the family. It's hard for a young, single woman who mostly just helps with the cooking and takes some English classes to compete for the spotlight with Signe, Rune, the boys, the baby, Gerd, and Einar. I didn't care much about her potential romances. I think my favorite parts with Nilda have to be her reaction to an attempted assault back in Norway (and her attempts to see justice done), and she and Ivar's stop at a wealthy woman's mansion during their journey to Minnesota. Both are compelling storylines that I thought were done well.

I also really appreciated seeing the continuation of the story started in the first book, following the characters we grew to love in The Promise of Dawn. I didn't enjoy them quite as much as in the first one, because Einar's surliness got a little old after a while and most of the drama of living on the farm and growing accustomed to everything was already hashed out in the previous book, but it was still nice to see the continuation of their transition to their own place in Minnesota.

I've really enjoyed this series so far. While The Breath of Hope wasn't quite as good as The Promise of Dawn in my opinion, I still loved it and I am excited to read any more books in the series that might be coming out.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Promise of Dawn by Lauraine Snelling, 2017

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When Signe, her husband, Rune, and their three boys arrive in Minnesota from Norway to help a relative clear his land of lumber, they dream of owning their own farm and building a life in the New World. But Uncle Einar and Aunt Gird are hard, demanding people, and Signe and her family soon find themselves worked nearly to the bone in order to repay the cost of their voyage. At this rate, they will never have land or a life of their own.

Signe tries to trust God but struggles with anger and bitterness. She has left behind the only life she knew, and while it wasn't an easy life, it wasn't as hard as what she now faces. When a new addition to the family arrives, Signe begins to see how God has been watching over them throughout their ordeal. But after all that has happened, can she still believe in the promise of a bright future?

(276 pages)

Going into reading The Promise of Dawn, I didn't really have a good idea what it would be like. I won it in a giveaway on LibraryThing, and when I entered I'd just kind of assumed it was one of those fluffy Christian romantic historical fictions. I thought it would be kind of meh, but still entertaining, so I took the two seconds to click "Request It."

It turns out that The Promise of Dawn is a lot more serious than I originally expected, and it's not really a romance novel since the main characters are already married with three sons old enough to work for Uncle Einar. It is indeed a Christian novel, though, but the religion in the book is not as cloying as it is in most from the genre. And it is definitely a historical fiction story–which is what I loved best about it!

You see, I'm nearly 1/2 Swedish by descent. My great-grandfather and his family moved from Sweden to Nebraska around the same time Signe and Rune's family move from Norway to Minnesota, so it's easy for me to read about this family's fictional struggles on the American frontier and imagine my own ancestors into their place. True, my great-grandfather was a farmer in a tree-less state while Uncle Einar  is a tree logger, but that's small potatoes. The comparison is still real to me.

Plus, I actually really liked watching Signe fight to bring orderliness and civility into a house that was truly disgusting when she first arrived. Gird is bed-ridden, miserable, and miserly when they arrive; Einar is curt, unpleasant, and solely focused on his tree-logging endeavors to the point of abandoning everything (and everyone) else. It's impossible not to cheer for Signe as she puts the house and farm to rights with the help of her two younger sons and begins the process of helping Gird regain her strength. I also loved watching the way her sons always obeyed her, even though they were growing big and tall and lived during a time when women weren't always given much respect. Seeing the give-and-take of Signe and Rune's relationship was also very satisfying. I also just really liked getting such a different angle on frontier life, focused on the individual struggles of the people making their lives on the frontier rather than on the more publicized "drama" of cowboys and Native American struggles/raids and the like. This is the authentic story of the West, because it's the story of the individual family.

Basically, if you're looking for an character-focused book about Scandinavians moving to the American frontier in the early twentieth century, then The Promise of Dawn fits the bill to a T. Let me know what you think if you read it!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this novel through the BookLook Early Reviewers program.