A Promise for Ellie

Daughters of Blessing #1

by Lauraine Snelling

Return to Blessing, North Dakota, with the story of Andrew Bjorklund and Ellie Wold. After graduating in May of 1900, the two make plans to marry once the harvest is over and their new house is finished. They spend the summer working hard, and the Lord seems to shine on and in them in a special way. Everyone rejoices in their happiness. Everyone except for Toby Valders, who is determined to get even for all the drubbings he has taken from Andrew through the years. Andrew, however, has promised Ellie there will be no more fistfights. But when their new barn burns--and many of their possessions and dreams with it--Andrew throws his vows of nonviolence aside, reaping bitter consequences. Why is the life he has so looked forward to now unraveling so quickly? (Daughters of Blessing Book 1)

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian, Romance, Fiction, Historical, Historical Romance

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Award-winning and bestselling author Lauraine Snelling has over 80 books published with sales of over 4.5 million. Her original dream was to write horse books for children. Today, she writes adult novels about real issues centered on forgiveness, loss, domestic violence and cancer in her inspirational contemporary women’s fiction titles and historical series, including the favorite, Blessing books about Ingeborg Bjorklund and family.

Lauraine enjoys helping others reach their writing dreams by teaching at writer’s conferences across the county. She and her husband Wayne have two grown sons, and a daughter in Heaven. They live in the Tehachapi Mountains with a Basset named Sir Winston ob de Mountains, Lapcat, and “The Girls” (three golden hens).

Reviews

[Sarah Grace Grzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book . . . wow! This picks up right after the Red River of the North Series, continuing Ellie Wold and Andrew Bjorkland's stories. I love the characters of Andrew and Ellie, so I loved this book. A lot of plot twists you didn't see coming. Heart-wrenching and heart-warming all at the same time. Not something I would read over and over again, because of some serious themes, but definitely a must read!

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the words "Daughters of Blessing #1" on the cover led me to believe that I was reading the first books of a series, I soon learned that this wasn't accurate. Technically, it is a new series, but Lauraine Snelling has written NINE books involving the Bjorklund family and friends prior to this one. Although I was interested in Ellie and Andrew enough to finish the book, I wouldn't consider this a stand-alone story. Many references are made to events in the other books, and even though enough information is given to keep the story going I still felt like I was missing something.

Overall, this book felt like a gift to the fans who read the two previous series. It is probably not the best book to start with if you have never read Snelling's work. I am going to back up and read An Untamed Land before I decide whether I like her writing style.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Promise for Ellie is the first installment within the Daughters of Blessing series.

I'm just going to be honest here people. This book was never on my radar until it was. I only really dove into it because it worked for a certain challenge. At times, I feel like I might find a Christian fiction romance that I will somehow fall in love with. Yet, that hasn't happened and I'm not sure if it ever will in the future. Don't get me wrong, this one had its cute moments, but I just don't think this genre is for me.

In this, you will meet Ellie and Andrew. They were cute for the most part. At times, I felt a bit lost but looking at other reviews I now know why. Until I randomly get the courage to jump into two specific series, I feel like I will always be lost. So, I guess I will have to wait to see what will happen next because at this point in my life - well, I don't really feel like jumping into those books. At least for now. Who knows, maybe they will end up working for a certain challenge or two.

That being said, it was an okay book with some nice twists.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I haven't read the previous series, I still enjoyed this historical novel. It was a bit edgy for Christian fiction, but I liked it.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up

I grabbed this book, thinking that #1 of the series should be a good place to start. But there was a huge chunk missing: especially Andrew and Ellie’s entire love story! I was left seeing NOTHING in Andrew for her to like and to fall in love with. She kept saying she loved him for his gentleness and we didn’t see any of that. I liked Ellie as a character, but snot-nosed, pouty baby Andrew was both unlikeable and unrealistic for his generation and upbringing.

A major plot point (Ellie’s terror of birthing babies was left entirely unresolved, as was Ingeborg’s sickness/weakness.

Content: a pretty detailed birth/nursing sequence; infant loss

Also—hey, if you don’t want me to critique your historical details, don’t research enough to toss in random “facts” that don’t fit the time period—they order a Sears-Roebuck house. Great: except this book is supposed to be set in 1900, and Sears houses didn’t start until 1908. Also, it comes with ready-cut wood, which was a feature first offered in 1916. Andrew worries about “ordering windows” but if he really got a house in a box, those were included. And he wouldn’t have ordered a stove when he ordered the house? That was weird.

Next, who starts putting hay in a barn before the roof is done? And why didn’t he use a metal roof instead of taking forever to split wood shakes in a region where wood is rare?

I’ll be trying another of her books, but obviously I need more help than simple series order to find out where to start reading.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY: Return to Blessing, North Dakota, with the story of Andrew Bjorklund and Ellie Wold. After graduating in May of 1900, the two make plans to marry once the harvest is over and their new house is finished. They spend the summer working hard, and the Lord seems to shine on and in them in a special way. Everyone rejoices in their happiness. Everyone except for Toby Valders, who is determined to get even for all the drubbings he has taken from Andrew through the years. Andrew, however, has promised Ellie there will be no more fistfights. But when their new barn burns--and many of their possessions and dreams with it--Andrew throws his vows of nonviolence aside, reaping bitter consequences. Why is the life he has so looked forward to now unraveling so quickly? (Daughters of Blessing Book 1)

REVIEW: I have read the previous books in the prior series (Red River North) that covers the Bjorklund family and thoroughly enjoyed them. This one continued the story and is just as enjoyable. A wholesome love story in historical North Dakota prairie land, Snelling's characters as always are filled with the strengths and weaknesses of real life. Her setting is filled with extensive historical details of this area in the early 1900's. The emphasis on depending on God no matter what your circumstances is woven throughout the story line. There are also many side stories which I am sure will lead to the next books in this series.

FAVORITE QUOTES: "You don't want to be like me. You want to be the best that you can be. God made you special in His eyes, and He has a plan for you that only you can fill."

"'If only,' will defeat you every time."

"The night tarries, but the sun always rises. That's my daily reminder that God overcomes the dark. Like the sun, He is here always. Even when we can't see Him, we know He is here and that, if we wait, we will sense and feel Him again."

" 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' Pastor Solberg has called that the 'Christian's bar of soap.' "

[Kelly M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in a series of 4, this book (and series) is actually a sequel to a larger series of books all about pioneers in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and (the original series spans 1880 to about 1900) takes place in the first 4 or 5 years of the 20th century. The characters in these 4 books are the daughters of the women in the first series. These books appealed to my love of all things pioneer, "Little House on the Prairie", life in simpler times, and very Christian without being preachy at all. Loved them all, can't wait to go back and read the original series.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved reading these books in order and am ready to go to the library to pick up the next one. Watching the family grow and expand, the issues facing those who live on the prairie in this time period, all of this goes together to make an enjoyable reading time. I can recommend them to others without worrying about content that may offend. Pure, wholesome, good for any level reader.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well it's already International Womens Day here in NZ so what better book to share than a story about focusing on women. Old, young, mothers and career women. While it's set in 1900, the story just goes to show that while times change, human nature doesn't and women today are still facing the same internal battles of women then. Love, marriage, belonging, identity and so on. This book was so comforting, just a story of people doing life, facing it and all its challenges. Andrew and Ellie are sweet and young, and have to do a lot of maturing and growing through the story. I loved the emphasis on prayer throughout, reminding us that God always answers, just not always in the we we envisioned.

[Sarita · Rating 3 out of 5]

After listening to the first few minutes, I realised something is missing. However, I was sitting in traffic so continued listening and soon the characters drew me in, and I did not mind that series is a sequel series for the Red River of the North series and part of the bigger Blessing ND series.

Though I think I would have understood and appreciated the backstory of all the characters more if I have read the previous series, as well as Andrew and Ellie's relationship, it did not take away from my enjoyment of this story.

Through the characters, various difficult issues were discussed and addressed in this book, miscarriages being one key issue.

Andrew and Ellie's character growth was strong - especially Andrew who still had growing up to do.

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd.*

[Rachel Brand · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was rather disappointing. The synopsis sounded great, and I liked the idea of reading about Norwegian settlers, but I didn't realise that this series followed on the back of two other series about the same characters. I expect you can only really enjoy this book if you're familiar with the characters, as I was just confused by all the summarising about every single person Ellie or Andrew encountered. Plus, the expectation that you already knew the characters meant that not a lot of time was spent introducing and developing characters, so I never felt like I connect with anyone, even Ellie or Andrew.

I feel bad for saying this, but I honestly didn't really care whether Ellie or Andrew got together. I felt like I was dumped into the middle of their story - they were a month away from their wedding - and never given the chance to see their relationship grow and thus invest an interest in it. So because I never learned why Ellie loved Andrew so much to begin with, I couldn't understand why she was so hung up on this guy who was stubborn, very quick to anger and clearly needed to grow up before he got married.

Part of my issue with Andrew is his anger and stubbornness. I realised towards the end of this book that the reason I disliked his character so much is actually quite a personal one. My dad is very stubborn and has a very short temper, and if he gets annoyed he will scream and shout and kick up a fuss with anyone who doesn't agree with him, including me. If someone won't agree with him, he'll leave the room and not come back until the other person attempts to make amends. This description matched Andrew so many times in this book! Growing up with a father like this has had a big affect on my life, one factor being that I really struggle with conflict because I expect everyone to react like my dad in an argument (shouting, anger, stubbornness) and it took me a while to deal with this when I left home and met my husband. The other factor is that a short temper has always been a complete turn off for me when it comes to men. I would never, ever have considered a relationship with a man who has a temper like my father (or Andrew, for that matter), and fortunately, God blessed me with a very calm and collected man, who prefers to talk things out and never raises his voice. But, considering my upbringing, you can see why I never really cared for Andrew's character. It's hard to swoon over a man who has a lot of traits that you try to avoid. I know this won't be an issue for all readers, but I imagine I'm not the only woman who has had a bad experience with a short-tempered man, and I can see Andrew's temper and reaction to any sort of conflict as being a turn-off for a fair amount of readers. I know he swore to change at the end of the novel, but some men can't ever change.

I'm giving this book 2.5 out of 5 because I honestly think it had a good potential. Besides my issues with the backstory of the previous two series, and Andrew's character, I also felt that this book needed a series edit to make it a good story. I liked the idea of a couple forced apart by circumstances before their wedding day, and forced to mature separately, but a lot of issues were left unexplored or not concluded at the end of the novel (Ellie's fear of miscarriages was a big one) and some of the storylines weren't detailed enough to seem believable. But most of the aspects of the story and characterisation could have worked if they'd just been expanded further. Honestly, at times, this felt like a rough draft that needed to be tightened up a little.

Although I had to really force myself to finish this book, I will attempt to read the others in the series, just because I already own them. I think the story and characters have great potential, but most of it was unexplored and pushed to the side by characters from previous books, which is pretty distracting to a first-time reader. 2.5*

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a charming story with characters that had some tough lessons to learn along the journey. Andrew was tough for me to like in the first half, but his redemption thread was well written and worth the wait. Ellie was a darling from the beginning, and I liked how she learned to stand up for herself and to prepare for having her own house and family to take care of. The community was superb. I was surprised at how often fires came into play, but I liked that aspect. It was surprising and felt fresh for how it was wielded.

A miscarriage and the discussion that followed it made me weep. So poignant!

This book was delightful, challenging, encouraging, hopeful, and a blessing.

Content: tobacco, alcohol, gambling

[Emilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two days ago I finished this book. Since then, I have found myself thinking about Blessing. Reading A Promise for Ellie is like sitting in your most comfortable chair with a cup of coffee, relaxed and contented. I miss it. Several years ago I read the Red River Valley series and had just never read either of the spin off series until A Promise for Ellie. I'm so glad I did. I"m going to start the next book in the Daughter's of Blessing, Sophie's Dilemma.

[ANNETTE · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read and right away the story starts to develop. I thought it had good flow. I loved the Andrew & Ellie characters as they learned to lean on God and their love grows strong.

[Julie Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie and Andrew have planned to marry since they were young. They plan to marry right after graduation, but time after time, things go wrong.
Andrew ordered a house for them that doesn't come on time. Work on the farm never ends, so between that and putting up his barn and house, he has little time to spend with Ellie, even though she's right in town.
Then things go from bad to worse. Before all is said and done, they don't know if they'll ever marry. Both still want to, but there have been so many misunderstandings and so many circumstances conspiring against them that each isn't sure the other still wants to marry. By the time the book ends though, both have grown up a lot over the summer, and Andrew finds himself closer to God than he's ever been.
This was a very emotional book for me. I loved it. I couldn't wait to keep reading to see how Andrew and Ellie's story would turn out.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed by how this author handled real issues and real life without being crass. It was a well told story and I really enjoyed it. It was to neat to see how the characters matured and grew in the course of the book.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes light romance.

[Bethany Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Lauraine Snelling book! I want to say I love how much knowledge she has for farm life and the labor they do. I learned so much about farming just reading this book.
This was the perfect, cute, and refreshing book with just the right amount of intrigue and mystery. Lauraine is a beautiful writer.
I've already started Sophie's Dilemma and am looking forward to reading more books by Lauraine.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still hooked on this series.

[Steven · Rating 1 out of 5]

slow/slō/ Adj: Moving or operating, or designed to do so, only at a low speed. Adv: At a slow pace; slowly. Synonyms: sluggish - tardy - dull - slack - dilatory - heavily - gently - slacken - decelerate - delay.

This book makes Les Miserables seem rushed.

But it really takes off around chapter 20 or so.

The witty banter was painful, too clever, I think, and many modern expressions were out of place among turn-of-the-century Norwegian immigrants. ("He had his tongue planted firmly in his cheek," the narrator explained, stating the obvious.)

Good story, but the plot had just enough action for a book about 1/4 the length. The other 3/4ths of the book is "chick-flick" stuff that I would expect would grow wearisome even for the genre's biggest fans.

I wish the author luck. I think she has some great ideas and the ability to create a conflict that centers on some very nebulous growing-up stuff. She moves this problem toward a conclusion well-enough, though there was never any real threat that things would not work out: couple is engaged, problem arises, they work it out. Pretty straightforward. The genius of it is that the problem is a tough one to illustrate (the groom needs to grow up). She manages to explore all of that. This book simply needs a good "abridger," someone with paring shears who is not afraid to cut 50% of the text, 75% of the presumably witty dialogue, and 100% of lines like: "she thought of that kiss and a warm feeling began to creep up her thighs and into her very core..."

Best thing here is the solid research into Midwestern farming among Norwegian immigrants in 1903.

[Andrea Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Promise For Ellie is the first book in Lauraine Snelling's Daughters of Blessing series. Blessing is a small town in North Dakota where many of Snellings books take place. They also revolve around members of the Bjorkland family. This story takes place in 1900 and its main characters are Ellie Wold and Andrew Bjorkland.

These two have planned to marry since they were kids. From the beginning you can see that they are good for each other. Ellie is a stabling influence on Andrew who has a tendency to be a bit hotheaded. (Something that will get him into a lot of trouble later on)

I really loved Ellie. She was very sweet and hardworking. She loved both her family and Andrew's. Snelling makes that easy because all of her characters are so wonderfully written and enjoyable to read about.

I was surprised at the fact that Ellie's feelings of desire were written. This is a Christian Historical. Most books in this genre skip over physical love, but in this story Ellie feels the first stirrings of desire and to me that made things so much more realistic from that standpoint.

What I found harder to believe was how easy Andrew got off when he got into a fight with Toby Vanders and nearly killed him. I know the laws were different then, but he could have killed a man, and well, that part of the story didn't sit well with me.

This was my first book by Lauraine Snelling, and it made a good impression on me. I definitely want to try some of the other books in this series and her other series

[Allison Denny · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's been two years since I read this for a class assignment and it still gives me all the anger. Poor writing, a plot without a conflict, a romance without any chemistry or even an arc to the relationship, frank discussion of every part of the reproductive cycle except for intercourse... (Childbirth? Yep. Death in childbirth? Sure. Breastfeeding? Great. Periods so heavy the woman in question passes out due to loss of blood? Let's get into detail about how stained other peoples' clothes get. Sex? Even sex as married and sanctified and I hope consenting as it gets? Nope nope nope.)

There's one alluded-to scene in which a worried character is reassured about sex. She's mostly concerned about dying in childbirth, but I assume she's worried about what comes before that, too. Someone steps up and tells her what she needs to know. It's all off-screen, though. The reader doesn't get any of the comfort that the character does.

The author, the publisher, the entire inspirational genre realizes and accepts that young women may need information about their bodies and what to expect from them. It only seems to respect fictional girls enough to give them this information, though. Real women, the actual people reading the book, don't seem to deserve that same consideration.

I find this book sloppy and irresponsible at my most generous, and outright harmful at my most realistic.

[Mindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it was good... but not as good as the Ruby, Pearl and Opal. I felt like this whole book was too much of a "will she or won't she" regarding Ellie and Andrew. One chapter they're so in love and can't wait to be together, the next chapter he's being a little bit of a jerk and she's upset, then she forgives him, then he's angry with her, then he forgives her and she's angry with him again. Too much like high school drama than the kind of story I like. That's one reason why I don't like typical "romance books" - just change the names and the story line is the same. I was also a little annoyed that the mystery of who died in the fire in the first chapter of the book was never explored in real depth or explained. It may come upin future books in this series, but I felt like every once in awhile the writer would remember that was in the story and then throw in a couple lines about it, and then go back to Ellie and Andrew. It was an okay read, but I don't know if I'd re-read it. Too many other really great books that I like. I will finish the series and see if it improves though!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't finished this one...not sure if I will. It's ok...but if I never finish it I don't think I'll be awake at night wondering what happened. Looking at other reviews, I realize this book comes after 2 other series...and that makes sense. I really felt like I was missing some information, maybe it should be called Daughters of Blessings 3.1 or something so we know it's the third series. I really wanted to like this book though, I love Christian historic fiction, I just never really got into it.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of in the "Christian simple" genre (is that a tacky moniker). Enough references to God and prayer, and enough struggle to see His impact. I read this book because it was about North Dakota homesteaders and that is in my genealogy pool. It was interesting to see the engenuity (sp?) and creativeness in living. No major snow storms, no major floods, so that is why is is simple. Very predicatable.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of my favorite authors. You can't go wrong with her books. She does such a good job showing us much about the Lord and our relationship with Him.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet book. It's the first in the series (of two) but obviously some of the characters appear in earlier books. It's like a current Amish story, but it's set around 1900 in a Scandinavian immigrant Lutheran community. I did keep expecting the man who burned in fire to become more of a mystery, but I suppose it really was just a bum who was smoking and set fire to the shack.

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the story talks about young love and the dissappointments that we have when we are young and in love and how we must rely on God no matter what. The trials and tribulations are what make us wise and our love strong.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was soooooo long. I guess I like my stories to move along and this read like an endless preachy documentary. Not that it was poorly written or anything, but it just wasn't compelling. It took me a few weeks to listen to it because I was too bored by it to get back to it.

[Kristi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't make myself finish it. It was very slow and even halfway through the plot was just not moving quickly. Maybe I will go back to it, maybe not.

[Christine Meunier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie is a delightful character and I really enjoyed getting to know the people of Blessing. Another enjoyable Christian read by Lauraine Snelling.