A Blessing to Cherish

Blessing, ND #7

by Lauraine Snelling

Though she has known hardships in her life, Ingeborg Bjorklund chooses to focus on all she has been given. Blessed with children and grandchildren, she enjoys the friendship and support of the entire Blessing, North Dakota, community. And after several years of widowhood, she has reached a place of contentment with her life.

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

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2020

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

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.
The story starts in 1913. Ingeborg Bjorklund, originally from Norway  has lived in the North Dakota town of Blessing for years. She enjoys the friendships of her community. Ingeborg has been a widow for several years. One of her close friends in David Gould. David, an extremely wealthy man, has a home in New York. In New York he has servants including a butler, cook, valet and maids to look after his needs. It is a very different lifestyle to Ingeborg’s life on a farm in Blessing, surrounded by family and friends, but David spends a lot of time in Blessing. He wants more than friendship from Ingeborg. He wants to marry her. But will she ever be able to adapt to his wealthy lifestyle?
Currently she supports her stepson Thorliff, single parent to two children since his beloved wife Elizabeth died. Plus several others she has helped, share Ingeborg’s home. Thorliff has plans for the school in Blessing, but when new teacher Louisa Gutenberg arrives in town she stirs some feelings he doesn’t expect and can’t explain. Louisa has a secret she doesn’t want to come out.
There are a number of likable characters in this community, unlike David’s son Thomas
David’s adult children are selfish and spoilt.
This is book 7 in a series about the town of Blessing. I read it without having read the earlier books and it read fine as a stand alone.
This is a story about a community, although it does bog down a little with David, his family and business. Friendship, faith, family and the threat of war all play their part and there is a romance or two. An enjoyable read on the whole.

[Victoria Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved getting a glimpse into the world of Blessing and getting to see the characters all in one final culmination of this series! Brought back so many memories and I loved getting to see how their life played out. And grateful for the happy ending. 🥰

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was wonderful but sad. I hate to see the saga of Ingeborg Bjorklund end . There have been so many wonderful books in the story of this family. Lorraine is one of my three favorite writers. This was the 22nd and last book in the series. I feel as if I am saying goodbye to wonderful friends but looking forward to her next series as she is such a gifted writer.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so disappointed. I had to put off writing this review several days because I felt so bad.
I know many of us wanted another Bjorklund/ Red River book, so I guess Lauraine Snelling acquiesced. It seems she brainstormed with her writer-helper friends and threw in a bunch of random ideas. I had asked our librarian to get the book and put a hold on it. I was so eager. As I read it, I got more and more discouraged. It seemed like many of the old timers were neglected. Even Andrew and Carl were barely mentioned. Andrew was such a thoughtful, hard-working kid (except in the Ellie book, which made him pugnacious. He only fought to defend others.). Emmy and Manny, who were neither originals nor family, seemed like main characters.
It was nice that her cousin, Gunluag, finally got to visit.
Why was she putting niece Sophia in her will?

The epilogue was so silly. Rachel Anderson? Philip and Annabelle Rogers were not Blessings residents. They lived in Minnesota. Does anybody remember George Carlson? I only remember because I had recently reread A New Day Rising.

There should have been two books, one about David Gould and family, including the prodigal son and maybe also wedding - but not return at same time. The final book could have been a reunion of all living characters with the published history Thorliff was working on, including remembrances of the years and people who had been there.
The lovely picture on the cover could not have been Ingeborg because the only time she wore her hair fancy was when David Gould's maid fixed it for a special dinner. Even for her weddings, she wore the coronet of golden braids. The model looks much too young with fancy clothes.

[Courtney Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could not wait for this book to come out. I always wondered if David and Ingeborg would end up together, ever since the first time I read about him.
I was disappointed to read so much about the Gould family. And much of the book seemed stilted or rushed. It’s hard for me to describe.

I would’ve loved to read more about the main characters of previous books. Karen & Lars, Andrew, Astrid...I missed reading about them. They were barely mentioned. And the “where are they now” section at the end was quite confusing. Some didn’t make sense, and I’m sure I never read about some of these people. Oh well, I love Lauraine’s books, and I’m glad I read this one. It was just not what I expected

Also, in this book and in the previous book…Sophie is referred to as “Tante Sophie”. Mistake there because she is Thorliff’s cousin. She’s not an aunt to any of the people in the last two books that refer to her as Tante.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blessing, ND 1913

I had mixed regards for this novel as I started so let me try to breakdown my thoughts.

This book is listed as the 7th in Snelling’s series on Goodreads, however, what I’ve discovered after diving into it is that there were two other series in which the kids are growing up and we meet new characters and the continued life happenings.

“Blessing to Cherish” takes place 30 years after Ingebord comes to America, so move this novel to the last one (#22) and read all the other series first. I was confused about who characters were since I missed them in the other novels. This is quite a series where you come to know the characters and town. Feel like you’re living there with them, so since I had a base from the first part of the series I kept on.

The story itself is a nice bookend for Ingeborg’s story. We see her trials and joys after coming to America and the advancements in life to now as she reflects. Also, she finds love again which was a key part of the story but one I would have cried through in an earlier novel.

It seems I’ve finished the series and have an idea of how life for these characters turned out but would like to read the other series to not miss certain characters stories: Thorliffe and Elizabeth, Astrid’s trip to Chicago, birth and deaths of characters, etc.

Heartwarming series just wish maybe I would have paid more attention to the series because GR does not have it listed well in my opinion.

[Stephanie Ziebarth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Blessing to Cherish is the eagerly anticipated conclusion to the Red River of the North series.

It's not uncommon for a series to begin strong, but then the quality goes downhill as the stories continue. That has definitely been the case for the Red River of the North spin-off series.

In this novel, I found the Thorliff storyline rushed and unrealistic. Fortunately, the Ingeborg storyline is both better and a wise way to conclude the series.

The "Where are They Now?" portion is a disappointment. It was very random in both characters chosen and content. One of the "updates" on a character directly contradicts the series, including this very book. It was a nice idea, but the reader will be better served to stick with his/her imagination regarding what happened to favorite characters.

[Kathy Aufleger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so sad this series is over. I hope the author will write about Ingeborg's grandchildren someday.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last book in the series and I really enjoyed it.This has been my favorite series and am sad to see it is the last one.This is about Ingeborg Bjorklund and her son Thorliff.They have both lost someone they love very much.Ingeborg has know Davis Gould for a long time and has feelings for him but not sure if she wants to marry him.Louisa Gutenberg is a new teacher in town and Thorliff in finding himself being very interested in her.

[Lael Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great ending to a wonderful series! Loved it.

[Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved this series from the beginning but this last book left me feeling cheated. Thorliff and Louisa’s marriage seemed rushed and in the beginning of the book I was confused on why all of a sudden David Gould was staying and now living in Blessing. I also felt that I didn’t get to see into the lives of every character that I wanted to see. I mean what about Andrew and Ellie and the rest of their children? Astrid and her family? Also where is the family tree at the beginning of the book? Overall this book was fine but of lesser quality than what I had expected.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I was expecting a recap of all the people and the things that happened from Ingeborg’s perspective. I had little interest in the Gould family. I would have liked to hear Ingeborg reminisce about the early years with Roald, Katy’s death, her relationship with Kaaren, how she dealt with depression, and many other things covered in the books. Over all, it was fine. Not what I was expecting from a finale in this long a series.

[Leah Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok book

It's been awhile since I've read books by this author and it was a little confusing remembering who is who. The romance in here was kinda cheesy.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not realize this was not the first in the series so I'm trying not to let the fact that I was lost influence my review

[Amber Dubrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I gave this book 5 stars, not because I was entirely thrilled with it, but because it was something I had hoped for.

Quite a few things in the book didn't sit well with me. Almost no mention of Clara, Andrew, or other characters. No mention of Grace's baby, even though she was pregnant in the last book (unless I overlooked it). The "Where Are They Now?" section was okay - but honestly, it didn't focus too much on characters I really cared about. Sure, Augusta's story line was interesting (although not my favorite), but I didn't care to know about her and her children. I'd rather know what the grandchildren and other town inhabitants are up to. Did Toby and Deborah ever have children? What about Trygve and Miriam? Did Samuel ever get married? Those are the characters I wanted to know more about.

The relationship between Thorliff and Louisa moved rather quickly and seemed out of the ordinary for him. Ingeborg and David's relationship seemed too predictable - and quite frankly, didn't make sense. I personally never viewed them as more than good friends, so it seems implausible to me that they'd end up falling in love. David's children hating Blessing and the people there seemed far fetched. All of the "surprises" at the wedding were a bit absurd. The book seemed rushed, even though it may have not been, and not thought out as well as previous books.

However, after reading the first book years ago, I still wish Blessing was a real town. I still wish the characters were real people and that I knew them. And, honestly, that I lived there. For the simple fact that this series has held a special place in my heart, I gave it a 5. I'd love to see more related to Blessing, from the grandchildren's perspectives, as technology advances. Even a modern-day Bjorklund family member in Blessing, or returning to Blessing, would be an interesting read to me.

[Jess & Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Thorliff is busy dreaming of printing presses and literary glory (bless him), the real emotional depth sneaks in through a different storyline—David Gould. That’s right, that David Gould. The man Ingeborg met in Gåbor all the way back at Ellis Island, with the sick wife and baby boy she helped in a moment that seemed fleeting—until now.

Turns out, David is now a widower with a teenage son, Jonathan, and enough money to make the Bjorklund farm look…modest. He returns not just as a neighbor or hired help, but as someone with a past connection to Ingeborg that most of Blessing doesn’t even know about. Watching these two re-meet, older and tempered by their own lives, is surprisingly tender. There’s a humility and gravity to David that gives the story unexpected weight. He doesn’t swoop in; he settles in.

Meanwhile, Thorliff’s inner tug-of-war between duty and calling is in full swing. He wants to go to college and become a writer, but leaving the farm and his family (not to mention Elizabeth) weighs heavy. Elizabeth, of course, is quietly composed, but you can feel her heart in every well-mannered, emotionally restrained conversation. They’re both deeply in like and absolutely incapable of saying it plainly. Prairie courtship at its most infuriating.

This book shifts the center of gravity. The younger generation is dreaming forward, while Ingeborg and David are circling something quieter, deeper, something earned. It’s not flashy, but it lingers. And it reminds you: the past has a way of showing up just when you’ve almost forgotten it.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning conclusion to one of my all time favorite series!

The series about the Bjorklund family centers on it's matriarch Ingeborg. She is one of the founders of the town of Blessing and through the years she was widow's twice and had 3 children and multiple grandchildren. Now in her 50's Ingeborg is being courted by the wealthy man David Gould who she met right after arriving in New York City from Norway. He has built a house in Blessing and is slowly spending more and more time there wanting to get away from the life he led in New York. Ingeborg and David have a lot to traverse to figure out if they want to marry or just stay as friends.

Meanwhile Ingeborg's son Thorliff, a widower with two children is intrigued by the new schoolteacher Louisa. Is he ready to love again or will he remain a widower forever?

I'm very happy with this conclusion to this series set in Blessing, North Dakota. I'm so very sad to see that there will not be any more books as it would be great to hear what happens to Inga,Emmy and the rest of that generation of Blessing. However by leaving it where she left it, Lauraine Snelling is keeping Ingeborg living on forever on the pages of these books, happily ever after! I'll definitely be re-reading this series over the years as truly it is one of my favorites and my daughter Astrid's name was inspired by this series!

[Regina Spiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This final book in the Red River series ties up the story of the Bjorkland family and matriarch Ingeborg, although I, as many other readers did, thought it a bit rushed. I've enjoyed this much loved series of Swedish immigrants coming to America and settling in North Dakota. Ingeborg suffered much in the early days of homesteading, including losing her husband to a blizzard and brother-in-law plus his children to horrible sickness. Now in her 50s, she has lost her beloved 2nd husband several years earlier, but is looking at love again to an old friend. Her family approves and the town of Blessing, that Ingeborg helped begin, is growing in leaps and bounds. I wish all her family members had been mentioned as well in this final chapter.

Quotes:
“But the pain eventually goes away.” “Not totally. Sometimes it sneaks back and grabs you. The best way to handle that is to go ahead and cry it out, pray through it, and the sooner you can put a good memory in its place, the easier it is to breathe.”

“Some of the greatest blessings take a long time in coming, as God works out His plans.”

[Dee Renee Chesnut · Rating 3 out of 5]

I looked forward to reading another story about Ingeborg, and this is not the story I expected. In my imagination, based on all the stories from all the novels, Ingeborg was much older than the 55 years that she is in this book. Surely, she must be older than I am by now.
I had been sharing this series with my 93-year old father who had been raised by his grandmother who was also born around 1858. The stories of life on the farm and the town of Blessing reminded him of his childhood.
In chapter 8, I was uncomfortable with how disconnected David was with his own children and how he judged them as harshly as he did his board of directors, with an inability to separate family from business. I was uncomfortable because it seemed to reinforce my own father's judgements and righteousness at the end of his life when he could not understand nor respect the difficulties of decisions made in the time of a pandemic.
I recommend it to fans of the series because it cannot be read as a stand-alone.

[Naomi Haugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

After several years of widowhood and hard work,Ingeborg bjorklund has reached a place of contentment with her life.she enjoys watching blessing,north Dakota thrive and grow filled not only her extended family,but also newcomers like David gould.though a high-society businessman from new York city,David has become a dear friend.but how should she handle the ways their relationship seems to be changing?
Meanwhile her son thorliff is raising two children alone,still grieving the loss of his beloved elizabeth.he is surprised,therefore by the effect the new schoolteacher Louisa Gutenberg has on him.but would his feelings stay the same if he knew the real reason she visits her sister most weekends?
With blessings advancing forward,thorliff decides to gather the stories of Ingeborg life,and subsequently the history of the town into a book.but with every glimpse into the past,Ingeborg will have to decide if her settled,predictable life is worth more to her than a future she hardly dares to imagine.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: North Dakota, New York, Illinois and Minnesota
This was a good book for learning what it was like living in the 1913-1914 era. I don't know how people managed back then without all the modern conveniences, but they were starting to get some conveniences such as indoor bathrooms and electricity. I am participating in a challenge to read clean fiction books with settings across the 50 states. I chose this book because I needed the state of North Dakota which is one of the main two settings in the book. This book was actually number 7 in a series. There was a LOT of characters in this book, but I am sure that it would have been an easier read if I had read the previous books in the series. It contained strong Christian threads throughout the book and one of the side stories was even a modern day Prodigal Son story. Overall, very Good.

[Michelle]

A Blessing to Cherish is my first book by Lauraine Snelling. I started reading this (June 2025) without realizing that it is a final book to a long saga of books set in Blessing, ND. By the time I reached chapter 5, I realized it was pointless to continue without any background information. It felt like I was jumping into the middle a story. If the focus was on the main storyline, I would be fine with continuing; however, as the story progressed other relatives came into the story and I kept asking myself "Who is this again? Is this that one guy who does such and such or someone else? Is he one of Ingeborg's son-in-laws?" I'm not even 1/4 of the way through and I'm lost! I rarely get lost, especially so early in the book!

I decided to set this one aside until a much later date and start the series from the beginning with An Untamed Land.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ending to the series. Third chance at love for Ingeborg. But in finding that, family peace had to be made on the side of his children because they did not care for Blessing and Ingeborg did not want them to swoop in and take everything that she has worked all her life for to pass down to her children. Family forgiveness and being forgiven by God for past offenses were themes throughout the book. Love this time period in history. Families worked together and celebrated together. Big family get togethers were held often. The small town of Blessing grew and everybody seemed like family in one way or another. Ingeborg set a great example of taking everyone in and treating them like family.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christian Historical Romance

What an interesting way to end the series!

This is set many years later. There are many favorite characters deceased, but little or no information on the details.
Thorliff a preteen in the last book is a widow with 3 Littles in this story. His mother Is also widowed and both find love again in this book!
I loved the conclusion, I just wish there were many gaps filled in for this curious reader!
The narration was very good! I know she was the same narrator throughout the entire series, while I appreciate this detail, it might as well have been a different narrator as different as it seemed between each book!
I highly recommend this series, whether book or audiobook! Many listeners aren't nearly as nitpicky as I am!

[Kerah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. There are twists and turns that kinda shocked but we’re still good. You get to see how the characters learn to love again, learn forgiveness and understanding. The last part of the book is a short “chapter” that closes up the loose ends with what happened to other minor characters. I do have some small questions but they are like well what was so and so’s baby’s name that was born at the end of the last book? It was a very good read. The one thing I missed in the book was the family tree at the beginning of the novel. It has helped me keep track of who was who in the earlier books.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This final book in the Red River series was an excellent end to a great series of books. I love the characters throughout this series. Reading this book feels like catching up with long lost family. Lauraine Snelling did a lovely job of tying up loose ends for her characters and working out a beautiful and satisfying conclusion to this amazing series. Do not miss this last book in the series and if you have never read the series, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys family sagas and pioneering settlement stories. Great faith based series!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it seemed a bit rushed, this final book in Ingeborg's saga ties up a lot of loose ends very nicely. I know all Snelling's fans kept pushing for another book in the series, and I think they will be glad to read this one and catch up on all the doings in the small town of Blessing. For those who have not dipped into the series, this would not be a good book to start with because so much of it depends on the books that have gone before. So do yourself a favor and begin at the beginning - it will make so much more sense and you will fall in love with the whole lot of them.

[Caz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard because I love this series and this author ... but everything was wrapped up so quickly and the relationship and marriage between Thorliff and Louisa just seemed to be lacking especially when I think of this in comparison to his early days with Elizabeth. There seems to be so much detail given to describing some things including food preparation and what is eaten, but not enough to the relationships between Thorliff and Louisa and Ingeborg and David. I guess it would have been nicer seeing this develop across several books the way we have in so many other situations.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final instalment of the Ingeborg Bjorklund/ Blessing books. I’ve followed this series since the beginning, when I discovered Lauraine Snelling’s series back in 2010. Who knew there would be so many books and so many characters to grow to love? The final saga did not disappoint. Many characters were revisited, story lines were tied up, and I shed too many tears, as I felt like I was saying goodbye to one of my all time favourite families. As always, it left the reader spurred on in faith and matters of the heart. Thanks, Lauraine Snelling, for giving us one last look into Ingeborg’s life.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are reading the whole Blessing series, I recommend reading all the way through this one. It wraps everything up. However, it does feel like a wrapup book. Characters don't feel as deep. All of a sudden Ingeborg and David like each other and it feels like it came out of nowhere. Several years have passed. I do love Thomas's prodigal son redemption story though, and how Ingaborg is able to help Lillian. So a good bookend to the series, but it does feel like an afterthought, not as fully fleshed out as some of the other books in the series.