The Blizzard Bride

‘After all this time, she was starting to miss talking to God, or maybe she always had, but was just now admitting it.’

I look forward to each new installment in the Daughters of the Mayflower and this one certainly did not disappoint! The author has taken wonderful characters, historical details, the beginnings of the U.S. Secret Service, counterfeit money, murder, a missing child and kidnapping to keep me in my chair until the last period.

Abigail has experienced more than her share of heartbreak. Teaching children in a small town in Nebraska is just what she needs, or so she thinks. Dash, a secret service operative, is tasked with finding and arresting the man that has managed to remain elusive for a number of years, spreading his counterfeit money far and wide. Will they be able to set aside their past differences and work together to bring this murderer to justice?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which reminded me of the importance of forgiveness and forgetting the past. The root of bitterness and hatred is hard to kill if you let if you feed it! I also loved reading how the town people rallied when disaster struck, bringing people together for a common cause.

I received this wonderful story through NetGalley and Barbour Publishing. All impressions and comments are my own and were in no way solicited.

I’ve been enjoying The Daughters of the Mayflower series with each book telling the story of a descendant from the Mayflower settlers during a different time period in the United States. The Blizzard Bride focuses on the “Children’s Blizzard” in January 1888. I had never really heard much about the blizzard before, so it was interesting to me to learn more about this event. One of the reasons I enjoy reading historical fiction is that I learn more about different areas and historical happenings. Susanne Dietze did a marvelous job of creating a story around the Children’s Blizzard. The small-town setting in Nebraska is easily visualized, and the characters are colorful, realistic, and vividly drawn. Abby is independent, courageous, and capable, while Dash is heroic, helpful, and . . . dashing. Their shared background affects their current relationship, but the past needs some healing and forgiving before they can move on.

The twists and turns kept me guessing and turning pages while I tried to figure out who the bad guy was. Intrigue, suspense, and history combined with inspiration and a touch of romance made this a wonderful read and a great addition to the series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the author and Barbour Publishing. All opinions are my own.

I love this multi-author Daughters of the Mayflower series, and this novel in particular. I am amazed at how the author designed this exciting and thought-provoking plot based on real historical events in the years following the Civil War and in 1888. The characters are very well-developed, the mystery intriguing, and spiritual lessons beneficial. I also appreciated the sensitivity afforded Dash regarding one of his challenges.

Abby is a school teacher in Chicago. Her father was killed four years ago at the bank he managed, and her mother died of pneumonia and a broken heart a year ago. After his death, they learned her father was distributing cash for a counterfeiter. When he told the counterfeiter he could no longer do so, the man killed him. She and her mother lost everything, including people they thought were friends.

Mr. Welch, with the Secret Service, has been in contact periodically with Abby. Today he comes with an interesting proposition. The operative assigned to the case in another state discovered several new information. The counterfeiter, formerly known only as The Artist, is Fletcher Pitch. Pitch was married for about a year until his wife learned what he did for a living. She took their infant son and left. She died not long after, leaving their son in the care of her sister Katherine, with the promise she would never let Pitch near their son and a tintype of his likeness.

Katherine changed her name and relocated to a small town in Nebraska. The schoolteacher there has a lung infection and is leaving. In need of a teacher, the Secret Service wants someone who might determine which of three “widows” with eight-year-old boys who moved to Wells in recent months is the woman with Pitch’s late son. They want to protect her and the boy and see the tintype of Pitch so they know what he looks like.

Welch and his operative want Abby to go to Nebraska to teach and help determine who the woman and boy are. There’s one catch. The operative she will be in contact with is Dash Lassiter. He left Chicago six years ago without a word to Abby on the day they were going to announce to her parents their intention to marry, and she never heard from him again.

Since her father’s death, Abby still believes God exists, but she is angry at Him, her father, the man who killed him, and Dash. She is bitter and unforgiving, wanting nothing to do with Dash – or even God. They only way she will work with him is if her contact is limited to sending a wire when discovering the right widow and son. At least until Dash learns Pitch knows where they are and will be on his way there to get his son. Dash moves to town.

This novel kept my attention from beginning to end! While I did make correct guesses of certain events, I was unprepared for the depth of spiritual changes Abby needed or could encourage in others. The plot is beautifully executed. I am impressed with the historical research shared and learned something new. I highly recommend this to older teens and women who love Christian historical fiction set in the late 1800’s that includes intrigue, natural disasters, and a touch of romance.

From a thankful heart: I received a copy of this from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

“History offers us many examples of people who face trials but persevere.”~ page 249

I probably say this every time I read another book in the “Daughters of the Mayflower” series, but each one keeps getting better than the last it seems! The history lessons in them are fascinating and the wealth of research each author does is a treasure trove. If my school teachers were half as interesting as these writers, I would have paid much more attention in history classes!

That being said, Susanne Dietze is a masterful author in my opinion. I have read just about every Love Inspired historical book she had written until Harlequin closed the line down. So while I am very familiar with her writing voice, I feel she really shone in “The Blizzard Bride”! I’m so happy that she found a publisher to allow her talents and stories to come out in the world again. She has a way to draw the reader into her fictional world and step right into the pages as if the you were to live there. The city of Wells, Nebraska is one I think I would have loved to visit myself because the cast of supporting characters to Abby & Dash were ones I could see myself interacting with every day. I could hear the school children playing at recess, see myself chatting with the store keeper as I shopped and said a friendly hello to the post master as I purchased stamps or mailed my own letters. Dietze created a world in my mind with vivid details of setting and people.

The main characters Abby and Dash have a past love interest that ended abruptly when he left her without an explanation ten years prior. When they are thrown together to catch a killer and counterfeiter, those deep hidden feelings still stir under the surface. Abby is bitter and struggles to understand what happened and Dash is regretful he never got the chance to explain his reasoning. So while they have to learn to deal with each other, they also have to keep a sharp eye out on identifying and bringing to justice a man called “the Artist”, all while keeping their real identities a secret from the friendly townsfolk. A task not so easy to pull off at times!

“Seeing her again, he had to laugh or cry, and frankly, it wasn’t just her reaction to him that was hilarious. He’d always been an idiot when it came to Abigail Bracey”.~ page 17

“Maybe God brought us together again to write a better ending to our story. One where we can walk away as friends, or at least do our jobs without arguing every moment.”~ page 145

I loved everything about this story; there’s mystery, a dash of danger, lovable characters, silly antics of school children, a real piece of history included about the blizzard, second chance love, and faith that is often tested leading to forgiveness, peace, and restoration. I admired how Abby easily shared the gospel truth and plan of salvation to two men who were despicable but still deserving of getting it right with the Lord. Just as all of us are!

*I received a complimentary copy from the author and was under no obligation to leave a favorable review. All opinions are my own. *

One of the Daughters of the Mayflower series, this novel is a mystery and a love story loosely woven around the January 1888 blizzard in Nebraska and the plains. Because I’d read David Laskin’s history of the blizzard, “The children’s Blizzard,” I was watching more for that story. The tale Susanne Dietze worked around it included a counterfeiter, a hero with learning disabilities, and the Secret Service. I especially enjoyed the Historical Note at the end, which told about people who actually survived the blizzard, a little about the roots of the Secret Service, and even when the concept of dyslexia was first taken seriously.

3.5 stars

“Providence hadn’t answered Abby once during the past four years. Not the way she expected or needed, at least.”

Abigail “Abby” Bracey wanted an “eye for an eye” sort of justice for the man who killed her father and subsequently ruined her family’s reputation; secondhandedly causing her mother’s demise and her own social exclusion. If she still believed in providence, then a certain Mr. Welch had just handed her the golden ticket; travel to Nebraska and . . . . . . work alongside Secret Service Agent Dashiell Lassiter? To apprehend a nationally known, but equally elusive conterfeiter named Fletcher Pitch? The sting of Dash’s broken promises had broken her heart all those years ago, now her anger was ready to erupt; spewing bitterness and resentment for all the world to see.

In spite of their differences, Abby does travel to Wells, Nebraska, to assume a teaching position, while trying to determine which of her students might be Pitch’s son. The notorious criminal is said to be tracking the eight year old boy. When a freak force of nature pushes Abby and Dash together, will their personal defenses strengthen or will they both acknowledge that reaconciliatin has to begin with grace and forgiveness? It’s a strange way to ignite romantic inclinations . . . . . . . . if it works. And there’s still the matter of a lawbreaker to apprehend.

Lovely spiritual truths inhabit this enjoyable read, for after all, “it’s important to celebrate when God answers prayer and good things happen”.

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. I also purchased a copy. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.

I really love the Daughters of the Mayflower series! The Blizzard Bride intertwines the historical Schoolhouse Blizzard of January 12, 1888 in which many lives perished and counterfeiting of money in which a man is traced to Nebraska. Abby’s father was murdered by this counterfeiter and she would like nothing more than to seek revenge so she takes a job as a teacher in Nebraska to help the United States Secret Service. Unfortunately for her, Dash, her childhood sweetheart who suddenly disappeared, suddenly reappears, and works for the Secret Service. Follow Abby and Dash as they try to located this murdering counterfeiter but battle each other, God, and their insecurities. I love how Ms. Dietze wrote about the history of the blizzard at the end of the book. She also included information about the Secret Service and dyslexia, which is also mentioned in the book. Thank you to Ms. Dietze, Barbour Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Blizzard Bride brings rich historical descriptions of the Children’s Blizzard in 1888. I did not even realize that this was an actual historical event. The attention to detail allowed me to imagine myself in the story during this terrifying storm and get a small taste of what the residents may have experienced. In addition, there are some great explanations of the early Secret Service and their role in fighting counterfeiting. I enjoyed Abby’s spunk and her journey back to her faith that she spurned, a response to several deep painful events. It was refreshing to see Dash, the hero, be the one to encourage and inspire true justice, not revenge, and faith restored. The tension between Abby and Dash felt a little drawn out at times, but I can appreciate the representation of Abby’s struggle against her hurt and bitterness. I really enjoyed the community aspect and how everyone came together when it was needed. While not my favorite in the series, it is another great story in the Mayflower Bride Series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Abigail Bracey arrives in Nebraska in January 1888 to teach school…and to execute a task for the government: to identify a student as the hidden son of a murderous counterfeiter—the man who killed her father.

Agent Dashiell Lassiter doesn’t want his childhood sweetheart Abby on this dangerous job, especially when he learns the counterfeiter is now searching for his son, too, and he’ll destroy anyone in his way. Now Dash must follow Abby to Nebraska to protect her…if she’ll let him within two feet of her. She’s still angry he didn’t fight to marry her six years ago, and he never told her the real reason he left her.

All Dash wants is to protect Abby, but when a horrifying blizzard sweeps over them, can Abby and Dash set aside the pain from their pasts and work together to catch a counterfeiter and protect his son—if they survive the storm?

I had trouble getting into this book. I found myself skimming parts of it. It had an interesting story line. But I just couldn’t get into it. The last fourth of the book got interesting and kept me reading. I hate to give bad reviews. But I will be giving this book two stars.

I was given this book by Barbour Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

I was captivated with the story of this book from the start till finish. It was steady and interesting.
Abby and Dash were so relatable. They are going through struggles everyone at on time have gone through.
The story unfolds as Abby is still reeling from events that happened years ago and she had to work with Dash who she rather not be in the same town with.
I loved how the both of them put aside their grievances with one another and worked for the common good of others. One shinning virtue about the both of them was their selflessness.
I loved how the story emulated that even in our sin and anger God stills pursues us.
Love always finds a way and this book brought that to life wonderfully.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.