Red River Of The North Books In Publication Order
- An Untamed Land (1995)
- A New Day Rising (1996)
- A Land to Call Home (1997)
- The Reapers’ Song (1998)
- Tender Mercies (1999)
- Blessing in Disguise (1999)
- An Untamed Heart (2013)
- A Blessing to Cherish (2020)
Return To Red River Books In Publication Order
- A Dream to Follow (2001)
- Believing the Dream (2002)
- More Than a Dream (2003)
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An Untamed Land
She had promised herself that once they left the fjords of Norway, she would never look back. The promise of free land lures Roald and Ingeborg Bjorklund from their beloved home high above the fjords of Norway, and after three long years of scrimping and saving to buy tickets for their passage to America, they finally arrive at the docks of New York City. This new land promises a rich heritage for their children, and here they hope to build a good life. After a long journey by train and then by covered wagon, the Bjorklunds finally arrive in Dakota Territory, where they settle on the banks of the Red River of the North. But the virgin prairie refuses to yield its treasure without a struggle. Will Roald and Ingeborg be strong enough to overcome the hardships of that first winter?Proud of their heritage and sustained by their faith, they came to tame a new land.
A New Day Rising
The dream of their own farmstead and a good life in America had brought Roald and Ingeborg Bjorklund across the Atlantic to pioneer the virgin prairie of Dakota Territory. But Roald’s tragic disappearance in a winter storm had turned Ingeborg’s dreams into a living nightmare. Against nearly impossible circumstances and overwhelming grief, she struggles to keep the farm and her family together. When spring appears, Roald’s distant cousin Haaken arrives to help with the heavy field work, and Ingeborg is able to once again concentrate her efforts on home and children. After the bleak winter, she cannot ignore the joy that Haaken brings to their lives or the attraction she begins to feel toward him. When Roald’s brother from Norway also arrives to help the family, things become very complicated around the simple prairie dwelling! He reminded her of a Viking of old could he be persuaded to stay?
A Land to Call Home
Taming the land came at great price. Will their love survive the loss? It has required long, difficult years to tame the virgin prairie of Dakota Territory, but in spite of heartache and back breaking labor, the hardy immigrants recognize that God has been with them every step. What was merely a dream is now beginning to take shape. And so they face the challenge of proving up their homesteads and building an official town for their growing community. Hjelmer travels west to work on the railroad, but after sending only one letter to Penny, who has agreed to wait for him, he is not heard from again. As the months pass, Penny is pursued by other eligible suitors, and her love for Hjelmer is sorely tried. Will he return to keep his promise? First the land, then a natural disaster nearly devastates them. What will it take to make their dreams a reality?
The Reapers’ Song
Ever so slowly Dakota Territory is being transformed from a vast prairie into rich farmland. With the coming of the railroad, the small town of Blessing begins to prosper, and the Bjorklund family is reaping the promised harvest that had lured them from their beloved home in Norway. But for Ingeborg and Haakan, realizing their dreams will not come without a struggle. After their own fields are harvested, Haakan and the neighboring men take the steam engine and the separator on the road, threshing for other homesteaders in return for a portion of their grain. With Haakan away and the fields standing idle, Ingeborg frets over work yet to be done. Fearing an early change of seasons, she takes matters into her own hands. Has the land become more important to Ingeborg than her own family?
Tender Mercies
Is She Really Leaving Forever? Mary Martha was the only woman to capture his heart. But now she was preparing to leave the Dakota Territory. Was her good bye forever? Jump into the Red River of the North series and learn why readers across the country are clamoring for each new book in this historical series. Tracing the difficulties and joys of carving out a life from the Dakota sod in the second half of the 1800s, Tender Mercies continues Snelling’s Red River saga and will pull your heartstrings and make you feel the joys and frustrations of life on the open lands of the 19th century mid west. The rich farmlands of the Dakota Territory in 1887 are finally beginning to yield the abundant harvest the pioneers had dreamed about so long. The establishment of the railroad has brought significant changes to the small town of Blessing as well as prosperity to the Bjorklund family and their neighbors. Among the townsfolk, Reverend John Solberg despite being wary of matchmaking efforts in the past is developing a friendship with a delightful young woman through their common love of books. Mary Martha has a gentle southern charm that wins everyone in her circle but too soon she is called on to return home to care for her mother. She leaves behind many heavy hearts and countless questions of whether it will be the last time to see her.
Blessing in Disguise
The Bjorklund family has received word that Augusta Bjorklund is on her way from Norway to join them in North Dakota. When the train arrives in the town of Blessing with no Augusta aboard, the worried family hopes she will be on the train in the morning. But only her trunk arrives, so Bridget Bjorklund insists that Hjelmer, Augusta’s brother, go find her. Augusta, after discovering her intended bridegroom had married someone else, decided to leave her broken heart in Norway and start a new life in America helping her mother run her boardinghouse. But knowing no English, Augusta misunderstands a ticket agent’s directions in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in the harried confusion, she boards the wrong train. When she arrives at the end of the line, she is met by a handsome young rancher, Kane Moyer, waiting for his Norwegian mail order bride? Book 6 in the bestselling RED RIVER OF THE NORTH series.
A Dream to Follow
Thorliff Bjorklund has been writing since he was a young boy and now longs to study journalism. But his father has other plans for him and refuses to agree. Loving and respecting his parents, Thorliff dreads going against his father’s wishes and cannot imagine any honorable way to leave home. To make matters worse, the threat of a crop failure may mean there’ll be no money for college anyway. Thorliff is torn between love for his father and the pull of his dream. Must he choose between the two? Elizabeth Rogers has been raised in a life of privilege, yet she has an unwavering determination to become a doctor. Though she has the blessing of her family, society is not as kind, for it is nearly impossible for a woman to enter medical school. Has she misread her heart?
Believing the Dream
They Never Imagined Following Their Dreams Would Be So Costly A passion for writing has burned brightly in Thorliff Bjorklund’s heart for as long as he can remember. But college life is not as he had imagined. Both time and distance have created a rift between him and his childhood sweetheart, and the only bright spot in his life is his job at the newspaper. When summer arrives, things are looking up at school, but Thorliff must return home and confront his faltering relationship with Anji. Will he find the bonds of love still strong? For Elizabeth Rogers, marriage seems out of the question. Since learning that her mother died giving birth to her, Elizabeth has determined to become a doctor in order to save the lives of other women in childbirth. Will she achieve her dream when it is nearly impossible for a woman to enter medical school?
More Than a Dream
Book 3 of RETURN TO RED RIVER by bestselling author Lauraine Snelling. Thorliff’s goal of becoming a writer is within reach. Working for a newspaper in Northfield, Minnesota, he is busy writing articles and stories for the Minneapolis Tribune and Harper’s Magazine. But his idyllic world comes to a sudden halt when an epidemic hits the town of Blessing, North Dakota, following the Red River flood of 1897. Thorliff returns home to help family and friends recover from the aftermath of the disasters and rebuild their town. A captivating and heartwarming tale of aspiration, struggle, love, and triumph.