Daughters of Northern Shores #BookTour and #Giveaways

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Daughters of Northern Shores
(Blackbird Mountain #2)
By Joanne Bischof
Christian Historical Romance
Paperback & ebook, 368 Pages
March 12th 2019 by Thomas Nelson

“The Norgaard brothers and their families will steal your heart.” —Catherine West, author of Where Hope Begins

Heartache and regret, boldness and sacrifice. What will restoration cost the beloved Norgaard family?

Aven Norgaard understands courage. Orphaned within an Irish workhouse, then widowed at just nineteen, she voyaged to America where she was wooed and wed by Thor Norgaard, a Deaf man in rural Appalachia. That the Lord saw her along the winding journey and that Aven now carries Thor’s child are blessings beyond measure. Yet while Thor holds her heart, it is his younger brother and rival who haunts her memories. Haakon—whose selfish choices shattered her trust in him.

Having fled the farm after trying to take Aven as his own, Haakon sails on the North Atlantic ice trade where his soul is plagued with regrets that distance cannot heal. Not even the beautiful Norwegian woman he’s pursued can ease the torment. When the winds bear him home after four years away, Haakon finds the family on the brink of tragedy. A decades-old feud with the neighboring farm has wrenched them into the fiercest confrontation on Blackbird Mountain since the Civil War. Haakon’s cunning and strength hold the power to seal many fates, including Thor’s which is already at stake through a grave illness brought to him as the first prick of warfare.

Now Haakon faces the hardest choice of his life. One that shapes a battlefield where pride must be broken enough to be restored, and where a prodigal son may finally know the healing peace of surrender and the boundless gift of forgiveness. And when it comes to the woman he left behind in Norway, he just might discover that while his heart belongs to a daughter of the north, she’s been awaiting him on shores more distant than the land he’s fighting for.

From Christy Award–winning author Joanne Bischof comes Daughters of Northern Shores: the highly anticipated sequel to her moving novel Sons of Blackbird Mountain.

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Other Books in the Series

Sons of Blackbird Mountain
(Blackbird Mountain #1)
By Joanne Bischof
Christian Historical Romance
Paperback & ebook, 339 Pages
July 3rd 2018 by Thomas Nelson

From the bestselling award-winning author of The Lady and the Lionheart

“Beloved author Joanne Bischof doesn’t disappoint with her latest beautifully written, heartrending tale . . . a quick favorite for historical romance readers.” —Elizabeth Byler Younts, author of The Solace of Water

A Tale of Family, Brotherhood, and the Healing Power of Love

After the tragic death of her husband, Aven Norgaard is beckoned to give up her life in Norway to become a housekeeper in the rugged hills of Nineteenth-Century Appalachia. Upon arrival, she finds herself in the home of her late husband’s cousins—three brothers who make a living by brewing hard cider on their three-hundred acre farm. Yet even as a stranger in a foreign land, Aven has hope to build a new life in this tight-knit family.

But her unassuming beauty disrupts the bond between the brothers. The youngest two both desire her hand, and Aven is caught in the middle, unsure where—and whether—to offer her affection. While Haakon is bold and passionate, it is Thor who casts the greatest spell upon her. Though Deaf, mute, and dependent on hard drink to cope with his silent pain, Thor possesses a sobering strength.

As autumn ushers in the apple harvest, the rift between Thor and Haakon deepens and Aven faces a choice that risks hearts. Will two brothers’ longing for her quiet spirit tear apart a family? Can she find a tender belonging in this remote, rugged, and unfamiliar world?

A haunting tale of struggle and redemption, Sons of Blackbird Mountain is a portrait of grace in a world where the broken may find new life through the healing mercy of love.

Praise for Sons of Blackbird Mountain:

“Sons of Blackbird Mountain is a quiet gem of a historical romance. Refreshingly real and honest in its depiction of flawed but lovable individuals, it introduces characters readers will want to meet again.” – CBA Market

“. . . the novel provides an interesting glimpse of the time period and some complex social issues among neighbors in an area still recovering from the Civil War.” – Historical Novels Review

“VERDICT Christy- and Carol Award-winning author Bischof (The Lady and the Lionheart) creates endearing characters and a heartwarming story line in this unforgettable novel about the power of family, love, and the true meaning of home. Fans of Kristy Cambron, Julie Klassen, and Susan Meissner will love this one.” – Library Journal

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About the Author

Picture courtesy of https://joannebischof.com.

Joanne Bischof is an ACFW Carol Award and ECPA Christy Award-winning author. She writes deeply layered fiction that tugs at the heartstrings. She was honored to receive the San Diego Christian Writers Guild Novel of the Year Award in 2014 and in 2015 was named Author of the Year by the Mount Hermon conference. Joanne’s 2016 novel, The Lady and the Lionheart, received an extraordinary 5 Star TOP PICK! from RT Book Reviews, among other critical acclaim. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her three children.

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My Thoughts

I’ve tried to find words to describe the essence of this book, but none that have come to mind have been just the right words. I’ve looked up words, used the thesaurus and still I am struggling with how to tell of this book. I’m afraid nothing I say will quite be able to capture my feelings as I read it and and after I finished it. Though I fear I won’t be able to describe it accurately or do it justice, I will try.

Daughters of Northern Shores is a story of quiet growth—a slow, steady unfurling of the beauty of redemption. It has left me with such a sense of reverence and settledness that I am having difficulty putting into words how this novel with an indescribable, tranquil warmth and depth settled into my soul. There’s a sedated, peaceful hope, strength, and beauty that is all the more rich because it is unassuming. It’s a quiet peace that slowly rolls in on the tides of this story to settle deep in your heart as the story progresses, one that creates a precious fullness of wisdom, of lives lived that are rooted in purpose and hope. 

It’s as if the very nature of the book reflects the character of Thor—quiet, strong, faithful, wise, steadfast. The book exudes those things throughout its pages. Somehow it’s muted yet vibrant at the same time; a quiet beauty with richness and depth that surpasses my ability to describe. A steadiness, a calm, a peace, a strength that is there even amidst the turmoil and storms; a peace and steadfastness that passes all understanding. The story itself becomes those very things. And as the story is those things, we watch as Haakon becomes those things through the Lord’s pursuit of him. I loved how the Lord worked on HaaKon, drawing him home even as Haakon didn’t know it, see it, or admit it to himself. How He placed people in his path to help chase after him, the timing of every instance of the story another showing of the hand of God at work. It reminded me of the song Reckless Love.

There was a scene before Haakon arrived home where Thor’s and Haakon’s guns were placed side by side. It was a scene that spoke of the future healing and repairing of broken relationships to me, a moment where peace and joy settled over my soul, with a deep excitement at the reminder of what God can do, of the powerful, redemptive story that is His for us. Though this story is fiction, the ways of God demonstrated in this story, to woo and draw back his children and to redeem our brokenness, are not. Such a scene that caught me by surprise, made me stop and ponder anew the greatness of my Lord. I imagine that scene, though it may be odd to to others that it would do so, will stick with me for a long time.

Ms. Bischof captures well the balance of consequences of actions and forgiveness. It shouldn’t be easy for Haakon and it isn’t. There was wisdom in the way Haakon was welcomed. Forgiveness given when true remorse was displayed, but trust was not so easily re-earned—a repair process that took time.

With Daughters or Northern Shores, be prepared for heavy emotions, heavy thoughts, heavy situations, but know there’s a steadfast hope and quiet beauty in each one. I still feel as though I haven’t accurately captured this book with my words, but I’ve done the best I can, and I hope you’ll take the time to read it for yourself and find the beauty in it.

*If you haven’t read Sons of Blackbird Mountain yet, I would say it’s a must before reading Daughters of Northern Shores, if you want to get the full depth of story. I’m giving away one Kindle version of Sons of Blackbird Mountain. You can enter that giveaway here. Be sure to scroll down and click on the giveaway graphic to enter the tour giveaway where one lucky winner will receive a print copy of Daughters of Northern Shores and tote bag.

Tour Schedule

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive a print copy of DAUGHTERS OF NORTHERN SHORES and a Thomas Nelson/Zondervan custom tote bag (book and bag shown are examples, not actual prize)
US only
Ends March 20, 2019

**I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. All opinions are my own.