When widowed Lydia Sellers inherits her husband's entire estate, her adult stepchildren battle to regain the fortune for themselves. Putting memories behind, Lydia travels to Alaska to visit her aunt, where she meets sawmill owner Kjell Bjorklund---and discovers she's pregnant with her dead husband's child. What will happen when his family learns about the baby? 368 pages, softcover from Bethany.
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
8 of 21 Reviews Showing:(View All Reviews)
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Emilee (Saraland, Alabama), January 03, 2010
This is an awesome read, it's typical Tracie Peterson! I loved it! There is suspense, murder, and excitement. I have to admit I read the last chapter when it got too suspenseful for me. I'm curious as to why Lydia and Kjell have different last names on the Christianbook.com description than in the actual book?
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by CKendall (Burlington, NC), November 25, 2009
I have only read a couple of Tracie Peterson’s books so far and I am rapidly becoming a fan of her work. I so enjoy the depth of her stories and the beautiful settings. Dawn’s Prelude has everything I was hoping it would have. I love the rugged, yet beautiful town of Sitka, Alaska. I loved the feeling of tranquility and peace Tracie created when Lydia arrived in Sitka. I found the beginning of the book was a bit slow, but once Lydia made her great escape to Alaska, the book picked up and I had a hard time putting it down. The “new discovery” Lydia makes added another layer of hope and suspense to this already very exciting story.
This story was a bit dark, but through all the struggles, Tracie always infused a feeling of hope that made me want to keep reading. She made the good characters very likable and the bad guys easy to hate; well, hate maybe too strong, but I sure did not like them. I like historical fiction that has a relaxing feeling to it with a bit of suspense. Dawn’s Prelude is a wonderful book that I enjoyed very much. If Tracie Peterson’s books are always this good, I will be a big fan very soon.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Janet (Portland, OR), November 11, 2009
Lydia is forced into an arranged marriage at the age of 16 as a business deal for her father. She endures 12 years of abuse before her husband is killed in an accident along with her father. Her adult stepchildren are anxious to get rid of her. At the reading of the will they are all surprised to learn that she has all the power over the assets. Her lawyer fears for her safety and assists her in escaping to Alaska to live with her aunt to start a new life. The Gray’s sons are determined to get back what they believe belongs to them and will go to any lengths to achieve their goals. Their evil plot against her disrupts Lydia’s new life and new love. She must once again struggle to be free.
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Patricia (Reno, NV), November 02, 2009
Lydia Sellers has never known happiness, at least not since her arranged marriage. But the death of her abusive husband stands to change everything. Through a moment of moral clarity by her father, and her own desire to pick up the pieces of her life, Lydia moves to Alaska where her remaining family is. She is determined to never marry again, but the immediate kindness of a stranger looks to change her thinking. But Lydia is in for some big surprises that will tie her closer than ever to her abusive husband's family, and is she ready when her past catches up to her?
Peterson's start to the new Song of Alaska series is instantly engaging. Within the first chapters I was already invested in Lydia's fears and feeling the anxiety of living in the world of the Sellers family. Even scenes that had potential to feel soap-opera-like maintained a style and stayed believable. The good characters are genuinely good and relatable. The evil characters are equally as well written; never once did I feel sympathy for the bad, or distain for the good. The budding romance between Lydia and Kjell is sweet, moves decently, and satisfying. Sometimes the Christian reference becomes heavy handed and unfortunately slowing down the story, and making the dialogue seem repetitive. However, this must forgiven as it is the genre of the novel. Overall, this is a great start to a series that is set up to be very exciting. What pleased me most was that a lot happens in this novel and I was worried that major issues would remain unresolved, however; Peterson manages to wrap up the events of the novel in a gratifying way, and yet I am still interested in continuing the series. My recommendation would be to read the "I loved it! What is next?" choices first, and then return to Dawn's Prelude, as the novel is fairly short (about 200 pages). This will give time for the next book to come out in the series, as it looks like they will be published fairly close to each other.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Penny Hardaway (Alpine, TX), October 17, 2009
What a wonderful story. Tracie Peterson is the best. I have loved everything she has written.
It's hard to accept men being as evil as Lydia's husband and his grown sons were. But I know there really are people in the world who are that evil.
The book was full of the romance, adventure, and mystery I have come to expect from Ms. Peterson. I eagerly await book 2 in this series.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Corrinne Gilbert (Bronson, MI), October 05, 2009
I love Tracie Peterson books and am anxious for the next in the series to come out.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by sarah katie (dallas, tx), September 28, 2009
Tracie Peterson is one of the best selling authors in the Christian Historical fiction genre. In her latest series Tracie has again shown her worth. I think this is possibly the finest, "edgiest" work she has written yet. If you are wanting a Christian book that still has bite to it this is THE ONE you'll want to pick up. It might be a quick weekend read for some, but it will make a lasting impression, and you'll remember this book for a while. It was a delightful, suspenseful and yet sobering novel. I was immediately pulled into the characters lives and thoughts. Every emotion Lydia felt i felt right alongside her. I was so tied to the characters that I HATED to see Dawn's Prelude end! Whether this is the first Tracie Peterson book or you've been a reader of her's for a while you will not be disappointed.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Lauryn Abbott (Sunny, AZ), September 28, 2009
Tracie Peterson does it again! Dawn’s Prelude is the first book in her new series, The Song of Alaska. Peterson is truly gifted at writing Christian historical fiction. Her novels are thoroughly captivating with depth, beauty and historical accuracy. Dawn’s Prelude is no different. It is set mostly in the rugged Alaskan territory in the 1870’s, with interesting characters, a strong storyline, and vivid landscape descriptions. Once again with a Peterson novel, I found myself to be enthralled with the story and couldn’t put it down. It had elements of darkness and evil, love and romance, and hope and healing. Questions of faith are answered with honesty, in a real, not preachy sort of way. In short, I loved it and can’t wait for the next installment!
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