Daughter's of Northern Shores (Blackbird Mountain#2) by Joanne Bischof

About the book 

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.

My thoughts:

I had been anticipating this book forever it seemed, but actually it really wasn't all that long.  I could not wait to reunite with the characters that I fell in love with in Sons of Blackbird Mountain and meet any new ones the author wanted to introduce her readers to.

It took a long time for me to read this book, not because I didn't love it but because quite simply I didn't want it to end.  I have absolutely loved Thor from the beginning which is probably why he has been my favorite of the brothers. The author certainly makes you forget that he's deaf and that he has had a lot to overcome but he manages to live his best life with the woman he loves, Aven.  It was easy to love her and I kept thinking what a perfect fit she is making me wanting for her to have the best and happiest life she possibly could.

As much as I don't like to admit it, I truly didn't warm up to Haakan and maybe it's because I still harbored ill feelings towards him from the first book.  I did appreciate the difference in him in this book but I wasn't as happy with him as I wanted to be.  I'm sure other readers will feel different which is the beauty of having another perspective but the best perspective is your own which is why I encourage readers to pick up a copy of this book. I suggest reading Sons of Blackbird Mountains first because it is such a fantastic read. 

Overall, this is another beautifully and thoughtfully penned book by the author.  This is the second book I've read by her and I can say that she is now one of my must read authors and I am looking forward to what she has in the future for her readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was under no obligation to write a review.  All opinions are my own.