"The Icecutter's Daughter" by Tracie Peterson

In Tracie Peterson's Land of Shining Water series, the settlers of the Great Lake area which were primarily Scandinavian or Germanic folk have their stories told. In The Icecutter's Daughter you'll meet hard working Scandinavians who work Belgium horses and cut huge blocks of ice from the frozen lakes for shipping to parts of the United States.  This is a hard, rough life and takes both brain and brawn.  The Icecutter's Daughter is Merrill Krause who is the only female remaining in her hardworking icecutting family. She grew up without the influence of a mother and works right along with the men at the hard work. But she also does the cooking, sewing, and other household chores. She has not courted and no one is in sight for the role of husband.

Rurik Jorgenson decides he does not wish to marry the bride chosen by his now deceased father in an agreement with her father and he decides to leave his hometown and go to work for his uncle in the furniture making business rather than farm his father's land.  And this uncle lives in a town near where the family of Merrill Krause live. Inevitably the two cross paths and their lives begin to become intertwined.

But all is not well. The "jilted" bride of Rurik arrives on the scene and charges are made that challenge the virtue and integrity of Rurik.

I found the story interesting because I know very little of that portion of American history and very little of the way the Scandinavians who settled our Country thought and lived and how hard they worked. Learning from the research of an author such as Tracie Peterson is enjoyable and interesting.  The storyline itself is sweet and somewhat predictable. It was a relaxing and good read and is one I can recommend. You do see characters of strong faith and you see other characters who will lie and deceive just to get their way.

Now let's see a little real history of icecutting..... This is an interesting article.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of The Icecutter's Daughter from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.