Book Review: A Promise For Ellie

Author: Lauraine Snelling
Title: A Promise For Ellie
Publisher: Bethany House
Publish Date: August 1, 2006
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Ellie Wold can't wait to graduate from high school. She and Andrew Bjorklund have been waiting to get married since...well, since forever, and in June they will finally wed. When Andrew announces they have to postpone the wedding, she's disappointed but takes it in stride--there must be a good reason, or Andrew's pa wouldn't ask it of them.

But Andrew is angry and can't understand why Ellie isn't upset too, especially when they'd been planning to "marry up" ever since they were in grade school. Disgruntled, he works out his frustration in stubborn determination to finish building their barn and mail-order house, working himself to exhaustion. But just when the new house is nearly finished, an unthinkable tragedy occurs. Throwing aside the vow he made to Ellie, Andrew seeks revenge...

As their plans unravel, it looks as if their love may not survive.

Is this the end of their dream?

Review: A Promise For Ellie is the first book in Lauraine Snelling's Daughters of Blessing series. Blessing is a small town in North Dakota where many of Snellings books take place. They also revolve around members of the Bjorkland family. This story takes place in 1900 and its main characters are Ellie Wold and Andrew Bjorkland.



These two have planned to marry since they were kids. From the beginning you can see that they are good for each other. Ellie is a stabling influence on Andrew who has a tendency to be a bit hotheaded. (Something that will get him into a lot of trouble later on)

I really loved Ellie. She was very sweet and hardworking. She loved both her family and Andrew's. Snelling makes that easy because all of her characters are so wonderfully written and enjoyable to read about.
I was surprised at the fact that Ellie's feelings of desire were written. This is a Christian Historical. Most books in this genre skip over physical love, but in this story Ellie feels the first stirrings of desire and to me that made things so much more realistic from that standpoint.

What I found harder to believe was how easy Andrew got off when he got into a fight with Toby Vanders and nearly killed him. I know the laws were different then, but he could have killed a man, and well, that part of the story didn't sit well with me.


This was my first book by Lauraine Snelling, and it made a good impression on me. I definitely want to try some of the other books in this series and her other series.



Rating: 4 flowers