Today I am reviewing DEEP HARBOR by Lisa Tawn Bergen, the second in the Northern Lights series.This is a wonderful Christian historical novel which deals with the themes of redemption, second chances, and waiting on God’s perfect timing. Initially, I found it hard to get into, since I had not read the first book in the series, THE CAPTAIN’S BRIDE. And I found the first female protagonist presented, Tora Anders, very difficult to relate to, for she is selfish, manipulative and very much into the pleasure of riches and power. But it was Tora who won my heart as she became broken, lost her wealth and the man she craved. She became very much a nineteenth century female version of the Prodigal Son. One of the other female protagonists, Kaatje, is a hardworking farm woman whose husband had an affair with Tora, then left for Alaska, causing Tora to leave their baby with Kaatje. Kaatje took baby Jessica in, then feared someday Tora would someday return to claim her. The last of the three heroines, Elsa, is the wife of a ship’s captain who sails with him. The three women are all connected as Bergensers (Norwegians who immigrated to America), and their stories intersect continually in a way that really drew me in.

I found Elsa, the widow of a ship’s captain who bears his posthumous child after he falls overboard and drowns, hardest to sympathize with. I did like that she aided Tora in her quest to become a new person in Christ. But knowing there is a pirate looking for her in a desire for revenge since the first book, and knowing he is still looking for her in the second book, she nonetheless goes back to sea with her children along, including the baby, and writes articles to the New York Times detailing her whereabouts, which the villain takes full advantage of. This seems not only foolish but not what God would have a responsible mother do to ensure her children’s safety. It seems she is a little carried away by pride, especially since she is known as “The Heroine of the Horn” from the first book. But this weakness never seems to change or is even portrayed as a weakness. And I realize this may only be my own opinion. The redemption of Tora and hints that she will eventually marry her true love do a lot to compensate for Elsa.

I had a couple of minor quibbles with the author’s style–one, that she repeatedly refers to Tora before her redemption as a “maven” of roadhouse development. The word “maven” was not used in the late 1800’s; it is a Yiddish word which first comes into American use in the 1950’s or ’60’s, depending which dictionary one consults. This jarred me out of the nineteenth-century atmosphere the author had conveyed. And she uses “quip” as a dialogue tag far too often. As an author myself, I realize that there is often a word or words that I’ve overused in the manuscript, but these should get edited out by the author or during the publisher’s editing.

As I said, these are minor things which may only bother me. This was a very spiritually uplifting book about hardworking, determined Christian women and the equally determined men who love them. I found the eventual reconciliation of Tora and Kaatje inspiring. The story will be continued in the next book in the series, MIDNIGHT SUN, in which the characters all journey to Alaska to forge new lives. I would recommend this book.

This book was provided for review by Waterbrook.

Blessings, Laurie Kingery