Dawn's Prelude by Tracie Peterson

Lydia Gray had a harsh life growing up and at the age of sixteen she was forced by her father to marry a man twenty years older.  Her father had a business arrangement with the rich man and she was part of the deal.  Lydia had to be a step-mother to four children, who hated her.  It was a sorrowful ten years for Lydia and she was losing her faith. One day her husband and father are killed in a horrific accident.  This leads to the step-children wanting her out of the house, while they keep the family fortune. Lydia leaves Missouri with little money, personal items and her violin heading to her Aunt Zerelda in Sitka, Alaska.  On her arrival, Lydia realizes she is having a baby by her dead husband and becomes very bitter.  The friendship of Kjeli Bjorklund, the handsome sawmill owner, helps her overcome her anger.  When her husband’s family realizes that Lydia inherited the family fortune, there is a battle to regain it.  Their search for Lydia will bring danger for her and the baby.  Will Kjeli be able to protect Lydia and the baby from their evil plots?  What will happen when they learn about the baby?

This book does a good job of describing the beauty of Alaska and is a good historical fiction.  It is inspirational to see Lydia become whole and break the chains that held her down for years.  This is the first book in the series Song of Alaska and I hope to continue on with the trilogy and a new generation from Sitka, Alaska.