“Elsa Anders knew she would remember everything of this moment, even as an old and bent woman.”

From Lisa Tawn Bergren’s The Northern Lights: The Captain’s Bride.

Elsa is about to marry her childhood sweetheart, Peder, and join the young captain on a journey across the ocean as they move from Norway to America. She is leaving behind her parents, older sister, Carina, and younger sister, Tora, to join several members of their church in the new country. Also leaving Norway for the new country on Peder’s ship, The Herald, is Elsa’s pregnant friend, Kaatje, and her repeatedly-unfaithful husband, Soren. Karl, a new Christian, disowned by his father for his faith, tries to focus on his duties as Peder’s first mate while fighting a distracting attraction for Elsa, his childhood friend. Desperate to go to America, but unable to gain her parents’ permission, Tora stows away on the ship and reveals herself after several days at sea. Peder and Elsa’s troubles only increase as they now have to handle the rude and often flirtatious 16-year-old, while managing the crew and passengers on the dangerous voyage. Elsa develops a love for the open sea with its constant adventurous surprises, but the heartbreaking death of one of the female passengers creates a fear in Peder for his bride’s safety on the ocean. In order to pay for her fare, Tora is forced to work as a nanny for Peder’s second mate, but she constantly looks for an opportunity to leave everything behind in search of the luxurious life she believes she deserves, to Elsa’s great stress. When they arrive in America, Kaatje and Soren head out to make a farm in the Dakotas, while Elsa and Peder make a home and shipyard in Maine. However, all the immigrants quickly realize that the picturesque lives they had envisioned in America are far different from reality.

This simple story is captivating and easily carries the reader away with the characters and developments. There are many different elements found in this inspirational story, which offers many readers something appealing. The Captain’s Bride is an engaging story for anyone looking for a new historical fiction adventure.