An Untamed Heart

By: Lauraine Snelling

Narrated by: Rachel Botchan

Eighteen-year-old Ingeborg Strand is certain she is destined to be an old maid. She's had several suitors but none she deemed worthy of spending her life with. That is, until she meets a university student from Oslo, and feelings stronger than friendship begin to develop between them. But tragedy strikes, and the future begins to look bleaker than ever.

Grief settles heavily over Ingeborg, and her mother suggests that she leave Norway and start afresh in America, as so many others have done before her. But how will she accomplish that with little money and no one to accompany her?

It isn't long before she meets Roald Bjorklund, a widower who has been planning to go to America for some time, lured by the promise of free land. He's a good man, a hard-working man - and he has a young son who desperately needs a mother. He's clearly interested in Ingeborg, but is he the answer to her prayers? And what about love? This isn't how she's always imagined it. Ingeborg Strand has a heartrending decision to make…

©2013 Lauraine Snelling (P)2013 Recorded Books

Christian Historical Romance set in Norway

Nothing is ever guaranteed except the love of our Lord and Savior, and change!
I won't begin to spell or pronounce the names from this audiobook, but the heroine goes through more changes in one year, than anyone I've ever heard of! She's also got skills! Amazing skills in healing, midwifery, cheesemaking, and everything necessary for farming with sheep, cows, and chickens! She's also a born leader, but love is elusive till the hero arrives needing her medical intervention and tenderness! I laughed and cried, and hoped and prayed for the characters in this story! The narration was superb!

A wonderful story

Written so well, I could picture the smallest details and wanted to become part of the family. Worth every bit of the money!

Slow and a surprising, disheartening twist

Not wanting to divulge anything that might ruin the book for anyone that hasn't read it but...I couldn't believe how it all ended up, kind of like what was the point of that whole story and development of certain characters? I'm hopeful that the rest of the series will begin to make more sense and that this one was just supposed to set up the rest of the series. It was pretty detailed and slow in much of the story and then the "good stuff" was all for naught by the end. I've been trying to find a true series with returning characters so we'll see if this one ends up being it.

The Beginning.

I started off with books in the future and am circling back to the start. It is interesting to see how Ingeborg meets her first husband. The narrative was good but after listening to Stina in future books I miss the accents. Cannot wait for more!

Be Patient

The story goes into too much detail and this makes it hard to keep the readers interest to stay with the book until it starts to become an interesting story, which is in the middle of the book. All the different Norwegian family’s names were a bit confusing and it took awhile to get everyone figured out. I did enjoy the second half of the book. 📚

Ending was just too disappointing.

Great narrator. I even was so excited about the story. But after all Nils went through, then to die like that…it was awful.

Great book!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The story was well-written and kept you engaged the entire time. I look forward to reading the rest of this series!

This is a great historical work of fiction, well worth your time.

I really enjoyed this read. I loved hearing the story of this young woman as she delivered her first baby as she traveled into the mountains with her family and as she fell in love. I cried along with her during her heart break. And I rejoiced as spring came to her land and into her heart.

Awesome as usual

I immensely enjoyed this prequel! Lorraine Snelling has a true gift for putting words together in such a way that I can picture what is happening in the book.

Now we know what made Ingeborg who she is, an why.

Would you consider the audio edition of An Untamed Heart to be better than the print version?

Rachel Botchan is a good narrator, but I really missed hearing the story with the accent. If that was a deal breaker for you, you might want to read it in print.

What other book might you compare An Untamed Heart to and why?

My husband & I love the characters Lauraine Snelling creates. The families love and care for and about each other. They work hard and trust God for the rest. The characters are real people. They don't "sound" like made-up people. You might run into them tomorrow at work or on your errands. They might be your friends or neighbors. If not, you want them to be so.

He even enjoys the romance, because it's not fake or mushy. It's part of the life of the characters. We were so disappointed the next book isn't on audio yet. I hope it won't be long. We NEED to know what happens! Are you listening Audible?

Have you listened to any of Rachel Botchan’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. She's good.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

We chuckled in numerous places. I didn't cry with Ingeborg, but felt so badly for her. Our reaction was that we didn't want to stop listening and go to sleep so we could go to work the next morning!

Any additional comments?

This is nothing against Rachel Botchan's ability as a narrator, but being so used to listening to the stories with Ingeborg, and then not having that wonderful accent, it's just not the same, and I hope the next one includes the Norwegian accent.