Twilight's Serenade

Song of Alaska #3

by Tracie Peterson

Britta Lindquist left Sitka six years ago in an attempt to distance herself from the love of her life, Yuri Belikov. Upon her return, she finds Yuri absent and his wife about to deliver a child. When tragic circumstances ensue, Britta suddenly finds herself caring for Yuri's children--and her life intertwining with the man she's tried so hard to forget.
But Britta's other great love is for the violin, and her talent is recognized by Brenton Maltese, a conductor from England. He proposes she accept the coveted first chair position in his orchestra•and also his hand in marriage. At a crossroads, Britta must determine what her heart truly longs for--and if she's willing to fight for it.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian, Fiction, Historical, Historical Romance

334 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Tracie Peterson is a bestselling author who writes in both historical and contemporary genres. Her novels reveal her love for research as well as her strong desire to develop emotionally meaningful characters and stories for her readers. Tracie and her family live in Montana.

pen name: Janelle Jamison

Reviews

[Sarah Grace Grzy]

DNF at 55%. It's too early in the year to be finishing books I'm not enjoying! Brief review to come.

[Andrea Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad Britta got a story! She was adorable in the end of book two, but she came out to shine in this finale book of the Song of Alaska series. It was so charming and perfect that she gained a cobbled-together family to care for.

Yuri was back. I liked him much better in this story than the previous one. That was likely due to his having to choose between his alcoholism and his little girls.

This story dealt with so many tragedies! That made my heart ache in the best way. Grief, loss, forgiveness, vices, bad choices, sorrow, and hope were all woven in this Serenade’s tapestry. It was an exquisite finale to such an enjoyable trilogy.

Triggers: alcoholism, miscarriage, loss of a young child

Content: prostitute (mentioned), alcohol, alcoholism, gambling (mentioned)

[Oliviana Georgescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

O poveste scrisă cu multă sensibilitate despre puterea de a merge mai departe, despre încredere, demnitate și onoare, despre a doua șansă și miracolul unui nou început, așa că eram nerăbdătoare să aflu ce se mai întâmplă în viețile personajelor, peste timp. Toată seria mi-a plăcut, în ansamblul ei, însă pot spune că a crescut de la volum la volum, iar ”Serenada amurgului” e preferatul meu!
Acțiunea din acest volum se petrece la șaptesprezece ani ani după evenimentele din volumul al doilea. Dacă atunci Britta era o copilă năzdrăvană de 7 ani, acum este o tânără încântătoare, care tocmai ce s-a întors acasă, în Sitka, după ce a fost plecată ani de zile, desăvârșindu-și educația muzicală, cunoscând o întreagă lume și cântând la vioară în orchestre renumite. Se poate spune că avea parte de un vis devenit realitate. Însă dorul de sălbaticele ținuturi natale o mânase înapoi acasă, unde spera să se poată hotărî ce vrea să facă mai departe. Era curtată de un apreciat dirijor din Anglia, care îi propusese postul de prim solistă în orchestra sa. Dar oare asta este ceea ce își dorește Britta cu adevărat? Venirea acasă îi va limpezi gândurile, emoțiile și dorințele?
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/ser...

[Margaret Chind · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love historical fiction from Tracie Peterson and I love her books set in Alaska, but I did not love this book. It was okay. It was the third and final book in the Song of Alaska series, not really a generation later, but almost it continued the story of Britta, the daughter of our protagonist from the first book, Dawn's Prelude and the sister of our main character from the second book in the series, Morning's Refrain, both of which I loved. Even though this was not my favorite read from Tracie, I still will buy just about anything she writes in the historical genre.

Britta fell in love with Yuri in the second novel at the age of seven after a terrifying event. In this novel she attempts to be patient and let things go in the timing of God, but I felt that she was very forceful and whiny just about the entire book and she bothered me greatly. Yuri has a painful past that keeps pulling him back from aspiring to be a good Christian man which was real and made for a good plot that anyone can relate to. I just had serious issues with Britta stating that she was timid in a way and then forcing her way upon various people. I'm not sorry I read this one, but I did not like it much.

*Thanks to Bethany House for providing a copy for review through the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance.*

[Shari Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The focus of this third and last book of the Song of Alaska series focuses on Lydia's daughter Britta, now 24 years old. Britta had left Sitka, Alaska, six years before in 1900, to distance herself from Yuri, the love of her life, when he married another woman. She has a passion for music, and has traveled the world while playing her violin. She comes home for a visit after being offered a position in a prestigious orchestra, and also a marriage proposal from the man who offered her the job.


Upon her return to Sitka, a tragedy occurs, and she finds herself caring for Yuri's children, and she finds herself falling in love with the children, and she also begins to have hope for a life with Yuri again, but is she willing to give up her dream of a coveted position in the orchestra, and her chance to continue traveling the world?


I enjoyed this story, even though I thought the tone of the story was a little too preachy at the end. There was also a subplot with a couple of the characters from the previous books being caught in San Francisco during the time of the 1906 earthquake that while interesting, did not seem to add anything to the story. It was a nice wrap up to the series, but my favorite book of the series was actually the 2nd one, Morning's Refrain.

[Maeleah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in Peterson's series, Song of Alaska. Britta has just returned from traveling abroad and has the opportunity of a lifetime to play her violin in a reknown orchestra. However, she comes home to Alaska with a heavy heart and not ready to talk to her family about what is going on. Meanwhile, Yuri's wife dies while having a baby, unbeknowest to Yuri because he has left and is nursing his pain with alcohol. He was forced to marry Marsha, a known prostitute, one drunken night. Peterson has an awesome way of developing multiple storylines that intertwine--struggles with betrayal, jealousy, discerning God's will, and building trust again. Written from a Christian viewpoint, she is never preachy. The characters struggle with life as it happens and the reader joins them. Sprinkled with a bit of romance, adventure and trying times, the story never falters. I absolutely loved this book and the entire series.Once I started the first one, I had to read the rest. For those who like Karen Kingsbury and would like to try a historical type of novel, should give this series a try. A nice gentle, but interesting read.

[Carrie Kaut · Rating 5 out of 5]

i picked up this book because i cant bring myself to not finish a series..the 2nd book was disappointing for me it seemed the whole thing was basically happy and there were no trials in faith and the problems that happened were not all that trying...im soooooooooooooo happy i read the 3rd book it was amazing! i loved every moment of it.. ~*~* sort of a spoiler gonna happen now*~*~*~*~ when darya (p.s. could not figure out for the life of me how to pronounce that name) died i got wheepy i didnt cry but i was damn near about too! it was heartbreaking because i know if i ever lost a child i would act the same way if not worse..i highly recommend this book and i am just so happy i read this book!

[Puiu Mirela · Rating 4 out of 5]

❄️💙 În al treilea volum al seriei, ,,Serenada amurgului'', îi avem protagoniști pe Britta, fiica Lydiei și a lui Kjell, și Yuri, prietenul cel mai bun al lui Dalton, fratele Brittei.
❄️💙 Britta a fost dintotdeauna îndrăgostită de Yuri, purtând iubirea pentru acesta în suflet, în tăcere. Și-a dorit să devină soția acestuia și să obțină iubirea sa, în ciuda diferenței de vârstă dintre ei, dar viața i-a zadarnicit speranțele. Căsătoria acestuia cu o femeie cu un statut îndoielnic o determină să plece cât mai departe de Sitka și de el, preferând distanța, trăind însă o viață plină de frumusețe și gratie datorită muzicii. A doua sa mare iubire, vioara, o va învăța să simtă și să vadă frumusețea vieții, în ciuda durerii pierderii celui drag.
❄️💙 Yuri este un bărbat plin de contraste, un rătăcitor pe calea vieții, deși a avut parte de o familie frumoasa și prieteni minunați. Întotdeauna și-a dorit mai mult, fără însă a căuta răspunsuri la întrebările sufletului, nerostite și lăsate să îl macine, de aici și deciziile proaste luate de-a lungul timpului. Iar totul are un preț!
❄️💙 Printr-o întâmplare nefericită, Britta și Yuri se reîntâlnesc după șase ani, doar că niciunul nu mai este ce a fost odată. Yuri și-a pierdut speranța și încrederea în iubire, în el însuși, în frumusețe; Britta s-a închis în ea, păstrând distanța față de cei dragi, are sufletul gol deși a cunoscut măreția și aprecierea prin muzică. Sunt două suflete rătăcite ce caută liniștea, dar și iubirea. Destinul îi pune în fața unor alegeri dificile, care le poate aduce iertarea, eliberarea sufletească, iubirea, dar și distrugerea emoțională. Au puterea să riște, să dea frâu emoțiilor?

[Sarita · Rating 3 out of 5]

“love isn't about living in fear. It's not about controlling the hearts of those around you. It is patient and kind. It endures and believes the very best. It never gives up.”

There was so much to enjoy in this story of finding love and realising though even you have a past of pain and mistakes, you still deserve the best God has in store for you. The marriage for convenience plot was sweet and I enjoyed the real challenges these characters faced.

I also enjoyed the lesson of needing to release those who wronged you. Yes, you can forgive, but with true forgiveness there is this letting go of the pain they caused so that it will not have a hold on you.

“you cannot let the pain of the past destroy the happiness of the future.”

Narrator: I listened to the narrator and found it average but still a likeable telling of the story.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy of Twilight's Serenade from Bethany House, and am under no requirement to write a positive review, just an honest one.

Twilight's Serenade follow the story of Lydia Lindquist's daughter, Britta Lindquist.

Britta took up violin and after having her heart broken by Yuri Belikov left Sitka to try to get over him, forget about him and move on.

6 years later, Britta returns to Sitka and must decide if she is going to take an offer to join an amazing orchestra in England, but she knew first she had to come back to see Yuri first in order to decide if she should take the offer. Furthermore, Britta must decide about another offer she has received, an offer of marriage from the conductor of the orchestra, Brenton, who is in love with her and who she asked to give her time to go back to Sitka before she made the decision if she would marry him or not...

When Britta returns to Sitka her life immediately becomes more complicated, not only is she not over Yuri but it turns out he had gotten married (by force more than out of love) to a rather vile woman who dies giving childbirth while Britta is there. Yuri is gone, no one knows where he is, and Britta finds herself drawn to caring for Yuri's two children.

When Yuri returns to Sitka suddenly, Britta must break the news of his dead wife, and decide how to proceed with his children that she has come to love deeply over the months she has cared from him. Britta wants more than anything to marry Yuri and become a family, but Yuri is a destroyed man, whose life was ruined from his horrible alcohol abuse, and who feels unworthy to experience happiness. Furthermore, he believes he does not deserve Britta, nor should he hold her back from the chance to be first chair violin in Brenton's orchestra...

Will Yuri come to love Britta? Or will she have her heart broken yet again if he decides to give his children up for adoption, taking away from her the deepest connection she has had to Yuri in years...

Twilight's Serenade is another beautiful installment in the series. At first I found it odd to jump forward so far in time in each book in the series but at the same time it is a great chance to see how the family has grown and changed during the periods in between each book. Britta is a more minor character in the prior book, and here she becomes the focus of the book as she strains to decide if she should follow her heart and risk it on Yuri, a troubled man with many problems, or marry Brenton who loves her but she knows she will never love in quite the same deep way.

Tracie Peterson is truly a master at weaving historical fiction stories into a beautiful tale. She makes it so easy to love her characters and care about them and their future. The book was another amazing example of her beautiful writing and for me, was a guarantee that I will be buying and reading other books that she has written.

For anyone who loves Christian fiction, Tracie Peterson does a great job with her inspirational stories. And unlike many Christian fiction writers she doesn't write all fluff, she writes about characters who face serious life problems, such as alcoholism. It is definitely not all sunshine and rainbows like many Christian authors choose to write. It makes it so much more real, and especially inspiring to see how her characters try to work through their problems and find the Lord, including the very real struggle to not lose faith in God when hardships are abundant.

My only criticism is that this book comes off so much more "preachy" than her other books and it really began to detract from the book. The conversations between the characters felt forced to make a point about religion, rather than realistic about how people would discuss such things. Her first book did, I think, the best job making a point about a character finding her faith in God again, but felt so real; the conversations about God the characters shared seemed real, not forced and not preachy for the readers. In this book, it was the opposite, the conversations felt so staged and unnatural.

Overall though, I loved the story, and was glad to read another chapter in the lives of the Lindquist family.

One thing I would have loved to see is Britta take up her violin again as a sign of healing. I felt that that would have really added to the story and showed her recovering from her heartbreak and the tough choices she makes throughout the book, including an incredible loss she experiences that almost destroys her.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves historical fiction, inspirational fiction and/or Christian fiction!

Four out of five stars (only because the dialogue came across so unnatural)

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twilight’s Serenade, the final book in the Song of Alaska trilogy, takes place 17 years after Morning’s Refrain. In this book Britta Lindquist, Dalton’s youngest sister, returns to Sitka after have been good be for six years. After an unfortunate event she finds herself caring for the children of Yuri Belikov. The man she has been in love with since she was seven. Yuri, after finally deciding to changes his ways and turn to God, is surprised to find his children in Britta’s care.

In all this was a good book. I didn’t find it slow or anything. As always, it was well written and entertaining. Not gonna lie I did cry at a certain point in this book but I’m sure I’m not the only one. I really liked getting to know Dalton and Phoebe’s family and getting to even read about Evie a little bit. It was also nice to read about how much Britta had grown since the last book. The greatest thing though was the turn around that Yuri made. The only complaint I have is that I don’t really see the need for the time jump in the end. Don’t get me wrong I liked learning a little about Yuri and Britta’s family but I also wished that there would have been another book with this family. In all though I’m satisfied with how this series ended. If you looking for a good Christian romance then I recommend checking this series out.

[Maria Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the plot line of the story, the reality in the book, and the very dynamic characters. The story was unlike most romance novels, it was more real and similar to the challenges faced in real life. The situations the character's in the novel faced were messy; the story didn't end with the man and women getting married and living happily ever after. Not everything ended happy, bad things came to Britta and Yuri, the amazing thing was that they got through them. The other thing I loved was how the author let you get to know each character's personality throughout the story. They were real people, they made mistakes and had various weaknesses and strengths. The way the author created a real life story out of fiction is what makes this story worthwhile. I recommend this book to anyone who is starved for a book that leaves you smiling, but takes you on a life-like journey.

[Lorita Hadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Once again, a captivating story line and fascinating setting. This series is encouraging and can't help but strengthen the readers faith.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good historical suspenseful romance. I really loved the character building and the plot. It deals with several hard issues very well.

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Setting: Sitka, Alaska, from January 1906 to June 1912 (most of the story takes place in 1906, while the last chapter serves more of an epilogue). The remote setting was occasionally mentioned, such as when the telegram lines are down, but it didn't really feel like an essential part of the plot--the title of this series doesn't capture the series' essence, mainly because of the writing and what it emphasizes (or rather, what it doesn't). Another note about the time period which I found inaccurate: Marston's opinion of truth, considering it to be subjective, was unrealistic, as that philosophy, I don't believe, was generally accepted at that time. Especially in the United States. (And not only that, but it didn't fit with Marston's character--but that's not a comment about the setting.)

Characters: Britta had some good, unique characteristics that gave her a distinct personality. Unfortunately, the different aspects of her personality appeared throughout the book, so I never felt a connection--like I knew her. In the beginning of the book, I saw her as a headstrong, kind of bratty young woman who [spoilers]. I absolutely never would have guessed that same kind of personality would grow to become consumed with deathly fear. She honestly became a completely different person; instead of her as a character in some specific circumstances, Britta was merely a name filling a role that the plot needed.

Yuri was the same way, in many cases. He had such a weak personality, and honestly I found him quite unrealistic. His conversion seemed forced and rushed, and afterwards, he had little to no upward gradual development, and instead had as much knowledge of spiritual matters as anyone around him.
[Warning, there are some spoilers written in here]
In some parts Lydia was written well, and yet the plotline with Marston I felt was written extremely poorly. From her interaction with Marston, I received the impression that she had not forgiven him. Not that that's bad--it is opportunity for a plotline to be resolved. And yet the rest of the book tried to convince me that she had forgiven him ... but her coldness to him merely indicated that she hadn't forgotten and wouldn't trust him. Needless to say, I didn't appreciate how it was handled.

I hate to heap on the criticism, at the risk of sounding redundant, but adding the character of Ted only hurt the book. He was completely unrealistic, and he didn't support any of the characters. I don't even know if he was supposed to.

Plot: There was one plot throughout the book--the romance of Britta and Yuri--but there were multiple other plotlines that didn't tie in with the main plot, making the book choppy and unable to move the plot forward. In the scenes where the main conflict was addressed, it was resolved in its own way, through a nice, heart-to-heart conversation which usually did nothing--or if it did effect an action, the emotions and motivations behind the action were unclear.

I thought one aspect of the plot had potential, and could have worked well if it provided a consistent thread throughout the book. Britta's pigheadedness in her initial actions with Yuri was an interesting twist to a romance, and I was sort of looking forward to see how it might play out. Unfortunately, it was mentioned a couple times, and then ignored for the other 95% of the book.

The plot, I felt, was driven mainly by conversations, which I found to be dry and stilted, for the most part. And it wasn't just the fact that they communicated, an aspect which I greatly appreciate in a romance. No, it was the kind of conversation that explained what the characters were thinking, but didn't give a deeper relatability factor.

Anyway. I'm done criticizing.

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twilight's Serenade follows the story of Britta and Yuri. It is very different from the other books because the main characters have a lot more struggles than the main pairs in the other books. Britta is choosing whether she can leave her past and home behind and join an orchestra in England. Yuri is battling the demons of his past and his addiction to alcohol. The story was still very exciting and dramatic at times like the other books. I really enjoyed how major historic events were incorporated into the story, like the earthquake in San Francisco and the Alaskan volcano eruption. This is definitely the saddest of the three novels. Trigger warning for miscarriage and infant death. Both issues are dealt with in a Christian manner, which is a blessing, but it is still a very depressing topic and worth looking out for if you are thinking of reading this book. There are a lot of good lessons about faith and trust in this novel. Britta's obsessive love with Yuri is a little much. They mention love being blind, but Britta seems more delusional than anything else. Yuri isn't really the kind of romantic interest that you can get behind, so as far as romance goes, this story was lacking in that aspect. You couldn't get swept away and swoon like you did with Kjell and Dalton. I wondered often if it wouldn't be better for there to be another love interest for Britta that was better than Yuri. I appreciate that everything ended up well, but this is a different journey as far as romance goes. So while the story was still a good read, it would not be my first choice if you are choosing to read for pleasure to forget the cares of your day.

[Steph · Rating 1 out of 5]

As complex and expertly narrated as a Hallmark movie, "Twilight's Serenade" was flat, and the audiobook was poorly delivered. In addition to the poor writing, it came off as quite preachy, which was a huge turnoff. Even if these factors weren't an issue, the mere fact that Britta does to Yuri what Brenton tried to do to her was enough to drop this book from my initial 2 star rating to only 1 star. Honestly, anyone who gives this book more than 2 stars or praises its writing has extremely low expectations in the authors they choose to read. Needless to say, I will not be picking up anything else written by Tracie Peterson.

Read it if your idea of a romance novel stops at descriptions of kissing or you don't expect anything better than 1-dimensional characters.
Skip it for all other reasons.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I have a funny story to tell!!! I started listening to this on audible when I was on the beach (couldn't see my phone screen too well) I thought it was a stand alone story. When I eventually found out it was book 3 of a series, I stopped and started at the beginning!
This series really do need to be read in order, to fully understand. I felt this book had jumped way too far from the last book. Britta was a child in the last book, but is now 24 in this. There are some good Christian lessons in this book, such as forgiveness, learning to trust & lean on God for strength etc. There are some tragedies in this book, that were hard to listen to, but I suppose true to life. I would have liked Kirsten to have a story, she was mentioned in this book, bur not much.
It was a nice series, but not my favourite to be honest. I borrowed this on Audible.

[Taryn Spearey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! In this book, we follow the story of Britta Lindquist, a woman who left home six years in order to get away from her first love, Yuri. When she returns home, Britta suddenly finds herself caring for Yuri's children.

After losing his wife, Yuri finds it hard to go on. I don't think he should have willingly given his children to Britta. He should have stepped up and taken care of his family.

Yuri also feels guilty about something that happened to his brother. Although he has been forgiven, he still struggles.

I really liked the love between Yuri and Britta. I always find romances like this to be super sweet.

Awesome book!!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only read it to finish the series. I was ready to be done with the series. The characters were hard to care about and developed poorly. Their feelings were only known because of dialogue and not added to who they were or their decisions and thought processes. It was also hard to believe that Britta loved the violin as it was only mentioned in the beginning with her travel and job offer then neglected through almost the whole story. Not a great trilogy and made me uninterested in reading more by Peterson.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book! From the series- Song of Alaska number 3. Continuing with familiar characters- the Lindquist family and friends. I loved the main character, Britta. She loves deeply and finds courage when she needs it most. I also liked how Yuri overcame his issues and allowed himself to love others.
A definite must read!

[♏Vanessa♏ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5🌟 Much better than the other ones.

This will be my last book by Tracie Peterson. Her written is good, the stories engaging but the over load of religious messages and talk is just too much to over come.
The narration is good but too slow. Even at 3x speed i could follow it all well.
If you enjoy gospel reads this is for you.
Free on audible

[Crissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not disappointed in the third book. It picked up at a respectable distance that allowed the family to move on but yet not bore us with every little thing that happened. Things were brought up nicely so that we were able to catch up and figure out how much time had passed.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typically I find the deeper I get into a series the less I enjoy them but not this time. This book was my favorite! I found the joys and sorrows realistically unbalanced. I loved it’s quiet pull and couldn’t put it down for the last few chapters.

[Lynette · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all - this book isn't ABOUT Alaska - it's set in Alaska, but it could be absolutely anywhere, so big disappointment... Also - it's about a violinist who, for 334 pages NEVER picks up a violin... whhhaaaa? This book is really a diatribe about Christianity. Be warned

[Salomea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gace each book 4 stars but this one is definetly my favorite. Yuri and Britta are so adorable. I’m happy with the way the story ended, it was such a good read and I loved the way the characters talked about God and their faith.

[Angela Bowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. Loved following this faithful family through generations.
I struggled to find the ultimate climax in this book. It seemed the last chapter or “epilogue” came rather fast and caught me by surprise. Must have missed it somewhere.
Otherwise, story was good, and Britta was very easy to connect with.

[Mrs. Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this Series !

I really enjoyed all the plots, twists, and turns. Tracie Peterson does a masterful job of drawing the reader into the story.

[Makaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this book 3.7 star rating.

[Arlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another lovely book about Alaska.