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Seasons of Faith #1

Into the Flood

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She took this small-town job as a temporary last resort. Falling for her reserved boss was not part of the plan.

One mistake imploded Sonia Krogstad’s PR career, leaving her with a stack of debt and no job prospects. Out of options, she returns to her tiny hometown in the northern wilds of Norway, planning only to stay long enough to get back on her feet and prepare for her big-city comeback.

Reclusive tech genius Axel Vikhammer bought a non-profit community arts center that’s fast becoming a money pit. Closing it down is not an option, especially since it’s a refuge for the teenage daughter he only recently learned he has. With her PR background, Sonia seems the perfect hire for the job as his center’s fundraising manager.

Yet as feelings develop between the two, Axel wonders how he can trust Sonia with his business—or his heart—when her dreams don’t include his small town or him.

With her head and her heart pulling her in different directions, Sonia needs to take a leap of faith. But every time she’s done that in the past, she’s fallen flat on her face. Why should it be different now?

Into the Flood is Book 1 in Milla Holt’s Seasons of Faith Christian romance series. Five friends were in the same wedding in a small Norwegian town over twenty years ago. Four bridesmaids, one bride. Now, two decades on, each woman learns that God’s timing is perfect as they find forever love later in life.

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2022

22 people are currently reading
45 people want to read

About the author

Milla Holt

26 books82 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Emily Dana.
Author 19 books103 followers
August 9, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed Milla Holt’s “Into the Flood.” This was my first time reading a story set in Norway, and I loved the cultural lingo and descriptions. It felt wonderfully authentic. I know that some readers found Sonia hard to like, but I didn’t have this problem. I actually connected with her struggle to look at the hearts involved in a project, not just the hoped-for outcome. As a “doer,” I related to her tendency to bulldoze and was happy when she realized that hearts matter more—including her own.

Axel was the sweetest man and a great dad. I really loved his interactions with Karla, especially when he made himself vulnerable near the end. I identified so much with what he said about being lonely as a kid that I cried. “I became a Christian, first of all, and learned that I matter to God,” he said to his daughter when she asked what changed. YES! This is what saved me, more times than I probably know. It still does.

I loved this story, I loved the gentle but persistent faith themes, and I loved how the characters developed. There is also some subtle humor woven throughout, and I laughed out loud several times. “Juliegate.” If you’ve read it, you know. If you haven’t…you should.

Thanks to the author for an advanced reader copy of “Into the Flood.” I was not obligated to write a review, and this is my honest-to-goodness genuine opinion.
Profile Image for Tope Omotosho.
Author 60 books132 followers
August 18, 2022
4.5 Stars.

This was a beautiful sweet romance. At first, when the two protagonists met, there was no interest on Axel's part and if Sonia was ever going to have any interest in him that was zapped immediately after he opened his mouth and judged her. So I was definitely looking forward to him redeeming himself.😁😁😁

I was in between loving Sonia and fighting off annoyance at her behaviour. But as the story went along, I could understand her reasons for her actions. Which brings about lesson number one--- behind everyone's actions or inactions, there's a reason. There's a reason they are the way they are. And as the story went along, Sonia needed to address those reasons if she was ever going to move forward with her life.

And then there was Axel. Just his name alone has me thinking of a buff guy with chiselled looks😍. Mind you, the main characters were in their forties so I had to keep picturing older characters than my usual thirty-ish protagonists. I only wished their romance had some more time to brew a.k.a more of their swoony romance to read😍😍💕.

Nonetheless, this was a refreshing read and I love how the characters were pointed back to God at some points in their life and gave Him total control. Exactly what Christian fiction is about, pointing us back to our Creator and making sure we know no matter our past behaviours He can make us new and better.

This is one of my favourite quotes from the book: Why? Why did the money matter so much to her? Because deep down, she didn’t trust God to give her what she needed.
Profile Image for Deb Elkink.
Author 17 books42 followers
July 15, 2022
The contemporary Christian romance Into the Flood is my introduction to Milla Holt’s grace-filled writing. Its international setting immediately got me thinking about visiting Norway, and her style is peppered with descriptors that kept me rooted in the physicality of the story, with “heels clicking a fast staccato on the shiny marble floor” and “hands skittering over [a stack of papers] like a pair of flighty squirrels.” I was soon plunged into the goings-on of the two main characters, Sonia and Axel.

Sonia has a complicated, many-facetted personality. She comes onto the small-town scene from the high-stakes corporate world as a discredited career girl whose “nest egg was cracked, scrambled, and incinerated.” Sonia is motivated to climb back up the ladder, even at others’ expense.

Axel notices her—and who wouldn’t? She’s the kind of woman who strides down a dingy hallway “as though it were a runway in Paris Fashion Week.” But Axel, who when having a portrait taken “couldn’t look stiffer if he’d dipped himself in starch,” has his reservations about Sonia’s integrity. For example, he’s a committed Christian believer actively involved in church life, while independent Sonia prefers “the anonymity of a big service where she could wear her happy Sunday smile and nobody probed too deep about how her personal spiritual journey was going.”

Two such significantly differing personalities thrown together make for great conflict, and through this Holt juxtaposes themes of financial success with spiritual riches, self-centeredness with empathy, and conduct with conscience. The author is intrepid in taking on such big questions as how to handle ethically iffy situations without jeopardizing moral values. Holt challenges her characters’ core values and explores how God can transform one’s goals and motivations. As a result, Into the Flood offers a testing ground for a reader’s own spiritual life.
Profile Image for Kimberly Russell.
Author 3 books288 followers
July 9, 2022
Into the Flood is Milla Holt’s first book in the Season’s of Faith Series.

Sonia Krogstad is the kind of character I like because she is the polar opposite of myself. I found her fascinating in a Hollywood glamor kind of way with her designer clothes, sky-high stilettos, and a bruised ego. Her pride is in the toilet after the unexpected demise of her career and she’s filled with shame.

With nowhere else to go, Sonia ends up back in the small hometown she couldn’t wait to watch fade in the rearview mirror all those years ago. With no job or home, she hides out with her best friend while she licks her wounds and tries to figure out what to do next.

Enter Axel Vikhammer.

I really like Axel as he is down-to-earth, albeit a bit awkward, a man just trying to figure life out with a daughter he barely knows, on a quest to give her the best. When his path crosses with Sonia’s, spark fly, fizzle, then re-ignite in some unexpected ways.

Ms. Holt gives us a love story that kept me turning pages, hoping for a happy ending and not disappointed. Her writing is well thought out, characters, rounded, and the storyline solid.

Loved it.
Profile Image for maiaisreading.
577 reviews10 followers
August 10, 2022
#BookReview: INTO THE FLOOD by Milla Holt

Have you read a book set in Norway? I may have read one before but I don’t remember anymore. There's a few descriptions about the place but this is mostly about the people. This is my first from this author and I like the grace-filled writing style. The characters are imperfect with complicated pasts but they are trying to be better people.

Sonia and Alex have different backgrounds that cause conflicting opinions. But I like the lessons of faith, care for others and setting priorities in the story. I enjoyed the fast paced story but I felt like the ending was a little bit rushed. I liked how things patched up in the end.

3.8 stars

Published As part of the Mosaic Collection. Thank you to justreadtours for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Profile Image for Marsha.
595 reviews4 followers
November 20, 2022
A lovely, quick read. The main female character got on my nerves a little but her character arc was credible, as was the plot. I am heading right into Book 2 of this series.
Profile Image for Parkland Mom.
829 reviews21 followers
August 20, 2024
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ & 1/4 (4.25 stars)
Read: August 2024
Format: Kindle e-Book
Challenge Prompt: CNL’s #20 of 50 - “Set somewhere you’ve been” (Norway)

Book #80 of 2024

There is a lot to like about this book!
- It is set in the amazingly beautiful Norway. (I’m highly biased!).
- The main characters have their issues but that makes them relatable. There is certainly character growth and spiritual growth. All the characters in her hometown feel like friends and I enjoy the community coming together for the art centre. There are glimpses of good friendships which is very heartwarming.
- The growing romance between the two main characters is sweet and natural.
- I want to know what happens to Lisa and their group of girlfriends in the remainder of the series.
Profile Image for Johnnie Alexander.
Author 47 books403 followers
October 11, 2022
Absolutely loved this sweet story which made me cry at the happily-ever-after ending. It was so perfect that I dived right into the second novel in the series.

The series premise is that five women in their mid-forties who'd been at the same wedding when they were younger (one bride and four bridesmaids) find love again. At least three of these women are introduced in the first book.

Even more fun--the story is set in Norway! I loved "visiting" that country. I'm definitely a Milla Holt fan.
Profile Image for Cindy y.
172 reviews
July 13, 2022
I am a fairly new reader to Milla Holt, but I am really enjoying her books. Into The Flood was another good one. Sonia and Axel are complete opposites. He loves the small-town life, she loves the city; he works from home and likes staying behind the scenes, she has a PR position and her success depends on being seen and known; he has a daughter, she believes her time to have a family has past her by; he is successful in his job, her job just imploded wiping out her investments, career and reputation. Enter an opportunity to save a Community Arts Center in her home town and the two of them will need to team up to make things happen. But while Sonia looks at all that needs to be done based solely on what will bring in the best and most lucrative donations, Axel looks at how the Center helps people and wants what is in the best interest of the community as a whole. Add to the mix the attraction they feel towards each other and things get a little more interesting.
I really liked the book. But I also liked the element of Faith, trusting in the Lord to give us Peace and help us find the answers needed in life.
5 reviews
Currently Reading
August 24, 2022
Milla Holt is a good writer, using good grammar, clear sentences and complex characters. This story contrasts and compares lifestyles and attitudes of a hometown girl who escaped to the big city, and her new boss.
She became a successful high-powered PR employee; he was a successful businessman who chose to live in the small town. Due to losing her job through no fault of her own, she returns home, only to have to live with an old friend while looking for a job.
He buys a non-profit failing community arts center to prevent its closing, and hires her to fundraise. They struggle to save the center, with conflicting ideas and a flood of problems.
It is a believable, uplifting story of faith and forgiveness. I enjoyed this quick read and recommend it.
122 reviews2 followers
July 10, 2022
I loved Sonia's story in this book. The author, Milla Holt, did a great job creating a story while also helping us realize the importance of having faith and trusting in the Lord. I felt bad for Sonia, but some of her choices, it made sense to me why she chose to do them-because we are human. I really enjoyed the character of Axel. He was so down to earth and cared about people. It made me self-reflect about the type of person that I am. Is money more important than everything? Do I trust in the Lord to provide and in his timing?

It was a great story, and I would highly recommend this book.

Profile Image for Dalyn Weller.
Author 18 books95 followers
July 11, 2022
I love Milla Holt’s way with words. She makes sentences, paragraphs, pages, sing.
I was excited for this story mainly for a new-to-me setting. It’s rare to read a contemporary romance in America with a Scandinavian setting. So while the setting was new, and I enjoyed it, the characters made the story hard to put down. The characters we’re multidimensional, the struggles were relatable and raw. I love how this author deals with issues of morality and faith as well as love, friendship, and community.
The epilogue made me cry. But in a good way!

1 review
July 17, 2022
Into the Flood by Milla Holt is the start of a new series set in Norway about women who find love later in life.
I found Sonia a bit too unfeeling for my liking at the beginning but I enjoyed her evolution and the realisations she came to by the end of the book. Axel was the perfect balance to her character and I loved the interactions between all the main characters.
I look forward to reading the remaining books in the series.
I received this book free from the author and this is my honest review.
Profile Image for Brenda S Anderson.
Author 34 books402 followers
July 22, 2022
Page-turner * Unique Setting * Great Characters * More than a romance!

I don't believe I've ever read a book set in Norway before. Milla Holt did such an excellent job of grounding me in that setting, that I now want to visit the country. I rooted for the characters--and yelled at them--as I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this page-turning story. It's so much more than a romance, too. I highly recommend this first book in Milla's Seasons of Faith series and look forward to the next, Through the Blaze.
754 reviews12 followers
July 13, 2022
Sonia and Axel’s story is a lesson in priorities, faith, and forgiveness. As I read this book there were places where I really didn’t like Sonia but just as in real life God can take the ugly and make it beautiful.
Axel looked beyond Sonia’s mistakes to the woman God intended her to be, and loved her anyway.
Great book.
258 reviews
July 17, 2022
This was such a nice story to read. The characters struggle just like we all do with certain things in life...our priorities, our challenges, our weaknesses, as well as our strengths. The story shows that friendship and love can endure with God's help. I always like Milla Holt's books. They bring a warmth to my soul.
Profile Image for Barbara.
19.4k reviews8 followers
November 7, 2022
The first book in the Seasons of Faith series, a well written Christian story set in Norway. The story deals with Alex, his daughter Karla and Sonia as they try to find out where they belong. I enjoyed reading and seeing how they dealt with somethings that happen. The story was well worth reading. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Sandra.
1,150 reviews46 followers
July 14, 2022
Absolutely delightful, clean, easy fun read with a few unexpected twists and turns. I love how Milla Holt writes her stories with such down-to-earth simplicity, thoughtful and true-to-life scenarios.

Anxious to continuing reading in this series to 'Through The Blaze'.
1,080 reviews4 followers
July 15, 2022
I love this story between Sonia and Axel. When things didn't seem to be going right for them, they would take the time to talk God and ask for His guidance. Very well written.

I received a free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.
Profile Image for Emilee.
573 reviews122 followers
July 10, 2022
This book is short and sweet. My first read by Milla Holt.
682 reviews5 followers
July 17, 2022
Great read. I enjoyed each part of the story. I recommend this book
Profile Image for Devon.
311 reviews2 followers
November 22, 2022
Good read

A nice, easy to follow story. I like books I can follow without much stress about what's going to happen, but that I also look forward to what's coming next.
1,856 reviews26 followers
July 5, 2022
Success and wealth are very good things, but if they are all a person is looking for, she just might be disappointed. Milla Holt is an excellent storyteller! This story kept my attention from the beginning. I also love a strong, Christ-centered message. Very well done!!!
Profile Image for Jane.
1,332 reviews47 followers
September 12, 2022
I love redemption stories. Milla Holt has written a beautiful forgiveness and redemption story in Through the Blaze. In book 2 of her Season of Faith series and part of the Mosaic Collection, Holt looks at the trust issues in marriage. Trust is hard especially when one member of a couple has broken that trust.
Kai and Lisa were married twenty years ago. Unfortunately, Kai had a gambling addiction which destroyed the trust necessary in marriage. They never divorced but they separated. Lisa never shared the details of why Kai left with their daughter Eline. Now Eline is getting married and it feels rushed to Lisa.
As is the case in real life, people say harsh things - especially when they don’t have the whole story. God can bring forgiveness and reconciliation. His redemption is shown through the lives of the “real life” characters in this book.
Through the Blaze is an adult novel but it contains great truths that high schoolers can understand. I think this title could find a place in a K-12 Christian school library.
I received a complimentary copy of Through the Blaze. This is my honest review.
37 reviews
April 28, 2023
I enjoyed reading this book. Sonia had a difficult setback with her employment. She took this as a setback even to her worth. Through the book, I saw the changes in her moral compass. Like so many people, she found out what was most important to her, and then she made employment and life decisions based on real truth and real situations. She put her belief in God first.
I was sometimes frustrated with the choices that Sonia made as the book progressed, but this is what kept me reading, I knew Milla Holt would bring the story full circle.
This was a wonderful read. I always enjoy how Milla's books weave her testimony throughout each story.
Profile Image for Charity.
639 reviews92 followers
August 14, 2022
This was a good book. It hooked me at the very beginning. I wanted to know what on EARTH was going on with the company! Then in chapter 2, where it talks about the teenage daughter's friend who was self-harming, that just hit really hard. 1, we have 3 teens in the house, and 2, one of those teens used to self harm. It was pretty hard reading that chapter.

The book was really good. Toward the end, I felt that Sonia took way too much of the blame on her shoulders for everything, and all the characters seemed to agree. That felt a little forced to me, but other than that, I'd happily read the rest of the books in the series.
Profile Image for Elle Kay.
Author 43 books412 followers
October 11, 2023
"Into the Flood" by Milla Holt offers a refreshing take on love, centering around characters in their forties. This well-crafted Christian romance novella kept me on edge, mainly due to Sonia's actions and choices. I found myself emotionally invested, hoping she'd soon realize the consequences of her mistakes.

The story reaches a satisfying climax with evident character growth and a happily-ever-after (HEA) that left me smiling. Both the writing and editing are top-notch, making this novella a standout in the Christian romance genre. Overall, a delightful read that explores love, repentance, and redemption.
Profile Image for Vida Sik.
Author 36 books86 followers
November 6, 2023
Great story to start new series
What a great story to introduce Milla Holt's Seasons of Faith series. I loved the characters, the setting, and the story of faith that is weaved through the book in a very natural, relatable fashion.
Can't wait for the next one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews