Together Forever (Orphan Train Book #2)

Jody Hedlund

May 2018 · Orphan Train Book 2 · Baker Books

About this ebook

Marianne Neumann has one goal in life: to find her lost younger sister, Sophie. When Marianne takes a job as a placing agent with the Children's Aid Society in 1858 New York, she not only hopes to give children a better life but seeks to discover whether Sophie ended up leaving the city on an orphan train.

Andrew Brady, her fellow agent on her first placing trip, is a former schoolteacher who has an easy way with the children--firm but tender and funny. Underneath his handsome charm, though, seems to linger a grief that won't go away--and a secret from his past that he keeps hidden. As the two team up placing orphans amid small railroad towns in Illinois, they find themselves growing ever closer . . . until a shocking tragedy threatens to upend all their work and change one of their lives forever.

Ratings and reviews

I have read over a dozen books by this very talented writer. I love reading her historical novels. One of my favorite things about her writing, at the end of her books she tells us which are true historical facts and where she got her idea for this book. The orphan trains have been a strong interest of mine. Even though I find parts sometimes hard to read, I feel Mrs. Hedlund did a wonderful job portraying this difficult time in history. Her detail to research is obvious in her writing. She takes you from one end of the emotional scale to the other. I found parts very sweet and tender, others where I was laughing out loud and yet others that brought tears to my eyes. Our hero Drew, or Andrew Brady is swoon worthy. He has Hollywood good looks without the arrogance or attitude. Working with the orphan children, Drew wanted each of these children to know they mattered. He did what ever it took to keep them entertained during this long train ride. There was a lot of electricity between Drew and our heroin Marianne Neumann. She is determined to find her younger sister. For this reason she takes a job at the Children's Aid Society. Her first placing out trip is more difficult then she ever expected. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Together Forever by Jody Hedlund is the second novel in Orphan Train series. Our journey begins in 1858 in New York City where Marianne Neumann has taken a job with the Children’s Aid Society. While Marianne could life a life of luxury since her sister married Thornton Quincy, she is determined to find her sister, Sophie. Marianne will be embarking on her first tour the next day, and the other agent who will be accompanying her is Andrew “Drew” Brady. Drew is a former schoolteacher who is good with children. He has a way of making things fun and entertaining for them. Drew, though, has secrets from his own past that continue to haunt him. The pair journey across Illinois finding homes for their children in their charge. They get to know each other and grow closer on the tour. Then an unfortunate tragedy occurs that will change the future they had planned. Will they be able to overcome this tremendous obstacle? Hop on for trip into the past in Together Forever. Together Forever is well-written and an engaging novel. The book has a gentle pacing, good flow and smooth transitions between sections. While it is the second book in the series, Together Forever can be read alone. With You Always is summarized in this installment in the Orphan Train series. However, I recommend reading the series in order. You get to see the characters mature. Marianne has changed and regrets her actions in With You Always. It was interesting to find out more about the orphan trains and how they operated. What these children suffered is just heartbreaking (living on the streets, being abandoned, having no food, abusive homes). As Marianne soon discovers, you can only pray that God will deliver them into good Christian homes and that the children will not be harmed or used for free labor. I appreciated that we get to see a variety of people in the story. Farmers, shopkeepers, housewives, business people, and children. Many of them are wholesome Christians, but there are a couple of bad seeds. They are realistic characters with flaws, issues, and concerns. It was pleasurable to catch up with Elise and Reinhold. There are good and valuable life lessons in the story (keeping Faith, importance of prayers, violence is wrong, forgiving yourself as well as others). Together Forever is a heartwarming, Christian novel. It is an emotional book that will tug at your heartstrings. I am curious to read Sophie’s story and look forward to the release of Searching for You.

Leave's one begging for more

About the author

Jody Hedlund is the author of over a dozen novels, including With You Always, Love Unexpected, Unending Devotion, The Preacher's Bride, and A Noble Groom, and winner of the 2014 Carol Award for historical romance. She received a bachelor's degree from Taylor University and a master's from the University of Wisconsin, both in social work. She lives in Michigan with her husband and five children. She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and on her blog at www.jodyhedlund.com.