Review: Together Forever by Jody Hedlund

May 24, 2018

Title: Together Forever
Author: Jody Hedlund
Publisher: Bethany House
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9780764218057
Publication Date:May 1st, 2018

About the Book:
Will the Mistakes of Their Past Cost Them a Chance at Love?

Determined to find her lost younger sister, Marianne Neumann takes a job as a placing agent with the Children's Aid Society in 1858 New York. She not only hopes to offer children a better life, but prays she'll be able to discover whether Sophie ended up leaving the city on an orphan train so they can finally be reunited.

Andrew Brady, her fellow agent on her first placing-out trip, is a former schoolteacher who has an easy way with the children, firm but tender and friendly. Underneath his charm and handsome looks, 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 in the small railroad towns of Illinois, they find themselves growing ever closer . . . until a shocking tragedy threatens to upend all their work and change one of their lives forever. 
Thoughts:
Together Forever is the latest installment in the Orphan Train series. The first book of this series, With You Always was a book that hooked me and had me wanting to read the rest of this series as quickly as possible. Following the story of the Neumann family has taken many twists and turns and offered some very interesting mysteries to figure out.

I will say, when I was introduced to Marianne in the first book of this series, she wasn't a favorite. Her decisions set my teeth on edge. However, she did face the consequences of her decisions and she battled that through this book. Jody Hedlund has a way of intertwining historical details, real life aspects, and emotional struggles.

Along with all of that, we are introduced to another fantastic male lead! Andrew Brady is a man who kids love, women seem to adore, but has some secrets in his past that haunt him. Like Marianne, he is trying to make-up for what has happened in the past. Instead of lashing out, he is one who brings joy to children who don't have much and he is a lot of fun to read about.

Andrew and Marianne may have grown up very differently, but they show that no matter how you grow up , the spiritual battles you deal with are the same for all.

This book was fantastic and I loved how even though I started off wondering how I would like Marianne's story, I ended up loving it!

I did buy a copy of this book through Audible. I was so happy that the same narrator from book 1, With You Always returned. Her performance kept me entertained.

Rating:
4 out of 5

About the Author:
Jody Hedlund is the author of over a dozen novels, including Love Unexpected, Captured by Love, Unending Devotion, The Preacher's Bride, and A Noble Groom, 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.




Thank you to Bethany House, they provided a free copy of this book for an honest review.

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