As an avid reader with a passion for historical fiction and a strong preference for Christian fiction, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review an advance copy of “Together Forever” by Jody Hedlund and published by Bethany House Publishers.

Published on May 1st, 2018, this richly told story takes us on the journey of Marianne Neumann as she accompanies a group of ragtag orphans to the mid-west to find their forever homes.

Woven with romance, suspense and humor, we learn the daunting issues that orphans (and their guardians) faced in the mid-1800’s. 

Artfully written and meticulously researched, this book has changed me. While I’ve always had a heart for motherless and fatherless children and single mothers, this book caused me to reflect on how I’m serving orphans today.

I can’t wait to read more from Jody Hedlund.

“He said it takes great courage to accept what I can’t change, and even more courage to move forward and live my life to the fullest in spite of how achingly hard it is to face each new day.” 
                                                                              -Elizabeth Garner

Together Forever continues unfolding the story of the Neumann sisters, three German immigrant sisters who endured an extremely difficult start to their life in America during the first few years. This novel centers on the middle sister, Marianne, who is currently employed by the Children’s Aid Society. Marianne is stealthily on a mission to find her youngest sister, Sophie, who disappeared while under her supervision. 

Marianne’s job as a placing agent puts her in a position to see if she can locate her sister as well as putting her in close proximity to Drew Brady, her male counterpart. As Marianne and Drew begin their journey with the orphan train to Illinois, each discovers a new depth to the other and a strong friendship grows. As the trip continues with many stops along the way to deliver their precocious crew of orphans to their new homes, Drew and Marianne find their feelings growing and deepening. 

Will the secret that each of these young people carry destroy their budding relationship? Will they find homes for all these delightful children?  Read this absorbing tale of life with the orphan train as Drew and Marianne work together to restore their faith and love and unravel their secret fears. 

This ARC copy was received from Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. The above thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

Another great Jody Hedlund book.
Her historical novels are my favorite. 
I love looking forward to seeing what Jody comes up with next and she didn't disappoint me. 
I enjoyed getting to know Maryanne and Free and all the children. 
I was tickled pink when Jody shows us that adults know how to have fun too.
Her research is great and very thorough. 
I am enjoying this orphan train series very much! 
Maryanne is such a trooper! I admire her very much!!
Drew the challenger made me like him a lot. He can mean business when he has to.
I'm looking forward to to third one and I hate seeing this series end!
I received this book for free. All opinions are my own. 
I do strongly recommend this book because I liked how the story gave  us insight to how life for the children might have been like.
Where they scared, nervous excited?
You'll just have to read this wonderful story to find out!!

You will learn some of the horrors and joys of the Orphan Trains!  Placing agents with the Children's Aid Society, Marianne Neumann and Andrew Brady, are great protagonists.  Marianne is rather impulsive but she is always trying to help someone!  You will enjoy traveling with more than thirty children and the two adults as they travel from New York to Illinois attempting to find suitable homes for the children.  Marianne learns that telling a small untruth can lead to big problems!  I enjoyed Together Forever and recommend it to others.  I found it to be entertaining and informative.  I received advance complimentary copies of the book from Bethany House Publishers, the author and NetGalley.  This is my honest opinion.

Another great book by Jody Hedlund! She really delves into the history surrounding the stories she writes, making them all the more realistic and enjoyable.
I have previously read Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Cline I think, and found this era of American history quite interesting. This. book, with a similar storyline, was enriched by the element of the workers’ Christian faith.

Jody Hedlund never disappoints! I can always count on a good read when I pick up one her books and Together Forever was fantastic. This is book two of her Orphan Train series. I loved reading about Marianne's trip on the placing out train trip.  Ms. Hedlund did a wonderful job of recreating the atmosphere of New York City and the desperation of people to provide a better life for their children. I loved the plot and the plot twists. I am eagerly looking forward to the next book! So grab your travel mug of tea and ride along with Adam, Marianne, and the children as they travel to new lives.
     I was given this book by the publisher with no expectations. All thoughts are my own.

Book Review: Will they have the courage to delve into their past in order to have a future with each other?
Jody Hedlund’s second installment of the Orphan Train series continues in it’s resplendence. After Elise Neumann and Thornton Quincy’s story in With You Always, we pick up with the next eldest Neumann sister, Marianne in 1858, New York.


Feeling extreme guilt that she let Elise down by essentially losing their younger sister, Sophie and the two children they took in, Marianne gets a job conducting children on the Orphan Train. With her job as a placing agent with the Children’s Aid Society, she hopes to get at least one clue to Sophies’s whereabouts to help ease her troubled heart. She certainly wasn’t expecting to find love, self discovery or self-forgiveness on the journey west.


Andrew Brady, or Drew as he now goes by, tries to live in the moment worry free. The past only haunts him if he even takes one moment to dwell upon it. He had given up the idea of settling down, of finding love again. Until he met a remarkable young women, Marianne Neumann, a co-agent that turned his carefree world upside down.


Guilt is a tragic human condition that can course-correct any life journey, but it can also stall any progress if stuck in a quagmire. Both Drew and Marianne are metaphorically in quicksand. As an enigma, it is only by marching headstrong into their past that they can move forward into their future. They need release their guilt and in the process they need to let go of each other in order to self-forgive. Sometimes the thing you love the most can set you free but only after you’ve let it go.


In this inspirational story, Jody Hedlund crafts excellent characters. She sets the stage with dramatic facts of a tragic time in American history. Yet most of all she tells about the hearts of good people doing their Christian duty to take care of others. Was the placement program perfect? No, but it did save a lot of children from dying of starvation and living homeless on the New York streets.


Jody Hedlund is excellent at taking a snapshot of time and recreating not only the historical accuracy, but the emotion of the time period. Readers are fully immersed in the plights of the characters as well as the history. Reading a Jody Hedlund novel really is taking a step back into a previous world, a previous time.


The Orphan Train series consists of a novella, An Awakened Heart; The first novel, With You Always; the second novel, Together Forever; and the Neumann sisters conclusion, book three coming out in December 2018, Searching for You.


Be sure to visit Jody’s webpage to learn about her other wonderful novels.





FTC Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this title by Bethany House Publishing for review purposes only; no compensation was awarded me.

`Together Forever` is a western historical fiction novel by author Jody Hedlund. It is set in the west, 1858. There are three plots in this novel. One is of orphans headed west, from New York, to be placed in loving homes, another is romance, and the last is the female heroine is looking for her long lost sister.

        Marianne Neumann, the female heroine, works for the Children's Aid Society placing orphaned children in loving homes. She had been warned not to make close relationships with the 31 orphans but that's not easy. She prays the children are all going to caring homes. It's hard to give them up.

        Also helping Marianne distribute the children is Andrew Brady. He has been accused of murder and he will face a trial to decide his outcome. Marianne is in love with Andrew but at the same time has pledged to marry another. Can she decide who she loves without hurting the other?

        I'm giving this novel 4* because I wish the plots were more developed, or just one plot. This novel is part of a series so the plots may play out in further novels.

        I am reading an ARC e-copy on my Kindle. Tissues will be needed while reading this novel.

Disclaimer: "I was provided a free copy of this ebook. All opinions are my own."

In the first book of the series, With You Always, we followed the story of oldest sister Elise caring for her siblings in the difficult financial crisis of New York in the 1850s.

Set in the 1858, Together Forever highlights the second sister, Marianne Neumann, and Andrew Brady, who work for the Children’s Aid Society, involved with the effort to resettle orphaned, abused and abandoned children from the harsh conditions in the city—where many turn to crime as a means of survival—to a better life in the Midwest. Marianne has taken this job in an effort to locate her younger sister, for whom she feels responsible.

Shame and guilt rule Marianne’s heart as she tries to come to terms with her past mistakes. Drew also carries around a burden of a terrible accident in his past. Can they learn to forgive themselves and live in the present?

Together Forever gives a close-up view of the placing of these children as they arrive on the trains. The story exhibits the attitudes of the townsfolk where the children are sent, as well as the heart-wrenching emotions of the placement agents who feel an obligation to these children.

I couldn’t help but care about the characters of this story. You will root for Marianne and Drew to lay down their burdens and live life to the fullest. Your heart will ache for the children who are torn from the only life they’ve known. Hedlund does an excellent job of giving these children unique personality traits that help the reader truly know them. I wanted to reach into the story and hug so many of them. Not all have happy endings. The story has a sad reality to it but is still filled with hope and love.

As typical of Hedlund’s books, Together Forever is well-written and well-edited. The story flows steadily throughout, with twists and turns to keep the reader engaged, and situations are resolved in a way that give satisfaction.

As a historical romance, I give this book five stars. Together Forever released May 1 and is available now.

Full disclosure: I've been a big Jody Hedlund fan for several years! I have read almost all of her books and have found that while the plot and characters change, the best elements of her books are always there. Jody does a wonderful job of creating romantic tension between her hero/heroine. The pace is steady and keeps me interested with plot twists and complex conflict. Her books also don't shy away from showing some grit and difficult circumstances.

In this series, you get all of these elements. Marianne and Andrew both have their reasons for traveling on an orphan train to place orphans in new homes. They both carry a heavy burden of guilt and shame from things that happened to them in the past, so this trip represents a path towards redemption. Particularly if Marianne is able to find her lost sister. The hardships on their journey were at times emotionally painful to read. Sometimes both character's stubbornness could get a little irritating...haha. But all of these elements come together to create a thoughtful novel that I would certainly recommend! I would definitely recommend starting with the first book in the series.

Personal takeaway...True redemption, and freedom from guilt and shame, can only come from the Redeemer. He offers it freely.

**I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in order to share my honest thoughts, which I did.**

The second book in the Orphan Train series, Together Forever follows Marianne Neumann as she helps a group of children find families outside of New York City. Some are true orphans, some have been abandoned, and still others have relatives who cannot provide for them in the financial climate of the day. At times heartbreaking, at others beautiful, this is a special story of children, and adults, finding home.

The historical detail is incredible—I have heard of orphan trains in the past, but this book helped me to see the human lives behind the numbers and bare history. Hedlund deftly incorporates her research into her characters, letting us live the story with them, experiencing the sorrow at parting, and the joy at children gaining the family I have so often taken for granted.

This is a great book about forgiveness, especially that of ourselves. The past can hold us prisoner, chaining us to mistakes and shame for the rest of our days--unless we learn to let go of the guilt and move forward. I loved watching the journey these characters were on.

Part of their story is, of course, a romance. While the attraction is quick, the main characters still have much to overcome; lots of angst happens from the first page to the final, but there are also many moments of tenderness and several toe-curling kisses along the way.

Hedlund’s books never disappoint me, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one, too! I highly recommend it for older teens and up, especially for those who enjoy historical romance. With a fantastic plot and plenty of twists, this novel is my favorite by Jody Hedlund to date and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received a review copy of this book from the author and publisher but was under no obligation to post a positive review. The opinions expressed are both honest and my own.

While Together Forever tells the story of the hardships of the children on the orphan trains (a term that became widely used after the fact) that took the orphaned, abandoned or homeless children from crowded Eastern cities to homes largely in the Midwest, it also tells the story of those agents who accompanied them. While today’s adoption process includes many safe guards to assure children are placed in an appropriate environment, agents accompanying the trains had to rely on brief first impressions and the opinion of those serving on local committees as to the suitability of these placements. Jody Hedlund successfully develops her readers’ empathy for all those involved. 
     Through this story Hedlund explores the themes of having the courage it takes to love when getting hurt is a likely outcome and trusting God to restore one’s joy. She also explores the prison that can be created by one’s insecurities and the path to freedom. I truly appreciate stories, such as Together Forever, that tackle deep themes within an interesting story line. 
     Marianne Neumann is very young to be a Children’s Aid Society agent but was able to secure the position by having her influential brother-in-law pull some strings. The position not only allows her some measure of financial independence, but it is critical in the search for her younger sister. Andrew Brady has come to be an agent after fleeing the memories of his life in the south. A former teacher, Andrew is well trained for supervising the children and youth on the trip west. Events along the way will tax both his skills and Marianne’s tender heart. 
     I thank NetGalley and Bethany House for providing me with an advanced copy of Together Forever in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation. I will look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

Being an Inspirational (Christian) Historical romance, this book is far from my normal selections. If you follow my reviews you know I'm usually all about murder and steamy romance with an occasional angsty YA thrown in for variety. 

But I have a secret: I love Jody Hedlund's books! 

I love her books because the writing is amazing. She takes these tiny moments in history and turns them into these epic stories. 

You know that feeling when you're reading, and suddenly the words aren't there anymore, it's just this movie playing in your head? That's what her books are like. 

I swear I could smell the coal and feel the heat from the train. They just sweep you away. 

I haven't had a chance to read the first book in the series, but I was already familiar with Jody's work so I set aside a whole day just to get lost in the story. It was totally worth it. 

I always have trouble grasping the concept that the people who lived in 1800's were actual people —not just actors in those sepia-colored photos. The characters in Together Forever come out in full-color with flaws, desires, and personalities that are so authentic, you'd swear you know them.

One sweet boy had me laughing out loud. His name is Jethro, and you will love him. That's all I'm going to say. 

I also teared up more than once. I finished the book with about fifteen minutes before my kids got home from school and had make sure I wasn't still weepy (the good kind of weepy) when they came in. 

I would happily recommend this book to romance readers and anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It's written from a Christian perspective, it manages to be sensual and tender while being very, very clean. 

I took a peek at the blurb for the next book in the series and now I'm super excited for that, too!

Together Forever by Jody Hedlund is the second book in the Orphan Train series, the sequel to With You Always, which you can find my review of here.  While I suppose this book could work as a stand-alone, it will make more sense if you read book 1 to get background on the characters: who they are and how they came to be where they are at the start of book 2.

Marianne Neumann works with the Children's Aid Society placing orphans from the streets of New York with families out west.  While she works, she looks for records of her younger sister Sophie who disappeared in book 1.  In doing so, she befriends another placing out agent, Andrew Brady, and the two of them travel out on the orphan train with a group of kids and the two of them learn to love and let go along the way.

I definitely liked Together Forever better than With You Always, and if this Orphan Train series ends up anything like Hedlund's previous lighthouse-themed series, each book will only get better and better along the way.  The characters really drew me in with their passion for their work, and their flaws along the way made for a moving story of love and forgiveness.  I finished this book within a day or two because I simply could not put it down! I definitely would recommend this read.

Thank you to the author, Jody Hedlund, and her team at Bethany House for providing me with a copy of this book and read and promote! All opinions are my own.

Ms. Hedlund grasped my attention from the very first page of this second book in the Orphan Train series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, as it follows three sisters in the 1850's, each sister having her own story. While the first book is more concerned with the development of towns along the railroad, this story focused on the orphans that were brought west for nearly a half a century. As always, Ms. Hedlund's research is impeccable. My heart was not only invested in Marianne's story, but that of the orphans as well. Marianne Neumann and Andrew Brady work together as agents for the Children's Aid Society. Both share a love and passion for the orphans placed in their care. But both are running from past mistakes that haunt them, with guilt and insecurities keeping them chained to the past. Can they find the courage to break free, realizing God will help them pass through difficulties and find new strength, joy and love? While the overall plot is concerned with the journey and placement of the orphans, there are enough plot twists to keep readers turning the page wondering how Marianne and Drew will find their 'happily-ever-after'.
Together Forever has everything I look for in a good book: a spunky, tenderhearted heroine , a swoon-worthy hero, a great supporting cast and well-researched historical detail. Ms. Hedlund is a master at weaving a spiritual thread throughout her stories that are just as meaningful today as in the past. This is why she remains on the top of my list of favorite authors.

A couple of my favorite quotes:
"We're like a train conductor- there to help them during this part of the journey, this transition from one destination to the next."

" It took more courage to love in the face of loss than to close oneself off out of fear of getting hurt."

" She'd given freely of herself, poured everything into them. And in the end she'd had to let them go, which tore at her heart."

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Another great read by Mrs. Hedlund.. This book about the orphan train was very well researched. I enjoyed learning from the loveable characters about their lives as agents who worked for the Children's Aid Society. And all they endured to find homes for these unfortunate children.. This was a sweet romance and I look forward to more in the series.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and was not required to leave a review. This is my honest opinion.

Set in 1858, New York, City, this is book two in the Orphan Train series. The research Author Jody Hedlund puts into her historical novels immediately draws you in. Marianne Neumann is working as an agent for the Children’s Aid Society helping other children as well as searching for her sister, Sophie. Marianne and fellow agent Drew Brady set out westward with 30 children needing to find homes. It is an adventure for all.  My heart breaks for not only the children who were orphans but also for the agents charged with placing them. Some found loving homes, others were simply needed for the work they could do on the farm. Marianne is struggling to find where she belongs after living under older sister Elise’s wing and along the way needs to forgive herself for Sophie’s disappearance. Drew also has a past that haunts him. Will they find common ground and the path to forgiveness?  When guilt overwhelms them will their faith keep them strong when they feel weak? I am looking forward to Book Three and highly recommend this series. Each is stand alone. Just keep the tissues handy!
I was provided a complimentary copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Marianne is desperate to find her missing sister, Sophie.  To that end, Marianne gets a job with the Children’s Aid Society under Charles Loring Brace as that will allow Marianne to travel the US, looking for placed children.  Sophie ran away from home and Marianne considers herself responsible. Due to Sophie’s age, there’s a chance she was rounded-up and sent out on one of the trains. As a “placing agent”, Marianne travels by train to actually place the children with new families.  Some placements seem sure, others not so certain.  There is very little time to evaluate the prospective families and there is some mistrust on the train line about the raggedy children that come through the placement system. The co-agent for the trip is Drew who is running away from an accident and death of a child under his care while in service as a school teacher.
Marianne, through the loss of Sophie, and Drew, through the loss of the child, are looking for redemption as they help the trainload of children find better circumstances. We also have Reinhold who finds out that his two younger sisters are going to be put into the system (by his aunt), unless he can change that certainty.
Thanks for a great story!

Last spring, since reading With You Always  by Jody Hedlund, I have been anticipating the release of Together Forever, Book 2 in the Orphan Train Series.  This series tells the story of children who were either orphans or from families who could no longer care for them.  The financial crisis in New York, 1857, left many factory workers in dire straits worse than the tenement lifestyles we can only imagine today.  Living on the streets was dangerous and many safeguards today were unheard of then.  Charles Loring Brace founded the Children's Aid Society in 1853.  This was an incredible movement and many children placed with families went on to live lives that would have been unheard of had they stayed in the poverty that laced the streets of New York City.  


 It must have been frightening for the children who rode the train to new homes and families.  Placing agents, like Andrew Brady and Marianne Neumann supervised all aspect of the journey from the preparing for the trip, supervising the ride, placing the children with families and checking in with them at a later date.  It must have taken a special person to be an agent and I believe Marianne and Drew fit that role well. 


 Marianne and Drew both had secrets from their past that they were reluctant to share with each other.  It is only with the realization of true love that one can relinquish their fears only to discover that those who love us can do so without reservation.  It is within that safety net that understanding and faith for the other reside.


 Drew was indomitable in his pursuit of her.  No reminders of her implied engagement to Reinhold could dissuade him.  He was falling for her yet he wouldn't tell her because he just knew he was unworthy of her.  He believed his past, once she found out, would stop any chance he may have had in winning her heart.  


 Marianne admired Drew.  He was a wonderful agent and had such a way with the children, especially the older boys, who could easily get under her skin.  It wasn't easy to be a young woman who was not much older than 15 year-old Liverpool.  He was hardened after living on the streets since he arrived in New York alone at a tender age.  He knew he could get to Marianne and it was Drew who stepped in and kept the young man in check.   


 She could easily fall for Drew, a handsome, capable man, but she reminded herself often that she took her job with the Children's Aid Society solely to find Sophie. Besides, if he found out that she had "lost" Sophie he wouldn't want anything more to do with her.  She was determined to concentrate on the children she was responsible for as her job as a placing agent.  The children came first to both of them.  


 It is only when tragedy strikes and one of them is on the line with responsibility, they find more than anything just how much they were united through the children.  In a surprising turn of events, Marianne proves much stronger than I would have guessed.  She reached an independent maturity that helps her rise above what she perceives are her dark past.  


 I recommend Together Forever with 5 stars.  The writing is what I expected from Jody Hedlund.  Her research is thorough, and her characters are well developed and come alive.  My heart was with the children who expressed their fears and delights.  The wit between Drew and Marianne was filled with humor yet they were very intentional in other aspects of their roles as agents.  Their story and the story of the children riding the train is worth reading!

I just finished reading Orphan Train - Together Forever by Jodi Hedlund. What a great read! I just love her books.
I found Together Forever to be a smooth read. Words flow easily through my mind, igniting my senses: sights, smells, almost feeling the air around the characters.  Moments in time were experienced as if experiencing first hand, making history come to life. I identified with their weaknesses and strengths, their accomplishments and shortcomings, their fears and their faith, their sorrow and their joy.