"Together Forever" is a Christian romance set in June 1858 in New York City and Illinois. While the storyline about the orphan trains and the work of the Children's Aid Society was interesting, the romance felt more like something written for Hollywood than Christians. A child in the story asked Drew on several occasions why he was "eating" Marianne. They repeatedly got too physically intense. In public. In front of children. And when they weren't even engaged.

Drew and Marianne spent a lot of time kissing and touching. Marianne had doubts about marrying Drew, but she was very supportive of Drew and was willing to do the things he wanted to do. By the end of the story, she had learned to forgive herself for past mistakes but was unwilling to hurt anyone and so allowed herself to be pressured into wrong behavior.

Drew behaved selfishly toward Marianne and cared only about what he wanted. He briefly wondered how he was going to support Marianne but cared more about bedding her. This issue was never really resolved. He lost all my respect when he asked Marianne to go on a midnight walk alone with him. And then he pushed her to do something that frightened her and was potentially dangerous.

He didn't support her concerns or consider her feelings as more important than his desires. Instead, he decided to do whatever he had to to get his way. But Drew and Marianne were presented as a perfect love-match instead of a lust-motivated romance with a self-centered, manipulative hero. Yes, he's good with the children and they work well together, but there is more to marriage than that and physical attraction. There was no sex or bad language.

Marianne Neumann started working with the Children's Aid Society in order to try to find her sister Sophie, who has she believes might have been placed with a family somewhere. On her first trip taking orphans west to try to find homes for them, she is paired with Andrew Brady, who is handsome, charming, and wonderful with the children. Marianne is hoping to find Sophie as well as Reinhold, the man Marianne has long hoped to marry. She's certainly not planning on falling for Drew.
Drew likes to flirt but he knows better than to get involved with a woman--last time he did, things didn't work out well at all. But Marianne's sweet heart and tenderness with the children, combined with her spunkiness, make her entirely too hard to resist.

I loved this book! Drew was dashing and charming, but also caring--and hurting. Sophie was gentle and thought she wasn't strong, but I loved seeing her come to understand what courage really is and to find ways to solve problems. I loved the romance and the banter between Drew and Sophie, but this book is so much more than just a romance. There were terrific themes of forgiving one's self for mistakes and sins and moving forward with life. Following along with an orphan train as Marianne and Drew try to find good situations for the orphans was enlightening and heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time. This is emotionally gripping and the writing is terrific. I loved this book, as well as the previous book in the series. I cannot wait for the next book!

I read a copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The second book in Judy Hedlund’s Orphan Train series features Marianne, the middle sister Neumann sister. Marianne, impetuous and big-hearted, struggles to find her way in life outside of her big sister Elise’s capable shadow. Elise, featured in With You Always, splits her time between Quincy, her husband’s town, and New York City. Marianne, newly employed (with the help of her influential brother-in-law) as a placing-out agent with the Orphan’s Aid Society embarks on her first journey to resettle 31 orphans in Illinois.

She has vowed to find their missing youngest sister, Sophie, as well as the two small children she and her sisters had cared for during one of the darkest epochs of their young lives—when they found themselves orphaned and abandoned in New York City’s heartless streets. Marianne hopes she’ll find a record of what happened to Sophie and the other children—after all, she can’t forgive herself until she’s solved the mystery of their disappearance. She’s also hoping to find Reinhold Weiss, the object of her affection.

Andrew Brady, fun-loving, entertaining, and hiding a tragic secret, looks forward to his placing-out trip for the Orphan’s Aid Society—especially when he discovers that his companion is the young and very beautiful Marianne Neumann. He’s not looking for romance, but a mild flirtation will help to pass the time.

The trip turns out nothing like either one of them expected. Andrew finds himself drawn to Marianne’s generous heart and forgiving nature. Marianne discovers that maybe her feelings for Reinhold had more to do with infatuation than a real relationship.

Most of all, they discover that before they can find true love with another person, they need to make peace with their past mistakes and learn to love themselves.

Together Forever, by Jody Hedlund







Together Forever
Orphan Train Series - Book 2
Jody Hedlund
www.jodyhedlund.com

352 pages
Bethany House Publishers
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Available: May 1, 2018










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.


And he said unto me My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9


Together Forever is the second book in Jody Hedlund's heartwarming Orphan Train series. It can be read as a stand alone, but I really enjoyed the first book in this series (With You Always) and would recommend reading it purely for the enjoyment of it.

If you are familiar with Jody Hedlund and her writing, you will come to expect sizzling romances, characters you come to love and root for, and a plot line with a twist you didn't see coming. Together Forever does not disappoint. Jody Hedlund expertly weaves historical fact into her novels which adds a richness and authenticity to her stories. Together Forever highlights the positives and the negatives of The Children's Aid Society's placing out program during the mid 1800's from the perspective of the children as well as the placing agents. There were some portions of Marianne's romance that I found a little far-fetched, I think it was intended to add a bit of humor to the story, but it did not in any way detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I'm looking forward to reading book 3 in this series, Searching For You, which will be available December 4, 2018.


Together Forever will be available for purchase from your local or online book retailer May 1, 2018.

Thank you Bethany House and Net Galley for the free copy of Together Forever to read in exchange for my honest review.

Another powerful story about the Orphan Train! The author's descriptive account of the orphans and their caregivers make the reader feel apart of the story. Based on historical accounts, this novel will move reader's hearts. Looking forward to the next one in the series. Highly recommended!

I liked the author note to reader where she states that by putting Marianne Neumann in the role of being an agent would give readers a glimpse into the orphan train movement from the perspective of the agents on the train. I had never heard of the Children's Aid Society and the orphan trains. This was a tough job the author says ..."that consisted of weeks of demanding travel, difficulty in placing children, plus the logistical challenges in revisiting each child before returning to N.Y. and doing the job itself. The agent had to learn on the job and make up the rules as they went. In the early years, record-keeping was inconsistent, placements irregular and screening process non-existent."

Things have changed that's for sure. This was an eye opening read.

Jody Hedlund's exquisite and honest writing giving me goose-bumps again.
This series and these characters have completely stolen my heart!
Marianne and Drew were honest characters and very cute together. Both had baggage and the way they dealt with each trauma was realistic and inspiring. Jody brings the setting completely to life and I felt completely immersed in a world torn by hunger and famine, but with hope not far off.

I confess, when I started reading Together Forever I hadn't read the first one. During the first few pages, I felt like this was not right and took my time to read the first book of the series haha
I'm so glad I did. While there's enough background for you to understand the characters, their journey felt complete (at least to me) once you've followed the series. Because it's a continuation, a seeking, a longing not fulfilled that starts in the novella and the characters story continue on trough each one.

I started this book and then realized it was the second of a series. It was so good that I read it anyway. Planning on reading the first one soon. I could feel the spark between Drew and Marianne like I was in the room with them. Excellent writing!

A truly enthralling love story about 1 young lady trying to find her sister. She works for a Children's Aid Society in New York that helps to relocate impoverished and unwanted children from orphanges to the country hopefully to a better life. She is joined by another young man who has a troubled past and they soon fall in love. This book tells the story of the trials and tribulations that they had to go through getting the 30 children in their care to their future homes. You will be hooked from start to finish. I am hoping there will be more books to follow in this series

TOGETHER FOREVER by JODY HEDLUND is a historical romance novel that is both encouraging and eye opening. The story starts in 1858 at the Children's Aid Society in New York with Marianne Neumann and Andrew Brady preparing to set off on a placing out mission with thirty one children of varying ages. They are hoping to save the children from bad situations in the city by having them taken into families in farming communities.
It is a beautifully told story. The characters are very real. We see examples of unconditional love, great courage and strength in adversity.
It is heartwarming to see Marianne and Drew's loving interaction with the children who have such sad stories to tell, and who are also understandably anxious about what their future holds.
Marianne has to overcome the guilt she feels about losing her sister Sophie and Drew feels guilty about the drowning of a boy when he was swimming with a group of boys at the school where he used to teach. Marianne lost both her parents and knows what it is like to live on the streets of New York, and Drew has a bad relationship with his father who is embarrassed by him. It is interesting to see how the Lord deals with these issues.
I can highly recommend the book for the interesting and exciting story and the strong Christian message.

To be honest, I struggled to get through this one. I didn't feel very connected to the characters, though one would expect to in this situation. The writing was clear, but perhaps a bit too concise for my taste in a novel.

Imagine you are hired to board a train with 30 young orphans who have just lost their parents and then give them out to whatever families are willing to take them in. Imagine watching siblings ripped from each other as the families are only looking for a single child. Imagine a toddler clinging to you while being forced into the arms of more strangers. Although the orphan train started out with good intentions, it also came with a lot of heartache. There are several books out that share the heartache from the children’s perspectives, but rarely do you see one from the adults’. In Together Forever, Marianne and Drew are teamed up to take over 30 kids on a train to budding towns in the west in hopes of finding homes for them. Although many were orphans, some came into their care because their parents couldn’t support them or they were running from abusive homes. Either way, the heartache the children had suffered was immense, and their hope was for love.

Much like the author’s style between Elise and Thornton in the first book of the series, I enjoyed the witty humor between Marianne and Drew. I liked that the characters didn’t see each other, have instant attraction, and then have everything fueled by romance. The characters had fun with each other and the children, and it created an interesting dynamic that really made them come alive for me.

My heart broke for each of the children as they were handed off to the strangers who would become their parents. I actually shouted “NO!” at the book at one part, only able to relax once it was handled the way I was hoping. While this book is fiction, it was based on the untold stories of countless children and Aid Society workers who experienced the very real orphan trains that traveled for approximately 75 years. It is not to say that all stories ended badly. For one case in particular, Marianne struggled herself with the emotional attachment until she was able to see that the child she cared so deeply for was in the loving arms of a new mother who would truly love her for the rest of her life. Just as with many other events in history, there are both happy and sad stories to share.

I’m very glad that I started reading this series. My only regret is that I started before the whole series was published so that I now have to wait to continue. (According to Goodreads & Amazon the next book Searching for You is expected to be released in December of this year – 2018). This is the first series that I’ve read by Jody Hedlund, but I have quickly fallen in love with her writing style and plan to read more by her soon.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in hopes of an honest review. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

I was 2/3 of the way through this before realizing that it's part of a series, which is a testament to how well it works as a stand-alone. The characters are lovable, with their issues and faults, they have good intentions and beautiful hearts. The children are adorable, and you'll want to adopt them all. Each of the main characters must overcome something from their past, accept themselves and their faults, and be willing to move forward...whether that ends up being together or not is something you'll discover. There are, however, a few questions that won't be answered...for that, we'll need book three!

Together Forever is Jody Hedlund's second full length novel in her orphan train series. With historical romance, I expect to be taken for a journey through some historical event or element and follow two characters as they fall in love. With Hedlund's story, Together Forever, she definitely does that.
The writing is clear and concise. I had no problem visualizing the settings and roaming around the countryside with the main characters and all the orphans. She does allow me to understand and see the character's different emotions and internal dialogue as they work through situations.
At the beginning of the story, Hedlund spends a little time giving backstory. She starts the story with action then explains the life of the orphans to lead them to their current situation, then she jumps back into a little action, then repeats the same backstory, a little action, more backstory before jumping into the forward moving story. This took me out of the story instantly. Delete the first couple of chapters and weave in the backstory as they story moves along. Only once.
As for the characters, Marianne and Drew, I really didn't empathize with either character. The characters you meet at the beginning of the novel are the same at the end of the novel. No transformation at all. They didn't learn anything or change at all. They were static characters. Marianne is a sweet, loving woman who desires to find her missing sister and tries to look for clues in the opening chapter. But after that, she really doesn't do anything in the rest of the novel to keep looking for her missing sister. Similarly, Drew knows how to put enough force to keep the orphans in line, but he also has a tender heart to show them he loves them.
The romance bothered me the most. Marianne and Drew got engaged pretty quickly in the book and the sparks fly all over the page, confusing me and probably Marianne and Drew too. I found their courtship really unrealistic even though there were a number of obstacles in their way throughout the rest of the novel.
The historical element of placing orphans outside the city to learn skills and to be educated is a neat idea. I have never heard of it. But the way the story was written, I wasn't really interested in what was going on with the orphans. They didn't appear to be the main part of the novel. The story centered around Marianne and Drew and their unbelievable romance.
Overall, Together Forever by Jody Hedlund surrounds a historical element I didn't know happened. While the synopsis gripped my attention, the plot, characters, and romance fell short for me. I really had a hard time paying attention and couldn't wait for the novel to be over with, so I could read something better.
I received a complimentary copy of Together Forever by Jody Hedlund from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

A look at a part of American history I never knew existed. Although fiction it was based a on facts. Two strong main characters and a host of small cute ones.