With You Always by Jody Hedlund

My latest blog for Bethany House Bloggers is here! With You Always by Jody Hedlund.

  This book is number one in a new series called Orphan Train and judging by this book I can't wait to read more from this series.
 Book One is With You Always and intertwines two very different lives for a sweet romance. Thornton Quincy's father pits him against his twin brother Bradford for the family inheritance. Each son has to develop a successful town in the newly settled Illinois territory and the son with the most successful town wins. Bradford pulls out all the stops to make sure things hit a snag for Thornton. Thornton, meanwhile, is bringing in trains of new workers from New York. Aboard one train is Elise Neumann, an orphan who comes to the west in hopes of sending money home to her younger brother and sisters. The kids back in New York are also doing what they can to survive during a bout of terrible joblessness that hits New York City in the 1850's. Thornton and Elise met previously at the border house she was staying in when he saved her from rioters, so when he sees her again arrive on his train he is more than pleased.
  This book creates a good portrait of the era, and the romance between Thornton and Elise is chaste but still has more fire than I've read in other Christian themed novels. I liked the various plots switching back and forth between Quincy, Illinois and the kids in New York. I hope to read more about Frannie's tale because I think there is more story there (Does she overcome her rough past to make a name for herself in Quincy?) And what happened to young Sophie? -we're left hanging.
  A good weekend read for historical romance lovers.