I was so happy to see Together Forever, the second in The Orphan Train series, come up for reviewers from Bethany House. I read the first book in the series and became a fan, and I couldn't wait to see where the story would lead to next.
If you are unfamiliar with the Orphan Train series, don't be afraid to jump in with book number two, it is very easy to catch up. Book one left off with Elise happily married to Thornton in Quincy, Illinois. Book two shifts the focus to sister Marianne who is the next in the family to follow the Orphan Train into the midwest. ( Orphan trains were part of an agency in New York City in the 1850's, The Children's Aid Society, that placed orphans and unwanted children in new homes across the country.)
In Together Forever, Marianne joins the trip to place children in hopes of getting word about her own sister, Sophie, who ran away some time before. Traveling with Marianne is kindhearted Andrew Brady, a man who soon takes to Marianne and finds her charming and irresistible.
Marianne is a strong woman who is not afraid to compete with Mr.Brady, yet she doesn't treat him coldly or give him the cold shoulder. She's very likeable and so is he, you root for these two to be together.
Standing in the way of that happiness, though, is Reinhold, Marianne's fiance, who is struggling to save up the money for their future.
Now Marianne must choose, will it be Andrew or Reinhold??
A great read which I enjoyed from end to end. The only thing I'd wish differently is Andrew's proposal, which seemed a little in haste and implausible, because at the time he asks, she has just said how she wants to marry Reinhold. Andrew doesn't seem to be asking out of love, but more as if it was just a dare.
Beyond the hasty proposal, the story ties together nicely, and the set up is there to enter runaway Sophie into the next book.
