MoonglotexasThe cover of this book captured me from the first. Being the second in the series though, I put off reading it and, upon reading the back cover I was concerned the story would be too sad. Still, my curiosity about the orphan trains and that image won out and I’m grateful. Marianne and Drew are easy to like and relate to, both have suffered hardships and are stepping out on a new journey. Each of the orphans has their own sad story, difficult to read but interesting historically. Well researched, I enjoyed finding out more about this unique way of homing children. The romance builds from sweet and light-hearted to earnest and abiding. I didn’t feel I missed anything having not reading the first book but, now knowing the characters, I am looking forward to the next one! Five out of five, highly recommended!
A favourite line:
She didn’t have to let the difficult situations take away her joy. God could help her walk through the hardships so she could find new strength and joy on the other side.
From the back cover:
Marianne Neumann has one goal in life: to find her lost younger sister, Sophie. When Marianne takes a job as a placing agent with the Children’s Aid Society in 1858 New York, she not only hopes to give children a better life but seeks to discover whether Sophie ended up leaving the city on an orphan train.
Andrew Brady, her fellow agent on her first placing trip, is a former schoolteacher who has an easy way with the children–firm but tender and funny. Underneath his handsome charm, 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 amid small railroad towns in Illinois, they find themselves growing ever closer . . . until a shocking tragedy threatens to upend all their work and change one of their lives forever.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
