Thursday, May 31, 2018

Together Forever Review and Giveaway!



Title: Together Forever, Orphan Train Book 2  
Author: Jody Hedlund  
Genre: Inspirational historical romance  
Release Date: May, 2018

 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.

 
Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author


 Jody Hedlund is the author of over a dozen novels, including Love Unexpected, Captured by Love, Unending Devotion, The Preacher’s Bride, and A Noble Groom, winner of the 2014 Carol Award for historical romance. She received a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, both in social work. She lives in Michigan with her husband and five children. She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and on her blog at www.jodyhedlund.com.

Guest Post from Jody Hedlund

30,000 Abandoned Children By Jody Hedlund Imagine a city where 30,000 abandoned and homeless children live on the streets. Sounds like something from a futuristic dystopian novel, doesn’t it? Or something that might happen after a war or apocalypse or major disaster, right? This exact thing actually happened in the 1850’s. And the city was New York City. It’s hard to believe, but an estimated 30,000 homeless children roamed the dirty city streets and alleys of New York City. 30,000. Children. Let that sink in for a minute. That’s the size of a town. Historians look back on that time and try to make sense what led to such horrific conditions for children. Of course, the influx of immigrants was at an all time high. Jobs and housing were scarce. Diseases were rampant. Hunger and poverty became a norm. (Orphan Train Depot)  




As more and more people became aware of the enormous problem within the crowded slums, courageous heroes rose up and attempted to do their part to make a difference. While we may not always agree with the methods that were used to save the thousands of homeless children, we can admire the men and women who could no longer sit idly by. The Children’s Aid Society was started by Charles Loring Brace as one such attempt to help the hordes of homeless children. His “Emigration Plan” is better known today by the term “Orphan Trains.”  
  
My latest series tackles various elements of the orphan train movement. Together Forever, releasing in May, highlights the placing agents, those devoted people who rode the trains with the orphans. The agents spent weeks and months on the road caring for the children, all the while trying to place them in loving homes. (If you’d like to try out the series, start with my FREE novella, An Awakened Heart.) Like the brave men and women who came before us, may we always strive to do our part to make a difference!


My Thoughts:

 This is definitely a book that you will not put down!   The author has done her extensive research and has brought fiction and history together in an incredible novel.  Jody Hedlund has a knack for developing the characters so that you can truly interact with them and feel the emotions and the empathy, that these agents must have felt.  As the reader, I felt that I really bonded with the characters,  I felt love for little Jethro and wanted to ease the fear of the other children.  The author makes the reader feel as if they are a part of the story.   This  storyline also has a theme of love, forgiveness , restoration and letting the past go and being free to move on to the future.  A truly enjoyable book!

 This story was full of laughter, fun, romance, anticipation and mystery.  It's a novel that everyone will enjoy.

 I rate this one 5 stars.

  I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Blog Stops
By The Book, May 22
Genesis 5020, May 23
Radiant Light, May 26
Mary Hake, May 27
Carpe Diem, May 27
Simple Harvest Reads, May 28 (Guest Post from Mindy Houng)
Bigreadersite, May 30
Vicky Sluiter, June 2

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, To celebrate her tour, Jody is giving away a grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Click below to enter: Enter Here for Giveaway!


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3 comments:

  1. MJSHMay 31, 2018 at 1:54 PM

    Loved the book! Thanks for being a part of the tour!

    ReplyDelete
  2. James RobertJune 2, 2018 at 1:37 AM

    I enjoy these tours and have found some awesome books for my sisters and daughters so thank you so very much. Thanks also for the great giveaway and the opportunity to win.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lori SmanskiJune 2, 2018 at 6:38 PM

    thank you for your review. i cant wait to read this book. I cant even imagine if i lost one or more of my 3 brothers and 1 sister.

    ReplyDelete

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