Elise Neumann has lost so much in her life – both parents, their beloved bakery and home in Germany and now any way to support her family. With You Always is the first book in the Orphan Train series. While each of the three titles in the Orphan Train series could be read as a standalone, I believe that it is much better to read them as a series, better to understand the depth of each of the characters, their relationships and their journeys, separate at times and yet each interconnected. As soon as I finished each book I eagerly picked up the next. More challenges overcome through faith, love and community. And I am so glad that I could, because as soon as I started the first book in the series I knew I wanted more of this charming family facing such difficulties.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to read all three books in the Orphan Train series all together (one benefit of waiting for an entire series to be published before starting book one). The spark that ignites between them is undeniable, but how can they let it grow when that means forfeiting everything they’ve been working toward? My thoughts Thrown together against all odds, Elise and Thornton couldn’t be from more different worlds. The conditions to win? Be the first to build a sustainable community along the Illinois Central Railroad and find a suitable wife. When their ailing father puts forth a unique challenge to determine who will inherit his railroad-building empire, Thornton finally sees his chance. But the promise of the society’s orphan trains is not all that it seems.īorn into elite New York society, Thornton Quincy possesses everything except the ability to step out from his brother’s shadow. She finds a glimmer of hope when the New York Children’s Aid Society starts sending skilled workers to burgeoning towns out west. One of the many immigrants struggling to survive in 1850s New York, Elise Neumann knows she must take action to care for her younger sisters.

Always by Jody Hedlund