By Jody Hedlund
Sophie Neumann will do whatever it takes to take care of Olivia and Nicholas; although she may not be related to them by blood, she's the only family they have ever known and she is determined that they will stay together. When she witnesses a murder, she realizes that for her own safety and that of the children, they need to flee, she takes the only option she can find--joining an orphan train heading west. Sophie plans to separate from the orphan group in Chicago, but when Olivia refuses to go, Sophie stays with the children--only to have Nicholas quickly placed with a family who only reluctantly allows Olivia to stay with them. Heartbroken to be separated from the children, Sophie goes to work for a good-hearted farmer's wife who lives nearby. Sophie soon finds that one of her new neighbors is an old friend, Reinhold Weiss.
Reinhold is doing all he can to succeed at farming. When Sophie shows up, all grown up, he finds himself drawn to her, but he needs to focus on his farm and doesn't trust himself not to turn out like his angry, abusive father. He can't steer clear of Sophie, though, especially when she begs him for help with Olivia and Nicholas.
I've been waiting a long time to read Sophie's book, and it didn't disappoint at all. There were times when I got a little frustrated with Sophie's stubbornness, but that also made her such a dynamic and real character; she had flaws and she didn't always make the best choices, but she had a good heart and really was a lovable character. As for Reinhold, well, I've been waiting since the first book in the series for him to get the girl, and while I was a little wary about how I'd feel about him and Sophie (I am highly prejudiced against books where a man once liked one woman but ends up with her sister), but it just felt right to me (which is really saying something about Jody Hedlund's writing, if she can make me enjoy a plot line I normally loathe). I loved the overall message of hope and how even when we make a mess of our lives, God can make something beautiful out of them. Another excellent book from a fantastic author.
I read an ARC via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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