Susanna is the niece of Will and Ann, whose story we heard back in the first book. She is on her way to Westerville to attend college at Otterbein. On her way there, she stops to check on her sister and family only to find the house deserted. Her worry turns to despair when she learns that her sister is missing and the children have been sent to the orphanage.
Johann works for his father brewing beer. While his passion lies in writing for the newspaper, he feels a dedication to his father. He meets Susanna, but they are instantly at odds when she discovers his profession. Having seen the effects of strong drink first hand, she tries to hold her feelings at bay even while she tries to find a way of freeing the children and finding her sister. A saloon in Westerville brings an opportunity for both sides to show what they're made of.
I'm not sure why, but I wasn't as pleased as I normally would be to see the characters of the previous book old and not as spry as they were the first time I read about them. I also found out more than I wanted to about Ben, the subject of book 2.
Overall, this book didn't appeal to me as much as the first one. I took the second book off my watch list and finished this one feeling indifferent. I missed the saddle-making, there was very little of it in there. Susanna was one of those characters that was self-righteous and irritated me with the way she treated Johann. The man treated her with patience and grace, only making me dislike Susanna more. While I wanted to like the book, I grew up in Columbus, I found it lacking. In the end, I just can't recommend it.
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