This is the first book in the series. There’s a prequel novella, An Awakened Heart,
telling the story of the couple who run the mission where Elise and her family
live. It’s not necessary to read that
one to understand what’s going on in this story.
First off, if you’re expecting a story about orphans being
taken west from the slums on trains, you’re going to be disappointed. The series title “Orphan Train” isn’t
reflective of the story itself. There’s
a complicated reason it’s called Orphan Train.
It has to do with the Children’s Aid Society using the trains not only
transport orphans out west, but women were placed in jobs along the route as
well. I found the discrepancy
somewhat annoying.
Elise is trying to keep her family together, but things are
getting rough in New York. The mission
that she’s staying at with her two sisters and two other little ones is on the
verge of shutting down. It seems her
only hope is to get a job out west and send money back to her family. She meets Thornton Quincy during a riot and
is surprised to see him on the same train.
What Thornton doesn’t tell Elise is that he owns the town
she’ll be working in (after he arranges for it to happen), and he’s trying to
win a competition against his twin brother.
To win, he not only has to build a town, he has to marry a woman he
loves. There’s a society lady waiting
for him in New York, but he can’t deny how attracted he is to Elise. As she opens his eyes to the trials of the
people working for him, he becomes the man he was meant to be. But he really wants to win and earn his
father’s favor.
This was a pretty good book, and you’re not only reading
about Thornton and Elise, but Marianne (her sister) as well. She’s been left behind to try and take care
of the rest of the family until Elise can send help. As things continue to deteriorate, Marianne
struggles. There’s a lot of internal struggles
with all the characters, which can make things tedious at times, but overall,
Good Book!
*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House through
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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