I also liked the minor characters, who I found more interesting than Elise and Thornton. I wish it hadn’t been delivered in quite so preachy of a tone, or in such a moral avatar as Elise Neumann (reinforcing the image that women are icons of virtue and need to bring morality into the virtueless lives of men, who are forgiven what they do since they didn’t have a woman to guide them), but there you have it. Hedlund did a good job of highlighting how difficult it was for immigrants to find jobs, as well as the economic and social issues of that time. But, positives first: I really enjoyed the setting, because the Western Expansion has always been one of my favorite time periods.

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 rating: 2/5 I started out enjoying With You Always but the more I read the more disgruntled I became. 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 Illinoi 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. Born into elite New York society, Thornton Quincy possesses everything except the ability to step out from his brother’s shadow. But the promise of the society’s orphan trains is not all that it seems. 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. No review, positive or otherwise, was required-all opinions are my own. Disclaimer: With You Always, by Jody Hedlund, was provided by Bethany House.

Always by Jody Hedlund