Title: Legacy of Mercy
Author: Lynn Austin
Series: sequel to Waves of Mercy
Major Themes: Faith, Historical Fiction, Michigan, Mystery
Synopsis: Stuck with a fiancé she doesn’t love, Anna must decide whether to marry for position or live in disgrace. Given the job of taking care of a resentful, broken girl, Geesje must trust the Lord and try to help her past her heartache.
One thing I typically try to not do is read a series out of order. Even if there are just two books in the series, I’d prefer not having spoilers! However, when Lynn Austin was coming out with her sequel to Waves of Mercy, I knew I’d have to get it now if I wanted to be able to read it soon. So…Legacy of Mercy was requested from NetGalley, and not too long later I was thrilled to send it to my kindle, and start reading.
What. A. Story! I admit, I haven’t read a story by Austin yet that I don’t like, and this book was no exception. Somehow, she manages to weave both very difficult situations, faith, realistic characters, and a diversity of plots that intermingle exceptionally well into one story, where every little bit just fits together. She writes the kinds of books I’d love to write eventually. Not dwelling on the unimportant things, but just sharing the world as it is and showing the answer. It’s so tasteful. Beautiful.
Anna Nicholson has a problem. Though she’s engaged to be married to one of the richest men in her social circles, she doesn’t really love him. To make matters worse, she was adopted as a child, and she wants to know who her parents were…but the answers might just be more than she can really handle. Meanwhile, her grandmother Geesje has her own set of problems. A new immigrant girl needs a place to stay, and although she doesn’t like the upset to her routine, Geesje agrees to share her home with the girl. However, things grow worse when Geesje realizes Cornelia is carrying grief of her own—suppressed by her overbearing grandfather. Can Geesje help her to heal? Will Anna make the right decisions about finding her birth parents? And what about her fiancé—what is she supposed to do about a man she doesn’t love?
Legacy of Mercy touched so many tough subjects. It talked about marriage—good reasons for it, and bad reasons. What if a marriage would fix your parent’s financial troubles? Should differing goals for life be enough to separate you? It also talks about suicide, and hope for those who feel like life doesn’t have much for them. There were so many great quotes, but one I loved was,
“And while I still don’t have answers for why the people I loved had to die, the wrestling always brought me closer to God.”
There were other great quotes as well, and overall the way Austin built the story and shared the love of God in and through the lives of the characters was truly beautiful. I hope I haven’t spoiled the first book in this review; if I have, I apologize. I read them out of order, but overall I am quite impressed. As the second book in a series, I was highly impressed. Both God-honoring and very encouraging, this was another excellent book from Lynn Austin. Highly recommended!
I requested a free review copy of this book from NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion of it.
WARNING: In ch. 4, a mention is made of a man pressuring his girlfriend to sleep with him every night, but she wouldn’t, later, a man is cursing and threatening to hurt men with a chunk of firewood. In ch. 24, a girl tells of a man who took advantage of her. In ch. 21, a girl admires a guy’s looks in a romantic way. A kiss (one-sentence happening, for the most part) is mentioned in ch. 4, 6, 22, 33, and 37. There is touching between unmarried people (very brief mentions) in ch. 19 and 37.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Library Binding | Audible Audiobook (unabridged) | Audio CD
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback | Hardcover
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