Book Recommendation - Legacy of Mercy

One of my go-to authors for "women's fiction" is Lynn Austin. She writes amazing character-driven novels with relateable and likeable characters, compelling story lines and usually an element of both mystery and romance. Her latest release, Legacy of Mercy, is no exception to this rule. Legacy of Mercy is a sequel to Waves of Mercy, which released 2 years prior (almost to the date). When penning Waves of Mercy, Ms. Austin intended for it to be a stand-alone, but fans clamored for a sequel. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to find out what happened next as well, and so the sequel was born.
The first book follows young Anneke (Anna) who is smarting from a broken engagement. Her mother takes her on holiday to Michigan where she can nurse her wounds privately, away from the prying eyes and gossip of Chicago's upper echelon. While there, she meets some interesting people who change her life in the most remarkable way. We also follow Geesje, who was a dutch immigrant to the US 50 years ago. She has been tasked with writing down her story for the city of Holland's 50th anniversary. As she dwells on the times past, we travel back and forth between time periods as well. The connection between Anna and Geesje is a startling one! And was, in part, what made readers want more. Legacy of Mercy picks up with Anna back in Chicago. Her engagement is back on and as she plans a wedding and attempts to do all of the social activities planned for her, she struggles to live out the faith that seemed so clear in Michigan with Geesje. Geesje finds herself taking in a young immigrant as she is one of the few in town who still speaks Dutch fluently. The lessons that she came about in the hardships of book 1 make her an excellent surrogate for this young hurting girl. I loved seeing her growth and how she passed along the spiritual lessons she learned to the next generation.

I pulled some fun details from Ms. Austin's web-page to further entice reading this one:


The novel is a sequel to “Waves of Mercy” and features the same main characters. Geesje DeJonge is a 67-year-old widow who told her story of immigrating from the Netherlands in 1847 in the first book. Anna Nicholson is a wealthy 23-year-old woman from Chicago who is engaged to a wealthy banker, and is just beginning her walk of faith under Geesje’s guidance.
I never planned to write this sequel. Aside from my biblical fiction, my books have all been stand-alone novels. But since Anna is only 23, readers of the first book begged me to write about what happens next in her life. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to find out what happens next, too.
So, how do I entice you to want to read “Legacy of Mercy” without giving away the plot? Well, there’s a mystery that Anna will be trying to solve with a little help from the Pinkerton detectives—a real agency founded in 1850. You may enjoy solving it along with her.

The story takes place in the Gilded Age when society women wore beautiful gowns like these and the one shown on the book cover.
The Gibson Girl hairstyle was a popular look.
And wealthy Chicagoans were building over-the-top mansions to replace the homes destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire.
And staffing them with servants at their back and call.
Every good novel needs a love story, and I hope readers will enjoy the one I’ve created in “Legacy.” Sorry, I can’t tell you who the lucky lovers are, but I hope you’ll be surprised.
I doubt if many of us share Anna’s extravagant lifestyle, but many of us have shared her journey to find God’s purpose for our lives. It’s a theme that’s very dear to me because it also took me a long time to discover my purpose. I love to share my story whenever I’m invited to speak at events because it’s the story of God’s faithfulness. I don’t have the time or space to share it here, but I hope that Anna’s journey will inspire readers who are still seeking.
Legacy of Mercy released on October 2nd and is available at all major book retailers. My review is below:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2567145755

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