Legacy of Mercy by Lynn Austin is the second book in her Waves of Mercy series. Wow, I don’t even know where to start. This book was awesome! I usually don’t care for books written in the first person but I decided to give this one a chance. I’m really glad I did, it was amazing. Anna Nicholson returns to Chicago from Michigan. She is engaged to be married to a very wealthy young man. But she can’t seem to get excited about her socialite lifestyle. Anna hires the Pinkerton’s to try to find her birth father. What she learns may be the thing that brings about ruin for those she loves. The messages through-out the story are so powerful. Forgiveness, loving your enemies, helping those less fortunate, sharing your faith, all this is woven together so well with a sweet love story. Reading about Anna and her courage to share her faith with the society crowd was a very powerful check to me. I started examining my life. Do I have that kind of courage? Would I be able to stand up for My Lord in the face of ridicule and the possibility of losing friends? A great story without being “preachy”. I would highly recommend it!



I received this e-book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

This book does not disappoint! The writing is superb and the plot is engaging and keeps you entertained the entire time. I loved picking up where book 1 left off(Waves of Mercy) and catching up with everyone. This book continues the struggles of Anna finding out who she is and how to live life with her new found faith. I could relate to her struggle to do the right thing, but not exactly sure how to get there! I have been struggling with prayer in my own life and I loved this statement from the book:
"Prayer doesn't come with guarantees. We can't change God's mind by pleading with him. But praying will bring us closer to Him, so He can comfort us and let us know He loves us no matter what happens."

I really enjoyed this book. If you get a chance, read it. I do recommend reading the first book first. The background of the characters will help a lot.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Legacy of Mercy is Lynn Austin's sequel to Waves of Mercy, the incredible story of Dutch immigrants to Michigan. If you have not read Waves of Mercy, read it before you read Legacy of Mercy which launches October 2. You have a month to read it before the release of Legacy. Lynn continues the story of several of the characters from Waves of Mercy. Anna has developed a fledgling faith and is engaged to William. While she is fond of him, she does not feel for him what she does for Derk. She is marrying William to keep her adopted father from bankruptcy and to give her adopted mother a "let up" in Chicago society. Anna wants to find the circumstances of her birth, but will that knowledge damage the relationships she already has. Will she find a way to share her faith with the upper crust of Chicago's society?

Anna's grandmother, Geesje, is the person everyone comes to for wisdom and guidance. She is asked to house a new immigrant, Cornelia, while her grandfather, a retired minister, lives next door. They left Holland to escape a tragic past which has left Cornelia's grandfather bitter and unforgiving. As Anna finds her way from her past to her future, Cornelia and her grandfather find a way to mercy and forgiveness. It does get a little "preachy", but all of us could use some lessons in mercy and grace. I highly recommend Legacy of Mercy.

This review has been posted to two book club pages on Facebook, and to www.christianbook.com. Amazon would not let me post because the book has not been released.

I'm not that familiar with Lynn Austin's writing, but I know a couple of writer friends who believe Austin is the greatest writer out there. The synopsis and the cover for Legacy of Mercy grabbed my attention, and I decided to give her a try. Being a historical romance, I had a pretty good idea what I was in for. A story set in the past filled with characters who tried to solve a conflict and learn to fall in love with a member of the opposite sex. The story kept my attention.
Austin does a wonderful job at inviting me into the world of the late nineteenth century in Chicago, Illinois. The society and the social clubs sprang from the page as well as my imagination. I enjoyed spending time here and loved following Anneke as she traveled to find out about her real birth parents. I love a story with a good treasure hunt, either from the present or the past. Legacy of Mercy does exactly that.
The hunt for Anneke's biological's parents kept me riveted to the page. I wanted to find out who her parents were and if her mother was actually married when she gave birth to Anneke. I flew through the pages and couldn't wait to see the end result. The story was nicely woven together, and Austin really tells a wonderful story. The story is told from Anneke's perspective and her grandmother in Holland, Michigan. Austin tells the story but doesn't confuse me. She puts subheadings, which helps makes it easier for me to follow whose perspective I'm in.
I liked how Anneke wanted more out of her life than attending society clubs and parties to be seen. She wanted to do what God suggested and help the poor, orphaned, and widowed. I liked her character the most. She was a woman after God's own heart. Something we should all strive to be.
Overall, Legacy of Mercy by Lynn Austin is an enduring tale of God's love and is populated with interesting characters who are on a treasure hunt for what is true. I believe fans of historical romance like Jen Turano, Judith Miller, and Lorena Seilstad would enjoy this novel.
I received a complimentary copy of Legacy of Mercy by Lynn Austin from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

A glorious continual of the story "Waves of Mercy." I received a digital copy of this story before publication date as part of a book promotion group.

Lynn Austin has once again breathed life into her characters in this 1800s fictional drama based in Chicago, Illinois and Holland, Michigan. Many true to life conflicts come into play in her writing that are still very relevant in the lives of believers, including suicide and depression. These are touchy topics that Christians today struggle with and her novel provided a wonderful example of God's mercy, grace, and live to those suffering, but also provided very real examples of how Christians have put others in bondage by holding sins over their heads and not extending forgiveness or love.

I was drawn into this novel and finished it in one day, not wanting to put it down until the resolution. Lynn has done an amazing job with engaging plot lines and realistic characters. I highly recommend this book!

Lynn Austin is my favorite author, and she did not disappoint with this sequel to her book Waves of Mercy, which was about the early Dutch settlers,who settled Holland, Michigan and their trials and triumphs. Anna is willing to marry William in order to save her adoptive parents from bankruptcy and humiliation in high society Chicago in the late 1800s. Anna’s search to find information about her birth mother and who her biological father was led to scandals in her social circle. Meanwhile in Holland, Michigan, Anna’s grandmother, Geesje de Jonge, who Anna had recently met, was having trials of her own trying to help newly arrived Cornelia and her grandfather get through their anger at God, each other and themselves. Then there’s Derk, a young neighbor of Geesje, who was very much in love with Anna but came to understand why she was to marry William even if she loved Derk. This story is full of the history of the time, learning to have faith in God, learning to forgive, and how love can heal.
Lynn’s characters are so genuine that the reader feels like they have become friends. It’s hard to say good-bye at the end of the book.

The long awaited sequel to Lynn Austin's Waves of Mercy does not disappoint. Legacy of Mercy follows the story of Anna as she returns to Chicago and plans to wed her wealthy fiancé, and her grandmother, Geesje, in Holland Michigan, as she helps a young woman, a recent Dutch immigrant, come to understand the tragedies in her life. A satisfying, faith-filled story of life, loss, learning, and love.

I picked up the first book in this series by accident, but really loved the characters and plot, so when I saw this second installment, just had to read it! It did not disappoint. The characters are so humanly flawed, grappling with issues of the heart, their place and station in society, and how to best serve the Lord (those who are interested in that sort of thing). Anneke continues her search for her past, and we learn quite a bit about several of the characters' pasts; the past and present intertwine to create an uncertain future. I love how we follow a cross-section of society, as well as a few families over several generations, as it paints a broad picture of this era. Given the ending, I'm not sure if there will be a third in the series....but I really hope so!