New Augsburg, Book 2

New Augsburg Trilogy

De: Christa Petzold

Narrado por: Sarah Kramer

Every decision of Callie Foster’s adult life has led to this moment—her chance to run for a seat in the U.S. Congress. Every move has been calculated, except for one. She never counted on falling for Micah Klein. Their relationship threatens her campaign, but Callie is determined to have the best of both worlds: the career she’s always dreamed of and the unconditional love of a good man.

Micah Klein’s unique New Augsburg upbringing has left him disillusioned with organized religion and with more questions than answers. As he struggles to sort out the truth of his father’s mysterious disappearance and carve out a future independent of his birthright, only one thing stands out with certainty: Callie Foster is the best thing to have ever happened to him. Their wedding day cannot come soon enough.

As a volatile political campaign amidst a series of terrorist attacks throw Micah and Callie’s relationship and their Christian faith into the national spotlight, their future teeters in the balance. Will their choices drive them apart or draw them together?

©2024 Christa Petzold (P)2025 Christa Petzold

An excellent sequel!

I was curious which characters Christa would focus on in this sequel. I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was Micah and Callie! I struggled a little with their relationship in book one because I wanted to know more about why Micah loves Callie the way he does. This sequel digs into that relationship more and we are also given a glimpse into what the world outside of New Augsburg is like. Sarah Kramer again does an excellent job reading. The book shared so much more about Micah and Callie and Sarah's reading of each of the characters helps us to get to know the characters and their various personalities. This is a great audio version of Christa's book- a very quick listen!

More about the book:

Book two shows the world outside of New Augsburg and how far from Christ so many people are. We are also shown, though, how all hope isn't lost. Christ and His love is still at work in this 'outside' world. Through this book, this futuristic story that all too well parallels so many issues in today's society, we get to see Christ's redeeming love and God at work in many lives.

Christa did an excellent job writing about the difficulties that many Christians and non-Christians face. She makes the characters so real, their relationships so believable, and we are left wanting to know more about their story. We are taken through the journey of the highs and lows of another romance. I look forward to seeing what lies ahead for all the characters!

Enthralling

Oh wow. This book jumps right in to things. The future dystopia depicted is unsettling in its plausibility. As I listened to the audiobook (which is very well done) I found myself feeling anxious and disturbed. The future depicted is one I can see the USA devolving into fairly quickly if things don’t change. It’s scary listening to these characters try to navigate such a hostile world, bent on twisting the faith of and demonizing Christians to such an extent. And the most disturbing thing about this book is that we already see such things happening today, perhaps just not on the same scale.
In the midst of this crazy world are two humans trying to balance living in this world without compromising faithfulness. Lydia, from book 1, shows up as a side character as the main male character is her big brother, Micah. It’s good to see Lydia again, happily married, and supporting Micah as he is tested and tries to find his way.
The story is masterfully woven and hard to put down. I felt what the characters felt.
The ending is encouraging and cathartic as it serves to remind us that, though life in this world isn’t perfect, God’s promises and forgiveness are.

Once I catch my breath, I plan to read the third book in the series. I look forward to learning how this trilogy concludes.

Masterful storytelling, dystopian setting that feels disturbingly possible

I loved this book even more than the first! I can hardly wait for the final book to be released on Audible! As with the first book, wonderful character development that truly comes to life with Sarah Kramer's performance. I want to sit down with Callie and Lydia and enjoy a cup of coffee with them - we'd have so much to chat about!

Thought provoking

While this is not a series I’d usually gravitate for, the characters pull me right in. It’s so wonderful to relate to characters through their faith and how God works in their lives. I can’t wait to see what comes next for New Augsburg!