this book is absolutely written by someone who understands her subject matter and knows how to make it interesting to her readers! judy baer is one of the greatest authors ever, in my opinion, anyway!

Move over Jan Karon's Father Tim; Judy Baer's Reverend Alex is moving in. I loved this 2-in1 book so much better than Karon's series. Found the language to be much more to my liking. I hope Baer writes more about this wonderful Hilltop community.

Alex Armstrong has just arrived in Hilltop Township, North Dakota. He is to be the new Pastor of not just one church but two. Unfortunately the two churches have had a split of communities. This was not what he had expected. He thought he would be moving to a tranquil community. Since he arrived it has been one thing after another. It is a beautiful area and the house provided for him was a big surprise to him.

There are definitely some very colorful characters in this novel. Some that are overly helpful and some that are in desperate need of help. Then there are those that don't wish to be bothered at all. Alex Armstrong has his hands full. It is a good thing God is with him and Hilltop Township.

Book two takes up right where book one left off. With some unexpected events. Also a hometown girl comes home to the community for harvest time and put a whole new spin on Alex's life. But will she stay or will she return to her home in the big city?

This was a long book for sure. But well worth reading. I highly recommend this book!

Disclosure

I received a free copy of this book from Guidposts for review. It was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.

Just finished the second book in the two book Book!! Surprising Grace....we continued on with Pastor Alex, and the lives of these great folks in Hilltop ND Township. I hope there is to be more, these are for the most part wonderful God loving people.

This is a continuation of An Unlikely Blessing...we will find some romance, some answers to questions, and some heartbreaks, and a loving community there to help.

Alex contacts Natalie, who broke his heart, and now we will wonder if he will leave where God had led him? Or will he find someone else? What about darling Will, and his Hoomaine Society? Will something be done about Bucky Chadwick...who is really frightening everyone. Also Dixon's sister Emmy returns for a visit. I also loved what Lydia Olson does to her brothers, who have learned to depend on her for all there meals and taking care of the home.

Enjoy this two book wonder of Love and Family...all who live here watch out for all like family.

I received this book from the Publisher Guideposts, and was not required to give a positive review.

"What do you think of September in Hilltop?"

"Better every day," Alex said honestly. "I never thought I'd say this, but it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. It's a quiet beauty. A gentle wind blowing across a field of ripe grain, or the sun sinking in the west is more beautiful than I ever imagined. Hilltop is a diamond in the rough. I even understand why the people here keep talking about the horrible winters and fifty degrees below zero wind chills."

"Why? You haven't experienced that yet."

"This place is a secret you want to keep to yourself. Peaceful, beautiful, authentic, friendly...Winchester Holmquist told me that he liked to exaggerate the weather extremes to 'keep the riffraff out.'"

The township of Hilltop in North Dakota is all that and more. A bit of Mayberry from the old Andy Griffith show, only it is the only home for the residents that live there and ones you will be delighted to meet in Forever Hilltop by Judy Baer.

In this delightful, two book set, the reader gets to experience the beauty and family that makes Hilltop unique. In An Unlikely Blessing, the town is in need of a pastor and has placed an ad, for which Alex Armstrong answers. What he comes to find out however, is that he is the only person who has ever answered the ad. Considering it a bit odd, until the residents of the town become part of his very own church family.

Knowing that the Pastor is single, it makes him the prime target for all the single ladies looking to settle down. Hot meals are a constant stream inside the church parsonage as Alex begins to understand what has divided the once blended town between two churches, All Saints and Hilltop Community. Alex is hoping and praying that God will give him the strength to unite the two and in the process show him if he truly does belong in the town of Hilltop.

In the second book, Surprising Grace, the story of Alex's life continues as the residents of the town become more real to the reader, from the organized and very talkative church secretary Gandy, to the red-haired-ten-year-old boy Will who is organizing a Hoomain Society in the shed on the church property saving every known animal from certain death; Nancy Hubbard who is converting her three story over-sized home into a Bed & Breakfast; and Tilly Tanner, one of the oldest residents in town who refuses to acknowledge she's eighty and wants everyone to remember she's only sixty-five. There are so many delightful characters we get to meet this time around in Hilltop Township that you can't help but fall in love with them all.

Along the way the rift between the town churches will begin to heal thanks to the quilting bee idea formed by the ladies in both churches. There isn't perfect peace in this township, but what you do come to realize is that when people come together to help out, the problems become much smaller and it draws people closer together. Perhaps God did have a purpose after all for Pastor Alex being the only one to answer the ad for the church.

I received this wonderful collection of Forever Hilltop by Judy Baer compliments of Litfuse Publicity for my honest review and I am hoping that there is still one more novel in this series yet to be written. It is delightful and peaceful to remember that some towns remain small but seem larger than life by the people living there and this one will simply take your breath away. I rate this one a perfect 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend this one as the perfect summer getaway read!