Christmas Grace

 Title: Christmas Grace

Author: Mindy Steele

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Genre: Christmas, Amish, Christian Fiction, Christian Romance

Source: Net Galley

My Review:

 Christmas Grace is the first book that I have read by Mindy Steele. The two things that drew me to this book were its Christmas theme and the fact that it is about Amish people.  I also loved the cover, but that was minor compared to the other two! I would read more by this author.

Only Grace would be foolish enough to go against everything she had ever known to be right here.

Grace is put under the ban, does her time, confesses in front of her church, and her family still exiles her to an abandoned shack near her Aenti Tess in Kentucky. Grace does her best to follow the rules and make the most of her situation. She is lonely but shows strength and determination for the hand that she has been dealt. Grace is determined not to make a mistake and does not know how to take this new community's kindness toward her. She is certain that they are judging her and their kindness is an act.

Rules. The always-present rules.

Cullen Graber is Grace's nearest neighbor. He has no plans to get involved with his new neighbor. However, once he realizes that Grace is living in the shack he knows he must help her. While she refuses his assistance at first, he continues to offer kindness and friendship, dropping off eggs and leaving wood when she is not around.

The condition of the shack-sinner's shack, she settled on calling it-was in dire need of attention.

I loved the unique story line. There are not many stories that show an Amish woman falling for an Englisher, getting pregnant, and then being left alone. I appreciated the contrast from the Amish in Grace's community in Indiana, with their hard, rigid ways, to the Amish community in Kentucky, who practice their faith, showing love and forgiveness.

I am a reader who prefers more dialogue to descriptions. This book started with a lot of descriptions/thoughts with very little dialogue which made for a very slow start (for me). I found several places in the story that dragged for the same reason.

However, overall I really enjoyed this story. I enjoyed the message, the thread of love, friendship, forgiveness, and the revealing of secrets. I also enjoyed the unexpected surprises that came up in this story, and there were several. Some scenes will evoke strong reactions, and others that are simply tender and sweet.

If you enjoy Amish stories, love stories, and/or even Christmas stories I would recommend giving this unique story a try. I think fans of Shelley Shepard Gray, Rachel J. Good, Wanda Brunstetter, and Linda Byler would also enjoy this author.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

★★★★/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Second chances and the Christmas spirit abound in Mindy Steele’s heartwarming novel, one of faith, love, and the power of community.

Grace Miller believed herself in love with the charming Englischer who eventually broke her heart. Now alone except for the secret life growing inside her, she arrives in the unfamiliar small village of Walnut Ridge, Kentucky, to hide and hopefully gain forgiveness.

She is pleasantly surprised, however, to find a tight-knit, welcoming group who help her heart grow right alongside her belly. And with the holidays around the corner, there’s plenty of preparations to occupy her mind. Also occupying her mind? Her strong, protective neighbor, Cullen Graber, the town’s blacksmith, who seems intent on not allowing her to ever suffer alone.

Cullen Graber gave up on love after too many losses early in life. He planned to live out his days focusing on his smithy business, yet the beautiful and mysterious Grace refuses to leave his thoughts. But can they open their hearts to God’s grace and create a new family together before Grace must return home?