The author gives us a story of nature when it consuming everything around this area of Montana in the form of fire, and we are there to see the devastating results.
We see all segments of society here and how they rally around those who have lost everything, and we quickly become involved in their lives.
Now we have both Amish and English sprinkled around here, and most have known each other all of their lives, and all are in the same state of loss.
We also hit some tough subjects head on, and find that God is needed and we need to hold on to Him.
I loved how things worked out here, and am glad that this is the first in this series.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zondervan, and was not required to give a positive review.

Mountains of Grace is a well written Amish romance. Enjoyed the plot as well as the Montana setting. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Set in Montana, this story is about community strength. After a powerful fire, both the Amish and English are seeking God's will. Lots of characters are introduced in this first book of the series. The characters are relatable and their issues real. It will be interesting to see the growth of characters in the next books. Recommended!

This is a unique Amish story as the setting involves wildfires that happened in Montana. As both the English and the Amish have to flee their community for refuge from the fires, they come together to take care of their families and meet needs. Both Amish and English lose their homes, and although the Amish elders have concerns about the mixing together of their two cultures, they find that working together has great benefits for both. I liked the gracious way the author incorporated this aspect of community spirit into the story.

Caleb and Mercy are two of the main characters in this book, but there are quite a few others who have storylines going, too. All are interesting and I wanted to keep reading, but at one point I had to stop and try to sort out who belonged together and untangle their stories.. All these storylines meet together at the end of the book, and I was glad I kept reading.

I do want to mention this about the book: One of the characters, Juliette, had suffered sexual assault in her teenage years. The author handles this part of the story in an appropriate way. The trauma that Juliette suffered is discussed in the book. I know reading about something like this, even if it’s handled in a gentle way, can be a “trigger” for some readers if they are recovering from trauma of their own. The author made sure that Juliette’s story has hope and recovery, and I think this aspect could be encouraging to all readers.

All in all, I liked this book. Kelly Irvin’s fans will not be disappointed.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Taking the background from today's unfortunate events, this story is based on the devastation of wild fires in Montana. The fires are hot, fast, and uncontrolled. They wipe almost everything in their path, but leave a few things untouched, much to the confusion of the people affected. This is where Mercy lives and now must evacuate because the fire is coming faster than was anticipated.....Calab, her former beau, comes to get her out safely and AGAIN is the knight in shining Amish armor!! BUT, she still can't allow herself to accept his proposal of marriage....she doesn't see him as caring for her as he should, after all, he has never kissed her or told her he loved her....it just won't work. Or, will it?? Kelly Irvin takes this couple and the people and world around them into the fire and like the phoenix, raises them from the ashes. Good book and an interesting look into the attempted assimilation of two cultures.

Kelly Irvin's Mountains of Grace is a wonderful book! It made me smile and cry and laugh and hope! I loved the characters and how real they felt as I was reading. I truly enjoyed this story and can't wait for more! The story follows people from West Kootenai, in Montana, a small community that is ravaged by wildfires. There is Mercy, a young Amish teacher who lives with her family. They lose their home in the blaze and she battles confusion and hurt, while also trying to work out her feelings for Caleb. Caleb is a young Amish man with a past that continues to hurt him and keep him from living his life to the fullest. A life that he wants to include Mercy. Juliette and Tim are a young English couple who live in the area. Tim is a policeman who puts his life on the line to help his neighbors and Juliette is fighting against demons that she can't beat on her own. Finally, there is Spencer. He is a smoke jumper who fights fires but was injured. His injuries may give him time to heal though, not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually too. I love how each person had their story told. Irvin didn't focus on one or two with the others in the background. My heart hurt for each of them and when they were happy, so was I. An excellent book!
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review. All opinions are my own!

If you go by the blurb, you think you're going to read a book centered around Mercy. But the reality is, this book is about so many more characters than just Mercy. I typically don't mind when there's a secondary romance in a book, but this one was just overloaded with side stories. It became confusing at times especially when they started bringing in side character's parents and siblings. Let alone the romance part of it.

And Pretty Patty??? Come on... was it necessary to refer to the poor girl by that name for the entire book? She couldn't just be called Patty?

I will say it was interesting to read how the English and Amish interact and help one another despite obvious religious differences.

** ARC received from Netgalley **

What happens when a community of Amish and English must evacuate their homes due to a forest fire in the surrounding mountains? Horrifying realities of losing homes, crops, hopes and dreams create an exciting book.

The two cultures normally separate themselves, but the evacuation to a nearby English community, brings them together as family, faith, friendship and love play a big part of this book. Personalities, re-establishing of homes, and new beginnings make this a wonderful, fast read that you can’t put down until you have finished it.

I highly recommend this book to those who love Amish books.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow! Mountains of Grace is powerful!

Kelly Irvin got deeply involved in her characters. She gave readers the characters' deepest thoughts and emotions in words of different situations that each character faced throughout the book. I like that about Kelly. She makes her characters come to life and gets readers to connect with the characters and their situation or situations.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I just wish it wasn't so many months away for it's release.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review in my own words. This is my review in my own words.

Kelly Irvin does it again! This book is an amazing story of how God can help you, but you have to trust Him! Kelly did an amazing job writing this book and it was truly an honor to be able to read this work. Kelly Irvin has an innate, God given talent for writing and she shows it in each and every book she writes.

This book shows us that, no matter what part of life we are in, God is there and He will never leave us or forsake us! Even if we think He has left us and if we backslide on our journey of faith and trust in The Lord, God still is with us and will help us through our journey back to Him. Kelly shows also that God gives us people in our lives to surround us with love that He has put in them.

Simply put, one of the best books I have ever read!

I love all Kelly's books she is a wonderful writter!
I loved this book and the cover and the title it really fit's the story!
I got in to it really fast and did not want to put it down!
I got this book from Netgalley for my Honest opinon and this is!

Wildfires rip through the mountains of Northwest Montana causing devastating results. Uprooted from their homes after an emergency evacuation, the Amish community of West Kootenai is scattered, bringing new neighbors and challenges.

Family, friendship, and faith are at the center of this well-written multi-layered story. An interesting mix of people dealing with past as well as present traumas set a stage for showing the healing that faith and resulting forgiveness can bring. The author does a thorough job describing the grief and loss they all must have felt. There was a lot of pain and confusion on the inside, especially in Juliette's and Spencer's lives. On the surface, the fire brought destruction, but the end results in the characters' lives was to ultimately to make them stronger.
Pastor Matt was a great side character, as a disabled vet who ministers to others. I was rooting for the wounded, lovelorn Caleb; he was such a good guy underneath his stoic facade. Learning to communicate better, especially with those we love, is something most of us need to work on too.

The threat of wildfires is a reality in the Northwest, especially after living the past few summers here with smoke filled air. It was easy to imagine the scary evacuation with a fire destroying everything in its path! A recent visit to Glacier National Park and the area nearby made this story even more special to read. I could see the beautiful mountains and lakes in my mind as I read.

Recommend for readers who like a character driven story with faith and romance. 4.5 stars

(I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Zondervan through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This was the second Amish book that I have read and again enjoyed it. Mercy is the main character and is a caring teacher. She has to leave her home because of wildfires. There is romance, suspense, sadness and happiness in this book. I will definitely read more books like this one.

The Amish group living in Montana is facing the terrors of a wildfire, and several of the communities are evacuating, and finding refuge where they can. The fire is the over-arcing premise for several minor stories that occur within the book.

Mercy Yoder is the school teacher for her community and dearly loves her scholars. Some of her friends gather up the desks and the books and take them to the garage where she is staying so that she can still hold school for the children who can still come to school. She's very content with where she is and isn't looking for marriage or a suitor. She has turned down a proposal from Caleb because he hides his feelings. She meets an Englisch smoke jumper with a broken leg and befriends him, although her family disapproves.

Mercy has an Englisch friend who is in love with the deputy sheriff, but she has some issues to work out before he will give her a second look. The most important issue she has to work out is her relationship with God.

This book confused me at first because there was an overwhelming number of characters to get to know right off the bat. The longer I read, the better it became, but it took getting pretty far into the book. There weren't any lags in the plot, and the settings are just a bit too real for someone who lives in the Northwest and lives in the risk of wildfires coming too close. Kelly Irvin is one of my favorite Amish authors and will continue to rank up there, but this particular book is not up to par. Still a four star read.

My thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley.com for providing the galley I read. The opinions expressed here are my own.

What a great start to a new series! This book is very well written and keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Thank you Zondervan Fiction via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Mountains of Grace is a good start to Kelly Irvin's Amish of Big Sky Country series. I enjoyed it and look forward to book two.
Four stars.

WOW!!! Book 1 in a new series by Kelly Irvin, Mountains of Grace tells the story of families removed from their home and community due to wildfires. Amish and English intermingle with friendships and romance in this new series. The stories share Christian faith and values. Well-written, detailed, true-to-life, and full of friendships, families, and romance. Wow! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!

Interesting read that follows several characters through a journey away from fire and toward Christ. Some parts were quite predictable, but there were other surprising twists. It will be interesting to follow some of the characters (who you can tell are set up to be mains in the next couple of books) on their continued journey. I'd never been to Montana, but the author's descriptions do a great job of making me want to visit....just not during wildfire season!