Cover Image: A Family for Gracie

A Family for Gracie

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Member Reviews

A Family for Gracie is a delightful and sweet story that takes place in a small Amish community in Mississippi. Gracie's parents and brothers have all died but she is very close to her aunt Eunice, cousins Leah, Hannah and Tillie. She moves around helping relatives that need her help. But all she really wants is her own family to love and take care of. Matthew Byler, a recent widower with four young boys and a baby girl, needs help so she proposes to him but he turns her down. Initially. Then he reconsiders. Theirs is a marriage in name only. She gets her family and he gets a housekeeper and nanny. It is a touching story of young children who come to love and depend on their new mamm. But will their dad move past his grief and past guilt to accept Gracie into the family? Gracie accepts her life as God's will and tries to help Matthew see how God's will is present in his life.
I received a complimentary ARC from Zebra and Kensington Books through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

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I loved A Family For Gracie. It is book 3 in a series. I haven't read the first two in the series, but I didn't feel lost. Gracie is a brave woman to become an instant mother to 5 children, 4 rowdy boys and an infant! I loved Gracie. I wasn't sure about Matthew at first, but then my heart went out to him and I grew to like him, too. Forgiveness and faith are two themes this story centered around. Amy Lillard is a first time author for me, but now I will be reading her books, too! If you love Amish fiction, I highly recommend.

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This was such an excellent Amish Story. Amy did a fantastic job and you learn so much about Ami ways

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This is another wonderful heartfelt and emotional Amish story by Amy Lillard. Gracie feels like she’s going into “Old Maid” status at age twenty six. Most Amish women get married much younger and already have children. And the pickings are slim in her community for an unmarried man. She makes a bold move and takes dinner to recently widowed Matthew and proposes. He initially is shocked but realizes he is at the end of his rope with a young baby and four rambunctious boys to take care of as well as household chores and farm fields needing tending.
The characters, especially Gracie and young Henry, were so easy to care about. Gracie had undertaken a big job with marrying Matthew as a glorified housekeeper and babysitter. No love lost between them, a marriage of convenience. And Henry the second oldest in a five sibling family was all boy. He was always getting into trouble or getting injured but still very lovable. Although Matthew was very gruff and hard to understand he had secrets he held close and shared with no one. Heartbreaking to Gracie was the fact she married Matthew without knowing he wanted no more children when that is one of Gracie’s heart’s desires.
How will this newly formed Amish family survive when divorce is never an option?
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the author but was not required to write a review positive or otherwise.

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Amy Lillard's latest book "A Family for Gracie" is an eye opening story that touches on the saying...be careful what you wish for! Gracie has always wanted a family to love and care for. However, marriage seems to have passed her by. Gracie takes it upon herself to propose to a recent widower with very young children, who could use a wife. Matthew, the widower, is shocked at her proposal and sends her on her way. Gracie is embarrassed until Matthew changes his mind and comes calling. Gracie and Matthew enter into marriage each with their own personal reasons which in time will take its toll.
Amy Lillard is not afraid to write about subjects that cause strife in an Amish family. She makes her characters real people with real problems, broken, angry, confused, and needy. I myself deal with a plethora of human emotions when reading her novels. This is part of Amy's series but is just fine to read as a stand alone. I highly recommend you add it to your summer reading. It is an excellent book.

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WOW!!!!....Gracie Glick has a voice!! Boy, does she ever!! But has she maybe gone too far in her desire to have a family? Gracie wants a family and Matthew, a widower, with 5 children, needs a housekeeper/babysitter. VOILA....a marriage, but it certainly wasn't made in heaven....at least not in the beginning! An instant family and a man who is now not present, to this new family....Matthew will not allow himself to become what Gracie had hoped for in this marriage....no way, no how will he allow "it" to happen again, to his family!!! BUT, it appears that there is a different process that is starting to get planted and bloom, but not without it's share of weeds and jagger bushes!! A good novel that takes a bit to get into....but it picks up and for the first that I have read, skims the surface of postpartum depression. It is a good 3rd book in this series where we have Gracie grow!!

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This was another one that I struggled with. I really liked the premise, especially learning how the Amish community might deal with post pardum depression. I've enjoyed books in the past where a marriage of convenience evolves to something more.

That said, I really struggled with Gracie and Matthew. Gracie's feelings were obvious, toward not only the children but toward Matthew as well. Matthew on the other hand was gone more than he was present in the book. I felt the author focused far too much on Gracie with the children and often forgot about Matthew. When he finally did realize his feelings for Gracie it honestly felt like it came out of no where.

The "baby" reference was annoying. I get that baby Grace and Gracie had the same name, but I've always found it annoying when people refer to a child as "baby" rather than his/her name. Baby Grace was good, but then they dropped Grace altogether.

** ARC received from Netgalley **

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I haven't yet read an Amish book written by this author that I absolutely haven't loved. They are all just "plain" wonderful! The characters were well-developed and the book was well paced as the changes in the lives of Matthew and Gracie took place.

I loved Gracie's personality. I thought she was amazing and had wonderful qualities, yet was not afraid to speak her mind when she felt it was needed. She had a lot of faith in God's path for her and those she came to care about deeply.

This was a genuinely good read, a clean and inspiring book. Loved it!

I received an ebook from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

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During the first two books of this series readers have watched with Gracie as her cousins, twin sisters Leah and Hannah, have found love and families of their own. Finally, Gracie gets her turn in a somewhat unusual way, especially for an Amish woman. Gracie may be in for more than she bargained for as life with Matthew isn’t the easiest. Taking on a ready-made family, a fussy baby, and a husband who doesn’t communicate with her could prove to be more than Gracie is prepared for.

This book was an enjoyable read and I liked the realness of the story. From the unique personalities of the children to Gracie’s struggles and Matthew’s reluctance at taking on a new wife, this story was so full of real-life aspects that it made for a quick and easy read. Amy Lillard does an excellent job of bringing stories to life through her characters and descriptions.

While this book is the third in the series it could be read as a standalone. It is sure to be a favorite of fans of Amish fiction. It is a book I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions are mine.

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What a fantastic book! As a fan of Amy Lillard books, I was thrilled to read book 3 in the Amish of Pontotoc series. FINALLY we hear Gracie's story!!! Gracie's story is unique and special, just like Gracie. But like Gracie, her story is full of strength and sweetness, love and hard work, but mostly lots of love. It is fun hearing an update on her twin cousins as the series continues. I'm hoping for a 4th book in the series to learn what happens in Millie's life! This book could easily be read as a standalone, but is wonderful as book 3 in the series.

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🌹BOOK REVIEW🌹
#qotd : could you love and take care of someone else's family and kids like they are your own ? Okay if yes, for how long?
.
This is Gracie and Matthew's story ..
When i started reading the book , my first thought was "NOO this is not for me".
But then on further reading , I got so engrossed that i did not realise when i started loving it . It was too different from the books i generally read but it still made me its huge fan💖🤗
Its 🌹10/10🌹 for me.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The story tells you about family importance and the Amish culture. Gracie wants to have a family of her own and so she asked Matthew (a widower with 5 kids) to marry her . Its a beautiful story that tells you the simplicity level of Amish people . To know more about it, grab your own copy and read it 😍.

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This story is about a community of Old Order Amish in Mississippi. Gracie has been helping family for years, taking care of those who are ill or having babies, but hasn’t gotten a chance to get married. She is past the age where most Amish girls marry and feeling a little desperate because in her community in Mississippi there is not a pool of eligible bachelors to be had. Matthew Byler has been recently widowed and has no family in the area. He has 4 young sons and a baby daughter to raise. Gracie has always wanted a family so she proposes to Matthew with his ready-made family. He is taken aback by the offer but really needs help with the children so he decides to take her up on her proposal. As with all “arranged” marriages, there is a lot of adjusting to do, especially since there was no courtship. Matthew’s idea of a marriage of convenience does not meld well with Gracie’s desire for a baby of her own to add to the family unit.

This is a very well written story and it seems authentic. I loved the characters and would love to see another story by this author. I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I highly recommend this book to my friends who enjoy this genre.

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Amy Lillard has written a wonderful book about new love, dreams, hopes, life, and family. This book was exciting and interesting to the end.

All Gracie has ever wanted or dreamed of is a family of her own. When a chance to have what she wants, however unconventional, comes along, Gracie finds herself feeling like she should have been careful what she wished for!

I was given this book free from the publisher for a honest review.

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Imagine being an Amish widower with 5 children, and one of them is a 3 month old baby who cries constantly! Along comes Gracie Glick, a young Amish girl, who offers to marry you so that she can help you raise the children - is Gracie an answer to prayer or another problem?
Matthew Byler has his hands full raising 4 active boys under 8, one of them, Henry, is bright but accident prone, and the baby, Grace, seems to hate him. Gracie wants a family and a husband, but she does not even know Matthew, his wife drowned 3 months ago, and he needs a wife to help care for his children.
Matthew and Gracie go for a buggy ride, their buggy wheel rim breaks off, and they find a lost dog and a friendly neighbor helps them get a ride home.
Matthew and Gracie plan to get married in two weeks, you will have to read the story for yourself to see how an “instant marriage” works out and what really happened to Matthew’s former wife!

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A Family for Gracie, the third installment from Amy Lillard's series, Amish of Pontotoc, is my favorite of the series. I loved it and highly recommend it. Five stars.

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This is the beautiful third book in the Amish of Pontotoc series.
Sweet Gracie gets her own story as we revisit this series taking place in Pontotoc,Mississippi.
I love this series by Amy Lillard and was so excited to read this book.
Gracie has always yearned for a family of her own. Matthew needs a wife and mamm for his children after his wife's death.
He has memories of her in better times before depression hits her.
I really felt for the baby crying constantly missing her mother.
The book deals with some deep issues but the author deals with them with class and compassion.
All marriage is hard work especially when you don't know your spouse very well and children from a previous relationship factor into the equation.
With Gracie wanting a baby of her own and Matthew not wanting more children it causes friction between them.
When it's time to let go and let God the importance and family and faith shine through.
Highly recommended!
Expected publication: July 30th 2019 by Zebra.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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Gracie proposes marriage to a man she doesn’t know. She’s 25 and wants a family of her own. Matthew Byler has been widowed a scant few months and has five children. He obviously needs her help.
Matthew believes his baby daughter Grace hates him. She screams all the time. No doubt she blames him for her mother’s death. Why not? He blames himself.
He doesn’t want to remarry, but yes, his four mischievous sons and unhappy daughter need a mother’s hand. So they marry, and surprise for Gracie, it’s a marriage of convenience. Matthew doesn’t want more children.
A lot of thinking passages, Gracie’s and Matthew’s, bogged me down. And when Matthew reveals how his wife died, Gracie insists he’s wrong with no first-hand knowledge of what happened.
But in the end, all is well. She gets her fondest wish.

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What a moving and amazing story. This book just shows one that there is someone for everyone out there. The story makes you realize that all children need to have the love of a mother and a father in their life in order to grow. An easy and wonderful read for anyone wanting a feel good story.

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A beautifully written story of an Amish girl that wanted a family of her own. Gracie asks a widower to marry her and after some consideration, Matthew agrees. It's a lovely and clean story that I enjoyed greatly! The family connections with the children are sweet, and the father, Matthew, learns how to be a better father to them. Excellent reading!

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Heartwarming and sad moments
I believe there can be more off this story from characters to the series.
I was received a complimentary copy of this book from this gallery.
This one is my favorite books of amy lillard yet.

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