About Forever Hilltop
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An Unlikely Blessing
Meet Alex Armstrong, former city dweller who has just accepted his first parish assignment to a small community in the wilds of North Dakota. In Hilltop Township, Alex becomes familiar with the colorful residents and their odd traditions, from rommegrot to lutefisk. And then there’s the excitement the single pastor creates among the unmarried women in the community! Alex soon discovers that his new church home has as much to teach him as he has to teach them, providing all with An Unlikely Blessing.
Surprising Grace
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Judy Baer was born and grew up on a farm on the prairies of North Dakota, experiencing many of the same things as her Hilltop characters. An only child, she spent most of her days with imaginary people-either those she read about or those she made up in her head. Baer graduated from Concordia College with majors in English and education and a minor in religion. While at the time, she was simply studying what interested her, Baer later realized that she was educating herself for her future career as a Christian writer. She certainly put her education to use as she is the author of more than 75 books. |
She invites you to visit her at her web site www.judykbaer.com for more information on her and her books.
Forever Hilltop by Judy Baer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Forever Hilltop is comprised of the first two books in this series, so in some ways, it is not fair to be reviewing them together. The series is indeed charming, and since I am now a country girl, I am able to identify with some of the issues that come up. And indeed, Alex has to be the most charming pastor I have ever encountered!
The first in the series was nice enough but sometimes just a little bit slow. I think that sometimes the first book in a series can tend to be this way because it is the introduction to all these characters. I will give Judy Baer credit for assembling a motley crew that cover the entire gamut of church personalities. You would think that a little town would be boring, but that cannot be said of Hilltop!
This becomes all too clear in the second of the series. By the end of the book, Pastor Alex has more drama in his parish than a dog has fleas. I found this second book a delightful continuation, and the relationships I had begun with the characters in the first book continued even more into this second book.
The second book had everything that makes a good story: romance, love triangle, theft, mystery, and a vicious love triangle (kind of). I was quite pleased with Pastor Alex’s decisions throughout the book (no spoilers from me) and his total reliance on God. And yet even the pastor wavers now and then!
In conclusion, this is a lighthearted summer read that will resonate with most. I can hardly wait to read the next book in the series!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
View all my reviews
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Judy was born and grew up on a farm on the prairies of North Dakota. An only child, she spent most of her days with imaginary people—either those she read about or those she made up in her head. Her most ambitious conjuring did not succeed, however. She kept a clean stall with fresh hay and oats for the horse she imagined would arrive. Unfortunately it didn’t come, at least not until she was an adult. After she was unexpectedly given three horses, she bought even more and began raising foundation quarter horses.
She graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota with majors in English and education and a minor in religion. At the time, she was simply studying what interested her, but now realizes that she was educating herself for her future career as a Christian writer. Her first book was written with a toddler on her lap. Judy would type a few words and say “Now, Jennifer.” He two year old daughter would hit the space bar so Judy could continue writing. It was’t the fastest way to work but it was a very cozy time.
In 2001 Judy became a certified professional life coach. In 2008 Judy completed her Master’s program. She studied in the areas of writing and coaching. Now certified in three coaching disciplines, Judy coaches primarily professional and aspiring writers. She is also a faculty advisor in the Department of Human Development at St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis, MN. She is married, lives in Minnesota, has two daughters and three step children.
She is the author of more than 75 books. She grew up in rural North Dakota and has done many of the things her Hilltop characters experience.
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