Forever Hilltop by Judy Baer

Book Description:
The charming and often hilarious Forever Hilltop series follows the experiences of former city dweller Alex Armstrong as he settles into his new role as pastor of a Scandinavian community in rural North Dakota. Alex is sometimes baffled by his parishioners and their colorful ways, but he comes to appreciate their simple wisdom. One thing's for sure -- life in Hilltop Township is never dull! This new two-in-one format features An Unlikely Blessing along with its sequel, Surprising Grace.

In An Unlikely Blessing, Alex Armstrong is a former city dweller who has just accepted his first parish assignment to a small community in the wilds of North Dakota. In Hilltop Township, Pastor Alex becomes familiar with the residents and their odd traditions, from julebukking to King Oscar's fish balls. 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.

In Surprising Grace, Alex Armstrong is settling into his new role as pastor of Hilltop Church, and he's even starting to understand the strange ways of the people who populate this barren stretch of North Dakota prairie. But he also finds that his flock needs help and counsel like he never imagined. In this cozy and entertaining read, Alex must choose between the woman he once loved -- and the home he's come to love.

My Thoughts:
This was a great 2 in 1 book.  An Unlikely Blessing--Alex Armstrong is a pastor who has reluctantly accepted his first parish in North Dakota. He is a city boy and it doesn't seem likely he will make it well up there. When he gets there, he realizes the community is having problems. Farmers are close to losing their farms, he stirs up a frenzy with the single women and he starts to feel at home in the wilds of North Dakota. He begins to believe he was sent there to help the community in its time of need!
Alex was a wonderful character. He was warm and caring and did his best to help the members of his community. The people of the community are all very interesting and I look forward to learning more about them. The story draws you in and before you know it, it's over!
Surprising Grace--This is an intriguing continuation of the first book.  Alex has gotten somewhat used to his new life.  Then somethings happens to possibly change it all!  He has tough decisions to make all the way around.  From the woman he loves and the place he lives to how to contend with a sometimes cantankerous congregation.
I loved that all the characters were back and you could just continue from one book to the other and feel 'at home' with them all.  We get more details and really the town makes me think of my small hometown where I grew up.  I hope to see more in this series as I completely adore all of them now!
I rate these both a 4/5.  They were quite enjoyable books!

Thank you to litfuse for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.