At the age of twenty-three, postmistress Grace Cristler has all but given up hope of finding a husband among the narrowing group of eligible men in her town of Fairland, Kansas. But when her uncle decides to retire from the pulpit, Grace is responsible for corresponding with the new preacher set to take his place. She can’t deny the affection growing in her heart for Reverend Rufus Dille—a man she deeply admires but has only met through his letters.

Theophil Garrison is on the run from his past. Ten years ago his outlaw cousins convinced him to take part in a train robbery, but Theo fled the scene, leaving his cousins to face imprisonment. Now they’ve finished their sentences, but the plan for vengeance has just begun. Branded a coward and running for his life, Theo has a chance encounter that could provide him with the escape he needs.

But the young man’s desperate con might come at an enormous price for the tenderhearted Grace—and the entire town. Will Grace’s undeserved affection and God’s mercy make something beautiful from the ashes of Theo’s past?

This was a lovely romance that everyone will enjoy

A story of a man on the run who takes a dead man's name.

A young woman who is nearly a spinster and loves a man she doesn't know is dead.

Mmm, my second or third book from Kim Vogel Sawyer, and now I know that her books are worth it!

Grace and The Preacher had a few rough spots, like why was the pastor choosing who would take his place once he retired, which was unrealistic since from what little knowledge I have of the time period, churches, and pastors I don't believe that pastors pick who succeed them.

For all the faults that Theo may or may not have I felt that he really did want to love Grace even when he told himself he was doing it to be more liked, have more power, and such.

Grace was a heroine I'm not sure how to feel about, her attitude could change so quickly, and I wish that she would have been more kind as the truth came out but honestly, I can't say that I wouldn't have responded the same way.

I will definitely pick up more of Mrs. Sawyer's books.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

What a nice change this was to read about two people who are looking for what they don't know but with God's help they will find it. Such believable characters and where they live you become One of the people in the story. Have read many of her books and never had failed me get on stories. This is a great book for teens and young girls to read,well any age but for them also in this! You never know what God wants for you in your life we forget to check with him!! Received from Net Galley,thanks so very much!!🙈🙉🙊

Grace Cristler, niece of the present pastor of Fairland, Kansas, has been writing to Rufus Dille, the new pastor who is coming from back East to take over the church so her uncle can retire. She has fallen in love with the man she imagines from his letters. But will the man that arrives meet her expectations or be someone else entirely?

Sawyer seems to always do an excellent job with her books, but this one was really complex as she told the story of two main characters as well as including a double romance. She balanced and blended the two stories beautifully. Grace's yearning for romance and Theo's desire for love, family and a place to belong intertwined throughout. She combined redemption, adventure, romance, and humor to create a story that captured my imagination from start to finish. She left the characters with hope for a bright future, and her readers hoping for more books about these wonderful characters and the town of Fairland.

Kim Vogel Sawyer has penned a lovely historical Christian romance with “Grace and the Preacher”. This novel is packed with inspiration, life lessons, and light romance. It was captivating from the very beginning.

I love her nice style of writing which made the book easy to read. The dialogue sounded authentic. Her descriptions took me to Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa in the late 1800’s. She explained things I didn’t know so it was easy to see she had done her research well.

Her characters are believable and so well defined it is easy to image them all, not just the main ones. I loved gentle Reverend Cristler and Aunt Bess. The story is about Grace and the new preacher in town. It offers some twists and turns, mystery, danger, and light sermons. There is even a cat for animal lovers.

This was a beautiful story of truth, redemption, love, and finding home. I definitely recommend it. It has discussion questions at the end so it would make a nice book club choice. I rated it a 4.5 stars. A copy was provided by NetGalley but these are my own thoughts.

(4 stars) – a sweet story of God’s grace

I’m so glad to have found Kim Vogel Sawyer’s books. They really are a gentle balm to my soul.

This story focuses on how easily we get caught up in what we want to the point that we neglect to check with God if it’s what He wants. Then we wonder why we’re still discontented or unhappy.

While I admit that I didn’t find the town’s acceptance of Theo as a preacher to be very credible, I still enjoyed the story & loved the message.

There may be some room to argue that the story drags in places, but I find Sawyer’s writing to be “savory”, & so I generally find the build up to be part of my contemplation of its framework.

Clean romance level: sweet kisses
Religion: generic Christianity with Scripture quotes, but fits the characters & the story, not preachy

Grace and the Preacher by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Kim Vogel Sawyer brings to her readers a sweet story of assumed identity that leads to unexpected love and forgiveness in the small town of Fairland, Kansas.

Kim Vogel Sawyer has long be a favorite of mine as she writes such good stories with characters that you would love to know in real life. This story was another such story that made me wish for small town life and someone to cook all the delicious foods that were described within the pages. I won’t say that this was my most favorite book I’ve read lately as it was a little slow in its plot progression and didn’t have as much of the humor I had expected to see but it really was a well written story that will touch the heart of every person who reads it. Ms. Sawyer begins her story with a man named Theophil Garrison who has left his home with his aunt and uncle as his cousins are coming back home. This isn’t normally a reason for leaving your home but Theophil’s cousins are out for revenge since he refused to help them in their attempt to rob a gold shipment 10 years earlier, leading to their arrest and subsequent time in jail. So he’s headed to the only other home he remembers in Iowa to hide out until he can plan his next move. But God has other plans for Theophil and they are brought about by a dying preacher on his way to Fairland, Kansas. The preacher’s name is Rufus Dille and he is expected by the people of Fairland to take the place of their long time pastor and friend, Philemon Cristler, who is retiring at the end of the month. Theophil comes across Rufus and takes him as quickly as possible to the nearest town doctor, but it is too late as Rufus is dying from cholera. Charged with Rufus Dille’s possessions and a message for the people of Fairland, Theophil will make a detour into Fairland to relay the news of Rufus Dille’s death. But when he arrives and they all assume he is their new pastor, Theophil finds something that he was looking for all his life: a place to belong with people that like him. And all it will take to remain in Fairland is for Theophil to become Reverend Rufus Dille. Grace Cristler has been anticipating the arrival of Reverend Dille for more than a month. What began as communication for her uncle Philemon to the new pastor has become a close friendship through letters – a friendship that has Grace hoping it will develop into something much more. When the new pastor arrives, he is very handsome and kind but not exactly who Grace was expecting. For one thing, he is not as eloquent in his speech as his letters had been, and for another, he doesn’t seem to be very comfortable with his ministerial duties. But Grace’s friend Bess Kirby reminds her that he had much time to write out his letters and make them sound just right and he is still a very young pastor who simply lacks the experience that leading a church of his own will bring. As Theophil works to become the pastor the town needs, he will find himself learning more and more of the Bible and how it applies to people’s lives. And as both he and Grace spend time together they will find that the love and acceptance they have both been looking for is right in front of them. They will need this love to carry them through when one of Theophil’s cousins comes to town to reveal his duplicity. Grace will have to decide if she will hold the hurt she feels closer to her heart than the love that she has for Theophil or if she will offer the forgiveness she has been taught her whole life to give. Her decision will be what will either bring them together or keep them apart. Ms. Sawyer’s characters are given such real and relatable personalities that I would have loved to have known them as actual people and not fictional characters. And not just her main characters either, the supporting characters are just as funny and apt to teach a lesson as those who are the main focus. The lessons are taught with a dose of humor which makes the faith challenges a bit round-a-bout but still readily understood. I really loved the character of Theophil who was seeking a place to belong and although he assumed Rufus Dille’s identity he truly sought to learn and live a life that would be pleasing to God. His bumbling first attempts at preaching sermon and doing pastoral duties made me laugh and feel a bit sorry for him. I’m not one for giving speeches either and to know that I was supposed to be teaching all those people the Word of God and be responsible for their Spiritual well-being would be daunting indeed. But this situation was good for Theophil to be able to study and learn what God expected of him both as a pastor and as a man. The relatively quick forgiveness of the town’s people was a good lesson too as we should all be so willing to offer forgiveness when it is sincerely sought. So while it was not the most in depth or exciting book, the story was one I would certainly recommend to others as it was a very nice read. I will also be looking forward to Ms. Sawyer’s next works as I know they will be good stories with both humor and heart.

I received this E-book free of charge from Waterbrook and Multnomah Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation from either of these companies for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

I love this author and she didn't disappoint with this title. It beautifully written and had delightful characters.

Set in 1882, this book provides accurate details of the time period, and fulfills my desire for a captivating, clean historical fiction/romance novel. Kim Vogel Sawyer is one of my favorite authors and this book reaffirmed my love of her writing. The main characters,
Theo, and Grace, are young and searching for their purpose, love, safety, and acceptance. Deceit gets in their way and creates a number of dilemmas for them. Theo impersonates the dead minister and his lack of finesse, Biblical knowledge, and duties of a minister leave the community questioning his abilities and training.
This book was a captivating, sweet novel. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. This book would be appropriate for teenage readers as well as adults as it is clean romance.
My rating for this book is 5 ***** stars.
I received digital copy of this book from netgalley and Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Very enjoyable historical romance story. The story was a little predictable but has a great message.

I have read several books by this author and have always been pleased with her writing style. Her stories are clean and have a good message, as well.

Grace was a 23 year old post mistress in a small-town in Kansas. She was the niece of the town's minister and was looking forward to the arrival of the new single minister who was to arrive to take her uncle's place. She had been corresponding with him for several weeks and had hopes that they would soon be married. However, when the new minister arrived, he was not what she expected.

Theophil Garrison was on the run trying to escape the revenge his cousins had for him. They felt he had betrayed them when he refused to help them in a robbery and they had spent 10 years in prison. Now they were out and out for his blood. He had planned to go back to Iowa but while on his way, he came across Rufus Gille, who was in extreme pain. Mr. Gille ended up dying from a ruptured appendix and Theo was asked to deliver the message to the people in Fairlands, and specifically to Grace. But, when Theo arrived in town, he was welcomed with open arms and accepted by most of the townspeople as the new minister. Would his lie end disastrously or would he be safe from his cousins' retribution and loved by this new town? You will have to read the book for those answers.

I was given an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kim Vogel Sawyer has a way of weaving a story that shows the love of Christ through her stories. An easy read that was an enjoyable read.

Kim Vogel Sawyer has definitely become a favorite author of mine. I love the colorful characters, strong Christian message, and the quiet romance.

Grace is a delightful character. I love how well the cover portrays her, with the green dress and even the letter on the desk. And her Preacher...well, this book is best enjoyed with knowing very little about the plot, and watching it unfold bit by bit, so I'm really not going to say much about the Preacher.

Theophil, Mrs. Kirby, Uncle Philemon, Earl, and the rest...ah, I just want to meet them all in real life (except Deacon Judd)!

I loved the message given...definitely a Christian book geared toward Christians (there's not a specific salvation message given, but instead one of how Christians should live different lives). Also, I always highly appreciate it when authors tone down the touchy-feely parts of romantic stories. I am glad to say this book would be suitable for all ages!

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.