Grace Will Lead Me Home: A Novel

Very enjoyable. Sweet, and even funny. I love the author's style, and, again, there are many 'thoughts' that I must print out to look over again and again.

This book begins with the final repairs to the Congregational Church that had been burned down by the Galligan twins in the previous novel. St. Cecilia's reaches out in many ways until the final work is all done. Stephen Richter incarcerated for 8 years as an accessory to manslaughter was being released from prison. Father Casio called on Father James to see if he felt that Stephen could move in there to make a new start in life. Stephen was a very talented artist and had ambitions of pursuing that field. Father James welcomed him into his home and found Stephen a job right away helping Chester in his business. Valerie Killbourne and her two twin daughters were new to Dorsetville. Linda and Leah both came down with an eye disease where their vision was rapidly deteriorating. They would both go blind eventually if they did not have the surgery to correct it which was over 100,00 each. Valerie who had no health insurance, was at a total loss of what to do. As she tells Father James her problem, he has the church come up with a plan to raise all the money needed for the surgery. Lori Peterson is expecting a baby which she thought they could never have again due to her husband's recent cancer that had been cured. But as time moves on, it is a sad story as the pregnancy progresses. Lori was so angry that they had to bear yet another tragedy. Mrs. Norris feels under-appreciated and decides to quit her housekeeping job at the rectory. This throws Father James and Father Dennis in limbo not knowing what to do for a housekeeper. They try a few others who do not do the job, and Father James is at his wits end unless he can talk Mrs. Norris into coming back which may not be possible. Deputy Bromley gets quite sick for awhile in this book with a terrible virus that is going around town. And when Hill takes over, it is always a big disaster. When Hill took the cruiser out on a call to catch some robbers, he crashes the cruiser into Sam's very old faithful Plymouth Duster. Now Sam is without a car, as well as the people who depend on the car as well to haul them every place. So prayers are in order to find Sam a new vehicle. The book is very hard to put down and I loved every minute of it. I am now looking forward to the next one A Wing and a Prayer.

In her third installment in the Dorsetville series, Katherine Valentine reunites us with her cast of colorful characters from A Miracle for St. Ceclia's & A Gathering of Angels. By now the characters feel like family. From the first page, you'll feel like you're returning home. Ranging from light-hearted story lines, like the priests losing housekeeper Mrs. Norris, leaving them in a house of chaos, to some more serious subject matters, the novel remains cozy, charming & entertaining. If you're looking for a feel good book that has small town charm and lovable characters, this is the book for you.

Once again the characters in the fictional town of Dorsetville are faced with a host of challenges. Mrs. Norris leaves in a huff, leaving poor Father James without a housekeeper just as a new boarder shows up and Father Dennis is distracted by his new cooking show, The Fat Friar. Harry Clifford has finally asked Nellie Anderson to marry him, but things get a little rocky when the wedding invitations are lost by Deputy Hill. But there are also hardships to get through like the loss of a baby, the need for forgiveness, and the hope for a miracle. Once again, Katherine Valentine skillfully tucks the message of God's undying faithfulness into the ordinary lives of this unforgetable host of characters.

Since the day I happened across her first book, A Miracle for St. Cecilia's in my local bookstore, I've been a huge fan of the writing of Katherine Valentine. With Grace Will Lead Me Home, her third installment in the beloved Dorsetville series, Ms. Valentine continues to build my love for this community of characters and their stories. Dorsetville has been likened to a Catholic Mitford, (made famous by author Jan Karon), but these wonderful novels transcend denominational lines and offer a tremendous message of hope and inspiration. Grace Will Lead Me Home will stand on its own merit if you haven't read A Miracle for St. Cecilia's or A Gathering of Angels. But if you love great fiction as much as I do, do yourself a favor and enjoy all three! Now I'm just anxious to see what will be going on around Dorsetville in #4! Lisa