About the Book

Book: The Amish Outcast’s Holiday Return

Author: Lacy Williams

Genre: Contemporary Christian romance / Amish romance

Release date: November 1, 2021

Torn between family loyalty

and her dreams for the future…

Grace Beiler’s shocked when Zach Miller arrives at her family’s farmhouse seeking forgiveness for his teenage mistake that cost her sister’s fiancé his life. But when her father gives Zach a job, Grace gets to know the man he’s become…and starts to want more than friendship. Can love bloom amid hidden secrets and family grief, and give them a fresh start at Christmas?

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About the Author

Lacy Williams wishes her writing career was more like what you see on Hallmark movies: dreamy brainstorming from a French chateau or a few minutes at the computer in a million-dollar New York City penthouse. In reality, she’s up before the sun, putting words on the page before her kids wake up for the day. Those early-morning and late-night writing sessions add up, and Lacy has published fifty books in almost a decade, first with a big five publisher and then as an indie author. When she needs to refill the well, you can find Lacy birdwatching, gardening, biking with the kiddos, or walking the dog. Find tons of bonus scenes and reader extras by becoming a VIP reader at www.lacywilliams.net/vip .

More from Lacy

The Best Part of a Barn Raising

Have you ever had your community rally around you? Maybe some of your friends threw you a baby shower. Maybe your church helped with a meal train when you were ill for a time. Maybe you played sports and raised money together as a team.

Has your community ever built you a house?

I’ve written lots of historical books. I’ve written a barn-raising or two into my books. Until I started researching for THE AMISH OUTCAST’S HOLIDAY RETURN, I didn’t realize that community “raising” events still happened in 2021. They do!

In some Amish communities, builders will gather all the materials for the house or barn and on (usually) a Saturday, the entire community will gather to build the whole structure. There’s a really cool time lapse of a barn raising on YouTube that you can check out.

I’ve always loved writing about these events because of the community aspect. We need human connection and there’s something special about having your community surround you and show their love in a tangible way. Imagine walking into your home that your friends built for you. Every time you walked over the threshold you could remember the friend who built the door frame. When it storms, you could appreciate the roof over your head that many friends helped stretch the frame for. What an amazing feeling of belonging.

Of course, barn raisings and house raisings wouldn’t be complete without the food. Typically, the women and girls put together a giant potluck for the men and boys who are doing the physical work of building the structure. Brainstorming for this always makes me remember church potlucks when I was a child. Our church met at the local 4-H building. We would stretch out folding tables and chairs in long rows. And the food. Pasta salad. Fried chicken. Chocolate cake!

(I also remember roller skating in the back of the massive building with my friends, but that is a whole other story…).

Memories and friendships are forged at church potlucks and barn raisings. And when you are on the inside, it creates a lovely sense of belonging. But the hero in THE AMISH OUTCAST’S HOLIDAY RETURN, Zach, is not on the inside. He’s an outsider who has come home and is searching for a place to belong. The barn raising/potluck is the moment when heroine Grace sees a hint of vulnerability in Zach—because he wants to belong. It changes everything in their new acquaintanceship.

Want to know more about this book? Check out the “read inside” feature and try Chapter One on your favorite retailer.

My Thoughts

The Amish Outcast’s Holiday Return by Lacy Williams is a charming story. I thought it was well-written with developed characters. The story moved along at a good pace, and it switches smoothly from each character’s point-of-view. The story is told from Zach and Grace’s point-of-view. I like it when we get male and female perspectives because they each view situations in a different way. This is a unique Amish novel. I have not read this scenario before (and I have read a lot of Amish novels). Zach Miller truly regrets the accident that happened five years ago. He knows that he made a wrong decision that night that cost a man his life and a woman her fiancée. Zach wants to return to his roots and is surprised by who helps him. Grace Beiler finds herself drawn to Zach, but she does not want to hurt her sister. This is a story about compassion and forgiveness. My heart went out to Zach who needs a helping hand to get a fresh start, but the last thing he wants is to hurt Sarah further. I could understand Sarah’s feelings as well. Zach took away the person she loved. I stayed up late so could finish reading The Amish Outcast’s Holiday Return. Some details are repeated a little too often for me (I got it the first time). You will need to have a tissue handy because this is an emotional story. The Amish Outcast’s Holiday Return is an inspiring tale with friends, family, faith, forgiveness, and Christmas cheer.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lacy is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card & paperback copy of the book. Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click here to enter. Good Luck! The Amish Outcast's Holiday Return is available from Amazon*. You can find Lacy Williams other novels here. Thank you for joining me today. I really do appreciate it. I will be back tomorrow with War Clouds Over Blackberry Farm by Rosie Clarke. I hope that you have an uplifting day. Do not forget to enter the contest and leave a comment for an extra entry. Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader