Book Review of 'Under the Blue Skies' by Elly Gilbert & Tricia Goyer

Happy Wednesday Bookworms!

Today is back to school for our district which means like is insanity in the Flores household right now, but I am taking time from the chaos to share my review of one of my favorite reads this summer. Talk about a fantastic way to start to school year!!

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Under the Blue Skies by Elly Gilbert & Tricia Goyer hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Under the Blue Skies

Series: Big Sky Amish #3

Authors: Elly Gilbert & Tricia Goyer

Publisher: Sunrise Publishing

Release Date: August 8, 2023

Genre: Contemporary Amish Romance

Thomas Smucker moved to West Kootenai for a fresh start—one where he could make his own decisions and build a life away from his deceased father’s harsh reputation. But when a tragedy occurs, he finds his five-year-old niece in his care. Now, he has to build a life he didn’t want and face a past that he longed to escape.

Lovina Graber dreams of a husband and family of her own, but a lifelong limp and disfigured face have her doubting it will ever happen. Instead, she’s content working as a scribe for The Budget and spending her days helping her parents and the less fortunate in her community. Well, mostly content. And then there’s that secret anonymous column she’s been writing too …

When a newly arrived bachelor becomes an instant father, Lovina feels compelled to come to the rescue, helping Thomas care for his Englisch niece as he works toward gaining custody. Although Thomas and his niece clash at every turn, Lovina finds herself building a bond with the girl. Could this be the family she’s longed for?

Afraid he’s too much like his anger-driven father, Thomas has no plans to ever marry or have children, despite the sparks between him and Lovina, and his growing fondness for his niece. When he finds out Lovina’s secret—and believes she’s perhaps not the person he thought—he strikes out in caring for Emily on his own.

But when his custody is threatened, he must do what’s best for his niece. The only problem is he’s not sure what that is. Can he and Lovina work together to fight the lies they’ve believed all their lives—and fight the system to get back their girl?

Find out in this third installment of the Big Sky Amish Collection.

My Review

The Big Sky Amish series has been one of my favorites to read this year and Tricia Goyer and Elly Gilbert hit it out of the park with the next installment, Under the Blue Skies.

Thomas Smucker is new to West Kootenai, Montana and is looking for a fresh start with no strings attached. What he didn’t bargain for was meeting Lovina Graber, an amazing woman who has become content with the fact that she’ll never marry or have a family, as well as becoming an instant guardian to his young Englisch niece. Thomas and Lovina embark on an unknown journey that neither could’ve imagined that is full of love, heartbreak, and realizing passions that would’ve otherwise been held dormant.

I felt ALL the feels with this novel. I caught myself smiling and chuckling while also feeling my heart literally breaking and tears stinging my eyes as I read. This was such a beautifully portrayed story and a great reminder that we shouldn’t always believe what is true about ourselves and embrace dreams and making what we deem impossible possible.

One of my favorite parts of Under the Blue Skies was surprisingly one of the most heartbreaking moments. The emotions I felt were some of the deepest I’ve felt from a fiction in a long time. I realized just how vested I have become in this fictional world, and just how much these characters mean to me, which actually took me by surprise.

I love the Graber family so much and was so excited to see Lovina finally get her own story, and her adventure had all the heart that I had imagined it would. Little Emily is adorable with a delicious zest for life, and her bond with Lovina and the Grabers kept an almost constant smile on my face.

I could gush all day about how much I loved this novel. I read it in one sitting as I seriously could not put it down. This world is so vivid and vibrant to me and I loved being back in West Kootenai! I am already impatiently awaiting the next book in the series and cannot recommend this novel or this series enough!

My Rating: ★★★★★

More Books in this Series

About the Authors

Elly Gilbert lives in central Kentucky with her husband, daughter, and twin sons. A lifelong bookworm, she finds joy in reading and writing inspirational fiction and devotions for adults and teens. When she’s away from her desk, you can find her scoping out the nearest nacho joint with her family or snuggled up with her rescue dogs, Gus and Bella. She adores leopard print, never turns down dessert, and believes that when it comes to earrings, bigger is always better.

Connect with Elly by visiting ellygilbert.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tricia Goyer writes out of her passion for God and her love for family and others. The author of more than 70 books, she writes both historical fiction and nonfiction related to family and parenting.

This USA Today best-selling author has won a two Carol Awards and a Retailer’s Best Award. She was also an ECPA Gold-Medallion Nominee and a Christy Award Nominee and won Writer of the Year from the Mt. Hermon Christian Writers Conference.

Tricia’s contemporary and historical novels feature strong women overcoming great challenges. She is a beloved author of Amish fiction, having written the Big Sky and Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series.

Whether for fiction or nonfiction, Tricia’s writing style is vivid and heartwarming, allowing readers to take home more than engaging stories, but also messages that inspire faith and hope. Her goal is to write stories that matter.

Connect with Tricia by visiting triciagoyer.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Under the Blue Skies and a $10 Sunrise Shop gift voucher!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight August 16, 2023 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on August 23, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!