When Grace Finds You by Melissa Alyse is a warm, grace-soaked Christian romance release for anyone who has ever wondered if a messy start disqualifies them from belonging. Set in the Willow Creek series, this faith-based romance novel follows a single mom, a gentle friends-to-more love, and a small-town church community that refuses to let shame have the last word. This Christian fiction author interview is an invitation to sit on the front porch and remember that grace stays.
Meet Melissa Alyse
Melissa Alyse is a Christian fiction author living in Alaska and the creator of the Willow Creek series. She writes grace-filled women’s fiction and Christian cozy mysteries that celebrate faith, friendship, and the beauty of small-town life. Her heart is to share stories that remind readers they don’t have to shrink to be loved and can trust the story God is writing in their lives.
Fun Fact: One thing readers may not know is that my favorite date nights with my husband are aerobics classes where we learn a new line dance together. It’s equal parts hilarious and fun, and we laugh a lot while trying to keep up with the steps.
About the Book: When Grace Finds You by Melissa Alyse
What happens when a single mom starts over in a tiny town with a newborn, no plan, and a shame she cannot shake?
What if God’s grace is bigger than the shame that won’t leave you alone?
Spoiler alert: It is.
Amanda never imagined starting over in a tiny town with a newborn, no plan, and more questions than answers.
But as the days unfold in Willow Creek, something begins to shift. Friendships take root. Walls come down. And little by little, she starts to believe that broken doesn’t mean finished.
Then love shows up—quietly, unexpectedly, and nothing like she planned. As her heart opens, she begins to learn that grace isn’t about being strong enough to hold everything together. It’s about letting yourself be seen—by God, and by the people He places beside you when you need them most.
When Grace Finds You is a heartfelt, faith-filled novel about second chances, found family, and a love that grows right alongside healing.
Full of warmth, gentle humor, and soul-deep hope, this story lingers long after the last page—reminding us that grace doesn’t just meet us where we are. It stays. And it changes everything.
Tropes & Themes
- Small-town start-over
- Found family
- Friends to more
- Single mom heroine
- Military / minister love interest
- Clean romance
- Faith-driven healing
- Small-town community
Release Details
- Release Date: January 4, 2026
- Series: Willow Creek Novels, Book 4
- Publisher: Empty Nesting On Purpose
- Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance / Women’s Fiction
Why Readers Will Love This Story
This is the cozy, front-porch kind of contemporary Christian romance that still tells the truth about shame. Melissa writes an inspirational love story where belonging is not earned and grace is not a lecture—it is a Person and a people.
If you love small-town Christian romance, found family, and a clean love story that heals as it unfolds, When Grace Finds You is uplifting Christian fiction you will want to press into a friend’s hands.
Author Interview: Behind the Scenes
.What inner struggle drives your main character(s)?
Melissa: At the beginning of When Grace Finds You, Amanda is carrying a deep sense of shame and uncertainty about her future. Starting over in a small town with a newborn, she feels broken and unsure if she’ll ever truly belong. As the story unfolds, friendships begin to form and her heart slowly opens, helping her discover that God’s grace is bigger than her past and that broken doesn’t mean finished.
What is the heart of the romance?
Melissa: At the heart of the romance in When Grace Finds You is the quiet, steady kind of love that grows when someone truly sees you and stays anyway. Amanda is carrying shame from her past and trying to rebuild her life while caring for her newborn, so trusting anyone—especially romantically—feels risky. What brings them together is kindness, friendship, and the gentle support of the Willow Creek community, but what stands in the way is Amanda’s fear that her broken pieces make her unworthy of love. It’s very much a friends-to-more kind of romance, where grace, patience, and healing slowly open the door to something beautiful.
What do you hope readers carry with them?
Melissa: I hope readers walk away remembering that God’s grace is always bigger than the shame we carry. Amanda’s journey shows that even when life feels messy or broken, it’s never too late for healing, belonging, and a fresh start. My prayer is that readers close the book feeling hopeful—that grace doesn’t just meet us where we are, it stays with us and gently changes everything.
What Bible verse encouraged you during this story?
Melissa: One thing I love about the Willow Creek novels is that there are sermons woven into every book, and I’ve discovered I really love writing Pastor Mark’s messages. In When Grace Finds You, the Lord kept bringing me back to John 15:4–5, where Jesus says to “abide in me.” Through that passage, He showed me again and again that abiding isn’t about striving or earning salvation—it’s about relationship. Amanda’s journey mirrors that truth: when she stops trying to carry everything on her own and begins resting in God’s presence, grace starts to reshape her life in ways she never expected.
About the Author
Melissa Alyse is the author of grace-soaked Christian fiction that feels like a front porch conversation with a friend. She lives in Alaska with her sweet husband and their rescue pup. Melissa loves quiet mornings journaling with Jesus and a cup of coffee, FaceTime with the grands, making a mess while she creates, and finding beauty in life’s simple, everyday moments.
Visit her at www.MelissaAlyse.com
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