Faithful to Laura

By Kathleen Fuller

Length	304 Pages
Series	A Middlefield Family Novel
Publication Date	August 7, 2012
Company	Thomas Nelson
ISBN-10	1595547762
ISBN-13	9781595547767

About the Book . . .

Laura’s Amish faith requires her to forgive, but she can only think of revenge.

Laura Stutzman leaves her Kentucky community for Middlefield, Ohio, with one purpose: to find Mark King, the man who pledged his love to her, then left. She can’t move on with her life until he explains why.

Sawyer Thompson is a Yankee who spent his teen years in an Amish home. Now an adult, he has to make a decision—go back to the life he knew as a child or join the church. Having suffered loss at a young age, he understands Laura’s anger, but is determined to follow God’s will and forgive. As their friendship grows, Laura begins to let her guard down.

New information about Sawyer’s past threatens the couple’s budding relationship. Both Laura and Sawyer will need to release the anger they’re storing in their hearts and forgive the people who’ve harmed them. As Laura struggles to trust God, will Sawyer do whatever it takes to remain faithful to Laura?

About the author . . .

"Just the facts…I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, and now make my home in beautiful Geneva, Ohio. I’ve been married to James for 15 wonderful years (really, they have been wonderful!) We have three terrific children, three dogs, and an overwhelmed cat. We have also raised cattle, pigs, and chickens at various times over the years. We would have gone into the goat business, but I had to draw the line somewhere. I started writing in 2000, and published my first short story a year later. Since then I have authored several short stories, novellas, novels, and have done a lot of freelance non-fiction work. I have also worked as an editor. I have a Masters degree in Special Education, emphasis on teaching the blind and visually impaired, and a Bachelors in Early Childhood/Elementary Education. I have taught all age groups ranging from age 4 to age 18. A few of my favorite things: my relationship with Christ, chocolate (of course!), autumn, a satisfying book, good friends, a sense of humor, people who don’t take themselves seriously, haunting melodies, NFL football, and did I mention chocolate? " (from author's website)

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Reader Review . . .

The scars the Mark King left on Laura Stutzman are not only emotional, but physical. She knows that her Amish faith calls for her to forgive, but she wants revenge. When she moves to Middlefield, Ohio to find him, she finds Sawyer Thompson instead. Sawyer has one foot in the Amish world and one foot in the English world. Which world will win Sawyer's heart?

As a frequent flier in the Amish genre, I have read most of the authors and their ideas of Amish life, so much so that I find myself wishing for an unpredictable ending, the plot twist you don't see coming, or the mystery that is actually difficult to solve from your sofa. While this is a nice, enjoyable Amish novel, it does not deliver on that scale. When Sawyer's grandmother arrives (slight spoiler alert!), everything about this stock character was predictable, right down to her maid, Manuela. I do not mean to offend the author; it may be that I have read too many of these, and need a break. But while, as I said, it was good, it fell a little flat for me somewhere along the way.

4 stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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