ABOUT THE BOOKBack and broke in Stoney Ridge, Jimmy Fisher has coasted as long as he could through life on charm, good looks, and deep-set dimples. They always worked just fine for him--until they didn't. His smile has no effect on the violet-eyed beauty he met at the Bent N' Dent, the one with that stunning horse. She's offered him a job, but nothing else.
The last thing Sylvie Schrock King needs around Rising Star Farm is a grown boy working for her, especially her neighbor Edith's son. The woman holds a serious grudge against Sylvie and her son, and hiring Jimmy Fisher will only fan the flames of Edith's rancor. But Sylvie is desperate for help on the farm, and Jimmy understands horses like no one else.
While Jimmy's lazy smile and teasing ways steal Sylvie's heart, Edith is working on a way to claim her land. Has Sylvie made another terrible mistake? Or is it too late to outfox the fox? More importantly . . . just who is the fox?
Writing with both wit and warmth, Fisher delivers a supremely satisfying conclusion to the popular Deacon's Family series.
MY THOUGHTS.....
Two Steps Forward is proof once again that Suzanne Woods Fisher is a masterful storyteller and this time, she shares a romance between a young Amish widow and the 'once rebel' Amish cowboy Jimmy Fisher. Sylvie Schrock KIng has a young son and she is trying to raise him and a special breed of Arabian-Amish horses on her "desperately in need of a fixer-upper" farm. Jimmy becomes interested in Sylvie after he returns to Stoney Ridge but his very domineering mother seems determined to keep them apart. Edith Fisher Lapp may also be hiding a secret that could change many lives but there are few people in Stoney Ridge who are strong enough to stand up to her. Until.....
Two Steps Forward can be read alone but it is book three in The Deacon's Family series so it was fun to catch up with so many familiar characters from previous books. I especially loved the growth of Luke Schrock, who was once considered a bad boy but is now a Deacon. It is his idea to place a Baby Box near the Stoney Ridge Fire Department so that babies can be left in a safe environment and not be abandoned; he also guarantees that these babies will be raised by Amish families! I also enjoyed the courtship that Jimmy chooses in his effort to really get to know Sylvie. He begins a letter writing campaign to woo the young widow and proves what David Stoltzfus, the very wise Bishop of Stoney Ridge, tells Edith as he counsels her about another matter. "Words are a funny thing. They can make big things little. And they can make little things big."
Suzanne Woods Fischer has filled Two Steps Forward with the things readers have come to love in her books--romance, family love, Amish values, thought-provoking dialogue, and a reminder that everyone is capable of changing for the better.
This book was provided courtesy of Revell Publishing, through Interviews & Reviews.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling, award winning author of fiction and non-fiction books about the Old Order Amish for Revell Books, host of the radio-show-turned-blog Amish Wisdom, a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazine.
Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, who was raised Plain. A theme in her books (her life!) is that you don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate the principles of simple living.
Suzanne lives in California with her family and raises puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To her way of thinking, you just can't life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth.
Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com
The Deacon's Family Series
Mending Fences
Stitches in Time
Two Steps Forward
View all my reviews
Connie!!! Loved this review!! Thank you so very much for putting so much thought into it. Thrilled with all you brought out of it, too. You are WONDERFUL!! Warmly, Suzanne
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