One thing I love about Kathleen Fuller's novels is that the characters are so much fun! And while my emotions were all over the place for Moriah's story, it was really her brother Tobias and his romance that I found myself rooting for the most. Tobias and the girl that stole his heart are so fun a match that I grinned the majority of the time they were on the page together.

And Moriah - what a roller coaster she was taken on for this book! She is definitely a woman of more patience and peace than I am because I would have lashed out with my words more than once. Moriah maintained a supernatural calm in the midst of her storm, though, with only a couple of exceptions.

I truly enjoyed this story, this town, these characters. While it dealt with some heavy & heartbreaking issues, the humor and flirting provided by Tobias & friends provided the needed comic relief and kept it from becoming mired in the doldrums :) ( )

Newly married and pregnant, Moriah Miller seems to have it all. But her world is shattered when Levi, her husband, leaves her and their Amish faith behind. Because she is Amish, Moriah can never divorce and faces a lifetime of being a single mother and unable to marry again. Levi's twin brother Gabriel is more than willing to help Moriah, even if it means hiding his own love for her. In the meantime, Moriah's brother Tobias has his own relationship problems - his friendly feelings towards Rachel are turning into something deeper but he may be too late as she seems to be in love with someone else. Will this brother and sister find love?

"A Man of His Word" is a nicely done novel in the growing trend of romance novels set in the Amish community. Setting the romance among the Amish means the story is very sweet with no sex and little, if any, kissing, yet there is a lot of love and romance in the book. The Amish community is a close knit one and author Kathleen Fuller does an excellent job of showing that closeness as the Amish rally around Moriah when Levi leaves her. There are actually two romances in the book: the Moriah/Levi/Gabriel triangle which is the main romance and the Tobias/Rachel romance (also a love triangle) which is the secondary romance. Both romances are well done with well written characters and readers will sympathize with Moriah as she struggles with her husband's defection while dealing with her pregnancy and ache with Gabriel and his forbidden love for Moriah. However, while their story is a good one, it is also contrived at times as Fuller works hard to deliver a (relatively) happy ending. I much preferred the Tobias/Rachel romance which often made me smile as the two of them gradually realize their feelings for each other are changing. Their romance is very fresh and sweet.

"A Man of His Word" is an enjoyable sweet romance novel. ( )

To be honest, I wasn't really a big fan of this story. Even though the story wasn't very preachy about the Amish way of life, I felt that the characters were a bit bland. I'm never a fan of stories where siblings are in love with the same person. I know it happens in real life, but I just always wish people talked about it instead of keeping it inside. Also in this case, the siblings happened to be twins who looked alike, therefore making it seem like one was just being replaced by the other. I also felt that the whole situation involving Levi's departure seemed very unrealistic, very dramatic and very stereotyped. I just didn't buy his story at all. Moriah is not a strong female lead at all. I can understand a person that is on the quiet or meek side, but she just came across as a pushover. Her future of a relationship with Gabe is obvious from the beginning. I just felt that I knew that everything was going to happen eventually and I was just waiting for the magic incident to make it all come true to happen.

The other part that kinda bugged me a bit was there is a whole other side story in this book that gets absolutely no mention in the description of the book. Therefore when I started reading the second story, which doesn't have much connection to the main story, I was a bit confused as to who these people were and why they were getting any mention at all.

I like Amish stories that showcase the culture as opposed to preaching about the way of life. However, I didn't feel as if this story gave either. The characters just seemed very cardboard and not developed at all. The story as a whole isn't very strong either. I can see potential in the author's writing and I hope that by the next book it will be better. I just didn't see this book as a strong book in terms of story or faith. ( )

Another wonderful Amish novel to add to my quickly growing list of great books to read. Kathleen Fuller isn't quite a new-to-me author. I've read one other book by her and that was in the An Amish Christmas novella and her book was A Miracle for Miriam. That one was an absolutely wonderful story. So, when I won a book from Lena Nelson Dooley's blog, A Christian Writer's World~~Characters Who Grip Your Heart, I was tickled to learn that it was one by Kathleen Fuller.

This book is the start to Kathleen's series, Hearts of Middlefield, and such a fantastic start it was! This particular book is full of heartache, romance, friendship, family and learning to trust in God. Kathleen adds humor from the start to even out the heartache in the story, making this one unforgettable story. I loved how she added some Amish words in the midst of the conversations.....there's an index in the front of the book that tells what each word means. Moriah was a loving character but the one that tugged at my heart the most was sweet Gabriel. He was Moriah's brother-in-law, Levi's twin, and has loved her from a far for a long time. I just felt the need to pray for him through out the book as he really found a place in my heart.

All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this book to Christian fiction lovers, and of course, to ALL Amish lovers. This book will transport you right to Middlecreek to the Plain community and you will love the feeling of home you get when you read this story...I know I did! It's a 5 star book that you don't want to miss and I am anxious  to read book 2 in this series, An Honest Love. ( )

Mariah and Levi Miller seem to be a perfect couple. But since Levi took a job working at a nearby ranch, things have not been the same. After being married only a short time, Levi leaves his pregnant wife and moves to the ranch. The English life and the rancher's daughter have captured his heart.

Levi's twin brother, Gabriel has been in love with Moriah for a long time, though no one knows except Gabriel...and Levi. It seems as if Levi made it a point to have Moriah fall in love with him just to spite his brother.

Moriah knows that she can never marry again since the Amish do not believe in divorce and the pain of Levi's betrayal is too great. But God has plans for Moriah, Gabriel, and Levi. Can they see beyond the present and into the future God has planned for them?

Kathleen Fuller has filled the pages of this book with love. I felt as if I were in Middlefield and living life right along with the characters. ( )