A Man of His Word

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 show more 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 :) show less

A Man Of His Word by Kathleen Fuller is a book about the Amish way of life and what happens when the real world intrudes. It is also a heartbreaking love story. Moriah Byler is a young Amish woman who wants nothing more than to be a good wife to her husband. Somehow, things end up cooling and her husband, Levi Miller, spends more and more time at work far away from home. She is still astonished when he leaves the Amish with nothing but a note given to his twin brother. What Levi doesn’t know is that Moriah is pregnant with their first child.

The knight in shining armor is Levi’s twin brother Gabriel who has always loved Moriah from afar. Gabriel is a man of his word and completely unlike his brother, but Moriah has doubts that weigh show more her down. It takes another tragedy for Moriah to learn to open her heart and love Gabriel so she can be complete again.

I loved how the action takes place slowly while real life is happening. It made me feel just like I was walking in Moriah’s shoes. Because this story is narrated over time, a bond is made with the lead characters and it is possible to understand why people did the things that they did.

I recommend this book unconditionally. I was so sucked in that I had to be pulled away. I loved that I could cheer and also want to duke it out with some of the characters. I found myself talking out loud to the book! It gets my big thumbs up. A Man Of His Word is a fine love story and a tale about honor, steadfastness, and trusting in God to get us over obstacles in our lives. I loved it. Makes a fine, gripping, fast read. show less

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 show more 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. show less

This was a wonderful love story. This was the story set in a simple Amish town. Moriah Byler had grown up with twins Gabriel and Levi Miller. Competetive all of their life, it is Levi that has won Moriah's heart. Unfortunately one month after their wedding, Moriah is pregnant with their first child and Levi is working outside of their small Amish Town. He has found another woman and decides to leave his wife and his Amish ways. In steps Gabriel to try to fix the situation. He tries to bring his brother back for Moriah's sake, because he himself has loved her since they were children. This is also a story of redemption and forgiveness. Like the prodigal son, Levi has decided to return to his wife and his church when he is involved in an show more accident.

He dies leaving Moriah a widow. There is also a second love story developing along the way. Rachel and Tobias have also grown up together. There story parallels that of Gabriel, Levi and Moriah. Rachel is seeing Christian and yet Tobias, (Moriah's brother) discovers he loves Rachel. Moriah must decide to remain alone the rest of her life or trust God and allow another man to enter her life. What will it take to make Tobias step up to the plate and make Rachel see the men in their lives for what they really are and want from her?

I don't usually read romance but this was absolutely AWESOME. I will need to find more by this author. I could actually sit and read it all day. I finished this book in a little over two hours because it was so good. This would be a great book for a reading club. it includes great discussion questions in the study guide at the end. show less

A Man of His Word pulled me into the world of the Amish and the author's writing style kept me there. I am not a huge fan of Amish fiction, but I'd have to say that this book was one of the best Amish novels that I've read to date. The characters were likeable and believable. There were also two love stories occuring at the same time, which really kept the pace moving along. While devoid of physical passion, the emotional pull between these two love interests was intense and compelling. The spiritual lessons they learned were practical. My heart especially went out to Gabriel. He was an amazing hero.

Truthfulness is a strong thread woven into this story. The author shows how sometimes keeping things from people to "protect" them show more ultimately hurts them more. Also seeking God's will for each circumstance is critical to our ultimate peace. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. show less

Moriah has just married Levi Miller and thinks life could not be better. She lives in her husband's family home, with Levi's father and his twin brother Gabriel in the "dawdi haus" next door. But within a few short months Moriah begins to question Levi's lack of interest in her. Then one day she finds herself abandoned by Levi with just a short note telling her he is leaving the faith and her. What Moriah doesn't know is that the twin brother, Gabe, has always loved her and his heart is broken and angry when he sees what his brother has done to Moriah. But in the Amish faith Moriah must remain a married woman, with no divorce being possible, and a baby on the way.

This story was handled well. The emotions of Gabe for his brother's wife show more was a difficult subject to deal with but the author handled the situation very well. Gabe was a very noble and considerate person and took care of Moriah the best he could without conveying his true feelings. Moriah had alot to handle in her young life, but she never became bitter, but always held out hope and forgiveness. I look forward to reading book two in this series. show less

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 show more 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. show less