Two Steps Forward

December 23, 2019
Fisher wraps up the Deacon’s Family series (following Stitches in Time) with this twist on the typical Amish tale, returning to Stoney Ridge, Pa., for an unlikely relationship built on a love for horses. Jimmy Fisher returns home to Stoney Ridge broke and homeless after four years away, where he meets widow Sylvie Schrock King and her stunning Arabian horse at the local store. Sylvie, struggling to stay afloat and realize her dreams for Rising Star Farm, hires Jimmy despite him being the son of her neighbor and nemesis Edith Fisher Lapp. Jimmy works wonders, getting rid of the endless junk Sylvie’s husband left her and her son, Joey, and shows Sylvie a kind side that she didn’t expect. Woven into this tale of two people overcoming fear and their own past hurts is the work of Izzy Schrock, who helps orphaned babies. In a town with few options for the poor, Izzy’s own troubled past inspires her to help the “fatherless” by leading the charge to install a baby box at the fire station. Themes of abandonment, commitment, forgiveness, and helping the helpless weave through this fitting series denouement. Fisher’s fans and newcomers to Amish fiction will be overjoyed with this heartwarming tale. Agent: Joyce Hart, Hartline Literary Agency.

February 15, 2020
When Jimmy Fisher returns to the Amish community of Stoney Ridge, he is surprised to find his widowed mother, Edith, married to Hank Lapp, and he is not prepared for the pressure they put on him to settle down. He takes refuge across the creek, where widow Sylvie Schrock King is trying to keep up with the demands of her late husband's crumbling farm and her young son while trying to build an Arabian horse business. She reluctantly hires Jimmy?the fact that this bothers busybody Edith helps?and even more reluctantly begins to fall for Jimmy's charm. Meanwhile, Izzy Schrock loves being a mother to her adopted baby, but news of abandoned infants and laws protecting reproductive rights in neighboring New York has her worried, and her deacon husband isn't sure if her proposed solution is the right one. Though the book is connected to other series, Fisher gives enough background information to keep readers up to speed in this Amish romance that, despite touching on serious issues, maintains a witty banter and a sometimes-slapstick sense of humor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)