September 2011

Award winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and their five children make their home in Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom and home-schools. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor.

Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts (winner of the 2012 Clash of the Titles Award in two categories), and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love (finalist for the 2013 Christian Retail Awards). Surrendered Love and Awakened Love followed by her first Christmas novel, A White Christmas in Webster County, as well as the Amish of Jamesport series, The Snow Globe, The Postcard, and The Birdhouse. Other credits include Swept Away from Abingdon Press’ Quilts of Love series. Laura is contracted for another three book Amish series set in the Jamesport area, with the first book, The Amish Firefighter releasing in May 2016, followed by two more Amish books and a Christmas story releasing in Fall 2016, Spring 2017 and Fall 2017 respectively.

She has self-published a Christmas novella, Christmas Mittens.

Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer and blogs for Putting on the New and Seriously Write.

 

Read more about Laura Hilton.

Title: A Hand to Hold
Author: Kathleen Fuller
Publisher: Bethany House
Genre: Inspirational/Amish
Release date: September 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59554-814-6
Reviewed by: Laura V. Hilton

Kathleen Fuller brings details to life in this richly crafted novel.

Ruth Byler is anxious to start school. She’s had the lessons prepared months in advance. She’s bought new notebooks and freshly sharpened pencils for all her students. And she’s just putting the finishing touches on her desk when a pickup truck crashes through the back wall of the schoolhouse.

Zachariah Bender has borrowed a friend’s pickup to go to the store for supplies. He’s Amish and doesn’t have a license, but thinks it shouldn’t take long to run to the store. He loses control when a herd of deer runs in front of the truck. Now he owes a lot of money to fix the school and his friend’s truck.

As Ruth and Zach get to know each other, they find that the long-held opinions they’ve had of each other are wrong. But Zach has a secret he’s never told anyone. Will Ruth think less of him if she learns the truth?

A Hand to Hold has two different love stories in it. In addition to Ruth and Zach’s, there is also a story about Ruth’s brother, Stephen, and Deborah. I related more to Deborah and Stephen’s story, but both are excellent.

Kathleen Fuller brings details to life in this richly crafted novel. One can almost hear the cows lowing in the background, feel the soggy Kleenex, see Ruth wedged in a half-open window, and smell the sawdust in the schoolhouse. Though the book is a little slow starting and the ending feels rushed, it’s a great read.

I highly recommend A Hand to Hold as well as the other books in this series. Fuller is an Amish author whose work I’m going to want to keep reading. Discussion questions are included at the end of the book.