A Man of His Word by Kathleen Fuller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In just a few short months, Moriah Miller’s perfect life unravels. Newly wed and newly pregnant, Moriah is abandoned by her husband, Levi. He’s left her, his family, and their faith without a backward glance. The community, stunned, rushes to the young woman’s aid.
But there is someone who feels more than just sympathy for Moriah. Gabriel Miller–Levi’s twin–longs for an intimate commitment that might someday bind them to one another. Convinced of the impossibility of his dream, Gabriel settles for a mere friendship with the woman he loves.
Moriah bravely goes on with her life, adjusting to her new role in their tight knit Amish community and preparing for the birth of her child. She is unaware that her brief marriage–once idealized as the happiest time in her life–may have been merely a shadow of the kind of love God has created her for. A love that can mend the soul, renew her heart, and give her a future filled with hope…if only she’ll let it.
I have to admit that I was concerned with the plot line and very curious to see how Fuller would pull it off. By the end of the first chapter I did not want to read another word because I didn’t want to experiecne the heartache I knew was sure to come, but I’m glad I did.
A Man of His Word kept me up into the late hours reading. Although I thought, at times, that the secondary story line outshone the primary, it is a book worth reading.
Updated to add:
I know what bothered me about this story. Although the story lines were good, there was a disconnect on the primary heroine’s side. A reader would expect the heroine to fall for the hero, and in her situation feel a bit guilty for doing so. Much of the story had to do with the heroine’s feelings for her wayward husband. When she did share her feelings about the hero it was more in how she compared him to her husband and how the hero was definitely a man of his word. There was no tension on her part, no real emotional connection outside of friendship. BUT, that being said, it was a tall order to pull off. The heroine, because of her beliefs, would not allow her mind to stray from her husband and to the possibilities of what the hero offered.
The author could have delved deeper into the heroine’s feelings. We know that the heroine became angry with the hero. We assume it is because he kept a truth from her in order to protect her. In fact, we see that she feels betrayed by him, but the problem I had is that this man had been there for her, consistently, from beginning to end. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and she refused to accept it.
I guess I felt as if the story ended before it even began. Maybe this is an active case of the author not starting the story at the right place. BUT, as I said before, I would recommend this book. It is a fast read, what kept me turning the pages was my curiousity as to how the heroine would find her happily ever after. I just wish the secondary story would not have outshone the primary.
2 responses to “A Man of His Word”
I like the honesty of your review. There were aspects of this book you really liked, that kept you reading. It’s great that you can see the parts that didn’t work for you and that may be helpful to keep in mind for the future.
I think one of the issues with writing is that you can no longer just read for enjoyment. I know I tend to pick apart things more than I did before I started writing.