Two Steps Forward (The Deacon's Family Book #3)

Two Steps Forward by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the third (and final) book in The Deacon’s Family series. While Two Steps Forward can be read on its own, you will be missing out on two delightful books. Reading The Deacon’s Family series in order allows you to get to know Luke, Izzy, Bishop David, Hank, Edith and the other characters in Stoney Ridge. I have enjoyed following Luke’s journey and it is not over yet. Jimmy Fisher is returning to Stoney Ridge after the ranch he was working on in Colorado went belly up. He discovers that his mother, Edith has turned his bedroom into a scrapbooking room which has Jimmy sleeping on a lumpy sofa in the basement. Sylvie Schrock King is a widow raising four and a half year old, Joey on her own along with trying to take care of Rising Star Farm. Sylvie offers Jimmy a job which he accepts over his mother’s protests. Jimmy is eager to work with Prince the Arabian horse Sylvie uses to pull her buggy. When Izzy and Fern read about a second infant who died after being abandoned, they implore Luke to come up with an idea. Izzy is happily married to Luke and loves their adopted girl, but she feels a loss over never knowing her own father. She approaches her mother in hopes of learning more about her biological father. Two Steps Forward is a delightfully entertaining novel. There is humor, joy, love, frustration and despair. There is also faith in the Lord. They know that God is there watching over them and will take care of them. I liked getting to know Sylvie. She had a rough childhood in a conservative Amish group and frequently quotes phrases from the Bible. Sylvie is good with animals and strays have a way of finding their way to Rising Star Farm. Jimmy is an upbeat man who is a hard worker and a charmer. His dimples and charm help him with women, but Jimmy has trouble with making a permanent commitment. I like how the book brought attention to the issue of abandoned babies. While there are Safe Haven laws, there are still babies left in restrooms and dumpsters. Two Steps Forward is well-written with engaging characters set in a special Amish community. This is a book that had me smiling and laughing often while reading it with the occasional frown (thanks to Edith). I am going to miss Stoney Ridge and the people who reside there (even Hank Lapp). Two Steps Forward is a brilliant conclusion to The Deacon’s Family series. Two Steps Forward is a charming tale with baby boxes, a hen pen, a jumble of junk, a bright boy, a meddling mother and a benevolent bishop.

I love Two Steps Forward and am truly going to miss this series! Third in the Deacon’s Family series, we see characters from the first two books, especially Luke and Izzy Schrock, and get to know Jimmy Fisher and Sylvie Schrock King. One of my favorite quotes is: “Every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future.” There are so many excellent, current-day challenges addressed in the series, and this novel is no exception. In a gentle, powerful way, the Amish of Stoney Ridge have a solution for women killing and/or abandoning their newborns or having abortions up to the moment of birth, for practicing the spirit of one’s faith, and even emulating Luke’s amend making, or fence-mending, at the approach of Easter. Watching the consistent growth in Luke and Izzy and their marriage is like visiting old friends. Jimmy Fisher returned to Stoney Ridge after four years of working with horses in Colorado. On his first day in town, he ran into his stepfather Hank Lapp, one of the more memorable folks in town, as he was admiring an Arabian horse hitched to the buggy of a young Amish woman and her son. Arabians are rarely seen in Amish country, as their preferred horse is the Thoroughbred. Sylvie Schrock King, a widow and a cousin to Luke, offered Jimmy a job on the spot based on his knowledge of horses, even though he looked like a homeless man. Hank, thinking she was looking for another husband, told her Jimmy was not available. After the dust settled, Jimmy went to Rising Star Farm, which Sylvie inherited from her late husband Jake, to see if she was still looking for a hired hand. Jimmy’s mother Edith feels that, when Jake died, the property should have gone to her, as it was originally owned by her grandfather and she wanted it back. She claimed to want it for Jimmy, as she said the will read that the youngest son of each family would inherit the farm. Edith had done all she could to get it from Jake and now that he’d passed away, she wants to take it from his widow. She doesn’t like Sylvie at all, mostly because she believes she should have the property back. Despite the animosity, Jimmy takes the job to care for the horses and handle any other work to clean up the farm from all the stuff Jake collected over the years. Jimmy proves himself to be a hard worker and finds Sylvie to be quite attractive. That was just the start of his troubles. His mother wants him to court a woman who is scary like her in temperament. Hank has been poking around, looking for something in the house and barn at Rising Star Farm. Jimmy tries to help Sylvie work with the town to prevent the farm from being sold at auction since Jake hadn’t paid taxes for the past couple years. And he sure enjoys the company of Sylvie’s little boy, Joey. One can read this novel as a standalone. It is such a delightful mix of faith, values, community involvement, heartbreak, romance, and humor, I think one might want to go back and read the first two and meet Luke and Izzy at the beginning. The Amish way of life is beautifully demonstrated by this talented author, and the spiritual lessons she gently shows are valuable. I highly recommend this novel and series to fans of well-written Amish fiction with depth, wisdom, and love for the Lord. From a thankful heart: I received a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley, and this is my honest review.