Abigail Stutzman was abandoned at the bus station and sent to another state to stay with relatives she never even knew about. She has no clue why and now she was found at the scene of an arson and everything points to her as the culprit. Why does no one want to give her an explanation of why she was sent away? Why doesn't God seem to want to help her?
Sam Miller is not proud of things he's done in his past, but he is trying to be a better man now. When he finds Abigail at the scene of his family's barn on fire, he accuses her of starting it. Why is he so drawn to her? He is a volunteer firefighter, an EMT, and a paramedic in training, so why can't he seem to put out the fire between him and Abigail?
I haven't read any of Laura Hilton's books before, but I will definitely be reading more of her books! I really enjoyed "The Amish Firefighter" and found it to flow really well. It is the first book in the "New Beginnings in Jamesport" series. I finished the book the day after I started it. I could feel Abigail's pain and rejection. I really liked the amount of references to God and seeking His will. There was obvious growth in the characters' lives. The main characters only kiss, but there is some mention of past intimacies that went much further than that (and the regret that went with it). "The Amish Firefighter" is a stand alone book, but there were characters that made appearances from Laura Hilton's "Amish of Jamesport" series. I'm excited to read "The Postcard" especially since Sammy is the "bad guy" in that book (these are the things he needs to tell Abigail, I think) I got caught up in this book and didn't want to put it down.
About the Author
Laura V. Hilton
Amish fiction lovers responded positively and immediately to Laura V. Hilton’s debut novel, Patchwork Dreams, when she burst on the scene in 2009 with her unique series, The Amish of Seymour, set in the tiny town of Seymour, in Webster County, Missouri. Fans of the genre immediately recognized Hilton’s insider knowledge, not only of the Webster County community, but Amish culture in general. Her natural speech and writing patterns, she says, are uniquely “Amish,” acquired from her Amish maternal grandparents. The Amish of Seymour, includes Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts, and Promised to Another. Her second series, The Amish of Webster County, is comprised of Healing Love, Surrendered Love,and Awakened Love. A stand-alone title, A White Christmas in Webster County, was released in September 2014. The Birdhouse concluded Laura’s 2015 series, The Amish of Jamesport, includes The Snow Globe, The Postcard and The Birdhouse. Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer. Laura and her husband, Steve, have five children, whom Laura homeschools. The family makes their home in Arkansas.
For more about Laura, her latest book, the books she’s written and those she’s reviewed:
Laura Hilton’s Website: www.lauravhilton.blogspot.com.
Guest Post from Laura V. Hilton
Unlike some authors, I am not a planner. I have a very vague idea of the story, of the series, and as soon as the characters step forward and introduce themselves I dive in and start writing. When I first began writing this series – New Beginnings in Jamesport – I knew Sammy Miller was going to be the hero. Readers started asking for Sammy’s story as soon as they read The Postcard where Sammy was the villain. Ouch. I’d never considered writing a story about a former villain. But just as David in The Postcard was reader requested, Sammy would be.
Sammy is a very strong character and I knew he had to have a strong female lead character, one that wasn’t afraid to stand up to him and keep him under control. He is a leader, an EMT studying to be a paramedic, and a volunteer firefighter. The female lead, Abigail, is thrown into Jamesport without warning. Her step-father takes her to the bus station and sends her away and she doesn’t even know why! When she is met at the bus station by an aunt and uncle she didn’t even know existed, she is thrown into the middle of several mysteries, including barn fires set by arsonists. And she is the main suspect.
The whole New Beginnings in Jamesport series, while considered a continuation of The Amish of Jamesportseries due to Sammy being the hero, is set around Amish starting over in Jamesport. The second bookThe Amish Wanderer is about a former resident of Jamesport hitchhiking across the country to get to his Mennonite uncle’s house in Pennsylvania. Silas is desperate to escape from his dysfunctional family for several reasons. But he cannot stay in Jamesport because someone is out to kill him. When he stumbles upon another mystery within hours of his arrival, what choice does he have but to stick around for awhile?
God gave me the verses for all three books in the Amish of Jamesport series The Amish Firefighter, The Amish Wanderer and the yet untitled third book (My books all stand alone) before I started writing them, which is unusual. He usually reveals these things slowly to me, as I need to know. The verse for The Amish Firefighter is Isaiah 43:2-4 and the verse for The Amish Wanderer is Romans 8:38-39. The third book’s verse is 2 Corinthians 4:8. It is tentatively titled The Amish Accountant, but most people think accountants are boring, and his real profession is a clockmaker. But The Amish Clockmaker has already been taken by another author. So we shall see what the wonderful Whitaker House team will come up with. It is about another young Amish woman, Lydia, who needs a “safe haven.” So her parents send her to live with her Mennonite aunt and uncle in Jamesport. It doesn’t exactly work out as planned, as the aunt and uncle leave for a foreign mission trip immediately, leaving Lydia acting manager of a gift shop and living in an all electric apartment. Before her aunt leaves, she tells Lydia’s secrets to her best friend. But did she tell all of them or some of them? And the best friend’s son, Caleb (the clockmaker) is acting as accountant for the gift shop. And what about Caleb’s carefully kept secret? When Lydia’s past catches up with her, will it destroy all she’d begun to imagine as she dreamed of starting over in Jamesport?
Next after that is The Christmas Challenge which is also set in Jamesport.
I don’t have official release dates for The Amish Wanderer or the other books yet. But as soon as I know, I’ll share.
Coming next? Who knows? I have two ideas warring for attention—but which one gets told first, I don’t know! I lean toward one, then the other. They both want to be told.
And now, I must get back to work. Thank you for visiting today and thank you so much for supporting my books. I do hope you’ll enjoy The Amish Firefighter!
Happy Reading!
Because of Him,
~ Laura ~
Blog Stops
June 9: Quiet Quilter
June 10: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
June 10: Jeanette’s Thoughts
June 11: Blogging With Carol
June 12: Cassandra M’s Place
June 12: Splashes of Joy
June 13: Babs Book Bistro
June 13: bigreadersite
June 14: Daysong Reflections
June 14: Rockin’ My Mom Jeans
June 15: Singing Librarian Books
June 15: Blossoms and Blessings
June 16: Reading Is My SuperPower
June 16: The Power of Words
June 17: Two Girls and a Book
June 17: A Greater Yes
June 18: Texas Book -aholic
June 18: Through The Open Window
June 19: For the Love of Books
June 19: Petra’s Hope
June 20: Running Through The Storms
June 20: Simple Harvest Reads
June 21: A Holland Reads
June 21: Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner
June 22: Pause for Tales
June 22: KarensKrayons
June 23: D’S QUILTS & BOOKS
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Laura is giving away a basket that includes a Kindle Fire and a complete set of her books! Enter here: https://promosimple.com/ps/9bed
- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Whitaker House (May 3, 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1629116858
- ISBN-13: 978-1629116853
- Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.7 x 8.4 inches
and in Kindle edition:
- File Size: 2533 KB
- Print Length: 299 pages
- Publisher: Whitaker House (May 3, 2016)
- Publication Date: May 3, 2016
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B01E4JPXOU
I received a free copy of this book from the author in order for me to give an honest review for participation in the blog tour through Celebrate Lit
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