The Promise of a Letter 

An Amish Letters Novel

Paperback, ebook, audio CD, audible

August 15, 2017

by Kathleen Fuller 

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson 
• ISBN-13: 978-0718082543

A letter brings him back to his Amish family. It will take someone truly extraordinary to make him stay.

Roman is on the verge of leaving the Amish ways. Feeling confined by the strict rules, he longs to do something more with his life. But when things don’t go as planned, Roman’s prospects outside of the community dwindle. Upon learning that his beloved grandmother has died and left a letter urging him to reconcile with his brother in Birch Creek, Roman decides to return home. But he doesn’t plan to stay for long.

Leanna Chupp has always made her own way in her small community of Birch Creek. Though some may call her unconventional—strange, even—Leanna is happy. Her unique outlook on life has meant she’s never had many suitors pursuing courtship, which Leanna doesn’t mind. She is content being single.

But when Roman and Leanna find themselves working together again, everything changes. Though neither fit squarely within the strictures of the Amish faith, their differences could be the very thing to help them form a deeper connection to their community and to each other. The question remains: will this strengthening bond be enough to make Roman stay for good?

My thoughts: THE PROMISE OF A LETTER is the second book in Ms. Fuller's Amish Letters series, but while it contains some of the same characters, it easily stands alone. Fans will want to read the first book in the series to find out more about Phoebe and Jalon--Written in Love. 

Roman and his older brother Daniel are estranged, mainly because Daniel is tired of being the responsible one and Roman has left the Amish.  But the death of their grandmother changed things. Now the two men need to reconcile to honor their grandmother's wishes, but neither is willing to relax around the other enough to do so. 

Leanna is more of a man than a woman, more a child than an adult, and she deals with a lot of judgment in her community. Taller than most men, she also works in a predominately male dominated job and knows nothing about women's work. Odd for an Amish woman. When Leanna and her boss, Daniel, are falsely judged, Daniel overreacts, hurting Leanna and himself in the process.  I had to keep reading to see how that situation would be resolved. 

There really is no sexual tension between hero and heroine, and the faith message is very light. A pleasant read for fans of Amish fiction.  

I received a free copy. All opinions are my own.