A Healing Touch – Suzanne Woods Fisher – Review – Giveaway

A HEALING TOUCH by Suzanne Woods Fisher
SERIES: standalone novel in the Stoney Ridge universe
GENRE: Contemporary Amish/Women’s Fiction (Christian)
PUBLISHER: Revell
RELEASE DATE: October 1, 2024
PAGES: 297

Ruth “Dok” Stoltzfus is the kind of doctor who still believes in house calls, addressing not just her patients’ physical needs but their emotional ones too. When newly widowed Bee faces a breast cancer diagnosis, Dok connects her with Fern Lapp for support. When her painfully shy assistant Annie finds herself drawn to a new calling, Dok goes to great lengths to help her achieve her dream. And when an abandoned newborn mysteriously appears at her office one frosty morning, Dok’s world takes an unexpected turn as ripples of change touch several lives.

A Healing Touch is a captivating tale of compassion, resilience, and the bonds that form in surprising places. Bestselling and award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you into a new story that’s like medicine for the weary soul. Join Dok, Annie, and the tight-knit Stoney Ridge community as they navigate the twists of fate, discovering that sometimes the greatest healing comes from the heart.

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“Difficult times end up making us the best we can be.”

A Healing Touch is a heartwarming (and sometimes heartwrenching) new addition to Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Stoney Ridge universe. It works perfectly as a standalone but if you’ve read any of the other books set here you’ll enjoy getting to hang out with your faves like Bishop David, his sister ‘Dok’, and of course the one and only HANK LAPP (if you know Hank at all, you’ll know why I all-capped him).

As is typical of a Fisher novel, we are walking into this community to find a handful of stories in progress among several primary characters, initially connected loosely by one person or event and then continuing on throughout the novel in their respective plot lines. I really enjoy this style of storytelling because it feels like I’m visiting Stoney Ridge in person and spending time with three or four characters as they live their lives. In A Healing Touch, as the title would suggest, all of the subplots have Dr. Ruth Stolzfus (aka ‘Dok’) as a connecting factor. There’s recent widow Bee Bennett and her new cancer diagnosis (as well as a blast from her past who shows up to help with the horses, and the practical Fern Lapp who helps Bee with her grief), Dok’s smart-but-shy young assistant Annie Fisher (along with Annie’s hypochondriac mother, and the handsome Amish EMT who opens Annie’s heart to more than one dream), and an abandoned newborn who upends Dok and her husband Matt’s lives. And y’all… SOMETHING IS REALLY WRONG WITH HANK LAPP. Oh my heart!

Each main female in A Healing Touch – Bee, Annie, and Dok – is well-crafted with developed layers that draw you in while you follow the compelling journeys they take on these pages. Themes of grief, loss, fear, forgiveness, and surrender are presented compassionately and sincerely and, while these are indeed deep topics and handled with the care they deserve, the book itself never becomes heavy. Emotional at times, yes. But the tone nevertheless remains uplifting and positive. And then, of course, there were moments of humor that made me giggle (as per usual when HANK LAPP is in the story). Like when Dok finds him high-stepping it in a hurry to flee the angry goose that has him in its sights…. or this exchange of dialogue:

“CALM as a CUCUMBER,” Hank bellowed.
“Unflappable,” Sarah said.
“Our ANNIE can NOT be FLAPPED,” Hank said.

Bottom Line: A Healing Touch by Suzanne Woods Fisher is touching and heartfelt, pointing readers to the mercy & grace of God even as it entertains us with relatable characters (including some beloved favorites) and engrossing subplots. Bee, Dok, and Annie experience layered character growth over the course of this novel, and I found that each woman spoke to my heart in some way. Fisher’s charming writing voice makes it easy to fully immerse yourself in this story and difficult to put it down. I enjoyed this visit to Stoney Ridge, including the dash of romance, and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / loved it!

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Suzanne Woods Fisher is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than forty books, including The Sweet Life, The Secret to Happiness, and Love on a Whim, as well as many beloved contemporary romance and Amish romance series. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and Amish Proverbs. She lives in California. Learn more at SuzanneWoodsFisher.com

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Revell is offering a print copy of A Healing Touch by Suzanne Woods Fisher to TWO of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read A Healing Touch by Suzanne Woods Fisher?

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