A Healing Touch

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Genre: Amish Romance
Pages: 304
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Revell

A captivating tale of compassion, resilience, and the bonds of love and friendship

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.

Bestselling and award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you into a story that's like medicine for the weary soul. Join Dok 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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Reviewer: Elizabeth Eckmeyer

Another great read by Suzanne Woods Fisher! She is becoming one of my favorite authors. She is so engaging and has the ability to keep you captured throughout the entire story.

Dok is the town doctor who grew up Amish. She left, gained experience, and found herself back among the Amish to take care of them. Her husband Matt is on the local police force. A baby was found on the steps of Dok’s office and changed their lives forever. 

Anne is a young Amish woman who has big ambitions. She is shy and struggles to speak in front of people. Her life is also changed the day the paramedics pick up the baby left on the doorstep. 

Bee is a widower learning to move on. When she is faced with some difficult circumstances, she is paired up to be friends with an older woman who teaches her how to have faith and to keep living. 

All the characters in this story come together to create a beautiful, heartwarming story. Suzanne Woods Fisher is phenomenal at bringing challenging situations, humor, God’s word, and positivity all in one story. I highly recommend this story!! 

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Revell Publishing Group through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.

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Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

A Healing Touch by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a book to be read repeatedly. The author has skilfully explored two different types of grief, with a cast of characters that spring from the page and lodge themselves in your heart.

Ruth "Dok" Stoltzfus is one busy woman. She believes in house calls and her practice consists of both English and Amish alike. She is so busy that when a baby is dropped on her doorstep, she immediately calls her husband, a police officer, and from there she expects the baby to go into foster care. What she wasn't expecting was her husband suggesting they become foster parents to the baby. She's too busy for a baby! And besides, they were in their 40s, too old to start thinking about having a family. But as the author takes the reader through the foster care/adoption process we learn, through Dok, how stressful it can be and how the heart can grieve for what it never knew it missed. 

Dok's patient Bee, a widow, is trying to deal with overwhelming grief over the loss of her husband and now she has a cancer diagnosis. When Dok suggests she needs a support system, she connects her to Fern Lapp, also a widow and with more than her share of memorable and helpful suggestions from dealing with grief to faith and more.

"Faith should infuse grief the way a tea bag steeps in hot water."

If you have recently lost a loved one, this book (with Fern's help) should bring a "healing touch" to your weary soul. I wish I had a Fern in my life.

And then there's Annie. She is shy but has a brilliant mind that soaks up knowledge like a sponge. She is Amish and loves reading medical books and helping in Dok's office. When she spots an Amish man who is an EMT she feels the Lord calling her to the same position. But can an Amish woman become an EMT? 

All these characters with their stories make A Healing Touch a novel to be read and savored. While I was disappointed not to see what happened with Annie and Gus, I am hoping another book is coming to see where that goes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and if you like Amish fiction that gets to the heart of grief (in its various forms),  you will love A Healing Touch.

​I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Revell through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

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Reviewer: Marta Aldrighetti

This story is set in the small Amish town of Stoney Ridge. The characters are both Amish and English. Through the story, you can read and learn the differences about dresses, thoughts, how they do things, how they grieve and how to live between Amish and English. This is very interesting. I love it.

The author includes in the story some sentences and sayings from the Bible, such as, “The doctor can treat, but only God can heal.” The topics are common in the lives of both the Amish and English world. They are also hard and difficult to deal with: cancer, loss of a husband, helping others, neglecting family needs, jeopardizing marriage, a foster baby and love.

I enjoyed very much reading the book. I love how the author writes. Lovely characters, I’ll miss them.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Revell through Interviews & Reviews and NetGalley.

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Reviewer: Adriann Harris

A Healing Touch is an inspirational feel-good story with subtle lessons by Suzanne Woods Fisher. She returns her readers to Stoney Ridge with some familiar characters for those who have read previous books and some new ones too. But never fear, this awesome story can be read as a standalone! Fisher again delivers a great thought-provoking story in which her engaging characters, both Amish and English, will draw you into this heart-gripping story from beginning to end.

This memorable story centers on Ruth Stoltzfus (Dok), who realizes the importance of home visits for her patients, especially the Amish, who are reluctant to share their health problems, even with her. Wow, a doctor who believes in making house calls recalls a memory from my past when our family doctor did home visits for those who were sick. 

Dok’s world is turned upside down when a baby is left on her office doorstep, or is Gabe a blessing from God? Surrounding Dok is a unique cast of characters, each dealing with their own personal problems both physically and psychologically. I laughed at some illnesses Annie’s hypochondriac mother presented to Dok and admired Dok’s finesse in handling them. She also assisted Annie and her mother in overcoming their fears. My favorite character was Fern Lapp, an elderly widowed Amish woman, who in her own very special way assisted Bee, who received a breast cancer diagnosis a year after losing her husband, with her grief, post-op recovery, and forgiveness of past wrongs.

Fisher’s characters in this emotional story deal with some very real-life issues showing vulnerability, fear, and weaknesses, but when they turn to God to guide them, they show great strength. We should all learn to live by this great message that Fisher reminds us of in every one of her heartfelt books. 

I highly recommend A Healing Touch to everyone who enjoys reading contemporary Christian Amish stories that are character driven with different storylines, and with a touch of humor and romance.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Revell via NetGalley through Interviews & Reviews. I was not obligated to write a favorable review, and all opinions are my own.

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Reviewer: Lori Parrish

I believe this will be my favorite book of all!

Lots of action will keep you turning the pages for sure. I want to mention that help comes from unexpected places and people.

I wanted to shake Bee at times, but she had to learn for herself what it all meant. I enjoyed the mystery part of this story. It was really what kept me turning the pages.

Then there’s Dok, who’s the most stubborn woman there is. I thought Bee was, but it’s Dok. I get their point of view, I really do, but sometimes you just have to accept help whether you want to or not.

Annie continues to amaze me. I loved “watching“ her grow into the person she’s supposed to be even more. Way to go Annie! By the way, she’s my favorite character.

It was great to come home to the awesome community of Stoney Ridge again. It felt like I had never left.

I was really happy to see Hank back, too. Sometimes he just makes me laugh at his orneriness. He really does make my day. Love him.

I really fell in love with the cover of this book, too. Dreams can be realized with the help of our God.

This was a fantastic story that I very much enjoyed and didn’t want it to end. I love this author’s stories and this one didn’t disappoint. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Five stars for keeping my interest all the way through. I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Revell through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.

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