Bess Riehl is preparing Rose Hill Farm for her Christmas wedding, but her groom isn’t who she thought it would be. Billy Lapp is far away from his Amish roots working as a rose rustler for Penn State and wants nothing to do with Stoney Ridge, his family, or Bess. And that suits Bess just fine. Why should she think twice about a man who left without a word, without any explanation? It’s time she moved on with her life, and that meant saying yes to Amos Lapp, Billy’s cousin and best friend. But as Bess and Amos’s wedding day draws near, her emotions tangle into a tight knot. She loves Amos. Yet she can’t forget Billy.
When a “lost” rose is discovered at Rose Hill Farm, Billy is sent to track down its origins. Get in, identify the rose, and get out. That’s his plan. The only catch is that he’s having a hard time narrowing down the identity of the lost rose, and he can’t get those tropical blue eyes of Bess Riehl out of his mind.
As the history of the lost rose is pieced together, it reminds Bess and Billy—and Amos, too—that Christmas truly is the season of miracles.
“Filled with heart-twisting moments amid the sweet anticipation of love, this story will charm readers into the holiday spirit.”
Fisher has woven a winning love story in Christmas at Rose Hill Farm! Filled with beloved characters from the Rose Hill series, this story continues their saga in a fascinating way. I thoroughly enjoyed reading more about Bess and her family’s expertise with roses, and the history inherent to the story is exciting. Who knew the story of a flower could be so much fun? It made me want to run right out to that old cemetery I used to visit as a kid and search for roses!
Billy’s spiritual journey was exciting, too. Watching him grow and seeing the comparison between the way that he wanted to deal with his past painful relationships and the way that God could use them is enlightening. Shouldn’t we all take that bigger-picture view of life?
Bess’ personality changes added another layer of reality to the story. As her translucent self becomes more brash like Bertha, she becomes more fun – and the flashbacks that she and Billy have both highlight these changes and add depth to the story.
Christmas at Rose Hill Farm is another Fisher story that I simply couldn’t put down. I think I need to pull out the other Rose Hill stories and read them again, because I am not ready to let Bess, Billy, Amos, and Maggie go already ….
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Inn at Eagle Hill series, Lancaster County Secrets series, and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of a new Amish children’s series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She is a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California.
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I received a free copy of Christmas at Rose Hill Farm from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
