Christmas At Rose Hill Farm by Suzanne Woods Fisher

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.

Join bestselling, award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher for an Amish Christmas to remember. Filled with heart-twisting moments amid the sweet anticipation of love, this story will charm readers into the holiday spirit.

My review:
  I never read Amish fiction unless it is a Christmas novel. This being a Christmas novel and Amish, I requested it.

  I did enjoy the book. I liked the main characters, especially Billy Lapp, a young man who had lost his way. There is a lot in the book about roses, different kinds of roses, and rose rustling - which really exists and is not at all what it sounds like. I don't have much interest in flowers, but reading about that in a fictional book setting was very interesting.

  The book also dealt with the issue of forgiveness and it was covered very well.

  It is a pretty fast read, and entertaining. Sometimes I wonder how close to the Amish ways the books depict the Amish, but this was one I felt stayed pretty true. There was one thing that confused me a bit. One of the characters was named Lainey, and unless I missed it, it was never said who she was. She was evidently related to the main female character, but I don't think it ever said. The book was good though, and an enjoyable Christmas read.

About the author:

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling, award winning author of fiction and non-

fiction books about the Old Order Amish for Revell Books, host of the radio-show-turned-blog Amish Wisdom, a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazine.

Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, who was raised Plain. A theme in her books (her life!) is that you don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate the principles of simple living.

Suzanne lives in California with her family and raises puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To her way of thinking, you just can't life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth.

Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com

Christmas At Rose Hill Farm is available from Revell Publishing.

Revell Publishing is part of the Baker Publishing Group.