Christmas Roses

Since everywhere I look everyone seems to be in the Christmas mood, I was really excited to read Christmas Roses by Amanda Cabot. This was a cute, short story that looked at Celia Anderson and her daughter Emma in the year 1882. Celia recently lost her husband, and she seems to be the most eligible bachelorette in her small community in Wyoming. As the local boardinghouse owner, she gets the opportunity to meet new people in the town. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many residents at her business, so she serves dinner to some local bachelors and takes care of a young child to earn money.

When Mark Williams comes into town looking for his father, he saves Emma’s life with his quick-thinking after she contracts Croup. He quickly becomes a part of their family. As Mark and Celia’s friendship grows, Celia receives marriage requests from two men who are interested in marriage for practical reasons. She thinks it would be best for her daughter to have a family, but she does not want to give up the notion of finding true love: a kind of love where someone would bring her Roses for Christmas. Mark, meanwhile, continues on his mission of finding his father who left him at a young age.

I really liked this book, and thought it was the perfect read for a cold winter night! I liked seeing the relationship between Celia and Mark grow, and I also liked the focus on Mark coming to terms with his past and reconnecting with his faith. The connection Mark and Celia’s daughter Emma had was also great to read about. Although Mark was not Emma’s birth father, he truly cared for her and was concerned about her health and well-being.

“Available September 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."