A Great Read for a Snowy Day!

  "Christmas At Rose Hill Farm"
         By Suzanne woods Fisher

When offered a book to review by this author, I must say that I never hesitate!! In fact I am excited to see what new adventure will arise!  Her books tend to be a learning experience, as well as an enjoyable one. Suzanne Woods Fisher writes in her unique style  of  storytelling, while giving you information of things that I would never have known. 
The main character in this book is Bess Rieh, who is busily preparing Rose  Hill Farm for her very own Christmas wedding. The surroundings and season will make a perfect spot for this special occasion, except there is one problem, a VERY big one- her groom is not who she thought it would be. Billy Lapp is a rose rustler for Penn State who has grown far away from the Amish lifestyle in which he was raised. He has no desire to have anything to do with Stony Ridge, his family or Bess. Bess is in total agreement with this. After all, who in their right mind would want to think about a man who left the community without a word or any explanation?? She is determined to move on with her life, thus agreed to marry Amos Lapp, who is Billy's cousin and just happens to be Billy's very best friend.  Oh the tangled webs that life gets us into!!! The wedding of Bess and Amos is approaching quickly, when suddenly Billy is called to the scene, not by choice and certainly not by desire!!

A "lost rose" is discovered at the rose farm and Billy is sent to track down its origins. He arrives unwillingly and has a plan, get there, identify this rose and GET OUT as fast as he can. However, an obstacle blocks the best laid plans. Billy has a difficult time identifying the rose and after encountering Bess after all this time, is unable to forget that sweet face. He is not the only confused individual! Bess finds herself questioning the wisdom of her upcoming wedding. Her emotions are confused and as complicated as a spider's web! What should she do?? Listen to her heart or continue with her practical  plans?? 
As the history of the rose unweaves, Billy and Bess , and yes , even Amos realize the miracles of Christmas.

I must say I was caught up in Bess' life immediately. She quickly became very real to me , a person with whom to identify. Her problems were realistic and many times, my desire was to just give her a big hug and tell her things would be okay. Billy was the most frustrating young man!! He  had me ready to throttle him for his unwillingness to give in to his heart. What a stubborn young man!!! 
The plot moved  quite quickly and had some surprising twists and turns. Just enough to keep one interested. The information that I learned about roses was amazing and the best part was that it was introduced in such a way that one doesn't realize the amount of new knowledge being absorbed.

All in all, a lovely Christmas read, putting you in the mood of the season.

This book was supplied by Revell, in exchange for a fair and honest review.