Christmas Roses

Christmas Roses
Amanda Cabot
(Revell)
ISBN: 978-0800720049
September 2012/172 pages/Hardcover/$14.99
Celia Anderson doesn't have a husband on her Christmas wish list. But when a traveling carpenter finds lodging at her boardinghouse, she admits that she might remarry if she found the right man--the kind of man who would bring her roses for Christmas. It would take a miracle, though, to find roses during a harsh Wyoming winter.

But Christmas, after all, is the time for miracles . . .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Cabot is an accomplished author under various pen names and a popular speaker. The author of Paper Roses, Scattered Petals, Tomorrow's Garden, and Summer of Promise, she is also a charter member of Romance Writers of America, the cofounder of its New Jersey chapter, a member of the ACFW, and an avid traveler. She lives in Wyoming.




FROM THE INSIDE FLAP

"My husband was a good man," Celia said, "and I grew to love him, but ours wasn't the kind of marriage I dreamt about, and it certainly wasn't the kind I read about."

A raised eyebrow telegraphed Mark's feelings. "Are you talking about novels? They're not real."

"The stories may not be real, but the love they portray is. I've seen it. I want a husband who looks at me the way Reverend Pearson looks at Bertha. I want a man who will love me for myself, not for my cooking or because I would be a mother to his son or even because he's lonely." Celia closed her eyes for a second before she said, "I want a man who will give me roses for Christmas."

When she opened her eyes, Mark was staring at her, his expression inscrutable. "That's a pretty tall order. Roses don't grow in December, leastwise not in Wyoming Territory."

Forcing a laugh to cover her embarrassment, Celia gave Mark a wry smile. "Then I guess I won't marry again."

MY THOUGHTS

One of my favorite things about the fall season is the arrival of Christmas novels and novellas! Although this is the first one I've read this season, I can tell it will be one of my favorites. I immediately fell in love with the characters, and I especially longed for Celia not to "settle" for just any man in order to provide security for her daughter and herself. Mark's kindness and thoughtful attention was countered by the inner turmoil he felt as a result of his father's abandonment and his feelings that God no longer cared about him. I longed for both Mark and Celia to allow God to heal their past hurts and struggles and move forward. But no roses can be found in Wyoming in the dead of winter, can they?


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Amanda Cabot and Revell Books. 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.”