The good news is that if you enjoy Suzanne Woods Fisher's Amish series, Christmas at Rose Hill is set in the same community and features many of the same characters. I believe Christmas at Rose Hill connects with the Lancaster County Secrets series and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series. (Lancaster County Secrets: The Choice, The Waiting, The Search) (Stoney Ridge Seasons: The Keeper, The Haven, and The Lesson).
The bad news is that if you haven't read any of her other series, you might feel like you're missing out. For better or worse. It might make you eager to read more, to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. It might not.
I couldn't help but feeling that if I'd read The Search, I might actually CARE about the characters. I believe the author did her best to catch readers up, to include enough flashbacks. But they felt like flashbacks. The book felt like a "flash-back" episode of a TV series. You get all the glimpses of the action and drama from the whole season, but, it's too rushed. I never got the chance to connect and care. The foundation for these characters comes from the other book(s).
Christmas at Rose Hiss is a second-chance at romance. The hero is Billy Lapp. The heroine is Bess Riehl.
I liked the story. I did. Some elements worked better for me than other elements. I wanted more present-day story and less flashback. But. Without any flashbacks at all, I doubt the story would have made sense. I think if I'd read The Search first, then I would have probably had a different reaction to this little novel.
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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