Christmas Roses by Amanda Cabot

Christmas Roses
Synopsis:

Celia Anderson doesn't need anything for Christmas except a few more boarders, which are hard to come by in this small mining town. She certainly doesn't have a husband on her Christmas wish list. But when a wandering carpenter finds lodging at her boarding house, 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 to get roses during a harsh Wyoming winter. But Christmas, after all, is the time for miracles . . .

Review:

I started reading Christmas Roses right after I finished Christmas in Copper Mountain. That was a great old fashioned romance and I loved it so I thought this might be a good follow up. Well I wasn't enjoying it as much so I set it aside and read something else. Well I finally came back to it today and since I didn't have that other story fresh in my mind I enjoyed it more than I did at first. Still it was too sappy at times, and too religious at times, but I enjoyed it. 

Celia runs a boarding house after her husband from an arranged marriage passes away. Mark passes through town looking for his father who had abandoned him as a young child. He was only going to stay for a day or two, but of course that gets extended. 

While I did like the old fashioned aspect of this story, it seemed like a bit much at times. I liked how the two other guys were trying to marry Celia, but she only wants to marry for love. The one is all your daughter needs a father, my son needs a mother, I need a wife and you need a husband. I will wait a few weeks, but then I am putting an ad in for a mail order bride. So romantic! 

Celia is determined not to marry just anyone. She wants someone who will give her roses for Christmas, which at the time would be difficult. She loves roses, like over the top loves them. Everything is about roses. I would hate to live in her place with the rose room....it seems like it would be way too much for me. They make her happy though so okay. Of course things slowly build with Mark and everything works out in the end. 

Overall it was a sweet, but sappy story. Celia, and really everyone, was deeply religious and I skimmed some of those parts, but overall not a bad story. 

Rating: 3/5