I loved The Christmas Cactus. Wholeheartedly. Christy Martenson created a world of love and joy, introducing her readers to characters who become friends and crafting a storyline that was beautifully full of family, strength, and perseverance. In addition to all that, it passed the real test of a wonderful story: my own emotion kept leaking out in laughter and tears as I celebrated and mourned and giggled along with Katie Jo.

The Christmas Cactus is one of the sweetest stories I have ever read. Mrs. Martenson has created a story reminiscent of Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, and Little House on the Prairie. In short, I loved it.

Set in the late 1800’s, The Christmas Cactus is a charming story. What will become of Katie Jo and her young siblings when they face a new town and home without knowing anyone or having a way to provide for themselves? Hard working Katie Jo is determined to keep her family together. Will she accept the help of a stranger?

The author has done a great job describing the lifestyle of living “out West” and all that is involved in just putting food on the table. I was tired out just reading about all the food that Katie Jo would make in one day in order to give her family a special meal! I felt like I was living life right next to Katie Jo and the rest of the characters in this book as the author had brought each character to life.

The Christmas Cactus is a warm, delightful story that takes place in the late 1800's. After being abandoned, Katie Jo and her siblings find themselves homeless on the frontier. A kind farmer offers to help them which changes the trajectory of their lives.

This is the perfect cozy Christmas story for anyone who enjoys sweet romances, charming characters, and plucky heroines who are know to wield frying pans on occasion to protect their family.

Martenson did an outstanding job of bringing each character to life according to their age and kept their reliance on God true and authentic. In fact, the entire story is filled with gems of truth without preaching and is fun, heart-wrenching, and satisfying.

Christy's stories are wholesome for the soul and spirit, and The Christmas Cactus is her most delightful work yet. Her characters are so obviously drawn from realistic personalities that they truly live on the pages, and their struggles and development is superbly true-to-life. There are many stories, particularly romance stories, that feel canned, stale or simply scripted emotionally, but Christy's work never falls into that category.

The romance in this story is so gentle and real, it almost sneaks up on you as you read! The relationships and personalities are genuine, the story and character development is excellent, and the characters provide superb role models for young adults; the heroine, Katie Jo, is a beautiful picture of true, deep, tender & God-fearing womanhood, and I look forward with much eagerness to share this treasure of a book with my future children.