What a charming story in the style of Janette Oke’s Love Comes Softly series. This story gripped my attention and wouldn’t let me go! Katie Jo is immediately relatable and I felt for her as she battled to keep her family together. Jamie, the hero, and his gentle ways won my heart. Christy’s best novel yet!

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.

As I edited The Christmas Cactus, I found the simplicity, depth, and wholesomeness of the story to be very refreshing.

The Christmas Cactus depicts entertaining real-life family scenes, shares sincere heart-searching conversations with the Lord, and gives you a taste of farm life in Washington Territory in the 1870s.

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 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.