Can a sister's love endure the ultimate betrayal?

A year has come and gone since Jamie McKie fled for his life and arrived at Auchengray in search of sanctuary and a bonny wife. Young Rose McBride, as fair as any lass in Scotland, dearly loves her handsome cousin, Jamie McKie—but so does her older sister, Leana.

Desperate to have Jamie all to herself, Rose is unwittingly aided by Lillias Brown, a wise woman—a wutch, some say—still keen on the old ways. Leana cherishes her newborn son and clings to her hard-won sense of peace by a slender thread of faith. Jamie, meanwhile, longs to return home to Glentrool, yet is thwarted at every turn by his uncle Lachlan’s deceitful ways. 

All three points of this thorny triangle soon grow as sharp as a Scottish dirk. Och, such heartache! And yet, amid the conflicts, hope burns bright.

“Fair Is the Rose is an absolutely stunning sequel to Thorn In My Heart. I was transported back in time to my ancestral Scotland and relished every moment. An exceptional work!”
—Linda Lee Chaikin, author of Yesterday’s Promise

The Real Story

Once again this novel brings to life the tumultuous stories of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel. In Thorn in My Heart the emphasis was on Leana’s (Leah’s) journey, found in Genesis 29. In Fair Is the Rose the triumphs and tragedies that befall Rose (Rachel) take center stage, as described in Genesis 30.

Research, as you might imagine, is an important part of my writing process. I studied fourteen translations of the Genesis account and ninety nonfiction books and commentaries to make sure I understood every dimension of the biblical story, plus I consulted six hundred books on Scotland’s history and culture to get the Scottish details right. My goal is never to weigh down the story with too much information, but I do like to get the facts straight!

May Fair is the Rose take your heart on a memorable journey through the Lowlands of Scotland and the depths of God's love!

From the Publisher, WaterBrook Press . . .

”A first-rate, fascinating historical saga…as big and bold a story as the Galloway landscape.”  
—B. J. Hoff, author of An Emerald Ballad

     When Leana looked at her, Rose turned away, chastened. ’Twas innocence she saw in her sister’s eyes. And guilt she felt in her own heart. Had her sister wronged her? Or had she wronged her sister?
     The question pierced her through like the sharpest of knives. Are you sorry, Rose? In the privacy of her pew she bowed her head. “Aye,” Rose whispered. “And nae,” for that was the truth as well. Forgive me.

Haste ye back to eighteenth-century Scotland, to a pastoral Lowland village where envy and heartache grow thick as the hedgerows.

The McBride sisters—bonny, spirited Rose and quiet, gentle Leana—are caught in a desperate situation. Both women have given their hearts to the same handsome cousin, Jamie McKie of Glentrool. He cannot love them both. Or can he?

With a child added to the household, the relationships between Rose, Leana, and Jamie are strained to the breaking point. No one is prepared for the shocking turn of events that will test the limits of love and sacrifice.

"Living, breathing people with heart-wrenching conflicts. Have a box of tissues close at hand.”  
—Francine Rivers, author of Redeeming Love

Liz Curtis Higgs is the author of twenty-two books, with three million copies in print, including her best-selling historical novels, Thorn in My Heart and Fair Is the Rose; her best-selling nonfiction books, Bad Girls of the Bible and Really Bad Girls of the Bible; and her two contemporary novels: Mixed Signals, a Rita Award finalist; and Bookends, a Christy Award finalist. She is currently writing her fourth Scottish historical novel, Grace in Thine Eyes. Click HERE for more information.