Reviewed by Brenda Casto for Readers' Favorite

This story has an explosive beginning! When Rose Martin, a home health nurse who moonlights as an EMT, is visiting the home of her patient Sophie Hostetter, she gets the shock of her life when Sophie and her son Ammon's car literally blows up in the driveway. The accident causes her to flashback to the accident of her father and sister, something she blamed herself for. Unable to deal with her grief, she pulls into the Zook farm. She soon finds herself comforted by Amish-raised Jake Zook, who due to a motorcycle accident, is in a wheelchair. An offer to rent an apartment at the Zook farm comes none too soon; when her apartment is blown up, Rose realizes she is the killer’s next target. As Rose finds herself falling in love with Jake, he says that he could never love her; but his actions say something totally different! Will Rose be safe at the Zook farm, and can she change Jake's mind about loving her?

The author grabbed my attention from the first paragraph. The plot of the story was different than a lot of Amish stories that I have read because of Jake. He is a young man, raised Amish, but now living English in his parents grossdawdy haus. He isn't shunned because he never made his vow to the church. The author gives the reader an honest look at the challenges someone faces when they are in a wheelchair; and being in a wheelchair causes Jake to think he is unworthy of love. Rose is carrying around the guilt of the death of her father and sister. While she is a Christian who knows Jesus forgave her for her sins, she is unable to forgive herself. While there was a mystery in this story, I felt that it was actually secondary to the plot, with the main story being the relationship that develops between Rose and Jake.

There are a couple of subplots that add depth to the story. One is about Esther, a young Amish woman who lived with the Zook's while Mary Zook recovered. She falls in love with Elam Zook, but he is so busy wishing for someone that he can't have, that he doesn't see the love Esther has for him. The story of Becky, a young Amish girl sent to live with her grandparents when she became pregnant out of wedlock, was quite interesting as well.

The Christian message woven into this story was about forgiveness; not only about God's forgiveness, but also finding a way to forgive ourselves. The author does an outstanding job of weaving this message into the story without sounding preachy. She wraps the story up nicely, and then gives us a glimpse of Rose and Jake three years later in the epilogue.

A Rose Revealed by Gayle Roper is the third and final installment of The Amish Farm Trilogy. This book was first printed in 1999 with the title, The Decision. It can easily be read as a standalone novel. I haven't read the first two books in the series and had no problems diving into this one. Perfect for anyone who loves Amish fiction mixed with a bit of mystery and a great inspirational message.