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Shafer Farm #1

The Christmas Tree Keeper

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Though Angela Donovan is out of work and needs money for rent, she yearns for her eight-year-old daughter to have a carefree holiday. The last thing she wants is the pressure of her daughter expecting a miracle. But when they pick out a Christmas tree at a cozy Massachusetts tree farm that’s exactly what happens when they learn the trees might be miracle trees.


Mark Shafer is soon to be the new keeper of the Christmas trees when he inherits the family farm. He’d like to run it with a family of his own, but his girlfriend wants nothing to do with farm life. He makes plans to sell so he can propose to his girlfriend and pursue a career in music. Then he meets an unforgettable customer and her daughter, and an anonymous gift compels them to learn the truth about the trees.


With a buyer willing to pay top dollar for the land, Mark has the fate of the trees in his hand. Will he be able to see what and who is most important? And will Angela give the miracle of love a chance?

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 20, 2014

206 people are currently reading
642 people want to read

About the author

Tamara Passey

6 books24 followers

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5 stars
215 (45%)
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140 (29%)
3 stars
95 (20%)
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15 (3%)
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5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
Profile Image for Mischenko.
1,034 reviews94 followers
November 4, 2019
Did I ever fall in love with this sweet, Christmas story!

Angela is a single mom with an 8-year-old daughter named Caroline. Todd, her ex-husband, left years ago. She's now living in Sutton, Massachusetts with no money, job, or much support at all. She hates that her daughter should ever have to worry about how the bills are going to get paid. Angela truly needs to catch a break and just wants her daughter to have a happy Christmas.

When visiting a local Christmas tree farm, Papa Shafer, the owner, tells Caroline that the trees they sell are miracle trees, but only if you believe. Caroline is fascinated and can't wait to get their tree home, whereas Angela is afraid she'll get her hope's up only to be let down.

"I knew she was a believer. You see, you have to find the people with the light in their eye, not the skeptical ones. No tree on the lot can help them."

After bringing home their Christmas tree, strange things begin to happen. There's something magical about this Christmas tree farm and the 'miracle trees' that grow there. Angela is still skeptical and reluctant to believe that miracles really are possible.

What a wonderful story! There's actually a lot going on with the Shafer family which makes the plot interesting. I fell in love with the characters too, especially Papa Shafer with the love he has for the family tree farm. Caroline is really cute too; she's a typical curious 8-year-old who, even with her young age, brings positive energy to the story. The connections were neat, and for a book rather on the shorter side, the characters were well-developed. There were a couple annoying parts in the book just with a few characters and their decision-making, but they didn't last long and it all came together nicely in the end. By the conclusion of the book I was hoping for more development with the relationships, but then I noticed there's a second book and I'm excited to get started on it to see what will happen with everyone.

The Christmas Tree Keeper is a clean, holiday romance that really doesn't have much romance at all. It's a quick read, heartwarming, and will surely get you into the holiday spirit.

4.5****
Profile Image for Sally Hallman.
92 reviews2 followers
December 31, 2016
Sweet Christmas story

Liked this story a lot, quick read and kept me engaged thru-out. Interesting, well developed main characters and just enough twist to keep the pages turning. Merry Christmas romantics.
Profile Image for Destiny.
249 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It was recommended by friends of the author and I was expecting some cheesy Christmas romance. I was pleasantly surprised to discover I was wrong. While there is a hint of romance in the book, it is not the focal point of the story.

A fast read, it is well written and engaging. I am looking forward to the sequel.
Profile Image for Cherene.
366 reviews
December 8, 2014
Very cute story that reminds us that miracles happen and we just need to recognize them and embrace them when they do happen! A quick, fun, uplifting read.
Profile Image for Katie (hiding in the pages).
3,523 reviews332 followers
January 8, 2016
Angela is down on her luck and is doing everything she can to make ends meet. Determined to keep a promise to her daughter, Caroline, she goes to a tree lot to purchase a Christmas tree and something magical happens. The salesman tells her the tree is a miracle tree. Mark, the future owner of the tree farm and grandson of the current owner, doesn't want the responsibility and wants to sell to buy his dream home, follow his musical dreams, and keep his soon-to-be fiancee happy. Miracles happen all around in this enchanting holiday story.

Two words describe Angela best--obstinate and proud. I've never seen such stubborn pride! She is beyond determined not to receive a handout, no matter how badly she needs one. Despite her pride, she grew on me and I found myself liking her. Little Caroline is so sweet, blunt, and adorable!

Mark has a lot to learn about life and I loved the way events occurred to help him along his journey. I love the way he found his faith in life, love, and dreams.

The way the pieces to the puzzle of this story fit together really is magical and so much fun. There is a vague mystery woven in, along with a sweet, very gentle romance. I enjoyed this one but would have loved an epilogue.

Content: a moment of peril; very mild romance. Clean!
Profile Image for Nicki Conroy.
631 reviews11 followers
November 30, 2015
I love Christmas so it follows that books based around the holiday make my top list. This one was even better. It involves a Christmas tree farm. My forestry degree always makes me long for a real tree (allergies make that artificial one a better choice). Could not put this one down.
Profile Image for Brittany.
1,303 reviews203 followers
December 10, 2018
4 Christmas 🎄 Stars!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a fun and unique read! I was not expecting to like it as much as I did but I really enjoyed the mystery of it all! I had no idea it had a sequel as well. I’m glad it does though. It ends on such a cliffhanger that I can’t help but jump into the next one!
Profile Image for Anita Powers.
1,461 reviews41 followers
December 23, 2018
I enjoyed this story overall. Angela is a hard working mother that only wants the best for her daughter. Her daughter is so sweet and loves her mother and Christmas. It was great reading about the Shafer farm, I love Papa and Donna. For awhile I didn’t care for Mark but thankfully that changed. I love how Angela’s and Mark’s is connected and the ending is great.
Profile Image for Valerie Steimle.
Author 8 books12 followers
March 9, 2018
This story was a sweet Christmas story that was difficult to put down. The characters were real and the storyline carried me through to the end. Of course, the end does leave you hanging a little bit as there is a sequel but very enjoyable reading.
Profile Image for Heather Hart.
Author 69 books90 followers
January 1, 2016
Great book with an original plot. It's shorter than most novels, but that's perfect for the holiday season.
Profile Image for Natalia Cc.
34 reviews12 followers
December 24, 2018
It's my guilty pleasure to read Christmas Romance books in December. Even though they deserve in the real world of books 1-2 stars... so this one in its own category deserves 4 stars.
Profile Image for Connie Crawford-Koonce.
29 reviews1 follower
December 15, 2018
Keeper

I really enjoyed this story, several unexpected events made the characters very entertaining
Will recommend for a fun read.Aleady looking for the next adventure.
Profile Image for Maria Stoica.
Author 6 books20 followers
June 18, 2015
This is a Readers' Favorite review. https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi...

No one knew whether the miracles in Sutton, Massachusetts, were happening because of the Shafer miracle trees, but Papa Shafer believed they did and only to people who bought one of their Christmas trees. He only sold the trees to people who believed, people who had the light in their eyes. The Christmas Tree Keeper by Tamara Passey is a beautiful story about faith and love with a tad of pine scent. The Shafer Tree Farm, run by the Shafer family for nearly a century, is about to be passed down to Mark, Papa Shafer’s grandson. The young man would gladly take over the family business, but his girlfriend encourages him to sell the land and pursue his career in music since she doesn’t want to be around farm work. His doubts on selling increase, however, after he meets Angela and her daughter at the farm.

Angela, a single mother with a sharp, eight-year-old chatter-box is without a job and struggling with December's rent. She risks eviction just before the holidays, but she stoically bears her burden, trying to conceal it without much success from her all-seeing daughter. She promised her little one they would get a Christmas tree this year and when they go over to the Shafer tree farm, the miracles start happening from the cash register as someone had already paid for her tree. Both Mark and Angela’s faiths are put to the test as unusual events and coincidences start taking place in the days that follow, giving them a chance to make things right. Or are these opportunities miracles and are they really caused by the Shafer trees?

Lightly written and surprising are the words to best describe this novel. The skillfully built descriptions get the reader to feel the cozy environment of the small town of Sutton, and the dialogue is clever and well timed. The story flows on two narrative threads belonging to Angela and Mark’s perspectives. These characters’ mental remarks written in italics throughout the story are an added bonus to the reading experience since they emphasis the authenticity and humor of this book. I would recommend The Christmas Tree Keeper by Tamara Passey to anyone who could use a little slowing down in life’s rush.
Profile Image for Soquel.
Author 1 book30 followers
January 4, 2018
A spoiler-free review:

If you enjoy sweet romances, feel-good movies, and the Hallmark channel’s month-long marathon of Christmas stories, chances are good that you will also enjoy this charming book. Passey sticks to tried and true formulas but manages to throw a couple of twists in for good measure. This is a delightful story perfectly suited for the magical season of Christmas; a time of family, traditions, childlike innocence, forgiveness, hope, peace, and love.
Overworked yet under-employed single mother, Angela Donovan wants her young daughter Caroline to have the type of Christmas all children deserve. When they are anonymously gifted one of the legendary Shafer miracle trees, their lives begin to change – though Angela is unsure if it is for the better when her estranged mother re-enters her life after disowning her several years before.
Mark Shafer’s heritage deems him the next—and perhaps last— of the Christmas tree keepers. He feels conflicted between pursuing his passion for music and his obligations to the family legacy. Inheriting the farm from his grandfather triggers a renewal of Mark’s grief over the untimely loss of his parents— who should be running the farm now and some of his sacrificed dreams. The temptation to sell the farm for his other pursuits is at the heart of his conflict.
When Mark meets Angela his perspective begins to shift and he realizes that maybe his grandfather is right about the trees being miracle trees. At the heart of this story are two people, Angela and Mark, who both learn to value their roots while allowing new feelings to blossom.
Note: I liked this book and felt it worthy of 4 stars -which is a high compliment. I rarely give 5 stars and reserve them for books that stand apart from others for their masterful prose and original concepts and personal appeal factors. 4 stars=I really liked it 5 stars= I absolutely loved it.
1,475 reviews19 followers
December 31, 2016
Angela Donovan needs a miracle this Christmas but does she believe in them? Her daughter, Caroline, certainly does after a visit to the Shafer Christmas Tree Farm where she is told that the trees there can make miracles happen.

Angela has lost her job and is behind in her rent but she is determined to give Caroline as happy a Christmas as she possibly can. While looking at trees at the tree farm she and Caroline are approached by an elderly man who owns the farm and they are told that the special Shafer trees make miracles happen. Angela finds that hard to believe but when someone anonymously pays for her tree she begins to wonder.

Mark Shafer, the grandson of the owner, is hoping for a miracle or two himself. One, to get out of the Christmas tree business and two, to get his girlfriend to marry him.

Things go awry for both Angela and Mark for a time but the trees begin to change things for the better and both begin to believe in miracles.

I loved this story from beginning to end. I loved the characters and I especially loved the trees and how Grandpa Shafer takes care of them. He is trying to teach Mark how important the trees really are, how he can feel them when they are worried or happy and calm. He loves the tree farm which has been around for 5 generations of Shafers. He loves the history of the tree farm though there is some sadness in that history and he loves Mark who he hopes will takeover the farm sooner than later.

a must read for all Christmas lovers!
Profile Image for Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader).
1,481 reviews48 followers
December 18, 2022
Over the years, I've driven by a few Christmas tree farms but always during the summer. The trees of various sizes in the different rows in the fields visible from the road looked beautiful in the sparkling sunshine. Still, it didn't register the significant amount of work to take care of these trees year-round until reading this story. I have a new appreciation for the amount of work in cultivating each beautiful tree.

Angela Donovan and her daughter Caroline and Mark Shafer and Papa Shafer are all heartwarming characters for different reasons. Angela for trying to provide the best for her daughter even though she doesn't know how she will pay the overdue November rent, and now December's rent is due too. Angela must succeed, or she and her daughter will be homeless for Christmas. Caroline for her 8-year-old innocence and the delight of believing in the magic of Christmas, especially when Papa Shafer at the Christmas Tree farm tells her that the trees at Shafer's Tree Farm are "miracle trees." Mark Shafer is torn between wanting to pursue his dreams in the field of music, being attentive to his girlfriend, and yet not disappointing his grandfather, Papa Shafer. Papa Shafer doesn't say much, but he makes one feel the magical possibilities of "miracle trees." Or, in other words, "Yes, Caroline, there is a Santa Claus."
Profile Image for Sydney Jackson.
128 reviews4 followers
September 19, 2016
I am so glad I decided to buy this book! I went to a conference this past weekend and was able to meet the talented Tamara Passey, and I decided to give her book a chance. I love anything and everything about Christmas, and that is exactly what this book is about.

Angela just wants to make sure her daughter has a home for Christmas, but since she hasn't been able to find a job, and the deadline for her past-due rent is creeping up, she doesn't even know if that is going to happen.
Mark is trying to convince his grandpa to sell the Christmas tree farm that has been in their family for generations. His grandma doesn't approve, but Mark knows that this is the only way he will be able to buy the house he has always dreamed of, and finally convince his girlfriend that it is the right time for them to get married.

When Angela goes to get a tree for Christmas, she doesn't realize what is in store for her. Shafer family trees are magical and bring miracles to those who believe. Or at least that's what Papa Shafer says.

I stayed up far too late reading this book, but I was hooked! I highly recommend this book for anyone to read. It is clean, full of cute, quirky romance, and has characters you will love from the very beginning.
Profile Image for Trinity Rose.
434 reviews18 followers
December 20, 2015
This is the first book I’ve read that was written by Tamara Passey. I was very glad I got the chance to read The Christmas Tree Keeper.
Angela and Mark learn what family is really about in the novel and also you can’t always trust everyone you meet.
It all starts when Angela takes her young daughter to a Christmas Tree Farm to get their tree. They meet Mark and his grandfather. The strange thing is the grandfather said that the tree they took is a miracle tree all you have to do is believe. Angela is almost past believing.
Mark is thinking about selling the tree farm and getting a lot of money to buy a house and go into the music business.
You won’t believe all of the coincides that bring the two of them together. It seems they are always running into each other.
In The Christmas Tree Keeper we read about believing, not giving up, mending broken families and the one best thing Love. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the Author/Publicist for providing this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
4 reviews
January 29, 2018
The book started just fine; but the ending was very unsatisfying.

This is a very nice and heartwarming story. However, when you approach the end, all of the big reveals happen in only a few pages and there is no satisfactory resolution. Now if the sequel became part of the original book... then you'd have a better story (to my mind) even if the original book had a more substantial ending, with the promise of a sequel, that would have been better.
Profile Image for Robbie Bayler.
31 reviews
January 9, 2018
Wonderful

This book was written with a sweet simplicity that seemed to draw me into the lives of the characters and make me pull for them. It also made me long for them to see the miracles all around them. The interweaving of the characters was very well written and the ending perfect, except it left me longing for more.👍👍
323 reviews2 followers
November 29, 2018
Great 👍 Story.

I enjoyed this book immensely from beginning to end. I read it in one day. I did not want to put it down. The characters were delightful ,likeable and interesting. I love trees so found this story enchanting and fun.
Profile Image for Sassafrass.
3,204 reviews103 followers
February 16, 2019
This was syrupy sweet and a little too short but wasn't bad overall. I thought that there was a lot unfinished so I think there will likely be a follow up at some point. I don't know if I could truly call it Romance but it had romantic elements.

408 reviews8 followers
January 5, 2018
Review

I loved the whole story and all the characters. I think it's interesting the way life takes people. I do believe in miracles
Profile Image for Thereadingbell.
1,433 reviews40 followers
December 4, 2019
Angela is down on her luck and is doing everything she can to make ends meet. Determined to keep a promise to her daughter, Caroline, she goes to a tree lot to purchase a Christmas tree. The salesman tells her the tree is a miracle tree. Mark, the future owner of the tree farm and grandson of the current owner, doesn't want the responsibility and wants to sell to buy his dream home, follow his musical dreams, and keep his soon-to-be fiancee happy. Miracles happen all around in this enchanting holiday story.

Angela is best described as stubborn and proud. She is beyond determined not to receive a handout, no matter how badly she needs one. Despite her pride, she grows on you as a character. Her daughter Caroline believes in the tree being a miracle and it makes the story good in the belief that a child believes in the miracle. You as the reader become invested in the miracles coming true for Caroline and her mother Angela.

Mark has a lot to learn about life and I loved the way events occurred to help him along his journey. Mark finds his faith along the way that opens him up to love and a better life.

This is a feel good holiday story and you do feel the hope and watch the miracles happen. This is what we all dream Christmas to be like.
Profile Image for Kathy .
1,303 reviews3 followers
November 20, 2019
Sweet Christmas story

This was a nice feel good story about Christmas and the miracles it creates. Angela is a single mother struggling to put food on the table. Mark is a man lloking for a future that doesn't include his family's tree farm. But a little Christmas magic will change their lives forever.
Profile Image for Nancy.
1,610 reviews50 followers
December 10, 2018
The first part of the book had an interesting story. There were problems within different families. I thought those problems were too easily resolved at the end of the book. The end of the book was over too quickly, and it didn't satisfy.
Profile Image for Lisa.
280 reviews
November 30, 2016
Cute Christmas read. Simple in its delivery, but the story was nice. A little too corny at the end, but I am still interested in reading the next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews

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