He was never so happy as the day they met, now he’s never been so scared to lose her. Jeff and Michelle’s lives had felt as perfect as their love for one another. A successful family business, wonderful children, and the hope of a long life together… until an inoperable brain tumor threatens to destroy the happily ever after they thought was guaranteed. Will faith and sacrifice be enough to save the woman he can’t imagine life without?
Award-winning author, Vickie Fisher lives on a nineteen acre farm in Westminster, MD. She enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, whom she believes are God’s greatest gifts. During the day she works at Amtrak, as a Chief Entitlement Clerk. In her spare time she enjoys taking pictures of nature, and then writing about it. She believes her purpose in life is to inspire and encourage others to look beyond the surface to the awareness that yes, God is here, longing to offer us comfort, encouragement, strength, and wisdom to handle life's problems. All we need to do is open our eyes to the gift around us, Nature.
Jeff and Michelle Stevens have the perfect life. A nice house, two well-behaved children and a hillside full of tulips they plant each year to count their blessings.
But as Michelle's headaches worsen, she finally see's a doctor and learns she has a brain tumor with just weeks left to live.
Stumbling around obstacles they never imagined, the family continues to pray for a miracle. But will God answer their prayers and will Michelle make it to see Tulips of Love day?
A very strong subject of both family and faith. At times, I felt the story was a bit unbelievable with children so anxious to set the table and help clean up, but at other times it did remind me just how vulnerable we all are. At any given moment, God can chose to call us home and we must answer...unless you're Michelle, then you might just miraculously recover without a scratch.
One of the most inspirational tales I've read in a long while. A strong current of faith in the throes of adversity ebbs and flows in Ms. Fisher's latest work. In fact, Jeff and Michelle might be the intended and traditional main characters in this Christian novel, but faith is such a strong theme throughout that it becomes a character in its own right. The author isn't afraid to shine a light on her characters' seeds of doubt, however, even as they come to terms with it. The story is fast paced, and I read it in a matter of hours as it is difficult to put down. That said, a faster read might be had if not for my blurred vision inspired by the author's tugging on my heart strings. I definitely recommend it to anyone in need of some inspirational reading and definitely all Christian readers. Great job!
Tulips of Love is the best inspirational romance I have ever read. Having written about cancer myself, I feel like Vickie Fisher does an excellent job portraying the struggle of accepting such a difficult reality for everyone involved. The characters are so lovable you wish you were a part of their family. Michelle and Jeff's relationship is inspiring. Beth and Jack are super adorable. All of the supporting characters have an important role that makes you want to know more about them and where they are coming from. One of my favorite aspects of the book is that it is full of faith without ever feeling preachy. I actually finished the book feeling like my faith had changed for the better. If Tulips of Love isn't already on your "Want to Read" list, you need to add it right now.
A great feel-good/tearjerking story if there ever was one. At its core, it's about the bonds of a loving family in the face of adversity and their powerful relationship with God.
Each chapter has amazingly memorable scenes that bring the characters to life. I loved the faith struggles that each of the main characters face, particularly the children. Those sections were equally heart-breaking and heart-warming.
Love, family and faith come together in a beautiful balance despite difficult trials and tribulations.
Jeff loves his wife, Michelle, and children very much. When a headache is followed by Michelle passing out, it's discovered that she has a brain tumor. Unable to remove it, she's told she could die the next day or in months. Michelle and Jeff see every day as a blessing, even when Michelle's health deteriorates. But despite their love, they are sometimes pushed to their limits.
This is a new genre for me, and I'm glad I had a chance to read it. It's an inspiring read, where the family and friends hold together and have each others' back no matter how hard things get. The writing flows very nicely and allowed me to dive into their lives. Everything feels so natural, making it easy to sympathize with the family and feel for every member. The characters behave as any person would, never feeling forced or fake. And while it's a bit slower paced than my usual read, it's these precious moments of love and life which really hit home.
The relationship between husband and wife was simply wonderful to read. The support they give each other, even when they disagree, just warms the heart. The Bible verses flow in well and fit the circumstances. And the Christian aspect is built into their lives seamlessly. It's a lovely read and I'll be reading more from this author in the future.
A wonderful example of what an ideal Christian family looks like even in the face of devastating news that a young mother is gravely ill. What a super idea to plant a tulip to commemorate a blessing. What a dream come true for a faithful believing husband to consider every hour with his wife to be a blessing resulting in a riot of blossoms on the hill. I would recommend this book to believing friends who worship Jesus. It reminds me of all the positive things everyone hopes for in life in terms of loving relationships and loyal and helpful friends and family to be there for you in your hard times as well as good times. My favorite character was Dr Carson who was first a scientist, but kept an open mind about miracles and things that couldn’t be explained logically. I took away two positive behaviors to add to my family life. One is kissing my spouse on the top of his head. The other is keeping track of my blessings so I can plant a bed of tulips in the fall.
Perfect for the Christian group or bible study class who want to show the power of prayer. A mix of a perfect family, perfect love and perfect faith makes for a story that reaches your heart but fights your head. After Michelle's headaches are proven to be a brain tumor the family's unwavering faith is never challenged in the least. It makes for a strong background but also creates a bit of a boring story-line. I do wish the story had a touch more realism, even though her failing health with all its medical connotations are written to the T. I wanted to see the characters fleshed out better, but then it is well written so you don't really notice unless you have a trained eye. I really do wish things had turned out differently in the end, so their faith could be tested characters grown and their status quo changed but alas tis not to be.
Tulips of Love is a potent tale of faith and love. When Michelle receives the life threatening diagnosis of a brain tumor, it shatters her family’s idyllic life. You fall in love with the carefully crafted characters created by author Vickie Fisher, feel their turmoil, and share their joy when they find hope. The powerful story takes you inside the trials and the triumphs created by a family illness, enlightening your spirit. For anyone who believes in the power of God, a must read!
This is a well-written Christian inspirational book with the theme of faith and healing. Normally I would not be attracted to this kind of novel, since much of it is based on romance and incorporates many biblical quotes. However, I did enjoy the author's writing style and character development.
The book focuses on a family (Jeff and Michelle and their two children) who have developed a tradition of planting tulips every fall. Every spring, when the tulips bloom simultaneously, they celebrate with tulip tea, tulip pancakes, and other fun things to welcome in the springtime. It's a fun thing for the entire family. Even their dog, Shadow, seems to get into the act.
However, Michelle develops terrible headaches and gets the awful news that she has an inoperable brain tumor. Her physician delivers the devastating news that she'll probably not live long, and, of course, won't be around for the revelation of next year's tulips.
The family prays for a miracle. Their friends at church also pray. They read biblical passages and find pertinent sections to give them comfort, all while Michelle's headaches worsen and her physical condition deteriorates.
Somehow, through all their trials and tribulations, they maintain their faith, thanks to family and friends. They have tremendous support. They also have a beautiful home in an idyllic setting, no apparent financial issues (and can work from home), horses to feed, and a dog who can sniff out potential seizure.
I don't want to give away more of the plot; I will, however, say that as someone who has lost a mother, father and sister to cancer, I can attest that the author has realistically described some of the medical issues people with cancer undergo. One's faith--no matter if Christian or otherwise--is tested while dealing with a cancer diagnosis, and the author captures this as Jeff and Michelle face the journey.
I believe this novel is perfect for a Christian book club. The author wraps the inspirational story in a neat package.
The story takes place over one year, a year that changes everything. This is a family love story believing through the hard times. It is easy to have faith when life is good. In this story the family learns to lean on God when it looks like they are about to lose the one they deeply love.
What a beautiful heart-warming story. Have tissues ready! This moved me to a more thankful life. Can’t recommend it more highly, just lovely. I will never be able to see a Tulip without remembering this lovely story of faith.
I love the premise of the story. Michelle and Jeff have a large garden of varied tulips, they planted a tulip for each of their blessing. Every year the family celebrates the blooming of the tulips. How sweet is that? There are times when I had tears in my eyes though reading about what the family, especially Michelle goes through. I loved and appreciated how the family handled their crisis. What a lovely story.