Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - The Widow of Rose House

Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller

6 reviews

amy_in_the_city's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a sweet romance with a good mix of humor, sadness, and a ghost mystery. Sam reminded me a lot of The Doctor from Doctor Who. I loved that he was a golden retriever type who was totally smitten with Alva right from the start and really loved that he was persistent without being pushy or disrespecting Alva's boundaries.

Alva was also a great character. I felt for her struggle to forge her own path and establish a life for herself after a terrible marriage. She was also very witty, and her banter with Sam was top-notch. I enjoyed watching how they both

got their revenge on Alva's awful parents

and that Sam listened to Alva's wishes on how to proceed instead of charging in and doing things his way.

The side characters were interesting too. I loved the Moore family and will definitely be checking out the author's other books which feature them. I don't see a book yet for Henry, but I hope one is in the works because he was really great and I'd love to learn more about his mysterious tragic backstory.

The only thing that knocks off half a star from my rating is that the book had some odd pacing. The first 20% of the book is mostly spent following Sam as he does research. There were long sections entirely focused on the relationship alternating with long sections entirely focused on the ghost investigation. I thought the two storylines could have been mixed in together a bit more.

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rhythmofryn's review

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emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I felt like this book was really getting into insta-love territory for a while and the sex scenes felt very out of place and random :/ If there hadn’t been any sex, it would be a 5⭐️ read from me.

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asmaa_arqawi's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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wilybooklover's review

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

5.0

What a pleasant surprise. I went into this not having heard much about it, and therefore with quite low expectations. What I got was a beautiful, unexpectedly poignant story about growth, healing, and learning to believe in love again.

The heroine, Alva, has not had an easy time in life. She was let down in huge ways by her parents and her deceased abusive husband and wrongfully pilloried in the press; it’s no wonder she’s so closed-off and a little bit grumpy. It was truly wonderful seeing her open up and learn to trust again throughout this book.

Sam was the perfect hero to pair with Alva. An absent-minded professor type with the personality of a golden retriever, he’s so intrinsically good and caring at heart that even Alva can’t resist his charm. His caring and patient nature was perfectly showcased during their first sex scene,

where Alva dissociates and has a traumatic flashback. Sam notices, immediately stops what he’s doing and checks in with her in one of the most wonderful depictions of consent I’ve ever seen in a romance.

There were only two love scenes in total, but they were ever so romantic and deeply sexy.

This does have a bit of a gothic/spooky vibe what with the ghost and haunted house, but I wouldn’t let that deter you if it’s not your usual thing. It’s more of a background atmosphere for most of the book.

My only criticisms are that the dialogue felt quite modern at times, and I’m not sure that

the blackmail plot

was necessary. But I didn’t feel like it detracted from the story or affected my enjoyment at all.

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elizalavenza's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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ehmannky's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I loved this. It's a beautifully written ghost story where the real horror is the abusive things that rich people do to those they believe less powerful than them. I loved Alva and Sam, and I thought both of their arcs were done really well. It's just a lovely romance through and through, but if you're picking it up you should know there's a lot of discussion of domestic abuse (from Alva's previous husband). Also the resolution with the ghost was beautiful 10/10.

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