Scan barcode
amy_in_the_city's review
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 bothgot 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.
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Mental illness, Sexism, Confinement, and Infidelity
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Murder
valkyrie1's review
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Death
juliana_reads's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Mental illness
wilybooklover's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death, Body horror, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Suicide
elizalavenza's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
crystalisreading's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
While I don't read a lot of historical romance anymore, Beth from b. and her books highly recommended The Widow of Rose House, and the premise (and B.'s promise of muscular forearms) intrigued me. And she was right! The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller was delightful. I can be a grinch about subgenres I don't fancy, and both ghost stories and historic romance are on my skeptical list, but books like this are snapping me out of that. Was the ghost story my favorite part of this book? No, but it gave us a glimpse of some important injustices of the time. And the romance was 100% everything I loved about the book.
From the clever, absentminded, brilliant, tender hero Professor Samuel Moore to the lovely and elegant but cautious, guarded heroine Alva Webster, and to include Samuel's over-the-top mad scientist family and Alva's ebullient maid, the characters were delightful--except for when they weren't, as in Alva's subtly threatening family by marriage, or her coldly cruel family of birth. This isn't a light story--Alva has been through so many different kinds of trauma, and it takes Samuel's combination of confidence and enthusiasm mixed with tenderness and patience to unlock her frozen, guarded heart.
The setting added something to the charm too, I suspect. I appreciated the originality of the story. Yes, Alva and Samuel are both upper class wealthy white Americans, And no, there's not a lot of diversity in their world. But Alva's status as a disgraced woman and Samuel's family's eccentric scientists created a Gilded Age world that felt fresh and new and delightful. There's also several aspects of mental health representation that manage to be both respectful and yet appropriate to the time. I enjoyed the world that the author built up around these two characters, and look forward to spending more time in that world in future books.
So, in summary, The Widow of Rose House is a lovely Gilded Age romance, full of little details that help to create a sense of historical authenticity, and centered around a romance that is as wholesome and healthy and supportive and emotional as it is passionate. I highly recommend it and cannot wait for the next book!
From the clever, absentminded, brilliant, tender hero Professor Samuel Moore to the lovely and elegant but cautious, guarded heroine Alva Webster, and to include Samuel's over-the-top mad scientist family and Alva's ebullient maid, the characters were delightful--except for when they weren't, as in Alva's subtly threatening family by marriage, or her coldly cruel family of birth. This isn't a light story--Alva has been through so many different kinds of trauma, and it takes Samuel's combination of confidence and enthusiasm mixed with tenderness and patience to unlock her frozen, guarded heart.
The setting added something to the charm too, I suspect. I appreciated the originality of the story. Yes, Alva and Samuel are both upper class wealthy white Americans, And no, there's not a lot of diversity in their world. But Alva's status as a disgraced woman and Samuel's family's eccentric scientists created a Gilded Age world that felt fresh and new and delightful. There's also several aspects of mental health representation that manage to be both respectful and yet appropriate to the time. I enjoyed the world that the author built up around these two characters, and look forward to spending more time in that world in future books.
So, in summary, The Widow of Rose House is a lovely Gilded Age romance, full of little details that help to create a sense of historical authenticity, and centered around a romance that is as wholesome and healthy and supportive and emotional as it is passionate. I highly recommend it and cannot wait for the next book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
More...