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A review by thebooknerdscorner
The Solitary Rose by Anne Rollins
4.0
A regency romance set in a magical world that's filled with banter, romance, and a plentiful helping of spice.
Henry Dawson is a fallen noble, one that works his hardest to support his younger siblings and his mother's extravagant taste. After his father's sudden death, he's had little more to support himself with than his wits and his skill as a sorcerer. Desperate for cash, he accepts a job cataloging the books in a nobleman's library. It turns out Lord Ainsworth actually wants to hire Henry to woo and court his niece. With little choice, Henry accepts the job. Upon meeting Emma Ainsworth, Henry soon realizes that he has signed up for more than he had bargained for. Can Henry escape the house before Emma becomes the undoing of him. . . Or will he be forced to act on the passion that he is desperately trying to suppress?
I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this one. Lately, I've felt that historical fiction has felt rather boring, but this one was anything but that. It was romantic, entertaining, and even quite comical!
Emma and Henry have such an interesting chemistry. Emma starts out hating him due to the fact that her uncle hired Henry to woo her, but she eventually finds herself warming to the young gentleman. Henry decides that since Emma seems to hate him, he'll back out of the agreement as soon as possible. When unexpected circumstances lead to Henry's stay being extended, the two find themselves constantly confined to small quarters, which has them frequently bickering with one another. Obviously, this bickering soon turns positive, and they begin to shift into friendlier territory as the book progresses.
The magic is pretty subtle in this book, but also quite interesting. There are sorcerers and wizards that practice magic that allows them to do all sorts of things. Henry pretty much only uses his magic to shield his thoughts from others. This is important, because Emma is a highly sensitive empath who can sense other's thoughts so viscerally that it can often be painful. I think this alludes a bit to neurotypical people and how sensitive they are to loud noises and other people's actions. I can't confirm this, but that's how I viewed Emma's magic.
The way that this one talks about physical beauty versus inner beauty was quite nice, in my opinion. Emma is marked by smallpox scars, which has many suitors turning away from her in disgust, despite the large fortune that she has. She often feels that people only perceive her as the scars on her face and the money in her pockets. Henry is the first young man to look at her deeper than that, which has her greatly puzzled and intrigued.
Another thing I found interesting in this one is the discussion of virtue and premarital sex. This book is set in 1814 England, so these topics are obviously viewed a bit different than they are today. Henry is a young man who feels he owes it to his future wife to never bed another women. Emma, on the other hand, is a fair maiden who wants to test out whether she could manage to have sex without being in pain due to her abilities as an empath. Emma doesn't understand why Henry is unwilling to go to bed with her if she is willing. After all, society only seems to pressure young women into remaining chaste and virtuous until their marriage bed. I found this book to open a lovely discussion about such topics, and I thought it was interesting to compare their beliefs to the world that we are currently living in. Also, I am always down for something that highlights how different society's unfair expectations are towards men and women.
I thought the ending of this book was very cute. Henry and Emma are both stubborn and foolish, so they get themselves into quite the pickle when their tongues were a bit too loose during a battle of wits. However, the way that everything is resolved was very romantic and sweet despite it being a tad silly. I found the ending to come all too soon, but I was pleased that the ending was mostly positive.
Overall, "The Solitary Rose" was a fun historical fantasy brimming with romantic tension. I found the way that Henry and Emma constantly jab at one another to be quite comical and entertaining to read. The discussions about physical beauty versus inner beauty as well as those involving premarital intercourse are well written and open great paths for discussion. I'd say this one certainly reads as a regency rom com with a hint of magic, so if that sounds up your alleyway, I'd recommend checking this one out!
Henry Dawson is a fallen noble, one that works his hardest to support his younger siblings and his mother's extravagant taste. After his father's sudden death, he's had little more to support himself with than his wits and his skill as a sorcerer. Desperate for cash, he accepts a job cataloging the books in a nobleman's library. It turns out Lord Ainsworth actually wants to hire Henry to woo and court his niece. With little choice, Henry accepts the job. Upon meeting Emma Ainsworth, Henry soon realizes that he has signed up for more than he had bargained for. Can Henry escape the house before Emma becomes the undoing of him. . . Or will he be forced to act on the passion that he is desperately trying to suppress?
I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this one. Lately, I've felt that historical fiction has felt rather boring, but this one was anything but that. It was romantic, entertaining, and even quite comical!
Emma and Henry have such an interesting chemistry. Emma starts out hating him due to the fact that her uncle hired Henry to woo her, but she eventually finds herself warming to the young gentleman. Henry decides that since Emma seems to hate him, he'll back out of the agreement as soon as possible. When unexpected circumstances lead to Henry's stay being extended, the two find themselves constantly confined to small quarters, which has them frequently bickering with one another. Obviously, this bickering soon turns positive, and they begin to shift into friendlier territory as the book progresses.
The magic is pretty subtle in this book, but also quite interesting. There are sorcerers and wizards that practice magic that allows them to do all sorts of things. Henry pretty much only uses his magic to shield his thoughts from others. This is important, because Emma is a highly sensitive empath who can sense other's thoughts so viscerally that it can often be painful. I think this alludes a bit to neurotypical people and how sensitive they are to loud noises and other people's actions. I can't confirm this, but that's how I viewed Emma's magic.
The way that this one talks about physical beauty versus inner beauty was quite nice, in my opinion. Emma is marked by smallpox scars, which has many suitors turning away from her in disgust, despite the large fortune that she has. She often feels that people only perceive her as the scars on her face and the money in her pockets. Henry is the first young man to look at her deeper than that, which has her greatly puzzled and intrigued.
Another thing I found interesting in this one is the discussion of virtue and premarital sex. This book is set in 1814 England, so these topics are obviously viewed a bit different than they are today. Henry is a young man who feels he owes it to his future wife to never bed another women. Emma, on the other hand, is a fair maiden who wants to test out whether she could manage to have sex without being in pain due to her abilities as an empath. Emma doesn't understand why Henry is unwilling to go to bed with her if she is willing. After all, society only seems to pressure young women into remaining chaste and virtuous until their marriage bed. I found this book to open a lovely discussion about such topics, and I thought it was interesting to compare their beliefs to the world that we are currently living in. Also, I am always down for something that highlights how different society's unfair expectations are towards men and women.
I thought the ending of this book was very cute. Henry and Emma are both stubborn and foolish, so they get themselves into quite the pickle when their tongues were a bit too loose during a battle of wits. However, the way that everything is resolved was very romantic and sweet despite it being a tad silly. I found the ending to come all too soon, but I was pleased that the ending was mostly positive.
Overall, "The Solitary Rose" was a fun historical fantasy brimming with romantic tension. I found the way that Henry and Emma constantly jab at one another to be quite comical and entertaining to read. The discussions about physical beauty versus inner beauty as well as those involving premarital intercourse are well written and open great paths for discussion. I'd say this one certainly reads as a regency rom com with a hint of magic, so if that sounds up your alleyway, I'd recommend checking this one out!