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A review by rjordan19
Roses in Red Wax by Louise Mayberry
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 (there’s a mix of scenes but a few are on the shorter side)
Humor: Yes, a bit
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and the heroine.
Should I read in order?
This is Louise Mayberry’s debut! Hooray!
Basic plot:
Jane has been dealt a cruel hand in life and when Percy comes in and makes her feel, she does her best to protect her heart from more pain.
Give this a try if you want:
- Scotland 1820s
- Musically inclined hero
- Botanist heroine
- epistolary – there’s a lovely section of letters written between the mains
- Heroine rescues hero
- opposites attract – our heroine is a bit closed off and reserved while the hero is a roaming free spirit
- Emotionally strong hero (hero cries)
- mix of romance, intrigue, and suspense
- well researched events and conditions of the setting/time period
- LGBT positive – a brief mention of friends that are gay
My thoughts:
What an absolutely delightful, unique, and emotional debut from Louise Mayberry!
I really fell in love with this novel. When I read the synopsis I was wondering if it would be a read that most of the focus was on the politics of the time including the mills and child labor laws and lacking on the romance. I didn’t find that AT ALL. It was the best of all the worlds – a blending of beautiful prose, heartbreaking research that created a rich back drop, and a couple that wrapped their story into my heart.
Percy is such a romantic at heart and I just adored him. His musician spirit was so special and I love how well he saw Jane’s heart from the beginning. He does suffer from the “I will never marry bug” but it’s done in a way that didn’t feel overused and I loved his head over heels tumble for Jane.
Jane is more of a prickly character with some mystery to her past at first. But I fell for Jane too and her sadness had me longing for her happily ever after so badly. I may have teared up at a part near the end when she is able to release herself from guilt that has held her heart captive and that is quite a compliment for my heart made of stone.
Some authors just make me pause and reread passages because I love the writing so much and I found this with Mayberry’s writing. So very happy to have found this new voice in the world of historical romance and can’t wait for more!
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:
Ugh it is SO CUTE
“My thanks.” He tucked the cloth into his pocket. “I’ll have it laundered and returned to you.” He would do no such thing. He would keep that handkerchief as long as it smelled of her.
---
Uncomplicated, uncontrived beauty.
Their eyes met for a split second, then she turned away, her cheeks suddenly stained pink.
---
I love how inspired he is with her
What he felt was more precious than simple arousel. It was inspiration, the purest and most powerful he’d ever felt.
Already he had two new compositions floating in the back of his mind. The first was a vivace – lighthearted and joyful. It was the moment she’d interrupted him. Their inane back and forth. Her laughter. She was a viola, rich and smooth. Playful. He was a pianoforte, bubbling up around her, lifting her up. The other was slower. A sultry, warm adagietto. Her viola played an airy, shimmering tremolo. His pianoforte, the melody of seduction . . .
---
“Jane.” His voice lowered to that same dark, sultry tone she remembered from their encounter in the dining room. She opened her mouth to respond, to admonish him for using her name, but he held up a hand, commanding her silence. “Don’t. Move.”
He closed the distance between them. Once stair. Two stairs. Then he was on the tread just below her. His breath was ragged in the silence. His scent enveloped her, weaving together with the sunlight, strengthening the enchantment that held her in place.
Content warnings:
- Mention of hero’s father being paralyzed from an accident
- Scenes/talk of child labor and unsafe labor practices
- Mention of 10-12 year old holding a baby in a poverty filled area of town
- Imprisonment and torture of the hero
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Prologue – implied sex
10% - brief mention of hero masturbation
53% - 🔥 kisses, breast play, oral for her (bedroom)
69% - heroine masturbation (short)
93% - 🔥 kisses, oral/fingering for her, missionary (bedroom)
98% - 🔥 blow job (incomplete), her on top (it’s pretty short) (bedroom)
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 (there’s a mix of scenes but a few are on the shorter side)
Humor: Yes, a bit
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and the heroine.
Should I read in order?
This is Louise Mayberry’s debut! Hooray!
Basic plot:
Jane has been dealt a cruel hand in life and when Percy comes in and makes her feel, she does her best to protect her heart from more pain.
Give this a try if you want:
- Scotland 1820s
- Musically inclined hero
- Botanist heroine
- epistolary – there’s a lovely section of letters written between the mains
- Heroine rescues hero
- opposites attract – our heroine is a bit closed off and reserved while the hero is a roaming free spirit
- Emotionally strong hero (hero cries)
- mix of romance, intrigue, and suspense
- well researched events and conditions of the setting/time period
- LGBT positive – a brief mention of friends that are gay
My thoughts:
What an absolutely delightful, unique, and emotional debut from Louise Mayberry!
I really fell in love with this novel. When I read the synopsis I was wondering if it would be a read that most of the focus was on the politics of the time including the mills and child labor laws and lacking on the romance. I didn’t find that AT ALL. It was the best of all the worlds – a blending of beautiful prose, heartbreaking research that created a rich back drop, and a couple that wrapped their story into my heart.
Percy is such a romantic at heart and I just adored him. His musician spirit was so special and I love how well he saw Jane’s heart from the beginning. He does suffer from the “I will never marry bug” but it’s done in a way that didn’t feel overused and I loved his head over heels tumble for Jane.
Jane is more of a prickly character with some mystery to her past at first. But I fell for Jane too and her sadness had me longing for her happily ever after so badly. I may have teared up at a part near the end when she is able to release herself from guilt that has held her heart captive and that is quite a compliment for my heart made of stone.
Some authors just make me pause and reread passages because I love the writing so much and I found this with Mayberry’s writing. So very happy to have found this new voice in the world of historical romance and can’t wait for more!
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:
Ugh it is SO CUTE
“My thanks.” He tucked the cloth into his pocket. “I’ll have it laundered and returned to you.” He would do no such thing. He would keep that handkerchief as long as it smelled of her.
---
Uncomplicated, uncontrived beauty.
Their eyes met for a split second, then she turned away, her cheeks suddenly stained pink.
---
I love how inspired he is with her
What he felt was more precious than simple arousel. It was inspiration, the purest and most powerful he’d ever felt.
Already he had two new compositions floating in the back of his mind. The first was a vivace – lighthearted and joyful. It was the moment she’d interrupted him. Their inane back and forth. Her laughter. She was a viola, rich and smooth. Playful. He was a pianoforte, bubbling up around her, lifting her up. The other was slower. A sultry, warm adagietto. Her viola played an airy, shimmering tremolo. His pianoforte, the melody of seduction . . .
---
“Jane.” His voice lowered to that same dark, sultry tone she remembered from their encounter in the dining room. She opened her mouth to respond, to admonish him for using her name, but he held up a hand, commanding her silence. “Don’t. Move.”
He closed the distance between them. Once stair. Two stairs. Then he was on the tread just below her. His breath was ragged in the silence. His scent enveloped her, weaving together with the sunlight, strengthening the enchantment that held her in place.
Content warnings:
- Mention of hero’s father being paralyzed from an accident
- Scenes/talk of child labor and unsafe labor practices
- Mention of 10-12 year old holding a baby in a poverty filled area of town
- Imprisonment and torture of the hero
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Prologue – implied sex
10% - brief mention of hero masturbation
53% - 🔥 kisses, breast play, oral for her (bedroom)
69% - heroine masturbation (short)
93% - 🔥 kisses, oral/fingering for her, missionary (bedroom)
98% - 🔥 blow job (incomplete), her on top (it’s pretty short) (bedroom)