About the Book:
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: Diana Biller
Published on : 8th October 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Page Count: 352
Blurb:
A young widow restores a dilapidated mansion with the assistance of a charming, eccentric genius, only to find the house is full of dangerous secrets in this effervescent Gilded Age debut novel.
It’s 1875, and Alva Webster has perfected her stiff upper lip after three years of being pilloried in the presses of two continents over fleeing her abusive husband. Now his sudden death allows her to return to New York to make a fresh start, restoring Liefdehuis, a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion, and hopefully her reputation at the same time. However, fresh starts aren’t as easy as they seem, as Alva discovers when stories of a haunting at Liefdehuis begin to reach her. But Alva doesn’t believe in ghosts. So when the eccentric and brilliant professor, Samuel Moore, appears and informs her that he can get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounds Liefdehuis, she turns him down flat. She doesn’t need any more complications in her life―especially not a handsome, convention-flouting, scandal-raising one like Sam. Unfortunately, though Alva is loath to admit it, Sam, a pioneer in electric lighting and a member of the nationally-adored Moore family of scientists, is the only one who can help. Together, the two delve into the tragic secrets wreathing Alva’s new home while Sam attempts to unlock Alva’s history―and her heart. Set during the Gilded Age in New York City, The Widow of Rose House is a gorgeous debut by Diana Biller, with a darkly Victorian Gothic flair and an intrepid and resilient American heroine guaranteed to delight readers.
ARC Book Review: The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller
Diana Biller’s debut Gothic Romance, The Widow of Rose House takes the readers way back to 1875 New York. A heroine hounded by gossip who wants to rise above her traumatic past to live her life her way and an eccentric, genius scientist with a heart of gold make for a very interesting and pleasant reading in this latest Gothic Historical Romance from St. Martin’s Griffin. As if this is not lure enough, there is also a ghost and a haunted mansion!
I only got attracted towards this book because of the blurb and the fact that I have just started reading gothic historical romances and come to love this genre. The title doesn’t do justice to the awesome story within and the cover also pales in comparison to the splendid narrative inside.
The story starts a bit slow but I got interested in it right from the beginning. The mystery around Alva and Dr. Samuel Moore whose mind is always working on his latest inventions, the strength of this book is the romance between these two poles apart personalities. The banter between them and then the memorable dialogues that not only touched my heart but also made me fall in love with these people had me sitting glued to my seat right until the very end. I drank too many cups of tea, ate too much cake and totally lazed around oblivious to the world while I followed Alva and Sam, all the way rooting for them!
I absolutely adored Sam. He is not at all like the alpha overbearing heroes we find in almost all the books but a man comfortable in his life. He is sweet, patient and willing to let the heroine lead where she is more knowledgeable. The way he convinces Alva of their mutual love was so beautifully done.
“Love isn’t naive, Alva. It’s hope, and it’s faith, and it can outlast buildings and wars and empires…”
I loved meeting the Moore family and I am so eager to read about their stories in the future. Diana please write about them!
I wanted to know what happened with Alva’s family and if they realised their mistakes but was disappointed when we didn’t get a closure.
The ghost angle took a backseat for majority of the story and then picked up at the end. I think this angle could have been handled better. However, the end wrapped it up beautifully.
This book tackles the sensitive topics of abuse, mental illness and the feminism with poise and without taking sides, the author frankly showcases the societal handling of these topics in 1875. My heart broke for the victims and I felt powerless to do something for them which made Alva’s character all the more powerful because she is the woman in that time of gender inequality who wants to make a difference with no support from anyone.
The narration is fluid and the world building so realistic that I easily visualised the New York of 1875. Diana Biller has the talent for writing and I wish her the very best. I hope I get to read lots more from her in the future.
All in all, The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller is a splendid ghost hunting gothic historical romance with a story about overcoming challenges to pave the path for our dreams, of finding love, redemption and taking chances in life. Full of memorable quotes with vibrant characters that stay with us long after the end of the story and sprinkled with ghostly apparitions, this is an entertaining, evocative and at times chilling book that Njkinny recommends to everyone. 4 stars out of 5 to it from me, go grab it at a discounted rate right now!
“He was in love.
It wasn’t a shocking statement; he didn’t recoil in surprise. It was the answer to a question he hadn’t been quite aware he was asking, and now that it was here, it was like it had always been true: a quiet, permanent underlying fact that made everything else in his life make sense. He saw it and acknowledged it, even with the whisper that told him being in love with a woman like Alva was going to complicate things. There was nothing to be done- he was in love with her, he always would be, and that was that. she was his person. If she was complicated, then he loved her complications too.
She was the other side of his story…”
I received an ARC from the publishers, St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley and I am very thankful to them. The above is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Buy From:
About the Author:
Diana Biller lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their very good dog. ‘The Widow of Rose House’ is her debut novel.
For more information about Diana please visit her website. Or visit her on Twitter.
Giveaway:
Open to US and Canada.
Ends 22th October.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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“What are you reading?” Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted on Njkinny’s Blog where spotlights the books I am currently reading and/or recommend.
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Oooh this sounds like it could be good, I'll add it to my Goodreads. Thanks for sharing this with all of us!
Welcome. 🙂
This sounds like a great book! I love to read, so I'll have to enter the giveaway!
I enjoyed this book and hope you do too 🙂
A good friend of mine loves Historical Romance, so I think this is getting added to her Christmas gift list! Thanks for the thorough review!
Welcome 🙂
This seems like a really fun book and a great giveaway. Though not my normal genre, I have been wanting to branch out more.
I was skeptical when I agreed to read this book but sometimes it is good to take risks..Don't you agree, Jessi! 🙂
I have not read gothic historical romances books. I have always loved fiction but from your review, i think I will try this one out. Thanks a lot.
Intriguing as a book. Seductive as a giveaway.
Thanks for sharing honest review about the book. This book looks interesting I will definitely going to buy this for sure
Oh this sounds good. I've strayed from historical fiction lately, but would seriously consider reading this.
Thanks so much for sharing your review as I have been seeing this novel in quite a few places. I really enjoyed your writeup and thanks for the giveaway too. =0)
Historical romance mmmmm I don't mind giving it a shot actually. Thanks for the reco.
I think I need to add this to my reading list.. I need to add different books so my brain can rework.
Getting a review in an external website is very important, as those are not controlled by the publishers and other external factors.
Thank you for sharing, I am going to check this out for sure.
What a great giveaway! I've never heard of this author, so I need to check this book out! 🙂
Seems like a spooky book that I'd love to read this Halloween!
I am not a big fan of any spooky or scary story but my sister will definitely love this book as she loves to read even watching a scary story/movies. Good luck to all participants of this giveaway!
The story is so interesting. And I love the cover, this type of story really relieves my boredom. ��
It's not the typical book that would draw my attention, but it sounds like a fairly interesting story!
Sounds interesting. I never thought about this genre but it captured my attention. I thought that love and ghosts wouldn't be a good idea, but I think that it works. It's a good option to read while on the plane.
This book surely sounds interesting. It's not my kind of book as I'm not a big fan of novel, but I can see how my friends would love this. Thank you for your review! ~ Ola @ WanderWithOla
Lovely review! This books sounds very interesting. The Widow of Rose House seems like a great gothic romance novel.
I definitely would love to have this book, judging by your reviews, this is my kind of book.
This looks like a book I would love to read on a lazy weekend. The review is pretty great! Thanks for sharing:)
It sounds like a read I would pick on a shelf) the cover is beautiful) just to my liking.
I love a good book. Perfect for a getaway weekend with the family. We've been trying to book sometime for ourselves.
I've been meaning to start a new read. Will have to look into this book. Thanks for the suggestion.
Good post on the book review. I liked the plot.Let ne add to my reading list.
Good post on the book review. I liked the plot.Let me add to my reading list.
I will have to check this out at the Library. I really do love a good Gothic Romance and this sounds great.
Oh my gosh I NEED to read this book!
This is an interesting because of the combination of gothic and romance novel. I really want to read this to get to more of Sam's character, he seems really interesting.
widow of rose house sounds interesting. i guess your review says it all. i'll love to read it by myself.
Sounds great. Terrific cover.
I love romance novels. This looks like a great addition to my goodreads collection!
Definitely adding this book in my reading list! This will be a great addition. 🙂