Hello everyone, it's my first post to this community,this is after having joined here for a very long time, the issues was I have always been busy with school to actually finish a book , and when I don't finish the book , I can't make a review, but with the little break I have for now, I think I will be reading more thanks to @justfavour who came through with a website for online books , so I don't necessarily have to have a hard copy anymore. I know I have shared this online site with about six ofy friends so far lol…. Well to my bone of contention today….. So let me just say that I wasn’t expecting to really enjoy Romance of the Rose by Julie Beard the way I did, because when i started it , I was thinking it was just another historical love story, you get? but omo….. I was actually pulled in from the first few chapters , the e drama and all , the fire between the characters, the stubbornness, the tension, and infact everything, The novel gave what it was supposed to give I guess.
Yeah…. So basically, this story is set in Elizabethan England, that time when women were not really allowed to own land, houses , or have opinions sef. The main character who was named Lady Rosalind Carbery, is not the regular woman for that era, as she is bold, smart, and very independent, so imagine someone that said she never wants to marry in that time, that alone should tell you how different she was
Now enter Mandrake Rothwell, aka Drake. Whew…. that man had every reason to be angry at life, because his father was disgraced and his home taken, and guess who ended up with it? Yes Rosalind’s family , She became the lady of Thornbury House, which used to belong to Drake's father before everything scattered, and the funny thing is, they both have this history from childhood, Rosalind was that girl who always wanted to prove she was better than Drake, you get like the Competition was full ground.
Now fast forward years later, Rosalind is now in her 30’s which by their standard back then is already “old” to be unmarried)
, and the Queen of England was even pressuring her to find a husband, so to dodge the marriage wahala, she decided to forms one fake courtship plan, I laughed at this part because I could see myself pulling that same stunt if I was in her shoes like , for someone like her.
And then Drake now shows up ,after being away at the sea, doing spice trade and all those adventurous things, so this man came back ready to claim his mother’s land, take back Thornbury house ,but the one thing he didn’t plan for was still being attracted to Rosalind after so long and that was the same for Rosalind.
I believe their reunion was explosive from the moment they saw each other again , and also it was tension, the both of them are just too stubborn , Rosalind is like…. “You can’t come and take my house and my life,” and Drake is like, “That house was mine before it was yours.” but somewhere deep down , they both know they still have feelings from years ago that they have just been hiding with pride.
So I loved how the book didn't just focus on only the romance aspect ,there was also deep themes like inheritance, gender roles, revenge, self-worth, and forgiveness, so It just was not just sweet words and kisses up and down, the love story had to go through plenty fire before it was settled, amd that I liked.
Also their banter was one of my favorite things, so sharp and also very funny, You know when two people like each other but will rather argue than admit it? That was exactly how these two were, yeah, at some point, I was even like, “You people should just kiss already and stop shouting lol …
I also liked the supporting characters. Rosalind’s uncle, Thadeus, added some comic relief, And her friend Frannie was that loyal , slightly dramatic bestie every woman needs, the whole vibe of the book felt like watching an old-school movie with modern-day sass kind of.
So If you enjoy stories where the woman is not waiting to be rescued , this one is for you ,Rosalind carried herself so well. She wasn’t just strong for show she was clever and witty, and even though society was pushing her toward marriage, she tried to do things her way.
As for Drake, he may have come back for revenge, but you can tell the man just wanted to be seen and valued after all he has been through, their love did not come easy, but when it finally settled, it was real.
So yes, I do recommend this book , it is not too serious, it is also sweet, and the drama was adequate.
Images Are Screenshots From The E-book
