Title: The Queen of Roses
Author: Julia Kelly
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
1960: Frustrated reporter Theresa Johnson’s life changes when she receives a phone call from a Miss Pearce who claims her obituary about one of Pasadena’s last great hoteliers is wildly inaccurate. Seeking the truth, Theresa drives to the mysterious Rosewood House nestled high in the Altadena foothills. Even more intriguing than the house’s beautiful garden is Miss Pearce’s proposal that Theresa help her settle old scores by writing her biography.
1903: Beautiful but haughty, Adele Pearce is reluctant to leave the London Season and her last hope of a proposal. When she arrives in California, she discovers the startling truth of why her mother has called her her father has squandered his fortune and Adele must marry a wealthy American to save the family.
Stifled by expectation as Pasadena’s newest doyenne, Adele’s only comfort is Rosewood House and the beautiful garden she creates with the help of taciturn gardener Alexander Macalister. However, as Adele’s feelings for Alex flourish, a fire ignites in the San Gabriel Mountains above Rosewood House, threatening everything Adele holds dear, while in 1960, Miss Pearce learns that history has a terrible habit of repeating itself.
I do love Julia Kelly’s books, and this was no exception. I knew absolutely nothing about this era/place in America, but it was an interesting read. I’m not big on social “rules,” so that’ always a challenge for me to read about, and I’m very independent—so the reality of it being a man’s world so exclusively was a challenge, too.
I didn’t really like Adele much at first, but she grew on me a bit. Very much the Ice Queen, but…her mother was not a nice person. And we won’t talk about her husband. I did love the 1960 timeline even more and found that story to be completely engrossing. This is an excellent read!
Julia Kelly is a bestselling author. The Queen of Roses is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.)
