Books › A Rose In Winter
A Rose In Winter
792 pages
A sweeping, gothic-tinged historical romance where duty and forbidden desire collide in the shadow of a masked stranger.
What it feels like
Reading this classic historical romance feels like stepping into a lush, gothic-tinged theatrical production where every emotion is heightened and every shadow hides a secret. The narrative unfolds at a steady, deliberate pace, allowing the reader to luxuriate in the rich, descriptive prose and the atmospheric tension of a fire-scarred estate. It is a story steeped in the classic beauty and the beast trope, wrapping you in a mood that is simultaneously shadowy and swoon-worthy. The emotional texture is thick with the agony of duty clashing against forbidden desire, pulling the reader through a labyrinth of hidden identities and dangerous midnight rides. It will thoroughly delight fans of old-school, sweeping romances who love a masked, brooding hero, high-stakes melodrama, and a love story that fights its way through darkness into a triumphant light.
- Mood
- gothic
- shadowy
- suspenseful
- swoony
- Tone
- earnest
- melodramatic
- sweeping
- romantic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- beauty and the beast · duty versus desire · hidden identities · redeeming love · family betrayal
- The writing
- Lush, descriptive, and unapologetically theatrical, wrapping the reader in rich historical detail and heightened emotion.
- The arc
- Moves from trapped despair and fearful obligation through a labyrinth of conflicted desire, culminating in a triumphant, revelatory romance.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave old-school, sweeping historical romances complete with gothic undertones, masked heroes, and high-stakes melodrama.
Content notes
- forced marriage
- auction of a bride
- violence
- burn scars and disfigurement
About the book
Erienne Fleming despairs for her future. Her father, Avery, mayor of their small town in the north of England, is awash in gambling debts. Her brother has been maimed in a foolish duel for the family's honor. It is Avery's intent to pay his debts and secure his and his son's futures by marrying off Erienne to a wealthy suitor, to which end he brings home an endless stream of aged and infirm, albeit wealthy, gentlemen. But the proud and beautiful Erienne will have none of them. Finally, Avery simply decides to sell her to the highest bidder. The only man barred from the auction is Christopher Seton, the handsome Yankee captain who wounded her brother, and with whom Erienne, against her will, is falling in love.
Erienne is sold to the mysterious Lord Saxton, a sinister figure who wears a black mask to cover the hideous scars left by a fire that burned down his family mansion. At first she is terrified of him, unable to give herself to him. Her terror of her has- band only sharpens her longing for Christopher, a passion she struggles fiercely to deny.
But her private dilemma is pushed aside when panic sweeps the town as the Night Rider, a demonic figure with a silver saber, begins a murderous rampage to avenge the burning of Saxton Hall. When Christopher is seriously wounded, Erienne, tenderly ministering to him, discovers an astonishing ~ secret that will threaten the future of the Saxton line itself and will put her own life in grave danger.
Description from Open Library.
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