Source: Publisher
Description: 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.
Genre: Fiction - Historic
Why I Picked This Book: I have really enjoyed other books I've read by this author and this one sounded fascinating.
My Impression: Julia Kelly has cemented her status as an auto-buy author for me. I have really enjoyed everything I've read by her and this was no exception. I really enjoy how she makes potentially unlikable characters sympathetic and explores aspects of life and time periods that aren't usually focused on.
Adele was a bit hard to warm up for the first chapter or two but as I got to know her I felt like I really understood her and liked her. She was raised to adhere to a very specific code and then suddenly all the rules change with no warning. She's doing her best and she never loses herself. I found her story fascinating and even when it was frustrating or heartbreaking I was completely hooked.
The addition of Theresa Johnson's timeline was also well-done. I liked seeing the end as we hear the beginning and I also really liked Theresa. Like Adele, she is also trying to figure out a life that she is not prepared for but determined to make work. I loved following along as she dug into Adele's life and enjoyed her page time as much as Adele's.
This was a really enjoyable story of two strong women who are making their lives work regardless of what is going around them. They both felt like real women and even when I didn't agree with their decisions or reactions I understood where they were coming from.
Again, Julia Kelly does not disappoint. She pulled me in from the first page and made me feel completely connected to these characters. I'm looking forward to reading more from her and digging into the backlist.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! I will be picking up her next book as soon as it's released and I'm looking forward to reading backlist books that I've missed.
Would I Recommend this Book? Yes! If you enjoy historical fiction with strong, complicated but likable main characters this is a must not miss.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! I will be picking up her next book as soon as it's released and I'm looking forward to reading backlist books that I've missed.
Would I Recommend this Book? Yes! If you enjoy historical fiction with strong, complicated but likable main characters this is a must not miss.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
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