When I got the invite to be part of the blog tour for the Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller, I was intrigued. Jess had been reading it and mentioned how much she was enjoying it, so I gleefully signed up…and I’m so glad I did.
Before we get to my top 5 reasons to read The Widow of Rose House, let’s check out the book!
Title: The Widow of Rose House
Author: Diana Biller
Pages: 352
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Pub Date: October 8, 2019
Find it: Macmillan | Indiebound | B&N | Amazon | GoodreadsIt’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.
Sounds good, right?
Top five reasons to read The Widow of Rose House
- the main characters — Alva and Sam are fantastic, especially together. I could go on about how much I love them, but really, it would be a lot of reasons
- the family — Sam’s family is so supportive and loads of fun. I just want to hang out with them and maybe blow something up
- the atmosphere — Liefdehuis is basically another character in the book
- the open conversations — Alva and Sam talk and talk and talk. It was really refreshing to see
- a list of five things — this will make sense when you get to the ending
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I think the best way to you about myself is to tell you about the things I love. So here’s a completely inexhaustive list: I love my husband, my dog, my family, and my friends. I love ballet–both watching it and taking adult beginner classes. I love hiking alone, writing in gardens, and jumping in waves. I love Disneyland. I love Los Angeles, where I live. I love reading–it’s my oldest passion and my favorite.
And I love playing pretend, which is, for me at least, the thing underneath all the words and writing. I love living in worlds I’ve imagined, and I love meeting every new character who walks into them. I hope you’ll love them too.
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Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the invite.
The Widow of Rose House is out now and I highly highly highly recommend it. If I haven’t been convincing enough, click here for an excerpt.
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