Throughout history, roses have been used to express a variety of emotions—love, of course, but also purity, gratitude, secrecy, vanity, even grief and jealousy. Here’s a dozen “roses” than run the gamut of emotions for you to explore.
What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr
When Rose Dennis awakens from a drug-induced sleep to find herself committed to the dementia ward of a mental hospital, she knows something is terribly wrong. With a foggy memory she escapes and struggles to discover who and why someone wants her out of the way—permanently.
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A Good Year for the Roses by Gil McNeil
Molly Taylor, divorced and struggling to raise three active boys, is surprised to learn she has inherited her Aunt Helena’s 300-year-old manor on the Devon coast where Molly grew up, complete with private beach and Helena’s beautiful rose garden–and, of course, her uncle Bertie, an eccentric former navy officer, and his parrot, Betty. Will her dream of owning a charming B&B come true, or does fate have other plans for Molly?
Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson
A young singer/songwriter on the rise comes to Nashville to find her future—but can she escape a dark and dangerous past?
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Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
For 18 years, the neighbors all took pity on Rose Gold, the sickly, wheelchair–bound child and her mother, Patti. They were surprised when Patti was sent to prison for intentionally keeping her daughter sick by poisoning and starvation. When she was released five years later, they were shocked when Rose Gold, now a mother herself, welcomed her former tormentor into her home to live. But is Rose motivated by pity—or revenge?
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The Widow of Rose House : a novel by Diana Biller
1875, New York. Condemned in the press for fleeing her abusive husband, Alva Webster returns to New York after his sudden death, with plans to restore a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion— and, hopefully, her reputation. However, her plans are thwarted by stories that the house is haunted.
The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel
The River Rose by Gilbert Morris
Jeanne Bettencourt, an almost-30 widow struggling to raise a young child, is surprised and relieved when she inherits a steamboat, the Helena Rose, from a distant relative. But her plans to make a living on the river are complicated by a second heir, a tough man named Clint Hardin, and a requirement of the inheritance that heirs live aboard the boat. Can Jeanne’s simple faith help her navigate the rocky waters ahead?
Wild Irish Rose by Rhys Bowen & Clare Broyles
It’s 1907, and in New York, Molly Murphy Sullivan is settling into her role as a wife to Daniel, a NYPD captain, and parent to son Liam and ward, Bridie. While distributing clothing to new immigrants at Ellis Island, a woman named Rose, who looks very similar to Molly, is detained for murder. Empathetic to Rose’s plight, Molly seeks to find the truth about what happened.
The Rose Code : a novel by Kate Quinn
Three women form a strong bond while working together at Bletchley Park as code-breakers during WWII, and must use their special skills to rout out a spy after the war.
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The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Sent to a wealthy abbey in fourteenth-century Italy to investigate accusations of heresy, Brother William of Baskerville soon becomes embroiled in darker forces when several of the brothers suffer brutal and bizarre deaths. Having studied the works of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and Roger Bacon, William uses his special insight and knowledge to try to decipher the clues and prevent the loss of more lives—including his own.
Rose Madder by Stephen King
After 14 years of beatings and abuse, Rose Daniels has finally run away from her horrific marriage to start a new life. But her sadistic husband Norman won’t let go and, as a police officer, he knows how to find her.