The Rose Garden
Susanna Kearsley

Allison and Busby
11 May 2011/ ISBN 0749009802
Romance / Time Travel / Contemporary and 1712 / Cornwall, England
Amazon US || UK

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

Eva has fond memories of long summer vacations spent at her parents’ friends house as a child. When her film star sister Katrina dies she takes her ashes back to scatter at Trelowarth and ends up falling for the place again where she had once been so happy. But this old house has a secret, and Eva finds herself slipping backwards and forwards in time, back to the early 18th century when this was the haunt of smugglers and Jacobites. With no roots in the present now that her sister has gone, Eva finds herself drawn not only to this time but also to the charismatic figure of Daniel Butler, a man determined not to see Hanoverians on the English throne.

I’d not read any of this author’s work before but have had it recommended to me many times and can see the appeal. For me the best part was her depiction of this part of Cornwall and its strange but undeniable magic and this runs like a thread throughout the book, enhancing it. Eva narrates the story herself, which brings it a greater sense of immediacy, both for the lyrical descriptions of Cornwall and the love story aspect. Her descriptions of 18th century Cornwall could be more vivid, but she manages a nice mix of interests both in the past and present, plus a few surprises. Due to the thrilling nature of the period depicted, I had hoped for some more exciting moments but this is very much a love story and any derring-do is kept fairly low key. The whole could certainly stand some editing, but the whole story is done well enough to keep romance readers happy. A relaxing and gentle summer read.

Reviewer Note: Named the Dragon review || The Winter Sea at Amazon. || The Rose Garden 1st review