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Three Reasons You Should Read This Contemporary Romance:
- A Winter Rose by Amy Craig features some very strong and independent women that know their minds and what to do it all on their own – sometimes too much.
- Julien and Eliza bump heads in a very fun way that only serves to add more sparks to their growing attraction.
- Eliza’s daughter, Skye, steals the show as quite the engaging and adorable little girl that seems to care about the entire world.
About A Winter Rose by Amy Craig
Title: A Winter Rose
Author: Amy Craig
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Widow Eliza struggles to raise her young daughter and run her Washington state flower farm. Julien, a charming Southerner with a knack for business, stops his road trip to help her out of a tight situation. He has no intention of sticking around a sleepy farm town, but Eliza’s grit and dedication warm his wounded heart. Can they look beyond a business partnership and see the beauty of second chances?
My review of A Winter Rose:
I really wanted to enjoy this book. Hard-working single mom that runs her own business, a cute little girl that loves animals, the tortured man running from his past into the unknown. But unfortunately, this book fell a little flat.
Eliza was stubborn and hard-working, but she took doing on her own to an extreme. She seemed to think any offer of assistance was someone trying to take over her life and business. She knew what she wanted and how she wanted it done, and god forbid anyone has a differing opinion. The exception was her feelings for Julien. Where she waffled back and forth so many times I lost track. Instead of setting up tensions in the situation, it just made me dislike her for leading him and then pushing him away over and over again.
Julien was a better character. I felt like I could understand most of his motivations, except why he put up with Eliza. He truly tries to help her for no reason other than he wants something to do. I liked him – he deserved better.
Skye (Eliza’s daughter) and her mother play some very major roles in the story. Skye – I wouldn’t change her one bit. She is one of the most well-developed characters in the book. Recovering from losing her father, there are some things she struggles with, but deep down she’s a joyful child that loves just about everyone. Eliza’s mother was another character I think I was supposed to feel bad for and I didn’t. She was just plain old mean.
The romance is there, it’s just not one I would enjoy. There is also a mention of ICE and deportation at the beginning of the story – setting up a place for Eliza to need Julien. I think if you’re going to use this as a plot point, you need to do a little more than just say “Oh, he was deported,” and move right along. You don’t have to be political about it, but that has an effect on the surrounding community and doesn’t just poof go away.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
