The Widow of Rose House

A Novel

By: Diana Biller

Narrated by: Samantha Desz

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

**A "MOST ANTICIPATED ROMANCE" of 2019 (BookPage)**

A young widow restores a dilapidated mansion with the assistance of a charming, eccentric genius, only to find the house is full of dangerous secrets in this effervescent Gilded Age romantic comedy debut

It’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.

©2019 Diana Biller (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Desz captures Alva and Sam's emotional highs and lows with nuances and finesse as the two negotiate their feelings for each other amid the danger and distrust that are their constant companions.” —AudioFile Magazine

Definitely would've been better without the sex

I'm not sure why the author decided to make a ghost story into a Harlequin romance between the leads, which left them coming across as two horny hormonal teens, but it derailed the spooky aspect of the story for me.

The actual ghost part was fairly good with a creative resolution, but overall I was disappointed.

great book.

I loved this book. the reading was excellent but the book was amazing all on its own.

Great Book… worth the credit

Incredible book, romance, paranormal ghosts, and a story about letting go of trauma… so good!

Not that Great....

I was so hoping to enjoy this book, but unfortunately I found it slow moving and quite boring.

A good story

I usually listen to the samples before I purchase with a credit. I did so here , in the sample I loved the narrators voice the story seemed good so I got it .
Into the story though I was a little dissapointed here and there with her narration but it was just here in there.
The story is a sweet 'meet cute ' romance with a little paranormal thrown in .
I found Sam adorable. Alva was a good character too with Sam breaking through her defenses to help her deal with her violent past. I also enjoyed reading of Sam's family. All in all a good story to spend an extra credit on.

Excellent, Delightful & Innovative Book

I am an avid and very discerning reader. I sought out a new author and was riveted by this author’s talent, wit, skill and brilliance. Thank you, Deana Rayburn for suggesting this lovely work!

Good book.

Enjoyable to listen too. the storyline kept my interest. Just thr right amount of romance and action!

Good story & narration

I can’t rate this as high as most reviews did because although it was clever, good - not stellar. Worth a read but too long IMO. A sweet romance that dealt with positive outcomes dealing with problems of abuse, mental health issues, plus touch of the paranormal. My rating is also due to lack of desire to ever re-read and only one sentence notation saved from thirty chapters.

Palate Cleansing, Sweet Ghost Story Romance

The cream of this story is really the sweet hero. He is a handsome absent minded famous scientist who grew up in a family of famous scientists who all love, adore and support each other. Sickeningly healthy right? But also clearly exactly what Alva needs after her horrific first marriage. While her first husband was emotionally and physically abusive, the gruesome details are never expounded upon which is nice from a trigger warning perspective. But it is still obvious from Alva’s attitude and actions that she was badly abused. She is smeared as a very loose woman upon leaving her late husband (yet had only had sex once in her life) and lest you think she is freed of him by his death, think again. His TWIN brother comes around to blackmail Alva for her late husband’s death. Seriously, a twin brother of your abusive late husband - that would SUCK. And he’s about as bad as his brother too. So understandably she is all business and Sam swans into her life trying to disturb everything. There is immediate like and attraction so Alva tries her best to keep her distance from Sam. However when ghosts scare off the contractors working on her new home (her salvation and redemption), she needs Sam to help identify and extricate said ghosts. The remainder of the book is all about Sam and Alva discovering the ghost’s identity and unfinished business while also falling in love. It’s a bumpy road with Alva’s hang ups but in the end they are each keen on protecting the other and in the end, of course, it’s an HEA.
I found the writing and plot very smooth and easy to follow, the ghost story wasn’t predictable and kept you guessing but the real mystery was how Alva was going to deal with the blackmailing brother. This was a bit more predictable but the story flowed well and the narrator did an excellent job with the story and voices (there weren’t strong accents or inflections but the subtle differences she used worked with this story).

I wanted a ghost story, I got fluff.

Not bad if you want a light and fluffy story, where the only characters who have flaws are the one note bad guys. Lack of conflict made it a little dull, and the ghost story was almost an afterthought (which as cheesy of a conclusion as you could like.) you’re looking for a breezy romance this might be for you, but if you are hoping for a little thriller in your romance you will be left sorely wanting.