The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley

The Midnight Rose (Kennebec Large Print Superior Collection)

by Lucinda Riley

The Midnight Rose is a spellbinding tale of family secrets, sacrifice, and the everlasting power of love, from Lucinda Riley, international bestselling author of the Seven Sisters series.

India, 1911. Anahita Chavan, from a noble but impoverished family, forms a lifelong friendship with the headstrong Princess Indira, the privileged daughter of Indian royalty. Becoming the princess's official companion, Anahita accompanies her friend to England just before the outbreak of the Great War. There, she meets Donald Astbury, reluctant heir to the magnificent Astbury Estate - and his scheming mother.

Eighty years later, Rebecca Bradley, a young American film star, has the world at her feet. But when her turbulent relationship takes an unexpected turn, she's relieved that her latest role, playing a 1920s debutante, will take her away from the glare of publicity to the wilds of Dartmoor in England. Shortly after filming begins at the now-crumbling Astbury Hall, Ari Malik, Anahita's great-grandson, arrives unexpectedly, on a quest to uncover his family's past.

As Rebecca and Ari begin to unravel the dark secrets that haunt the Astbury dynasty, what they discover will change everything . . .

Reviewed by Lianne on

4 of 5 stars

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I received an ARC copy of this novel from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. This review in its entirety was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2014/03/12/review-the-midnight-rose/

The Midnight Rose is a wonderfully atmospheric novel that really draws the reader into the story right from the first page. The author does a wonderful job at bringing the early 20th century to life, from Anahita’s experiences in both India and England to customs and norms of the period. All of the characters that populated this novel were interesting, complete with their own strengths and faults, all of them in different parts of their life: Rebecca and her rising career, Ari at the height of business success, Anahita’s opportunities and finding love, etc. I found myself caring for all of these characters, which made reading the second half of this novel especially difficult: I just wanted everything to be happy and shiny for everyone. It was especially interesting to see how interconnected all of the present-day characters–Rebecca, Ari, Lord Anthony–were to Anahita and Donald’s relationship.

Developments towards the end of the novel were a little surprising and unexpected but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. Fans of Downton Abbey, Brideshead Revisited, the Edwardian era and a good old-fashioned, star-crossed romance will want to check out this novel.

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  • Started reading
  • 29 January, 2014: Finished reading
  • 29 January, 2014: Reviewed