The Midnight Rose (Kennebec Large Print Superior Collection)

by Lucinda Riley

[Lianne]

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.